As the two clashed with the speed of a pouncing hare and a swooping falcon, the distant sounds of clanging metal and a series of air explosions echoed through the abyss.
Their respective magical treasures, controlled by slivers of their Divine Sense, were also locked in a heated battle.
The golden-robed middle-aged man, like a meteor chasing the moon, caught up to the retreating, tumbling Mu Guyue and lunged for her chest.
Although Mu Guyue's consciousness was flooded with killing intent, she felt an instinctual and boundless disgust for this kind of attack.
She ignored the numbness in her elbow, forcibly infused it with demonic qi to restore feeling, and formed another hand seal. Dozens of massive boulders materialized around her.
With a light wave of her hand, the boulders, now weighing ten thousand jin each, tumbled down towards the pursuing golden-robed man.
As the boulders crashed down, the surrounding space distorted slightly, and the nearby cliff walls, affected by the spell's shockwaves, rumbled in response.
"Giant Rock Art!"
Body cultivators were not incapable of using magic arts; rather, they specialized in close-combat arts that complemented their physical attacks and were less adept at long-range spells.
They didn't have the time to be dual cultivators of both dharma and body, so they mostly focused on arts that aided their close-quarters fighting, just like the "Giant Rock Art" Mu Guyue was using.
Dual cultivation of dharma and body was something any cultivator could attempt, but some were born with ordinary physical constitutions and bloodlines, unable to reach the pinnacle of body refining.
Others lacked a strong affinity for the five elements, requiring more time to summon magical arts.
These people would naturally choose the cultivation system that was easiest for them to advance in.
If they forced themselves to dual-cultivate, the final result might be that they fail to even reach Foundation Establishment, dying of old age after a mere century or so.
'As expected of a Black Demon Clan cultivator. Even when her consciousness is affected by negative emotions, her combat instincts have become even sharper!' the golden-robed man praised inwardly.
A light flashed as he, too, formed a hand seal. A powerful gravitational force suddenly appeared around him.
The descending boulders were suddenly pulled by a great force, streaking past the golden-robed man like a meteor shower and plunging into the abyss.
At the same time, Mu Guyue felt her own airborne body being pulled by a suction force. The speed of the airflow around her suddenly increased.
A whistling sound filled her ears. The demonic qi, carried by the airflow, formed a curtain of straight black light falling downwards. Mu Guyue's body was involuntarily pulled into a sharp descent.
'It's a Gravity Art!'
Mu Guyue realized what was happening. Her opponent was using the momentum of the art to quickly close the distance between them.
Her body plummeted, now less than four feet from the golden-robed man's head. The series of attacks and arts from both sides were executed with lightning speed.
The power of these low-level arts, when used by two Nascent Soul cultivators, was incredible.
The spatial distortion caused by the "Giant Rock Art" alone would be enough to tear any cultivator below the Nascent Soul realm to shreds if they were touched by even a sliver of the overflowing spatial force.
A white light suddenly flared from the rapidly descending Mu Guyue, dazzlingly bright in the abyss. After a slight dip, her body came to a halt in mid-air.
But due to the difference in their realms, although Mu Guyue had cast a "Hovering Art" on herself, her body only paused for about half a breath before she began to fall again.
However, for a Nascent Soul cultivator, half a breath was more than enough.
With a thought from Mu Guyue, the giant shears that were locked in combat with the golden long spear in the distance let out a soft cry, and one of the crescent moon handguard sabers broke away from the battlefield.
It vanished with a soft hum, as if instantly crossing countless mountains, reappearing at the golden-robed man's neck.
Only one crescent moon handguard saber, transformed into a silver divine marten, remained, locked in a fierce bite with the small dragon, but the silver divine marten was clearly at a disadvantage.
The crescent moon handguard saber that had flown away appeared in an instant, spinning with an unstoppable, cold killing intent as it slashed fiercely at the golden-robed man.
The man had already raised his fist to strike the descending Mu Guyue. He suddenly let out a cold snort and, in his haste, bent his arm and swung it back.
With a "ding!", the sound of metal on metal echoed, and a streak of light was sent flying like a shooting star.
The golden-robed man's body, however, remained as steady as a mountain, but a dark golden liquid was already flowing from his left forearm.
Even with his powerful dragon physique, under the attack of a Nascent Soul cultivator's magical treasure, a sizable wound had appeared on his arm, the golden bone within faintly visible.
Mu Guyue's combat power, agitated by the dense negative emotions, had been completely unleashed.
From her turning to attack mid-air to the close-quarters combat and the exchange of magical arts, everything had happened in the span of two breaths.
Whether it was their moves, the transition between arts, or the sudden surprise attacks, everything was as if naturally orchestrated, flowing seamlessly without the slightest pause.
Therefore, the golden-robed man, caught off guard by Mu Guyue's final magical treasure assault, had no time to dodge or summon another magical treasure to defend himself and could only block it with his physical body.
His golden long spear could not be freely separated and combined like his opponent's two handguard sabers.
This swift exchange of blows immediately broke the "Gravity Art" the golden-robed man was casting.
The suction force on Mu Guyue's body loosened. With a flash of demonic qi, she had already slid a hundred feet away, standing suspended in the air, coldly gazing at the golden-robed man.
After the short, intense battle, the killing intent in Mu Guyue's heart had subsided slightly, and she had regained a bit of clarity.
A light flashed in her hand, and a medicinal pill flew into her fragrant mouth.
Instantly, a cooling sensation spread through her body. Seizing this moment of clarity, Mu Guyue frantically circulated the magic power in her body. Wisps of grey qi immediately seeped out from her skin.
Unable to refine it, she had no choice but to expend her magic power to forcibly expel the large amount of demonic qi containing impurities from her body, to avoid falling into an uncontrollable state again.
