Recruit demons to become heroes, hunt demons to become gods

Chapter 291 A Narrow Escape

The moment Ye Na's Spirit Peach Honey Pot Dao Body merged with Dou Eqing's Three Yang Gathering Dragon Dao Body, the world changed drastically!
The sky above the canyon seemed to be torn apart by an invisible giant hand, and dark clouds gathered at a visible speed, covering an area of ​​tens of thousands of miles in the blink of an eye.

Within the clouds, crimson-gold lightning danced like dragons and snakes, each flash causing the space to tremble, as if even the Heavenly Dao was enraged—such a heaven-defying breakthrough would surely attract the most terrifying Mahayana lightning tribulation!

"Oh no! It's the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Tribulation!"

Liu Shuhuang's phoenix eyes narrowed sharply, and her voice trembled slightly, a rare occurrence for her.

As the Empress of the Han-Tang Immortal Dynasty, she had personally witnessed the tribulations of several Mahayana cultivators, but she had never seen such terrifying heavenly might!

Narcissus Rong's icy laws instinctively condensed into protective ice crystals, but they crumbled inch by inch under the pressure of the tribulation clouds.

"This lightning tribulation...something's not right!"

She stared intently at the nine crimson-gold lightning dragons gradually taking shape in the clouds. "Ordinary Mahayana lightning tribulations have a maximum of three nines, this...this is a nine-nine lightning tribulation!"

The myriad shadows of the Shadow Moon swayed wildly, and fear simultaneously appeared on twenty-seven faces.

She finally understood—Dou Eqing's Three Yang Gathering Dragon Dao Body was already heaven-defying, and now he had devoured the primordial yin of three Mahayana female cultivators, plus Ye Na's Spirit Peach Honey Pot Dao Body. The lightning tribulation attracted by this accumulation was probably of the scale only seen when the Tribulation Transcending Realm was undergoing tribulation!
"Owner……"

Yena gazed at Dou Eqing with fascination, her twenty-seven eyes reflecting the golden flames burning around him.

Far from being afraid, she opened her arms and unleashed the essence of her Spirit Peach Honey Pot Dao Body, transforming it into a pinkish-purple cocoon that enveloped the two of them.

"boom--!"

The moment the first bolt of lightning struck, the entire canyon was reduced to ashes!
It was a crimson-gold thunder dragon that was a thousand feet thick, with a ferocious head, and every scale was made of the purest destructive lightning.

Before the thunder dragon even arrived, its terrifying pressure had already caused mountains within a thousand miles to collapse and rivers to evaporate!

Dou Eqing roared to the sky, and three illusory images of blazing suns formed a triangular formation above his head, managing to withstand this earth-shattering blow.

Amidst the exploding lightning, his physical body cracked inch by inch, and the dark golden blood that had just seeped out was evaporated, but it quickly healed under the nourishment of the Spirit Peach Honey Pot Dao Body.

"The second one! The third one! The fourth one!"

The tribulation clouds gave him no chance to breathe, unleashing three consecutive lightning tribulations, each more terrifying than the last.

The fourth lightning tribulation even transformed into the shapes of the Four Symbols—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. The phantoms of the four sacred beasts, carrying the killing intent of heaven and earth, crushed down!

"puff--!"

Dou Eqing finally couldn't hold on any longer and suddenly spat out a mouthful of golden blood.

Yena's Spirit Peach Honey Pot body had also reached its limit, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the pinkish-purple light cocoon.

In the distance, Liu Shuhuang and the other two were forced to retreat continuously by the aftershocks of the lightning tribulation.

Shui Xianrong suddenly gritted her teeth and said, "We can't just sit idly by! If he perishes in the lightning tribulation, all our efforts of the past sixty years will have been in vain! Where will we find such a furnace in the future?"

"What do you want to do?"

The shadowy moon demanded an answer in a stern voice.

Shui Xianrong did not answer, but instead transformed into a streak of icy blue light and rushed towards the center of the lightning tribulation.

