Chapter Ninety-Three: Battling the Black Mountain Demon Lord

江小飞 noticed this with a slight frown, for at that moment the Black Mountain Demon’s aura had vanished, and his whereabouts could no longer be traced.

Then the void rippled, and the Black Mountain Demon’s figure suddenly appeared. He burst into laughter.

With a sweeping motion of his hand, a colossal pitch-black palm formed in an instant and came crashing down upon Jiang Xiaofei.

The enormous hand pressed in, overturning the very void, and an appalling force descended upon him.

Jiang Xiaofei immediately felt the strain. His gaze sharpened, and he hastily darted away.

The blow landed empty, smashing apart an entire mountain of bones.

At this sight, Jiang Xiaofei’s expression turned grave. The force of that strike was far beyond anything a Heavenly Transformation realm expert could match. No wonder they said that beneath the Dao Extremity realm, he had no equal.

Yet expecting him to retreat was utterly impossible. He only grew fiercer in battle; only by pressing forward with unwavering courage could he break through danger. Otherwise, if he were to shrink back in fear, how could he ever accomplish great things? It would only give the enemy an opening.

Fight.

Jiang Xiaofei’s eyes narrowed. He rose into the air, hand seals forming rapidly. Vast phoenix flames surged forth, manifesting before him into a gigantic seal of fire that struck directly toward the Black Mountain Demon.

Whoosh.

As the fiery seal flew out, terrifying true phoenix fire erupted within it. The flames swept wildly, incinerating the void wherever they passed, yet the Black Mountain Demon’s figure had already vanished into the distance.

Seeing this, Jiang Xiaofei frowned once more. If the enemy kept dodging like this, he would not only fail to inflict damage, he would merely be dragged into a war of attrition.

At once, Jiang Xiaofei shouted, "Black Mountain Demon, I know you are hiding somewhere in this space. If you have the nerve, come out and face me head-on. What sort of ability is it to hide? What a waste that you are a Dao Extremity realm expert!"

A wild laugh rang out from the void. "Hahaha, do not try to provoke me with such childish tricks. Do you think avoiding battle is not a skill? If you have the ability, drag this sovereign out from within space!"

Jiang Xiaofei fell silent. Moving freely through space was an ability possessed only by Dao Extremity realm experts, while he was merely at the Profound Heaven realm, utterly incapable of doing it.

"Watch your back."

At Blue Lotus Frost’s warning, Jiang Xiaofei immediately spun around. Behind him, the Black Mountain Demon had gathered a dark crystal sphere between his palms and was slamming it toward him.

Seeing this, Jiang Xiaofei retreated at once. The little dark crystal sphere looked delicate and refined, yet it exuded an extremely dangerous fluctuation that made his heart tremble. It was easy to imagine that if it struck him, he would be grievously injured even if not killed.

In that instant, while retreating, Jiang Xiaofei formed seals with both hands. Black and white energies surged forth, manifesting into an Eight Trigrams formation of yin and yang before him to withstand the blow.

Bang.

The dark crystal sphere crashed into the formation, erupting with terrifying force. That force spread out like a tide, instantly engulfing Jiang Xiaofei.

"Brother Xiaofei!"

At this, Lin Ying and the others could not help but cry out in alarm, hearts filled with worry. That power was too overwhelming; if Jiang Xiaofei were caught in it, he was likely in grave danger.

Blue Lotus Frost urgently said, "President Lin, please act! If we wait any longer, it will be too late."

Lin Ying nodded and was about to make his move when Jiang Xiaofei suddenly burst up from the aftershock. Upon closer inspection, phoenix flame patterns were circulating around his body, seemingly having blocked the earlier force.

The others finally breathed a sigh of relief. After all, that attack had been far too powerful; even a Heavenly Transformation realm expert might well have perished from it.

