Chapter 112: Humiliation
The Feathered Thorns struck Xu Chang’an’s body, letting out a series of clangs as if metal were striking metal.
Although the Feathered Thorns were sharp and powerful, they had been weakened by the surface of the Defensive Magical Artifact. When they landed on Xu Chang’an, they were temporarily unable to break through his Defense.
Only a few of the Feathered Thorns managed to pierce Xu Chang’an’s skin, but they were caught and held fast by his muscles.
Such injuries did not affect Xu Chang’an’s combat power in the slightest.
Xu Chang’an had achieved a perfect breakthrough with the help of his panel, making his Demon Body exceptionally tough. He had even used Earth Dragon True Blood to improve his Bloodline’s potential, making his Demon Body comparable to a common Top-grade Magical Artifact.
Ignoring the bombardment of Feathered Thorns, Xu Chang’an’s charge never faltered.
In a mere instant, he was upon the Peacock Princess.
"What!?"
Before the Peacock Princess could react, Xu Chang’an pounced on her.
The force of his charge was too much for the Magical Artifact below to withstand, and the two Demons plummeted toward the ground.
A moment ago, victory had been in her grasp, the outcome decided.
The next, she had been tackled, and the outcome was suddenly uncertain.
The speed at which the tables had turned stunned the Peacock Princess.
The majority of her concentration, which was driving the Quasi-Magical Treasure Hairpin, was also severely affected. The brilliant light about to strike the Cyan Eagle, having just reached its brightest, instantly dimmed.
...
Staring at the brilliant light behind him—the Hairpin about to unleash an unimaginable strike—the Cyan Eagle was horrified.
He had recognized the Hairpin behind him for what it was.
A Quasi-Magical Treasure!
A genuine Quasi-Magical Treasure!
Powered by Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Demon Power, its might was so great that even a Top-tier Great Demon would not want to face it directly.
’I’m just a puny Early-stage Foundation Establishment Demon, how can I possibly defend against that!?’
A sliver of despair began to creep into his heart.
"No! I’ve fought my way up from a lowly Little Demon to where I am today. I, Cyan Eagle, have seen and endured all kinds of storms and tribulations.
As long as I’m still alive, there’s still a chance!"
The Cyan Eagle’s Dao Heart was tenacious, solid as a rock. In an instant, he crushed the despair in his heart.
’I must find a way out of this! I have to survive!’
His Demon Power erupted as he unleashed his hidden trump card, preparing for a final, desperate struggle.
The Hairpin’s light intensified, reaching its peak in a blinding flash.
’Bring it on! I’ll die without regrets!’
Steeling himself, the Cyan Eagle had already swallowed a Beneficial Elixir.
Although the side effects were immense, his life was on the line. He couldn’t afford to worry about that now.
But just as the Cyan Eagle prepared for his life-or-death struggle, the light that had reached its zenith suddenly dimmed.
Then, as if it had lost control, the Hairpin began to wobble, looking extremely unstable.
’What’s happening!?’
The Cyan Eagle was stunned for a moment, then his expression turned to one of pure ecstasy.
He didn’t know what had happened, but it was clear the danger had passed.
Looking at the dim, wobbling Hairpin before him, a sense of greed arose in his heart.
’This is a Quasi-Magical Treasure! If I can get my hands on it, I could even fight a Veteran Great Demon at Mid-stage Foundation Establishment!’
’This is a heaven-sent opportunity! It’s now or never!’
The Cyan Eagle was about to turn this crisis into an opportunity, to claim the Quasi-Magical Treasure Hairpin for himself.
’Come to me!’
The Cyan Eagle’s Demon Power surged as he was about to claim the Hairpin for himself.
The previously dim Hairpin suddenly erupted with a brilliant light.
’Not good! Run!’
The Hairpin’s transformation left the Cyan Eagle utterly terrified, his face a mask of horror.
All thoughts of greed vanished. Without a moment’s hesitation, he spread his wings and shot forward, not daring to look back.
’These twists and turns... my heart can’t take it!’
’A Quasi-Magical Treasure is great, but not as important as my own life.’
