Chapter 127: Extermination of the Spirit Essence

As a powerhouse at the Spirit-Gong realm, the Lava Demon possessed vitality as vast as the sea; even pierced by his own two flaming spears, he did not perish. To him, as long as his core remained, he would not die. However, with his neck ensnared, he was utterly unable to break free. If this continued, he would eventually be exhausted to death.

"Are you truly determined to fight to the bitter end?" The Lava Demon turned, glaring at Qing Xi. Yet, his hands betrayed him, instinctively hurling a flaming spear in a desperate attempt to impale Qing Xi. Through their previous skirmishes, the Lava Demon had figured out Qing Xi’s tactics. Whenever he conjured a flame spear to strike, the invisible force binding his neck would vanish. This was his chance to escape.

However, to the Lava Demon’s shock, Qing Xi had somehow moved nearly a hundred meters away, watching him with a mocking expression. Although the flame spear was incredibly fast, the hundred-meter buffer allowed Qing Xi to narrowly dodge it using his "Flying Shadow Steps." Seeing the spear miss, the Lava Demon reflexively tried to flee, only to find the invisible force still clamped around his neck. He was like a dog on a leash, unable to break away. He couldn't exactly cut off his own head, could he? That would be no different from suicide.

The Lava Demon finally panicked. "Kid, do you really intend to fight to the death?"

"That’s not what you said a moment ago." Qing Xi smiled broadly. He raised his left hand, clutching at thin air to manifest the Blazing Sun Bow, then unleashed a full-powered Blazing Sun Arrow, driving it straight into the demon’s wound. The stinging agony made the Lava Demon curse violently.

"Damn you! Even if I die, I won't let you off!" The Lava Demon transformed his hands into blades and, hardening his heart, simply ignored Qing Xi’s arrows. The Blazing Sun Arrows were powerful, but to him, they were like needles pricking his wounds—painful, but not fatal. He ignored the growing number of arrows embedded in his body and reached up to touch his neck, confirming the presence of an unbreakable, transparent "dog leash."

Determining its range, a look of grim resolve flashed in the Lava Demon's eyes. He suddenly hurled another flame spear, forcing Qing Xi to use his "Flying Shadow Steps" to dodge. Seizing the moment, the Lava Demon thrust his razor-sharp bladed hands toward the invisible leash, hoping to shatter it.

But he did not know that a triumphant smirk had appeared on Qing Xi’s lips as he quietly shifted the position of the spatial interference zone.

"Ah!" The next moment, the Lava Demon stared in horror as his own hands crossed and pierced his own neck. He realized he had been ruthlessly tricked by Qing Xi.

"..." The Lava Demon cursed in his native tongue. As he painfully extracted his bladed hands from his throat, he discovered that the transparent "leash" had now shifted to his waist. Feeling the blue blood pouring from his neck, his hatred for Qing Xi reached an unprecedented level. Yet, Qing Xi remained nearly a hundred meters away, far beyond the effective reach of his flame spears. The Lava Demon finally gave up resistance. He tilted his head back, beginning to reminisce about his life.

In the distance, Qing Xi was puzzled as to why the Lava Demon had stopped attacking. He checked his "Fortune and Misfortune" prediction and was surprised to find he was currently in a state of "Minor Good Fortune."

"Could it be that the Lava Demon has become depressed from being tricked?" Qing Xi communicated with his system, asking, "Pipi-Zhu, how can I kill this Spirit-Gong realm demon in the shortest time possible?"

"The fastest method is to sacrifice Origin Essence of the Metal and Fire elements to maximize the power of the Blazing Sun Arrow, then aim for the Lava Demon’s core to pierce his heart in one shot!"

Hearing that he had to sacrifice more Origin Essence, Qing Xi was speechless. But considering the Lava Demon was a commander-level entity and the spoils would be significant, he asked, "How much is needed?"

"Ten thousand wisps of Metal, fifteen thousand wisps of Fire," the system assistant replied.

Qing Xi found this acceptable. Back at Thunder Dragon Valley, he had converted a massive amount of essence; despite using some, he still had over thirty thousand wisps of each type in reserve.

"Ding! Origin Essence sacrificed. Speed and penetration power doubled." As Qing Xi unleashed the Blazing Sun Arrow while sacrificing the required essence, the system’s prompt echoed in his mind. A golden arrow shot forth at ten miles per second.

The Lava Demon was still reminiscing about his life; he had just reached the beautiful moment of his wedding night, but before the festivities could begin, a golden arrow pierced his core.

"You... you bastard... couldn't you have let me finish my memories before killing me?" The Lava Demon cursed with a look of resentment before his consciousness rapidly dissipated.

Qing Xi was visibly stunned, not understanding what the remark meant. As he retracted the spatial interference zone, the Lava Demon’s massive body crashed to the ground.

"To think I actually killed a demon comparable to a Sect Master." Looking at the body composed of precious spiritual ores, Qing Xi was filled with emotion. If the Lava Demon hadn't pursued him alone, he would never have had this chance. If not for the spatial interference zone, he wouldn't have gained the upper hand. If not for sufficient Metal and Fire essence, the arrow could never have exerted such terrifying power. If...

Qing Xi shook off his thoughts. Feeling the immense power contained within the demon's corpse, the corners of his mouth curled upward. He had hit the jackpot today! To save time, he didn't convert the essence on the spot but stored the body in his system space. After scanning the area to ensure nothing was left behind, he rushed toward the Red Flame Mountain Range at full speed.

When he arrived, he found the battle still raging. The sect-protecting formation, which had stood for hundreds of years, had been breached, and more than half of the Red Flame Sect’s gates were shattered. The fighting was fierce. Qing Xi scanned the scene and realized the main battlefield was on the other side of the range. The four Sect Masters of the Eastern Region and Mo Kongxiao were all fighting desperately. The Sect Master of the Water Fairy Gate, whose cultivation was the highest, was under immense pressure; forced to hold back one Yuan-Gong realm demon and three Spirit-Gong realm demons, her face had turned deathly pale.

Just then, a tyrannical aura emerged from the distance, rapidly approaching.

"Heh heh, your doomsday has arrived!" The newcomer sneered, his voice grating. Qing Xi looked over, his pupils constricting. The newcomer was a second Yuan-Gong realm demon. Standing three meters tall and covered in frost, he radiated the aura of a peak Yuan-Gong realm expert, chilling the hearts of everyone on the battlefield.

"Do not be arrogant! Let me, Zhou, test your mettle!" At that moment, a dashing young man wielding a silver spear stepped onto the battlefield. His body erupted with blinding spear intent, making him shine like a scorching sun and instantly becoming the center of attention.

"Who is this guy?" Qing Xi shielded his eyes from the blinding light, wishing he could cover the glowing young man with a cloth.