Seeing that Jiang Xiaofei had emerged unharmed, the Black Mountain Demon was astonished. "You do have some skill. No wonder the Ghost Emperor is wary of you. But it is time to end this battle. Let me show you my Demon Spirit Technique, the Avatar Art."

As soon as his words fell, the Black Mountain Demon vanished from Jiang Xiaofei’s sight.

When he appeared again, there were suddenly four Black Mountain Demons.

In an instant, the four of them occupied the surrounding space around Jiang Xiaofei, sealing him in from all directions.

Faced with such a formation, Jiang Xiaofei’s expression darkened, especially since the auras of the four Black Mountain Demons were identical, making it impossible to distinguish the true one from the false.

Then, all four Black Mountain Demons struck at once. Four mighty powers appeared simultaneously, surging like long rainbows toward Jiang Xiaofei at the center, as if to annihilate him in a single blow.

Confronted by assaults from all sides, Jiang Xiaofei felt an unprecedented pressure. He had never even felt such oppression when facing Ye Qingzi back then. But that was hardly surprising; after all, Ye Qingzi had only been at the mid-stage of the Heavenly Transformation realm, whereas this Black Mountain Demon was a Dao Extremity realm expert. Moreover, with four of them attacking at once, their momentum was probably comparable to the mid-stage of the Dao Extremity realm.

Yet Jiang Xiaofei, with the blessing of true phoenix fire, was no longer what he once had been. He now possessed the qualifications to battle a Dao Extremity realm expert.

He also wanted to see exactly how far his combat power had risen under the augmentation of true phoenix fire, and whether he could truly contend with a Dao Extremity realm expert.

At once, Jiang Xiaofei sat down cross-legged in midair and closed his eyes to focus his spirit.

Seeing this, everyone was shocked beyond measure. It was hard to imagine that even at such a life-and-death moment, Jiang Xiaofei could remain so calm and composed.

Lin Ying was equally stunned by Jiang Xiaofei’s actions. Even he would have to exert all his strength against the Black Mountain Demon’s four avatars, yet Jiang Xiaofei could remain unruffled amid such danger. Could it be that Jiang Xiaofei already possessed the strength to fight a Dao Extremity realm expert?

At that thought, he felt it was unbelievable. This was simply a monster, even more monstrous than the Prince of Xiao in his day. It was difficult to imagine whose son he was, to possess such terrifying potential.

Inevitably, Jiang Xiaofei’s future achievements would not be inferior to the Prince of Xiao’s, and might even surpass those of the Prince of Xiao in his prime. Thinking of this, Lin Ying seemed to see that in the not-so-distant future, another legendary figure would rise in the Great Xia Kingdom.

Even the Black Mountain Demon was astonished by Jiang Xiaofei’s composure under pressure. With such resolve, coupled with such terrifying talent, if he were allowed to grow, he would surely become a scourge.

If he were not eliminated soon, it would truly be a catastrophe for both the demon and evil paths.

Killing intent flashed in his eyes, and he sneered, "Arrogant and ignorant. Since you want to die, this sovereign will grant your wish. Demon Spirit Technique: Weeping Ghost and God, Demon Emperor Seal."

Whoosh.

The four streams of demon power instantly changed direction, converging high above Jiang Xiaofei’s head before forming a gigantic seal.

Mystic demon patterns flowed over the seal as it radiated an incomparably powerful fluctuation, pressing down upon Jiang Xiaofei like a seal of heaven and earth that could grind everything to dust.

At once, Jiang Xiaofei felt a terrifying pressure, as though his flesh and blood body might be crushed to pieces.

With his blood surging violently, he felt a sweetness rise in his throat and could not help but spit out a mouthful of blood, yet his entire aura instead soared.

If one looked closely, phoenix true patterns were circulating around his body. Not only that, black and white energies were also flowing, forming two barriers that firmly shielded him within, preventing the Demon Emperor Seal from crushing down.

But on closer inspection, under the grinding force of the Demon Emperor Seal, the phoenix barrier had already begun to fracture, seemingly unable to endure the power above it.

