149: Chapter 149: Five Breaths Left in a Life-or-Death Situation, Twelve Consecutive Swords Slay a Nascent Soul Demon!

[The red-black heavy spear presses within three zhang.]

[You lift your right hand, which had let go of the sword hilt.]

[Fingers pressed together, palm facing the sky.]

[The Supreme Sword Bone emits a sharp, long cry within your body, its vibration frequency reaching the limit.]

[White Blade Sword Aura condenses from your palm, meeting the attack upward.]

[The white light collides head-on with the red-black heavy spear.]

[The ground collapses outward with you as the center, debris flying a hundred zhang.]

[The white light is crushed.]

[Cracks also appear in the structure of the red-black heavy spear during the collision.]

[Inside the spear, Demon King Gu Sha's blood threads and Demon King Lei Yuan's Dark Thunder were originally two completely different types of demonic power; the cost of forcibly merging them was immediately exposed.]

[The cracks spread.]

[The red-black heavy spear snaps from the middle, the two broken halves falling askew and slamming ten zhang away from your side, plowing two deep trenches into the ground.]

[The aftershock impacts your body.]

[Your Protective Aura shatters, your chest feels tight and painful, and blood overflows from your mouth.]

[You remain standing.]

[The combined attack of Demon King Gu Sha and Demon King Lei Yuan failed to kill you.]

[The two great demons react extremely quickly.]

[In the gap after the combined attack missed, Demon King Gu Sha pushes off the ground with one arm, a pale escape light rising as it retreats at full speed toward the northwest.]

[The Dark Thunder around Demon King Lei Yuan constricts into a cocoon, transforming into a black light that shoots toward the eastern horizon.]

[Two directions. Two Nascent Soul Late Stage demons.]

[You have only one choice.]

[Demon King Gu Sha has a severed arm, and its Monster Core's Secondary Meridians are destroyed, its combat power reduced by more than half. It cannot recover in the short term. If you let it go, it won't be able to cause trouble within half a year.]

[Demon King Lei Yuan is unharmed. The escape speed of a thunder-type great demon is unparalleled among those of the same rank. If you let it go, who will die the next time it appears on the battlefield?]

[You pull out the Qiankun Yin-Yang Sword stuck in the rock crevice.]

[Purple light flourishes beneath your feet.]

[Void-Escaping Purple Shadow is activated with full force, a purple trailing line chasing directly after that black light in the east.]

[Your speed is pushed to the limit under the enhancement of Void-Escaping Purple Shadow.]

[The distance between the purple line and the black light shrinks from three hundred zhang to two hundred zhang.]

[One hundred and fifty zhang.]

[One hundred zhang.]

[Demon King Lei Yuan glances back, seeing your purple line approaching.]

[The black light changes direction, veering to the left to try and pull away at an angle.]

[Your purple line follows, pursuing along a diagonal interception route.]

[The distance is squeezed to eighty zhang.]

[Phantom Raid activated.]

[Your figure vanishes into thin air from eighty zhang away.]

[Then, you appear three zhang behind Demon King Lei Yuan.]

[The Qiankun Yin-Yang Sword strikes.]

[Thirteen Gale Strikes, first strike.]

[Black and white Sword Qi slashes toward Demon King Lei Yuan's back.]

[The moment the sword edge touches the python skin, a layer of dark-gold light membrane emerges from Demon King Lei Yuan's body surface.]

[A Fifth-Grade Protective Treasure.]

[The Sword Qi's power is reduced by eighty percent by the light membrane; the remaining twenty percent cuts into the python skin, carving a half-inch deep blood groove.]

[The second strike follows closely.]

[Slashing at the same position, the blood groove deepens to an inch; the dark-gold light membrane fluctuates unsteadily but does not shatter.]

[Third strike.]

[You superimpose all the Crimson-Gold Aura Patterns of the Army-Breaking Explosive Killing Array onto the sword edge and hack fiercely into that blood groove.]

[Cracks appear on the dark-gold light membrane.]

[Sword Qi penetrates the cracks, opening a three-inch long wound on Demon King Lei Yuan's back.]

[Demon blood spatters.]

[Demon King Lei Yuan does not stop.]

[The Dark Thunder around its body erupts completely, forcibly blasting you back five zhang.]

