“No good!”… Ye Chen realized the gravity of the situation… A massive influx of Dark Demons suddenly surged in from all sides. The one thousand Winged God Generals present were completely tied up fighting the Dark Demons, unable to spare any strength to aid him. The Dark Demon before him seemed to know this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that would never come again. With a sinister grin, it licked the blood from its greatsword and lunged forward.

Ye Chen’s palms were slick with cold sweat. He moved sideways, placing himself in front of the radiant, beautiful figure, facing the Dark Demon with grim determination. His mind was hyper-alert, beads of cold sweat tracing paths down his skin. He channeled his brainwaves, pushing them into a frantic whirl, condensing them in his hand to forge a massive azure greatsword!

Focus! Focus!

In this moment of extreme peril, Ye Chen’s heart ironically grew calm. Facing the approaching, wing-flapping Dark Demon, he suddenly felt the flow of time around him slow dramatically, as if everything were suspended in a protracted slow-motion sequence. He knew that at his current First Tier of the Origin Realm state of mind, one strike from this Dark Demon would leave him bleeding out on the metallic floor.

His only chance was to strike first, to kill in a single blow!

The Blind Sky battle technique was unleashed to its maximum potential instantly. He slowly closed his eyes, and the world dissolved into darkness. All around him were countless invisible lines, and before him, a dark silhouette rapidly approached. Within this silhouette, there was a faint, flickering green glimmer, appearing and vanishing faintly in sync with its movements.

That green glimmer was under its armpit!

Ye Chen’s spiritual energy reached its peak concentration, locking dead onto that green glimmer. In that blinding flash, he roared suddenly, raising the greatsword in his hand. His body sliced through the air in an elegant arc, gliding past the Dark Demon.

Slash!

The Dark Demon’s armpit burst open, and with a ghastly shriek, it dissolved into the wind.

A wave of relief washed over Ye Chen, immediately followed by a sharp jolt of fear that made his expression change. His left arm burst open in a spray of crimson flowers—severed cleanly at the shoulder. His detached limb dropped onto the metallic floor, spreading a stain of blood.

“Damn it!” Ye Chen’s heart was filled with shock and rage. He hadn't anticipated the Dark Demon’s greatsword being so impossibly fast… before he could even register the impact, it had cleaved his arm. If that strike had aimed for his head, his entire brain might have tumbled out.

With no time for shock, he swiftly snatched his severed arm from the floor, reattaching the mangled stump to his bloody shoulder. He furiously circulated the life force within his body, accelerating the rate of flesh and blood regeneration until the wound healed rapidly.

Just then, a sudden, chilling sensation washed over him from behind.

Ye Chen’s heart leaped wildly. He spun around to look back, only to see a pitch-black Dark Demon, fangs bared savagely, its greatsword raised as it lunged toward the beautiful, white-clad figure.

His heart plummeted.

The blood in his body ignited like a ferocious demonic fire, burning so intensely it threatened to consume his very soul.

Staring at the figure mere inches away, gazing at the beautiful face beneath the descending black-flamed greatsword, blood rushed to his head, making him feel as though he might transform into a savage fiend… With a sudden, desperate roar, his eyes burning blood-red, he charged forward—recklessly, utterly recklessly!

“Die!!!” A roar imbued with infinite fury and brutality echoed throughout the Eight Trigrams Vessel… clear above the clamor and clash of weapons.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a dark shadow dropped from above, landing directly in front of him, blocking his path… It was a hulking Dark Demon, looking down with cold, predatory eyes fixed upon Ye Chen… Its gaze was frigid and bloodthirsty, utterly indifferent as it swung its greatsword down toward Ye Chen’s head.

Ye Chen’s hair whipped wildly in his rage, and he snarled ferociously, “Get out of the way!!!” Clutching the azure greatsword in his hand, he stomped once onto the metallic hall floor. His body rapidly underwent a transformation: eight near-transparent wings sprouted from his back, his skin was overlaid with resonant scales, two extra arms extended from his abdomen, and his legs, braced in massive battle boots, morphed into razor-sharp scimitars.

Lightning Superman!

At this knife-edge moment between life and death, Ye Chen’s body automatically activated the Lightning Superman mode. At the exact instant the Dark Demon’s greatsword descended—

Slash!

Ye Chen’s greatsword flashed almost imperceptibly, slicing clean through the Dark Demon’s body. He reappeared behind it. The Dark Demon seemed frozen in place; only after a moment did it reach up and touch its chest in confusion, then slowly turn around to stare at the transformed Ye Chen. It licked its lips and sneered, “Perish!” Its form blurred, and it lunged forward again.

A sliver of surprise flashed in Ye Chen’s enraged eyes. He couldn't believe that even after his greatsword had pierced clean through its body, this Dark Demon remained completely unharmed. As shock gripped him, a faint, mocking chuckle reached his ears: “What a fragrant scent of flesh and blood, jieh-jieh…”

Ye Chen was greatly alarmed. He quickly turned back, only to see that Dark Demon advancing on Bai Yijun, its greatsword held ready, a cruel smirk stretching its hideous, drooling fangs.

