Amidst the dazzling atmosphere, a large array of purple, red, cyan, and blue kaleidoscopic auroras flickered on and off in the air.
Like a kaleidoscope, irregular reflective fragments rotated above the sky, making anyone who took a glance feel dizzy and nauseous.
Qin Yuesheng squatted on the ground weakly, incredulously stroking the gem-like crystalline surface.
"Where is this?"
There were no landmarks around, all you could see were the refracted lights of various colors.
After tearing a square piece of fabric from his robes to tie over his face, Qin Yuesheng felt much better, his eyes were no longer as sore as before, though at the cost of significantly reduced visibility, greatly hindering his movement.
"It's them."
As Qin Yuesheng carefully observed his surroundings, he discovered that Shen Lang and that child were walking towards a high slope, about ten zhang away from him. With the many shining lights obscuring his view, it was indeed difficult to spot them without a closer look.
On top of the slope, the terrain was flat, covered with various colored crystal stones, and at the very center stood an oddly-shaped figure.
It appeared to be seventy percent human, but its body was covered in greenish-blue skin, its palms had five iron hook-like fingers, its head bore two bent horns, and its eyes were blood-red with a fierce mouth. Although most of the body was merely a skeleton, it stood firmly in place.
"Celestial Demon!" As the child saw this strange figure, he couldn't help brightening up despite trying to suppress his excitement.
This was why he sought out Shen Lang!
The Celestial Demon's remaining figure held an object in each hand: in its left hand was the blood-red Moon Concealing Saber, seven feet long, with many blood stains on the blade, exuding a heavy aura.
In its right hand was an ice-blue sword, seemingly made of ice yet resembling a dark blue sapphire, only about the length of an adult's forearm, but emitting a visible icy mist.
In the mouth of the Celestial Demon's remains was clamped a gold scroll.
Shen Lang's eyes burned with excitement, his heart very much thrilled, the efforts of so many generations of the Shen family finally bore fruit in his generation, he had found the opportunity hidden in the beast hide, even if it was with the help of some mysterious fellow.
"We agreed to split fifty-fifty," the child reminded.
Shen Lang, always a gentleman, kept his promises without fail. With the other's words, he naturally nodded: "Don't worry, I won't go back on it."
The two drew closer to the Celestial Demon's remains, and the aura emitted by the two weapons became increasingly palpable.
Shen Lang had no doubt that taking these two weapons outside would instantly class them as supreme divine soldiers.
What exactly was the Celestial Demon?
Why could the Celestial Demon's realm be opened outside Fuan Alley with that map?
What were the origins of these two divine soldiers?
Shen Lang's mind filled with doubts, and all the answers lay with the child beside him.
The child knew his identity, knew the beast hide was called the Celestial Demon Map, and knew how to open the Celestial Demon's realm.
What was his background?
"Which one will you choose, the Celestial Demon Evil Blade or the Cold Frost Winter Snow Sword?" the child directly asked.
Shen Lang hesitated for a moment, then pointed at the relatively normal-looking ice-blue sword and said, "This one, that long saber looks too sinister."
"Okay, the Celestial Demon Evil Blade is mine. We'll cultivate this Profound Celestial Treasure Mirror together, considering it's split evenly," the child nodded.
Listening to him speak so systematically, naming everything precisely, Shen Lang grew more suspicious. Who was this guy, and how did he know so much?
Just as the child was about to take the Celestial Demon Evil Blade from the Celestial Demon's hands, a shadow suddenly moved like a whirlwind behind him, snatching the Celestial Demon Evil Blade with a swifter motion, the process smooth without any hesitation.
The divine soldier changed hands!
"Who?!" the child shouted angrily right away.
Everything was within his plans except this, completely beyond his expectations.
Why was there a third person in the Celestial Demon's realm?
This was not within the realm of known information!
Qin Yuesheng, after seizing opportunity, attempted to retreat swiftly.
Despite not knowing the current situation, nor Shen Lang's relation to the masked child, it was clear this was a treasure land he had entered. The two divine soldiers and that scroll were the most valuable here, he surely couldn't watch others feast while he returned empty-handed.
This didn't fit the unwritten rules of the Jianghu, where finders keepers.
Seeing Qin Yuesheng snagging the Celestial Demon Evil Blade and attempt to flee, Shen Lang and the child instantaneously united against him, both intent on detaining him.
White Ape Long Fist!
Entwining Silk Hands!
Shen Lang and the child, one firm, one soft, sprang at Qin Yuesheng from either side, their swift movements revealing a mastery of lightweight skill.
"Good timing," Qin Yuesheng clutched the Celestial Demon Evil Blade with both hands, immediately employing a horizontal slash, paired with the Sea One Slash, the blade aura cutting through the air extended even longer than when wielding the Evil-Subduing Saber.
The child flicked his toes, causing many crystal stones to coverfully fly toward Qin Yuesheng, colliding with the blade aura, producing explosions and turning into fragments instantly.
Shen Lang seized the chance to deliver a fierce punch to Qin Yuesheng's side, but Qin Yuesheng now exhibited agility 4.0, his movements and response speed were exceptionally refined.
