It shrieked malevolently at the cultivators, a fierce glint in its eyes. But beneath that harsh, intimidating facade, its gaze held profound dread for the radiant pearl clutched in Jiang Ran’s hand. It felt the chill of death; it trembled.
It had no idea what further arcane attacks that luminous pearl held, attacks capable of rendering it utterly unable to fight back.
Jiang Ran paused his assault momentarily. The Golden Core cultivators only encircled the beast, keeping it trapped but refraining from further immediate strikes, wary of its final, desperate struggle. While it couldn't overcome them all, there was still a chance it could drag a few down with it if it fought to the death.
Niu Qin looked upon the Crimson Flame Serpent Demon with a measure of pity.
This beast was profoundly unlucky. A distinguished Tenth-Rank Shapeshifting Demon Cultivator, cornered and brutally besieged by a clutch of Golden Core cultivators inside an ancient cave-dwelling.
If these ten were merely an ordinary group of Golden Core cultivators, they would have either been slaughtered long ago, or scared into fleeing far away, posing no threat to the serpent at all.
It was simply their misfortune to have encountered a group ranked within the top hundred on the Golden Core Demon Slaying Ledger.
Such a high-ranking assembly of Golden Core cultivators was a rarity even in the entire Eastern Sea Cultivation World.
Ye Qin, controlling his artifact to monitor the demon beast, quickly flicked his gaze toward the dazzling, light-infused radiant pearl in Jiang Ran's grasp.
With the Seven-Hued Pearl in his possession, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would struggle to gain the upper hand against Jiang Ran.
Ye Qin weighed the situation. If he were to spar with Jiang Ran without prior knowledge of the Seven-Hued Pearl's potency, he would undoubtedly be caught off guard and end up utterly humiliated. Only with careful preparation would he stand a chance of victory.
If the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent had faced only Jiang Ran, it might have retained some slim hope of escape, perhaps even turning the tables for a victory.
But alas, here were nine other formidable Golden Core cultivators, each having yet to unleash their full arsenal.
Ye Qin had no doubt that the others’ capabilities, while perhaps not matching Jiang Ran’s, would not be far behind. If this group of Golden Core cultivators chose to fight ruthlessly, even two or three Crimson Flame Demon Serpents might not withstand their combined assault.
To run into such an exceedingly rare, top-tier Golden Core team, trapped within this ancient Kui Cave-dwelling with no avenue for escape—the demon serpent’s misfortune was complete.
The thought of escape sparked something in Ye Qin’s mind, causing him to glance back at the ancient Kui Cave with a flicker of curiosity.
If this were a derelict, abandoned cave, the Crimson Flame Serpent could likely force its way out by breaking through the rock walls. Ordinary mountain stone would certainly not contain it.
Yet, the demon serpent showed absolutely no intention of doing so.
Various strange, ancient runes flickered across the cave walls with light of varying intensity—all clearly remnants of functional restrictive formations, rendering the dwelling incredibly solid, making it impossible for the serpent to blast its way out.
During the battle, neither the Golden Core cultivators nor the serpent had dared touch these enigmatic formations. Jiang Ran now wore an expression of assured victory, his face relaxed, yet his tightly coiled nerves gave no quarter.
After all, this was the pursuit of a Shapeshifting Demon Cultivator; even one heavily wounded presented extreme peril.
The Crimson Flame Demon Serpent, gravely injured, finally could suppress it no longer. With a furious roar, its human-like form began to pulse with crimson light, constantly shifting. The red light soon dispersed, revealing a serpentine demon over a hundred zhang long, wreathed entirely in crimson flame. Its scales, marked with deep red patterns, now shone dully, and its pair of scarlet eyes swam with ferocious murderous intent.
Across the serpent's abdomen was a gash dozens of zhang long. Strangely, the edges of the wound were visibly knitting closed at a rapid pace, only to be immediately suppressed by a dark, faint luminescence emanating from the injury, producing wisps of black smoke.
This injury had not been inflicted by the cultivators’ artifacts; the demon snake had been gravely wounded beforehand.
The flesh of demon cultivators was supremely resilient; its layer of crimson scales offered defensive protection equivalent to a Minor Divine Ability artifact. Had it not been previously injured, it would have been extremely difficult for the Golden Core cultivators to wound it even with their Primordial Spirit artifacts.
The Crimson Flame Demon Serpent fixed its blood-red eyes on the cultivators with blazing malice. Suddenly, it opened its massive, bloody maw, and a crimson demonic core shot forth, trailing light. The core spun rapidly, unleashing a torrent of frenzied crimson flames that swept out like an overwhelming deluge.
"Hiss!"
This demonic fire was not only overwhelmingly potent but also saturated with fire poison.
"Fire Poison Demonic Core! Damn it, retreat quickly!"
Jiang Ran’s expression violently changed. Without a moment’s thought, he pivoted and bolted towards the entrance of the ancient cave-dwelling.
This demonic fire was a wide-area attack, its power akin to the True Fire of a Nascent Soul cultivator. It could not only scorch flesh but also burn away spiritual power, demanding constant energy expenditure to suppress the poison. Those afflicted would see their combat strength drastically reduced—a perilous situation during intense battle. Within such a confined cave, there was virtually nowhere to hide. A Nascent Soul cultivator might not fear it, capable of forcibly enduring the fire. But these were Golden Core cultivators; their defenses were too weak to withstand a direct confrontation.
"Go!"
