But it was too late! The black tiger, having swelled to several times its normal size, lunged forward!

ROAR!

The beast leaped into the air, its claws outstretched. Its terrifying power tore at the void as it viciously swiped down at Lu Yunfeng!

"Get lost!" Lu Yunfeng roared angrily, pushing out his hand. A dazzling beam of sword light slashed toward the black tiger as he simultaneously retreated with haste.

BOOM!

The sword light struck the tiger's paw!

CRACK!

A huge gash appeared on its limb.

HOWL!

The black tiger cried out in pain, letting out an infuriated roar.

WHOOSH!

Its attack having failed, its enlarged form dissipated, and it reverted to its original appearance.

"Abomination, your weakness is your neck. You're fast, your claws are sharp, and your physical defense is decent. However, for this prince to subdue you will be effortless!" Lu Yunfeng declared. "Sword, come!"

SWISH!

From the darkness, a longsword shot forth, instantly piercing the black tiger's neck!

SIZZLE!

The blade penetrated deep. The black tiger whimpered in agony.

"Haha! Abomination, now you die!" Lu Yunfeng was ecstatic.

However, in the next breath, the smile on his face froze. The longsword embedded in the black tiger's neck began to melt at an incredible speed, eventually turning into a puddle of water.

How... how could this be! Lu Yunfeng was scared out of his wits.

"Sword, come! Sword, come!" he frantically commanded.

Unfortunately, his sword was completely useless against the black tiger.

Damn it! How is this possible! Lu Yunfeng panicked.

「At that moment…」

"Yun Feiyu of Yunxia Mountain, lead your troops to flatten the Yunxia Sect, kill Yun Ni, and exterminate all human bloodlines... This prince gives you half an incense stick's time to consider."

Suddenly, a distant, ethereal, and majestic voice drifted into their ears.

Father! This is... this is Yun Hailong's voice! He's actually paying attention to our Yunxia Sect's situation! Does Father already know that our Yunxia Mountain is in crisis? Has he already sensed something? Yun Ni's expression was fraught with worry the moment she heard his voice.

Yun Hailong! He was the Master of Yunxiao Celestial Palace and the Lord of Yunxiao City! The Lord of Yunxiao City was a true cultivator at the Grand Perfection stage of the Golden Core realm. Yunxiao City was one of the nine provinces of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and Yunxiao Celestial Palace was one of its top ten sects!

"Yun Feiyu, did you hear me clearly? When half an incense stick's time has passed, I don't wish to see a single living being from the Yunxia Sect!" Yun Hailong's voice echoed again.

"I..." Yun Feiyu's face turned extremely ugly. He hadn't expected Yun Hailong to be so vigilant. He knew that if he uttered a single word of refusal, the Yunxiao Sect would be utterly obliterated. The Yunxiao Sect must not fall!

"Yun Ni, have you made your decision?" Yun Feiyu asked a moment later, his voice heavy.

Yun Ni hesitated. The Yunxiao Sect was her foundation; she couldn't bear to see it destroyed. But Yun Hailong's power was terrifying. The Yunxiao Sect stood no chance against him. A single word from him, and they would be wiped out. She couldn't understand why Yun Hailong would concern himself with the affairs of the Yunxia Sect, much less send so many Nascent Soul cultivators…

"Sister Yun Ni! Though the Yunxiao Sect was founded by the Yun Family, this place ultimately belongs to you! Since the sect is in peril and Yun Hailong himself has appeared, we must stand firm! Rest assured, if you give the order, not a single person in the Yunxiao Sect will retreat a single step! Even if it means being ground to dust, we will defend Yunxiao Mountain!" a Supreme Elder of the Yunxiao Sect bellowed.

"Indeed!" another Supreme Elder chimed in. "Yun Ni, just give the command! We will defend Yunxiao Mountain even if we have to walk through fire and water!"

"Junior Sister Yun Ni, we of the Yunxiao Sect would rather die in battle than retreat!"

The other disciples of the Yunxiao Sect began to shout in unison. Every man in the sect was a hot-blooded warrior. Even knowing they were no match for Yun Hailong, they showed no fear.

"Alas..." Yun Ni shook her head. She knew the Yunxiao Sect was trapped in a desperate situation. It was impossible to fend off the allied forces of the Tianlan Sect and Qingyang Sect.

"I…" she began to speak.

