Chapter 44: Saving Lives
Pressing its advantage, Deimos leaped into the air. Its enormous body cast a vast shadow over the battlefield as it drove a fist toward Jin Sheng below. "Insect, die!"
However, at the critical moment, a streak of sword light flashed across the ground. Deimos's punch struck empty air, blasting a gigantic crater into the ground. Deimos immediately turned its head to the left. It saw Gan Jiang retreating at high speed, gripping Mo Ye in one hand and supporting the injured Jin Sheng with the other.
"Little insects, you're courting death!"
Deimos slammed its right hand straight into the ground, and a large amount of dirt instantly turned into hard rock. The devil tore up a massive boulder, hurling it toward the three fleeing figures.
Gan Jiang found himself engulfed by an enormous shadow. Looking up, he saw the giant boulder descending toward them.
"Mo Ye!" With no time to hesitate, he loosened his grip on Jin Sheng and allowed the sword to carry him skyward. In a flash, he struck the falling boulder.
So hard! This is no ordinary boulder. The devil must have done something to it.
After executing his slash, he spun. When his position shifted above Mo Ye, he instantly transformed into a massive broadsword. At the same time, Mo Ye reverted to her human form. Grasping the broadsword, she struck the boulder. A deep sword mark appeared across its surface, but it was nowhere near enough.
Then, the two began rotating like the blades of a windmill. One moment, Gan Jiang was above and Mo Ye below; the next, Mo Ye above and Gan Jiang below. At one turn, Gan Jiang wielded Mo Ye in her longsword form; at the next, Mo Ye wielded Gan Jiang in his broadsword form—their forms blurring constantly between human and swords. Together, they unleashed an unbroken storm of slashes against the descending boulder.
When the boulder finally struck the ground, countless cracks had spread across its surface. The instant it made contact with the ground, the entire mass fragmented into innumerable small cubes that scattered in every direction.
Gan Jiang and Mo Ye landed on the ground at the same time. Both were breathing heavily, but before either of them could relax, Deimos was already upon them. Towering overhead, the giant devil drew back its fist and threw a punch down at the pair.
"Gan Jiang!
"Mo Ye!
"Together in life and death!"
Holding each other's hands, they threw their strength into a coordinated swing, launching each other forward. They transformed into a longsword and a broadsword, shooting crosswise toward Deimos.
The twin swords collided violently with Deimos's incoming fist, only to be instantly sent flying backward, their surfaces spiderwebbed with fractures. They reverted to human form as they crashed to the ground and coughed up blood. Deimos was simply too powerful. A single exchange had been enough to inflict severe injuries on the duo.
Zhou Tai No. 9 shouted excitedly, "Quick! Kill them all!"
Deimos paid him no attention. Compared to Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, it disliked Jin Sheng even more. When Jin Sheng had transformed into the golden lion, the radiance he emitted exerted a faint but unmistakable suppressive effect on Deimos. The two were fundamentally incompatible, like fire and water. That was why Deimos made him its primary target.
Looking down at the wounded Jin Sheng, Deimos revealed a savage grin. The thought of snuffing out a potential threat before it could fully mature was immensely satisfying.
However, just as it raised its hand, strands of golden threads wrapped around it, binding it in place. At the far ends of the golden threads stood a group of men and women dressed in Daoist robes. They formed intricate seals with their hands. Every one of them wore a solemn expression, gritting their teeth as they continuously poured spiritual power into the seals.
One of the Daoists shouted, "Good thing we made it in time. Captain Gan Jiang, Captain Jin Sheng, can you still fight?"
When neither of them responded, the Daoist's expression immediately darkened. His group was currently in a tough spot as they would not be able to restrain Deimos for much longer.
Of the four squads participating in the operation, two captains had already been severely injured, while another captain's fate remained unknown. Only the Demon Slaying Squad retained its combat capability.
However, the Demon Slaying Squad specialized in hunting and killing demons. Against someone like Deimos, who was completely devoid of demonic energy, their expertise was of limited use.
