Daoist Competition-Chapter 198 - 68: South Swamps and Waters, Demon General Blocks the Way_2

Junior Brother Ren rose with a smile, gently saluting Fan Changqing, then cast a glance toward Zhang Yan across from him. Curling his lips, he walked leisurely out of the grand hall, and the White Feathered Kite under him let out a sharp cry, spreading its wings for him to step onto its back.

The crowd in the hall, seeing him preparing for battle, remained silent, evidently aware that no one could contend with him.

Previously, Zhang Yan had learned from Fan Changqing that this man was named Ren Mingyao. He possessed a cultivation level of the Xuan Guang Third Realm and was also a disciple of True Master Meng, seemingly held in high regard.

Descending from the flying palace, Ren Mingyao headed toward the Demon General at a leisurely pace. His posture was relaxed, a slight arrogance etched on the corner of his lips. The sleeves of his robe floated gracefully, and beneath him was a magnificent flying beast. From afar, the scene indeed exuded an air of immortal grandeur. When he reached the Demon General’s side and heard that creature’s slurred speech, he sneered coldly, saying, "A scaly brute dares to mimic human speech?"

Upon hearing those words, the Demon General seemed enraged. With a loud roar, it thrust its Half Moon Fork forward aggressively.

Ren Mingyao curled his lips and stepped back. Reaching into his sleeve, he pulled out a Black Compass and tossed it forward. With a point of his finger, the compass began to spin rapidly, releasing golden sword qi in streams. These streaks shimmered briefly in mid-air before transforming into sharp, solid Flying Swords, all aimed fiercely at the Demon General to cut him down.

Fan Changqing, witnessing this spectacle, turned to Zhang Yan and exclaimed, "Junior Brother, take a look—this is Ren Mingyao’s Ten Thousand Kill Sword Plate. This dharma treasure contains no fewer than fifteen Divine Weapons, along with over a thousand named Flying Swords. By refining all that Gold Qi within, once unleashed upon an enemy, it strikes like thousands of swords attacking at once, their sharpness unstoppable."

Zhang Yan glanced at it briefly and laughed, "If it is named the Ten Thousand Kill Sword Plate, yet it contains merely a thousand swords, perhaps there is a deeper mystery to this treasure."

Fan Changqing narrowed his eyes and tapped the armrest, saying, "Junior Brother, your observation is astute. This item is indeed a relic left behind by a senior of the Yuan Yang Sect. Back then, the Sword Plate carried the refined Gold Qi of ten thousand Divine Weapons but lost more than half of its power when the senior fell. Ren Mingyao claims that he wishes to restore the might of this treasure, which is why our master gifted it to him."

Below, the Demon General appeared to be a bold and fearless warrior. Upon seeing thousands of Flying Swords attacking him, he neither dodged nor evaded, relying instead on the Divine Weapon he wielded to brazenly charge forward. Little did he know that these Flying Swords, although seeming tangible, were merely manifestations of sword qi—form without substance. With a single encounter, he was shredded to pieces, his flesh torn apart, arms mangled, and bones laid bare. Only then did he realize he was in trouble. Turning to flee, Ren Mingyao laughed heartily, raised two fingers, and directed the surging thousand strands of sword qi, which in an instant churned his body into a mess of obliterated flesh and shattered bones.

Ren Mingyao raised his hand and tossed out a Capture Token to absorb the demon’s Essence Blood into it. With a flick of his sleeve, he seized the Half Moon Fork, and then, with another activation of the Sword Plate, the thousand streaks of sword qi swept through the dark clouds in spirals, dispersing them into shreds.

Amid the air, delicate threads of blood mist floated out—over a thousand wisps in total—all converging into the Capture Token. When no trace of blood mist remained, Ren Mingyao smirked proudly, raised his hand to retrieve the token, and returned to the Spirit Core Flying Palace.

Upon arriving at the hall, he saluted Fan Changqing and said, "Senior Brother Fan, the mission was accomplished without fail."

The individuals present in the hall, seeing that he had annihilated a Demon General with a mere gesture and, in passing, vanquished over a thousand Demon Soldiers, revealed unconcealed expressions of eagerness. Each desperately wished to be the next to participate.

Fan Changqing lifted his hand lightly, gesturing for Ren Mingyao to forgo formality, and smiled, "Junior Brother Ren truly lived up to expectations. Everyone else need not rush—there are eighteen Demon Islands in the southern route. This was only one of them. We are tasked by the Ancestor Master to eliminate the Three Pools, and naturally, we shall pluck out each thorn one by one. None of you should worry about lacking merits to earn."

