The Five-Pointed Flying Sword!

After being refined by Martial Uncle Yuk of Celestial Sword Peak, the originally Low Grade Five-Pointed Flying Sword had already advanced to Middle Grade.

After obtaining it,

Zhu Ju had reforged it a second time using the Earth Evil True Flame.

Although it was still a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact, its power had increased significantly.

Moreover, while a set of Magical Artifacts was difficult to control, its power was often much greater than single artifacts of the same grade.

It could even hold its own against a High Grade Spiritual Artifact without fear.

Furthermore, the Five Peaks True Form Force and Five Elements Sword Technique he cultivated both provided a certain boost to the Five-Pointed Flying Sword.

ZZZING!

The swords hummed softly.

A five-colored stream of light shot out from the Sword Pouch at his waist, circled once in the air, and flew to meet the four attacking arms.

SPLAT!

The Demon Body, which Low Grade Spiritual Artifacts had been powerless against, had no resistance whatsoever before the current Five-Pointed Flying Sword.

With a gentle sweep, severed arms and fresh blood flew through the air.

"Argh!"

Hex Zhong roared in pain, stomping a foot hard on the ground. Countless streams of black Qi erupted from underground and surged toward his severed limbs.

In the blink of an eye,

the four severed arms were restored as if new.

’A True Man?’

His expression flickered, dark and uncertain.

’When did a True Man enter the Meat Market?’

And he just happened to interfere right when they were making a move on the Wuk Family. The timing was too coincidental, forcing him to consider other possibilities.

’Could it be...’

’The Wuk Family already knew what I was planning?’

"Senior!"

While he was lost in thought, the Two-Tailed Demon Fox could no longer hold on. Its still-forming Demon Body began to disintegrate.

If it truly disintegrated, forget breaking through to become a True Man—it would lose its life. It couldn’t help but roar in panic:

"Save me!"

"If I die here, my father will never let you hear the end of it!"

’Damn it!’

Hex Zhong’s face twisted.

If the Two-Tailed Demon Fox died here, not only would he offend the Wuk Family, but he would also attract another huge problem.

Everything,

was because of this True Man who had appeared out of nowhere!

"Attack!"

Making a snap decision, Hex Zhong charged toward Zhu Ju himself while roaring furiously:

"Kill everyone in town!"

At his command, hundreds of Demon Catchers and Evil Soldiers guarding the place leaped down from the city walls.

They were also beneficiaries of the Meat Market and would naturally not let anyone leave, or else they would surely face retaliation.

"Kill!"

The town’s survivors clashed with the guarding Demon Catchers.

In an instant,

Spiritual Light from all kinds of Magic flared. Figures were struck one after another, their Skin and Flesh either melting away or their bodies being torn asunder.

’An opportunity!’

Wuk Xian’s eyes glittered. He waved the Beast Horn in his hand, and streaks of twisting, stretching lightning shot out.

The lightning danced like snakes and dragons. As the crimson light flashed, it shattered an incoming spell and struck a Demon Catcher.

BOOM!

As the crimson lightning exploded, the Demon Catcher was blown to smithereens.

The Visualization Image the Wuk Family cultivated was a one-horned Kui Ox, and the horn in his hand was an ancestral heirloom.

The Kui Ox possessed the ability to control wind and lightning. When he channeled it, its power was no less than that of a Peak Great Mage.

Not far away,

ZZZING!

Streaks of Sword Light weaved through the long street, taking the lives of one Demon Catcher after another before returning to a Sword Box.

’A Sword Sect disciple?’

’Besides the missing Brother Zhu, there’s another Cultivator in town following the Treasure Artifact True Man Path.’

A trace of surprise flashed in Wuk Xian’s eyes, but it vanished in an instant as his expression turned grave, looking at the two figures blocking his path.

’Great Mages!’

’And two of them!’

"I am of the Wuk Family’s direct line. If you let me go, I can promise that there will be no retaliation afterward!"

The two men opposite him exchanged a glance and shook their heads lightly.

"Young Master Wuk, it’s time for you to go on your way!"

*

*

*

BOOM!

The building underfoot shattered as a giant over ten meters tall, with eight arms sprouting from its back, charged out of the smoke.

Vajra Seal!

Demon-Suppressing Seal!

...

Hex Zhong extended his eight arms, each hand forming a different Seal Technique, and a terrifying pressure crashed down toward Zhu Ju.

"Still coming?"

Zhu Ju, who had been observing the Demon Fox’s transformation, frowned slightly. The five-colored Sword Light circling him abruptly intensified.

It was like a lotus throne blooming, sweeping out in all directions.

SPLAT!

SPLAT! SPLAT!

Severed limbs and blood flew everywhere.

The Eight-Armed Vajra was instantly covered in wounds, its massive body forced back repeatedly by the Sword Light.

Hex Zhong was horrified.

’I’ve been a True Man for many years, yet I have almost no resistance against his Flying Sword.’

