Ling Fan, holding the Zhen Xie Saint Saber, had already engaged the Demon Emperor in battle.
The Zhen Xie Saint Saber in Ling Fan's hands displayed even more terrifying power than in the Great Elder's grasp, and it did so without needing to burn the bloodline of the Zhen Mo clan.
Wave after wave of earth-shattering saber energy tore through the sky, shattering the barrier set by the Demon Emperor into pieces.
*Swish!*
Another saber strike was unleashed. The black scales on the Demon Emperor's arm instantly cracked, and demonic blood splattered across the sky!
The Demon Emperor let out a muffled groan, its gaze turning cold. It also tore out with a claw, even the Nirvana Tribulation Body was ripped and bleeding profusely by the Demon Emperor.
Ling Fan seemed oblivious, wielding the Zhen Xie Saint Saber and attacking ferociously.
He hadn't experienced such a thrilling battle in a long time!
The opponents he had encountered before were hardly worth mentioning.
After all, Jiuhua Realm was merely a small border realm, and in the vast universe, it could only be considered a wasteland of martial arts.
This Wan Zang Demon Emperor, however, possessed formidable strength, ranking among the top figures even in the Heavenly Demon Realm.
Now, with its power reduced to the Golden Core level, it was perfect for Ling Fan to hone his combat skills!
Ling Fan almost felt reluctant to kill the Demon Emperor immediately.
As saber energy was unleashed, Ling Fan grew increasingly familiar with the Zhen Xie Saint Saber, causing greater trouble for the Demon Emperor.
The Demon Emperor, enraged, shouted, "If you have the guts, stop using that damned saber! Your own strength, in my eyes, is as fragile as a mere ant!"
Ling Fan sneered, "I have a Earth-tier Saint Weapon and I'm not using it, yet you expect me to fight you empty-handed? Are you an idiot, or am I?"
The Demon Emperor was furious.
"You detestable brat, don't think I can't deal with you! I have only just revived and don't wish to waste too many of my abilities on you!"
"Then show me! Let me see how capable you are, you little demon."
Ling Fan retorted with a cold smile.
"Damn it!"
The Demon Emperor was on the verge of breaking down.
Enraged, it cursed loudly.
"Little demon"? What a joke!
It was a dignified Demon Emperor, not an insignificant figure even in the Heavenly Demon Realm, which was teeming with experts!
To be called a "little demon" by a mere brat from a small border realm was simply too much of an insult... an insult to a demon!
In its fury, the Demon Emperor unleashed various innate skills of the Wan Zang Demon Clan. Instantly, terrifying power swept through the entire Wan Zang Demon Abyss, even pushing back the perpetual miasma above the abyss, allowing sunlight to penetrate it.
"Now that's more like it."
Ling Fan's fighting spirit surged. He seized this rare opportunity to continuously hone his combat skills, as many things had become rusty after his rebirth.
By the end of the battle, within a radius of ten thousand feet, the man and the demon had transformed the area into a terrifying wasteland. Nothing could survive, the ground was cracked, and dreadful saber marks and claw marks had ripped the Wan Zang Demon Abyss to shreds.
The Demon Emperor had initially believed it could outlast Ling Fan through sheer endurance.
After all, its demonic body was incredibly resilient, and its recovery speed was almost miraculous.
There was virtually no other race that could match the demon race in terms of attrition.
This was because the demonic bodies of the demon race were naturally endowed with the talent to devour all energy. The stronger a demon, the more potent its devouring power, making it exceptionally overbearing.
However, it was astonished to discover that Ling Fan's recovery speed was not inferior to its own, and in fact, was significantly stronger!
On one hand, Ling Fan's cultivation of the Wan Hua Ling Jing thrived in the chaotic and abundant spiritual energy of the Wan Zang Demon Abyss.
On the other hand, Ling Fan's Tun Tian Divine Cauldron stored a vast amount of spiritual liquid, which could be absorbed almost instantly, saving him the effort of refining it.
Combined with the robust physique supported by Ling Fan's Nirvana Tribulation Body, it greatly extended Ling Fan's combat endurance.
Thus, the Demon Emperor's plan ultimately fell through.
"Young friend, I admit you are strong! You are even comparable to the top demon prodigies in my Heavenly Demon Realm. How about we call a truce? Let's rule this Jiuhua Realm together! Once we've squeezed all the cultivation resources from this Jiuhua Realm dry, we can then conquer the myriad worlds of the starry sky! With our combined forces, returning to the Heavenly Realm will be within reach."
The Demon Emperor, wary of the Zhen Xie Saint Saber in Ling Fan's hand spitting out terrifying saber energy, changed its demeanor and proposed.
Inwardly, however, it was plotting how to ensnare this brat!
First, it would employ a delaying tactic to pacify him.
Once its strength recovered further, reaching the late Golden Core, peak Golden Core, or even the Manifestation realm, it could then crush him however it pleased.
Ling Fan smiled coldly, knowing full well the Demon Emperor's intentions.
The demon race was the most cunning and treacherous.
Not even a single punctuation mark from the demon race could be trusted!
Ling Fan sneered, "That's too troublesome. How about I refine you directly? Even a weakened Demon Emperor should be a great tonic! Comparable to an Earth-tier pill!"
"Presumptuous!"
The Demon Emperor's eyes bulged, its expression ferocious.
"You little insect, do you truly believe I have no way to deal with you? Today, even if I have to pay a price, I will ensure your soul is annihilated!"
As the words fell, the Demon Emperor extended its sharp fingers and abruptly tapped its brow.
A gash rapidly opened on the Demon Emperor's brow. Demonic blood flowed, and countless ancient characters were etched into the void, resembling the character "魔" (demon) and also the character "葬" (bury).
Each character exuded an aura of ancient, primal power, supremely evil and malevolent.
Once all the characters appeared, they instantly imprinted into the Demon Emperor's brow.
From afar, it looked like a closed third eye.
"There's no change..."
Wei Bin and the strong cultivators of the Zhen Mo clan, watching from tens of miles away, saw the Demon Emperor standing silently in the void and asked in confusion.
However, the elders of the Zhen Mo clan all changed color, their expressions becoming extremely tense.
"This... this demon's self-inflicted injury just now, does it have some significance?"
Wei Bin inquired.
An elder of the Zhen Mo clan explained in a deep voice, "The third eye on the Demon Emperor's brow is called the Burial Aperture. Once a strong practitioner of the Wan Zang Demon Clan reaches a certain critical point, they will open the Burial Aperture. Using their old demonic body as a coffin, they are reborn from death, shedding a new demonic body from the old shell, and their strength will surge!!"
"And after this fellow transforms, what level will its strength reach?"
Wei Bin quickly asked.
The Zhen Mo elder explained, "Although the Demon Emperor is forcibly opening the Burial Aperture, it will surely pay a considerable price. However, its strength will likely increase to the peak of the Golden Core realm, or even advance directly into the Manifestation realm!"
"Holy crap!"
Wei Bin couldn't help but exclaim, "Isn't this cheating?! What's the point of fighting now? We should just tell Brother Ling to run! We might have a chance against a Golden Core realm expert, but the Manifestation realm, they could probably annihilate us with a single breath!"
The Zhen Mo elder sighed, "How can we fathom the methods of a Demon Emperor? We have done all we could; from now on, we can only leave it to fate."
As everyone was speaking,