“Where are you looking?” A chilling, low voice sounded. Immediately, a wave of intense danger flooded Ye Chen’s mind. Before he could react, his body moved on instinct, dodging slightly, transforming into a streak of light that shifted seven or eight meters to the left. Where he had just stood, the Dark Demon slowly rose, glancing back at him with cold disdain.

Ye Chen recovered his senses, every hair on his body standing on end. If not for the razor-sharp perception honed by constant brushes with death, he would have lost his head just now!

He gripped the greatsword tightly, his eyes locked on the Dark Demon. With a furious shout, his body flickered, vanishing into thin air. Moments later, dozens of azure beams flashed around the Dark Demon’s body, each one grazing its form.

When Ye Chen reappeared and stopped, breathing slightly heavily, the Dark Demon turned, smirking, “Now it’s my turn!”

Ye Chen’s heart seized. Staring at the completely unscathed Dark Demon, he was too shocked to speak. In that split second, he had used almost all his strength, aiming every strike at the Demon’s vital points. How could it be completely unharmed? Was it because this Dark Demon was an energy-based lifeform?

But he had killed a Dark Demon before, and the power of the mental greatsword should have been capable of cutting its physical form. Why was this one different?

A flash of insight crossed Ye Chen’s mind. He suddenly moved, dashing toward Bai Yijun not far away, positioning himself squarely between her and the attacking Dark Demon. Facing the sword swing aimed at him, his greatsword seemed to move incredibly slowly, lifting sluggishly, as if his strength had utterly failed him.

The Dark Demon seized the opportunity, laughing heartily as it swung its sword toward Ye Chen’s shoulder.

Ye Chen’s eyes narrowed completely. The instant he felt the blade slice into his shoulder, the greatsword in his hand accelerated suddenly, piercing through the Dark Demon’s chest, then continuing upward in a slicing motion, severing its entire head!

Hiss!

A mist resembling black blood erupted from the Demon’s severed neck. Its body emitted a piercing scream and vanished into the wind.

The Dark Demon nearby had its smile freeze on its face. Its expression darkened, and with a savage roar, it charged forward in a sudden burst.

Ye Chen held his sword defensively across his body. At that moment, a massive surge of energy permeated the entire metal hall. A colossal azure palm descended from the heavens and slapped the charging Dark Demon down. Before the Demon could even scream, it was completely pulverized into dust!

Hiss!

A sharp resonance echoed from the air. Black and white light enveloped the entire metal hall. Everyone saw a disk-like mirror suspended above their heads, radiating pure, profound light. Within the mirror, the dynamic of Yin and Yang swam, alternating with the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches around the rim, encased in a luminous, pale green barrier that enveloped everyone.

Under the containment of this Eight Trigrams Mirror, the Dark Demons in the hall scattered in terror like snow meeting scorching fire, screaming as they were refined into black mist by the mirror’s azure rays and expelled.

“Hmm?” Ye Chen noticed that as one Dark Demon disintegrated, a black bead dropped out, rolling onto the floor. He instantly beckoned with his hand, and the black bead flew into his grasp.

Ye Chen examined the black bead in his hand, feeling a profound, mysterious energy emanating from it, like a magnetic field that stirred his mental energy.

“Everyone inside the Eight Trigrams Mirror, do not move,” Fu Xi’s grave voice echoed from within the mirror. The mirror manifested his benevolent countenance upon its surface.

The Thousand Winged God Generals, including the previously injured female General whose arms had been severed, quickly converged, forming a protective circle around Ye Chen and the others, watching their surroundings vigilantly.

Ye Chen looked up and realized Fu Xi’s physical body was nowhere in sight within the Eight Trigrams Vessel. He frowned slightly, following the projection on the mirror, only to discover that behind Fu Xi was boundless darkness. Although his body emitted a faint glow that illuminated the space immediately around him, Ye Chen could still see streaks of black figures darting past.

Dark Demons!

What shocked Ye Chen was that these Dark Demons were all Six-Winged Dark Demons, their bodies perfectly human-shaped, all exuding a terrifying, suffocating evil aura.

“Uncle!” Shao Hao exclaimed in shock.

Fu Xi’s expression was solemn. “This time, we have encountered a Dark Demon Commander. You all stay put inside, and I will return shortly.”

“You think you can just leave?” A sharp, mocking voice sneered, “In front of me, Hei Luqi, with only this much power, you expect to depart unharmed?”

Everyone followed the source of the voice and gasped. In the boundless darkness, a black throne materialized. Seated upon it was a figure with dark hair and starry eyes, imbued with sinister allure. His skin was pale, his fingernails sharp and long, and a greatsword was plunged into his back!

Most striking were the pair of black, fleshy wings sprouting from his back!

On the Eight Trigrams Mirror, Fu Xi turned solemnly, cutting off the image transmission function. The mirror reverted to its original form.

“Damn it!” Shao Hao’s face was grim. “How could a Dark Demon Commander be here? What kind of joke is this!!”

Ye Chen’s eyes flashed. “How strong is a Dark Demon Commander?”

Shao Hao clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly with suppressed fury. “In the entire [Black Nether Pass], there are only three Dark Demon Commanders, along with three Grand Commanders, and one Dark Demon Emperor! These Commanders are rarely seen, and each one is terrifyingly strong. Only those at the level of the Ancient Jiuli Patriarch can destroy them!”