RUMBLE!
The ground seemed to be bombarded by countless heavy shells dropped by bombers; the dull roar showed no sign of stopping, and the phantom-like earth spikes erupting from the ground shot out like lightning!
Yet, every strike was just a fraction short!
The Mammoth Beast King’s white form danced through the chaos like a flash, nimble as a cunning wolf, always maintaining a calculated distance from the Scarlet Moon Demon’s massive bulk.
Riding on its back, Chi Xiang and Chi Yu dared not slacken, their Blood Drink blades flipping restlessly in their hands. With every swing, a burst of flame would erupt from the scorched earth below.
It must be remembered that both wielded the power of a Celestial Rainbow God of Magic. The Fire Wall spell, cast by them, was truly awe-inspiring. A Fire Wall cast by an ordinary mage usually covers an area no larger than eight square meters per cast, and the flames' intensity and height are not particularly impressive.
Consequently, mages generally dislike using the Fire Wall spell for direct attack.
However, the Fire Walls conjured by Chi Xiang and Chi Yu were vastly different. Leveraging the immense magical power channeled through their God of Magic Cloaks, each Fire Wall attack enveloped an area of eighty square meters, and the intensity and temperature of the resulting flames were astonishingly high.
In mere moments, the valley where the Scarlet Moon Demon stood was entirely enveloped in a dense sea of fire. Waves of suffocating, scorching air washed over them.
All that could be seen was a furious expanse of red flame, and what the Scarlet Moon Demon looked like within that inferno was currently impossible to discern.
However, through the perception granted by the Eye of Death Desire, I could still sense the Demon’s aura undergoing a startling transformation.
Perhaps enraged by this infuriating tactic! Surrounded by the roaring flames, the Scarlet Moon Demon let loose deep, muffled roars! The attacks from its earth spikes became even more frenzied and frequent!
But pitted against the Mammoth Beast King’s elusive silhouette and incredible speed, the Demon’s earth spikes were always futile, missing their mark repeatedly.
In the blink of an eye, the raging fire had burned for a full ten minutes.
The Scarlet Moon Demon’s once dense offensive began to slow.
Everyone present sensed the creature’s movements becoming sluggish.
But just then, the ground tremors intensified dramatically. Under the effect of the Eye of Death Desire, we clearly felt the Scarlet Moon Demon’s massive body rapidly sinking into the earth.
“Ah, it’s trying to escape,” Yin Hu exclaimed in alarm.
“Attack!” At that moment, I could hold back no longer, lunging forward instantly.
Yin Hu, Yin Tao, and the others concurrently channeled their Body-Protecting Dou Qi, following close behind. Yin Hong and Bai Yan summoned their two White Tiger Sacred Beasts, which charged desperately into the blazing sea of fire.
In a flash, the three of us and the two tigers closed in on the Scarlet Moon Demon as it sank into the earth.
“Die by my hand!” The Dragon Shadow Sword, now infused with the total Dou Qi energy surging through me, instantly transformed into a massive light sword over ten meters long. I brought it down fiercely upon the incomparably enormous body of the Scarlet Moon Demon.
Not only mine, but Yin Hu’s and Yin Tao’s giant light swords struck the exact same spot with precision.
BAM! RUMBLE!
Three powerful streams of Dou Qi energy struck the single point simultaneously, accompanied by an earth-shattering explosion!
Success!
The moment the impact landed, through the familiar sensation and the roar of the blast, we knew the explosive force of the Dou Qi had fully connected with the Scarlet Moon Demon!
ROAR! Splat!
This was followed by muffled bellows!
The Demon’s mountain-like mass shook violently.
Judging by the shift in its aura, that single blow had definitely wounded the Scarlet Moon Demon.
But we dared not pause for a second; every one of us pushed ourselves to the limit, attacking with everything we had!
Countless bursts of Dou Qi rained down like a ferocious storm onto that single point of impact.
CRASH! CRUNCH!
The frenzy of attacks lasted for a full thirty seconds!
ROAR! BAM! Splat!
As if pierced through, like a giant punctured balloon, the Scarlet Moon Demon’s massive body suddenly exploded into countless fragments, and clouds of ash-gray viscera splattered outward with astonishing speed!
“Get back!” I shouted in shock, quickly flying backward.
The others reacted just as fast, instantly retreating far away!
Drip, drip, tap!
