Chapter 1046
Dying Without Regret, A Cunning Mantis Waits for the Cicada
Seeing that the other party had caught up behind him, a resolute look flashed in Chen Xuanxin's eyes, and he quickly shouted to Xu Ziyan beside him.
Before Xu Ziyan could respond, Chen Xuanxin flashed with golden light again, raised his hand and cast a spell, unleashing four sword beams that shot straight at the four demon kings in front of him.
At this moment, the "Golden Light Spirit Transformation Talisman" on Chen Xuanxin's body still had most of its power. The four sword lights he unleashed with all his might were almost all no less than the full-force attack of a Golden Core Ninth Level cultivator.
This made the pursuing demon kings feel a sense of danger, and they disregarded the others and cast spells to defend against Chen Xuanxin's attack.
Seeing that Chen Xuanxin was determined to cover the retreat for everyone, Xu Ziyan, who was already in poor condition, hesitated for a moment before nodding to him.
"Senior Brother Chen, take care!"
After Xu Ziyan finished speaking, she and Fang Baixuan and the others immediately entered the "teleportation array" behind them, and a white light quickly enveloped them.
After the demon kings successfully blocked Chen Xuanxin's attack, Xu Ziyan and the others disappeared into the white light at the same moment, successfully escaping from the "Tongtian Pavilion".
"Quickly, chase after them! We must get that thing back!"
Seeing Xu Ziyan escape through the passage with the treasures she had just snatched, two of the more powerful demon kings immediately abandoned Chen Xuanxin and rushed directly towards the location of the "teleportation array".
But just as they were about to activate the "teleportation array," several more sword lights flew in from afar, forcing them to stop their attempt to teleport away.
Even when faced with the other two demon kings' entanglement, Chen Xuanxin did not take them seriously and, risking injury, forcibly charged towards the "teleportation array".
"If you want to leave here, first ask my sword if it will allow it."
"Damn it, you old bastard, you're asking for it!"
Seeing Chen Xuanxin, who was incredibly powerful and determined to stop them regardless of the consequences, the two demon kings who were rushing to catch up with Xu Ziyan couldn't help but show a hint of annoyance on their faces.
If they ignored the other party, they would be unable to activate the "teleportation array" smoothly due to his entanglement, and in the end, they could only helplessly cast a spell to rush towards Chen Xuanxin's side.
Standing in mid-air, Chen Xuanxin faced numerous demon kings who came to attack him, but his face showed no fear. Instead, he revealed a hint of excitement.
"Well done!"
Although he faced four opponents alone without fear, as time went on, several other Golden Core Demon Kings and demonic cultivators arrived and joined the battle.
Chen Xuanxin, whose magical power had been greatly depleted, began to lose his golden light. His spellcasting movements and power also weakened rapidly. Under the siege of many Golden Core experts, he soon suffered many injuries.
With a loud "boom!", Chen Xuanxin, unable to dodge in time, was struck by the combined attack of several demon kings in front of him, and his body fell directly from the sky.
Seeing that the opponent was severely injured and the golden light on his body had dissipated, seemingly without any power to resist, the many demon kings around him surrounded him again with fierce expressions.
At this moment, Chen Xuanxin, who was lying on the ground, had a scarlet mark on his chest. His internal organs had been shattered in many places, and he seemed to have difficulty even standing up.
As the numerous demon kings drew ever closer, Chen Xuanxin, knowing he could not escape, showed no fear in his eyes in the face of impending death; instead, he appeared calm and composed.
Back when he joined the sect as a child, he was just a disciple of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Even though he came from an ordinary background, Chen Xuanxin still managed to successfully build his foundation and form his golden core through hard work, achieving what even the most outstanding talents of his generation in the sect could not.
In no time, the name of sword cultivator Chen Xuanxin resounded throughout the "Xiaoyao Sect," and everyone in the cultivation world of Wei Kingdom knew him.
