Chapter 113: Xiangliu Demon Soul

The straight blade raised a cold light and flew in a slash.

The Mist Blade Assassins were well-trained; over twenty assassins attacked in succession, cold light surging, actually giving a suffocating feeling like rolling, endless waves.

Wu Tie looked at these Mist Blade Assassins with a blank expression.

The Warping Banner twisted the surrounding light, and the direction of these assassins' flying slashes likewise underwent a subtle distortion.

Their blade light was still several feet away from Wu Tie, unable to so much as nick a single hair.

Grasping the spear with both hands, the White Tiger Rend let out a sharp tearing-through-air sound and shot forward.

A cold light suddenly rose, and the brutal, bloody aura of the battlefield filled the entire cavern.

Chief Steward raised his eyebrows, then suddenly shouted: "Retreat!"

How could there be time?

The spear slammed into an assassin's body from a diagonal thrust; the soft armor made of python skin could not block the White Tiger Rend's edge in the slightest. The spear pierced through, and with a shake of Wu Tie's wrist, the assassin exploded into a mist of blood.

At this moment, the White Tiger Rend weighed 108,000 catties; a human body before it was as fragile as tofu beneath a boulder.

Blood mist sprayed out; Wu Tie gripped the spear, charging forth with a killing aura all around him.

"Chief Steward, since you won't listen to my explanation... then..."

Wu Tie hadn't finished speaking when a shy remnant of innocence still lingered in his heart.

The Mist Blade Assassins' blade light was like snow, illuminating the surroundings.

The White Tiger Rend let out a sharp tearing-through-air sound; Wu Tie gave a low shout, and a bright silver arc swept across, whereupon over twenty Mist Blade Assassins simultaneously swung their blades to meet the incoming White Tiger Rend.

Blades shattered, armor shattered, people shattered.

With a million catties of divine power, driving the flesh with mana and even increasing strength tenfold out of thin air, the White Tiger Rend weighed 108,000 catties; the power of this sweep... the hidden might was terrifying to the extreme.

Over twenty Mist Blade Assassins were like eggs beneath a boulder, ground to powder.

Not a trace of blood stained the White Tiger Rend; Wu Tie gripped the spear's butt with one hand, the tip pointing directly at the deathly pale Chief Steward.

Strands of mana continually flowed into the White Tiger Rend; faint golden glimmers flickered on its pallid shaft, the shaft trembled slightly, and a low tiger's roar could be heard faintly.

On the spearhead, a three-foot cold radiance ebbed and flowed, while a fierce, bloody killing intent locked firmly onto Chief Steward.

"I won't take responsibility for faults that aren't mine." Wu Tie looked at Chief Steward and said in a deep voice: "Your people, if they want to kill me, I will kill them."

Wu Tie thrust his spear forward fiercely, and said in a deep voice: "If you want to kill me, I will kill you."

Chief Steward looked at Wu Tie and shouted angrily: "You ungrateful wretch... brat, you..."

Wu Tie gave Chief Steward a cold stare: "Without me, you couldn't even get in here. This Nine-headed Serpent Essence Blood can only be said to have no affinity with you..."

After a pause, Wu Tie said calmly: "However, this place is ultimately your Mist Blade ancestral ground; perhaps, besides these nine drops of Nine-headed Serpent Essence Blood, there are other benefits for you? Rest assured, aside from these nine essences, I will take nothing else from you."

Chief Steward spat a "ah pah" mouthful of saliva at Wu Tie.

He threw down his straight blade, scratched his wrists with both hands' nails, cutting his veins, and a large amount of fresh blood spurted out.

A large mass of blood mist appeared behind Chief Steward; blood floated and twined before him, and a bloody curved blade swiftly condensed from the blood.

"Kill you, and everything will still be mine." Chief Steward gazed at Wu Tie with a cold, sinister look: "It's a pity; I originally thought you could become one of our Mist Blade people... To be honest, the Mist Blade lacks a youthful talent like you."

