Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Master Cat Battles the Heart Demon
The clan members of the Five-Colored Dragon Carp rushed to the center of the square. They knelt around the middle-aged man in blue Battle Armor, each with an expression of extreme fanaticism, like devout believers.
"Come back!" Dragon Qing roared, seeing his clansmen behaving in such a manner.
Unfortunately, none of those clansmen paid any heed, remaining in a state of fervor, unable to extricate themselves.
"This..." The young man stared in shock at the scene unfolding before him.
He couldn’t believe that one day his clan members would become like this.
Could it be... that the strangeness of the Ancient Relic had affected these clan members over the years?
And he, who was usually outside searching for the Seven-Colored Golden Lotus, wasn’t affected precisely because of this?
Could it be that the reason the old Clan Leader was clear-headed was because he was blessed with a drop of mysterious green liquid by the Master, which expelled the strangeness?
The young man’s mind was filled with doubts.
Ye Yun watched everything calmly, appearing unbothered.
Just then, the man in the blue Battle Armor in the square suddenly opened his eyes wide. Two beams of light shot out from his eyes, landing like lightning on Dragon Qing.
"Dare you fight?"
As he spoke, the middle-aged man waved his hand, and a large Longsword suddenly appeared in it.
The Sword was three times wider than a normal sword and twice as long.
Its bright blade shimmered, emitting wisps of chilling air.
In an instant, a thin layer of ice formed on the bodies of the Five-Colored Dragon Carp members kneeling on the ground.
Seeing the man in blue Battle Armor acting so brazenly, Dragon Qing seethed with rage, his blood boiling, ready to charge.
Ye Yun’s brow twitched slightly.
Dragon Qing was immediately restrained on the spot.
Dragon Qing was only at Level two Nirvana Realm, while that inhuman fellow was already at the Seventh Level of Nirvanic Realm. If Dragon Qing charged forward now, he would just be throwing his life away.
Ye Yun turned his head and glanced lightly in a certain direction.
The Big Black Horse sensed something.
"Little Cat, it’s your time to shine; don’t come back until you’re half dead!" the Big Black Horse smirked.
"Uncle Ma, rest assured! I, Little Cat, have nine lives, and I’m prepared to put them all on the line today! I swear I’ll fight that thing—neither ghost nor human—to the death!" the Big Black Cat declared, suddenly standing erect and patting its chest with its paws.
Though its words were ferocious, its eyes glowed green, as if it had spotted a rare treasure.
"Haha, go on then! Don’t keep the Master waiting!" the Big Black Horse said, laughing heartily as it saw how eager the Big Black Cat was.
Its tail coiled gently, and it tossed the Big Black Cat out like a beanbag.
SWOOSH!
A dark shadow broke through the current, quickly advancing from a distance, heavily striking the middle-aged man in the blue Battle Armor.
"What is this?" The middle-aged man was surprised.
The black shadow moved so quickly that he could only raise his Sword to block.
BANG!
The Big Black Cat’s forepaws struck the Sword. An unimaginable force surged through the blade into him.
The middle-aged man couldn’t keep his footing and was forced to retreat repeatedly.
The Big Black Cat was also sent tumbling backward through the water by a huge counterforce, rolling several times before it managed to stabilize itself.
"Haha, that was exhilarating! Thanks for the boost from your tail, Uncle Ma!" the Big Black Cat exclaimed, hovering in the air and making a bowing gesture with its front paws towards a certain direction.
With a shimmer, it transformed. Its body suddenly grew immense, like a small mountain, revealing its true form as a Nine-tailed Spirit Cat.
"It’s actually a Nine-tailed Spirit Cat at the Seventh Level of Nirvanic Realm!"
Dragon Qing stood in place, staring at the Big Black Cat, his eyes widening.
Where did this cat come from?
Why would it help their Five-Colored Dragon Carp clan?
While Dragon Qing was shocked, the young man was even more astonished. His eyes widened like saucers, and he stood frozen like a statue, unable to move.
