Chapter 756: A Small Ploy

Chapter 756: Chapter 741: A Small Ploy

When Shen Lang finally ceased his frantic movements, the hearts of the three people inside the Ten Thousand Demons Black Flame Barrier began to pound in their chests.

Zuo Feng cast all other concerns aside. He stopped channeling Spirit Techniques into the Ten Thousand Demons Ancient Stele and began striking it frantically with his palms.

The Ten Thousand Demons Ancient Stele began to continuously reabsorb the surrounding Black Flame that formed the barrier.

Under Zuo Feng’s efforts, the Ten Thousand Demons Black Flame Barrier began to grow unstable, looking as if it might collapse at any moment.

Shen Lang activated his Silver Eyes of Truth, observing every change in the Ten Thousand Demons Black Flame Barrier and the Ancient Stele. The corners of his lips curled into a smile.

His gaze then settled on a small, inconspicuous crater.

With his Silver Eyes of Truth, Shen Lang could clearly see the dismembered Puppet that Jun Tianyu had used earlier. It lay in the crater, emitting a faint, unnoticed Spirit Light.

‘This Jun Tianyu is no simpleton. He probably planned this move the moment he brought out the Puppet… Oh well. After all this trouble, it’s time to end it.’

Shen Lang walked to his right along the edge of the Ten Thousand Demons Black Flame Barrier, beckoning to Duanmu Xie as he went.

“My Lord, is it my turn?” Duanmu Xie asked, scurrying over excitedly.

After walking for about two hundred meters, Shen Lang stopped and sent a message via Divine Thought. “From this position, look over three hundred meters away. Do you see that thirty-meter-long sword mark on the edge of the barrier?”

Duanmu Xie looked into the distance and nodded. “I see it. But, My Lord… that doesn’t look like a sword mark. It looks more like a coffin lid.”

“…” Shen Lang rolled his eyes, barely restraining the urge to cut the man down.

Duanmu Xie paused, then added, “My Lord, did I say something wrong? It really does look like a coffin lid. You can rest easy. When it comes to coffin lids, no one is more of an expert than me. Why, back in my day…”

“Damn it, shut your mouth!” Shen Lang finally snapped. “Say ‘coffin lid’ one more time, and I’ll refine *you* into one to build a coffin for that old ghost!”

Duanmu Xie flinched and dared not utter another word.

Shen Lang then said, “Listen carefully. In a moment, the Ten Thousand Demons Black Flame Barrier will open. You are to charge in from where I’m standing right now. Ignore everything else and head straight for the end of that sword mark. Zuo Feng will try to escape through an exit there. At his speed, you should arrive at roughly the same time. I want you to beat him senseless! Got it?”

“U-Understood!” A glint of excitement appeared in Duanmu Xie’s eyes.

‘But he didn’t actually understand at all. This damn barrier looks so strong that even Jun Tianyu can’t get out… How does My Lord know an opening will appear here, and another one over there? And how does he know Zuo Feng will try to escape through that specific one? Ugh… it’s giving me a headache just thinking about it. Whatever. My Lord has never been wrong.’

Duanmu Xie’s body trembled as he began to gather his power, poised to strike.

At that moment, Shen Lang looked at Jun Tianyu inside the Ten Thousand Demons Black Flame Barrier and said, “You’ve already activated the Fiery Fire and Arrogant Sun Qi, as well as the Nine Netherworld Ice Qi. When combined, these two opposing energies have many wondrous applications.”

“You can no longer use that sword attack, but there’s another ultimate technique I haven’t taught you. Listen closely!”

Jun Tianyu, inside the Ten Thousand Demons Black Flame Barrier, had been waiting for those exact words. He was overjoyed to hear Shen Lang’s announcement.

The hearts of the brothers, Zuo Feng and Zuo Yun, sank, and their expressions grew even fouler.

‘Nothing good ever happens when that Ghost-faced Person speaks!’

‘He taught Jun Tianyu a single technique, and it was enough to beat them this badly. Another one would surely be the death of them!’

‘No matter how powerful that Ghost-faced Person is, I have nothing to fear as long as I don’t give Jun Tianyu an opening!’

At this thought, Zuo Yun’s body suddenly swelled to over a hundred feet tall, like a Giant!

Monstrous Demonic Qi billowed from his body, like an endless torrent of leaping Demon Flames.

“Tornado Rain Strike! Wave Heaven!”

With a furious roar, Zuo Yun swung his Giant Axe down at Jun Tianyu. The blade radiated a sharp, crimson light that reflected endless scenes of brutal slaughter and flying blood.

A suffocating Killing Intent filled the air as thousands of phantom Giant Axes appeared. They crashed down like a monstrous tidal wave, blanketing the entire Ten Thousand Demons Black Flame Barrier.

He wanted to force Jun Tianyu into a head-on confrontation, giving him no time to receive instructions from the Ghost-faced Person outside.

“Without the Netherworld Demon Claw, you’re no match for me!”

Undeterred, Jun Tianyu let out a long laugh and brandished his twin swords, engaging Zuo Yun in battle once more.

Only then did Shen Lang calmly recite the Heart Method: “Feel the Ren and Du Meridians. Channel the Nine Netherworld Ice Qi through the Life Gate, Xuanshu, and Spine Middle. Channel the Fiery Fire and Arrogant Sun Qi through Qugu, Middle Extreme, and Guan Yuan!”

“Feel the Xing Meridian. Merge the two flows, break through the Vein Gate, exit through the Purple Palace, circulate throughout the body, and sink into the Baihui. Good! Now, strike with the resonating meridians!”