Wu Tie stepped back two paces, gripping the spear with both hands; the spear shaft slightly retracted.

The spear shaft trembled slightly but urgently, the surrounding air emitted a low rumble, golden light flickered at Wu Tie's brow, a shower of golden light rained down over his entire body, veins bulged beneath his skin, and the lunar mark in his sleeve twitched faintly.

The next moment, Chief Steward suddenly widened his eyes, roared loudly, and with both hands gripping the blood-congealed curved blade, was about to leap forward to chop down at Wu Tie; from the fiery eye of the Azure Night Divine Fire behind him, a pitch-black mist silently seeped out.

The thick black mist quickly spread, occupying more than half of the cavern in the snap of a finger.

Within the black mist, eighteen clusters of ghoulish green light the size of lanterns flared up, greedily and malevolently locking onto Chief Steward's body, which exuded a thick, bloody stench.

Wu Tie shuddered violently, then shouted loudly: "Chief Steward, behind you..."

How could Chief Steward believe Wu Tie's words?

He transformed into a blood shadow, instantly appearing before Wu Tie. Countless black scales sprouted beneath his skin; his speed and strength increased severalfold out of thin air; the bizarre blood-congealed curved blade brought a cold light down, striking heavily against the White Tiger Rend's spearhead.

A great force surged forth, yet Wu Tie's body remained utterly still.

The White Tiger Rend let out a tiger's roar; a brutal killing intent surged, stabbing straight toward Chief Steward's heart.

Wherever the White Tiger Rend's edge passed, the blood-congealed curved blade shattered into fragments. The eighteen clusters of ghoulish green light rushed toward Chief Steward, and before Wu Tie's spear could pierce his heart, the black mist instantly merged entirely into his body.

With a "hiss-hiss" sound, the spiritual light in Chief Steward's eyes suddenly vanished.

The next moment, Chief Steward's pupils became slit-like, snake-shaped vertical pupils; within the ghoulish green eyes flickered a sinister, vicious light.

Wu Tie thrust his spear straight ahead; Chief Steward suddenly gave a strange laugh, his right hand moving ahead to block in front of the White Tiger Rend.

Chief Steward's palm was already covered in dark green scales inlaid with black edges; his bizarre hand seized the spearhead of the White Tiger Rend.

A tremendous force surged; Chief Steward, gripping the spear, swung it down hard.

Wu Tie let out a loud roar; with both hands gripping the spear, he poured all his strength into a shake and a jerk, causing the spear to writhe like a monstrous python turning over.

With a "crack", Chief Steward's right arm broke, the bone bending to a ninety-degree angle; he looked at Wu Tie in astonishment, then hastily retreated backward, opening his mouth to swallow the Nine-headed Serpent's lifeblood essence from the Azure Night Divine Fire.

The white egg suddenly sped up.

Chief Steward had just rushed beneath the fireball condensed from the Azure Night Divine Fire; the white egg, in a few flashes, darted into the remaining five clusters of essence blood, swallowing them clean in the snap of a finger, then turned into a white light that flew to Wu Tie's side, obediently hovering behind him.

Facing Chief Steward, Wu Tie had the white egg hovering behind him, like a bullied chick that had found its mother hen, hiding behind her for protection.

Nine-colored strange light flowed across the surface of the white egg.

Countless fine seven-colored runes jumped on the white egg's surface; sometimes a rune could leap over a foot high, making the whole egg appear ever more mysterious and wondrous.

Chief Steward lifted his head, staring stiffly at the empty azure-white great fireball, his body trembling slightly.

"Just like that, it's gone?" Chief Steward's voice turned hoarse and rough, as if two chunks of bone about to rot were grinding against each other.

"The Nine-headed Serpent Essence Blood? It's gone." Wu Tie eyed Chief Steward warily.

This guy is no longer Chief Steward.