Wasn’t this the Big Black Cat that always lay on the cart?
Who would have thought it was such a powerful demon in the Nirvana Realm?
Revealing its true form, it’s truly terrifying!
The young man couldn’t help but recall the Big Black Horse that had aided him in breaking the Formation at Cloud Dream Mountain.
If a Big Black Cat could be this strong...
Then wouldn’t that Big Black Horse, who the Big Black Cat had obeyed throughout their journey, be even more formidable?
The young man dared not imagine further.
...
At that moment, he stood behind Ye Yun, gazing at that godlike back. The look in his eyes grew even more fanatical.
The man in the blue Battle Armor was now swaying, his form appearing somewhat insubstantial.
He sized up the Big Black Cat, a cold light glinting in his eyes.
"An impressive demon, but you are no match for me!"
Saying this, the middle-aged man charged at the Big Black Cat, Sword in hand.
In an instant, dazzling sword-light filled the entire square, assaulting the Big Black Cat from all directions.
The sword-light was astonishing, infused with the immense power of a Nirvana Realm expert.
The Big Black Cat, full of fighting spirit, swiped its enormous paws at the middle-aged man.
BOOM BOOM!
Its massive paws shattered countless beams of sword-light.
However, the sword-light was sharp and imbued with icy coldness, injuring the Big Black Cat’s paws.
Nevertheless, being a great demon, its physical body was naturally robust.
Even minor injuries were not a significant issue.
The two of them engaged in fierce combat in mid-air.
Perhaps because the man in the blue Battle Armor did not wish to harm the Five-Colored Dragon Carp clan members in the square, he kept all his attacks confined to the airspace above it.
Despite this, the aftershocks of their battle still rippled across the square below.
Ye Yun’s expression changed.
In mid-air, an invisible protective light shield materialized, safeguarding all the Five-Colored Dragon Carp clan members.
RUMBLE!
The battle grew fiercer. The middle-aged man seemed inhuman; he didn’t bleed or show signs of injury even when the Big Black Cat’s claws struck his body—it only made his form grow a little more insubstantial.
After the two battled for a while, the middle-aged man, seeing the ferocity of the Big Black Cat, let out a long roar and swiftly retreated a hundred meters.
Then, with a sweeping gesture of his hand, dozens of gray-black lights suddenly emerged from the heads of the Five-Colored Dragon Carp clan members.
These eerie lights emitted chilling wails and howls, morphing into giant demonic heads that then flew into the man’s body.
At this moment, his cultivation base surged once again, astonishingly reaching the Eighth Layer of Nirvana Realm!
Is this the Heart Demon?! Dragon Qing exclaimed in shock, his face paling as he saw those gray-black demonic heads.
So, Heart Demons had somehow been born inside the clan members; no wonder they all went insane earlier.
These Heart Demons didn’t seem very formidable; they appeared to be mere strands of splintered consciousness.
Dragon Qing then turned his eyes to the middle-aged man.
This fellow can absorb Heart Demons... Does that mean he is the true Heart Demon?
Dragon Qing’s breathing became ragged.
Legends of the Heart Demon had long circulated on the Cangnan Continent.
The Heart Demon was always mysterious—formless, traceless, its origins unknown.
Once a Heart Demon controlled a Cultivator, the blood and Qi within the Cultivator’s body would be constantly eroded, thereby strengthening the Heart Demon.
Heart Demons are difficult to detect; only exceptionally powerful experts can perceive their existence.
There are many types of Heart Demons, but all excel at creating avatars.
They can instantaneously create thousands of avatars that secretly infiltrate a Cultivator’s body.
These avatars devour Qi and blood to strengthen themselves. When they return to the main body, the Heart Demon’s true form becomes even more powerful.
No wonder the clan members have made such slow progress in their cultivation these past few years... They’ve been possessed by this Heart Demon! Dragon Qing murmured to himself.