Chapter 161: The Third Demon

Ye Jiuyao slashed out with his longsword, and the terrifying power instantly erupted into a heaven-shaking roar.

The entity lurking within the darkness seemed to heave a helpless sigh before once again retreating into the gloom, disappearing without a trace.

"What on earth is this?!"

Doubt overwhelmed Ye Jiuyao's mind. He simply could not figure out what kind of creature was hiding here.

Clearly, its strength surpassed his own, yet it favored sneak attacks. It acted as though it feared the light, but that didn't quite fit either. After all, that terrifying force had pierced directly through the illumination, heading straight for Xing Yanyu by his side, without showing the slightest sign of dissipating under the brilliance.

"Are you alright?"

"I... I'm fine..."

By now, subjected to one assassination attempt after another, Xing Yanyu had been scared completely pale, drained of all color, and left in a state of utter panic.

A moment later, the entity in the darkness struck again in rapid succession, causing Ye Jiuyao's expression to grow increasingly complex.

He sensed a conspiracy at play.

Given that the entity in the darkness was vastly more powerful than him, why didn't it simply kill them outright? Instead, it chose to wear them down through exhaustion, and every single time it attacked—whenever Xing Yanyu let down her guard—its target was always her, never Ye Jiuyao.

His mind raced frantically, trying to uncover the true intentions of the entity hiding in the darkness.

With that in mind, Ye Jiuyao sent a voice transmission to Xing Yanyu.

"Stay here, remain vigilant at all times, and keep your guard up. I am going to step into the darkness to investigate. I have a feeling something is hidden in there."

Leaving behind those words, Ye Jiuyao plunged deep into the darkness.

You couldn't even see your own hand in front of your face. Ye Jiuyao gripped the River-Mountain Sword even tighter, and the Heavenly Demon Flame within his lower dantian suddenly roared to life with a fierce roar.

In an instant, a burst of light illuminated the surroundings.

"Whoosh."

A dark shadow flashed past at blinding speed, moving like a phantom.

Ye Jiuyao's eyes narrowed. He felt as though he had clearly seen what the entity in the darkness was, though he wasn't entirely certain yet.

Therefore, he allowed the Heavenly Demon Flame to subside once more.

"Rustle, rustle..."

Before long, the sound of movement through brush echoed near Ye Jiuyao again.

Instantly, Ye Jiuyao raised the River-Mountain Sword, unleashing the Heavenly Demon Flame within his body. With a swift stroke, he slashed toward the entity in the darkness.

"You ugly freak, hiding in the dark and playing tricks! See if I don't take you down today!"

Ye Jiuyao roared in fury. The anger that had accumulated for so long could no longer be suppressed and finally erupted in full force.

He drove the Heavenly Demon Flame within his body to its absolute limit, illuminating a vast expanse of the area. Xing Yanyu looked at the bright light piercing the darkness, a trace of curiosity flashing across her face.

However, the terror in her heart quickly suppressed any urge to step forward, leaving her to stare fixedly in all directions, terrified that the monster in the dark would ambush her.

Moving at an exceptionally fast pace, Ye Jiuyao followed the trail of blood and soon caught up with the entity in the darkness.

"Not running anymore? I said, what's with a monster like you strutting around blindly?"

"Aren't you very formidable? Keep running then!"

"I'll teach you to ambush me! See if I don't beat the life out of you!"

Every bit of Ye Jiuyao's frustration was vented through his successive sword techniques, sending terrifying sword qi sweeping outward.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp..."

Suddenly, the entity actually let out sounds resembling the cries of birds and beasts, causing Ye Jiuyao to abruptly halt his attack.

After all, he was a cultivator who cherished animals, unlike those brutes who killed without a second thought. Besides, slaughtering wild animals was bad.

They should be protected; after all, protecting them meant protecting ourselves.

Ye Jiuyao had always adhered to this principle.

"Can you speak or not?!"

"..."

Yet all he received was silence. Enraged, Ye Jiuyao unleashed yet another wave of sword techniques, packing even more terrifying power into them.

Though cornered and driven into a dead end by Ye Jiuyao, the entity in the darkness still refused to reveal its true appearance.

After a relentless storm of sword techniques from Ye Jiuyao, the entity in the darkness was left on its last breath.

"Can you speak?"

"Yes... yes... yes, but could you please put out that flame of yours first..."

"Flame?!"

A flicker of doubt arose in Ye Jiuyao's heart. This entity in the darkness actually feared his Heavenly Demon Flame.

"You... you are the soul of one of the Nine Great Fiends?!"

Ye Jiuyao suddenly asked in astonishment.

"Y-y-yes, can you first—"

"Fiend-Sealing Decree, manifest!"

Hearing the confirmation, Ye Jiuyao rapidly formed hand seals, casting out a bolt of Heavenly Demon Flame that shot directly into the body of the entity in the darkness.

The terrifying destructive power of the flame immediately caused the creature to scream in continuous agony. Judging that the time was right, Ye Jiuyao swept it into the Canglang Scroll.

"Done."

Had Ye Jiuyao known beforehand that this entity was actually one of the souls of the Nine Great Fiends, he would have unleashed the Heavenly Demon Flame much sooner.

Yet, some doubts lingered in his mind. After all, this was only his second flame; how could it possibly subjugate such a powerful ferocious beast?

Even so, Ye Jiuyao could not afford to dwell on it now.

"Hey, tell me how to get out of this clan territory."

Walking over to Xing Yanyu, Ye Jiuyao asked with a hint of disdain in his expression.

Why were the descendants of these major clans always so utterly useless?

As expected, flowers grown in a greenhouse would wither and snap at the slightest gust of wind.

"G-Grand Master Uncle, what... what was that?"

Xing Yanyu had seen everything clearly just moments ago—how Ye Jiuyao had performed all sorts of flamboyant maneuvers in the darkness while muttering incantations, accompanied by chilling shrieks of agony.

However, Ye Jiuyao offered no explanation.

"Fine, I won't ask."

"However, this is my first time here in the clan territory as well. The last person who came was my older brother, but he ran away from home..."

As Xing Yanyu continued, her voice grew softer and softer, practically fading into a mosquito's hum.

Sighing, Ye Jiuyao instructed, "Stand guard for me. I am going to use a secret technique to search for the exit."

"Okay."

With that, Ye Jiuyao crossed his legs and quickly entered a state of meditation.

The secret technique he spoke of was none other than entering the Canglang Scroll to question that beast.

"Young Master."

As soon as he stepped into the Canglang Scroll, Cang Sangsang appeared before him to greet him.

"Sangsang, come with me to meet our new little friend."

"Young Master, please follow me."

The reason Ye Jiuyao brought Cang Sangsang along was because he had sensed a subtle change in the artifact spirit, as if she had become aware of many more things than before.

Thus, he let Cang Sangsang lead the way.

This time, Cang Sangsang did not remain outside; instead, she guided Ye Jiuyao straight into the cavern dwelling belonging to the Nine Great Fiends.

Strangely enough, this time the Nine Great Fiends did not emit any roars, giving Ye Jiuyao a vague sense that he had placed his bet correctly.

And so, the man and the fiend met without further incident.