That cluster of black mist is nothing good.

Wu Tie gritted his teeth, his heart pounding with dread... facing such an evil, monstrous thing, Wu Tie was considering the best of the Thirty-Six Stratagems.

"That is my essence blood." Chief Steward's body emitted a "crack-crack" sound, his originally well-proportioned physique was strangely elongating, and soon his body became as thin as a sea bowl but stretched to three or four meters long.

His arms and legs had elongated proportionally; at a glance he looked like a humanoid long snake.

"Nine-Headed Snake?" Wu Tie exhaled.

"I am Nine-Headed Snake..." Chief Steward, no, Nine-Headed Snake narrowed his eyes at Wu Tie, and large patches of dark green scales with black edges began to grow on his skin, quickly forming a thick layer.

Only his pallid face bore not a single scale.

As the scales continued to grow, his face gradually withered and grew gaunt, soon becoming nothing but skin over bone.

It was obvious that both the elongation of his body and the growth of the scales required enormous energy, and the energy stored within Chief Steward himself was insufficient to cope with such an aberration.

"Or rather, I am one of this brat's ancestors from many years ago." Nine-Headed Snake said calmly: "When I broke through the Chonglou Realm, the activated bloodline divine ability was nothing less than a complete incarnation of the Nine-Headed Snake... the Nine-Headed Snake skeleton at the cave entrance is my true form transformed."

"You're a human who turned into a Nine-Headed Snake?" Wu Tie remarked with a bland 'exclamation': "Truly amazing, the Chonglou Realm still has such marvelous effects?"

"But a powerful enemy attacked. My body suffered irreversible grave injury." Nine-Headed Snake gave Wu Tie a cold look: "Moreover, the world underwent drastic changes, many things have changed. I could only choose to abandon my true form... because if I remained within it, I would die."

"My true spirit is hidden in the fire aperture of the Azure Dawn Divine Fire, purging the foreign evil that has invaded my true spirit."

"My innate essence blood is likewise tempered in the Azure Dawn Divine Fire, eliminating the evil entangled within it."

"I have forgotten how many years have passed; the foreign energies in my true spirit and innate essence blood have finally been cleansed..." Nine-Headed Snake glared malevolently at Wu Tie: "My chance at rebirth is right before my eyes..."

Wu Tie looked at Nine-Headed Snake in bewilderment: "If that's the case, you could have long ago fused your true spirit and essence blood, directly recondensing a fleshly body and returning to life?"

Nine-Headed Snake gave a dry, hollow laugh a few times, his gaze mysterious as he looked at Wu Tie.

After a long while, he spoke with a low voice, full of embarrassment and awkwardness: "The power of the Azure Dawn Divine Fire is immense... when it purged the foreign evil from my true spirit and essence blood, it also washed away many things that should not have been cleansed."

"For example, my Nine-Headed Snake's blood-drop rebirth divine ability, as well as many of my memories, were washed away." Nine-Headed Snake glared angrily at Wu Tie: "I must rely on a fleshly body possessing my bloodline to use that body as a foundation, fuse my innate essence blood, and achieve rebirth..."

Nine-Headed Snake frankly told Wu Tie that the Azure Dawn Divine Fire had washed away the "template" for him to recondense his body.

Therefore, he could only seize a fleshly body connected to his bloodline, then use his own essence blood to refine the body's "template", reactivate the Nine-Headed Snake bloodline, absorb the vast energy within the essence blood, and thus be reborn as a complete version of the Nine-Headed Snake.

"But my innate essence blood..." Nine-Headed Snake pointed at the white egg hovering behind Wu Tie.

"Little brat... huh, you're called Wu Tie?"

"Can you tell me how we should resolve this matter?"

Nine-Headed Snake said in a dry tone: "After so many years, it's finally been easy to have my descendants return here... but where is my innate essence blood?"

Wu Tie remained silent.

