Chapter 125: Everyone, Let Me Hold Him Off

"Old fool, I told you to be careful!"

Qiu Mingzi pushed back two Spirit Gang Realm demons with a palm strike, retreated to the side of the Scarlet Flame Sect Master, and helped him up.

"Get lost! I don't need your pity!"

The Scarlet Flame Sect Master shoved Qiu Mingzi away, unleashed the bronze-grade technique "Scarlet Flame Palm," and struck out with a giant, burning hand, forcing the incoming Spirit Gang Realm demons to retreat.

"Are you still holding a grudge about what happened back then?"

Qiu Mingzi shook his head, unleashed the Spirit Origin Sect’s signature technique, "Spirit Origin Sword Qi," and slashed out two beams of light as brilliant as the midday sun, knocking back the powerful enemies in pursuit.

Qing Xi paid no attention to the confrontation between the sect-leader-level fighters. Knowing his own limits, he didn't try to add to the chaos; instead, he used the "Blazing Sun Arrow" technique to snipe the Xiantian Realm demons from a distance. With his current cultivation, few in the Xiantian Realm could withstand one of his arrows.

With the addition of dozens of prodigies from the New Star Ranking, the battle at the Xiantian level became almost completely one-sided. However, a Spirit Gang Realm demon soon noticed the shift in the tide. With a hideous expression, he roared, "Slaughter the human prodigies! There will be great rewards for all!"

He swung a massive, flaming fist, shattering the earth and sending rocks flying; many prodigies were struck and coughed up blood. The gap between the Xiantian Realm and the Spirit Gang Realm was simply too vast. Even the top ten super-prodigies struggled to face a Spirit Gang Realm demon alone.

"Everyone, be careful! This demon is extremely powerful; the flames on his body can even melt spirit artifacts. Do not let them touch you!" Shen Qianzhong shouted, using his palm power to deflect the incoming flames.

Qing Xi also noticed this demon. After reading its information, his expression turned strange. This demon was named Lava, and he was actually the older brother of the Flame Demon. Thinking of the Flame Demon he had slain and the Flame Totem recorded in his Wordless Heavenly Book, Qing Xi felt a jolt of alarm. Could the Lava Demon sense him?

The next moment, the Lava Demon sniffed the air forcefully, locked his gaze onto Qing Xi, and whispered menacingly, "You carry the scent of my brother. I know now—you are the one who killed him!"

The Lava Demon swatted away several prodigies who had teamed up against him, then stretched out a giant palm to crush Qing Xi. The force was like a collapsing mountain, terrifyingly powerful.

"Damn it, he can actually tell?"

Qing Xi immediately unleashed the bronze-grade technique "Flying Shadow Steps." He glided across the ground like a beam of light, crossing a hundred meters in a single stride, moving with astonishing speed. The Lava Demon gave up on the other prodigies, locked onto Qing Xi, and chased after him with murderous intent.

Qing Xi silently cursed his own jinx. The extraterrestrial demons had taken the initiative, which was a perfect opportunity to collect essence, but before he could even kill twenty Xiantian-level demons, he had been targeted by the Lava Demon. Although his escape was frantic, he felt he couldn't lose face no matter what.

Thus, a shocking statement slipped out: "Everyone, I will hold this demon back! Hurry and support the others!"

Qing Xi’s voice faded into the distance, leaving the numerous prodigies standing there, stunned. Not knowing the grudge between Qing Xi and the Lava Demon, they looked on with admiration. "Look at that—that is a true prodigy! Holding back a Spirit Gang Realm powerhouse single-handedly; a role model for us all!"

"If you survive, I will take you as my example!" others shouted, their battle spirit surging as they threw themselves into the fray without hesitation.

"Junior brother, be careful!" Qiu Yingying wanted to help, but she was pinned down by a half-step Spirit Gang demon; the two were evenly matched, unable to gain the upper hand.

Mu Yue looked toward the direction Qing Xi had fled. She wanted to intervene, but found that both Qing Xi and the Lava Demon had vanished in the blink of an eye.

Wang Shuiling, having slain a demon of her own rank, looked toward the direction Qing Xi had disappeared, her bright eyes filled with shock. Not long ago, the boy had been at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining; now, he had surpassed her in the blink of an eye, leaving her with a frustrating sense of being left behind by the era.

The New Star Ranking prodigies from all over also cast looks of reverence toward where Qing Xi had gone before fighting the demons with even greater fervor. Sect Master Qiu Mingzi also wanted to step in, but he was tangled up by two demons of his own rank and could not get away.

More than ten miles away, Qing Xi ran wildly, not daring to stop. He knew his own worth; even if he were not inferior to the top ten of the New Star Ranking, there was a massive gap between him and the Spirit Gang Realm. The Spirit Gang Realm possessed "Spirit Gang Qi"—a powerful force, sturdier and more destructive than True Qi. If True Qi were a sharp kitchen knife, Spirit Gang Qi would be a refined steel blade that could cut through iron like mud, easily shattering True Qi.

"Little thief, die!" The Lava Demon was ablaze, moving like a wind-and-fire wheel, riding the wind with extreme speed. As he closed in on Qing Xi, the coldness in his eyes intensified.

"Die your head!" Qing Xi spun around and unleashed the "Nine-Fold Sword Wave." The astonishing sword momentum crashed down, but the Lava Demon simply swatted it with his flaming palm, causing all the sword momentum to collapse.

"This is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!"

Qing Xi had used this technique more than once, yet he tragically discovered it was completely ineffective. The Lava Demon’s body was fused with various spirit minerals and was incredibly hard; even an Earth-grade spirit artifact might not be able to keep up with him. The Nine-Fold Sword Wave was strong, but it wasn't enough to kill across so many realms. It was like hitting a thick-skinned ox with a cotton mallet; the effect was negligible.

Qing Xi continued to run, not daring to stop. At the same time, he did not forget to use "Mind Assault."

"Lava Demon, you aren't faster than me, why bother chasing? Fighting the Scarlet Flame Sect Master would show your true ability!"

"So you lost a brother? Why not just make another one? Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Lava Demon, you’re so tall, why can you run so fast? Are your legs longer?"

"I know! You must have been chased and beaten as a child, that's why you run so fast, am I right?"

"Stop chasing. Your brother, the Flame Demon, left peacefully. It was natural causes; fate is hard to defy..."

Qing Xi’s "Mind Assault" had no effect at first, but as he went on with his nonsense, the Lava Demon became absolutely furious, the flames on his body soaring to dozens of meters high.

"Die!" The Lava Demon roared, enunciating every word. He leaped into the air, his flames burning the void and forming a massive, falling claw.

"Damn, this is the end!" In his desperation, Qing Xi didn't care about anything else. He curled his body into a ball, channeling the power of space to wrap around himself.

*Boom!*

The flame claw struck the protective shield formed by the spatial interference zone, shaking the very void. Countless flames spread out, and the surrounding brush was instantly incinerated into ash. But when the flames dissipated, the Lava Demon was stunned.

The boy he had struck in his rage was curled up in mid-air. Aside from his clothes being scorched into mere rags by the high heat, he was completely unharmed.

"How could a mere Xiantian late-stage human boy block my strike?" The Lava Demon froze in place, an expression of disbelief on his face.