After offering some words of consolation, he waved his token talisman and ventured toward the next lake island.

Within the day, the group cleared five lake islands. For each assault, one to two Xuan Guang Practitioners were sent to handle the task. By dusk, only three cultivators, including Zhang Yan, had yet to engage in battle. freewebnσvel.cѳm

Though the party had traversed various locations, they had not encountered any Great Demons with profound cultivation levels, which did not surprise Zhang Yan.

He had previously heard from Luo Xiao that Bixue Pond was formed by a congregation of hundreds of Demon Race members. Internal strife and killings were common among these demons. They only nominally served Luo Mengze as the Demon Lord because his tribe held the greatest strength in the area.

Those so-called Demon Generals who guarded certain locations were titles in name only, and it was not unusual for a demon to slay another and then seek a token talisman from Luo Mengze to occupy the Cave Mansion in a rightful manner.

Fan Changqing was already pondering whether or not to halt and rest when the hall suddenly rang with loud golden bells. His brows furrowed, and, raising his hand, he stopped the Flying Palace.

Shortly afterward, a disciple guarding Wang Que arrived to report, "Senior Brother Fan, a Demon General leapt out of the lake waters ahead and claims to challenge us."

"A Demon General? Just one?"

Everyone turned to look through the screen and indeed found only one Demon General hovering mid-air. He stood a full ten feet tall, with golden eyes and protruding lips, his head marked with patterns, a broad and sturdy chest, and muscular arms gripping a Great Axe. Although imposing in physique, his demeanor carried a hint of indolence.

Of the remaining cultivators yet to battle, two of them revealed expressions of delight. Slaying a Demon General counted as a minor achievement, and this lone opponent was practically offering merit on a silver platter.

At once, a tall cultivator stepped forward and clamored, "Senior Brother Fan, it seems it is finally my turn to act!"

Fan Changqing glanced at him, sensing something strange about this Demon General’s sudden appearance. After momentarily pondering, he said, "Junior Brother Cheng, this demon arrived under suspicious circumstances. Why don’t you go together with Junior Brother Qi?"

Junior Brother Cheng frowned deeply and protested, "If we both go, wouldn’t that scare the demon away? I can handle this alone."

Internally, he thought, "Senior Brother Fan is being unreasonable. If Junior Brother Qi goes with me, how will the merit be divided?"

Fan Changqing’s eyes narrowed into slits as he gave a faint reply, "As you wish. Go ahead."

Junior Brother Cheng was overjoyed and accepted the order eagerly.

The disciples all turned their eyes toward the screen, but amid the dense fog below, they could only vaguely discern that Junior Brother Cheng had confronted the Demon General. The two figures clashed briefly before one fell from the sky.

Everyone exchanged puzzled glances. The duel was too short, and the mist obscured their vision, leaving the fallen combatant’s identity unknown.

Soon, a disciple ascended the hall and reported, "Senior Brother Fan, Junior Brother Cheng was slain by the Demon General with a single strike."

Fan Changqing’s expression remained unchanged as he asked calmly, "Who will go next?"

This time, the cultivator surnamed Qi stepped forward and cupped his hands, saying, "I volunteer for the task." Not waiting for Fan Changqing’s approval, he turned sharply and dashed out of the grand hall, heading straight toward the Demon General.

Fan Changqing shook his head slightly and chose to close his eyes in meditation. After a brief while, noise erupted outside, and another disciple came to report, "Senior Brother, Junior Brother Gong initially gained the upper hand but failed to activate his Xuan Guang against the Demon General and was struck down instead."

Fan Changqing opened his eyes abruptly, furrowing his brows slightly. As a Hua Dan Cultivator, he was tasked with controlling the Flying Palace’s prohibitions while guarding against potential ambushes from other Great Demons, making it impossible for him to intervene. He instinctively turned his gaze toward Ren Mingyao.

Ren Mingyao, noticing Fan Changqing’s gaze, instead cast his eyes toward Zhang Yan. Raising his voice slightly, he said, "Senior Brother Fan, I’ve already contributed one merit earlier. It wouldn’t be appropriate to take credit from my Junior Brothers again. Among all of us here, only Junior Brother Zhang has yet to participate in a fight. It would be far fairer to let him take on this challenge. We can all witness the skills of a True Disciple!"

...(To be continued. If you enjoy this story, feel free to visit Qidian.com to cast your votes, either recommendation or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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