’This is one opportunity I can’t handle!’
The glowing Hairpin didn’t pursue the Cyan Eagle. Instead, it shot back in the direction it had come from.
...
BAM!
The two Demons landed hard, one on top of the other.
The powerful impact instantly created a crater, sending rubble and dust flying.
The moment they hit the ground, the Peacock Princess’s mind had already calmed, and she willed the Quasi-Magical Treasure Hairpin to return.
The sudden turn of events had shaken her for a moment.
But her extensive experience in Magical Combat led her to make the correct choice.
Abandon the pursuit of the Great Demon Cyan Eagle and focus all her strength on the fight before her!
This Great Demon before her, despite having only an Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation, had pushed her into such a corner.
Her body was pinned firmly beneath him.
His strength was actually a notch greater than her own!
And her body was known to be as tough as the most durable Middle-grade Magical Artifact.
She had poured untold effort into achieving this level of durability.
Yet her opponent, a mere Early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, possessed a Demon Body that was somehow even tougher than hers.
’How did he do it!?’
At this moment, she knew with absolute certainty that the Demon before her was not to be underestimated.
A golden claw descended with indescribable sharpness.
The Peacock Princess scrambled to dodge.
BOOM!
The claw slammed into the earth, blasting a huge crater.
Rubble flew and dust billowed.
The flying debris struck the Peacock Princess’s body, and dust settled on her beautiful face.
There was no pain!
But there was an indescribable sense of humiliation.
The Peacock Princess’s beautiful face was cold as frost, radiating killing intent.
She tried to break free, but his strength was too great; for the moment, she was trapped.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Xu Chang’an kept the Peacock Princess pinned firmly beneath him.
He struck at her again and again with his claws.
With her body pinned, the Peacock Princess found it impossible to escape and could only do her best to dodge.
He now had complete control of the battle.
From his initial scheming, to the setup during the fight, and now to this very moment, his entire plan had unfolded successfully.
He had pitted his meticulous planning against her unpreparedness, feigned weakness to his enemy, turned a passive situation to his advantage, and attacked her weakness with his strength!
This series of calculations and maneuvers fully demonstrated Xu Chang’an’s cunning experience.
The Peacock Princess had a higher Cultivation Realm and a deeper foundation.
If she had unleashed her full power from the start, Xu Chang’an probably wouldn’t have been able to defeat her.
But as things stood now, his formidable Demon Body was enough to suppress all resistance!
Facing Xu Chang’an’s relentless barrage of giant claws, the Peacock Princess could only passively dodge.
It is said that one who defends for too long is bound to make a mistake.
If the Peacock Princess were to make a single mistake and fail to dodge...
...and get struck by one of Xu Chang’an’s giant claws, it would become impossible for her to escape his hold.
At that point, the battle would be decided.
The Peacock Princess would face a situation with no hope of recovery.
BOOM!
Rubble flew as crater after crater was smashed into the ground around them.
The Peacock Princess dodged and scrambled, but she could never escape from under the Golden Lion.
Dust and rubble rained down on the Peacock Princess’s body.
Each impact was a blow to her pride.
’In her entire life of Cultivation, everything had been smooth sailing. When had she ever been in such a state!’
She possessed the Demon King Bloodline, her combat power was formidable and far surpassed her peers. She was the most gifted talent Peacock Mountain had seen in generations, hailed as the Peacock Princess.
’Wherever she went, she was always the center of attention, like the moon surrounded by stars.’
’But now...’
’Her face was covered in dust, her body pelted by rubble.’
’And worse, she was being brutally pinned down by this Golden Lion.’
’She, the Peacock Princess, had always been high and mighty. When had she ever been the one on the bottom!!’
Her sense of humiliation intensified.
However, even so, the Peacock Princess did not allow the humiliating emotions to cloud her mind or affect her actions.
She remained rational, continuing to make the optimal moves for her situation.
She continued to dodge the Golden Lion Spirit’s giant claw attacks.
She was waiting. Waiting for the return of her Quasi-Treasure Golden Jade Hairpin.
’When it returns, the tables will turn!’