[The black light accelerates, racing toward the eastern horizon.]

[You fall fifteen zhang behind; Void-Escaping Purple Shadow enters cooldown.]

[Ten breaths.]

[Demon King Lei Yuan's thunder-escape speed widens the distance under full activation.]

[Fifteen zhang becomes thirty zhang. Forty zhang. Fifty zhang.]

[You grit your teeth, pressing your Golden Core Late Stage spiritual power into your legs, using the Wind-Riding Technique superimposed with movement techniques to forcibly maintain the pursuit rhythm.]

[Sixty zhang.]

[Demon King Lei Yuan looks back.]

[Two bolts of Dark Thunder shoot from its palms, aimed straight at your face.]

[You dodge the first one with a side-step; the second one grazes your left shoulder armor, shattering the armor and charring the flesh.]

[The pain reaches your Sea of Consciousness. You do not slow down.]

[Seven breaths.]

[Eight breaths.]

[Nine breaths.]

[Ten breaths reached.]

[Void-Escaping Purple Shadow refreshes.]

[The purple line pierces through the sky.]

[The sixty-zhang distance drops to zero within a breath.]

[The Army-Breaking Explosive Killing Array operates at full capacity.]

[Crimson-Gold Aura Patterns spiral up from beneath your feet as the Full-Offense Formation aura boldly activates, forcibly protecting and enhancing your entire body.]

[You appear on Demon King Lei Yuan's right side.]

[Thirteen Gale Strikes, fourth strike.]

[This time, you don't strike its back.]

[The sword edge aims directly at the back of its right knee—the power point of its escape technique.]

[The dark-gold light membrane emerges, but the previous cracks have not yet been repaired.]

[The Sword Qi cuts in along the old cracks, severing three thick tendons in the back of the knee.]

[Demon King Lei Yuan's escape speed suddenly drops by twenty percent.]

[It lets out a shrill howl, its right leg trailing a large amount of demon blood.]

[The fifth strike catches up.]

[Slashing at the elbow joint of its left arm, which is continuously outputting thunder power.]

[The dark-gold light membrane shatters at the elbow, and the Sword Qi drives straight in, cutting open the artery in the elbow crease.]

[Demon King Lei Yuan's left arm hangs down, its Dark Thunder output halved.]

[Its escape speed drops again.]

[The distance between you and it stabilizes within five zhang.]

[Demon King Lei Yuan twists its head.]

[The demon fire in those dark green vertical pupils flickers rapidly.]

["Golden Core... killing Nascent Soul..." its Divine Thought transmits, fragmented and broken.]

[You do not respond.]

[The sixth strike comes out.]

[Slashing toward its heart from behind.]

[All the Dark Thunder in Demon King Lei Yuan's body erupts toward the back, forming a wall of thunder.]

[The Sword Qi hits the thunder wall and is reduced by sixty percent. The remaining forty percent cuts into its back, leaving a sword scar deep enough to see the spine.]

[Demon King Lei Yuan's body sways, its escape speed dropping further.]

[The Meridians in your right arm begin to suffer damage under the continuous high-intensity output.]

[Blood seeps from your cuff, dripping down along the sword hilt.]

[Ignore it.]

[Twelve breaths remain for the Phantom Raid cooldown.]

[Four breaths remain for Void-Escaping Purple Shadow.]

[You use these four breaths to maintain the pursuit distance while simultaneously redistributing the remaining spiritual power in your Dantian.]

[Thirty percent is reserved for Void-Escaping Purple Shadow.]

[Seventy percent is pressed into the sword blade.]

[Four breaths reached.]

[Void-Escaping Purple Shadow opens again.]

[The purple line cuts to directly in front of Demon King Lei Yuan, intercepting its escape route.]

[Demon King Lei Yuan is forced to make a sudden stop and change direction.]

[The seventh strike is unleashed during the gap as it changes direction.]

[The sword edge hits its right ribs dead center. The dark-gold light membrane is shattered and can no longer provide effective protection.]

[The black and white Sword Qi pours entirely into the gaps between the ribs, and three ribs snap on impact.]

[A large amount of black demon blood sprays from Demon King Lei Yuan's mouth.]

[Its escape light begins to destabilize, flickering in and out.]

[You pursue relentlessly.]

[Eighth strike. Slashing its right arm.]

