These cultivators who reminded the others did so without needing to be told, just as their own seniors, or senior brothers and sisters, had told them when they first arrived. This was also why, after arranging the tasks, Ancestor Zhu Luan hadn't given any extra instructions to newcomers like Li Yan.
Li Wuyi had already flown far away from Li Yan and the others, engaging a Demon Lord head-on. Illusory, ancient-looking scriptures manifested from his book slip, and from them, strange, ancient characters flew forth, instantly enveloping the Demon Lord. By the time the Demon Lord realized something was wrong and tried to break free, his body would emit a puff of light smoke whenever it collided with a character. A muffled grunt would escape his lips, and his aura would rapidly weaken…
'Senior Brother's cultivation is no longer what it used to be!'
When Li Yan's Divine Sense swept over, he was stunned to find that his senior brother's strength was now infinitely close to that of a Mid-stage Golden Core cultivator. Although Li Wuyi's realm was still only Initial-stage Golden Core, his mastery—be it the purity of his Spirit Power or the sophistication of his magical arts—was effortless and natural, completely free of the awkwardness he had when he first entered the Golden Core stage.
Although Li Yan couldn't have spotted any awkwardness in Li Wuyi back then, this sense of comparison arose naturally.
'As expected, trials of life and death are the best form of cultivation.'
Li Yan mentally compared the strength of Li Wuyi and Teng Wuji. Although there was still a considerable gap, it would likely be very difficult for Teng Wuji to kill his senior brother. Or rather, even if he could, the price Teng Wuji would have to pay would be extremely heavy. One had to remember that Li Wuyi had only formed his Golden Core a few years ago, while Teng Wuji was a veteran Golden Core cultivator. This was the astonishing nature of a genius.
After descending, Li Yan and the three others formed a circle, protecting each other's backs as they slowly descended with caution. To his left was Lin Daqiao.
Lin Daqiao had a Fifth-Rank Foundation Establishment and was still in the Initial-stage. His aptitude could only be described as slightly above average. In over two years, his cultivation had only improved marginally. However, the aura he exuded gave Li Yan a sense of a blade with its edge concealed. This must have been precipitated from long-term slaughter, after taking on numerous dangerous missions with the same reckless abandon as Fifth Senior Brother Wen Xinliang.
This experience had given his combat power a qualitative leap. Li Yan guessed that if Lin Daqiao fought with his life on the line, he would have a chance of winning even against a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. It was just that with Li Yan's rapid improvement, his own cultivation was now the lowest on Little Bamboo Peak.
Lin Daqiao wielded a pair of Handguard Wu Hook Swords. The Artifact Spirit within this pair of hooks was the Essence Soul of a first-tier Shadowmoon Centipede. Bai Rou had once helped him re-refine the formation within them, after which their power had increased by more than twenty percent. For Lin Daqiao, this was enough to last him until the Late-stage of Foundation Establishment.
To his right, Gong Chenying still wielded her green long-halberd, as domineering as she was in the Wheel of Life and Death. The halberd was wreathed in a green glow that seemed to merge with the surrounding cyan-black mist. Her cultivation realm was currently number one among the Foundation Establishment disciples of Little Bamboo Peak—excluding, of course, Li Yan's combat achievements, as no one would have thought Li Yan's cultivation was such an anomaly.
After exchanging a few simple words with Li Yan, Gong Chenying had focused her attention on their surroundings.
Wei Chituo stood back-to-back with Li Yan. He was also in the Pseudo-Core Realm, only a sliver behind Gong Chenying in terms of Spirit Power solidification, which was really just a result of Gong Chenying cultivating the Qiongqi Purgatory Art.
Wei Chituo's path had always been one of fierce power. The Body Refining Art he cultivated had cost him a massive amount of Spirit Stones and contribution points from the sect. This technique was a mid-tier Body Refining Art, enough to support his cultivation to Mid-stage Golden Core, but it was still worlds apart from the treasured art of the Tianli Clan. Consequently, he often lost out in terms of physical body when sparring with Gong Chenying, much to his frustration.
Wei Chituo had an abundance of raw power but lacked flexibility, and his endurance was insufficient in head-on clashes.
The four of them had just descended in their ten-foot defensive circle when a black shadow shot toward Wei Chituo like a bolt of lightning.
At such close range, the Divine Sense of the cultivators couldn't discern much of a difference in strength. By the time Li Yan sensed it, Wei Chituo and the others had also reacted.
Li Yan was the farthest from Wei Chituo, as they were positioned back-to-back, so it would be the most difficult for him to offer assistance. He had no intention of making a move. The attacking shadow was a Mid-rank Demonic Soldier, equivalent to a human Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, which was still a significant gap from his second senior brother's cultivation. Moreover, he had Gong Chenying and his seventh senior brother to cover him.
Evidently, Lin Daqiao and Gong Chenying had no intention of intervening either. They continued to stare vigilantly into the dense fog before them, allowing the black shadow to press its fierce attack right up to Wei Chituo.
Wei Chituo, however, chuckled. His Demon-Subduing Pestle stirred up a violent wind, churning the dense fog before him like a tide and clearing a space.
A Demonic Soldier with a savage expression brandished a long-handled broadsword, leaping high into the air and slashing down viciously at Wei Chituo.
Simultaneously, the dense fog on the other side rippled faintly. A black shadow, as if sticking to the ground, had already reached Gong Chenying's feet. The shadow approached swiftly and silently, only to accelerate abruptly just as it was about to strike.
