Chapter 268: Chapter 66: Battle or Breakthrough
BANG!!
Fierce combat erupted on the street. With all his strength unleashed, Xun Qu’s eyes turned blood red, and black energy swirled around his palms as he hammered out palm after palm, wreaking havoc in every direction.
Evading. Ultimately, there was no escape.
After several days of hiding, he was still found by the Demon Evil. Now, the wind swirling around was actually some unknown type of Demon Evil—invisible and intangible. He could only rely on his powerful perception to contend with those things.
BOOM!!
A fierce palm strike cracked the street itself. The shrill screams seemed as though they could penetrate directly into one’s soul. In response, Xun Qu’s expression remained unchanged as he struck out with another palm, destroying whatever lurked behind him.
Soon enough, all was calm. He finally ceased his attack as the black energy faded away.
Yet, that ominous premonition in his heart never disappeared; instead, it intensified, as if some dire event was about to occur.
What exactly does that thing want to do! Xun Qu’s face was grave.
He had thought that once his whereabouts were exposed, the Demon Evil hiding in the shadows would formally make its move against him. But in the end, from start to finish, the Demon Evil in hiding never made a move. No, it wasn’t that it didn’t make a move. It was because that Demon Evil had never come at all.
Xun Qu knew very well that the Demon Evil intended to kill him, or rather, to devour him to achieve a breakthrough. Now, with his whereabouts exposed, there was no reason for the opponent not to attack.
Could it be— Xun Qu thought of a possibility, and his face turned pale. Then, he shook his head.
Impossible, how could it break through so easily again? But it’s hard to say; if all the civilians of Luyang City were really devoured by it, a breakthrough is not impossible.
Xun Qu’s face darkened. This was the worst-case scenario. He had fought that Demon Evil; its methods were in no way inferior to a Defender Envoy. If it were outside the Barrier, Xun Qu was confident he could deal with the Demon Evil, but inside the Barrier, he was no match.
In such a situation, if the Demon Evil made another breakthrough, Xun Qu found it hard to imagine just how powerful it would become. At that time, he would truly become like fish on a chopping board, waiting for death.
No! I absolutely cannot let it succeed in breaking through, or not only will I die, but South Nether Prefecture will also be in grave trouble. Xun Qu shook his head. Morally and logically, he had no reason to sit idly by and watch his opponent succeed in its breakthrough.
After a while, he felt somewhat dejected. Indeed, the Demon Evil could not be allowed to succeed in its breakthrough, but the problem was, how exactly could he stop it?
In terms of strength, having exchanged blows earlier, he was clearly no match for it. If he rashly went there now, it wouldn’t be stopping the opponent’s breakthrough but rather contributing an extra dish to its meal.
Immediately, Xun Qu couldn’t help cursing Ji Tianlu once again. Would you hurry up? Are you really waiting for me to die before you come to collect the body?
If he could return, even knowing he couldn’t win, he would still choose to face his opponent in a duel. There was no other way. What Ji Tianlu did was truly reprehensible. He had been trapped in Luyang City for so long, yet no one had even come. If someone had come, he wouldn’t have fallen to this state.
After cursing once, Xun Qu didn’t continue, since Ji Tianlu couldn’t hear him anyway. Cursing was in vain, a mere waste of his energy. At most, it was just to vent his frustration.
Suddenly, his Divine Sense shifted slightly. Xun Qu looked toward the corner at the end of the street, his face showing a complex expression—a mix of hope and caution.
Someone is coming, and not just one person! Within his perception, he knew that several people were heading his way from the street corner.
For a moment, Xun Qu could not tell friend from foe. With this thought, he looked at the building beside him and, with one leap, reached the roof, then crouched down to silently observe the street corner.
Shortly after, Su Wan’er and the others appeared from around the corner.
"It’s strange," Su Wan’er said, looking puzzled. "There were clearly disturbances from a battle just now. How did they vanish so quickly?"
Even from some distance, she had felt the battle disturbances. But by the time they arrived, all they saw was the shattered street.
Yin Xiu spoke in a chilling tone, "There shouldn’t be many living beings left in Luyang City at this point. Those capable of causing such disturbances are very likely the Defender Envoy trapped in the city."
Defender Envoy! The two Elders of the Eternal Alliance tensed. But then, thinking of the formidable member of the Demon Evil Clan before them, they relaxed slightly. The Defender Envoy was strong indeed, but this member of the Demon Evil Clan was no weakling. With him around, confronting the Defender Envoy was not impossible.
Another person said, "Elder Yin Xiu, what should we do now?"