’If I weren’t inside the Magic Altar...’

’I’d probably be dead already!’

"Tian, what are you waiting for? Help me!"

"Hmph!"

A cold snort came from underground, followed by thousands of gray rays of light piercing through the ground and shooting toward Zhu Ju.

The gray rays were shockingly fast, blanketing the sky and covering the earth.

’There’s another True Man hidden under the town.’

SWISH!

The Five-Pointed Flying Sword zipped back like lightning. Rings of Sword Light appeared, effortlessly deflecting the countless incoming objects.

"A Second Decline True Man!"

"A Treasure Artifact True Man!"

The figure that emerged from the ground had a fat head and large ears, with countless sharp spines growing from its back. It was a porcupine.

Staring at the Five-Colored Flying Swords spinning in the air, the porcupine’s eyes showed its shock.

"Besides the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, there’s another Treasure Artifact Cultivator in the world who has reached the Second Decline True Man Realm?"

Second Decline True Men were extremely rare.

One could say they were the peak of this world’s Cultivators.

Furthermore, Treasure Artifact Cultivators were exceptionally few, so the existence of one Plum Blossom Sword Saint was already surprising enough.

Unexpectedly,

there was another one besides him!

"So what if he’s a Second Decline Treasure Artifact True Man?"

Hex Zhong’s expression was grim.

"Don’t forget, this is the Cloud Forbidden Altar! Even if the Plum Blossom Sword Saint himself came, he would not be able to leave!"

He let out a low shout, and his eight arms thrust out in all directions, causing the mist enveloping the town to converge.

"Treasure Artifact True Men have weak Physical Bodies! You trap his Treasure Artifacts, and I’ll kill him!"

"Killing him can also help the Demon Fox attain the rank of True Man."

"Cloud Forbidden!"

The black mist surged.

Wisps of mist gathered toward Zhu Ju, and the power of the Magic Altar was pushed to its absolute limit.

It inverted directions, obscured senses, and suppressed the Divine Soul...

"Ugh!"

Zhu Ju let out a muffled grunt, his face also showing a grave expression.

In the Main World, an Innate Qi Refiner could sometimes kill a Dao Foundation Cultivator by relying on an Array; this showed just how powerful Arrays could be.

Besides being complex to set up and costly to maintain, Arrays were practically flawless.

Within the Magic Altar,

Hex Zhong’s Demon Body could recover at an astonishing speed, his strength was enhanced, and he had no fear of a battle of attrition.

However, Zhu Ju wasn’t too afraid.

’The Array is good,’

’but most of its power is focused on the Two-Tailed Demon Fox. There aren’t many abilities that can be used against me.’

"Heavenly River flows, all heavens cloud-forbidden!"

The mist in other parts of the town thinned for a moment, while around Zhu Ju it surged and receded like a tide.

"Do it!"

Hex Zhong roared.

The porcupine let out a low grunt. The spines on its back shot off its body, piercing into the dense fog and flying toward Zhu Ju.

CLANG CLANG CLANG...

The sounds of collision were endless.

The Five-Colored Flying Swords weaved through the air, knocking aside every incoming spine.

At that moment,

"Bind!"

the porcupine roared, and the Magic Altar covering the entire town lit up brightly.

Countless tentacle-like things extended from the mist, trapping the Five-Pointed Flying Sword firmly within them.

Even if it couldn’t be completely suppressed, trapping it for a short time was not a problem.

SWOOSH!

The Eight-Armed Vajra Hex Zhong stomped his foot and appeared before Zhu Ju as if by Instant Teleportation, his eyes filled with savage killing intent.

"Die!"

His eight arms instantly turned ink-black. A sinister and treacherous aura erupted from them, accompanied by a piercing screech.

The air,

was blasted into eight ripples.

Before the massive, house-sized frame of the Eight-Armed Vajra, Zhu Ju looked like a delicate, fragile doll.

A powerful gust of wind struck his face, sending his long hair flying.

Zhu Ju narrowed his eyes. A faint halo had appeared around his left hand at some point. As the fist’s shadow fell, he suddenly raised it.

The surging giant hand in his Sea of Consciousness erupted with a blinding five-colored Spiritual Light, and a massive amount of his Divine Soul Power was consumed in an instant.

BOOM!

The world turned upside down!

His originally slender and frail figure suddenly seemed to transform into a colossal giant that touched the heavens, his five fingers suppressing all creation.

BANG!

The eight attacking arms were shattered by the Power of the Five Elements with irresistible force.

Its momentum unspent, the force continued onward, slamming into the Eight-Armed Vajra’s torso. Under the immense Palm Force, its upper body suddenly disintegrated with a bang.

Even

the Cloud Forbidden Altar was blasted with a crack.

The Eight-Armed Vajra’s remaining lower Demon Body swayed, unable to recover even with the nourishment of the Magic Altar.

THUD!

The half-corpse fell heavily to the ground.

Hex Zhong,

was dead!

