Chapter 182: Striking Again

Zhuge Qing had never expected that the Four Great Sects would strike simultaneously, yet still be unable to uproot a single stronghold of the Five Great Demon Mountains. The most terrifying part was that now, the people of the Four Great Sects were finding it difficult to even withdraw.

"Is my father alright now?"

Forcing down the anxiety in her heart, the young woman asked.

"Although the Sect Master is surrounded by the Demon Sect, the Five Great Demon Mountains cannot do anything to them for the moment. However, if this drags on for too long..."

The person who arrived did not finish their sentence, but Zhuge Qing understood the implication.

"The Old Sect Master forced me out this time specifically so the Young Sect Master could contact the cultivators around Tianjiang Plain and have them come to help. The first major attack must be a victory, otherwise, it will affect morale!"

"I understand! Brother Zhang, I must trouble you to provide assistance! I will go now to lobby the other sects to join the fight!"

Hearing this, Zhuge Qing's pretty face turned solemn. The current situation could not be more obvious; both Tianjiang Plain and the Five Great Demon Mountains were anticipating victory in this first major engagement. For both sides, it was the greatest medicine to boost morale. However, the situation was clear: the Five Great Demon Mountains were much better prepared.

The reason Tianjiang Plain had been able to unite the surrounding sects in the first place was entirely due to the reputation of Nanxuan Laozu. This time, when attacking the stronghold, the other sects had not taken action; they were waiting to see what the strength of the Five Great Demon Mountains was like after six hundred years. If they were defeated in the first battle, they might abandon their alliance with Tianjiang Plain.

The supernatural powers Zhang Nuo had just displayed had opened the young woman's eyes. With his current strength, even if he encountered a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could put up a fight. Undoubtedly, Zhang Nuo had become a major pillar of the Nanxuan Sect!

"Alright! I'll go right now!"

He nodded slightly. He had received some benefits from the Nanxuan Sect in the past, and now was the perfect time to find a way to repay them. At the same time, such large-scale battles were very helpful for his cultivation; only by growing through combat could one hone their cultivation base!

"I'm going too!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Budong became anxious. He had grown up in the Nanxuan Sect since he was a child, had long since regarded the sect as his home, and held Zhuge An in the highest respect!

"You cannot go. When defending this stronghold, you almost exhausted your Spirit Power. Even if you went, it would be of no use. Stay here and guard this place for now!"

The young woman was very decisive. In a few words, she arranged the matters here, then drove a Flying Magic Tool with Zhang Nuo and disappeared into the horizon.

Just as the two were about to part ways, the young woman's bright eyes flickered, and she said "thank you" to Zhang Nuo. In those two simple words, there was a wealth of emotion that even Zhuge Qing herself could not clearly define.

Zhang Nuo was stunned, then gave a faint smile. No ripples could be seen on his face. He always felt a sense of distance with Zhuge Qing—he dared not get too close for fear of being unable to extricate himself, yet he also dared not stay too far away, as there was always a sense of reluctance in his heart!

Without saying anything more, after tossing a few Spirit Replenishing Pills into his mouth, the Spirit Power of the Flying Magic Tool under Zhang Nuo's feet flashed, and he flew toward the place where the Four Great Sects and the Five Great Demon Mountains were locked in fierce battle. Watching the receding figure, the young woman felt strange in her heart; she was becoming increasingly reliant on this seemingly ordinary youth.

At this time, the sky was already slightly bright. Zhuge An and the others had been locked in fierce battle with the cultivators of the Five Great Demon Mountains for an entire night. Everyone had almost reached their limit, and the radiance of their Magic Treasures had dimmed.

The killing intent in Zhuo Zhiyan's phoenix eyes remained undiminished, but the flame of the Seven Treasures Glazed Lamp before her was weak; it seemed its power was only four or five tenths of what it had been.

Opposite her, Wu Xu was panting heavily, standing atop a Black War Drum. Red bloodshot veins bulged in his eyes, and the fat on his face pulsed with the rhythm of his heart. He looked no better off than Zhuo Zhiyan.

Just at this moment, a commotion erupted from the right flank of the Demon cultivators, and screams rang out one after another. Two rays of light, like silver dragons, knocked several Demon cultivators off their Flying Magic Tools.

"Hm? What is happening?"

Wang Ji's old face sank. After a few powerful strikes that forced Zhuge An back, he quickly flashed to the side and cast a sidelong glance in that direction. Zhuge An was also startled; he retreated slightly and narrowed his eyes to look.

Two more dragon roars echoed. Two silver dragons, each a zhang long, lunged forward, and seven or eight Demon cultivators fell on the spot. These Demon cultivators had been fighting for an entire night, and the Demonic Qi in their bodies was nearly exhausted; encountering such a powerful attack, they had no strength to parry.

Seeing that it was the Demon Sect members who were dying, everyone on the side of the Four Great Sects of Tianjiang Plain felt excited, thinking that reinforcements had arrived.

*Swish! * A cyan streak of light, like a sharp blade slicing through the sky, carved a bloody path through the many Demon cultivators. Following it, a figure flashed past and appeared before everyone's eyes.

"Zhang Nuo!"

Zhuge An had never expected that the person who had just killed several Demon cultivators would be him! Zhang Nuo was seen holding a Wu Hook in one hand, with nine Flying Swords circling incessantly before him. The killing intent steaming from his face made him look like a Heavenly General descended from the Nine Heavens.

"A mere Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator dares to kill several disciples of my Demon Mountain? Let this old man come and meet you!"

The moment Zhang Nuo stopped his figure, Wang Ji's aged voice rang out. He looked at Zhang Nuo with fury, wishing he could step forward and crush him to death!