Jiang Ran moved swiftly, but the actions of Ye Qin, Zhou Yi, and the other cultivators were no slower. Having anticipated the serpent's desperate final gambit, they needed no second warning when the situation turned perilous; they would not engage in a last stand with a dying foe and immediately dashed for the cave exit.
Hua Rong, lagging at the rear, was grazed by a splash of flying crimson flame. Almost instantly, his protective shield nearly burned through. Had it not been for the timely rescue by Xu Sifeng, Chu Hong, and others nearby, who extinguished the tiny patch of demonic fire with several high-grade water spells, he would likely have been severely burned to critical injury on the spot.
With a few blurs of movement, the cultivators shot out of the ancient cave-dwelling.
Ye Qin looked back. A raging inferno of demonic fire had engulfed the entire cave. Suddenly, the ancient runes on the cave walls began to flash with white light, and surprisingly, the demonic fire failed to ignite the structure, even being partially extinguished.
The massive Crimson Flame Demon Serpent, wreathed in fierce crimson flames, also burst forth from within, melting stone wherever it passed. Above its head, the demonic core continued to spew out flames as it let out a hoarse, piercing shriek. Releasing its core to fight had left its physical body even more weakened.
The cultivators swiftly reformed their circle around the serpent, directing their flying swords and magical blades in a furious assault, and began ruthlessly hurling talismans from their storage bags.
The demon serpent, however, showed no desire to continue fighting them head-on; instead, it was overcome by extreme terror and sought desperately to flee. But wounded as it was, escaping such a tight encirclement was no easy feat.
Ye Qin was currently controlling the Grand Five Elements Array while attacking alongside the others when his heart suddenly clenched. He looked toward the distant horizon in shock.
Over the distant sea, a massive, inverted funnel-shaped black demon windstorm stretched from the ocean surface into the sky, connecting sea and heaven, rapidly swirling towards the island. Within a radius of ten li surrounding the storm, a faint rumble of thunder and lightning could be heard. The closer it approached the island, the more terrifying the storm became.
"A Demon Windstorm!" Ye Qin spun around, his face draining of color, exclaiming in alarm.
He glanced at the other cultivators. They were all tightly engaging the serpent while simultaneously looking towards the sea, their complexions instantly turning ashen.
Especially Jiang Ran, whose face contorted in terror upon seeing the storm. This was a completely unforeseen development before they even began hunting the demon. If he had known a windstorm was coming, he never would have chosen this moment to strike.
"Brother Jiang, the windstorm is heading this way, it will be here soon! Do we still kill the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent!?" Hua Rong cried out in alarm.
"We should leave. The power of a demon windstorm is something we Golden Core cultivators cannot possibly withstand. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator, once caught within it, cannot escape; life and death will be left to fate. No Golden Core cultivator has ever been caught in a demon windstorm and survived."
"If we wait until it gets closer, it will be too late to run!" Hua Rong and the others grew frantic, shouting loudly.
Within a demon windstorm are countless ice cones, hailstones, thunderclaps, water arrows, and wind blades—each carrying the destructive power equivalent to high-grade or Minor Divine Ability spells. A small storm might contain thousands, a large one tens of thousands, of these high-power fragments, capable of leveling mountains and overturning seas as they pass.
Such celestial might was utterly beyond human resistance.
When a demon windstorm appears over the sea, cultivators typically flee immediately to a great distance, or seek refuge in the nearest Immortal City for cover.
Yet, even with the defenses of an Immortal City, not a few have been utterly destroyed by a demon windstorm.
If a city fares so poorly, one can only imagine the fate of those caught in the wilderness or the open sea.
It was no wonder the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent was so terrified and desperate to flee; even a Shapeshifting demon cultivator could not resist the sheer terror of the windstorm.
"This demon snake is already at the end of its strength—gravely wounded! If we just apply a little more pressure, we can kill it!" Jiang Ran, seeing the windstorm approach and the serpent attempt a last desperate escape, refused to give up the opportunity, having already expended his treasured, rare Seven-Hued Pearl to inflict such grievous wounds!
This was the only chance he had planned for, for so long, to seize the top rank on the Golden Core Demon Slaying Ledger! Once achieved, his supremacy over the Eastern Sea Cultivation World for a considerable time would be assured, his prestige immense.
Riding this momentum, reaching the Nascent Soul stage later would still allow him to maintain significant renown, greatly increasing his chances of eventually taking the position of Western Sect Master within the Heavenly Dao Alliance.
Missing this perfect opportunity today, when would another chance to slay a demon cultivator so opportune ever arise?
"Although the demon windstorm's power is terrifying, it will take a while to arrive. Before it gets here, everyone, use all your strength to finish this serpent!" Jiang Ran's eyes were bloodshot, his face contorted in ferocity. He controlled his flying sword to strike directly at the serpent while simultaneously powering up the radiant pearl in his other hand.
The cultivators exchanged wary glances. At this critical juncture, Jiang Ran had gone mad with bloodlust, unwilling to relent even with the demon windstorm approaching.
"Brother Jiang, this seems unwise!" Xu Sifeng, Hua Rong, Chu Hong, and the others, who had followed Jiang Ran for a long time, showed expressions of great difficulty.
If they left now, they still had time to avoid the windstorm gathering a hundred li out at sea.
Jiang Ran was unwilling to abandon this kill, and they were reluctant to abandon him. But if they stayed, once the windstorm closed to within ten li, it would be no joking matter.
"Everyone, attack with full force, bring out whatever means you have—let's kill this demon first!!!" Jiang Ran roared, launching a ray of light from the radiant pearl in his hand toward the Crimson Flame Demon Serpent.