A Demon True Man who had been famous for years was killed by a single palm strike!

SWISH!

This scene made the porcupine’s face turn deathly pale. It rolled its body and burrowed into the ground, and a rumbling sound immediately echoed throughout the town.

At this moment, it could no longer be bothered with helping the Two-Tailed Demon Fox become a True Man; it focused all its efforts on activating the Magic Altar.

"Hmm..."

Zhu Ju narrowed his eyes. After a moment of contemplation, he reached a hand upward.

The Five Elements Ring ensnared the Two-Tailed Demon Fox and brought it into his hand. With a light tap of his foot, he shot toward the outskirts of the town.

Along the way,

he paused briefly on a street, picked up another unconscious figure, and continued to sprint.

Not far away,

lightning enveloped Wuk Xian’s body and flashed away, carrying him out of town at a speed no less than that of a True Man.

He vanished in the blink of an eye.

The two Great Mages wanted to give chase but could only sigh in helplessness.

... ... ... ...

「Atop a hill.」

Zhu Ju watched the distant town, his expression shifting.

At some unknown time, a heart-like object had appeared in the center of the town, and it was beating slowly.

Just a single distant glance was enough to evoke a feeling of nausea and distortion in his mind.

"It seems this is the true form of the Cloud Forbidden Altar."

"Before, because it was focusing its power on helping the Two-Tailed Demon Fox advance to True Man, its full might wasn’t revealed."

"Heh..."

Zhu Ju chuckled and shook his head.

"Even so, I probably could have fought my way out. The others, however, likely wouldn’t have been so lucky."

The power of the giant hand from his Sea of Consciousness combined with his left hand had far exceeded his expectations.

It was probably no weaker than an Innate Qi Refiner who had broken through the Eight or even Nine Acupoints—and a Core True Inheritance disciple of a major Sect at that.

A Demon True Man

was nothing before it!

Even a Second Decline True Man probably couldn’t face it head-on.

And this was without him having advanced to True Man. If he did, how powerful would it become?

However...

"The consumption is too great!"

"A single palm strike consumed nearly half of my Divine Soul Power, and it’s difficult to control the magnitude of its power."

Shaking his head, Zhu Ju turned to look at the ’Two-Tailed Demon Fox’.

Having left the town and without the nourishment of flesh and blood, the body of this ’Two-Tailed Demon Fox’ began to disintegrate.

Its Skin and Flesh burst open from time to time, spewing blood, flesh, and other unknown substances from the wounds, and it coughed up blood unceasingly.

"This is a rare opportunity. I can’t miss it."

Zhu Ju sat cross-legged to the side, extending his hands. Wisps of True Qi seeped into the Demon Fox’s body.

He needed to understand why the combination of a Dharma Aspect and the flesh and blood of others created a Demon.

What was the principle behind it?

If he wanted to take that next step himself, what would happen?

The Dragon and Phoenix Seal,

had he just been seeing things?

A long time later,

"Ughh..."

Su Fei slowly opened his eyes from unconsciousness, groaning in pain. He then abruptly tensed his body.

SWISH!

The Sword Box on his back sprang open, and seven palm-sized Flying Swords shot out, circling him rapidly.

"Wh-where is this?"

"The town garrisoned by the Demon Catchers was a Meat Market. People were sold to help a Great Mage advance to True Man," a strange voice said from nearby.

"I saved you."

"You..." Su Fei propped himself up. His gaze paused on the distant town before finally landing on the speaker.

"You saved me?"

"Yes." Zhu Ju nodded. Seeing the other man still looked skeptical, he sighed and flicked a finger.

SWISH!

A Flying Sword flew out from the Sword Pouch at his waist, flashing nimbly as it drew several circles in the air in an instant.

"You’re also a Sword Sect disciple?"

Su Fei’s eyes lit up, the hostility on his face greatly diminishing. He hurriedly recalled his Flying Swords and struggled to cup his fist in thanks.

"I am Su Fei. Thank you, fellow Daoist, for saving my life. May I ask your name?"

"It was a small effort," Zhu Ju said, waving his hand.

"My name is Zhu Ju, from Yidu. I have long heard of the flourishing Magic in Tianzui City and came specifically to seek out fellow practitioners to exchange knowledge about Magic. As it happens, a Sword Sect disciple, Xie Changge, is an acquaintance of mine. He entrusted me with finding the Sword Sect’s Main Lineage. This is the token he gave me."

"Xie Changge?" Su Fei took the token. After examining it carefully, his expression turned a little strange.

"This is indeed an item of the Sword Sect, but according to our rules, the owner of this item would be my senior."

"I would have to address him as Martial Granduncle."

’?’

"Is that so?" Zhu Ju smiled faintly.

"It seems Brother Xie’s seniority in the Sword Sect is quite high."

Su Fei pressed his lips together.

’I have to call him Martial Granduncle, but you call him Brother Xie. Isn’t that a blatant way of taking advantage of me?’