The sword gleam arrived so swiftly and from such a cunning angle, aimed directly for the eye of the Jiuli Pagoda. Given the pagoda's immense height, evasion seemed impossible, yet Jiuli Pagoda did not attempt to dodge. He simply raised his right hand—a hand as thick as a locomotive engine.

"Shhh..." The razor-sharp sword light struck his arm, emitting a grating sound, like foam scraping across glass. But his arm was astonishingly solid; this seemingly lethal beam left only a shallow mark, utterly incapable of causing him any real harm.

However, Long Zimu had already vaulted into the air, his fingertip-thin blade flickering rapidly, unleashing torrents of sword energy that enveloped the entirety of the Jiuli Pagoda.

Jiuli Pagoda simply couldn't avoid such a rapid barrage; he could only use his massive arms to shield his vital areas.

"Chik-chik-chik-chik..." Countless strikes were unleashed. The colossal frame of the Jiuli Pagoda was soon riddled with gashes, easily numbering in the thousands, yet none of them were serious wounds. The deepest cut barely managed to carve a furrow an inch deep. While this might be severe for an ordinary person, for Jiuli Pagoda, it was merely superficial—the kind of damage that barely breaks the skin.

"I didn't expect your physical fortitude to have reached such a level. It seems you've improved significantly over the years!" Long Zimu ceased his attack, hanging suspended in the air, coldly observing Jiuli Pagoda, who stood grounded but remained on eye-level with him.

Jiuli Pagoda remained silent, focusing his gaze on Long Zimu. The demonic energy within him began to churn violently, and a malevolent aura erupted from his body in continuous waves.

"But even if your hide is thick, I've already identified three weak points on your body. Do you truly believe you can withstand my sword energy now?" Ignoring the intensifying malevolence radiating from Jiuli Pagoda, Long Zimu spoke calmly.

"Why must I defend! Demon God Fist..." Jiuli Pagoda suddenly roared, and in the next instant, he raised his right arm and hurled a devastating punch toward Long Zimu.

It was the simplest straight punch, devoid of flourish or complex technique, like a brute swinging wildly. Yet, the sheer force contained within this single blow was immense. Waves of black light flickered, causing the void itself to buckle under the pressure, and the violent intent of the fist completely locked onto Long Zimu, making it seem as if no matter where he moved, escape was impossible.

Sensing the terrifying power packed into that punch, Long Zimu's expression shifted drastically. Although his overall strength surpassed Jiuli Pagoda’s, in a pure contest of raw power, he was certainly no match. Facing this terrifying strike, even if he could block it, he would undoubtedly be injured by the impact, making any follow-up action against Jiuli Pagoda extremely difficult.

He wished to evade, but there was no room to maneuver. Having no other recourse, Long Zimu pressed forward instead of retreating. The thin blade at his fingertip suddenly launched out, flying straight toward the surface of Jiuli Pagoda’s impacting fist.

"Shhh..." The thin blade embedded itself right onto the surface of Jiuli Pagoda’s striking fist. If it had been a heavy weapon, Jiuli Pagoda could have relied on his formidable physique to resist. But this blade was extremely narrow, almost like a sheet of paper, and combined with the force Long Zimu imbued it with, it managed to pierce into Jiuli Pagoda’s fist. However, the weapon was so small that to Jiuli Pagoda, it felt no different than a needle as fine as a strand of hair pricking him, causing no discernible damage. The critical issue was that while this thrust inflicted no actual wound, it punctured the integrity of his perfect fist aura.

It was like a pinprick in a balloon; the aura immediately deflated, and this single piercing instantly weakened the punch's power by nine-tenths.

The remaining one-tenth slammed into Long Zimu's arms, sending his body flying backward. Yet, aside from a slight numbness in his limbs, he sustained no real injury.

With a beckoning gesture, the slender, thin sword returned to his hand, and Long Zimu's figure vanished.

Jiuli Pagoda was alarmed. Black light suddenly burst forth from his entire body, completely enveloping him, and his horns began to emit dark, flickering radiance.

"Whoosh..." Long Zimu suddenly appeared on Jiuli Pagoda’s shoulder, flicking his thin blade toward the pagoda's ear.

Startled, Jiuli Pagoda slammed a hand toward his shoulder, but Long Zimu’s form vanished again, reappearing instantly on his opposite flank. Jiuli Pagoda struck out again, but it was like trying to swat a cunning fly—impossible to connect.

After only a few exchanges, blood began to seep from Jiuli Pagoda’s ear and the corners of his eyes. These were his vulnerable spots, and they could not withstand a strike from Long Zimu’s blade.

From a distance, Chi Yixiu watched Jiuli Pagoda being toyed with by Long Zimu and felt a surge of fury. His figure flashed, and he lunged forward, raising his arm to strike the rapidly moving Long Zimu.

"Scram..." Facing the charging palm, Long Zimu let out a cold snort, waved his hand, and a surge of immense force erupted, sending Chi Yixiu flying. Though his raw strength might be less than Jiuli Pagoda's, Long Zimu was a Ninth-Grade Demon Lord, far superior to the Seventh-Grade Chi Yixiu.

Chi Yixiu’s enormous body was immediately flung backward like an airplane, and blood erupted from his mouth like a geyser...

This was merely a casual strike from Long Zimu, yet it clearly demonstrated the vast chasm separating two different cultivation realms.

Seeing Chi Yixiu knocked away, crashing heavily to the ground, his fate uncertain, rage flared in Jiuli Pagoda’s heart. He had promised Ye Jingyu he would protect Chi Yixiu; moreover, Chi Yixiu represented their hope, potentially growing into a Demon King—how could he allow him to be bullied like this?

The black light within him flared, and his chest began to swell alarmingly, puffing up like a balloon instantly filled with air. Seeing Jiuli Pagoda transform, the faces of Long Zimu, Hong Feng, Fen Zhui, and Lan Yue simultaneously changed in alarm.

Hong Feng moved the fastest, disappearing almost instantly beyond a thousand zhang. Following closely, Fen Zhui and Lan Yue vanished as well...

Only Long Zimu remained. Brilliant silver light erupted from his body, and his entire form began to expand rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he grew to match Jiuli Pagoda’s height. His clothing ripped apart, replaced by luxurious silver fur that sprouted instantly, and his head transformed into the massive head of a wolf...