CRACK.
Just then, the Water Element Shield shattered. The chain, now a venomous snake, lunged straight for Song Changsheng.
"Fiery Sun Array, activate!" Song Changsheng thrust his hands upward. A dense web of crimson Array Patterns emerged beneath his feet, instantly enveloping everyone.
A phantom sun materialized above his head. The moment the "venomous snake" touched its scorching light, it let out a SIZZLE and evaporated into a cloud of blood mist.
"Damn it!" The Demon Cultivator hastily retracted his chain. In that brief moment, the once-smooth chain had become pitted and scarred. The sight made his heart bleed.
"Insolent whelp! Die!" the Qi Refining Eighth Layer Demon Cultivator roared, summoning a crimson Treasure Bead. Radiating a dense Blood Evil Qi, it smashed down toward Song Changsheng.
Song Changsheng controlled the Array with one hand while forming a Magic Technique with the other. The Treasure Gourd began to spin rapidly, instantly colliding with the Treasure Bead. For a moment, they were locked in a fierce stalemate.
"This kid's a handful! Let's attack together."
The remaining three summoned their Magical Artifacts, and all four swarmed him. The pressure on Song Changsheng instantly multiplied.
His hand seals changed continuously. With a low hum, twelve Triangular Array Banners emerged from the ground. Song Changsheng's eyes blazed with fury as he roared, "Scorching Sun!"
The phantom sun overhead turned a fiery orange-red, and flames began to erupt from the ground. In mere moments, the area within the Grand Array had become a sea of fire.
This was no Mortal Fire. Once it touched someone, it clung to them like maggots to a corpse, impossible to shake off. They were forced to use most of their Spiritual Power just to keep the flames at bay.
This gave Song Changsheng the opening he needed. The character for "fire" materialized on his right palm. At that moment, the entire sea of fire was his to command.
"Fire Rain Technique!"
With a downward press of his right hand, the phantom sun in the sky unleashed a torrential fire rain.
Boosted by the entire Grand Array and channeled with the exquisite control of his Water and Fire Manipulation Technique, the power of this Tier One Fire Magic surged explosively. Even the Qi Refining Ninth Layer Demon Cultivator couldn't afford to ignore it and had to brace himself.
For a time, Song Changsheng actually managed to suppress all four of his opponents.
But Song Changsheng's brow remained furrowed. He knew this was only temporary; his Spiritual Power wasn't enough to sustain this level of consumption for long. He had to find a way to break the stalemate.
'It'll have to be you.' His gaze fell upon a short Demon Cultivator. He was only at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer and was already showing signs of exhaustion.
Song Changsheng moved in a blur of motion. The short Demon Cultivator's vision swam, and suddenly a figure was standing right before him.
The Demon Cultivator was horrified and immediately channeled his Demon Technique to resist. But with a simple flick of his finger, Song Changsheng sent a ball of fire straight through the man's skull.
Before the dead Demon Cultivator could even fall, his body was turned to Ashes in the raging flames.
"Ninth!" The Qi Refining Ninth Layer Demon Cultivator's eyes nearly split from rage. He lunged at Song Changsheng, his chain whipping through the air with uncanny dexterity.
Caught off guard, Song Changsheng was grazed by the chain. A chunk of flesh was torn from his arm.
"Fight!"
The injury didn't frighten Song Changsheng. Instead, it ignited his fighting spirit. A look of grim resolve filled his eyes as he pulled a porcelain vial from his Qiankun Bag and gulped down most of its contents. GLUG GLUG.
Song Changsheng's eyes flew wide. He felt a Frenzy of Spiritual Power erupt from his Middle Cavity Acupoint, surging throughout his entire body.
His nearly depleted Spiritual Power instantly skyrocketed.
"AAAAARGH—" Song Changsheng roared at the sky. His Treasure Gourd erupted with power, blasting away the several Magical Artifacts that had been tangling with it and returning to his side.
At that moment, he stood like a war god: the Water and Fire Treasure Gourd in hand, the phantom sun blazing overhead, and several Fire Dragons coiling around his body.
"How is this possible..." The Demon Cultivator was stunned by the sight. 'Is that really the amount of Spiritual Power a Qi Cultivator can have?'
"Defense!"