"Whether he has left is still uncertain; he might just be hiding nearby. We needn’t worry too much. Let’s just go find that Demon Evil," Yin Xiu replied, his expression unchanged. He had no intention of clashing with Xun Qu just yet. The matter of utmost urgency was to find the Demon Evil hidden within Luyang City, sway it to join their faction, and then, finally, deal with Xun Qu.
Upon hearing this, the two of them did not respond. Yin Xiu’s Divine Sense spread out, sweeping the vicinity back and forth numerous times. After confirming there were no issues, he stepped forward.
Seeing this, Su Wan’er and the other Eternal Alliance Elders hurriedly followed.
Atop the roof, Xun Qu concealed his aura. When Yin Xiu’s Divine Sense swept over, he hardly dared to breathe, fearing he might be detected.
Only after the group had completely left did he emerge from the shadows. Demon Evil! Xun Qu’s face was incredibly grim.
He hadn’t expected a Demon Evil to enter Luyang City at this time. Moreover, from their words, their intention was clear: to recruit the Demon Evil within Luyang City.
The situation was already troublesome enough. Now, with even the Demon Evil Clan involved, the difficulty had risen another level. Xun Qu didn’t pay much attention to the two Eternal Alliance Elders with Yin Xiu. Two Demonfolk at the late-stage Grandmaster level were indeed strong, but in front of a Defender Envoy, they were insignificant.
Looking in the direction the group had departed, a conflicted expression appeared on his face. To go, or not to go. That is the question.
If he allowed the Demon Evil Clan to succeed in their recruitment, the situation in South Nether Prefecture would become even more troublesome. Moreover, two Demonfolk from the Eternal Alliance and a Demon Evil had managed to enter Luyang City with ease, seemingly without attracting the attention of the Demon-Subduing Division. Given these circumstances, Xun Qu was genuinely alarmed by the Demon Evil Clan’s concealment techniques. In the past, let alone a Demon Evil, even a Fiend Level Strange Monster would find it difficult to conceal its tracks. Any slight leakage of Yin Evil Aura would be detected by the Demon-Subduing Division. As for a Demon Evil, sneaking into Great Qin undetected was even less likely.
The Demon Evil Clan’s concealment techniques are potent. I must spread the word. Otherwise, if Demon Evils leverage such techniques, Great Qin might suffer a significant loss—
As Xun Qu thought of this, he extinguished the idea of immediately confronting the Demon Evil in a life-or-death battle. After all, he was already unable to handle the Demon Evil in Luyang City on his own, let alone with an additional Demon Evil, which would be an even greater trouble. Had he not been injured, he would have been confident he could suppress that Demon Evil with thunderous force. But now, Xun Qu clearly understood the situation. If he couldn’t win, there was no need for a head-on confrontation. It would be better to delay; perhaps reinforcements from Mountain-Breaking City would arrive soon.
He needed to leave Luyang City and relay the news about the Demon Evil Clan. Having made his decision, Xun Qu quietly retreated.
「—」
Where on earth is Xun Qu! In the silent streets, Shen Changqing’s face was grim.
He couldn’t remember how long he had been inside Luyang City. During that time, the mysterious, strange wind had attacked him several times, but he had extinguished it each time. The power of the strange wind was indeed formidable, yet compared to a Grandmaster Peak expert, it still fell short. However, he had found no trace of Xun Qu, and Shen Changqing was starting to grow impatient.
Pausing, he gazed ahead. The streets lay empty, but just a moment ago, a surge of potent Yin Evil Aura had quivered, as if a powerful entity was engaged in a great battle there, or as if a heart was beating intensely.
THUMP!!
Another deafening vibration. There’s a situation! Shen Changqing’s face became solemn.
Though he could not see anything at the moment, he could feel a threat emanating from that direction. The Demon Evil of Luyang City! The thought immediately sprang to his mind.
Considering what kind of Demon Evil in Luyang City could possess such a strong Yin Evil Aura and cause such a commotion, he could only think of the one that had created the Barrier.
What is it doing to make such a racket! Is it fighting? Or is it breaking through?
As Shen Changqing hesitated, the vibrating sound came again. Without further hesitation, he headed towards its source.
Whether it was a battle or a Demon Evil trying to break through, he couldn’t ignore it. If it was the former, then the one fighting the Demon Evil was very likely Xun Qu. After all, besides a Defender Envoy, it was unlikely anyone else could battle such a Demon Evil. His purpose here was to rescue Xun Qu.
If it was the latter, he had even more reason to go. Being inside the Barrier himself, if he allowed the Demon Evil to successfully break through, Shen Changqing would be even less certain of handling it.
Therefore, he had to investigate.