The third girl was strikingly beautiful, brimming with youthful vitality, yet her lovely eyes were filled with killing intent. A pair of butterfly-like wings fluttered gently behind her back. Though she was only at the Second-Order Emperor Realm, the aura of a Holy Spirit permeated her delicate frame.
Lan Xun, Lin Yun'er, Mo Xiaoqi—the daughters and disciples of Great Emperors, fighting side by side. With their slender bodies, these young women held back the murderous advance of a Half-Saint powerhouse.
Under normal circumstances, an ordinary Emperor Realm cultivator stood no chance against a Half-Saint. Even a Third-Order Emperor could only flee for their life upon encountering one. But were any of these three girls ordinary? Armed with extraordinary treasures and possessing deep reserves of power, they were nothing like typical Emperor Realm cultivators.
Lan Xun's Universe World Tower was the Star God Palace's most prized treasure. Within the confines of the Star God Palace, she could borrow the power of heaven and earth itself. Lin Yun'er's black wok, Gui Yi, possessed mysterious abilities beyond the ken of gods and spirits. Mo Xiaoqi, though she had no treasure of comparable caliber, hailed from Spirit Beast Island—the Beast Martial Great Emperor had long since implanted the essence soul of the Holy Spirit Phantom Sky Butterfly within her. As her strength and Cultivation improved, this Holy Spirit's power became ever more responsive to her will.
Three against one, they could barely hold their ground, but killing the Half-Saint on the other side was a pipe dream—unless he made some fatal mistake.
"You little tramps, once I've got you in my grasp, you'll wish you were dead!" The Half-Saint was a towering figure, his muscles bulging with explosive power, his skin the color of stone. He was clearly a Stone Demon. The Stone Demon race was born with formidable defenses—ordinary attacks were virtually meaningless to them—and while their immense strength couldn't quite match that of the Force Demons, it was far beyond that of any other demon race.
Among the hundred demon races, if the Blood Demons were the most cunning, then the Stone Demons were the hardest to kill. These three girls before him were each extraordinary, but he believed that as long as he didn't give them any openings, there was nothing they could do to him. All he needed to do was stall—once they exhausted themselves, he could capture them one by one.
"You can save the tough talk until you actually have the skill to back it up!" Lan Xun's beautiful eyes were cold as ice. Her father had died in the Demon Realm, and the legacy he left behind was now being invaded by that very same darkness. Her hatred for the demon race was practically bone-deep, and right now she cursed the heavens for not giving her enough time—she hadn't truly grown strong yet.
As she finished speaking, she reached out, and a green vine shot from her sleeve, coiling toward the Half-Saint. The Tower Spirit of the Universe World Tower had taken the form of a mimosa plant. Now, as she channeled the Tower's power, it manifested as vegetation. If those green vines wrapped around the enemy, she could find a way to drag him inside the Universe World Tower for a decisive battle—and within the Tower, her power would increase dramatically. It wasn't quite on the same level as the Minor Subtle Realm's significance to Yang Kai, but the principle was much the same.
Once she made her move, Lin Yun'er and Mo Xiaoqi naturally weren't about to stand idle.
Lin Yun'er flung the black wok that had been perched on her head like a hat toward the Half-Saint, shouting, "Watch the wok!" Her petite body darted forward right behind it. She practiced the Iron Blood Record of the Iron Blood Great Emperor, specializing in meeting enemies with her bare fists. Beneath her fists, no technique could breach her defense, and nothing was indestructible—but to strike the enemy, she first had to put herself in harm's way.
Mo Xiaoqi's butterfly wings fluttered gently, gathering luminous powder like fireflies before drifting toward the Stone Demon Half-Saint. The Phantom Sky Butterfly's combat prowess was nothing to speak of, but the Holy Spirit's greatest gift lay in its mastery of spiritual power. The luminous powder could create illusions—so potent that even a Half-Saint couldn't ignore their effects.
It was clearly not the first time the three had fought together. Days of battle had bound them into a single unit, so now they coordinated their assault without a word.
The Stone Demon Half-Saint's expression turned grim. Demonic energy surged through his entire body, and he threw a savage punch forward.
The green vine was smashed to pieces before it even got close. Though it immediately repaired itself, it couldn't penetrate the razor-sharp force of his punch. The sky darkened as Gui Yi descended from above, dropping toward the Stone Demon Half-Saint. In the same instant, Lin Yun'er had used the vine's attack as cover to close the distance to the Stone Demon.
The Phantom Sky Butterfly's divine power also manifested in that same instant. The luminous powder circled the Stone Demon, seeping into every crevice. The moment it made contact, it caused a brief flicker of confusion in his mind, and the fist he'd been swinging toward Lin Yun'er involuntarily stalled for just an instant.
That single instant was the chasm between victory and defeat.
With a thunderous impact, Lin Yun'er's fist connected with the Stone Demon Half-Saint's chest. A blow powerful enough to split mountains and crack the earth only forced the Stone Demon back a few steps. If anything, it was Lin Yun'er who grimaced, her small face contorting in pain.
But she refused to retreat. Her fists rose again, ready to press the attack. Her master had told her there was no defense in this world that couldn't be broken—it all depended on whether the force behind the blow was strong enough.
Her small face flushed red with effort, and between her fists, wind and clouds gathered, faintly manifesting the image of the Great Dao.
Just then, a cry of alarm pierced the air. In the midst of the chaos, Lan Xun turned to look, and her beautiful eyes contracted. Beneath Mo Xiaoqi's feet, a swirling sand pit had appeared without warning. From within it, two massive hands had reached out, clamping onto her ankles and pulling her downward.
By the time Lan Xun looked over, Mo Xiaoqi's feet had already sunk deep into the sand pit.
Sand Demon!
This demon race was as infuriatingly troublesome as the Blood Demons, and with the Shadow Demons' ability to hide, they were virtually impossible to guard against.
Forgetting about attacking the Stone Demon Half-Saint, Lan Xun flicked her wrist. The green vine that had been flung out immediately reversed course, plunging deep underground. The earth began to heave and churn, as though a titanic battle was unfolding beneath the surface.
With Mo Xiaoqi ambushed and her concentration broken, she could no longer maintain control over the Phantom Sky Butterfly's power. The Stone Demon Half-Saint snapped back to clarity just in time to face Lin Yun'er's incoming fist.
Without a moment's hesitation, the Stone Demon Half-Saint met it with a devastating punch of his own.