Chapter 145: A Sword

The ox-horned red-eyed demon trapped in the mirror array also sensed the immense pressure emanating from Lu Fang outside the array, its eyes clearly showing signs of agitation.

Lu Fang grunted: "Keep it occupied as much as you can."

Saying this, he swallowed the aura of scholarly energy and began gathering power for the Dragon-Slaying Slash in his transformed state.

Because the pressure from his transformed state was too overwhelming—not something his current realm should possess—he moved slightly slower while gathering the soul-strengthening strike.

Still, based on what they'd seen so far, as long as nothing went wrong, it shouldn't be a major issue.

"Focus on gathering your attack—I'll handle the rest."

Zhao Qingzhu replied confidently, swiftly forming hand seals; within the array, countless mirrors suddenly appeared, intent on trapping the ox-horned red-eyed demon inside.

The ox-horned red-eyed demon grew even more agitated, its breaths spewing like scorching flames, its brown fur standing on end, and its crimson eyes narrowing into blood-red pupils.

Suddenly, it halted in place, its chest heaving violently, and the chains around its waist seemed to vibrate as if colliding with each other.

Gradually, black mist began to form around it, and in an instant, the black fog completely engulfed the ox-horned red-eyed demon.

Seeing this, Zhao Qingzhu was baffled; just as she was about to summon a gale to disperse the mist, a massive shadow appeared a pace before her.

The familiar sound of chains, the blood-red eyes—the ox-horned red-eyed demon, which should have been trapped in the array, had appeared before her without her noticing, and so close.

How could this be?

The moment Zhao Qingzhu had this thought, the mirrors within the array began cracking, one by one—crack, crack, crack—the sound of shattering glass never ceased.

Though she didn't know how the ox-horned red-eyed demon had done it, it was clear now: it had forcibly broken out of the array.

Is this its true speed?

It's too fast!

Only now did Zhao Qingzhu realize she had overestimated the demon—but still underestimated it.

It was several tiers stronger than she had imagined.

Had its power grown over these past dozen years?

Looking at the enraged ox-horned red-eyed demon before her, Zhao Qingzhu felt overwhelming sorrow—she was finished. She would never see her daughter again. She would die here.

The ox-horned red-eyed demon's furious crimson eyes stared coldly at Zhao Qingzhu—but just as it was about to strike, a crushing pressure like a tidal wave surged forward, shoving it back several paces until it barely managed to stop.

Lu Fang had abandoned his power buildup and used the force of heaven and earth to save Zhao Qingzhu.

There would be other chances to kill the ox-horned red-eyed demon, but if Zhao Qingzhu died, Lu Fang could never accept that outcome.

Zhao Qingzhu paused in shock, but quickly recovered; as soon as the ox-horned red-eyed demon regained its footing, she fled toward Gubao.

The ox-horned red-eyed demon did not pursue her, but turned without hesitation toward Lu Fang, who was once again gathering power.

"Dragon-Slaying Slash!"

In his transformed state, Lu Fang gathered the power of two souls and slashed downward.

This time, the ox-horned red-eyed demon was prepared; it deliberately used the chains around its waist to deflect the blade aura, and merely retreated a few steps—unharmed.

"Damn it!"

Lu Fang cursed under his breath and fled toward Gubao.

He reverted from his transformed state, entered Gubao, swayed unsteadily, and felt weakness—but since the pressure he'd used wasn't as intense as last time, he didn't faint.

This meant he could now consume the aura of scholarly energy to recover.

"Are you alright?"

Zhao Qingzhu asked.

Lu Fang shook his head, glanced out the window at the enraged ox-horned red-eyed demon, and said gravely: "We thought this would be easier. It's too strong—and its chains seem to be a supreme treasure."

"If it can wield those chains, even if nothing had gone wrong just now, I don't think we could have killed it."

Zhao Qingzhu fell silent; she had seen everything herself.

If she were to speak plainly, this situation was already a dead end—the power the ox-horned red-eyed demon had shown was truly unsolvable.

As Lu Fang said, even if nothing had gone wrong, even if they'd managed to wound it, don't forget—it possesses immense healing ability.

And she felt it had grown stronger after being wounded.

She couldn't imagine what it would become if it grew stronger again.

If not for Gubao, she and Lu Fang would already be two corpses tonight, let alone killing it.

"You shouldn't have come," Zhao Qingzhu said sadly. "To save me, you're trapped here too. If Ling'er finds out you didn't get out, she'll be heartbroken."

Lu Fang offered a few words of comfort, sat cross-legged on the ground, and began consuming the aura of scholarly energy to recover. Outside, the ox-horned red-eyed demon was present, so he didn't worry about any spirit coming to ambush them.

But what troubled him was that he truly had no idea what to do now.

If the rule here required Zhao Qingzhu to kill the ox-horned red-eyed demon to break the seal, it was utterly impossible.

It's too powerful!

So powerful it felt hopeless.

Perhaps if Lu Fang broke through into the fourth rank, there might be a slim chance—but that would take much time, and even then, only a faint possibility.

As he thought in this chaotic way, dawn arrived.

The ox-horned red-eyed demon was dragged away again by its chains.

Two hours later, the spirit arrived outside Gubao.

By then, Lu Fang had already consumed the aura of scholarly energy and was no longer weak; he and Zhao Qingzhu stepped out together, frowning: "What are you doing here?"

The spirit smiled bitterly: "Last night, while you fought the ox-horned red-eyed demon, I watched from nearby—it's stronger than I imagined."

Zhao Qingzhu asked casually: "Have you thought of a way?"

The spirit nodded and smiled: "At dawn, I followed it to a place. At the edge of the thick fog, there's a mountain range—it was trapped there."

"Knowing where it is won't help," Lu Fang stated firmly. "Its power is too great—we can't kill it. Even with you added, I doubt it would change anything."

The spirit agreed: "Wenguan Hou's power is indeed immense. If you can't kill it, neither can I. But I saw a sword on that mountain range."

"A sword?"

Lu Fang looked at Zhao Qingzhu.

Zhao Qingzhu shook her head: "I've never gone in the direction the chains dragged the ox-horned red-eyed demon—it's too dangerous because of its presence. I don't know anything about it."

The spirit smiled: "Wenguan Hou, do you think I'd lie under these circumstances? I want to leave this hell too. After watching your battle yesterday, I found it strange—if it's this powerful, the rule makes no sense."

"If I'm not mistaken, the sword atop that peak is the key to killing it."