Chapter Twenty-Five: The Seal of the Earth Fiend

As the elder uttered the word "Seal," the yellow rune-lit formation thrummed loudly, and a pillar of light hundreds of feet in diameter crashed down, separating the chaotic area from the outside world. Mysterious runes densely covered the light column, and any mutated beings attempting to break through the formation were obliterated as runes flashed and shot out, exploding them into dust.

Seeing this, the elder pointed once more at the formation, opening a gap at its center. "Kill them all!" he commanded. The three powerful individuals understood and ceased channeling their energy into the formation, entering the chaotic area below through the gap.

A sword array composed of a hundred ancient swords descended in a slaughter. The three demons cackled, transforming into wisps of gray smoke, evading the sword array. With sinister laughter, they fled toward the outskirts of the city.

"Formless Demons!" Du Qingfeng’s expression grew solemn. He withdrew his ancient sword, which hovered beneath his feet, and with a sudden sword cry, he crossed a hundred feet in an instant. "Such swift flight!" the elder controlling the formation in the distance was astonished.

"Sword flight! Truly worthy of its reputation!" Yan Nanfei sincerely praised, his wings beating behind him and stirring up a blue gale. In the next moment, he vanished from his spot, reappearing a hundred feet away.

"Sword flight! Wind flight! Where do these two come from?" The elder was shocked once more by Yan Nanfei’s speed. He himself could easily achieve such flight, but only because he had passed through the tribulation and was a peak cultivator of the Transcendence stage, while these two were merely at the peak of the Profound stage.

With a sigh, the elder continued to maintain the stability of the formation. Within the region shrouded by evil gray mist, three Profound stage experts ruthlessly slaughtered the mutated citizens, whose bodies had been corrupted by the evil energy. Though the mutants were fierce, they lacked any cultivation; protected by their Qi, the three experts wiped them out within half an hour.

The elder opened the exit for the three, and as they left, they formed a four-cornered formation together. Each consumed a pill to restore their energy and then poured their energy madly into the formation.

The elder, his expression grave, infused his spiritual energy as well. Once a martial artist passes through the tribulation, their internal energy transforms into a more advanced spiritual power. Not only does this spiritual power surpass the Profound stage energy in every way, it also allows the cultivator to absorb any elemental essence from the world to enhance their cultivation.

This is the stage where cultivators begin to comprehend the laws of the universe, no longer simply absorbing the world's energy. Most super experts who have survived three tribulations possess the miraculous ability to regenerate lost limbs. By absorbing and converting universal energies, they can regrow severed limbs, though the cost is great and the process long.

Thus, such super experts rarely help others regrow limbs unless presented with treasures or conditions they cannot refuse. Even for their dearest kin, none would willingly weaken their cultivation without compensation.

With the continuous infusion of energy, the rune formation became more solid and the runes clearer. Seeing that the formation was fully activated, the elder signaled the three to stop pouring in energy.

He performed a complex incantation, imprinting it onto the formation, and declared, "Earthly Slaughter, Absolute Seal!"

Countless intricate runes detached, sweeping toward the prison like a response from the earth itself. The ground rolled in waves, and a yellow glow emerged from beneath. Countless runes connected and arranged into a square, enclosing the entire area. The runes flickered, furiously absorbing the yellow light from underground, their brilliance swelling in a blinding flash.

A square-shaped energy shield, over ten feet high, condensed, and the dazzling chains of runes dispersed, distributing themselves across the four walls. The shield shone brightly, spinning rapidly, with a powerful suction force extending from its center into the void.

The elemental energy within a hundred miles was drawn in, forming a storm of energy above the shield, which was then sucked into the formation in one breath. Having absorbed this immense energy, the shield became tangible, its overwhelming pressure forcing the elder and the others back several feet.

A deep hum resounded.

The entire imperial capital trembled, and the rune-filled light pillar shot skyward as if to break the heavens. Its oppressive might weighed heavily on every heart, and all within the city stared in fear at the towering, radiant pillar.

The light flashed violently. "Retreat, quickly!" the elder called, and the four transformed into streams of light, leaving the northern sector.

The runes detached from the pillar, floating and circling around it. The earth rumbled, and the pillar rapidly sank until only two feet remained above ground.