She formed a hand seal, and the pure Yin energy within her body erupted without reservation, condensing into a huge ice mirror above Dou Eqing's head.

"The Mysterious Female Ice Soul Mirror!"

The fifth lightning bolt struck the ice mirror with a deafening roar, instantly covering the mirror surface with cracks, but successfully reflecting some of the lightning's power.

Shui Xianrong let out a muffled groan, and a trace of icy blue blood spilled from the corner of her lips.

Seeing this, Liu Shuhuang no longer hesitated.

The Nine-Phoenix Crown, adorned with pearls, shone with unprecedented brilliance. She trod through the void, and with each step, a golden lotus bloomed. The imperial dragon energy transformed into nine five-clawed golden dragons, coiling around and protecting Dou Eqing in the center.

"Nine Dragons Protect the Way!"

Youyingyue sighed softly, and a resolute expression appeared on all twenty-seven faces at the same time. The myriad shadows converged and merged into one, transforming into a pitch-black moon that hung behind Dou Eqing.

Wherever the eerie light cast by the dark moon passed, the power of the lightning tribulation was strangely weakened by 30%.

"The sixth one! The seventh one!"

With the help of the three Mahayana female cultivators, Dou Eqing finally got a chance to catch his breath.

He sat cross-legged in the center of the lightning tribulation, his Three Yangs Gathering Dragon Dao Body operating wildly, forcibly refining the power of the descending lightning tribulation.

Each bolt of lightning that entered his body felt like thousands of sharp blades churning within his meridians, but with each strike, his physical body grew stronger!
When the eighth lightning tribulation descended, the world seemed to freeze for a moment.

It was a sword.

A giant sword, ten thousand feet long, formed from pure lightning tribulation!
The sword was wreathed in chaotic energy, and wherever its blade pointed, space itself was automatically annihilated.

This is the sword of Heaven's Way, the punishment to annihilate demons!

"Attack together!" Liu Shuhuang shouted sharply.

The four of them held nothing back, revealing all their cards.

The four powers—Imperial Dragon Qi, Mysterious Yin, Illusory Desire Demonic Light, and Spiritual Peach Honey Pot—were briefly fused together under the harmonization of Dou Eqing's Three Yang Power, transforming into a four-colored pillar of light that met the lightning tribulation sword.

“Boom—!”

In the instant of the collision, the entire landscape was reduced to dust!

The blinding light eclipsed the sun and moon, and the terrifying shockwave swept away the clouds for tens of thousands of miles around.

When the light faded, all four lay dying in the ruins, with Dou Eqing reduced to only half a charred skeleton.

However—"Click."

Suddenly, a crack appeared in the charred skeleton, and dark golden light shone through the crack.

Then, the second and third...

In the blink of an eye, the entire skeleton shattered like an eggshell, and a brand new Dou Eqing emerged from the cocoon!

The newborn skin was as smooth as jade, the muscle lines were as perfect as if sculpted by the heavens, and every inch of flesh and blood flowed with a dark golden light.

At his chest, the three illusory images of blazing suns had evolved into four, showing a faint tendency to transform into the Nine Suns Sacred Body.

But before they could even catch their breath, the ninth lightning tribulation had already descended.

There was no grand spectacle, no earth-shattering pressure, only a single drop of water.

A seemingly ordinary drop of water sent chills down the spines of the four Mahayana cultivators.

"Chaotic Lightning Liquid..."

Yena's voice trembled violently, "I've heard... that it can annihilate... the final tribulation of a Tribulation Transcending Realm cultivator..."

As the water droplets slowly fell, the space in their path vanished silently, not shattered, but utterly and completely "nothingness."

Dou Eqing stared at the increasingly approaching drop of chaotic lightning liquid and suddenly laughed.

He opened his arms and actually went to meet her!

"Owner!"

Yena screamed shrilly.

Amidst the despairing gazes of the four, the Chaotic Lightning Liquid landed on Dou Eqing's brow.

