No matter how full of himself Zhong Shiyi was, he absolutely did not think he could withstand even one strike from the Snake Demon.

You had to know, Liu Yizheng’s cultivation was about the same as his, and on top of that he carried a Protective Spiritual Treasure bestowed by the elders of the sect.

Even so, he’d still been knocked unconscious by a single blow from this Snake Demon, let alone Zhong.

He also had a Protective Spiritual Treasure, but he really didn’t want to waste it here.

Besides, as for trying to survive in the hands of this terrifyingly powerful Snake Demon in front of him, he honestly didn’t have the slightest bit of confidence.

Lin Zimu had just escaped danger and barely had a chance to catch his breath; hearing Zhong Shiyi’s cry for help, he immediately grabbed his flying sword and charged over.

"Brat, it would’ve been one thing if you kept hiding, but you actually rush over without knowing your own limits—are you looking to die?"

Feeling a gust of fierce wind surging from behind, the Snake Demon immediately turned its head back.

Swoosh!

Its thick tail lashed fiercely, howling as it swept toward Lin Zimu.

Zhong Shiyi was still shaken out of his wits and had already thrown the matter of saving anyone to the back of his mind.

Wind sprang under his feet as he bolted straight back into the Dragon Elephant Array.

"Trash!"

Seeing this, Yang Yan was furious, but he still suppressed the urge to kick the man straight back out.

"Come and take my place as the array eye!"

Yang Yan shouted angrily.

If this piece of crap weren’t a fellow disciple, Yang Yan would’ve long since wanted to slap him to death.

"Yes."

A morbid look flashed across Zhong Shiyi’s pale face; only after casually wiping the sweat from his forehead did he notice the gazes of the surrounding disciples.

Some held confusion, some cold ridicule, and others were filled with bafflement...

Was this really the very same Senior Brother Zhong ranked third on the Inner Sect’s Thirty-Six Celestial Pride List?

Yang Yan shot him a cold glance; once Zhong had taken over the position of array eye from him, he drew the Long Sword Star Night, his entire person transforming into a streak of flowing light.

"Yang!"

Lin Zimu held his sword crosswise to block the Snake Demon’s strike, but his whole body was swatted away by the tremendous force and crashed heavily to the ground.

"Cough, cough!"

Even with Lin Zimu’s cultivation at the peak of Qi Cultivation, in front of a Foundation Establishment Stage Snake Demon he was injured the instant they made contact.

"Watch out!"

Seeing that the Snake Demon was actually about to deliver a killing blow to the badly injured Lin Zimu lying on the ground, Yang Yan’s already extreme speed suddenly increased by another three points.

"Little Snake Spirit, your opponent is me!"

Yang Yan’s shout of provocation clearly had an effect.

With him already closing in from behind, the Snake Demon was forced to halt its action and turn around, opening its blood-filled maw toward him.

Roar!

The Snake Demon let out an enraged bellow, ferocious light blazing in its eyes.

"Your breath stinks!"

Yang Yan cursed without the slightest courtesy.

Even as he spoke, his right hand moved on reflex, swinging Star Night hard and driving it straight into the Snake Demon’s gaping mouth.

Clang!!!

However, instead of the tearing sound of a throat being pierced ringing in his ears, a clash of metal rang out!

"Roar!"

The massive tail thrashed wildly against the ground as the Snake Demon let out a howl of agony, like its heart and lungs were being ripped apart.

This was the first time since the battle with the Ancient Abyss Sect disciples that the Snake Demon had suffered a meaningful injury.

The Snake Demon’s lantern-sized eyes bulged to the limit, its two sharp fangs still dripping with viscous strands of saliva.

It even kept dripping continuously from the corners of its mouth.

Yang Yan’s gaze sank as he quickly withdrew Star Night.

Inside the Snake Demon’s blood-red mouth, a streak of scarlet had burst open.

To prevent a counterattack from the Snake Demon, Yang Yan prudently pulled back right after landing the hit.

At this moment, Lin Zimu, who had fallen behind them, was also slowly propping himself up with his longsword.

"Cough, cough..."