Even the demonic cultivators and monsters in the surrounding area avoided him and dared not confront him when they heard his name.
Unfortunately, Chen Xuanxin, whose path in the first half of his life was smooth sailing, seemed to have exhausted his luck when facing the Nascent Soul stage. He failed to advance further on his two attempts to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.
Especially in recent years, seeing Bai Yuxian, Song Qingming, and Song Qingyu in the sect successively achieve the Nascent Soul stage, while his own path has stagnated and he can only watch others enjoy boundless glory.
Despite his reluctance, Chen Xuanxin still decided to enter the "Tower of Babel" secret realm, hoping to seek his final opportunity.
Unfortunately, even though he entered this place with the mindset of certain death, he still failed to find this opportunity.
Now, seriously injured, he recalls the bits and pieces of the past years. Although he feels reluctant, he faces everything with equanimity.
"To have this battle conclude the chapter, I feel I have fought to my heart's content and have no regrets."
"Come on, everyone!"
Facing Chen Xuanxin, who had long since become indifferent to life and death, the leader of the demon kings showed a hint of respect in his eyes and directly raised one hand to look at him.
"Fellow Daoist, please!"
".."
Half an hour later, as several beams of white light appeared in mid-air, the five demon kings who had just emerged from the "teleportation array," along with two other Golden Core demon cultivators, all appeared one by one.
The black-robed demonic cultivator standing at the forefront looked around and immediately cast a spell to release a cloud of black energy. Soon after, a cloud of blood mist emerged from the black energy and pointed to the side and front of the group.
"White Wolf, are they heading that way?"
Upon hearing the question from the leading demon king, a wolf-shaped demon king dressed entirely in white immediately nodded to the crowd and said:
"The aura in this direction is indeed very strong. If I'm not mistaken, those people should have gone that way."
After receiving confirmation from the "White Wolf Demon King," the leading demon king spoke to the two demon cultivators in front of him: "Fellow Daoists, as long as we can catch up with them..."
"We only need to take the jade box; everything else is yours!"
"Hehe! Alright, it's a deal then. But I must remind you all, when the fight starts, you'd better go easy on each other."
These bodies are of great use to us, so please bear with us!
"Okay, I can grant you this request!"
You two should hurry and lead the way. Most of the cultivators are still trapped in the pavilion, and we are quite confident that we can catch up with them.
Otherwise, once all the righteous human cultivators inside have escaped, even if we catch up with them, we won't be able to do anything to them.
Seeing the greedy demonic cultivator in front of them, and the demon kings who wanted him to help them find their way, they agreed without much thought.
Immediately, everyone vanished from their spot, transforming into streaks of light and heading north in pursuit.
At this moment, in the void to the north, Xu Ziyan and Fang Baixuan and the others were using magic to run northwards!
Although Chen Xuanxin helped them secure a chance to escape, the group, having just escaped the crisis, found that none of their companions were around when they came out of the "Tongtian Pavilion".
Seeing this situation, Xu Ziyan, knowing full well the extreme danger of staying, had no choice but to lead the others away from the vicinity first.
It is still unknown when the others who participated in the trial will emerge, and all of them are at the Golden Core stage, yet none of them have the ability to leave the ninth level of the Tower of Babel on their own.
Staying in such an open and unprotected place as the "Tongtian Pavilion" would make it difficult to escape if discovered. The only option is to move away from here and seek refuge elsewhere.
Just as Xu Ziyan and her companions were speeding along, trying to find a suitable place to hide, a large number of demon cultivators were already in hot pursuit.
Although Xu Ziyan and the others were teleported out of the "Tongtian Pavilion" before the demons, they were all seriously injured in the previous battle and had very little magic power left.
Therefore, their escape speed was also much slower than usual, and they were quickly caught up by the demon race.
"Senior Sister Xu, oh no! They're chasing us!"
Hearing Fang Baixuan's reminder, Xu Ziyan, who had already seen the demons catching up behind her, also looked extremely unpleasant and didn't know what to do for a moment.
