Chapter 123: A True Demon

"Wait!"

At this moment, Wu Xue walked over, staring at Xia Jiuxuan with a playful glint in her eyes. "This man is too lecherous; I want to gouge his eyes out first."

The others chuckled. Gu Kun remarked, "Junior Sister, you are becoming increasingly ruthless."

"Not at all. I just don't want to let this lecher off so easily, hmph," Wu Xue replied with a coquettish tone.

"Haha, very well. Then gouge his eyes out," Gu Kun nodded, granting his approval.

Wu Xue drew a dagger and, with a sneer, lunged toward Xia Jiuxuan’s eyes.

A strange smile tugged at the corner of Xia Jiuxuan’s mouth as he suddenly unleashed a palm strike.

*Bang!*

A loud explosion echoed through the air.

The crowd found themselves splattered with blood, bone, and flesh.

"How is this possible? He was clearly poisoned!" Gu Kun and the others were shocked, instinctively recoiling.

"Kill!"

Xia Jiuxuan looked up, his eyes filled with an abyssal darkness. Upon seeing that gaze, Gu Kun and his companions felt as if they had fallen into hell; they were gripped by extreme terror.

"Retreat! This man is strange!" Gu Kun shouted, scrambling backward in flight.

*Whoosh!*

Xia Jiuxuan’s figure vanished from where he stood.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

With a series of palm strikes, he reduced Gu Kun and the others to smithereens.

"So powerful!"

This disturbance drew the attention of everyone present, including the mysterious figures in black robes.

"Who is that man? To kill several experts of the Mortal Transcendence Realm in an instant—it's terrifying."

"Xia Jiuxuan! That is Xia Jiuxuan!" someone shouted.

Every eye was fixed on Xia Jiuxuan, and the onlookers felt a sense of profound disbelief. So, this was the true, terrifying strength of Xia Jiuxuan! Before this, they had all harbored thoughts of killing him for the bounty. Now, they felt incredibly lucky that they hadn't acted on it.

"Brother Xia, you!" Qin Wei and the others were left dumbfounded. "How could Brother Xia’s strength be so overwhelming?"

"You were faking the poison earlier, weren't you?"

"As expected of Brother Xia, tsk tsk, truly unexpected." Xu Fei, Luo Zheng, and the others wore expressions of delight, praising him repeatedly.

"Kill him!"

A dry, hoarse voice rang out, and over a dozen black-robed figures surged into the air, charging toward Xia Jiuxuan.

"Oh no! These black-robed men are bizarre!" Sensing the potent demonic aura, Qin Wei and the others could not help but feel anxious.

"You lot, fall back," Xia Jiuxuan commanded toward Qin Wei and the others behind him.

"Be careful, Brother Xia!" Qin Wei and his companions urged him before retreating at speed.

Xia Jiuxuan gripped his spirit sword and soared into the sky to meet the charging figures.

*Boom!*

One of the black-robed figures arrived first, delivering a ferocious palm strike toward Xia Jiuxuan. Xia Jiuxuan countered with a sword slash, unleashing a torrent of violent sword intent that rolled out like a flood.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The black-robed figure’s withered palm pushed forward, striking the sword intent repeatedly until it shattered completely.

"Hmm? A True Demon?" Xia Jiuxuan felt a surge of surprise. He could sense the purest demonic power emanating from the figure.

"Human, perish!" The black-robed figure roared. A layer of blood-colored flames ignited on its body as it smashed into Xia Jiuxuan like a meteor.

"Mystic Yellow Erasure Palm!"

Unable to dodge, Xia Jiuxuan had no choice but to meet the attack head-on.

*Boom!*

As the two collided, a wave of energy rippled outward. Xia Jiuxuan’s figure plummeted, smashing deep into the earth. The black-robed figure was sent flying as well; the immense force shredded its black cloak, revealing its true form.

"A demon! Those black-robed figures are True Demons!" Everyone stared at the bull-headed, human-bodied creature in absolute shock.

