Chapter Forty: Between Life and Death [Second Update]

Some of the cultivators with lower levels of cultivation had already been terrified by the horrific scene just moments before. Was the person they were facing even human? Some had started to waver.

“Everyone, attack together!” Xiqi shouted, swinging the weapon in his hands—a large ring-blade known as the Sunset Annihilation Blade. Gripping it with both hands, Xiqi struck at Tang Xianyu. In his grasp, the blade seemed to multiply into thousands, its radiance stretching for miles, enveloping Tang Xianyu completely.

At that moment, Chen Gong once again drew his bow to its fullest. This time, however, he did not use the Golden Sun Arrow, but rather the second-tier Black Netherworld Arrow, crafted from yin energy, whose properties were entirely opposite to those of the Golden Sun Arrow. It was also impervious to Tang Xianyu’s demonic aura.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!” Chen Gong loosed three arrows in rapid succession, and all three found their mark. Under the combined assault of these two masters, Tang Xianyu’s clothes had been reduced to tatters, and his chest was marred by countless wounds—so many that they could not be numbered. His flesh was a bloody, mangled mess, with three Black Netherworld Arrows still embedded there.

Seeing this, the other cultivators tried to seize the opportunity for advantage. Unfortunately, while the Black Netherworld Arrows were immune to the corruption of demonic energy, they could still be assimilated by it—in other words, Tang Xianyu could absorb the energy of these arrows for his own use. Witnessing his three arrows being refined into Tang Xianyu’s own strength, Chen Gong felt a surge of blood rising in his throat. With no other choice, he called for his Heaven-Piercing Bow and drew his Sky-Raising Sword to join the attack. After Tang Xianyu refined the three arrows, his wounds began to heal somewhat.

Those who had tried to take advantage now suffered for it—one by one, they were drained into shriveled husks by Tang Xianyu. As he absorbed their blood, his body began to swell, and his injuries rapidly healed.

“Anyone below the Fusion Stage, retreat immediately! You are no match for him and will only become sacrifices to his power!” Xiqi had realized what was happening.

“Hahaha… It’s too late!” Tang Xianyu laughed maniacally, his arms whirling. Suddenly, a fierce wind arose—a crimson-black whirlwind reeking of blood swept toward the crowd. Alarmed, everyone hurried to defend themselves.

“Hahaha… Resistance is useless! Your blood will all become my energy—hahaha…” Tang Xianyu was utterly deranged now, and so too was his Blood Demon technique. Within the crimson-black storm, the cultivators unleashed their defensive artifacts. From afar, it looked as if multicolored lanterns were flickering in the night—strangely beautiful.

“Ah!” “Ah!” “Ah!” “Ah!” One after another, screams rang out in the darkness, each one accompanied by the extinguishing of a lantern’s light. The cultivators could not withstand the bloody tempest and became its nourishment, making the storm even more terrifying.

“If this continues, we’re all finished! We must truly unite and trust one another—only then do we stand a chance!” Within the storm, Chen Gong, shielded by his protective artifact, sent a message to Xiqi.

“Agreed, it seems this is our only option,” Xiqi replied. “I’ll use a secret technique to break the storm; you must follow up immediately and give him no chance to retaliate. Let the other Fusion Stage experts join forces to suppress him. That’s our only hope.” With that, the two quickly conferred with their respective allies.

“Heh! Ah! Break—!” Chen Gong shouted, nocking the Sky-Raising Sword onto the Heaven-Piercing Bow, drawing it fully, and spraying a mouthful of blood containing his essence onto the blade. Rapidly, he chanted an incantation. The bow and sword gradually began to glow, golden light intensifying with each word. When the glow became as brilliant as a golden sun, the Sky-Raising Sword shot upward—not straight, but with a thunderous dragon’s roar.

“Roar—!” With the dragon’s cry, the sword transformed into a golden dragon, weaving through the crimson-black storm. Under its might, the tempest dissipated. Having unleashed this attack, Chen Gong’s face turned deathly pale; it would take considerable time and nourishment for him to recover.

Under the dragon’s pressure, Tang Xianyu could not withstand it and spat out a mouthful of black and red blood. As the storm faded, Xiqi struck with his blade, sending a barrage of crimson light—like thousands of red lasers—at Tang Xianyu. His naked body was pitted as if a rainstorm had battered a sandy beach, riddled with countless holes. Blood flowed so freely it was as if a river had burst its banks, but under the dragon’s light, it dried rapidly.

Seeing this, Xiqi cursed inwardly: “Damn, what kind of technique is this? My blade energy can’t even pierce his skin—no wonder he’s called a demon!”

As Tang Xianyu’s blood poured out, his eyes gradually cleared, and his body shrank back to its original size. The other cultivators seized this chance and formed a Celestial Confinement Array, trapping Tang Xianyu within. The array was simple: its creators crossed powerful spiritual energies to weave a net-like barrier, sealing the target inside. With twelve late-stage Fusion cultivators maintaining the array, Tang Xianyu was now helpless.

When the golden dragon vanished and the Sky-Raising Sword returned to Chen Gong, Tang Xianyu lay prone, covered in black and red blood, unable to rise.

The others wasted no time in beating a man while he was down, pouring all their strength into their attacks—artifacts, weapons, everything they had. In truth, they could have slain Tang Xianyu for good, but instead they left him in a state between life and death. Why? Because the storm he had unleashed had filled them with such resentment that, as Tang Xianyu neared death, the negative energy they released was immediately absorbed by him. This allowed Tang Xianyu to recover, which in turn enraged his assailants even more. Thus, the cycle repeated; Tang Xianyu simply refused to die.

Finally, with no other recourse, they agreed to seal him away. And so, Tang Xianyu was sealed at that very spot.

“And that’s the end of it—a fairly exciting story!” Tang Yi said as he put away the large teapot and teacups. The Blood Demon was having none of it.

“Hey, kid, why did you put away my cup? I still want to drink tea!”

“What do you mean, your cup? It’s clearly mine, isn’t it? I’ll put it away if I want—what, you want to fight? You’d lose anyway, so forget it!” Tang Yi retorted disdainfully.

“Also, could you change your appearance? You’re so gigantic that I feel pressured negotiating with you—it’s just not fair to me.” Tang Yi took out a new set of teacups and fresh tea leaves, then said, “If you make yourself about my size, I’ll serve you this newly picked Immortal Cloud Tea. How about it?” he tempted the Blood Demon.

“Haha, that’s nothing. Let me just change—no, not clothes, my form!” the Blood Demon laughed, shutting his great eyes and closing his bloody maw.

At the same time, within the formation where Tang Yi was, a humanoid figure of blood gradually formed—a perfect miniature of the larger Blood Demon, now the size of an ordinary person.

“How’s this? Satisfied with the look? This is my true avatar, all my consciousness now resides in this form, see?” The little Blood Demon pointed to the larger one. “That’s just a soulless body now. Is this fair enough for you?”

“Tch, this form is too revealing. Here, put these clothes on. Sit down—I promise you’ll feel right at home…” Tang Yi tossed a set of clothes to the little Blood Demon and threw over a sofa as well.

“All right, now the negotiations can begin…” Tang Yi announced.