After pondering for a moment, Xu Ziyan, who was already at her wit's end, could only bite the bullet and say to the crowd, "Everyone, the enemy has a large number of people and is powerful. It seems that it is no longer possible for us to escape safely."
To avoid total annihilation, let's split up; that way, one or two of us might escape.
After speaking, Xu Ziyan handed another "storage bag" to Fang Baixuan beside her.
"Junior Brother Fang, they will definitely target me first. I'm entrusting this to you for now. If you can get away safely, please pass it on to Uncle Bai for me!"
Before anyone could respond, Xu Ziyan decisively cast a spell to change direction and accelerate her escape to the other side.
Seeing this, Fang Baixuan and the others also changed direction and scattered in all directions, and the group quickly dispersed.
"Hmph! Let's see where you run to."
Seeing that the enemy had split up, the demon cultivators who were pursuing them from behind quickly followed suit, clearly not intending to let any of them go.
Xu Ziyan, who had previously controlled the jade box, naturally became a key target of the demon race, with three demon kings and one demon cultivator following behind her.
Seeing so many people chasing after her, Xu Ziyan breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that the jade box was indeed on her person.
With so many people chasing after Su Ri'an, Xu Ziyan was under immense pressure. If she were caught up, she would surely perish.
However, if they can hold off the enemy for a while, and only one demon king is chasing from the other direction, Fang Baixuan's chances of escaping will definitely increase significantly.
Now that things have come to this point, the chances of any of them surviving are very slim.
But as long as they can successfully preserve the items, even if they perish here, at least they will have fulfilled their value.
Just as Xu Ziyan was pondering how to escape, the three demon kings who had caught up behind her were clearly impatient and immediately cast spells to release their spiritual light in an attempt to force her to stop.
Seeing that the opponent's attack had reached her from behind, Xu Ziyan immediately cast a spell and threw a talisman behind her. Soon, a "boom" sounded behind her.
Seeing that their attack had been parried, the demon kings showed no surprise and quickened their pace to give chase. Just as they passed through the smoke from the explosion ahead, unexpectedly, Xu Ziyan, who had been fleeing at high speed, suddenly vanished without a trace, disappearing into thin air before their very eyes.
"Huh! Where did they go? Could it be another one of those cunning humans' hiding techniques?"
Seeing Xu Ziyan suddenly disappear, the demon kings also stopped and hurriedly cast spells to release their divine senses in an attempt to search for where she was hiding.
After all, Xu Ziyan's cultivation level was only at the Golden Core stage, so she couldn't possibly have the ability to shatter the void and teleport.
The other party either used some kind of illusion or a secret technique to quickly conceal their presence; otherwise, it would be impossible for them to suddenly disappear from here.
Just as the demon kings released their divine senses to search, the demonic cultivator beside them, after summoning black energy, was the first to notice something amiss and immediately turned around to look behind him.
"Hmph! You dare to play such tricks in front of me? Get out here now."
No sooner had the demonic cultivator finished speaking than a beam of light shot out from the still-lingering smoke, turning and speeding back in the direction they had come from.
"Chase!"
Upon seeing Xu Ziyan's figure suddenly emerge from the smoke, the demon kings immediately cast spells to follow and quickly blocked her path.
Xu Ziyan had originally intended to use the smoke behind her to try and activate a talisman to conceal her presence and create a blind spot for her opponent, thus buying herself more time to escape.
Unexpectedly, the demonic cultivator seemed to carry a trace of his own mark, and in a short time, he found his hiding place.
This caught Xu Ziyan off guard, and she was quickly blocked by the other party.
Looking at Xu Ziyan, whose previous body was already seriously injured, the leading demon king immediately said, "Hand over the jade box, and we might consider letting you die a quicker death."
"Hehe! I advise you to take the initiative, otherwise if your soul falls into my hands, you won't have the chance to beg for mercy later."