Within the mortal kingdoms, even in the ancient forests, there were only powerful demonic beasts; there were no fully transformed True Demons! Generally speaking, demonic power was stronger than true energy or spiritual energy, and a transformed True Demon was naturally even more formidable. This bull demon possessed strength at least equal to a peak Mortal Transcendence expert, perhaps even nearing the Saint-Entering Realm of the mortal kingdoms!

"Xia Jiuxuan is actually capable of clashing with a True Demon; his strength is immense!"

"It’s hard to imagine that Xia Jiuxuan is such a monster!"

"So what if he’s strong? With over a dozen True Demons here, he’s still destined to die!"

"Look, Xia Jiuxuan is coming out, completely unscathed!"

Amidst the exclamations, Xia Jiuxuan shot up from the shattered earth back into the sky. Seeing him unharmed, the dozen True Demons seemed somewhat wary and did not launch an immediate follow-up attack. After a brief standoff, the True Demons seemed to form a battle array, moving toward Xia Jiuxuan in a strange formation.

"Hmm?" Xia Jiuxuan raised an eyebrow. These True Demons actually knew ancient battle formations! This indicated that they were not outsiders who had entered the secret realm, but had been here all along.

"A bull demon... I remember now!" Xia Jiuxuan mused, finally deducing the origin of these creatures. "That Demon King must still be alive!"

When Xia Jiuxuan had killed the Seven-Winged Blood Dragon, his cultivation was at the Emperor Realm. He recalled that there were thirteen Demon Kings in this region. Back then, a single Demon King was like an ant to him, so he hadn't bothered to wipe them out. During his battle with the Seven-Winged Blood Dragon, the shockwaves alone had killed most of the Demon Kings, leaving only one or two in a near-death state. One of them was the Bull Demon King.

It seemed that the severely wounded Bull Demon King had survived until now.

"This will be difficult to deal with!" Xia Jiuxuan frowned. Even these minor bull demons were hard to kill. If the Demon King itself appeared, he would be no match and would surely be killed instantly! But now, there was no retreat.

"Roar!"

The dozen bull demons roared, their muscles bulging as they brandished giant axes inscribed with divine runes. The terrifying demonic aura left the geniuses of the mortal kingdoms trembling.

"Duanmu Wan, Mu Feng, hurry over here!" Xia Jiuxuan shouted into the crowd. Facing a dozen bull demons in a formation alone, he had little chance of victory.

Duanmu Wan had recovered, and her combat power was only a notch below his own—she would be a powerful ally. Mu Feng, now possessing the aura of a True Dragon, held a natural, potent suppression over demonic creatures, making him another vital asset.

"Hmph, you stubborn man, you finally remembered us."

"Brother Xia, I'm coming!"

Duanmu Wan and Mu Feng flew over from the back of the crowd and stood side-by-side with Xia Jiuxuan.

"No time for talk. These bull demons are extraordinary. Follow my lead, or we shall all perish here!" Xia Jiuxuan’s expression was grave.

"Understood, I will follow your orders!" Mu Feng nodded firmly.

Duanmu Wan also set aside her petty grievances, hovering her spirit sword in front of her as she prepared for an all-out battle.

*Rumble!*

The sky shook as the dozen bull demons charged. Due to their formation, their combined strength was no less than that of a Saint-Entering Realm expert!

"Kill!" Xia Jiuxuan’s gaze was cold as he charged out first.

"Mystic Yellow True Intent Sword!"

*Zing!*

Dozens of gray sword shadows traced unpredictable paths as they streaked toward the bull demons. This technique was the most powerful sword art Xia Jiuxuan could wield with his current physical limits.

"Duanmu Wan, you take the left flank! Mu Feng, unleash your True Dragon aura to suppress them! Once we break their formation, you strike!"

"Understood!"

"I'm on it, Brother Xia!"

"Roar! You accursed human vermin!"

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The potent sword intent battered the bull demons, forcing them to stall in mid-air.

"Blazing Prairie Sword!" Duanmu Wan struck as well.

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

Sword shadows wreathed in flames blanketed the sky, obscuring the heavens. The sight left the geniuses of the mortal kingdoms completely stunned.