Quiet.

Absolute silence.

Then—"Buzz..."

A strange fluctuation emanated from Dou Eqing's body.

His eyes suddenly turned pure gold, with no pupils, no whites, only endless golden light.

The four illusory images of blazing suns on his chest spun wildly, and under the stimulation of the chaotic lightning liquid, a fifth one was forcibly condensed!

"I see."

Dou Eqing's voice became ethereal and lofty, as if carrying an ancient echo, "The Three Yangs Gathering Dragon is merely the beginning. The Nine Yangs Sacred Body is the ultimate destination."

He raised his hand and gently touched it. The drop of chaotic lightning liquid, which was enough to annihilate a true immortal, was actually refined by him and turned into a golden pattern imprinted on his brow.

The calamity clouds began to dissipate, and a radiant glow pierced through the clouds, as the great Dao's pronouncements resounded throughout the world.

The pure essence of heaven and earth transformed into sweet rain, which brought forth new life to scorched earth and withered trees wherever it fell.

Dou Eqing – Formally entered Mahayana Buddhism!
But at that moment, something unexpected happened!

An aura even more terrifying than the lightning tribulation suddenly descended.

A crack appeared in the void, and a hand, as clear as jade, reached out and gently grasped—"Poof!"

Dou Eqing, who had just survived his tribulation, was crushed by this hand!

The moment that crystal-clear, jade-like hand appeared, the entire world seemed to freeze.

Liu Shuhuang, Shui Xianrong, You Yingyue, and Ye Nashi were suppressed in place by an invisible pressure before they even had a chance to react, unable to move!

"This is... the aura of a celestial being?!" Liu Shuhuang's pupils shrank, and a huge wave of shock surged in her heart.

With a gentle squeeze of his palm, Dou Eqing’s newly reconstructed body exploded, turning into a cloud of blood mist!
"No—!" Yena screamed in agony, her twenty-seven faces contorted in agony. However, just as everyone thought Dou Eqing was utterly dead—

"Buzz!"

Within the blood mist, five illusory images of blazing suns suddenly lit up, like five radiant suns illuminating the heavens and the earth!

"Nine Yang Sacred Body, immortal and indestructible."

Dou Eqing's voice came from the void, carrying a detached indifference that transcended life and death.

Actually, his Nine Yang Sacred Body is still a little lacking.

If the Xuanmo Saint Armor hadn't withstood the first wave of attacks at the crucial moment and absorbed the overflowing power of the attacks through the Body Tempering Minor Divine Power, not only would the Nine Yang Saint Body be unable to take the final step, but it would also be hard to say whether he could have saved his life.

Of course, relying solely on the automatic protection of the Xuanmo Holy Armor was not enough to withstand the initial attack.

At the critical moment, a powerful force from the heavens above the Purple Star Immortal Mansion directly acted upon the Mysterious Demon Saint Armor.

The immense power emanating from the Purple Star Immortal Abode came from Shen Yirong, who had already attained immortality.

When Dou Eqing faced a life-or-death moment, Shen Yirong seemed to become a different person. Her eyes burst forth with divine light as she looked out through the Ziwei Immortal Mansion.

She intended to capture Dou Eqing and take him back to the Ziwei Immortal Mansion to avoid the attack, but as she made her move, Dou Eqing's grown-up body in the sky above the Ziwei Immortal Mansion came into her view.

Shen Yirong immediately changed her strategy and did not attack directly.

Instead, she used her immortal power to activate the immortal-level defensive power of the Xuanmo Sacred Armor through the connection between Dou Eqing's two bodies and the Ziwei Immortal Mansion.

Although its defense lags behind its attack by half a breath, the Xuanmo Sacred Armor, even though it has reached the level of immortal-level defense, is still the weakest in terms of immortal-level defensive power.

Fortunately, the person who attacked Dou Eqing was not a complete immortal, nor was the attack launched face-to-face.