"Wang Ji! Do you still have any shame? Attacking a junior? If you want to fight, I will accompany you!"

Before Wang Ji could rush toward Zhang Nuo, Zhuge An flashed forward and lunged at him. At the same time, he opened his mouth wide, and a Flying Sword with a long, narrow blade spat out from it. With a flash of brilliance, it shot toward Wang Ji!

Although the momentum Zhang Nuo had just displayed was extraordinary, it was still not worth mentioning in the hands of a Golden Core cultivator! Fearing that some accident might befall Zhang Nuo, Zhuge An took the initiative to intercept Wang Ji.

At this moment, Zhang Nuo looked around. He saw that the cultivators of the Four Great Sects and the Five Great Demon Mountains were locked in an inseparable struggle, with cultivators falling almost every moment.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! *

Several sounds of breaking air rang out. Various Magic Treasures swept toward Zhang Nuo. When he had charged into the encirclement just now and killed several Demon cultivators, he had immediately provoked public anger, and over a dozen Demon cultivators were now pouncing on him.

Frowning slightly, Zhang Nuo steered his Flying Magic Tool to quickly dodge the attacks. At the same time, the Three Spirit Seas within his body erupted with dazzling white light, and the nine Flying Swords before him transformed into nine White Threads, vanishing in a flash as they struck toward the nine Demon cultivators.

"Ah!"

Three screams rang out. These Demon cultivators had never fought Zhang Nuo before and did not know the lethality of his Fast Sword; instantly, three of them had their hearts pierced through!

Seeing this, the others became even more furious. With the brilliance of their Magic Treasures flashing, they slashed toward Zhang Nuo like raindrops. He flew rapidly, dodging back and forth. Facing the simultaneous attacks of a large number of Demon cultivators, Zhang Nuo had no way to parry; he could only dodge everywhere and then seize the opportunity to kill one person.

"Boom!"

A loud explosion rang out. A Demon cultivator attacking Zhang Nuo was fully focused on controlling his Magic Treasure, not expecting someone to suddenly charge from behind and use a Square Heaven Painted Halberd to shatter his body!

A cloud of Blood Mist drifted in mid-air. In the center of the mist, a white-haired cultivator stood holding a Great Halberd. Who else could it be but Han Liang?

The moment he saw Zhang Nuo appear, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. From the beginning of the battle, he had not spotted Zhang Nuo and had assumed he had another mission. He had not expected Zhang Nuo to appear at the most critical moment.

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Han!"

Turning his head to see that it was Han Liang who had struck, Zhang Nuo felt a surge of joy; he had always had a decent impression of Han Liang.

"Ah!"

Another scream rang out as another Demon cultivator pursuing Zhang Nuo was killed. Turning to look, he saw a Blood Corpse piercing through the body of a Demon cultivator. Beside the Blood Corpse, Gu Yu of the Corpse Refining Sect stood atop a Flying Magic Tool, gazing at him with a grim expression.

Zhang Nuo could not help but be startled. He had clearly used the Lotus Fall sword formation to destroy Gu Yu's Blood Corpse, yet another one had appeared before him!

"Zhang Nuo! Han Liang! I never expected we would meet under these circumstances!"

Gu Yu's figure was hidden beneath a black robe, revealing only a pair of small eyes as he spoke.

"I never expected your Blood Corpse to be so powerful that it wasn't destroyed!"

Zhang Nuo moved his figure and arrived near Gu Yu, his eyes releasing killing intent. However, he would not attack Gu Yu; in the current situation, if they engaged in infighting, the Four Great Sects would be the ones to suffer.

"Fellow Daoist Gu's Corpse Refining certainly has great mysteries!"

Han Liang also flew over to join them. The three of them radiated intense killing intent toward one another! If it were any other time, they might have already started fighting.

"How about this! From now on, let the three of us make a bet!"

"What kind of bet?"

Hearing Gu Yu's words, Han Liang gave a disdainful smile. He had never been one to submit to Gu Yu, so he immediately interjected.

"Let's see which of us three can slay the most Demon Sect cultivators!"

A sharp glint flashed in Gu Yu's eyes as he stroked the Blood Corpse!

"Good!"

As soon as the word "good" left his mouth, the Great Halberd in Han Liang's hand turned into a bolt of lightning, and with a "swish," it directly pierced through a Demon cultivator who was charging at him.

"One!"

Counting aloud, Han Liang's figure dashed out rapidly, and he grabbed the Square Heaven Painted Halberd in his hand; seeing this, Gu Yu's figure flashed repeatedly as he charged into a group of Demon cultivators with his Corpse Refining, and in the blink of an eye, a dark blue light flashed on the ten Bone Spikes of the Blood Corpse, and two Demon cultivators had already fallen into a pool of blood.

Zhang Nuo took a slight breath; these two were far too bloodthirsty, actually comparing who was stronger by the number of people they killed!

"Fine! I, Zhang, shall compete with you both!"

Seeing that Han Liang and Gu Yu had already taken action, Zhang Nuo let out a long whistle, and the Flying Sword in front of him began to tremble, erupting with streaks of white light!

With a few soft "swish" sounds, the two Demon cultivators who had been charging toward Zhang Nuo immediately fell from their Flying Magic Tool, and the wounds on their bodies pierced by the Flying Sword were still gushing with blood.

"Two!"

Zhang Nuo imitated Han Liang, counting loudly; the strength of these three was the greatest among the Foundation Establishment Stage, so Demon cultivators were bound to fall whenever they struck, and very quickly, the air around the three men's battlefield became exceptionally thick with the scent of blood, with nearly half the sky almost dyed red.