Skyfiend Jiuhu shot a glance at Sect Master Boor Ancestral and company, eyes filled with rage. He thought to himself, “These three ants actually dare show Empyrean Lord disrespect! Once the array formation is activated, the vast armies of my fiendcelestial world will arrive. Then they will know the price of disobeying Empyrean Lord!”
Sect Master Boor Ancestral’s phantom chuckled instead. “Skyfiend Jiuhu, Empyrean Lord mentioned triggering the array formation early. What will be moved out ahead of time?”
“Yes, what exactly is the array formation for?” asked Aged Fiend Goat Horn sycophantically as well.
“All of you are aware that Empyrean Lord plants a Mental Demon Skyfiend in every subordinate of his,” said Jiuhu indifferently. “If I tried to leak the secret of the array formation, I would have my soul dissipated even before I could even form the words.”
“Yes, yes!”
The trio exchanged looks and did not press further.
“Everything that follows will rely on you now!” said Sect Master Boor Ancestral with a boisterous laugh. “As long as you can hold back Qin Yun, ensuring the Boor Ancestral Sect’s safety means ensuring the safety of Empyrean Lord’s array formation! In that way, the longer you stall for time, the more perfect the setting up of the array formation will be. Perhaps we might even stall long enough for the array formation to reach its most perfect level.”
“Let’s hope so,” said Jiuhu.
Yet, he knew deep down. “Empyrean Lord needs time to rally the troops too. I will try my best to stall for time. The more time I buy, the more time there is for Empyrean Lord to make his preparations.”
******
Flowery fragrance permeated the surroundings.
Qin Yun held his wife’s hand as they looked into the distance.
The Misty Rain Sword was striking the sect’s grand hall relentlessly.
“Boom!”
The grand hall was barely holding up.
The fiendcelestial trio was powering the array formation with all they had. The disciples and fiendcelestials in the grand hall watched as they shuddered in fear, afraid the hall would fail to hold.
“We are doomed!”
“Even Sect Master is hiding in the hall because of his heavy injuries. He does not even dare try to escape. And now, they are only barely holding up through the use of treasures.”
“Even a perpetual defense is bound to fail. Once the hall’s defenses are broken through, knowing Qin Yun’s habit of ridding the world of fiendish demons, he will definitely not spare us.”
“Darn it. I do not wish to die with the sect. Junior Sister, you are much cleverer than me. Do you have any ideas?”
“Let me think about it. Let me think carefully.”
A tiger demon and a female snake demoness conversed over a voice transmission.
At that moment, not only were these two disciples in panic, the other disciples were feeling the same as well.
And at that moment—
“Qin Yun, you wish to destroy my Boor Ancestral Sect? It won’t be that easy!” Sect Master Boor Ancestral’s voice roared like thunder as it reverberated through the region.
“Oh?” The disciples in the grand hall were alarmed. Did their Boor Ancestral Sect have other means at its disposal?
And a distance away.
Qin Yun and Yi Xiao were watching intently.
“Brother Jiuhu, everything now rests on you.” Sect Master Boor Ancestral’s voice continued reverberating through the region.
“I have been residing in your Boor Ancestral Sect for quite some time. It’s time for me to showcase my strength for once.” A cold voice resounded through the region, and a figure walked out from a hidden hall behind the sect’s grand hall. Every step he took covered a distance of a thousand feet. In a few steps, he arrived high in the sky above the sect’s grand hall.
His thin figure was dressed in luxurious robes. He stared at Qin Yun with his long, slender, fox-like eyes.
However, he emitted a billowing fiendish aura that corroded the surroundings. It caused the void itself to creak in response.
“What a terrifying fiendish aura.” Qin Yun looked from afar and was somewhat alarmed. “Judging from his aura, he’s a peak third Firmament fiendcelestial but his body feels even stronger than that of Sect Master Boor Ancestral? When has the Great Chang world ever had such a powerful fiendcelestial?”
In the Great Chang world, the strength of a fiendcelestial’s physical body had always been inferior to the Buddhists and Daoists in general.
“Who are you?” Qin Yun felt something was amiss as he bellowed. “It is impossible for a fiendcelestial of your strength to be unknown.”
“Hahaha…”
Jiuhu laughed. “I never expected that I, an Other Realm Fiendcelestial, would encounter a person like you in the Great Chang world. You match the strength of a Skyfiend with only a mortal’s body. If you were captured alive and handed over to Empyrean Lord, Empyrean Lord would definitely reward me handsomely.”
“Other Realm Fiendcelestial?” Qin Yun frowned.
“Is that very strange? Back when we attacked the Great Chang world, there were many fiendcelestials that entered the Great Chang world. I only remained here because of my heavy injuries,” said Jiuhu.