Seeing the black-clad demonic cultivators who were already itching to make a move, Xu Ziyan remained expressionless and said nothing. She directly used her magic to take out a jade cauldron magic treasure from her body.
Then, with a resolute expression, he poured the little magic power he had left into it.
Since she was destined to perish here no matter what she chose, Xu Ziyan naturally didn't want to die a pathetic death.
Even if we can't defeat them, we should at least try to stall them for a while.
"Hmph! You human cultivators are all the same, so overestimating yourselves."
Seeing that the other side still wanted to put up a stubborn resistance, the demon kings were very disdainful of it. After snorting, they immediately began to gather their magic power to prepare for an attack.
Just as the two sides were about to engage in a fierce battle, an unusual white light suddenly appeared in the middle of the battlefield, attracting the attention of both sides!
The next moment, before everyone could figure out what was going on, a figure in a green robe walked out directly from the white light.
"Uncle Song!"
Upon seeing the person before her, who was none other than Song Qingming, whom she knew intimately, Xu Ziyan, whose face had just been ashen, immediately showed a look of intense joy and excitement.
Song Qingming nodded slightly to her, then turned to look at the location of the demon kings.
"It's Song Qingming! What's he doing here?"
Among these demon kings, one of them, who came in with the "Ancient Cloud Demon Emperor," had participated in the "Red Cloud Mountain" battle and had seen Song Qingming from afar.
Upon seeing the person who had suddenly appeared before him, Song Qingming, the very man who struck fear into the hearts of the demons on the eastern side of the Floating Cloud Mountains, was so shocked that his voice trembled.
Just when they were about to get their hands on the item, who would have thought they would run into a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator here? At this moment, the demon king was truly incredulous.
Just as he was about to release his divine sense to see if the other party was an illusion cast by Xu Ziyan, a black light suddenly flashed beside him and disappeared into the distance.
This person was the black-clad demonic cultivator who had just come in pursuit with the three demon kings.
Just as the black light had flown a few dozen feet away, a streak of azure light immediately followed, its speed more than twice as fast, and it arrived behind the black-clad demonic cultivator in a matter of moments.
Seeing this, the black-clad demonic cultivator immediately threw out two tigers transformed from black demonic creatures, attempting to interfere with the azure sword light behind him.
But the next moment, the cyan sword light, to his astonished gaze, directly severed the black demonic creature as hard as iron in front of him, and then the remaining force pierced through the opponent and disappeared into the distant horizon.
"what!"
With a scream, the black-clad demonic cultivator plummeted from the sky, his eyes still fixed on Song Qingming in front of him with some resentment.
Seeing that the black-clad demonic cultivator in front of him, whose cultivation was also at the late stage of the Golden Core realm, was actually killed by the person in front of him with a single sword strike.
Even if the Golden Core Demon Kings were stupid, they would understand that what was in front of them was not an illusion, but a real Nascent Soul cultivator.
Before the black-clad demon cultivator could even land, the three Golden Core demon kings, who had already lost their will to fight, scattered and fled in all directions, stepping on their escape lights.
Song Qingming, who was standing still, smiled slightly and then disappeared from the spot. A few moments later, several screams came from mid-air.
".."
Now that his cultivation has reached the fifth level of the Nascent Soul stage, these demon kings who are still at the Golden Core stage are no match for Song Qingming.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the three demon kings were quickly killed by Song Qingming.
Upon seeing Song Qingming descend from the sky, Xu Ziyan, who was seriously injured, quickly stepped forward and knelt down, her face full of gratitude.
"Ziyan, thank you so much, Martial Uncle, for saving my life!"
"We're all family, no need to be so polite. You should recover from your injuries first, and I'll take you to meet up with Junior Nephew Fang and the others!"
Seeing Xu Ziyan bowing and thanking him, Song Qingming quickly said a few words of comfort and used magic to help her up. Then he took her with him and boarded a flying boat, leaving the place.