Seeing this, Blue Lotus Frost immediately turned to Lin Ying and said anxiously, "President Lin, please make your move! If this continues, Jiang Xiaofei will lose his life."

"Very well." Lin Ying nodded, then flashed forward and appeared beside Jiang Xiaofei. Extending a hand, he stood like a pillar propping up the sky, forcefully meeting the Demon Emperor Seal head-on.

Taking the chance, he hurriedly said to Jiang Xiaofei, "Leave this place at once. Leave him to me."

Jiang Xiaofei nodded and did not hesitate. He immediately rose and flew toward Blue Lotus Frost and the others.

Seeing him approach, everyone stepped forward at once.

"Brother Xiaofei, you truly opened our eyes just now. To contend with a Dao Extremity realm expert while only at the Profound Heaven realm—I'm afraid even the Prince of Xiao back then could not compare!"

"Exactly. Brother Xiaofei truly is a dragon among men. In the future, he is bound to surpass the Prince of Xiao and create a new legend."

While they were marveling, Fang Tianxiang hurriedly asked, "But are you all right? If you are injured, do not force it. Rest assured, we will not laugh at you."

"Yes!" At this moment, Ouyang Xiaofeng added, "I happen to have some healing pills here that can help Brother Xiaofei recover."

Faced with everyone’s praise, Jiang Xiaofei could only feel helpless. It seemed that next time, he could no longer allow himself to be so fiercely competitive.

He then smiled and said, "Thank you all for your concern, but I really am fine."

"All right then." Everyone nodded and said no more.

Blue Lotus Frost stepped forward and said, "I told you not to act rashly, but you refused to listen. Now do you understand how formidable the Black Mountain Demon is?"

Jiang Xiaofei scratched his head and smiled. "I will mind my measure next time."

"Stop talking and let me see where you were hurt." After saying that, Blue Lotus Frost began inspecting his body.

Seeing this, the others exchanged looks full of understanding, then stepped aside, no longer disturbing the two.

At this moment, Jiang Xiaofei let Blue Lotus Frost wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. Though being cared for by another like this filled him with warmth, he still wanted to push the woman before him away, because the one he truly wanted to care for him was not by his side.

This made him recall the resonance he had sensed that very night, yet the connection on that side had since been lost, showing that something must surely have happened to her.

Thinking of this, Jiang Xiaofei was filled with worry. If circumstances had not been so sudden, and if he were not still unable to leave, he would truly have wanted to go to the Netherworld right now to see whether Jun Yao was all right.

But he knew he could not leave yet. There were still people waiting for him to save them, the Ghost Emperor had not yet been destroyed, and the lower volume of the Netherworld Ghost Dao had not yet been obtained. How could he return to the Netherworld empty-handed?

This was not only a promise to Jun Yao, but also for Xiao Qing. No matter what, he had to destroy the Ghost Emperor and obtain the lower volume of the Netherworld Ghost Dao. Only then could he fulfill his promise to Jun Yao, and only then could he avenge Xiao Qing.

Shaking his head to dismiss those troubling thoughts, Jiang Xiaofei looked upward. There, Lin Ying was fighting the Black Mountain Demon and gradually gaining the upper hand.

Seeing this, Jiang Xiaofei finally breathed a sigh of relief. After all, if even the Black Mountain Demon could not be defeated, then their journey to the demon realm would have been for nothing. Yet neither the Demon Emperor nor the Ghost Emperor had appeared to this day, and that left him deeply uneasy.

At the thought, Jiang Xiaofei felt that the matter could no longer be delayed. He turned to Blue Lotus Frost and asked, "Can you still trace Wang Dazui’s location?"

Upon hearing this, Blue Lotus Frost nodded. "After the earlier divination, his aura still remains on the Ice Spindle, but I cannot guarantee anything. Still, I will do my best to try."