The countless viscera falling from the sky rained down like droplets of highly concentrated sulfuric acid, splashing onto the ground and generating strange, blurring plumes of dense smoke.
When the Fire Wall spell finally expended its magic and the flames dissipated, what was revealed before everyone was a colossal mass already charred black like coke.
The air was filled with a bizarre, acrid stench of burning, mixing with the rolling smoke and the hazy mist, creating an atmosphere that was utterly bizarre and chilling.
However, through the perception of the Eye of Death Desire, we sensed the Scarlet Moon Demon’s aura had vanished—it was dead.
“We finally took the brute down,” everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief!
As for me, I was already slumped over like a discarded rag doll.
Looking at everyone else, they too were covered in grime and looked utterly disheveled!
Most comically, Yin Tao’s long hair had been singed off by a good foot, and his face was smeared with soot and ash, turning it into a motley mask.
Although the attack was brief, I had pushed the Dou Qi energy within my body recklessly.
After all, against a monster with such absurdly high defense as the Scarlet Moon Demon, speed and technique were useless; the only thing that mattered was overwhelming power. Power so immense it could pierce its defenses.
“Hah, it seems we found the right method; killing the Scarlet Moon Demon wasn't that hard,” Yin Tao remarked.
“Brother Feng, you can come in now,” I gasped, pulling out the Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission artifact.
“Did you succeed?” Came Chen Feng’s surprised voice from the other end.
“En.”
After a while, everyone finally regained their strength!
And that was when Chen Feng arrived.
Everyone slowly walked to the center of the area, surveying the Scarlet Moon Demon that had been burned to charcoal.
Evidently, what had exploded earlier was only a superficial part of the creature; what now lay before them was its true form.
It was difficult to describe what it actually was. If not for what Qing Yan had seen earlier, I would hardly believe it was a living entity possessing thought.
It was about twelve meters wide and perhaps ten meters high, resembling nothing so much as a pig’s lung magnified countless times.
After being baked by the Fire Walls for so long, it was still emitting heat. The foul odor alone nearly made everyone retch.
Everyone quickly pulled down the face guards on their helmets.
Chen Feng closely examined the unrecognizable remains of the Scarlet Moon Demon, appearing to search for something specific.
“What in the world is this thing?” Yin Tao couldn't help asking, “It doesn't even have a head or limbs.”
“……” Everyone else also stared at Chen Feng with investigative curiosity. Honestly, I was very curious about the Demon’s biological structure.
“Heh, I don't exactly know what this Scarlet Moon Demon is,” Chen Feng replied while examining the carcass. “But right now, this thing looks more like a mutated, giant, gelatinous organism.”
“Gelatinous organism?” I was greatly intrigued.
A gelatinous organism is essentially something akin to a soft-bodied creature.
“This kind of creature has no fixed hands or feet, nor does it have eyes,” Chen Feng explained. “Its movement relies on tentacles, and those tentacles, if I’m not mistaken, are what you refer to as the earth spikes.”
“Hah, so those were the Scarlet Moon Demon’s hands and feet,” Yin Hong exclaimed in amazement.
“But now that we’ve burned it like this, will its gall bladder still be useful?” I asked with some concern.
“Don’t worry, only the surface is burned,” Chen Feng assured us. “Even though you’ve charred the Scarlet Moon Demon like this, its vital energy hasn't completely vanished. Soft-bodied organisms possess very strong regenerative capabilities.”
“What? The Scarlet Moon Demon isn’t dead?” Everyone jumped in surprise.
“En. If you just leave it here, it can recover its original form in no time,” Chen Feng stated gravely.
“Ah!” I exclaimed in shock. “Is that really true!”
“Of course,” Chen Feng affirmed. “The life essence of soft-bodied creatures is hidden within their core. As long as the core remains intact, they can regenerate and recover completely.”
“The core,” I shuddered.
The creatures of this Mafa world were truly incredible.
“Judging by how large this thing grew, it must have survived for at least ten thousand years,” Chen Feng mused. “A treasure like this is rarely encountered. No wonder The Origin records that its gall bladder can neutralize all poisons in the world.”
“I see,” everyone finally understood.
“Let’s get down to business,” I urged.
“En!” Chen Feng nodded slightly. “Everyone help out now; we need to peel away its entire outer layer.”
..................
