Night.
The wind and rain raged.
The village's Mortal Martial Artists, who had been trying to pin down the Crocodile Demon, all fell back, their gazes fixed in terror on the ongoing battle.
Violent rumbles echoed from the battlefield, where the intense fighting was tearing apart the surrounding houses as if they were made of paper-mâché.
The entire ground shook with vibrations visible to the naked eye!
The injured Han Qinhu struggled to his feet, supported by others.
He stared at the battlefield, the shock on his face impossible to hide.
'So strong!'
The aftershocks alone were enough to maim or kill anyone who got too close.
This was a Cultivator.
Wielding a tremendous power far beyond the reach of any Mortal Martial Artist!
They weren't even qualified to interfere in a battle between a Cultivator and a Demon Beast!
Meanwhile,
on the battlefield,
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Three basketball-sized crimson Fireballs shot through the air. A wave of searing heat swept out, instantly vaporizing the falling raindrops as the Fireballs smashed violently toward the Crocodile Demon's body!
The Fireballs flew with incredible speed, crossing several dozen yards in the blink of an eye.
The Crocodile Demon couldn't dodge in time and was hit squarely by the three Fireballs.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
With a series of muffled booms, the Fireballs exploded on impact. A blast of orange-red flame erupted outward. The intense heat vaporized the surrounding rain, sending clouds of white steam billowing in all directions.
At the same time,
the smell of scorched flesh began to fill the air.
The scarlet in the Crocodile Demon's pupils deepened, the madness in its eyes burning so intensely it seemed to set the sky itself on fire.
It let out a furious roar,
letting out a long howl to the heavens.
An even greater surge of Demonic Power erupted from its body, gathering into a sphere of water even larger than before!
It seemed to pour all its strength into this single attack, as if to annihilate the prancing two-legged beast before it in one fell swoop!
The immense power created a pressure so great it was almost visible in the air.
Shen Changchuan even found it slightly difficult to breathe.
'Is this... a last-ditch counterattack?'
Shen Changchuan's Heart Spirit tensed.
He pushed his Spiritual Eye Technique to its absolute limit, trying to predict the attack's trajectory. He had to dodge this fatal blow.
In the vision of his Spiritual Eye Technique,
Shen Changchuan vaguely saw that the water sphere, a swirling mass of Demon Qi, was filled with innumerable, densely packed points!
'Those seem to be points of extremely condensed Spiritual Qi!'
'Retreat!'
Shen Changchuan didn't know what the Crocodile Demon was planning.
This might be it preparing to use new magic.
But no matter what,
retreating was the best course of action!
His body reacted instinctively, retreating rapidly. Within a few breaths, he had already put several dozen yards between them once again.
At that very moment,
the Crocodile Demon unleashed its Demon Technique.
SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH...
Countless arrows formed from water shot toward Shen Changchuan, a torrential downpour that covered the space all around him, leaving him no room to evade.
The density of the attack was such that even Shen Changchuan, who could observe their trajectories with his Spiritual Eye Technique, couldn't find a single spot to dodge!
However, Shen Changchuan's face showed not a trace of panic.
For in the vision of his Spiritual Eye Technique, he noticed that the Demonic Power within the Water Arrows was decaying rapidly after being launched.
The power drop-off was even more severe at the several-dozen-yard distance he had retreated to.
'The threat,'
'it doesn't seem that great!'
Shen Changchuan's eyes flickered.
He raised his hand and launched three Fireballs.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A crimson light flared as a terrifying wave of heat exploded outward, vaporizing all the incoming Water Arrows.
He easily cleared an open space.
"If you don't have any other tricks, you..."
Shen Changchuan was just about to say something, but when he looked up, he suddenly discovered that the Crocodile Demon's huge body had disappeared!
'No, that's not right!'
Shen Changchuan whipped his head toward the riverbank.
There, under the rainy night sky, on the muddy ground between Dawan Village and the river.
The Crocodile Demon was scrambling like a giant rat. Its four legs were a blur of motion as its massive body shot forward, speeding toward the river.
"Holy shit!"
'I've been tricked!'
Shen Changchuan's eyes flew wide.
A choice curse from his past life flew from his lips.
The blood-red eyes, the furious rage, the desperate final attack—it was all just a feint to cover its escape!
That thing's only goal was to escape!
Without a second thought,
Drawing on the agility granted by his Light Body Technique, Shen Changchuan shot forward. His figure flickered a few times, ghost-like, as he swiftly crossed dozens of yards in pursuit of the fleeing Crocodile Demon.
The Crocodile Demon fled extremely fast. In just a few breaths, it had already neared the riverbank.
But fortunately,
Shen Changchuan was even faster!
When it was still thirty or forty meters from the river water,
Shen Changchuan had already closed to within a few dozen yards!
Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Changchuan spread his five fingers and suddenly clenched his fist at it from a distance.
Vine Technique!
A flicker of Magical Power, and the Vine Seeds he'd scattered beforehand were instantly activated. Tough vines sprouted and grew with incredible speed, snaking upwards and rapidly intertwining.
The massive Crocodile Demon, caught off guard, was tripped by the vines at its feet. Its body staggered and it crashed to the ground with a rumbling sound.
More vines shot up from all sides, clinging to its limbs and torso and wrapping around it like thick ropes, binding its massive body.
In the Crocodile Demon's pupils, which had been filled with madness, a trace of panic seemed to flash at this moment.
It had every reason to panic.
In its previous exchange with Shen Changchuan, it had used its Talent Magic too many times.
As a result, it had very little Demonic Power left in its body and had no choice but to use a feint before hurriedly turning to flee.
Now, facing this magic sprouted from mere ordinary Vine Seeds, it no longer had the spare energy to sweep them away in large swathes as it had before.
This made its massive body feel as if it were sinking into a swamp.
The Crocodile Demon thrashed its thick limbs. Unable to withstand such immense force, the ordinary vines snapped one after another with a series of sharp CRACKS.
But Shen Changchuan's Vine Technique had already reached 100% Perfection, allowing for Instantaneous casting.
As long as there were seeds scattered on the ground,
for every vine that broke, he could sprout even more to take its place!
The vines spread, covering more and more of its body.
The more the Crocodile Demon's huge body struggled, the deeper it sank, just like falling into a swamp!
Meanwhile,
a cold, sharp glint flashed in Shen Changchuan's eyes.
'My chance!'
With his Spiritual Eye Technique active, Shen Changchuan found the perfect moment to strike.
Immediately,
two Golden Needles appeared in Shen Changchuan's hand. Magical Power circulated, and spiritual light gathered in his palm. The Golden Needles then lit up with a faint golden glow, flashing with a chillingly sharp edge.
Golden Needle Technique!
Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Changchuan instantly activated the strongest killing move he possessed.
He flicked his wrist, sending the Golden Needles flying!
A flash of golden light streaked through the air and was gone.
The dozens of yards were crossed in a heartbeat.
Every scale on the Crocodile Demon's body seemed to stand on end as it instinctively sensed a fatal crisis.
However,
before it could even react,
THUMP! THUMP!
Two muffled thuds, and flesh and blood erupted.
The two Golden Needles, like sniper bullets, carried unimaginable power and instantly pierced its head. The immense force even scrambled its brains into mush!
The Crocodile Demon's massive body suddenly tensed and went rigid, then its eyes dimmed,
and then it collapsed with a crash.