Therefore, Shen Yirong's actions were the most appropriate, leaving the fewest traces and making Dou Eqing appear even more mysterious and unpredictable.

"Li Chunlong, you finally couldn't resist making a move."

—That hand was none other than the immortal hand of Li Chunlong, the ruler of the Han-Tang Immortal Dynasty!
"Li Chunlong, you finally couldn't resist making a move."

Dou Eqing's voice echoed in the shattered void. Five illusory images of blazing suns floated in the blood mist, each radiating an aura of supreme yang that made heaven and earth tremble.

The celestial hand, as clear and lustrous as jade, paused slightly, seemingly not expecting the other party to be able to see through its identity so easily.

"How dare you, a mere ant, address me by my name?"

A voice, utterly indifferent, echoed from the depths of the clouds. Each word seemed to carry the weight of celestial laws, causing the mountains and rivers to tremble.

But upon closer listening, a barely perceptible weakness was hidden deep within the voice—Li Chunlong was indeed still undergoing his immortal tribulation, and what had descended at this moment was merely a wisp of his spirit residing on an immortal artifact!

"boom!"

The immortal hand pressed down again, this time carrying the complete laws of immortality.

Wherever it passed, space did not shatter, but instead returned directly to chaos.

Even though Liu Shuhuang and the other three had regained their mobility, they were still forced to retreat repeatedly by this oppressive aura, with blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.

At this critical moment——

"Heh heh heh, Li the Old Ghost, what kind of skill is it to bully the younger generation?"

A bolt of jet-black lightning suddenly tore through the void and slammed into the immortal hand!
This lightning was extremely strange; it was clearly a demonic lightning of extreme yin and evil, yet it exuded a terrifying aura that could refine all things.

"Soul Refining Thunder Demon?!"

Narcissus cried out in surprise.

A thousand-armed witch, her body wreathed in jet-black lightning, descended through the air, each step accompanied by the wailing of countless wronged souls amidst the lightning.

With a gentle flick of her fair fingers, four streaks of jet-black lightning landed on Liu Shuhuang and the other three women.

"Put on our Soul-Refining Evil Armor and let this pseudo-immortal see what true demonic power is!"

The moment the lightning armor was applied, all four women simultaneously let out a muffled groan.

This evil armor was directly connected to their souls. Ye Na's Spirit Peach Honey Pot Dao Body, Liu Shuhuang's Imperial Dragon Qi, Shui Xianrong's Mysterious Yin, and You Yingyue's Illusory Desire Demon Light began to merge wildly under the guidance of the Soul Refining Thunder Demon!
"The Four Symbols return to their origin, the Demon Armor unites as one!"

With a sharp cry from the witch, the figures of the four women twisted and deformed in the lightning, eventually transforming into a phantom of a demon god thousands of feet tall.

This phantom has four heads and eight arms. On the left is Liu Shuhuang's elegant phoenix head and Shui Xianrong's cold jade face, while on the right is You Yingyue's bewitching illusion and Ye Nashi's infatuated demonic face. The eight arms hold the Imperial Heavenly Sword, the Xuanbing Treasure Mirror, the Illusionary Desire Demon Silk, and the Spirit Peach Branch respectively. Its aura is actually close to the mid-stage of the Tribulation Transcending Realm!
"boom!"

The demonic phantom unleashed its eight arms, forcefully blocking the downward pressure of the celestial hand. The ground within a radius of ten thousand miles instantly collapsed by a thousand feet, but ultimately withstood this fatal blow.

"court death."

The voice from the clouds finally took on a furious tone.

Suddenly, the immortal hand transformed from a palm into fingers, and a beam of celestial light, refined to its utmost, burst forth.

The light seemed gentle, yet it melted even the Soul Refining Evil Armor wherever it passed!
The four faces of the demon god's phantom simultaneously revealed expressions of pain, with the foremost Youyingyue bearing the brunt, half of its demonic body instantly vaporizing.

"Hang in there!"

