Chương 170: The Demon Cave's Heart

The moment Yangu Bone Demon fell, the White Bone Demon Cave plunged into absolute silence. Zigu Bone Demon and Chigu Bone Demon's faces twisted with fury and dread. Fang Jisheng and his allies, however, were practically vibrating with excitement. No one had expected Huaijin to be the one to crack the stalemate first. Not only was he a sword cultivator, he was a lightning cultivator as well. His battle prowess had always been terrifying, and now that he'd revealed his hidden lightning abilities, he was unstoppable.

Fang Xingyu and Zhou Sinuo gaped in shock, but their hands never slowed. They charged straight at Chigu Bone Demon. The deadlock had been shattered. Huaijin swallowed a pill to replenish his energy and surged forward, joining the assault on Chigu Bone Demon.

"Bastard!" Panic flashed across Chigu Bone Demon's face, raw and unmistakable. He burned his blood essence without hesitation, unleashing the most devastating attack of his entire life. The crimson skeleton he'd manifested was now riddled with hairline black fractures. He spotted a narrow gap between Fang Xinjin and Zhou Yuezi's encirclement and shot through it like a fleeing beast, hurtling toward Zigu Bone Demon.

"You think you're getting away?" Zhou Yuezi's voice was cold steel, dripping with killing intent. The Void Ancient Bell shot skyward, its devastating sonic energy exploding outward in countless rippling waves that shook the earth for miles around. The bell spun violently, swelling to monstrous proportions as it descended upon Chigu Bone Demon in the blink of an eye. BOOM! A savage glint lit Chigu Bone Demon's eyes. He wove hand seals furiously, and the crimson skeleton beside him groaned and cracked. CRASH!

From within the skeleton erupted an overwhelming surge of power, so immense it brushed against the late Purple Mansion realm! In an instant, the skeleton ballooned in size, its violent energy tearing across the heavens as it slammed into the Void Ancient Bell. Agony twisted across Chigu Bone Demon's face. That puppet had taken him years to refine, fed on countless bone essences. It was as precious to him as his very own life bound artifact. But now, to escape with his life, he'd been forced to blow it to pieces.

It was only that explosion that gave him the opening to break free from the encirclement. Without a moment's hesitation, Chigu Bone Demon fled deeper into the White Bone Demon Cave.

"After him, Zigu is mine!" Fang Jisheng's battle frenzy had reached its peak, his heart pounding with exhilaration. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Zhou Yuezi and Fang Xinjin charged side by side, locked onto Chigu Bone Demon like hunting wolves, determined to end him for good. Down below, the Tier 2 demonic cultivators had already shattered into a full rout. They scattered like headless chickens, fleeing in every direction.

Some tried to bolt straight out of the White Bone Demon Cave. But the Tier 2 cultivators from the various factions weren't about to let them slip away... Brutal, bloody carnage painted the cave floor. Screams rose and fell in a ceaseless chorus. The demonic energy permeating the cave thinned ever so slightly. Huaijin followed Fang Xinjin and Zhou Yuezi, his spiritual energy regenerating at a breathtaking pace. The White Bone Demon Cave descended into deeper chaos. Screams echoed without end.

Zigu Bone Demon's expression was dark as thunderclouds. The biggest variable this time had been Zhang Huaijin. His combat strength matched the rumors exactly, and surpassed them. Zigu Bone Demon traded a furious barrage of blows with Fang Jisheng, then retreated further into the cave's depths. Brilliant bursts of spiritual energy exploded in every direction like fireworks of destruction. —— Chigu Bone Demon fled in blind panic, racing all the way to the very depths of the White Bone Demon Cave.

And here, Huaijin finally laid eyes on the cave's true heart. The demonic energy was suffocating, so thick it felt like drowning. At the core stood a thirty meters tall black altar, roughly ninety feet high, its surface covered in bizarre, densely packed runes. Frigid demonic energy churned around it, interwoven with starlight that flickered like scattered fireflies. Faint traces of spatial energy twisted through the air as well. Beside the black altar stood over a dozen black-robed figures.

Huaijin actually recognized the one at the front. It was Lou Guying, the very same man he'd encountered back in the Purple Dusk Mountain Range. Lou Guying hailed from Soul Sorrow Ridge, the greatest demonic sect in the Tang Kingdom. It had endured for millennia, fallen many times, yes, but never completely extinguished. Now, its disciples were stirring once more. Back then, Lou Guying had been at the peak of Foundation Establishment. Now, over a decade later, he'd broken through to the Purple Mansion realm.

Based on his aura, he'd already stabilized at the peak of the first level. The black-robed demonic cultivators behind him were all at Tier 2.

"What a small world. And what a pack of useless trash inhabiting this cave!" Lou Guying sneered at Chigu Bone Demon, who was fleeing in chaos with his energy in complete disarray. The Qingtai Prefecture cultivators had chosen their moment too well. His mission wasn't complete yet.

"Indeed, a small world. Die." Huaijin hadn't expected to run into Lou Guying here either. As a core disciple of Soul Sorrow Ridge, lingering in Qingtai Prefecture for all these years meant he was clearly plotting something. Huaijin lashed out with his Thunderclap Nether Sword. A lightning-wreathed sword beam streaked forward, descending upon Lou Guying like divine judgment. Wariness flickered in Lou Guying's eyes. BOOM!

A monstrous bone claw erupted upward, wreathed in ghastly energy and surrounded by a horde of shrieking phantoms. True to his status as a core disciple of an Nascent Soul level (Tier 5) sect, Lou Guying had already refined his spirit artifact to Tier 3 low grade despite only recently breaking through to Purple Mansion. CRASH! The sword beam and the bone claw collided in a cataclysmic explosion. Lightning crackled and both attacks disintegrated into nothing. Lou Guying's eyes went wide. Huaijin's growth was absurd.

Back in the day, they'd been evenly matched. But now, even after Lou Guying himself had advanced to Tier 3, he couldn't hold his ground. Chigu Bone Demon was cornered once again by the two Purple Mansion cultivators. Meanwhile, Fang Xingyu and Zhou Sinuo harried him from the edges, striking and retreating, making him gnash his teeth in helpless fury. Both were at early Tier 3, terrified that Chigu Bone Demon might seize an opening for a suicidal counterattack.

Fang Tianyu's fate was still burned into their memories. Neither wanted to fall here. Within moments, Lou Guying and Huaijin had exchanged over a dozen blistering blows. SPURT! On the final strike, the countless ghostly shadows around Lou Guying scattered into nothing. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, sent hurtling through the air by Huaijin's sword and slammed into the dark altar.

"This can't be happening..." Lou Guying's eyes were bloodshot with rage and disbelief. He, a dignified Tier 3 cultivator, had been beaten like a stray dog. As for the dozen Tier 2 demonic cultivators, they trembled uncontrollably, scattering in sheer terror. One of them was already staring at the scene with utter despair etched across his face.

"What are you standing there for? Activate the teleportation passage!" An urgent voice cut through the chaos. Zigu Bone Demon had arrived. He and Fang Jisheng had both drained themselves to the dregs, and Fang Jisheng simply couldn't land the killing blow. Lou Guying's face was pale as death. He scrambled to his feet. A surge of immense power erupted from his palm. Pure demonic energy roared forth as he slammed it into the black altar.