Jun Tianyu, already adept at wielding both the Fiery Fire and Arrogant Sun Qi and the Nine Netherworld Ice Qi, fended off Zuo Yun’s attacks while rapidly circulating his Spiritual Power as Shen Lang instructed.

Then, with both swords, he slashed down viciously at Zuo Yun!

Zuo Yun was stunned. Without a second thought, he instantly retreated over three hundred meters and threw up a barrier as thick as a mountain, putting himself on full alert.

Zuo Feng immediately ducked behind the Ten Thousand Demons Ancient Stele, terrified that Jun Tianyu was about to unleash another tyrannical ultimate technique like the combined sword attack.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

A long, resonant sound, like the tolling of an alarm bell, echoed continuously as a brilliant light erupted from Jun Tianyu’s body.

The light then began to dissipate.

Both Jun Tianyu and Zuo Yun froze, stunned…

The technique Shen Lang had taught Jun Tianyu truly was an ultimate move!

Crucially, it wasn’t an offensive technique, but a defensive one!

As Jun Tianyu unleashed the technique, a series of strange, upward-slanting shields materialized around him. They formed a pyramid-like defense, layer upon layer, completely enclosing him at its core.

Jun Tianyu now looked as if he were frozen inside a pyramidal glacier!

Flame Shields and Ice Shields were layered one on top of the other, forming a bizarre and extraordinary overlapping defense.

While Jun Tianyu was still dazed, Shen Lang’s voice rang out again: “Detonate the Puppet.”

“Huh?” Jun Tianyu was taken aback again. With a flick of his will, he summoned a massive, thick black Giant Shield, planting it in front of him to face the Puppet’s location.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Jun Tianyu then activated his Divine Thought.

“Burst!”

The Puppet, which had been lying quietly in the crater, intended as a final killing blow… suddenly erupted in a blinding flash of light!

“This is bad!”

Zuo Yun cried out, frantically pouring Spiritual Power from his hands into his Shield as he retreated backward with all possible speed.

The White Banner Lineage of the Five-Colored Banner specialized in controlling Puppets.

The Puppets they crafted were extremely formidable, no weaker than an ordinary Emperor Martial Realm expert.

Although the previously disabled Puppet couldn’t last more than a few exchanges against Zuo Feng and Zuo Yun while they wielded the Netherworld Demon Claw…

…the self-destruction of a Puppet equivalent to an Emperor Martial Realm expert would release such tyrannical power that not even Zuo Feng and Zuo Yun at their peak would dare to face it head-on!

When Jun Tianyu had deployed the Puppet, this had been his original plan: to use it for a mutually destructive blow at the critical moment.

Shen Lang, however, had seen through his scheme. That was why he’d concocted this “ultimate technique,” openly having him activate the Fiery Fire and Arrogant Sun Qi and the Nine Netherworld Ice Qi to form an incredibly powerful Multi-Layered Shield.

The moment this Shield formed, Jun Tianyu, ever cautious, added another shield in front of himself—and then the Puppet immediately self-destructed.

The Ten Thousand Demons Black Flame Barrier, which was meant to trap Jun Tianyu, now held Zuo Feng and Zuo Yun captive, leaving them with no escape.

BOOM!

A deafening, blinding explosion rang out as a howling wind spread the stench of death throughout the entire barrier.

Energy of an utterly tyrannical magnitude raged madly within the Ten Thousand Demons Black Flame Barrier, crashing, surging, and reverberating.

The three people inside were all blasted into the air by this immense force, sent tumbling violently into the Black Flame Barrier.

The Shield formed by the mutual repulsion and fusion of the Fiery Fire and Arrogant Sun Qi and the Nine Netherworld Ice Technique was indeed supremely powerful!

Zuo Feng and Zuo Yun were instantly knocked senseless by the force of the Puppet’s self-destruction. But when the violent energy slammed into Jun Tianyu’s Shield, most of it slid upward along the slanted Magic Shields!

It was like throwing a full-force punch at a slanted sheet of ice; the fist would involuntarily slide upward, dissipating most of its power.

Still, the energy from the Puppet’s self-destruction was truly immense.

It first shattered the heavy shield in front of Jun Tianyu. Then, even after the pyramid-like Shield had deflected most of the force, the remainder still smashed the Ice and Flame Shields to pieces…

Jun Tianyu retreated rapidly and threw a punch forward. He let out a muffled grunt as he, too, was sent flying.

With the force reduced by multiple layers of defense, Jun Tianyu ultimately sustained only minor injuries.

Staring at his own unscathed body, Jun Tianyu gasped for breath, his face a mask of utter disbelief.

On the other side, Zuo Feng had relied on the Ten Thousand Demons Ancient Stele’s defenses to block the ravaging energy.

He was wearing Zuo Yun’s Armor and had three Magic Shields floating around him. In the end, he was only grazed by the edge of the immense energy, which destroyed the three Magic Shields and his Armor, flinging him to the edge of the Black Flame Barrier.

Although his injuries were aggravated, he wasn’t completely disabled.

Zuo Yun, however, was not so fortunate.

Zuo Yun’s body had been torn apart. Nearly a third of it was gone, exposing stark white bone. He was a terrifying, grisly sight, like a true demon.

The Ten Thousand Demons Black Flame Barrier trembled violently. Most of the surrounding Black Flame dissipated, reabsorbed by the Ten Thousand Demons Ancient Stele at an even faster rate.

At that moment, two figures shot up simultaneously.