Before Yin Jiu's profound darkness energy in his palm could be released, the terrifying fluctuations it emitted had already caused the entire battlefield to falter. However, Fire Crow Village's hundreds of years of heritage and blood-natured courage would not simply wait to be slaughtered!
"Sacred ancestor protect! Fire Crow Battle Formation, rise!" Chief Lie Shan's voice was like thunder. He abandoned maintaining the defensive array (the barrier under intense assault already tottered), axe pointing skyward. Following his roar, all adult villagers, whether fighting or not, stepped in specific rhythms, chanting ancient, desolate battle songs. Streams of fiery blood-essence power and pious beliefdevotion power rose from their bodies, gathering in mid-air, vaguely forming a massive, hazy fire crow phantom. Though not matching the Vermillion Bird Holy Lord's majesty, it carried tragic, determined, enemy-destroying berserk battle intent!
This combined village-wide battle formation phantom let out a soundless roar, actively greeting Yin Jiu's about-to-be-released "Shadow Soul-Devouring Wave"!
"BOOM—!!!"
Dark energy and crimson battle shadow collided violently in mid-air! No spectacular explosions, only frantic energy annihilation and tearing. The fire crow phantom trembled violently, clearly outmatched, but traded its own annihilation tobrutally counteracted that terrifying blow sufficient to severely wound mid Golden Core cultivators! Residual dark energy scattered, though causing some villagers to spit blood and collapse, did not form destructive damage.
"Ant trying to shake a tree, futile!" Yin Jiu's eyes flickered with momentary surprise, then replaced by annoyance. He hadn't expected these "barbarians" to possess such combined attack techniques.
During this precious interval gained, the ground battle had entered white-hot intensity.
The protective barrier finally couldn't withstand the onslaught, shattering with a boom! Nearly a hundred Shadow Snake Pavilion Foundation Establishment cultivators surged into the village like a black tide, howling.
"For the sacred village! Kill!" Yan Lie's eyes were bloodshot. Wielding a poisoned long spear, he led elite village warriors, like a rock breaking the waves, at the very front. Using their terrain familiarity, relying on remaining bamboo houses and stone fortifications, they engaged the demonic cultivators in brutal close combat with the infiltrators. Poison spears and arrows clashed madly with demonic artifacts. Roars, weapon clashes, dying screams instantly filled the air.
Fire Crow Village folk were bold and warlike, nearly everyone a soldier. Now they were doubly determined to fight to the death. Women and children didn't retreat. Hiding behind cover, they blew strange bone flutes or scattered colorful powders. Instantly, throughout the village—ground, eaves, even air—countless tamed or attracted venomous insects and Gu creatures, as if receiving orders, frantically surged toward the Shadow Snake Pavilion cultivators!
Colorful venomous snakesshot out like lightning. Fists-sized venomous spidersspitting viscous spider silk. Thin-as-oxhair Gu insectsdrilled intoprotective light, attempting to erode meridians... These venomous creatures individually posed small threats, but their numbers were huge, varieties numerous, hard to defend against. They greatly interfered with and delayed the Shadow Snake Pavilion cultivators' advance. People constantly fell victim, letting outmournful screams, bodies rapidly rotting or stiffening.
Elder Wumeng retreated to beneath the Vermillion Bird totem. Sitting cross-legged, his staff planted before him, hands forming seals, reciting increasingly ancient, obscure incantations. He no longer presided over the array, but used his own essence blood and soul power as guide, communicating with residual Vermillion Bird sacred power in deep earth veins and the will of village ancestors through generations. Crimson-red threads of light emanated from the totem and his body, like living beings, wrapping around fighters' weapons, or forming invisible barriers, blocking lethal attacks for them, even burning approaching demonic cultivators. This was shaman enhancement technique. Though enormously consuming, it stabilized the situation at critical moments.
In the air, three Golden Core battle groups fought interminably.
Third Senior Sister Liu Yun's battle with the ghost cultivator was the "quietest" yet most dangerous. Her Mystic Ice Sword Domain fully expanded, attempting to freeze the omnipresent ghost fire and intangible wraith impacts. The ghost cultivator's form drifted about. His bone staff waving summoned monstrous wraith phantoms, emitting soul-piercing screams, constantly releasing soul-corrupting spiritual power and filthy artifact-smearingghostly underworld fire. Ice versus ghost confrontation was ultimate contest of spiritual attribute and divine sense strength.
The demonic body cultivator "Mo Ku" that Xiao Qi faced was an entirely different style. He roared continuously. His axefrantically dance, hacking out black axe glows tearing the sky, power violent. Xiao Qi executed Swimming Dragon Nine Turns to extremes, like a small boat in raging waves, seemingly perilous yet always avoiding lethal blows at critical moments. He no longer directly contested strength. Instead, using speed and improved control over battle rhythm, he constantly attacked Mo Ku's joints, eyes, and previous sword-wound weak points with condensed sword energies or the occasional sudden iron skillet smash.
