Never mind Meng Wuya for now — the man was shrouded in mystery, impossible to read. As for Ling Taixu, he was above the Shenyou Realm, and once those at that level started fighting, it was no trivial matter.
"I'm not qualified, heh." Meng Wuya chuckled, his expression relaxed. "Forget about me — even the fellow down there, in a one-on-one, none of you could beat him."
As he spoke, he pointed vaguely toward the Earth Demon below.
The Earth Demon bared his teeth in a savage grin, his features twisted and terrifying.
"Him?" The square-faced powerhouse's heart tightened, though a look of surprise surfaced on his face. He slowly shook his head. "What is he, exactly?"
As he spoke, undisguised contempt and disdain spread across his features.
He wasn't the only one wearing that expression. Several of the Eight Great Families' experts above the Shenyou Realm looked equally dismissive, secretly thinking that Meng Wuya must be losing his mind to say something like that.
Among the three — the Earth Demon, Meng Wuya, and Ling Taixu — the eight feared Ling Taixu the most. He was above the Shenyou Realm, and his cultivation at that level surpassed theirs by a significant margin. Moreover, he was the one who had nurtured the Evil Lord!
Meng Wuya came second. Though Manager Meng was only at the peak of the Shenyou Realm, the eight could never quite see through him. And what you couldn't see through naturally bred suspicion and wariness.
As for the Earth Demon… although he too stood at the peak of the Shenyou Realm, truth be told, none of them took him seriously. A martial artist like that could be killed without the slightest effort. Last time, Yang Liting had struck with a single palm and destroyed the blood demon puppet the Earth Demon had refined, and the old devil hadn't even dared to fight back. That alone proved this demonic cultivator was nothing special.
Hearing the square-faced powerhouse's mockery, Meng Wuya couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter. "Old demon, they don't think much of you. What are you going to do about it?"
"If they don't think much of me, so be it. What's there to say about it?" The Earth Demon let out a cackling laugh, showing not the slightest hint of anger or embarrassment. His expression was light and airy, as if he couldn't care less.
"You can actually hold it in?" Meng Wuya gazed at the Earth Demon with an amused smile. "With your brutal temperament, shouldn't you teach these short-sighted fools a harsh lesson?"
"You already said they were short-sighted. Why should I bother stooping to their level?" The Earth Demon's savage grin never wavered as he spouted grandiose words, chatting casually with Meng Wuya as though the eight experts above the Shenyou Realm simply didn't exist.
Everyone's mood turned peculiar. Listening to their exchange, it really seemed as though this old demon possessed unfathomable methods — so much that even those above the Shenyou Realm weren't worth his attention.
Did he truly have the ability? The qualifications?
Just as the crowd was wrestling with their doubts, the Earth Demon's expression suddenly turned solemn. He said flatly, "Though I'd rather not bother with them, they're pushing their luck. If I don't show some response, I'll be looked down upon. Sigh — this technique takes a great deal of effort to perform. I wouldn't use it unless it were absolutely necessary."
As he spoke, the True Yuan churning within his body abruptly went still, settling into perfect calm like a stagnant pool.
"Demonic Shadow Sacred Art!" A deafening roar erupted from the Earth Demon's mouth, shaking heaven and earth. Accompanying that cry, the aura between sky and ground instantly became chaotic.
At the same time, every person present felt their blood surge within them, as though an irresistible pulling force was emanating from the Earth Demon's body, attempting to draw every drop of blood from their veins.
Those with weaker cultivation contorted in agony on the spot. Under that pulling force, their faces flushed crimson, and blood quickly seeped from their seven orifices — a ghastly sight.
Even the warriors at the Shenyou Realm had to circulate their cultivation techniques just to endure the strain.
Every single person's expression changed. No one knew what technique the Earth Demon had unleashed to produce such an effect.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Streaks of brilliant crimson light suddenly shot in from every direction, all of them surging into the Earth Demon's body.
Those beams of red light were condensed entirely from blood — blood belonging to the warriors who had already fallen. Whether they hailed from the Seven Great Families' allied forces or from Yang Kai's manor, anyone who had died had their blood drained in the span of a single breath.
Even the blood that had seeped into the ground was drawn out by that tremendous suction.
The Earth Demon's body absorbed it all without leaving a single drop. His entire figure turned a deep, vivid red, like a crab roasted over an open flame.
From his body, a terrifying surge of blood-qi suddenly erupted — several times more overwhelming than what a Yang Family Blood Guard produced after activating the Tyrant Blood Art!
Only after every drop of blood within a hundred-zhang radius had been completely drained did the pulling force vanish.
Every warrior below the eighth level of the Shenyou Realm was bleeding from their seven orifices, including those from Yang Kai's manor.
However, none of them were in mortal danger — the Earth Demon had exercised considerable restraint, and he had no intention of killing them for no reason.
It was only now that a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering aura erupted from the Earth Demon's body.
An invisible field of presence radiated outward from him like a shockwave.
His momentum climbed tier after tier, breaking through the Shenyou Realm at an inconceivable speed, and still it rose, and rose…
The eight powerhouses above the Shenyou Realm watched with trembling eyes, their gazes fixed on the scene before them, a deep sense of horror settling into their hearts.
A moment later, the earth-shaking commotion gradually subsided. The Earth Demon drew a deep breath, his face still wearing that savage grin. He stretched his arms and legs, a look of satisfaction crossing his features.
The eight above the Shenyou Realm stood stunned for a beat, then hastily sent their Divine Sense sweeping over the Earth Demon — and immediately froze in disbelief.
Above the Shenyou Realm!
The Earth Demon before them was now genuinely and unmistakably above the Shenyou Realm.
Once they recovered their wits, the eight began to grasp just how inconceivable all of this was. What kind of secret technique was the Demonic Shadow Sacred Art, and at what grade did it rank? How could it enable a martial artist at the peak of the Shenyou Realm to reach the level above the Shenyou Realm in such a short time?