After meeting "Xuantian" earlier, when Song Qingming was choosing a place to leave, he inadvertently saw Xu Ziyan being chased by many demon kings, so he asked Xuantian to send him here.
Fortunately, he arrived in time and managed to save Xu Ziyan from imminent danger, while also dealing with the demon king and demonic cultivators who were chasing him.
As the saying goes, "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!"
Those demon kings would never have imagined that while they were chasing Xu Ziyan, they were also being watched by Song Qingming, a Nascent Soul cultivator.
As for Fang Baixuan, Song Qingming had already spotted his location on the map and quickly found him with Xu Ziyan.
Although the demon king who was chasing Fang Baixuan turned around and fled the moment he saw Song Qingming and the other person.
However, he was only at the late Golden Core stage, so how could he escape the pursuit of Song Qingming, a Nascent Soul cultivator? In just a short while, he perished under Song Qingming's sword light.
Including the two human Golden Core cultivators who were also being pursued, they did not escape far and were quickly rescued by Song Qingming.
Once the immediate trouble was resolved, Xu Ziyan originally intended to take Song Qingming back to the vicinity of "Tongtian Pavilion" to rescue Chen Xuanxin, who had previously helped them cover their retreat.
Unexpectedly, the next moment Song Qingming pulled out several corpses from the "storage bag" of one of the Golden Core demon cultivators, one of whom was the very person they wanted to rescue Chen Xuanxin.
"Senior Brother Chen!"
"Senior Brother Chen."
Upon seeing Chen Xuanxin lying on the flying boat with his eyes closed and no longer breathing, Xu Ziyan and Fang Baixuan's expressions changed, and they immediately rushed to each other's sides, overcome with grief.
Although Xu Ziyan and the others already knew that Chen Xuanxin was likely in grave danger when he chose to help them cover their retreat, they were still in a precarious situation.
However, after they escaped, they were unaware of what happened next, and naturally, a sliver of hope remained in their hearts.
Unfortunately, this glimmer of hope did not last long, as the two were brought back to reality by the cold corpse of Chen Xuanxin before them.
You must know that Chen Xuanxin had faced numerous demon kings alone to cover their retreat, already prepared to die. How could the two of them not know about this life-saving grace?
If Chen Xuanxin hadn't stepped forward to hold off the enemy, given the critical situation at the time, Xu Ziyan and Fang Baixuan definitely wouldn't have been able to wait for Song Qingming to come to their rescue.
Looking at Xu Ziyan and the other person in front of him, who were both grieving, Song Qingming also felt a little heavy-hearted.
He met Chen Xuanxin not long after he had established his foundation. The two had known each other for hundreds of years and their relationship within the sect had always been quite good.
Over the past few centuries, Song Qingming and Chen Xuanxin have fought side by side many times, facing demonic cultivators and monsters together to resist foreign enemies, experiencing countless battles.
Seeing such an old friend pass away before his eyes, Song Qingming naturally felt somewhat saddened.
However, having cultivated to the Nascent Soul realm, he was better able to control his emotions than Xu Ziyan and the other two, and even took the initiative to offer them some words of advice.
Although the group failed to save Chen Xuanxin, Song Qingming had already avenged him, so the Xia people didn't really have much reason to be indignant.
After collecting Chen Xuanxin's body, Song Qingming led Xu Ziyan and the others to continue towards the vicinity of "Tongtian Pavilion".
There aren't many people who have passed the "Tongtian Pavilion" trial yet, and Huang Siyuan and the others haven't come out yet either. Song Qingming has to hurry over and meet them!
If Xu Ziyan and her group could encounter such danger, the others participating in the trial were probably in no better shape!
Just as Song Qingming was hurrying on his way, a streak of light suddenly approached him rapidly from a distance, its speed no slower than that of this Nascent Soul cultivator.
Seeing that the newcomer seemed to possess considerable cultivation, Song Qingming immediately became tense and proactively cast a spell to release a magical artifact in front of him. (End of Chapter)