He was wracked by a fit of violent coughing, a pool of black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

With his sword planted in the ground, he twisted his head to look at Yang Yan and forced out a hoarse reminder: "Yang, this demon can’t be fought head-on, cough, cough..."

"Brat, you actually dared to injure me? I’ll make you wish you were dead!"

The Snake Demon reared where it stood, its massive Snake Head shaking violently as a surge of black mist spewed from its mouth.

This black mist carried an intense corrosive effect; the instant it met the air, sizzling sounds rang out as even the air seemed to be corroded.

Yang Yan’s expression shifted slightly, and he stepped backward with his right foot in the air.

Yet that black mist was like maggots gnawing at a bone, clinging stubbornly as it pursued Yang Yan relentlessly.

A wry, helpless smile tugged at Yang Yan’s lips.

As the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand under a crumbling wall—there was no way he was going to test this on his own body.

With a thought, space around him suddenly stirred, and Yang Yan’s body vanished from where he stood. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The Snake Demon’s eyes bulged even wider, an almost human look of shock appearing on its face.

The little cultivator in front of it had actually triggered the Space Law just now?!

That was a technique only a Nascent Soul Stage Great Power might possess... Small Shifting!

Horrified, the Snake Demon couldn’t help but shrink its neck back slightly.

Not only that, even the black mist that had been relentlessly chasing Yang Yan suddenly froze in place.

"Who exactly are you?!" the Snake Demon asked in alarm and doubt, its voice even trembling a bit.

Yang Yan remained silent, keeping a certain distance between himself and the Snake Demon.

"How do you know Small Shifting?" The Snake Demon still didn’t dare strike at Yang Yan, continuing to question him nervously.

Yang Yan still didn’t speak, but the contempt in his eyes already made his attitude clear.

You want to know my name...? You’re nowhere near qualified!

Man and demon faced each other from afar, locked in a standoff for quite some time.

During this period, Lin Zimu and Liu Yizheng were both carried back into the Dragon Elephant Array by the disciples inside.

Yang Yan watched coldly from the sidelines, his face showing little change, but in his heart he let out a long breath of relief.

Just now, it was precisely because Liu Yizheng was unconscious and Lin Zimu heavily injured that Yang Yan had felt so constrained.

He had only one goal: to stall the Snake Demon for a while, giving them enough time to retreat back to the grand array.

Now that the two of them had safely entered the array, Yang Yan no longer had any worries.

At this moment, Star Night suddenly slipped from Yang Yan’s right hand, slowly revolving in midair before him, its tail trailing specks of blue starlight.

The space in front of Yang Yan began to turn illusory, ripples of space spreading out like a rotating starry sky, mysterious and unfathomable.

"This is... the Ancient Abyss Sect’s Star Constellation Swordsmanship?"

The Snake Demon was actually rather well-informed, recognizing Yang Yan’s Swordsmanship at a glance.

"Is that the Star Constellation Sword, first among the seven swords of the Ancient Abyss Sect, in your hand?" The Snake Demon stared in puzzlement at Yang Yan and Star Night for a long while, speaking with some uncertainty.

As it spoke, who knew what it suddenly thought of; it abruptly burst into loud laughter:

"The Star Constellation Sword can’t possibly have only this level of power, and the Star Constellation Swordsmanship only applies to cultivators below the Golden Core realm. That means you definitely aren’t a Nascent Soul elder!"

Yang Yan raised an eyebrow and sneered. "When did I ever say I was a Nascent Soul elder?"

As the last syllable fell, Star Night in Yang Yan’s hand pivoted in midair, drawing a dazzling arc of sword light, its razor-sharp tip tearing through the air, thrusting straight at the Snake Demon’s heart.

At the same time, he shouted:

"I don’t need the might of a Nascent Soul—just I, Yang Yan, am more than enough to behead you, you damned beast!"

"Ridiculous!" A man-eating green glint flashed in the Snake Demon’s eyes, its features twisting into a hideous snarl.

Having confirmed that Yang Yan was not a Nascent Soul cultivator, the Snake Demon instantly stopped holding back and actually lunged straight at him.

"Sever!"

With Words Become Law, Star Night swept up a blaze of starlight and cleaved straight down on the Snake Demon.