EFB Chapter 2010 Killing the Demon
Chapter 2010 Killing the Demon
Chapter 2010 Killing the Demon
Chen Fei's gaze was calm as he looked at Ji Botao in the distance.
These demonic cultivators could think of the flaws in the formation, so how could he, the one who personally set it up, not know them? He knew better than anyone else every weakness and vulnerability of this interconnected formation.
With his keen senses honed by his Earthly Dao Foundation, Ji Botao did indeed glimpse a trace of the array's aura. However, what he sensed was only the outermost layer of the array.
To protect the base of the array, Chen Fei first used the Earth Vein Rooting Array to lay the foundation, then constructed the Nine Luminaries Protecting Spirit Array on the outer layer to form multiple active defenses, and set up the Yin-Yang Transformation Array at the core to neutralize fatal attacks that could penetrate the defenses.
Finally, the power of the entire formation was integrated using the Myriad Formations Returning to the Flow Formation.
Ji Botao's dark, ethereal light was indeed mysterious. With its unique spatial penetration properties, it successfully bypassed the active interception of the outermost Nine Luminaries Spirit Protection Array.
However, when it tried to go deeper and touch the seemingly undefended core of the array, it ran headlong into the invisible force field formed by the Yin-Yang Transformation Array.
The ultimate penetrating power contained in the brush tip, under the transformation of Yin and Yang forces, is like a clay ox entering the sea, quickly being differentiated and disintegrated. Its condensed "points" are forcibly stretched into a "surface", and its power is greatly reduced.
When this greatly weakened force collided with the final Myriad Flow Array, the power of the entire linked array fluctuated slightly, and the ripples easily absorbed and dissolved the remaining impact.
Ji Botao's desperate attack failed to even trigger the Earth Vein Rooting Array, let alone touch the heavily protected array base.
"impossible……"
Ji Botao was still immersed in the huge shock and confusion of the Void-Breaking Brush failing, but the terrifying pressure coming from the sky above instantly pulled him back to the cruel reality.
"Boom!"
Dozens of Immortal-Slaying Stars had already torn through the sky, carrying an aura of death that could destroy everything, and crashed down from the heavens and the earth. Before the stars even arrived, the sharp sword intent and the boundless killing intent had already completely locked and solidified the space around Ji Botao.
May all mountains pay homage to my ancestral temple and protect my true form!
Ji Botao's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like a madman. He frantically swung the Netherworld Blood Brush in his hand, and demonic energy poured out like a flood, rapidly outlining the void in front of him.
"Buzz!"
One after another, solid and imposing black mountain shadows, exuding a vast and ancient aura, appeared out of nowhere like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
These mountains are not disorderly, but rather layered and interconnected, forming an incredibly thick mountain barrier in an instant.
At this moment, Ji Botao was forced to admit defeat. Ji Botao was unwilling to accept this. Not only did he want to clear his kill count, but he also wanted to give up the Origin Lotus Seeds that he had worked so hard to obtain, as these were all merits.
"Boom boom boom!"
The first wave of seven or eight Immortal-Slaying Stars had already crashed solidly into the hastily formed mountain barrier.
The deafening explosions continued incessantly. The seemingly solid mountain phantoms were as fragile as paper in the face of the stars, which contained the ultimate killing intent and the power of the array.
The moment they made contact, the foremost mountains exploded and dissipated into demonic energy. Although the mountains behind them were still being generated frantically, their speed was far slower than the speed at which the stars were destroying them.
Despite Ji Botao's best efforts, the newly formed mountains were like snowflakes thrown into a raging fire; as soon as they appeared, they were easily crushed and flattened by the stars that followed.
In the blink of an eye, a huge gap had been torn open in the seemingly solid mountain barrier.
More Immortal-Slaying Stars surged in through the gap, their deadly cold light already within reach.
"Can't stop it..."
Ji Botao's face turned ashen. At this moment, only two paths remained before him.
The first option is to immediately surrender. This is the rule-allowed way to save your life, but the price is losing your original lotus seeds and accumulated kill count, but you can save your life.
The second path is to burn one's origin and unleash power beyond limits, which should be able to withstand this wave of star bombardment and even have a chance to tear apart the formation, after which one can then try to maneuver.
“Burning the source…” Ji Botao’s eyes flickered violently as he struggled with an extreme dilemma.
Burning one's source of power can indeed grant immense strength instantly, but it has endless consequences.
Once the source is damaged, it is extremely difficult to repair. In this perilous Demon Lotus Realm, a significant reduction in strength is almost equivalent to slow suicide.
More importantly... even if you burn your source energy, are you guaranteed to escape?
Ji Botao's gaze involuntarily drifted toward the center of the formation, to the calm figure in the green robe.