[Ninth strike. Striking the old wound on its back heart.]

[Two strikes in a row; a clear cracking sound comes from Demon King Lei Yuan's spine.]

[Its body begins to fall.]

[Plummeting from high altitude toward the ground.]

[You dive after it.]

[Demon King Lei Yuan slams into the ground, creating a three-zhang-wide deep pit.]

[It struggles to crawl out of the pit, with seventeen sword wounds all over its body, demon blood staining the surrounding soil black.]

[The dark green vertical pupils fixate on you.]

[Its mouth opens and closes.]

["How... can you... catch up to me..."]

[The voice is intermittent, the breath disordered.]

[You land on the edge of the pit.]

[The Qiankun Yin-Yang Sword is held across your front; the black and white Sword Qi on the blade is thin, but the sword edge points steadily at its throat.]

["I caught up."]

[Demon King Lei Yuan's pupils contract.]

[Its Monster Core begins to vibrate rapidly.]

[All the demonic power in its body stops outputting outward and instead flows back toward the Dantian core.]

[Innate Forbidden Art: [Abyss Purple Thunder Body].]

[A life-risking move of a thunder-type great demon.]

[Densely packed thunder runes emerge on the surface of Demon King Lei Yuan's Monster Core.]

[The patterns spread outward from the Dantian, covering every inch of its scales.]

[Its body begins to swell.]

[The original six-zhang size swells to eight zhang within three breaths.]

[Dark purple thunder light leaks from between the gaps in the scales.]

[The entire area is filled with Thunder Balefire, making your hair stand on end.]

[Phantom Raid cooldown is finished.]

[You do not use it immediately.]

[Six breaths remain before Void-Escaping Purple Shadow refreshes.]

[Star-Shifting Shadow-Swapping is on standby.]

[You precisely calculate the time window in your mind.]

[From activation to release, the forbidden art requires five breaths of charging.]

[First breath.]

[Demon King Lei Yuan's body continues to swell, the brightness of the thunder runes doubling.]

[You take a step forward.]

[Tenth strike.]

[The sword edge aims directly at its throat.]

[Demon King Lei Yuan neither dodges nor evades. It cannot move during the forbidden art's charging period.]

[The thunder light on its body surface automatically forms a counterattack as the sword edge approaches.]

[A bolt of Dark Thunder shoots from its chest, hitting your right shoulder.]

[A sharp pain comes from your shoulder bone, and your right arm nearly loses all strength.]

[The sword edge shifts two inches, sliding from the throat to the collarbone, cutting a long opening.]

[Second breath.]

[You forcibly steady the sword.]

[Eleventh strike.]

[This time, you use your left hand to assist on the hilt, hacking down with the strength of both hands.]

[The sword edge slams into Demon King Lei Yuan's left shoulder socket, going four inches deep.]

[Dark purple thunder light backlashes from the wound into your arm, a burning sensation coming from within your Meridians.]

[You grit your teeth and do not let go, pouring in all your Sword Qi.]

[Demon King Lei Yuan's left shoulder bone shatters.]

[Third breath.]

[Demon King Lei Yuan's swelling reaches its limit.]

[On the ten-zhang-high body, every single scale is glowing.]

[A dark purple thunder ball forms within its body, its diameter continuously expanding.]

[You pull back your sword and take three steps back.]

[Twelfth strike charging.]

[All the remaining Crimson-Gold Aura Patterns of the Army-Breaking Explosive Killing Array are compressed into a single point at the sword tip.]

[Fourth breath.]

[You strike with your sword.]

[Twelfth strike.]

[All remaining spiritual power is concentrated at one point, piercing into the center of Demon King Lei Yuan's chest—where the Monster Core is located.]

[The sword tip penetrates the breastbone, touching the shell of the Monster Core.]

[The thunder runes on the surface of the Monster Core crack under the impact of the Sword Qi.]

[But it does not shatter.]

[The forbidden art is complete.]

[The demon fire in Demon King Lei Yuan's pupils goes out.]

[Leaving only a purple light of Death Qi.]

[It speaks. Its voice is hollow and calm.]

["Perish together."]

[Fifth breath.]

[The omen of the Monster Core shattering.]

[At this moment, you do three things.]

[First, withdraw the sword.]

