Cloud Prefecture, Azure Wing Gorge.
Azure Wing Gorge was part of the biggest river in Cloud Prefecture, Goat County River. It spanned more than two hundred kilometers across. A famous great fiendish demon, Azure Wing Demon King, settled there. He wreaked havoc around the surrounding counties for more than a thousand years. This also gave Azure Wing Gorge its name.
“Jade Bottle oh Jade Bottle. I have accumulated blood from children’s hearts for ten years. It’s enough to enhance my Fiendbody to the nineteenth level, right?” In a secret cave, Azure Wing Demon King stared at a ten-foot wide blood pond in the middle of the cave. Floating in the middle of the pond was a green jade bottle. The blood in the pond began to sink as strands of blood seeped into the jade bottle.
“Haha, relax. Relax.” The jade bottle produced a sharp voice as it shook. “When have I ever misled you? When I’m done absorbing this, I’ll naturally have the strength to aid you in enhancing your Fiendbody.”
He waited silently.
About two hours later, the blood in the pond was completely sucked dry, leaving not one drop.
Azure Wing Demon King beckoned for the jade bottle to fly into his hand.
“Help me enhance my Fiendbody.” Azure Wing Demon King’s eyes looked cold.
“Alright, alright, alright. I’ll help you now.”
Immediately, an extremely pure power was transmitted from inside the jade bottle. Azure Wing Demon King began circulating his Dharmic formulations. The pure power naturally melded into his body and aided his cultivation. Azure-colored armor made of scales appeared on the surface of Azure Wing Demon King’s body. It was filled with profound runic patterns as a terrifying power constantly reshaped his body.
An hour later.
“Boom.” The jade bottle stopped transmitting power to Azure Wing Demon King as a powerful aura blasted out of the cave from his body.
“Alright, I’m tired. I need to rest. Don’t seek me for at least another year.” The jade bottle’s voice sounded weak.
“Sure thing. Jade Bottle, have a good rest. I’ll seek you out again when I gather enough heart blood of children for the next Fiendbody level.” Azure Wing Demon King smiled with squinted eyes. He was clearly in an extremely good mood after having his strength improved. He waved his hand and placed the jade bottle in the dried-up blood pond. The blood pond sank with a rumble underground before it was sealed by layers of array formations.
“It’s best to ensure that no one interacts with this jade bottle.” Azure Wing Demon King narrowed his yellow eyes that were filled with dread. “I come into contact with it occasionally to enhance my Fiendbody but it has to be sealed at all other times! I cannot allow a chance for it might make contact with any other sentient being in the outside world.”
“Hmph, I have long prepared enough ingredients to make a sacrifice to the Other Realm Fiendcelestial! Once my Fiendbody raises to the twentieth level, I can undergo a ritual to break through to the twenty-first level instantly. When that happens, my strength will undergo a qualitative change. I will be able to match the Paramount realm. And then, I will finally be able carefully probe the secret of the jade bottle.” Azure Wing Demon King sneered. “I can’t afford to let Jade Bottle take action at the critical moment I break through to the twenty-first level.”
Although his strength had increased rapidly after obtaining the jade bottle, Azure Wing Demon King dreaded it immensely. He was wary every time he used it.
“Your Majesty!” A voice sounded from outside. “Cultivators are attacking us!”
“Oh?”
Azure Wing Demon King was shocked, and then revealed a look of anger. He sealed his cultivation ground and charged out.
…
High above Azure Wing Gorge.
Yi Xiao and Ao Xue were standing in midair beside each other. They were looking down at the demon lair with furious expressions.
“I was wondering who would be so daring as to attack me.” Accompanied by a resounding voice, Azure Wing Demon King flew out of the mountain and looked at Yi Xiao and Ao Xue. “So it’s you, Madam Qin! Why? Does Sword Immortal Qin plan on attacking me in his bid to rid evil from the world? Where is he now?”
As he spoke, Azure Wing Demon King observed his surroundings.
He was not afraid at all.
As a great fiendish demon at the intent domain level, he might be a little afraid of Qin Yun if they were fighting out in the world. But now, he was in his own lair. Qin Yun’s attacks would be weakened if he tried to attack when so many array formations were aiding him. His newfound strength, augmented by the array formations, made him unafraid of Qin Yun.
“Why is there a need for my husband to deal with you?” said Yi Xiao angrily. “Demon King, you have cultivated for more than a thousand years yet you remain so crazy? How many children from the surrounding counties have perished under your hand?”
Yi Xiao and Ao Xue had passed through the area and learned of Azure Wing Demon King’s insanity. He was a lot more terrifying than Water God of Grand Dominance from several years back.
Azure Wing Demon King was fearless as long as he was in his lair.
Therefore, his actions were crazier and he had a lot more demons under his command than Water God.
“I’m a great fiendish demon, so what’s wrong with eating a few boys and girls?” Azure Wing Demon King laughed out and thought nothing of it.
“Xiao’er, there’s no need to waste time talking with him.” Ao Xue was also incensed. Perhaps it was because she had been separated from her baby daughter that her heart pained for the lost human babies. Ao Xue’s eyes similarly turned red after knowing that many children, as well as babies, had perished at Azure Wing Demon’s hand.
“Azure Wing Demon King, die.”
Ao Xue waved her hand.
The sky darkened and a strong wind howled in response. Sharp ice blades within the wind began slashing in every direction wantonly.
“What a ruthless attack.” Azure Wing Demon King was alarmed as he immediately activated his lair’s array formation. Instantly, the array formation enveloped the surrounding mountains.
