Chapter 126: In a Panic

If the Bull Demon King were to regain consciousness, a mere shake of its body would be enough to crush Xia Jiuxuan into a mist of blood.

Outside, the high-ranking officials of the various sects witnessed this scene.

"That blood-red Bull Demon must have reached the peak of the Sea-Splitting Realm! Yet, this fellow Xia Jiuxuan actually forced it to its knees!"

"Truly inconceivable!"

These sect leaders, not being on the scene, could not fathom the true power of the Bull Demon King. They mistakenly believed it only possessed strength comparable to the peak of the Sea-Splitting Realm. In reality, this beast was ten thousand times more powerful than any such peak expert.

"That phantom behind him must be some kind of secret technique for subduing demons!"

"Hmph, regardless, as long as he has no ties to the Holy Land of Martial Arts, he must be killed!"

...

Inside the secret realm, Xia Jiuxuan stood atop the Bull Demon King's head, struggling to maintain the phantom of slaughter.

"Beast, offer up your blood essence, and I shall spare your life!" Xia Jiuxuan commanded coldly.

"Moo!" The Bull Demon King roared.

Xia Jiuxuan suddenly felt as if his chest had been struck by a ten-thousand-pound boulder; his internal organs felt as though they were being torn apart. A mouthful of blood welled up from his lungs, but he forced himself to swallow it back down. He could not afford to show weakness now!

Caught in a state of boundless fear, the Bull Demon King seemed to lose its self-awareness. Hearing Xia Jiuxuan’s command, it squeezed out several drops of blood essence, which hovered before it. Each drop was the size of a millstone.

Xia Jiuxuan beckoned, and the blood essence flew into his storage vessel. But just then, he reached his limit; the phantom of slaughter behind him began to flicker unsteadily.

"Not good." Panic surged within him.

He pushed off the ground, using a wind-attribute martial art to flee rapidly. The moment he landed in front of the temple, the phantom behind him vanished completely.

The Bull Demon King, still kneeling, felt its blood-red eyes instantly regain clarity. It looked up at Xia Jiuxuan—a human youth, seemingly ordinary and incredibly frail. A flicker of ferocity flashed in its eyes as it wrestled with its own instincts.

"I... should kill him!"

The fear within the demon’s soul dissipated, replaced by a surge of frantic, murderous intent.

"Oh no!" Xia Jiuxuan felt the intensifying demonic aura and his heart sank.

He immediately sacrificed a tenth of a drop of the demon blood, pouring it into the mouth of the statue before the temple.

*Hum.*

The temple vibrated, and streaks of purple light shot into the sky.

"Roar!" At the sight of the purple light, the Bull Demon King stood up and let out a terrifying howl.

*Pfft, pfft, pfft...*

The force of the roar caused most of the youths present to spew blood; some even bled from their seven orifices and died on the spot. Even Xia Jiuxuan felt a searing pain throughout his body.

"Human, you deceived me! Die!" Seeing the pale-faced Xia Jiuxuan, the Bull Demon King’s wavering resolve solidified—kill him!

"Beast, you seek death!" Xia Jiuxuan’s voice was icy, though it lacked its former power to intimidate.

"Die!" The Bull Demon King raised its blood-red halberd and swung it toward the temple.

*Rumble!* The earth cracked, and space distorted. An overwhelming demonic power surged forward, destructive and ruinous, as if it intended to shatter the world.

"Open for me!" Xia Jiuxuan poured every ounce of his soul and willpower into the statue.

The demonic-looking statue seemed to come to life, opening its eyes.

*Whoosh...*

Two beams of white light shot from the statue's eyes, striking the divine seals on the temple gates.

*Boom!* With a thunderous crash, the ancient, monumental doors swung wide open.

"Duanmu Wan, go in!" Xia Jiuxuan bellowed. The others snapped out of their stupor and scrambled toward the entrance.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...*

Driven by sheer terror, they were running three times faster than usual. In an instant, almost everyone flooded into the temple. The massive demonic force arrived just moments later, stopping less than a yard away from Xia Jiuxuan.

"Die!" Seeing Xia Jiuxuan about to be engulfed, the Bull Demon King felt it had gambled correctly—this human was no threat at all!

"Brother Xia!" Duanmu Wan, having stopped behind the gates, saw them beginning to close. Seeing Xia Jiuxuan about to be struck by the rampaging power, she screamed and lunged back out.

"What are you doing!" Xia Jiuxuan roared at her.

Ignoring the danger, Duanmu Wan grabbed his arm and yanked him backward. Xia Jiuxuan’s speed increased by thirty percent, and the two tumbled through the narrowing gap and fell inside.

*Boom!*

The massive demonic force slammed into the now-closed gates, failing to shake the temple in the slightest.

"Roar, roar, roar!" The Bull Demon King went berserk. "Damned human beast, he escaped! He actually escaped!"

The Bull Demon King howled at the sky, stomping its feet in rage until the ground was reduced to rubble. In its fury, it exhaled two plumes of blood mist, aimed its red horns at the temple gates, and charged.

*Boom!*

Its head struck the gates, causing the temple to tremble slightly. But the next moment, a streak of dark cyan lightning descended from above the temple, striking the Bull Demon King. It collapsed, rolling on the ground and wailing in agony.

"No more, never again!" The Bull Demon King awoke from its rage, gazing at the ancient temple with newfound dread.

...

Inside the temple, everyone sat on the ground, still reeling, their minds blank. Death had been so close; surviving the ordeal made them cherish life all the more. Their survival was entirely due to Xia Jiuxuan.

While many felt gratitude, a small faction remained ungrateful and opportunistic.

"Look, Brother, Xia Jiuxuan’s face is deathly pale. He must be severely injured!" someone whispered via a secret voice transmission.

"What are you planning, Junior Brother?"

"Hmph, that fellow Xia Jiuxuan has collected everyone's spirit crystals and treasures; he’s wealthy beyond measure. Aren't you tempted?"

"Junior Brother, have you lost your mind? Xia Jiuxuan is not someone we can provoke. Be glad we survived; stop these foolish thoughts!" another replied, filled with awe and fear.

"Brother, you’ve been scared senseless. I am certain his combat strength is less than half a percent now. I will trap him with a formation, and if you two attack together, we can kill him in one blow!" The speaker was a magic cultivator, confident in his plan.

"This..." The others hesitated. After all, Xia Jiuxuan held inexhaustible riches.

"Damn it, the bold live and the timid starve. I’m in!" After a moment of hesitation, the others made up their minds.

"Haha, good! Do it now, before he recovers, or we'll lose our chance."

"Agreed. Use the formation to trap Xia Jiuxuan and the other two!"

The three conspirators readied themselves.

"Kill!" The man channeled his power, unleashing his strongest offensive formation, immediately enveloping Xia Jiuxuan and his companions.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

Within the trap, invisible blades of magical force shot toward the heads of Xia Jiuxuan and the others.