"Abomination, you're looking for death!"

At that moment, Yun Feiyu let out a savage grin. With a wave of his right hand, an ancient spear wreathed in purple light appeared in his grasp, and he thrust it at the black tiger's head.

BOOM!

A beam of lightning spear energy shot out, crackling with destructive power. It seemed capable of grinding anything it touched into dust.

"ROAR!" The black tiger howled in anger. Sensing the danger, it turned to flee.

WHOOSH!

But in the instant it turned, the purple spear struck its chest, sending its massive body flying. It struggled for a moment after hitting the ground before managing to climb back to its feet.

SPURT!

The black tiger coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Abomination!" Yun Feiyu's eyes were bloodshot as he strode forward and threw a punch.

BANG!

The black tiger's huge body was sent flying again, smashing into the ground in the distance.

SPLATTER!

Blood sprayed wildly from its wounds.

"Abomination, oh, abomination, you will surely meet your end here today!" Yun Feiyu laughed with malevolent glee.

"Abomination? Are you referring to yourself?"

Just then, from the dark and profound void, an ethereal figure suddenly appeared. It was shrouded in a black robe, its features hidden, but its voice sounded somewhat immature. It hovered in mid-air, looking down on Yun Feiyu, Yun Ni, and the numerous Nascent Soul cultivators. "How pitiful you are, mistaking yourselves for beasts."

HUM!

Yun Feiyu's body trembled as a shiver of fear surged through his heart. He scanned the area and discovered that the spectral figure was not a solid entity but was formed from a strange and eerie power.

This power... this power... this... It's the power of a demonic spirit! That's a member of the Demon Race! It's a demonic spirit!

"A demonic spirit? A demonic spirit from the Demon Realm has descended?"

"Damn it! How did our Yunxiao Sect attract a demonic spirit!"

The Nascent Soul cultivators besieging Yun Ni and the others turned pale. The Demon Race! They had been to the Demon Territory before—the realm of demons, a place where the strong ran rampant. What good could possibly come from the descent of a demonic spirit from the Demon Realm?

"Watch out, Yun Ni! Dodge!" the Yunxiao Sect Master suddenly shouted. "It's a demonic spirit—an expert from the Demon Race disguised as a being from the Demon Realm!" His body blurred as he rushed toward the black tiger. Wrapping his arms around the beast's head, he used all his might to force it to the ground.

Yun Ni reacted instantly, dodging to the side.

"Hmph," the demonic spirit in the air scoffed. With a casual grab, a strand of eerie demonic qi flew out from the void, instantly wrapping around the Yunxiao Sect Master. In the blink of an eye, the qi enveloped him entirely. Then, the Yunxiao Sect Master's body exploded.

POP!

A rain of blood fell from the sky.

"The Sect Master was killed instantly!"

"This... this..."

The spectating cultivators trembled. The battle power the Sect Master had just unleashed was on par with, if not much stronger than, the masters on the Nascent Soul rankings! And yet, he was killed with a single grab from that demonic spirit.

"The Yunxiao Sect Master has been killed!"

"The Yunxiao Sect... is finished!"

The cultivators screamed in terror.

"The Yunxiao Sect is done for, it's done for..."

"It's over..."

Atop Mount Yunxia, the faces of the Yunxia Sect disciples turned ashen, and they began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Demonic spirit, I'll fight you to the death!"

With their Sect Master slain in an instant, the remaining Supreme Elders were enraged. They each summoned their magical treasures and charged the demonic spirit in the sky.

"Hmph! Mere ants," the demonic spirit sneered arrogantly. With a casual wave of its hand, a surge of dark, sinister power swept over the cultivators. In a single breath, everyone except for the Supreme Elders of the Yunxiao Sect was reduced to a mist of blood, leaving not even bones behind.

"Who... who in the world are you..." Yun Feiyu's eyes were wide with terror.

"The Supreme Elders of the Yunxiao Sect? Pathetic. If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have to lift a finger," the demonic spirit said, its eyes filled with contempt as it stared coldly at Yun Feiyu. "The Yunxiao Sect Master is dead, leaving the sect without a leader. You are the Sect Master now. I will give you an opportunity: submit to me."

"In... your... dreams!" Yun Feiyu gritted his teeth. He activated his last drop of essence blood, burning it to power the mountain's protective formation.

In an instant, the great array flared to life.