Both sides began fighting in earnest.
Ao Xue had shown her true form. She flew in midair as a silver-scaled dragon. She either cast Dharma spells, swiped her claw or lashed out with her tail. All Azure Wing Demon King could do was hide inside the array formation and resist her with it. Occasionally, he would sneak in an attack or two.
“What does my eating of humans have to do with a dragon like you?” Azure Wing Demon King roared as he hid inside his array formation. The other demons did not dare get involved.
True members of the Dragon race were of esteemed statuses. They were the leaders of the massive Four Seas. They naturally could reach the Connate Golden Core level easily and their strength matched that of mutated strains, allowing their combat strength to be at the intent domain level.
“Keep hiding if you can,” bellowed the silver-scaled dragon in the sky. Following that, her body spun and transformed into Ao Xue and floated beside Yi Xiao.
Azure Wing Demon King peered at Yi Xiao and Ao Xue through the array formations. He said in surprise, “Madam Qin, you and that dragon elder look alike. The Dragon race is pure-blooded and does not share the Yi family’s bloodline. Could it be that Madam Qin possesses a dragon bloodline? Is she your mother or your senior?”
“Why do you even care?” shot back Ao Xue. “With me here, don’t you dare think you’ll be continuing with your evil ways. From now on, I’ll kill any demon that exits Azure Wing Gorge.”
Azure Wing Demon King turned nervous when he heard that.
A dragon that matched the Paramount realm was watching him. And if the dragon really did keep her promise to kill any demon that exited, how could he amass the required blood from the children’s hearts?
He was feeling anxious but he laughed loudly and said, “Hahaha, As a member of the Dragon race, you actually want to enter conflict with a demon like me. Sure, go ahead. Blockade this place as much as you want. I was just planning on entering two or three centuries of seclusive cultivation! If you have what it takes, stay out here and watch for two or three centuries.”
Ao Xue was taken aback when she heard that. She wanted to spend time with her daughter, so how could she stand guard outside for more than a hundred years?
“Oh, by the way.” Azure Wing Demon King scanned his surroundings. “Madam Qin, where is Sword Immortal Qin? Haha, the two of you are actually willing to be apart for so long? Hahaha, anyways, I’ll be entering seclusion now. Excuse me.”
With that said, Azure Wing Demon King turned and descended into his lair.
And in midair, Ao Xue and Yi Xiao were left feeling somewhat anxious.
“This Demon King is powerful,” commented Ao Xue. “He’s at the intent domain level just like me. Although he is of ordinary birth and definitely weaker than me in a fight, I can’t do a thing to him when he hides in his lair.”
“I’ll tell Brother Yun,” said Yi Xiao.
“Son-in-law?” Ao Xue asked puzzledly. “Qin Yun is also a Paramount realm sword immortal and shouldn’t be that much better than me. He too would be powerless to do a thing to this Demon King, right?”
“Mom,” said Yi Xiao with a smile. “Brother Yun is a lot stronger than you think. In this world, among all those below the level of immortals, only that old monk from Mahākāśyapa Monastery and the great fiendish demon from the northern lands, existences who have stepped into the Dao, are equal to Brother Yun in strength.”
“He matches existences that have stepped into the Dao?” Ao Xue was astonished.
In terms of realms, Qin Yun was naturally inferior.
But Qin Yun was at a level higher when it came to Dharmic powers. Those two existences that had stepped into the Dao apparently did not have heaven-defying Dao, so Qin Yun’s Dharmic powers could bridge the gap.
…
Grand Dominance, Qin Manor, beside the tiny mirror lake.
Qin Yun was sitting cross-legged on the grass as two sword beams were whistling through the sky above the lake a distance away.
“Oh?” Qin Yun felt something as he beckoned with his hand. The two sword beams flashed and appeared in his hands.
Buzz.
A projection appeared and it was none other than Yi Xiao and Ao Xue.
“Brother Yun,” greeted Yi Xiao.
“Xiaoxiao, it’s been two days. How was your tour of the Cloud Prefecture?” asked Qin Yun with a smile.
“Brother Yun, are you not planning on dealing with fiendish demons after attaining your purplish-gold Golden Core?” asked Yi Xiao.
“Of course I have plans,” said Qin Yun. “I plan on choosing a powerful great fiendish demon to slay. However, the moment I take action, my strength will be exposed. Every fiendish demon in the world would know of it, therefore I only have one chance.”
In fact, Qin Yun wished to deal with Nine Mountain Island Lord the most.
However, he had cast Samsara on Nine Mountain Island Lord previously. It was a strike at the Infinite Converging Sword level and all it did was injure Nine Mountain Island Lord. Ordinary flying sword arts posed no threat at all.
Although Nine Mountain Island was only a great fiendish demon at the intent domain level, his true form was a mountain! Among the fiendish demons that had besieged Qin Yun, Nine Mountain Island Lord’s strength was only beneath the three Paramount realm fiendish demons like Patriarch Crocdragon. And in terms of life-preservation means, he was not inferior to the three of them. If he were to hide in his lair, under the protection of his array formations, Qin Yun only had a ten to twenty percent chance of killing him.
There was a higher possibility of failure!
“There’s a great fiendish demon that has wreaked a lot of havoc. His cruelty is known throughout the world,” said Yi Xiao. “I think you should choose him.”
“Which great fiendish demon is it?” asked Qin Yun.
“Azure Wing Demon King,” answered Yi Xiao.