Chapter 131: The Price of overconfidence!

The demonic cultivator slowly looked down at his torn robe. Four thin scratches crossed his left leg, dark blood trickling over the scorched skin beneath.

For a few suffocating seconds, no one moved. Then, the demonic cultivator raised his head. His rotten mouth stretched into a dangerous grin as his deep eyes locked onto Lin Yuan.

"You..." In the next instant, his body rushed forward in a blur of black motion.

"White Tiger!" Lin Yuan commanded frantically, staggering backward.

The silver-white tiger phantom lunged forward with a loud roar, its massive sharp claws colliding head-on with Wànshī.

The streak of sparks showered across the tiles, and the sheer shockwave threw Lin Yuan backward. He dug his boots into the stone, barely stabilizing himself before the demonic cultivator appeared in front of his face.

The demonic cultivator’s right wrist flicked, sending the black blade sweeping toward Lin Yuan’s chest.

Lin Yuan raised his arm, channeling his core to form a dense shield of light-blue beast essence.

The blade slammed into the barrier, instant spiderweb cracks fracturing the shield.

"Damn!" Lin Yuan spat, retreating three quick paces.

The white tiger pounced from the flank, but the demonic cultivator tilted his body at a strange angle; the tiger’s claws grazed past his cheek by an inch. The cultivator slammed his elbow into the tiger phantom’s head.

The white tiger was thrown sideways, crashing onto the floor.

Lin Yuan’s eyes twitched in panic. ’This bastard is targeting me.’

The demonic cultivator lunged forward again. Lin Yuan crouched under a lethal horizontal slash of Wànshī and drove his essence-infused fist into the man’s exposed ribs.

The punch landed solid. The demonic cultivator’s body moved a few feet sideways from the impact, but he didn’t even lose his balance. He simply turned his scorched face toward Lin Yuan and smiled.

Meanwhile, the Blood Hound Bat descended from the rafters like a crimson comet.

Chi Leiyang immediately summoned his beast. "Get it!"

The fierce lightning burst out across the Lightning Panther’s body as it leaped into the air to attack the bat. The two spirit beasts collided in midair with a loud screech.

Chi Leiyang thrust both hands forward, concentrating his light-blue essence into two piercing lightning claws that ripped through the air.

The Blood Hound Bat twisted between the thunder strikes, its wings snapping open as it unleashed a strong, agonizing sonic boom.

"Shit," Chi Leiyang groaned, his expression twitched.

The Lightning Panther was blasted backward by the sonic shockwave, and Chi Leiyang barely had time to cross his arms before the force slammed into him. His body was launched across the hall, crashing into a massive stone pillar.

"Chi Leiyang!" Xue Jianhong yelled, immediately shifting his footing toward the Blood Hound Bat.

He swung his Frostfall vehemently, releasing a massive crescent of freezing sword light that slashed through the air.

The Blood Hound Bat dodged the icy arc, but Xue Jianhong closed the distance instantly, striking its descending claws with the flat of Frostfall. The beast screeched under the impact.

"Get down!" Xue Jianhong roared, taking the advantage.

The Blood Hound Bat opened its maw, a crimson glow gathering within its throat.

"Fuck!!" Xue Jianhong’s eyes widened. "Not again—"

Another sonic blast rumbled at point-blank range. Xue Jianhong held Frostfall in front of him to shield himself, but the shockwave dragged his legs across the stone, carving trenches into the floor.

At the back edge of the hall, Cang Ming and Xue Hongzhao closed in toward Lin Yuan’s position. The divine phoenix flames flared around his body, emanating intense heat.

"Brat!" Xue Hongzhao shouted, waving his sleeve.

Lin Yuan stared at him with an intense gaze. "I’m fine!"

"Tsk! You intend to fight that monster alone?" Xue Hongzhao frowned, clicking his tongue.

"I can handle him!"

"No.. None of us can handle him alone..."Cang Ming stepped alongside Lin Yuan, his sacred Qilin phantom appearing behind him within a golden light. "Even the sect master can’t handle him alone!"

Lin Yuan looked toward the demonic cultivator. The man stood casually in the chaos. His right hand held Wànshī at a low angle, while his left hand subtly twitched, controlling the Blood Hound Bat from a distance.

Despite being outnumbered, he remained calm and composed.

He was facing five opponents with ease.

’How the hell is he doing this?’ Lin Yuan’s eyes narrowed in anger. A faint desire to become stronger lingered in his eyes.

The demonic cultivator vanished, reappearing instantly beside Lin Yuan. Cang Ming intercepted the strike, bracing his essence-infused arm against Wànshī.

The force pushed Cang Ming’s feet backward across the stone floor.

Xue Hongzhao unleashed a wave of Eternal Flame. A fiery Phoenix silhouette dove down toward the demonic cultivator, but the man twisted his body sideways, allowing the flames to pass inches from his skin.

At the same instant, Lin Yuan’s white tiger struck from behind. The demonic cultivator crouched under the claws. Cang Ming brought down a devastating fist from above, but the cultivator jumped back. Xue Hongzhao’s flames pursued him, but he twisted in midair to evade once more.

Attack after attack descended in good precision, but every single time, he evaded with eerie perfection.

Lin Yuan analysed, nodding his head.

Cang Ming reached the same conclusion. "He’s reading our attack patterns!"