Song Changsheng thrust out both arms. The Fire Dragons coiled at his side shot forward. Caught completely off guard, the last Qi Refining Fourth Layer Demon Cultivator was instantly turned to Ashes.
"Damn it, I'll fight you to the death!" The eyes of the two remaining Demon Cultivators filled with vicious resolve. Flanking him on the left and right, they closed in for a pincer attack.
Song Changsheng's Meridians and Dantian were already straining uncomfortably under the immense Spiritual Power. Now was the perfect time to unleash it.
"Bring it on!"
At that instant, the entire Grand Array seemed to come alive. The twelve Array Banners circled around Song Changsheng as the phantom sun in the sky came crashing down, hurtling straight toward the Qi Refining Eighth Layer Demon Cultivator.
Enduring the searing flames had already consumed a massive amount of his Spiritual Power. Now, facing the descending phantom sun, he realized with despair that he was utterly powerless to resist it.
All he could do was watch helplessly as the phantom sun swallowed him whole...
CRUNCH.
His all-out attack had annihilated the Qi Refining Eighth Layer Demon Cultivator, but Song Changsheng paid a heavy price. The chain slammed into his chest, and he felt the impact reverberate through his internal organs.
"Come and settle this with our lives." Blood trickled from the corner of Song Changsheng's mouth, but his eyes were filled with a crazed light. At this point, he was fearless.
"Arrogant!" The last Demon Cultivator was also severely weakened, but there was no turning back now. Only one of them would leave this place alive.
"Blood Demon Technique!"
The Demon Cultivator roared. A bloody glow instantly enveloped his body as he began to burn his own Life Force.
Undaunted, Song Changsheng glared and snarled, "Today, I'll make sure you never reincarnate!"
In an instant, the two collided with a deafening roar. Amidst a blinding flash of light and the churning sea of fire, their figures crossed. One of them fell heavily to the ground, only to be turned to Ashes an instant later.
When the flames finally subsided, only Song Changsheng remained, kneeling on one knee amidst the shattered remnants of his Array Banners.
"COUGH, COUGH... A Qi Refining Ninth Layer Cultivator is truly powerful," Song Changsheng muttered, clutching his chest as he staggered to his feet. It was a pyrrhic victory.
He took out several Healing Elixirs and swallowed them. Looking around, he saw that an area several hundred meters wide had been scorched completely bare. Fortunately, he had deliberately contained the flames; otherwise, the entire mountain might have been reduced to wasteland.
The Demon Cultivators had all been reduced to Ashes, but their Magical Artifacts and Qiankun Bags had survived the inferno.
He collected the items. After briefly regulating his breathing, he prepared to go and support Song Luding and the others.
Before he could move, a voice thick with killing intent drifted over from nearby. "So, Second Brother and his men fell to you. It seems we truly underestimated you."
Song Changsheng looked toward the source of the voice and saw four black-robed figures emerging from the dense woods.
The masked man callously tossed an unconscious Song Changying to the ground. "Those two old geezers have already gone to the Yellow Springs," he said coldly. "Hand over the children. Otherwise, I guarantee I'll make her wish she were dead."
Song Changsheng's eyes blazed with a familiar fury. "You bastard!"
"Hmph. Don't talk? Then I'll just crush her skull right now!" The masked man planted his foot on Song Changying's head, his voice dripping with menace.
Just as Song Changsheng was caught in an impossible dilemma, a streak of light shot down from the heavens, and an ice-cold voice rang out, "You are not worthy!"
The masked man's vision blurred. In an instant, his three subordinates were riddled with a rain of needles, turning them into pincushions. They died on the spot.
He felt a sharp pain in his chest. Looking down, he saw a silver needle, as fine as a strand of hair, quivering where it was embedded in his heart.
The masked man, terrified, reached to pull the needle out. But his vision swam, and suddenly his feet were no longer touching the ground.
He looked down and saw, to his horror, a female Cultivator with murder in her eyes, lifting him into the air by his neck with a single hand.
"Mother... COUGH, COUGH," Song Changsheng said, a wave of relief washing over him. 'She made it in time, after all.'
Seeing the wounded Song Changsheng, Xia Yunxue's fury reached its zenith. She stared daggers at the masked man and demanded, "Speak. Who sent you!"
...