He suddenly side-leaped in mid-air, avoiding Shen Lang's fist, and simultaneously kicked the opponent's chest fiercely.
Instantly, Qin Yuesheng felt as if he had stepped on a cowhide drum, a recoil force pushed him back violently, dissipating seventy to eighty percent of his strength.
"External forging martial artist."
Suddenly, Qin Yuesheng got a rough idea of Shen Lang's strength.
"Hiss!" Even though he blocked part of the force, Shen Lang still felt a faint pain in his chest, the opponent's strength greatly exceeded his expectations, even a casual kick had such power.
If Qin Yuesheng had mastered leg martial arts, that kick alone could have rendered Shen Lang unable to rise again.
Although the child was small and thin, his movements were extremely swift and agile, his legs whipping through the air.
Before Qin Yuesheng landed, he had already silently approached, his hands poised strangely, reaching towards Qin Yuesheng.
"Hah!"
Qin Yuesheng supported himself with the Celestial Demon Evil Blade, backhanded a tiger form strike, intending to confront the opponent head-on.
But the child's hands transformed eerily, moving so fast they created several afterimages, dodging Qin Yuesheng's fist and swirling around his arm.
At this moment, the opponent's hands seemed like a spider spinning silk, using softness to overcome hardness, dismantling Qin Yuesheng's offensive, pinching the most fragile spots of his wrist and elbow, preparing to break them with brute force.
Qin Yuesheng's eyes narrowed, this person was truly decisive and skilled, with absolutely no wasted effort.
Many martial artists in the civilian world strike with fist and foot combined, leaving their opponents bruised and bleeding as a usual outcome.
But martial artists who solely kill aim only for fatal points and weak spots; it often takes only a few moves before you either have all joints broken and can't move...
Or suffer massive bleeding in vital areas, beyond salvation.
Facing such a person, the result occurs in mere instants.
Qin Yuesheng was very certain that the person in front of him was a child, not a stunted dwarf or a master who practiced Bone Shrinking Skill; while bone length might change, width certainly could not.
This person was just a kid.
But as a child, barely over a decade old, possessing such ruthless and decisive combat skills, what in life had he experienced?
Spent the last decade entirely learning how to kill?
Though Qin Yuesheng had entered external forging, he wouldn't underestimate the opponent's ability to break his forearm.
One should never despise anyone, even if the opponent is merely a child.
"Hah!" Qin Yuesheng's Iron Shirt shook, his arm muscles immediately swelled slightly and became rigid.
With a powerful fling, enhanced by hundreds of pounds of force, he instantly broke free from the child's spider-threaded snare, counterattacking with a Crane form thrust that hit the opponent's throat.
"What a pity," Qin Yuesheng thought.
Had the opponent not suddenly shifted to the side, underneath his Crane form, he could have gouged a bloody hole on the opponent's throat surface rather than just scraping off a large swath of skin.
The child retreated violently, covering his bloody and blurred neck, glaring at Qin Yuesheng with an unusually cold gaze.
There was no resentment, no angry curse, just like a viper looking for a chance to retaliate after being wounded.
Qin Yuesheng felt inexplicably uneasy watching this; the person was incredibly calm, utterly unlike a child in his early teens.
In a trance, Shen Lang had already caught up, his palms simultaneously striking toward Qin Yuesheng's back.
The palm wind was fierce, yet the technique was predominantly open and direct.
"Uh-huh!!!"
Having fought consecutively with two people, Qin Yuesheng's remaining strength was exhausted, new energy not yet born, inadvertently letting Shen Lang hit him directly.
A surge of palm force wildly ravaged his back, Qin Yuesheng felt his chest congested, unable to help but spit out a mouthful of blood.
Shen Lang hit, continuing the pursuit, intending to reclaim the Celestial Demon Evil Blade from Qin Yuesheng's grip.
But it's not so easy; after receiving double palms from an external forging martial artist, if he brings nothing back he'll be blue with frustration.
Shen Lang raised his hand to snatch the saber, Qin Yuesheng switched between Crane and Tiger forms repeatedly, forcing Shen Lang back with full effort; at such a close range, the Celestial Demon Evil Blade simply couldn't swing freely, single-handedly giving Shen Lang a significant advantage.
"Stone Breaking Palm!"
Shen Lang swung a palm, the heavy palm force constantly colliding with Qin Yuesheng's Tiger Crane Double Form Fist, the impact made Qin Yuesheng's fingers ache; had his physique not been highly enhanced, his fingers might have fractured long ago.
"Really troublesome." Qin Yuesheng leaped away, casually snatched a crystal stone from the ground, and directly threw it towards the Celestial Demon remnant's side.
After elevating his Flying Knife Skill to mastery, Qin Yuesheng's precision in throwing objects greatly improved.
Boom boom boom!
The Celestial Demon remnant was struck with a rattling sound, unable to maintain its longstanding upright position, toppling directly to the ground.
Immediately, the icy-blue precious sword and scroll all detached from the Celestial Demon remnant, sliding down the slope.