The unpredictable speed and agility Chen Fei displayed earlier far exceeded the scope of the Earthly Dao Foundation stage. Did he really think he could rely on speed to maneuver and fight?
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Ji Botao's mind, but in the end, reason prevailed over his luck and unwillingness.
"I... admit defeat!"
"Buzz!"
The power of the rules descended instantly.
A force enveloped Ji Botao's body, and he felt the pressure around him ease. The falling Immortal Slaughtering Stars vanished like phantoms just before they touched him.
Ji Botao's figure began to blur and become transparent. He gave Chen Fei, who was in the center of the formation, one last venomous look, as if he wanted to imprint that face into the depths of his soul. The next moment, he completely disappeared from the training ground.
At the same time, a total of seventy-nine lotus seeds emitting a soft glow condensed from the void, streaked across the sky, and flew into Chen Fei's sleeve.
"We won! We actually...we really won!"
At the edge of the training ground, the gentle-looking cultivator Wu Fanyu wore an expression of undisguised amazement and joy.
He had previously tried to dissuade Chen Fei, worried that his cultivation was insufficient and he might suffer misfortune. However, he never expected that Chen Fei would be able to suppress a Demonic cultivator at the Earthly Origin Dao Foundation stage throughout the entire process with his exquisite array, ultimately forcing the other party to admit defeat.
This result was far beyond his expectations.
Upon hearing this, the sword cultivator beside him, carrying a sword box and exuding a sharp aura, nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "This formation is a perfect blend of offense and defense, especially adept at trapping and killing. What's even more remarkable is that his control over the power of formations has reached a state of perfection. This young man is indeed a prodigy in the art of formations!"
Wu Fanyu smiled and replied, "Such talent in array formations is probably only comparable to the top array cultivators in the Tian Shu Academy of Tianhai City who maintain and protect the great arrays year after year."
"The array cultivators of Tian Shu Academy excel at defense and are skilled in defensive tactics. Their arrays are mostly super arrays that cover an entire city or region, aiming to be as stable as Mount Tai and unshakeable for ten thousand years. However, this young man's array is fierce and ruthless, full of unexpected twists and turns. It is a killing array born for battle."
"The two have different approaches, and in this kind of direct confrontation, the power of this formation is superior," said Fu Yinglan, a cultivator at the Heavenly Origin Dao Foundation stage.
Fu Yinglan's evaluation was extremely high, pointing out the essence of Chen Fei's formation: it was for killing, fundamentally different from a protective formation.
Compared to the excitement and joy of the cultivators, the atmosphere in the demonic cultivator camp was somber.
Ji Botao's strength was definitely not weak, after all, he had forged the Earthly Dao Foundation, but even so, he was still suppressed by this late-stage fifteenth-level cultivator throughout the entire process and ultimately had to admit defeat.
If we put ourselves in their shoes and one of them took their place, would the situation be different? Or would they end up like Ji Botao, forced to admit defeat in the end?
Meanwhile, within the Thousand Lotus Realm, all the cultivators who had witnessed the battle in the arena through celestial phenomena breathed a long sigh of relief, their tense nerves relaxing slightly.
"We've finally won back a point!"
They were already weaker than the demonic cultivators, and then they lost two in a row. If they lost again, would there still be any hope in this war in the Demon Lotus Realm? Although they have only won one game so far, it is at least a good start.
Outside the Thousand-Petaled Demon Lotus Realm, atop the Void Throne.
Liao Ruiheng watched the entire duel in the martial arts arena, but his face remained completely expressionless.
Chen Fei had previously killed more than one Earthly Origin Dao Foundation cultivator, so it was perfectly normal for him to defeat Ji Botao now.
However, now that they are in the training ground, everyone else has seen Chen Fei's current abilities. If they are still defeated like this, then these people are truly useless!
In the Demon Lotus Realm, inside the Sky Dome Martial Arts Arena, Chen Fei carefully collected the seventy-nine Origin Lotus Seeds that had flown in, his expression remaining calm, as if the victory he had just won was nothing more than a trivial matter.
He slowly turned around, his gaze like lightning, piercing straight through the void and locking onto a figure in the demonic cultivator camp. It was none other than Pang Yan'en, who had won two consecutive matches and was arrogant and domineering.
Pang Yan'en's expression changed slightly when Chen Fei stared at him with icy eyes.
"Do you dare to step onto the stage and engage in a life-or-death duel with Chen?"
Chen Fei's voice rang out clearly, not loud, but with a strange penetrating power, echoing throughout the entire martial arts arena. The moment the words "life and death duel" were uttered, everyone was shocked, even Wu Fanyu and the others on the cultivator side showed astonishment.