The light ceased its flashing, and the rotating runes merged back into the pillar. A space of a hundred feet around the prison was sealed by the formation.

The thick, yellow walls radiated an unbreakable aura of absolute power. All of North City was in chaos; the citizens hid within their homes, and soldiers sealed the area, allowing no one to enter.

The elder stood in midair, gazing at the sealed prison below, and sighed, "The seal of the Earth Demon from three thousand years ago is showing signs of breaking. Thankfully, we have the ancient treasure, the Earthly Seal. Otherwise, the consequences would be dire!"

All this transpired without Cold Sky’s awareness, as he was still in the underground palace at the time.

When he and Fire Dance left the city gate, they found thousands of martial artists gathered outside the capital, all watching the aerial battle from a distance. To be precise, two martial artists were battling three demons.

The three demons had revealed their true forms, and compared to those Cold Sky had previously seen, their bodies were twice as large, with ferocious faces and claws so hard and sharp that each slash shattered sword energy.

"Heh heh... With your meager cultivation, you dare boast of killing us? You lowly humans are nothing but food for our Abyssal race!"

"Heh heh..." The demon fighting Yan Nanfei sneered, "If not for the calamity ten millennia ago, this world would have been devoured by us demons long ago. You wouldn’t even have the chance to shout today!"

"Hmph..."

Du Qingfeng darted through the air, dodging the relentless pursuit of the demon behind him. Hearing mention of the disaster from ten thousand years ago, he snorted coldly.

He replied, "No need for ancient history. Today, I will slay you with my sword!"

"Heh heh... Such arrogance! If you have the guts, stop running and face me head-on!" The demon chasing Du Qingfeng taunted him.

Du Qingfeng's expression was grim. He hadn't expected the demon's physical defense to be so formidable—his sword energy couldn't even penetrate its scales.

Yan Nanfei, too, dared not engage the demon up close, relying on his speed to keep the fight going and slowly searching for the enemy’s weakness.

Lost in thought, Du Qingfeng was caught off guard. The demon's claw, covered in purple scales, struck like lightning. In a moment of crisis, Du Qingfeng raised his ancient sword to his chest, blocking the demon's lethal blow.

A metallic clang rang out. The demon howled in pain; its scaled hand had been pierced, and dark green blood flowed freely.

Du Qingfeng's ancient sword was a high-grade spiritual treasure, able to transform its shape at will. Its broad blade blocked the attack, but when the claw struck, a segment of the blade suddenly extended, puncturing the demon’s claw.

Du Qingfeng was not unscathed. The immense force sent him back dozens of feet before he could steady himself, his sword hand trembling and his arm numb, nearly dropping the sword.

Cold Sky’s tri-colored eyes witnessed the entire scene, and he admired Du Qingfeng's sword. Yet, recalling the azure great blade in his own dantian, he felt balanced again; he had personally experienced its power—the thousand-foot blade could easily destroy the three demons.

Du Qingfeng channeled his energy through his arm and recovered feeling, his gaze icy with murderous intent. The ancient sword floated before him, detached from his grasp.

He placed a palm on the hilt and spoke calmly, "Unseal, First Layer!" With a sword cry, the blade melted away.

In the next instant, it seemed as if ten thousand swords were clashing in the sky. Ancient swords materialized in the void, encircling Du Qingfeng and forming a protective array around the White-Robed Sword Saint.

The demon’s claw, blood hole healed in a breath, shrieked and shot toward Du Qingfeng as a gray lightning bolt.

The sword cries shook the void. Countless ancient swords shattered, turning into a rain of tiny blades. Du Qingfeng swept his arm, and the miniature swords flooded the charging demon, engulfing it in a storm.

Yan Nanfei caught Du Qingfeng’s movement from the corner of his eye and thought, "He’s going all out now. Looks like I’ll have to show some real strength myself!"

"Allow us to assist!" The three Profound stage experts who had previously been with the elder arrived at speed, the middle-aged man speaking.

They joined forces deftly, intercepting one of the demons attacking Yan Nanfei.

Yan Nanfei’s specialty was known to be speed—few could match it—but few understood that his prowess in close combat was equally extraordinary.