Daoist Competition

His expression flickered imperceptibly. As the Jade Scroll absorbed more and more Essence Qi, it exhibited increasingly vivid spiritual nature. Speaking of nurturing and refining treasures, he had never dared to imagine such a thing before; even Cave Heaven True Masters required extraordinary fortune and opportunities to accomplish it, if at all.

But this Demon Scroll had already manifested True Recognition when it came into his possession. Now, it was thriving, and as it continued absorbing and refining, could it gradually give birth to a True Spirit?

This thought flashed across his mind briefly before he shook his head. There was no need to dwell on it at the moment. Steadying his Heart and Spirit, he withdrew the Elixir Evil to his right and let the final devil enter.

The devil emitted a sharp screech and flew toward Zhang Yan with a ferocious charge. Yet halfway through, it collided with the grotesque Six-winged Bloodline Golden Worm, shrouded in a water-colored light. Though both were demonic creatures, they attacked each other like mortal enemies, tearing into each other madly.

This Bloodline Golden Worm, having been confined by Zhang Yan for a long time, was already famished. Seeing the concentrated Demonic Qi, it naturally tore into the devil with reckless abandon.

The two beasts fought like rabid dogs for quite some time. In the end, the Golden Worm won, thanks to its superior numbers and cunningly unpredictable movements, forcing the devil into a position of vulnerability.

Yet Zhang Yan also noticed that as the Golden Worm devoured more Demonic Qi, the worm itself seemed to suffer from the energy’s corrosive assault. One by one, they dropped lifeless to the ground until a shallow pile formed. In the end, only one worm remained circling above—a singular survivor, now several times larger than before, though its movements were sluggish and labored, lacking the agility it previously exhibited.

The devil, on the other hand, had shrunk considerably—its menacing aura greatly diminished. Clearly, both sides had suffered heavily.

Zhang Yan had no intention of waiting further. Releasing the Water Element True Light, he gathered the surviving worm and then activated the Xuanhuang Great Hand, crushing the devil decisively. The Nine Capturing Demon Scroll swept through swiftly, cleaning up the remnants like a storm scattering debris.

With the three devils dealt with, he summoned the Nine Capturing Demon Scroll and cycled through the Fourth Realm’s God Contract Spell. A continuous stream of Essence Qi flowed back into him like a nourishing tide.

After a moment, he rose, invigorated, his pitch-black eyes gleaming with a radiant sharpness, as though coated in glaze, before dimming back to normal.

He nodded inwardly, acknowledging that the Essence Qi obtained from these devils was exceedingly compatible with Demon Skills, far more effective than absorbing the flesh and blood of Xuanmen Sect Practitioners.

With just three devils, the Essence Qi within his abdomen felt notably replenished, even aiding in the growth of his Primordial Spirit.

Feeling the benefits, his thoughts turned to the hundreds of devils within the hall. A thrill rose in his heart as he waved his sleeve and headed back into the hall.

Meanwhile, the hall’s original group of over a hundred disciples had been reduced to a mere thirty-odd. Knowing they were individually powerless against the devils, they dared not take to the air recklessly. Instead, they huddled back-to-back, deploying their Dharma Treasures and Magic Artifacts to form defensive formations against the encroaching enemies.

Entering the hall, Zhang Yan surveyed the scene, assessing the disciples’ grim plight.

He had already noticed earlier that the devils seemed to possess the ability to corrode Magic Artifacts. Though this subtle phenomenon could not be detected immediately, once discovered, it would already be too late.

Earlier, of the three devils he absorbed, Zhang Yan withheld direct action so as not to alert the others prematurely. Instead, he heightened his vigilance and observed carefully, ready to retreat at a moment’s notice if complications arose.

However, his scrutiny unexpectedly revealed several abnormalities.

It turned out that not all the devils were mindless. Among them, three or four displayed cunning intelligence, encircling the strongest fighters—Kang Tong, Fang Zhenlu, and Zuo Mo—forcing them into tight entanglements and preventing their escape. Meanwhile, the less intelligent devils, driven solely by instinct, swarmed against the remaining disciples scattered around the hall.

Simultaneously, Zhang Yan discovered something peculiar about a young cultivator.

The weapon in his hand was not some exceptional Dharma Treasure but merely an ordinary Dharma Sword. Yet, he managed to fend off several devils single-handedly.

Oddly, the devils attacking him would retreat as soon as they approached him, creating more of a commotion than an actual threat.

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The cultivator’s seemingly struggling demeanor was, upon closer inspection, relaxed and deliberate, with an occasional glance around as if surveying the battlefield.

After observing a little longer, Zhang Yan affirmed that even if this man wasn’t Zhang Boyant’s Soul-bound Avatar, he must undoubtedly be a Demon Sect disciple.

Such glaring flaws in his disguise should have been noticed long ago, but the urgency of the situation left the crowd too focused on their own survival. Even Fang Zhenlu, besieged by devils, had no mind to scrutinize others closely, let alone suspect this person.

Without provoking the man, Zhang Yan memorized his features for future reference.

After waiting for some time and confirming that his actions hadn’t been detected by the Old Demon, Zhang Yan made his move. Raising his sleeve, he sent forth Elixir Evil to sow chaos among the devils before riding a streak of mist into the side hall.

This maneuver immediately attracted the pursuit of five devils, trailing him closely. Zhang Yan couldn’t help but utter to himself, "Excellent timing!"

Leaping into the air, he sped toward the side hall, pausing briefly and turning back to see the devils chasing him relentlessly. With their shrill cries closing in, he smirked faintly and once more conjured the Xuanhuang Great Hand, capturing them all.

Having refined his process earlier, Zhang Yan was now adept at subduing the devils. Within half an incense stick of time, he had cleaned up the group, channeling their Essence Qi into the Demon Scroll. Without pause, he surged back into the main hall.

As for Zhang Boyant’s Nascent Soul Avatar, capable of creating one hundred and eight devils, he remained unaware that Zhang Yan had secretly absorbed several. Instead, having swallowed a substantial amount of flesh and blood earlier, he assumed the devils were slain by the Xuanmen disciples. With a mere flicker, he replenished and summoned more devils, restoring their numbers to the full hundred and eight.

This proved advantageous for Zhang Yan. Reentering the hall, he repeated his baiting maneuver, luring several devils out and into the side hall yet again.

In just a few rounds of action, Zhang Yan had eliminated upwards of twenty devils.

These moves effectively forced Zhang Boyant’s Nascent Soul Avatar to spit out the Essence Blood it had consumed moments earlier.

Among the devils, one particularly perceptive devil finally noticed something amiss. Rising into the air, its lantern-like eyes emitted a chilling, sinister light as it scanned about furiously, seemingly intent on identifying the source of its losses.

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...(To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)