[Second, Star-Shifting Shadow-Swapping.]

[Your true body forcibly swaps positions with a flying stone thirty zhang away.]

[Third, Phantom Raid.]

[Your figure is erased from thin air at the thirty-zhang landing point, forcibly displacing you a hundred zhang to the rear.]

[In the gap as you vanish from your original position.]

[Demon King Lei Yuan's Monster Core shatters.]

[The entire demonic power of a Nascent Soul Late Stage great demon is released chaotically in an extremely short interval.]

[A dark purple wave of destruction spreads outward from the explosion center.]

[Everything within a radius of two hundred zhang is leveled.]

[The ground surface is shaved off by three zhang, revealing the black rock layer beneath.]

[You manifest a hundred zhang away.]

[The edge of the destruction wave catches up to you.]

[Dark purple thunder light slams into your back, your Protective Aura disintegrating upon contact.]

[The force of the impact flips you forward.]

[The flesh on your back is torn open by the thunder power in several places, and blood gushes out.]

[You forcibly twist your body in mid-air, sliding for twenty zhang with your feet grazing the ground before stopping.]

[Kneeling on one knee.]

[The Qiankun Yin-Yang Sword is thrust into the soil to support your body.]

[Three Meridians in your right arm are snapped, the thunder injury on your left shoulder goes deep into the periosteum, and your back is a bloody mess.]

[YouLook up towards the center of the explosion.]

[The dark purple light dissipates.]

[At the bottom of the thirty-zhang-wide deep pit, nothing is left.]

[Demon King Lei Yuan is dead.]

[Void-Escaping Purple Shadow's cooldown refreshes.]

[You push yourself up with your sword, purple light wrapping around your battered body as you retreat at full speed toward Ningbian City.]

[On the walls of Ningbian City.]

[A purple trailing line streaks across the eastern sky, its speed far less sharp than when it left.]

[You land on the city wall.]

[Your legs feel weak, and you only remain standing by propping the sword tip against the city bricks.]

[You are already heavily injured.]

[Huo Quji is the first to rush up.]

[His left arm is suspended in front of his chest with a cloth strip, and his right hand firmly supports your shoulder.]

["Where is Demon King Lei Yuan?"]

["Dead."]

[Huo Quji's fingers tighten, his grip on your shoulder increasing in strength.]

[He says no more.]

[Ling Qingmeng stands three steps away, her dual short swords sheathed, the bloodstains on her tiger's mouth dried and blackened.]

[Her gaze sweeps over the bloody mess of a wound on your back, her lips pursed into a line.]

[Immortal Master Qingxuan descends from the top of the battlements.]

[His Nascent Soul Late Stage Spiritual Pressure is retracted to within three inches of his body, his pace extremely fast.]

[He walks up to you and stops.]

[His gaze moves from your wound to the leveled, scorched earth on the eastern horizon.]

["The commotion over there... was it Demon King Lei Yuan's self-destruction?"]

["Yes."]

[Immortal Master Qingxuan is speechless.]

["Golden Core Late Stage... forcing a Nascent Soul Late Stage great demon to use its innate forbidden art to self-destruct."]

[His voice is very low.]

["Protector Shen, you were in secluded meditation for eight years; what exactly did you practice?"]

[You do not answer.]

["Demon King Gu Sha fled to the northwest. It lost an arm, and its Monster Core's Secondary Meridians are destroyed. It won't be able to cause trouble in the short term."]

[Sect Leader Qingxuan nods.]

["I will report this to the Sect. Heal your injuries first."]

[You turn and walk toward the city interior.]

[After taking three steps, Senior Sister Song Ningshuang's voice comes from behind.]

["Protector Shen."]

[You stop. You do not look back.]

["...Thank you."]

[You continue walking forward.]

[Mu Jianqiu stands by the ruined wall, the Thunder Armor on his body shattered, leaving only a piece on his chest.]

[He watches your back disappear around the corner of the city wall.]

[His Adam's apple bobs.]

[Beside him, Mu Qing supports himself with a Formation Flag with one hand, his voiceDry.]

["Protector Shen... is he really just at the Golden Core Late Stage?"]

[Mu Jianqiu does not answer.]

[He looks down at his own hands.]

[Fragments of Thunder Armor slip through his fingers, clinking as they fall.]