Chapter 172: The Mantis Hunts the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

The three great demon generals instinctively took half a step back upon hearing Ye Beixuan's words.

This human youth before them had managed to slay Nether Serpent, who was of the same cultivation level as them. Killing the three of them wouldn't be difficult for him either.

These demon generals had each lived for over a thousand years—none of them wanted to die inexplicably at the hands of a mere Dao Foundation human.

Their retreat was slight, but it didn't escape Ye Beixuan's eyes.

He knew that at this moment, he absolutely could not show any weakness in terms of aura or momentum. Otherwise, the three beasts would attack immediately.

Although Ye Beixuan wasn't afraid of them, he also didn't want to waste a strike of sword qi. After all, his master had only left him three.

Each use reduced his reserve, and the Yunxia Mountains were filled with dangers. Who knew what threats might emerge after this?

He smiled faintly. "That's all it takes to scare you? Do you even resemble Spirit Nourishment demon generals anymore?"

The words weren't especially harmful—but they were incredibly insulting.

The three demon generals exchanged glances. The leopard demon already showed signs of retreat in its eyes. As valuable as the Nine-Leaf Purple Lotus was, its own life was more important.

The human-faced spider demon stared venomously at Ye Beixuan and murmured, "My lord, don't be angry. I was just teasing you."

With just one sentence, Ye Beixuan's eyes became blurry, and multiple overlapping images appeared in his vision.

The once hideous spider demon now appeared in his eyes as an unbelievably beautiful and enchanting woman—so dazzling he felt intoxicated.

Fortunately, he had been reborn. Though his cultivation was gone, his soul remained powerful.

After only a brief moment of disorientation, he snapped back to his senses. He had almost fallen into her trap.

The spider demon didn't realize Ye Beixuan had recovered. To her, the young man before her had already succumbed to her illusion technique, and she would soon devour him—claiming the Nine-Leaf Purple Lotus for herself.

As for those other two fools? Not even worth mentioning.

"My lord, let me give you a hug."

As she spoke, the spider demon spat a strand of silk toward Ye Beixuan.

The other two demon generals didn't move, but they were ready. If the human defeated the spider demon, they would flee. If the spider demon killed the youth, they would strike to seize the lotus.

Ye Beixuan didn't respond. He simply activated the sword jade in secret.

Clang!

A flash of sword light streaked out.

That sword was as fast as lightning, unstoppable as steel. What terrified the three demon generals was the overwhelming might it contained—the oppressive aura of a supreme expert.

The pressure it exuded was even more terrifying than that of their own king.

This time, they had provoked a monster.

The silver eagle demon immediately fled toward the horizon. The leopard demon had just turned to escape when the world began to spin.

It felt its body crash to the ground. When it looked, it saw a headless corpse slowly collapsing.

That corpse looked familiar—was it mine?

That thought had barely formed when its consciousness vanished.

The worst off was the spider demon, who had faced the sword head-on. She saw the sword approaching and instinctively tried to run, but her body wouldn't move at all.

"No… please, my lord!"

The sword passed.

Silence returned to the surroundings.

Ye Beixuan had slain two Spirit Nourishment demon generals, but he felt no pride. Instead, he muttered softly:

"Sigh… I'm still too weak. Just three Spirit Nourishment demon generals, and I had to use my trump card."

After sighing, he could only hold back his tears as he dealt with the two corpses.

Four Spirit Nourishment demon generals—these were the strongest monsters within a thousand-mile radius. Now that the eagle had fled, Ye Beixuan wouldn't face further trouble for the time being.

So he calmly began cleaning up the two demon corpses.

Just as he finished, his expression suddenly changed.

"Who's there?"

Pa, pa, pa...

A crisp round of applause echoed from not far away.

Ye Beixuan immediately stopped what he was doing and looked up to see a middle-aged man with a long scar across his face stepping through the air, looking down from above.

Narrowing his eyes, he examined the man's clothing and noticed an inky-black skull insignia embroidered over the chest.

"Black Demon Thieves!"

The middle-aged man seemed surprised that this young man could identify him. He grinned and said, "Didn't think the name of our Black Demon Thirteen Thieves was so well known that even a brat like you has heard of us."

Ye Beixuan smiled. "I heard the thirteen of you always act together. Where are the other twelve?"

The scarred man's grin turned cold and sinister. "Kid, since you know so much about us, I'll give you a chance. Hand over everything you gained today, and we'll spare your life."

Ye Beixuan scoffed. "Looks like that sword strike earlier still wasn't enough to scare off rats like you. A bunch of Spirit Nourishment bandits think they're worthy of seeing the sword path of a Half-Saint?"

The scarred man laughed. "Kid, I was watching from nearby when you used that sword jade. I bet you've exhausted its sword qi, haven't you? Otherwise, you would've killed that eagle too. At most, you've got one strike left. Even if you kill me, what will you do about the rest of my brothers?"

Ye Beixuan looked at the confident scarred man, quickly piecing together his identity.

"You're Qianmian, the leader of the Black Demon Thieves—a traitor from the Puppet Sect. If I'm not mistaken, what's standing before me is nothing but a puppet."

"Hahaha…"

The scarred man burst into laughter. "Kid, you guessed right. Since you know who I am, don't even think about leaving here alive!"

"Oh really? Then I'll cut a bloody path with this sword jade today!"

As Ye Beixuan spoke, he slowly raised the sword jade in his hand. Seeing this, the scarred man instinctively stepped back.

Suddenly, a change occurred—Ye Beixuan vanished with a swoosh.

The scarred man's expression shifted. "Damn it, I was tricked by that brat!"

He now had no doubt the sword qi was completely used up—otherwise, Ye Beixuan wouldn't have fled.

"After him!"

With a loud yell, the scarred man chased in the direction where Ye Beixuan had disappeared.

Ye Beixuan was rapidly burning his spiritual energy, flying deep into the Yunxia Mountains. Only by reaching the territory of a Nirvana demon king could he have a slim chance of survival.

But the gap between the Heaven Origin Realm and Spirit Nourishment Realm couldn't be bridged by shield techniques alone. After just a dozen breaths, the scarred man caught up. Behind him, a dozen black-robed cultivators followed closely.

"Brat, you're not getting away!"

As the scarred man spoke, he reached out toward Ye Beixuan. It looked like an ordinary grab, but it gave Ye Beixuan the terrifying sensation of a sky-covering, inescapable force.

Damn it. I'll have to use my master's last sword qi!

Just then, a flash of sword light descended from the sky and slashed through the scarred man's body with a sharp clang.

The sword fell. The scarred man was instantly split in half, his body—devoid of soul and flesh—crashed to the ground like a lifeless husk.

The twelve black-robed pursuers instantly halted, their expressions grim. One of them shouted into the forest, "Who dares to ambush the Black Demon Thieves?! Show yourself and die!!"

"Am I not already standing before you?"

Along with a lofty voice, a man dressed in snow-white robes, holding a longsword and looking down upon all beings, descended from the sky…

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