Pang Yan'en's eyes narrowed, and he said coldly, "Why should I fight you to the death? Who do you think you are!"
Upon hearing Pang Yan'en's words, Chen Fei's lips curled into a cold smile, and he flicked his sleeve.
Instantly, a large number of primordial lotus seeds, radiating a soft glow and containing immense energy, shot out from Chen Fei's sleeve and hovered above the training ground, their shimmering light attracting everyone's attention.
"I am willing to offer all the primordial lotus seeds in my hand as a sacrifice to forcibly initiate a life-or-death duel with you!" Chen Fei's voice was resolute, and the entire place fell silent as soon as he said this.
This is the condition for initiating the life-or-death duel: sacrificing all the primordial lotus seeds in your possession.
If the opponent accepts the challenge, these primordial lotus seeds will disappear regardless of the outcome of the duel. If the opponent does not accept the challenge, these primordial lotus seeds will not disappear.
Chen Fei is leaving no way out, forcing Pang Yan'en to make a choice: either go on stage to fight to the death, or suffer a huge loss of face and reputation.
All eyes instantly focused on Pang Yan'en, whose face was alternating between pale and flushed.
Within the demonic cultivator camp, several top demonic cultivators exchanged glances, their expressions varied. The demonic cultivator who had forged the Heavenly Origin Dao Foundation and reached the Fifty Kills realm had a barely perceptible cold glint flash in his crimson pupils.
The demonic cultivators could have used the same method to initiate a life-or-death duel, but they didn't.
The reason is simple: the losses outweigh the gains.
The nine demonic cultivators joined forces to open this Sky Arena. Their primary goal was to suppress and weaken the cultivators' forces, but another crucial objective that could not be ignored was to plunder the precious Origin Lotus Seeds from the other side.
However, if lotus seeds are used as offerings to forcibly initiate a life-or-death duel, once the opponent accepts the challenge, regardless of victory or defeat, these lotus seeds will be taken back by the rules and dissipated into the world.
This is a losing proposition that harms others and oneself, and runs counter to their fundamental goal of strengthening themselves.
In their view, the safest and most profitable strategy is to leverage their numerical and overall strength advantage to gradually erode the opponent's resources and weaken their power through the rules.
Unlike the scheming of the demonic cultivators, Chen Fei's decision to sacrifice the lotus seeds was made after careful consideration.
The number of primordial lotus seeds in his sleeve was indeed enormous, representing an astonishing achievement. But Chen Fei knew very well that no matter how great the achievement, one needed to be alive to enjoy it.
The situation within the Demon Lotus Realm has deteriorated to an extreme degree.
The suppression of the Nine-Star Demon Spot in the Sky by the Six-Star Vastness clearly demonstrated the vast difference in the top-level power between the two sides.
If the demonic cultivators are allowed to continue gaining ground through this Sky Arena and gradually eroding the cultivators' strength, the cultivators' elite forces will be continuously weakened. The inevitable result will be a complete collapse, with the cultivators hunting them down one by one and annihilating the entire army.
At that time, even if Chen Fei had a lot of lotus seeds, what could he do? Under the siege of several or even more top demonic cultivators, how long could he hold out alone?
Even the strongest chain formation has its limits.
Rather than guarding these lotus seeds and watching the overall situation collapse, or even losing their lives here, it would be better to decisively use these lotus seeds as bargaining chips to forcibly change the course of the war and eliminate as much of the demonic cultivators' forces as possible.
With each powerful demonic cultivator eliminated, the pressure on the cultivators' overall survival is reduced. Chen Fei's own safety is also more guaranteed.
In comparison, the merits represented by lotus seeds have become minor benefits that can be sacrificed.
The pressure has now completely shifted to Pang Yan'en.
Looking at the Origin Lotus Seed floating in mid-air, radiating an alluring halo, Pang Yan'en's face was so gloomy it was almost dripping water.
Accept the challenge?
The scene that flashed through his mind immediately brought back the image of Ji Botao being completely suppressed and in a sorry state in that strange, interconnected formation, and ultimately forced to admit defeat.
That grand formation combined offense and defense, its ability to trap and kill was unparalleled; even Ji Botao's Void-Breaking Brush, which was specifically designed to break through restrictions, failed to achieve its goal.
Pang Yan'en's skills are mostly in close-quarters combat and overwhelming strength, but he knows nothing about formations.
If trapped inside the formation, he couldn't think of any way to break through it except by brute force. But the formation had easily withstood even Ji Botao's desperate attack, so its sturdiness was unimaginable. Could he really break through it?
If he cannot break through, in that life-or-death duel where there is no way to admit defeat, all that awaits him is... death.
Should we not fight?
According to the rules, he had to spit out half of the lotus seeds he had just received, plus the ones he already had, which was practically like cutting off his own flesh.