Mo Ku, despite his enormous strength, was infuriated by Xiao Qi's slippery fighting style. More wounds appeared on his body. Not deep, but greatly exhausted his demonic qi and patience.
"Little boy, will you only hide?!" Mo Ku roared. An axe swing missed,slash to pieces a bamboo house below along with several Shadow Snake Pavilion cultivators inside (who couldn't dodge in time).
Xiao Qi's eyes were ice-cold. He didn't respond. He was waiting, adapting. The power from Four Symbols Soul Crystal fusion needed actual combat to polish. More importantly, he was observing Yin Jiu, who had yet to fully strike. He knew the true threat was always that mid Golden Core Deputy Hall Master.
Yin Jiu truly wasn't in a hurry. Floating in mid-air, like a deity overlooking ant struggles, his gaze mainly fixed on Xiao Qi, carrying scrutiny and calculation. Fire Crow Village's resistance intensity somewhat exceeded his expectations—particularly that combined battle formation and bizarre Gu sorcery. But he wasn't worried. Absolute strength gap meant these struggles merelytortuous the process slightly. He was seeking the optimal moment for a killing strike to seize the soul crystal.
The battle continued. Blood dyed the stream red. Flames burned on bamboo houses. The formerly peaceful witch village had transformed into abloody battlefield battlefield. People fell constantly—Shadow Snake Pavilion demonic cultivators, but also Fire Crow Village warriors.
A villager, protecting a child behind him, was struck by yin thunder, charred black and fell. Yan Lie had multiple deep-to-bone wounds, still fighting without retreat. Elder Wumeng's face was pale as paper, his incantation voice beginning to tremble...
Tragic! Extremely tragic!
Xiao Qi watched the blood-soaked fighting villagers below, Third Senior Sister and Elder Wumeng strugglingbitterly, anger and responsibility blazing in his chest. He knew he couldn't wait any longer!
Just as Mo Ku, frustrated by inability to catch his prey, swung another powerful but slightly stiff axe, Xiao Qi's eyes gleamed sharply!
Chance!
He no longer dodged. His form suddenly stopped. Facing that tearing-coming axe, his right hand pressed fingers like sword. Four Symbols source power within his body surged wildly. Especially the Vermillion Bird Soul Crystal power was summoned. A crimson-gold with pale-white purification-intent sword energy, like the first light of dawn, condensed at his fingertip!
Simultaneously, his left hand secretly formed a seal. The tiny Southern Bright Separating Fire seed in his sea of consciousness was summoned—only a trace!
"Four Symbols Break-Evil Sword!"
His fingertip sword energy struck first, pointing at the axe side where energy flowed through nodes! Meanwhile, his left palm's thread of pale-gold, unremarkable flame, like a ghost, silently drifted toward Mo Ku's mouth that slightly opened from exertion!
"CLANG!!"
The sword energy struck the axe side. An ear-piercing metal clash rang out! Mo Ku felt a sharp, tearing-and-purifying force transmit along the axe shaft. His entire arm instantly went numb. The axe nearly flew from his grip!
And just as his old force exhausted, new force not yet generated, his mind distracted by arm numbness—that trace of pale-gold flame had already drifted into his mouth!
Initially, Mo Ku didn't care, even finding it ridiculous. A tiny flame—what could it do to him? But the next moment, his ferocious grin froze, transforming into extreme fear and pain!
"Err... ah!!!"
That thread of Southern Bright Separating Fire, upon entering his body, didn't directly burn his demonic body. Instead, like having life, it drilled directly toward his demonic origin core—that violently beating demonic golden core!
"Pu!"
Like a spark falling into boiling oil! Mo Ku's lower dantian area suddenly radiated dazzling pale-gold light! His massive form seemed frozen, then violently trembled. His skin surface turned crimson-red instantly. Cracks appeared. Within, golden flames seemed to burn!
Southern Bright Separating Fire, burning away demons! Its rank was so high, its restraint against demonic qi exceeded imagination!
"No—!" Mo Ku let out a desperate, unwilling howl. His massive form swelled in mid-air, then...
"BOOM!!!"
A earth-shaking explosion! Mo Ku, this early Golden Core demonic body cultivator, was—from inside out—blown apart by that seemingly tiny thread of Southern Bright Separating Fire! The entire person transformed into a massive, constantly annihilating black-red fire plume. Violent energy shockwave instantly shredded several nearby Shadow Snake Pavilion cultivators!
Total silence!
Both sides in air and on ground were stunned by this sudden, bizarre, terrifying sight!
A Golden Core demonic cultivator, just like that...nothing left but bones?
Yin Jiu's composure finally vanished, replaced by immense shock and a trace of... wariness! He stared fixedly at Xiao Qi, especially Xiao Qi's left hand slowly withdrawing, seemingly still carrying a trace of pale-gold flame afterglow.
"What fire is that?!"