Ye Jingyu was the first to regain his senses. At that moment, Hong Feng and Lan Yue had already shot past him. He tried to turn, but Long Zimou’s body was already blocking his path, the incredibly thin rapier held directly against his throat…

A streak of sharp sword energy surged forth, aimed straight at Ye Jingyu’s throat.

Ye Jingyu suddenly drew his blade. The Tianzun Saber materialized almost instantaneously, directly intercepting that lightning-fast thrust. But Long Zimou had already flicked a finger out, the chilling Finger of Coldness…

With a sharp hiss, Long Zimou’s finger struck Ye Jingyu directly on the left chest, sending a spurt of blood erupting. His Frost-Woven Finger Sword followed through smoothly, parrying the block from the Tianzun Saber and continuing its menacing approach toward Ye Jingyu’s neck.

In that instant, Ye Jingyu finally grasped the formidable power of this Demon Lord. In raw strength, perhaps they were evenly matched, but in terms of skill and technique, Long Zimou was vastly superior.

Weren't the demons supposedly masters of brute force confrontations? Where had such elegant combat skills been acquired?

He failed to understand that while most demonic duels were settled by sheer power, a high-level Demon Lord like Long Zimou, who had lived for untold years, had also painstakingly refined his martial techniques. To achieve the rank of Demon King, mere strength was insufficient; profound insight was also essential.

These were realizations generally only accessible to Demon Lords who had reached a certain echelon…

Though momentarily surprised by Long Zimou’s martial prowess, Ye Jingyu showed no trace of fear. Perhaps his strength was less than Long Zimou’s, and perhaps his technique was even inferior, but there was one thing Long Zimou could never hope to match: speed.

Yes, absolute, blinding speed—the speed of light.

With a sharp whoosh, Long Zimou’s Frost-Woven Finger Sword carved a long trail through the void. Ye Jingyu had already retreated dozens of steps, narrowly dodging that lethal strike. As he retreated, a silver beam of light shot out from the Moon Wheel embedded in his brow, leaving a bloody gash on Long Zimou’s own left chest.

Long Zimou winced in pain, but he could not allow Ye Jingyu to hinder Hong Feng and Lan Yue from capturing Hei Ming Shixuan. Silver light flared intensely around him as he strode forward, reappearing instantly in front of Ye Jingyu once more.

The Lycan race, besides their powerful physiques, possessed extreme speed. A ghostly wolf shadow burst forth from his body, hurtling toward Ye Jingyu.

At this moment, Liang Xiaoke, Wu Yuan, Wu Hui, Wu Qing, and Yue Hen finally shook off the jarring sonic waves. But Lan Yue and Hong Feng had already swept past to Hei Ming Shixuan, their hands reaching out to seize her.

At this juncture, even Ye Jingyu could not intervene in time.

From the moment she had slain the Wolf Clan Prince, Wagangs, Hei Ming Shixuan knew the Lycans would likely seek retribution. How many times had she simulated such a scenario in her mind?

However, she had never imagined the Lycans would deploy so many Ninth Rank Demon Lords. Two of them were now attempting to capture her—how could she possibly resist?

Before she could formulate a plan, a streak of black light shot out from her side, aimed directly at Hong Feng, whose strength was clearly superior.

Even the formidable Hong Feng was forced to recoil from this black projectile, flashing aside to avoid the arrow.

Seizing the opportunity, Hei Ming Shixuan flipped her small hand, and the Ziyue Saber materialized. A dazzling arc of purple saber light ignited instantly.

It was a blade aura trailing violet flames—to the onlookers, this display was breathtakingly brilliant and beautiful.

But to the eyes of a Ninth Rank master, such an aura was hardly worth noting. Yet, Lan Yue, who had already closed the distance on Hei Ming Shixuan, was forced to retreat from this meager saber light, one he utterly dismissed.

This was because Hei Ming Shixuan was short, and the slash was aimed precisely at Lan Yue’s groin.

Lan Yue was a male demon, possessing an incredibly tough body, but he certainly didn't wish to have his most vital possessions wounded! This was a risk that could end his lineage!

As Lan Yue stepped back, everyone expected Hei Ming Shixuan to immediately follow up with a retreat. Instead, she pressed the attack. Her slender, white hand flicked upwards, and the sharp Ziyue Saber curved at an impossibly tricky angle, swinging down toward Lan Yue’s lower abdomen once more.

Lan Yue roared in fury, but faced with such a blindingly fast strike, he could only continue to backpedal, increasingly frustrated by how malicious this young girl was.

Hong Feng, on the sideline, had ultimately failed to completely evade that first arrow, but he managed to use his immense physique and the Fangyue Blade in his hand to absorb the impact, though the shock sent blood surging within him.

Seeing Lan Yue forced into a series of clumsy retreats by a mere girl, Hong Feng let out a cold snort and prepared to move toward Hei Ming Shixuan. But another black beam shot toward him.

And this black projectile carried even greater force than the previous one. Hong Feng glared up in anger, spotting Hu Yanqi not far away, once again drawing an arrow.

With rapid swish-swish-swish sounds, four black meteors shot out. These four Setting Sun Arrows completely sealed off all of Hong Feng’s escape routes.

Hong Feng was enraged. He couldn't believe someone like Hu Yanqi, whom he could squash by the dozen with one slap, could continuously hinder him using nothing more than a bow and arrows.

He flicked the Fangyue Blade, shaped like a scimitar, in his hand, unleashing his full demonic power in a single strike aimed at cleaving through the four arrows.

Remnant Sun Barring the Moon!

A mournful, crimson crescent formed in the air. Immediately, four muffled boom-boom-boom-boom sounds echoed as the four arrows were cleanly severed by that single blow.

After releasing those four shots, Hu Yanqi was completely drained and slumped onto the ground.

Hong Feng sneered, and the Fangyue Blade swung out again, launching a crescent-shaped swath of energy toward the collapsed Hu Yanqi. With his power spent, Hu Yanqi could not possibly dodge…

Hu Yanmeng and Chi Yixiu lunged desperately toward Hu Yanqi, absolutely unwilling to stand by and watch him die. But one figure moved faster than them, appearing out of thin air directly in front of Hu Yanqi.

“Thunderous Roar Shattering the Sky!” Lin Xiaoyi’s voice boomed. The timidity that usually marked his face was replaced by unprecedented courage. He could no longer afford to be a coward; he had to do something for his comrade.

Clutching the jet-black war blade with both hands, a colossal bolt of lightning tore down from the heavens, transforming into a brilliant blade aura that crashed fiercely toward the crescent-shaped attack.