He gripped his spear tightly, staring fixedly at Nine-Headed Snake.

That white egg, Wu Tie owed someone a favor. Whether it was the Formless Relic or the refined essence within the Relic Essence, those cultivation experiences and insights were all favors Wu Tie owed others.

Wu Zhan had told Wu Tie since childhood, an upright man cannot owe others!

If you owe, you must repay!

The White Tiger Cleft trembled violently, the air near the spear shaft seething and distorting violently, the shaft becoming somewhat blurry. Low, muffled tiger roars emanated from the shaft, the fierce killing intent almost condensing into substance, locking firmly onto Nine-Headed Snake.

"He swallowed it!" Wu Tie said in a deep voice: "If you want to do something to him, I cannot stand by and watch."

"Then go die." Nine-Headed Snake let out a strange laugh: "Actually, the taste of human blood is especially delicious..."

Amid the strange laughter, Nine-Headed Snake's body vanished suddenly.

His movements were much faster than Chief Steward's; Wu Tie's eyes could not keep up, and he could not make out his form.

Only an invisible force field enveloped a radius of a hundred meters; when Nine-Headed Snake entered the alert range of the force field, Wu Tie grasped his trajectory, and the White Tiger Cleft let out a piercing ripping sound, accurately thrusting toward Nine-Headed Snake.

Nine-Headed Snake's body twisted bizarrely, a small segment of his limbs distorting into a semicircle, and the White Tiger Cleft happened to pierce through that semicircle.

Nine-Headed Snake's body clung to the spear shaft, sliding silently toward Wu Tie.

He extended both hands, his fingertips shooting out sharp, long nails, silently slashing toward Wu Tie's neck.

Wu Tie swung the spear shaft with both hands, smashing it hard into Nine-Headed Snake's body.

Upon contact with Nine-Headed Snake's body, the spear shaft felt slick and viscous, offering no resistance; Nine-Headed Snake's body bent into a semicircle, hanging on the shaft, and continued to rush toward Wu Tie.

From Wu Tie's left sleeve rang a sharp tearing-through-the-air sound; a flash of cold light welled forth, Moon Trace shot out, straight stabbing toward Nine-Headed Snake's brow.

The Brocade Carp Sword leapt joyfully, accompanied by a faint 'ding-dong' of water droplets; twelve azure little carp fish spiraled out, circling Wu Tie in a lively dance, intertwining before him into a fine net of light.

Nine-Headed Snake angrily barked, and a thread of dark green congealed blood welled up from his mouth.

The White Tiger Cleft was so heavy that even though Wu Tie had just struck it with all his strength, despite Nine-Headed Snake's unique bodily structure and the snake scales' exceptionally strong force-dissipating effect, he was still shaken and suffered internal injury.

The White Tiger Cleft's killing power was so great, with Moon Trace and Brocade Carp Sword attacking in succession, Nine-Headed Snake grew enraged, his eyes suddenly spewing forth a lurid green evil light.

A massive... massive to the point that Wu Tie could not withstand it, mental impact came howling.

Nine-Headed Snake's true spirit had been tempered in the Azure Dawn Divine Fire for who knows how many years; while the evil in his true spirit was purged clean, his true spirit's power was also refined by more than half.

Now Nine-Headed Snake's true spirit retains only a trifling amount of power.

This trifling true spirit power, compared to Wu Tie, is like the difference between a vast lake and a small pond.

The surging mental impact came in waves; the golden light cluster at Wu Tie's brow suddenly dimmed, like a candle in the wind about to gutter out.

Nine-Headed Snake stared wide-eyed, letting out a hoarse, piercing shriek.

Moon Trace pierced Nine-Headed Snake's brow, bringing forth a spray of blood.

The frantic koi tore at Xiangliu's body, cutting him to shreds.

An even more ferocious mental impact rolled in, Wu Tie's vision suddenly went black, and he completely relied on instinct to grab forward in one motion.