"She's regained her senses. What a pity!"
The golden-robed man in the distance did not press the attack. Instead, he watched the wound on his arm heal at an incredible speed.
The dark golden blood did not drip but seeped back into his arm through the skin.
When the opponent was consumed by demonic qi and fell into a crazed state, although her combat power soared, it was all based on instinct. He still had a chance of capturing her alive.
But after she regained consciousness and her mind became clear, trying to capture a Nascent Soul cultivator alive was much more difficult.
Although he was confident he could severely injure and capture her, when facing a clear-headed Nascent Soul cultivator, he wouldn't be able to hold back.
Such a fine physique—it would be a great pity if it were crippled, or if she chose to self-destruct her body when the situation turned dire. His heart would ache terribly.
On the other side, Mu Guyue took out a few more medicinal pills and swallowed them in one gulp.
These were high-quality pills for restoring magic power. Although she couldn't slowly refine them, they could still restore her magic power to about seventy percent in a short time.
With a cold expression, she extended her right palm. With a "hum," a light flashed, and the crescent moon handguard saber that had been knocked away by the golden-robed man reappeared in her hand.
With a graceful turn of her wrist, the saber spun like shimmering water.
"Fellow Daoist, I only wish to obtain a 'Black Jade Profound Dragon Grass.' I have no other ill intentions!" Her voice was like clinking ice, crisp and pleasant. Mu Guyue spoke for the first time, explaining her purpose.
Hearing her voice, the golden-robed man slowly raised his head. Gazing at the breathtaking figure suspended before him, a fiery light flashed in the depths of his eyes.
"You trespassed into my cave residence. Is this what you call having no ill intentions?"
Mu Guyue was at a loss for words.
Although her true purpose was indeed the "Black Jade Profound Dragon Grass," for anyone's cave residence to be infiltrated by another was unforgivable.
She pondered for a moment, glanced at the magical treasure still locked in combat in the distance. Although it was at a disadvantage, it was in no immediate danger.
"To be honest, I entered this 'Demon-Swallowing Abyss' out of desperation, as I lacked sufficient spirit stones and demon crystals. Of course, after discovering your esteemed cave residence, I naturally wanted to obtain the 'Black Jade Profound Dragon Grass.'"
"So now there are two options. One, we fight to the death."
"The other option is for me to compensate you for your loss to the best of my ability."
Mu Guyue said calmly, her tone reflecting the decisive nature of the Demon Clan.
"Hahaha, you yourself said you don't have many spirit stones or demon crystals. What compensation are you talking about? Utter nonsense!"
Golden light swirled in the golden-robed man's eyes as he let out a series of cold laughs, and his aura surged once more.
"I may not have enough spirit stones and demon crystals, but what about this item?"
Mu Guyue suddenly reached out and swiped a finger on her other hand. A yellow light flashed, and a brilliant golden bead materialized in the air.
The golden-robed man's Divine Sense swept over it, and his surging aura paused. The next moment, he cried out in surprise.
"A Buddhist magical treasure?"
He sensed an extremely pure Yang power from this prayer bead.
He was a descendant of a fire-attribute divine beast. Although his ancestors had mutated after cultivating with demonic qi, he still walked the path of pure Yang and ferocity.
The pure Yang power of the Buddhist sect was renowned throughout the world. It was one of the purest Yang fire powers. Who wouldn't know of it? This magical treasure was undoubtedly a great temptation for him.
"You're willing to use this treasure as compensation?"
A hint of greed flashed in the golden-robed man's eyes, and his tone was no longer as sharp as before.
Mu Guyue sighed inwardly. She had snatched this from a Nascent Soul monk of the Jingtu Sect on the Desolate Moon Continent.
During that final great battle, the monk had been caught in the shockwave of the battle between Spirit Transformation cultivators like Tu Tai, and was sent flying, injured, landing not far from her.
At that time, the monk, at the cost of damaging his magical treasure, had thrown out a string of prayer beads, attempting to block the attack of the descending magic power shockwave.
That string of prayer beads had a full eighteen beads. As they exploded one by one, they really did block most of the shockwave for him.
He neutralized the remaining small part of the attack with his own strength, and in the end, only four scattered prayer beads were left, shooting off in all directions.
Even a magical treasure that could only block the aftershock of a battle between Spirit Transformation cultivators was definitely a supreme treasure for any cultivator below the Spirit Transformation realm.
Mu Guyue had acted without hesitation, snatching it before the monk could react.
But just as she had grabbed one prayer bead, the Jingtu Sect monk had reacted and immediately swept up the other three, and engaged her in a fierce battle.
With both sides evenly matched, the Jingtu Sect monk could only watch helplessly as Mu Guyue escaped with the army amidst the chaos.
Nascent Soul-level magical treasures were extremely difficult to obtain. After Mu Guyue returned to the Black Demon Clan, she had considered selling this prayer bead for demon crystals or bartering it.
But after it was appraised by someone familiar with Buddhist magical treasures, it was determined that this was just a piece of a complete magical treasure.
Not being a complete magical treasure, its power would naturally be greatly diminished, and it would not be easy to sell it for a good price.
But Mu Guyue was unwilling to sell it casually, so she had kept it.
Just now, a sudden inspiration had made Mu Guyue think of this item. She still had other magical treasures in her storage ring, but only one or two were of good quality, and she certainly wouldn't take them out.
The rest were mid-to-low-grade magical treasures. She had thought of the pure Yang path that the Heaven-Confounding Profound Gold Dragon cultivated.
Although such matters were extremely secret, for a Demonic General, it was not a great secret.
Mu Guyue saw that the other party's attitude had indeed changed after she took out the prayer bead, and she knew in her heart that it was just as she had guessed.