Jiuhu knew very well. “The later the secret of the array formation is discovered, the better Empyrean Lord’s preparations will be! It’s best I do not reveal the fact that I reincarnated into the Great Chang world. After all, Wuha, Moquan, Huangchong, and I add up to four who reincarnated into the Great Chang world! Once they confirm that I also reincarnated into the Great Chang world, they will definitely guess that… Empyrean Lord is plotting a huge invasion.”
It was very difficult to reincarnate into another world to begin with.
It was clearly suspicious if several beings were reincarnated consecutively in a short span of time.
“But if I reveal my full strength, and knowing Daoist Divine Firmament’s intelligence, he will probably guess something. Sigh, I have no other thing I can do. I was forced into this all because of these three fools.” Jihu sighed inwardly.
…
Outside the Boor Ancestral Sect.
Daoist Divine Firmament, Human Emperor, East Sea Skydragon, and company were watching everything that appeared in the water mirror.
“An Other Realm Fiendcelestial?” Human Emperor said perplexed. “An Other Realm Fiendcelestial that stayed behind after the huge war in the past?”
“He was not imprisoned and even managed to hide in silence for so long?” Daoist Divine Firmament frowned slightly. “Other Realm Fiendcelestials should not be that patient.”
…
Qin Yun hesitated for a moment. An Other Realm Fiendcelestial that remained behind?
“Move aside. I can agree to spare you,” said Qin Yun. His goal was to destroy the array formations as fast as possible, allowing Daoist Divine Firmament and company to storm in. As for the Other Realm Fiendcelestial? Once Daoist Divine Firmament and company were inside, dealing with him would be even easier!
“Haha, how is it possible for all of you to spare an Other Realm Fiendcelestial like me? Besides, you are not my match,” said Jiuhu.
Although he said this, he did not take any action.
He was deliberately stalling for time.
“Cut the crap!”
Qin Yun knitted his brows.
Whoosh.
The Misty Rain Sword in midair turned and shot towards Jiuhu.
Jiuhu’s body immediately grew fine black hair. A pair of black wings grew from his ribcage as his fingers turned as sharp as talons. He extended his claws and grabbed one blood-colored knife in each hand.
“Kill!” Jiuhu flicked his claws as the two blood-colored knives spun out, clashing with the Misty Rain Sword in an unpredictable manner.
“Hmph! My Twin Lunar Fiend Knives can do melee and long-ranged combat. With them I can match ordinary Skyfiends in long-range combat. Although my current Dharmic powers are slightly weaker, it’ll be enough to deter him a little. Although he did defeat that ox fiend, it’s only because the ox fiend was too weak.” Jiuhu was filled with confidence.
“Boom!”
The Misty Rain Sword attacked with its most domineering attack, the fifth move of the Dreamlike Sword, Traveling in Solitude.
This strike was so oppressive that it could render the skies asunder.
After repeatedly attacking the sect’s grand hall, Qin Yun’s Traveling in Solitude had been perfected. It had reached a whole new level. It was already at the same level as Stars Like Rain. However, it was of a different nature. One was inclined towards pure strength, while the other was inclined towards speed and extreme sharpness.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The two battle knives spun as they crossed each other from two different directions in a bid to hold back Qin Yun’s flying sword.
But with a loud boom, the Misty Rain Sword transformed into a sword flash a thousand feet wide. It pushed through the two combat knives without any resistance. The mystic runes on them instantly dissipated as they were sent flying backward.
“What?” Skyfiend Jiuhu was alarmed.
He had been watching from afar previously, not knowing that Qin Yun’s sword moves were being constantly improved and perfected.
Therefore, he had made a mistake in judging Qin Yun’s strength.
“He got utterly defeated almost instantly?” Aged Fiend Goat Horn stared with widened eyes from inside the grand hall. “Didn’t he brag a lot? Isn’t he the reincarnation of a Skyfiend?”
“That’s only a long-distance attack. Perhaps he is stronger at melee combat.” Sect Master Boor Ancestral said this but was uncertain as well.
“Kill!”
The faraway Qin Yun continued directing the Misty Rain Sword.
A wisp of misty rain coruscated around Jiuhu in an unfathomable fashion.
At times, it would manifest as a burning meteor, casting Stars Like Rain! Sometimes, it would be the domineering Traveling in Solitude! And at other times, it would be gentle and converged as First Lightning Encounter. The myriad changes in the sword moves, along with the flying sword being extremely fast, caused the combat knife-wielding Skyfiend Jiuhu to be covered in bloody wounds. He was stuck on the defensive, unable to muster a counterattack.
“He is stronger than I expected. How is he this strong? Is-is this the strength of a sword immortal?” Jiuhu’s body was indeed extremely strong and his two battle knives had mystical properties but he could barely hold on.
“Skyfiend Jiuhu, didn’t you say you were going to capture Qin Yun alive?” asked Sect Master Boor Ancestral in a nervous voice transmission.
“This Qin Yun is too strong. Furthermore, the might of his flying sword moves are constantly increasing.” Jiuhu turned anxious as well.