On the ground.
The Long-Browed Daoist, seeing Elder Niu wound Blood Slave, danced with excitement and laughed. “Little brat, did you see that? Brother Mighty has injured the red-haired freak.”
“Brother Mighty, niubi to the extreme!”
“You are celebrating too soon,” Ye Qiu said. “Blood Slave was overconfident in his higher cultivation and grew careless, allowing Mighty to strike him. From now on, unless Mighty uses his trump card, it will be hard to wound Blood Slave again.”
Sure enough, as soon as the words left his mouth, Blood Slave spoke to Elder Niu. “I was careless just now, which let you succeed.”
“From this point on, I will not give you another chance to injure me.”
“As for killing me, you cannot do it.”
Hum!
Divine light flowed across Blood Slave’s body, and his wounds healed in an instant.
Elder Niu also recovered his injuries in that moment.
Immediately afterwards, the two powerhouses clashed once more.
“Boom, boom, boom!”
Heaven split and earth cracked.
They unleashed an aura even more terrifying than before. The shockwaves swept outward, cracking the void thousands of li away.
Blood Slave was fiercer than earlier. He wielded his blood-coloured longsword, slashing relentlessly at Elder Niu.
“Clang!”
The blood-coloured longsword cleaved down from the sky, utterly horrifying.
“Clang!”
Elder Niu blocked it bare-handed, sparks flying in a long trail. The sparks splashed into the high heavens, tearing cracks through the void.
In the next instant, Elder Niu seized the blade with both hands and twisted with all his strength. With a “crack”, the blood-coloured longsword snapped, shattering into fragments.
But at that very moment, Blood Slave closed in.
Elder Niu hastily retreated, his body flashing like a streak of light. His speed was great, yet Blood Slave’s was greater, lightning-fast and inescapable, shadowing him like a ghost.
“Pfft!”
Blood Slave’s hand pierced through Elder Niu’s back, ripping out various organs in a surge of blood.
“Ah…”
Elder Niu roared. Divine lights burst from his body, rapidly repairing the wounds.
Yet Blood Slave paused, storing the organs he held and saying, “I will take these back for my master to make ox offal soup.”
At those words, Elder Niu exploded with rage.
He had thought Blood Slave was merely boasting earlier, but this fellow meant it.
Elder Niu was thoroughly provoked.
“Damn it, even if I die today, I will drag you down with me.”
Thud!
Elder Niu took a step forward, his battle intent rising another level, like a fierce dragon awakening.
“This is… Nine Steps Nine Heavens!”
The Long-Browed Daoist recognised it and asked, “Little brat, how does Brother Mighty know Nine Steps Nine Heavens?”
“I know. You must have taught it to him.”
“Little brat, that is not fair. This poor Daoist has faced life and death with you, yet you never taught me any supreme technique, but you passed Nine Steps Nine Heavens to Brother Mighty.”
Ye Qiu replied, “I told you about this back in the demon clan. Have you forgotten?”
“Otherwise, why do you think Mighty calls me master?”
“Old fellow, do you want to learn it too?”
The Long-Browed Daoist nodded vigorously.
Ye Qiu said, “Take me as your master and perform the full ceremony of kowtowing. Then I will teach you the technique.”
“In your dreams.” The Long-Browed Daoist’s face turned green with anger.
Elder Niu continued stepping through the void. “Thud, thud, thud…”
It was as though divine drums thundered between heaven and earth.
After Elder Niu took nine steps, a terrifying aura emerged from his body, as if it pierced through past, present, and future, shaking the heavens in all directions.
His combat power had tripled!
“You are nothing but a servant of the Wuji Heavenly Venerable. Why so arrogant? Now I will show you this old ox’s true strength.”
Elder Niu roared, “Mighty Divine Fist, first strike: a modest display.”
Bang!
Elder Niu finally unleashed his supreme technique. His fist swung wide and powerful, torrents of force like peerless blades, raising monstrous waves. Everything in its path was annihilated.
“So what if your combat power rises? Your realm is lower than mine. You are doomed to die.” Blood Slave was domineering. He did not retreat but pressed forward, charging like a mountain.
They collided in an instant.
The two fought until heaven darkened and the sun and moon lost their light. The ferocious battle was exceptionally intense.
The void seemed to suffer a great collapse. Crack after crack evolved into black holes that appeared capable of devouring heaven and earth.
“Bang!”
Suddenly, Blood Slave moved both hands. Giant palms blotted out the sky, striking forward with ferocious power that formed a terrifying storm. In an instant, Elder Niu was hurled flying.
At the same time, countless bloody gashes appeared on Elder Niu’s body, exposing white bone beneath the skin, blood flowing without cease.
This time, Blood Slave did not pause. He intended to seize the chance to finish Elder Niu completely.
“Boom!”
Blood Slave’s hands continued their assault, palms carrying heaven-shaking force as they struck toward Elder Niu.
Elder Niu sensed mortal danger.
“Mighty Divine Fist, second strike: a drop in the ocean.”
Elder Niu went completely berserk. Killing intent surged like raging waves. Instead of retreating, he advanced, charging straight at Blood Slave.
“Boom!”
They collided again.
Yet soon Elder Niu was sent flying once more, his body shattered, nearly tumbling from the void.
The Mighty Divine Fist consumed stamina terribly. After two strikes, Elder Niu’s face was pale. He could barely hold on.
He half-knelt in the void, blood streaming from his mouth, his broken body trembling.
Blood Slave stepped toward Elder Niu and spoke as he walked.
“I truly do not know how, over all these years, your demon clan has had the courage to oppose the human race.”
“Nor do I know how many more useless creatures like you remain in the demon clan.”
“After I kill you, I will personally visit the demon clan and slaughter every one of your people.”
“Our Yin-Yang Sect has countless disciples. When the time comes, every disciple will enjoy a full ox feast.”
“I recall your demon clan has many other races. I will kill them all. Those that can be eaten will be eaten, those that cannot will be fed to dogs.”
“In short, your demon clan will not be allowed to die in peace…”
Hearing this, veins bulged on Elder Niu’s forehead. His eyes turned scarlet. His body shook violently, whether from overwhelming rage or from Blood Slave’s provocation. Suddenly, a powerful force surged within him.
“You are not qualified to kill my clansmen.”
Whoosh!
Elder Niu abruptly stood, throwing a mighty punch.
Blood Slave had assumed Elder Niu had no strength left to fight and, being close, was caught off guard. Half his body was blasted into pulp.
Elder Niu seized the chance. His palm became a blade, slicing open Blood Slave’s chest, ripping out his organs, and hurling them into Blood Slave’s face.
“Filthy thing. This old ox has no interest in eating them.”
Blood Slave was enraged to the point of smoking from all seven orifices. He moved to retaliate, only to find Elder Niu had already withdrawn, stepping through the void once more and unleashing Nine Steps Nine Heavens again.
This time, Elder Niu’s steps were slow.
Yet with every step he took, the void pulsed as though in rhythm with him. His battle intent grew ever stronger, divine light blazing for thousands of zhang, exactly like an immortal god.
“Thud!”
As Elder Niu took his final step, the nine heavens above suddenly shook violently.