Among the four assembled squads, the Wickedness Purging Squad specialized in dealing with zombies, vengeful ghosts, and malicious spirits. Jin Sheng's Lion's Majestic Aura possessed overwhelming suppressive power against such beings. The moment he radiated its light, all countless malevolent entities would simply disintegrate into ashes.
The Evil Slaying Squad specialized in combating gigantic monsters. Beings that relied on their immense size often fared poorly against Gan Jiang and Mo Ye. To them, such monsters were little more than livestock awaiting slaughter, easily carved apart in a matter of seconds.
The Crime Eradication Squad's leader was Gong Qian. She excelled at dealing with wicked, lawless supernatural beings. To her, they were just low-level thugs she could flatten with a punch.
Lastly came the Demon Slaying Squad. Under normal circumstances, their duties involved managing and eliminating demons hidden in urban areas. These included beings such as fox spirits and other creatures that had cultivated all the way into human forms. However, this didn't apply to Hu Tu'er. Although she possessed the Nine-Tailed Fox bloodline, she was still human and not a true fox spirit.
Deimos shook a little, and cracks appeared throughout the golden threads binding it.
The Daoist captain's expression changed. "Not good. Merak, take the two captains and Mo Ye and get them out of here. We won't be able to hold it for much longer."
The Demon Slaying Squad consisted of seven members. Their codenames corresponded to the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper; the captain's codename was Dubhe, and the remaining members were Merak, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid.
Merak hesitated. "Captain, can you guys really hold the line?"
It had taken all seven of them pouring in their strength just to barely suppress Deimos's consciousness. Even so, the devil's body was instinctively fighting back. If she withdrew, the moment Deimos regained even a fraction of its consciousness, it would spell doom for the remaining six.
Dubhe's expression was resolute. "Right now, we're the ones standing, while they're the ones lying on the ground. How can we stand by and watch them die? Go."
He had already steeled himself. If Deimos truly showed signs of breaking free, he would burn his lifespan to keep it locked down, giving Deimos absolutely no opportunity to strike.
The Demon-Binding Rope was a Dragon-class Daoist artifact, forged from numerous precious materials. It had proven unstoppable in countless demon-hunting operations throughout the years. If not for the fact that Deimos fell outside their area of expertise, they would have already subdued it.
Merak gritted her teeth and nodded. She ceased channeling her spiritual power. Instantly, Deimos shuddered violently, and the golden threads formed by the Demon-Binding Rope snapped one after another.
Dubhe rapidly formed a series of hand seals before striking his abdomen and chanting an incantation. "The spiritual light vibrates the Heavenly Pillar, the Crimson Dragon churns the Gate of Essence. With this final breath of mine, may the Five Fires consume my Navel Wheel!" [1]
The expressions of the other squad members immediately changed. Merak's eyes reddened as she cried out, "Brother, you..."
A terrifying aura erupted from Dubhe's body. Bulging veins covered his forehead as an endless stream of spiritual power poured out of him. They condensed into golden dragons that slithered along the golden threads and coiled tightly around Deimos. "Enough talking. Carry out your orders!"
Merak bit her lip. She turned and sprinted toward Jin Sheng without another word.
***
One minute earlier, after rescuing a large number of operatives and escorting them to a safe location, Yu Xian grabbed Zhang Shou, who had also withdrawn from the battlefield, and headed toward the mountains that had been shattered during the fighting.
Neither of them was qualified to approach the main battlefield. A mere trace of the aftershocks could kill them instantly. However, that did not mean they were useless. There were still lives to save.
Riding atop a bubble, the duo landed beside the third mountain that had been smashed apart. Yu Xian stepped outside and sniffed. Then he controlled large numbers of adhesive bubbles and moved the scattered rocks. As the bubbles carried away the rocks one by one, a girl whose skin was tinged green gradually came into view.
1. The chant 灵光摇天柱，赤龙搅精门，尽此一口气，五火烧脐轮 draws heavily from real Daoist cultivation terminology rather than being purely fictional.
Here, the chant is being used as a technique that converts lifespan into spiritual power. ☜