At this moment, Duan Huang had become a bloodied figure, his aura weak, his body still reeling from being blasted back.
When he was thrown a thousand feet away, Lin Xiao acted.
Uncertain if Duan Huang had any strength left to fight, Lin Xiao, to ensure no chance of survival, activated the Blood Dragon phenomenon and unleashed the Shaking Light Sword Technique again.
Though such a powerful trump card consumed much elemental force, he had no choice.
His spiritual energy was nearly depleted. If the Demon Sect’s Great Elder recovered or if either he or Duan Huang had another trump card, killing Duan Huang would not be easy.
Thus, now was the time to strike while Duan Huang was critically wounded, perhaps near death.
As he charged, Lin Xiao raised his sword to the sky, the blood-red dragon shadow appearing, exuding ancient aura and terrifying pressure in all directions. His momentum was earth-shaking, his presence formidable. With a downward slash, another blinding white sword aura burst forth, carrying the power to annihilate all, striking at Duan Huang again.
“No good!”
The Evil Sect Master and Ming Luo, who was holding off the Purple Corpse Puppet, paled. They prepared to unleash attacks to intercept Lin Xiao, but Ling Xiao and the Purple Corpse Puppet’s fierce assaults left them no chance to act.
Given their distance, even a full-force attack would likely be too late. They could only watch as Lin Xiao’s sword aura slashed towards the retreating Duan Huang.
“No!!!”
As Lin Xiao’s sword aura neared, an unwilling shout erupted from Duan Huang. The bloodied Duan Huang raised a defensive elemental barrier before him.
“Boom!” A deafening explosion rang out. The elemental barrier shattered, unleashing massive waves of energy. Lin Xiao’s sword aura also weakened significantly.
Yet, the diminished sword aura still slashed vertically onto Duan Huang’s body.
A vertical line of blood sprayed outward, mist scattering. Half of Duan Huang’s body seemed to be torn apart.
His body was sent flying back further.
“Not dead yet!”
Lin Xiao was shocked. As expected of a Martial Emperor, Duan Huang was not so easily killed. Though he seemed near death, he had still mustered a powerful defence in crisis. Lin Xiao’s strongest elemental strike had failed to kill him outright.
But now, Duan Huang’s aura was even weaker, likely close to death if not already there.
Continuing his charge, Lin Xiao slashed again.
This time, he did not activate the Blood Dragon phenomenon, which was too draining.
As a sixth-level Martial Lord, using it two or three more times would nearly deplete his elemental force.
With his spiritual energy almost gone, exhausting his elemental force would leave him vulnerable.
Moreover, he was confident that, in Duan Huang’s current state, the Blood Dragon phenomenon was unnecessary.
As expected, as Lin Xiao’s white sword aura slashed out, Duan Huang’s angry, unwilling, and weak voice rang out resentfully, “Lin Xiao!!!”
Then, Lin Xiao’s white sword aura struck Duan Huang’s body unhindered.
“Pfft!”
Blood sprayed, and Duan Huang’s body was cleaved in two, the halves scattering outward.
Duan Huang had fallen.
At that moment, the Demon Sect’s Great Elder, emerging from the surging energy waves, was stunned.
In the brief time he had used the Defensive Pearl to block the energy palm, Lin Xiao had killed Duan Huang. He had no chance to intervene.
He now truly understood Lin Xiao’s strength. In a one-on-one fight, a second-level Martial Emperor could not withstand Lin Xiao’s strongest trump card for long.
Having faced Lin Xiao’s energy palm, he was wary, hesitant to attack again.
Though he suspected that the spiritual energy attack had drained Lin Xiao significantly, given its immense power, it was only a guess.
Moreover, Lin Xiao had not only spiritual energy but also powerful elemental force. Even with only elemental force, the Great Elder was no match one-on-one.
If Duan Huang were alive, he might have risked a rescue. But knowing he could not win, further action was pointless and dangerous.
Thus, the Great Elder abandoned attacking Lin Xiao, instead turning his gaze to the distant mountains, intent on finding the Red Pixiu cub.
“Roar!!!”
At that moment, a heaven-shaking beastly scream echoed from the horizon.
“The Red Pixiu cub!” The Great Elder, startled, shot towards the sound’s direction.
“It’s the Red Pixiu cub!” Fu Yan, on the sidelines, exclaimed and rushed after the Great Elder.
The Evil Sect Master could not stay still. After repelling Ling Xiao with a powerful attack, he too shot forward.
However, the Evil Sect Master arced through the air, unleashing a formidable attack on the Purple Corpse Puppet chasing Ming Luo, helping him escape.
“Go!”
The Evil Sect Master shouted, and the two sped towards the horizon.
“The Red Pixiu cub must not fall into their hands!” Ling Xiao shouted to Lin Xiao, then shot towards the horizon.
After collecting Duan Huang’s storage ring, Lin Xiao equipped the Void Phoenix Wings, arced through the air, and, with the Purple Corpse Puppet, flew towards the beast’s roar.
Judging by the sound, it was within a thousand miles, and it was a scream. If it was the Red Pixiu cub, something might have happened.
Soon, Lin Xiao reached the depths of a mountain range, where a shocking scene unfolded.
Ahead, four mountains converged, surrounded by red vines and branches from base to peak.
The vines, both stems and leaves, were fiery red, growing thicker from base to summit.
At the centre of the four peaks, the vines were four to five feet thick, coiling around the entire mountaintop.
Clearly, the vines around the mountains sprouted from this ancient vine.
At the vine’s root was a disc-shaped base, about ten feet wide, with a pool two to three feet wide at its centre.
The pool did not hold water but fiery red liquid, radiating scorching heat like magma. The heat was palpable from afar.
What truly shocked Lin Xiao was the scene on this fiery red liquid.