With a sudden "whoosh," a dark object shot toward Gong Chenying's thigh. It was a demon cultivator only two feet tall, his body's width almost exceeding his height, resembling a black urn skimming across the ground. He held a sharp black spike in both hands and stabbed it toward Gong Chenying's leg, clearly intending to pierce her from below and tear her in two.
On the other side, Li Yan also raised a hand sharply, slicing down into the dense fog before him. The attacks and counter-attacks of the group erupted almost simultaneously.
The moment the two sides met, the battle instantly reached its climax.
With a roar, Wei Chituo met the attack with his Demon-Subduing Pestle. A loud "boom" echoed in the air, and Wei Chituo's figure only swayed slightly. The Demon-Subduing Pestle blocking the broadsword spun rapidly, its tail end sweeping out as he released his grip. The opponent's long-handled broadsword was knocked high into the air.
The Demonic Soldier's eyes flared with killing intent. With a heavy snort, two vines shot out from his nostrils, crossing in front of his neck in the blink of an eye.
The tail of the Demon-Subduing Pestle swung around and slammed heavily into them. Although the vines were dented inward, they had firmly blocked the blow, leaving the Demonic Soldier's head intact.
At the same time, Gong Chenying twisted her body like a swimming fish. The sharp black spike grazed past the outside of her thigh, hitting nothing but air. This stunned the demon cultivator. His assassinations had rarely failed against peers of the same rank. He had just used this technique to assassinate two sword cultivators while they were engaged with his companions. Now, with several companions present, he repeated the same trick, a sure-kill strike, only to have his opponent dodge it. He had clearly felt the black spike make contact with her body. The sensation was unmistakable, but the girl's leg muscles had slid aside in a bizarre way, evading the attack.
Just as the sharp spike missed, its cold black body still sliding rapidly forward along the outside of her thigh, Gong Chenying's retracted leg snapped outward with a powerful jolt.
An immense force erupted from her leg. For an instant, her trousers tightened, revealing the clear, chiseled line of a long, rounded muscle.
The urn-like demon cultivator had never expected that at such close range, the young woman could unleash such incredible power with just a simple retraction and extension of her leg. At that moment, even though he held the black spike with both hands, a searing pain shot through the web of his thumbs, and his hands began to tremble in unison. He could no longer hold the spike.
With a "buzz," the black spike flew from his grasp. But before the horror in his eyes could fade, an even more terrifying scene unfolded. Once the girl's attack began, it was like a rolling river. As her thigh retracted and extended, her knee acted like a trigger, and her lower leg shot toward his chin in a blur.
In the urn-like demon cultivator's eyes, the image of the foot rapidly grew larger…
Li Yan sliced down with his palm. In the fog, a thin, snake-like green shadow had already shot toward his face, only to be intercepted mid-body by his preemptive palm strike.
With a "ding," the thin green shadow was knocked away. A soft sound of surprise came from the fog.
Then, with a "swoosh," the thin green shadow made a sharp turn in mid-air, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, and instantly appeared above Li Yan's head. It plunged down with the speed of lightning…
At the same time, Lin Daqiao crossed his Handguard Wu Hook Swords in front of his chest. A massive beast claw abruptly appeared before him, striking the intersection of his hooks in an instant.
"Bang!"
Then, from the fog, a Demonic Beast with the head of a hedgehog and the body of a fierce tiger materialized. Standing upright, it slowly retracted a giant paw. A cruel smile played in its eyes as it stared at the retreating Lin Daqiao.
Lin Daqiao's legs were bent like a bow in mid-air, and he slid backward as if on a sheet of ice for more than twenty feet before stopping. His arms were trembling slightly; he had clearly struggled to receive that blow.
The four of them had been ambushed simultaneously almost as soon as they descended below the cliff. If not for their back-to-back formation, the consequences of facing this alone would have been uncertain.
And in an instant, from near and far, Li Yan and the others could hear a rising tide of shouts and the explosive sounds of immortal arts. The battle between the two sides had reached its peak in a moment.
For a first-timer like Li Yan at the Devil's Cliff Crevice, the pressure suddenly multiplied. Many assumed this was the norm and were shocked at the difficulty faced by the cultivators stationed here.
But Gong Chenying and the others were astonished. Although battles were constant on normal days, this kind of frenzied, wave-like group battle was almost unheard of. They also understood now why only about a hundred sword cultivators were left. In the short time they were up above, about seventy percent of the three hundred-plus sword cultivators and other cultivators who had stayed behind had vanished.
Since a Demon General had broken through and thrown a "Realm-Breaking Pearl" into the Devil's Cliff Crevice, the crack in the planar barrier below had widened considerably. More Demonic Soldiers could now come through, but every single one of them had to shed a layer of flesh and soul to squeeze through the crack. The agony was such that demon cultivators with weaker wills would have their souls scattered by the pain before they even broke free, dissolving into nothingness.
Even so, the number of demon cultivators appearing here was far greater than in previous years. Even the number of Demon Lords coming through in a month had nearly doubled. If not for Qian Fangshu and the other Nascent Soul ancestors constantly reinforcing the sealing formation, it was highly likely that even Demon Generals would have appeared here.
Therefore, battles of all levels had been incessant at the Devil's Cliff Crevice for over a year, but the number of enemies sprouting like mushrooms after a rain, as was happening today, was unprecedented.
Ancestor Zhu Luan's earlier speculation that "Today must be the coordinated attack day set by these demons and the Demon Realm, and the Demon Realm's side is desperately trying to break the planar barrier" must be true.
The day of the decisive battle!