"Then give him no time to think!" Xue Hongzhao immediately answered, his eyes burning with divine fire.

The sect master raised both hands, letting out a wave of golden-crimson flames that swallowed the surroundings. "Now!"

Lin Yuan and Cang Ming moved at the same time. The white tiger and the Qilin struck in unison.

The four overwhelming forces slammed simultaneously from four angles.

The demonic cultivator’s calm expression finally twitched a bit. He was forced to bring Wànshī across his chest to form a desperate defensive barrier.

The combined impact swallowed him whole in an explosion of dust and fire.

The demonic cultivator was blasted backward, his legs skidding across the ruined stone tiles.

Cang Ming appeared before him, thrusting an essence-infused fist forward with the force of a falling meteor.

The cultivator blocked with the blade of Wànshī again, but the white tiger pounced from his blind spot, its claws tearing through his upper robes.

Xue Hongzhao’s phoenix flames crept down from above, scorching the cultivator’s shoulder again and setting his tattered robes ablaze.

For the first time, his unshakeable expression shattered.

Cang Ming caught the movement instantly. "He’s losing balance!"

"Then don’t let him gain balance again!" Lin Yuan yelled, gritting his teeth.

Across the hall, Chi Leiyang was thrown across the floor once more, coughing up blood as he struggled to stand beside his panting Lightning Panther.

The Blood Hound Bat was also battered, its wings torn in a few places and dark blood dripping from its claws, but still it was flying.

Turning its hollow black eyes away from Chi Leiyang, the beast locked onto Xue Jianhong, who stood a few paces away.

It dived straight for him. Xue Jianhong raised Frostfall, his chest heaving with exhaustion. "Come!"

The bat slammed with his blade.

Xue Jianhong shoved the creature back and swung Frostfall repeatedly, creating a storm of sharp ice blades that filled the surrounding air.

The Blood Hound Bat moved wildly through the storm, but a few ice blades sliced through its wings and shoulders, spraying dark blood.

The beast screeched in agony, but instead of retreating, it accelerated into the blizzard of ice.

Xue Jianhong’s eyes widened. "Damn it!"

The Blood Hound Bat slammed into his chest with an immense force.

Xue Jianhong was thrown backward, landing on one knee. But his hand still clutched Frostfall’s hilt, his breathing was shallow and his aperture was nearly drained.

In the edge of the hall, the demonic cultivator was also trapped.

Cang Ming blocked his left; Lin Yuan and the white tiger blocked his right; Xue Hongzhao locked down the space above.

The pressure was lethal. The cultivator’s robes wavered in scorched tatters, blood dripping from his leg, and his movements had become slow.

"It’s over," Xue Hongzhao raised his hand, concentrating his remaining power into a massive Phoenix hovering above his head.

Lin Yuan’s white tiger crouched low, ready to leap. Cang Ming’s Qilin lowered its head, its golden horn throbbing with beast essence.

Three spirit beast auras waiting to tear upon the single target. The demonic cultivator looked at the three of them.

Then, he smiled with pure madness.

"Why are you smiling, rotten filth?" Cang Ming yelled, his face filled with anger and grim.

The Qilin phantom lunged forward, its horn aimed straight at the cultivator’s chest.

The demonic cultivator didn’t attempt to dodge. He simply kept smiling. And then, a horrifying silence fell over the hall.

The Qilin’s golden horn impaled the Blood Hound Bat, which had suddenly appeared in place of him out of thin air.

The beast’s stomach was pierced vehemently, its dark blood dripping over the golden horn.

"What?!" Cang Ming gasped, his eyes widening in shock.

The dead bat let out a low screech in the Qilin’s horn. But the demonic cultivator was gone.

Lin Yuan’s eyes twitched, looking aside. "Where—"

A dark blur flashed, reappearing behind the kneeling, exhausted Xue Jianhong. Xue Jianhong felt the sudden chill behind his neck and began to turn his head.

But he was too late, and Wànshī moved in a lethal arc. It was a clean, effortless stroke.

The black blade sliced silently through Xue Jianhong’s neck. The eerie silence dropped over the hall like an evil veil.

Xue Jianhong’s body remained frozen on one knee for a brief second, his eyes still wide open.

Then, his head moved cleanly from his shoulders. Thick blood spraying like a fountain from his severed throat as his head struck the stone floorboards with four dull and wet thuds.

The Frostfall slipped from his pale hand. The headless body collapsed forward, a pool of blood sprawling across the area instantly.

For one second, no one understood what happened.

Cang Ming stared in disbelief at the fallen corpse. Chi Leiyang froze mid-walk, the tears crawling with pure rage. Lin Yuan’s heart stopped. Xue Hongzhao’s face turned pale.

The main hall fell dead silent. Then, an overwhelming wave of murderous beast essence erupted from every corner of the room.

Cang Ming’s Qilin let out an earth-shattering roar. Chi Leiyang’s Lightning Panther howled with rage. Lin Yuan’s White Tiger bared its razor fangs, its aura rattling wildly.

And behind Xue Hongzhao, the Phoenix burst out into a roaring sun of pure fire. The sect master’s face twitched into an expression of apocalyptic rage.

The demonic cultivator slowly spun Wànshī in his right hand, dripping crimson blood onto the stone floor as his rotten lips curled into a smile.