After a period of frantic effort, led by Chen Feng, the seven of us clumsily peeled the former behemoth layer by layer, like peeling an onion.
What surprised us was that the interior structure of the grim-looking Scarlet Moon Demon was surprisingly simple. It consisted of layers of shell-like material, much like a walnut, except interwoven within these layers were countless finger-thick objects extending outward like external parts.
“These strands are the tactile nerves of the soft-bodied organism,” Chen Feng explained.
“Are you saying those things that attacked us earlier were these nerves?” Yin Tao asked, astonished.
“Precisely,” Chen Feng confirmed. “These nerves have strong regenerative abilities.”
“If we remove its gall bladder, will it die?” I inquired curiously.
“No,” Chen Feng stated firmly. “As long as the core of a soft-bodied creature remains intact, everything else, including the gall bladder, can regenerate.”
“Good heavens, what a tough brute,” I muttered to myself, stunned.
Soon, the massive meat mountain was reduced to something only the size of a football by our peeling, its surface reddish-brown and incredibly hard. Pulled out alongside it was a fist-sized, rhomboid object, resembling a crab.
At this moment, the rhomboid object seemed alive, twitching slightly, as if trying to flee.
“Quick, grab it!” Chen Feng shouted loudly. “That is the true body of the Scarlet Moon Demon.”
“Ah!” I gasped in shock and immediately snatched the small, crab-like thing.
Chen Feng then breathed a sigh of relief! He then immediately picked up the football-sized mass! “This is its gall bladder!” Chen Feng said while carefully weighing it. “What a massive size. The gall bladder of an adult soft-bodied creature usually doesn't exceed the size of a finger. I never expected the Scarlet Moon Demon's gall bladder to be this large.”
“Correct. This is the core—the true body of the Scarlet Moon Demon. As long as the core remains undamaged, it can regenerate,” Chen Feng explained, noting that it had tried to escape just now, intending to burrow back into the earth, which would allow it to transform back into that giant monster.
“Ah,” everyone was greatly astonished.
“So this is the Scarlet Moon Demon’s real appearance,” I murmured.
“I can hardly believe that the thing that nearly killed us just now was such an inconspicuous little object,” Yin Hu commented.
“Don’t underestimate it,” Chen Feng warned. “If it manages to burrow into the soil or the riverbed, it will begin to grow again like a seed.”
“Good heavens, is it that potent?” Bai Yan asked.
I instinctively tightened my grip.
“Hah, you tough little thing! You almost finished us off earlier!”
Shhh!
The small object in my hand actually let out a faint squeak, struggling desperately.
Simultaneously, I felt a strange wave suddenly flash through my mind.
It was hard to explain what was happening, but astonishingly, I could sense that this little creature seemed afraid of something.
This feeling was almost identical to the time the Sword Spirit within the Dragon Shadow Sword suddenly manifested on the Demon Sealing Continent.
Yes, I had experienced this strange form of communication once before.
“Can you talk?” I thought, sending the mental prompt.
Unexpectedly, I quickly felt an ineffable wave—no sound, no language, yet I could genuinely grasp its thoughts.
“Let me go, I don't want to die yet.”
“Interesting, you can actually talk!” I was astounded. Good heavens, this creature could communicate! Although there was no sound, its thoughts were perfectly clear to me, even more direct than the vague exchanges I had with the Sword Spirit previously.
“Nonsense,” a cool voice sounded in my mind.
“……” I was nearly frozen, staring blankly at the small object in my hand.
“Marshal, what’s wrong?” Yin Hu and Yin Tao looked at me, completely dumbfounded, and grew very anxious.
“Didn't you hear it?” I instinctively asked.
“Hear what?” Chen Feng also looked at me with confusion.
“This little thing’s voice,” I mumbled.
“Marshal, you haven't gone mad, have you? Can this little thing talk?” Yin Hong asked curiously.
“Is it possible it was just my illusion?” I started to doubt myself.
“Idiot, how could they hear me?” The cool voice echoed again in my mind.
“No way, it really talks—it’s not an illusion!” I nearly threw the creature away in shock.
“Of course I talk. As an intelligent lifeform that has survived for fifteen thousand, three hundred and eighteen years—the legendary Scarlet Moon Demon—why is that strange?” The voice in my mind remained cool and haughty.
“…….” Oh my god, what was happening? Was the thing in my hand a monster! In that instant, I froze!