Even more critically, his kill count will be halved, meaning that the divine soul suppression he experiences in this realm will suddenly intensify, causing his strength to decline.
He was just feeling triumphant and his strength had increased dramatically, but in the blink of an eye he was about to be brought back to his original state, even worse than before. How could he accept that?
Caught between a rock and a hard place, it seems that no matter which option is chosen, a heavy price will be paid.
"You, get the hell up here!"
Suddenly, a thunderous roar, like a thunderclap from the heavens, exploded in Pang Yan'en's ears. The sound waves rolled, containing an undeniable provocation and a powerful killing intent, causing the void to hum.
That roar, those familiar words…
These were the exact words Pang Yan'en had said not long ago when he arrogantly pointed at Yi Jingcheng's nose and challenged him in the martial arts arena.
At this moment, just as at that moment.
But the roles have been completely reversed.
"Buzz!"
Chen Fei's humiliating roar was like a spark that instantly ignited all the pent-up frustration, anger, and violence in Pang Yan'en's heart.
His body erupted with uncontrollable demonic flames, his eyes instantly turned blood red, and he almost lost his mind, rushing directly into the martial arts arena.
"Brother Pang, wait!"
Suddenly, a soft, feminine voice rang in Pang Yan'en's ears, like a bucket of cold water being poured over his head, causing Pang Yan'en's agitated mind to tremble slightly.
"The way of formations must have a gate of life and a gate of death. This is a fundamental principle of heaven and earth, and it applies to all formations. No matter how strong this formation is, it is no exception," said Chu Yufeng, a demonic cultivator standing to the side.
Pang Yan'en suppressed his anger, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Chu Yufeng, and hissed, "Brother Chu, what brilliant idea do you have? That formation is strange; even Ji Botao couldn't break it."
Chu Yufeng's lips curled into a smile, and he casually drew a line in the air in front of him with his right hand. Instantly, exquisite lines of demonic energy flowed, and a miniature array phantom with a complex structure and a chilling aura took shape in his palm in an instant.
Although it was just a phantom, it exuded a chilling power of binding and corrosiveness.
"Brother Pang, please take a look."
Chu Yufeng said calmly, "I am not very talented. In this world, I hunt down those cultivators by means of formations."
Chu Yufeng dispelled the illusory array, looked at Pang Yan'en, and continued:
"The rules of this martial arts arena do not prohibit the use of divine sense to probe. Once you are on the field, as long as you trust me, I will do my best to use my divine sense to help you perceive the weak points in the operation of that great formation."
"This formation, though powerful, ultimately has its weakness in the cultivation of its creator; its operation will inevitably encounter obstacles. We didn't have time to observe it closely when it first appeared, but things are different now. At that time, you only need to concentrate your full strength, using brute force to overcome technique, attacking a single point, and you might be able to break the formation in one fell swoop!"
"Really?" Upon hearing this, Pang Yan'en's blood-red eyes suddenly flashed with light.
Although Chu Yufeng's display of array formation skills was only a fleeting glimpse, the aura he exuded in that instant truly revealed a profound understanding of array formations.
If an expert in formations like Chu Yufeng were to provide guidance and help identify the weaknesses of the formation, the chances of breaking it would instantly increase.
"I thought he was a coward who would fight me to the death, but he's just a spineless coward. What a disappointment!" Chen Fei's voice drifted lightly from the training ground and reached Pang Yan'en's ears.
The voice, the tone, the words... were exactly the same as what Pang Yan'en had said when he triumphantly humiliated Yi Jingcheng after Ji Botao admitted defeat.
Words that attack the heart, using their own methods against them.
"boom!"
Pang Yan'en's rationality completely collapsed.
New and old grudges, shame and anger, coupled with the catalyst of Chu Yufeng's words, caused all emotions to erupt at this moment.
"I'm going to kill you!"
Pang Yan'en's demonic flames surged into the sky, dyeing half the sky dark red.
With this roar filled with endless killing intent, Pang Yan'en's tall demonic body, like a ignited meteorite, carrying terrifying demonic flames that could burn the eight wastelands, crashed through the rules barrier of the martial arts arena. With a fierce and relentless momentum, it slammed heavily into the center of the martial arts arena, facing Chen Fei from afar.
The moment he landed in the arena, the primordial lotus seeds suspended in mid-air burst forth with dazzling light, and the next moment, they vanished quietly like a dream.
The battle for survival has begun; the sacrifice has been offered; the rules have been set.
It's a matter of life and death!
As Chen Fei looked at Pang Yan'en, who appeared to be insane and whose aura was violent, the mocking smile on his face slowly faded, and his eyes became cold and focused.
(End of this chapter)