The Soul Refining Thunder Demon bit its tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood essence, "Master's Nine Yang Sacred Body is about to—"

Before he finished speaking, a sudden change occurred!
A giant cauldron shrouded in purple mist suddenly appeared, its surface bearing the two characters "Ziyang" radiating dazzling light.

The giant cauldron crashed squarely between the celestial hand and the phantom of the demon god, and the purple flames spewing from the cauldron's mouth actually severed the celestial light!

"Su Muwan?!"

For the first time, Li Chunlong's voice fluctuated drastically.

The Purple Sun Cauldron trembled slightly, and a clear, cold female voice emanated from it:
"If Your Majesty is distracted again, I fear there will be no one to deal with the three bolts of annihilation lightning in the Immortal Tribulation."

The voice was gentle as water, yet it made the fairy hand recoil as if struck by lightning.

During this brief respite, Dou Eqing's flesh and blood finally completed their reconstruction.

On the newly formed body, the five illusory images of blazing suns have grown to six, each containing a power as great as the creation of the world.

He slowly opened his eyes, golden flames burning within them: "Li Chunlong, I'll accept this puppet body of yours."

With the six yang energies rotating simultaneously, an extremely dazzling pillar of light shot into the sky and slammed into the depths of the clouds.

A muffled groan could be faintly heard. In the Han-Tang Grotto-Heaven small world where Li Chunlong was undergoing his immortal tribulation, the tribulation clouds began to roll uncontrollably—Su Muwan's threat had come true, and Li Chunlong's physical body had indeed encountered a problem during his immortal tribulation!

"good very good."

The voice from the clouds carried a chilling edge, "Su Muwan, do you think you can rest easy just because you've discovered my tribulation location through the Purple Sun Cauldron? Wait until I've passed my immortal tribulation."

"That depends on whether you can get through it."

A woman's voice chuckled softly from within the Purple Sun Cauldron, yet it couldn't conceal a hint of weakness. "Does Your Majesty know that just a moment ago, I had already driven three Purple Sun Nails into your Immortal Tribulation Array?"

The world suddenly became silent.

The next second, the Immortal Hand, the Calamity Cloud, and the Purple Cauldron vanished without a trace, as if the life-or-death battle just now was merely an illusion.

Only the devastation and the dying phantom of the demon god testify to the reality of this earth-shattering battle.

"puff--"

After disintegrating, the four women all coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground.

The Soul Refining Evil Armor shattered inch by inch, then returned to the Soul Refining Thunder Demons, revealing their cracked flesh.

Yena's twenty-seven faces had mostly collapsed, Shui Xianrong's icy foundation had spiderweb-like cracks, Youyingyue's thousands of shadowy figures were reduced to only a few, and even Liu Shuhuang's nine-phoenix crown had completely dimmed.

The Soul Refining Thunder Demon was in an even more miserable state; its beautiful body had become so transparent that it had almost vanished.

She grinned at Dou Eqing, who was staggering towards her, revealing a mouthful of black teeth: "Boy, remember what you promised this old man."

This is the original spirit of the Refined Evil Armor speaking to him.

Before she finished speaking, the witch transformed into a wisp of black smoke and vanished into the void.

Unbeknownst to anyone, a faint wisp of purple energy was quietly coiling around the Purple Sun Cauldron in which Su Muwan resided.
Thousands of miles away, deep within the forbidden grounds of the Han-Tang Immortal Dynasty, a woman in palace attire suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

A hideous crack had suddenly appeared on the Purple Sun Cauldron that was floating in front of her.

Although the Ziyang Cauldron is a celestial cauldron, Su Muwan's cultivation level was too low, and she was still unable to withstand the tribulation of a celestial being.

Originally, the Ziyang Cauldron had a continuous supply of immortal energy provided by the immortal array set up by Li Chunlong, but in order to save Dou Eqing, she forcibly controlled the Ziyang Cauldron, which resulted in it not being able to obtain sufficient immortal energy.

"Li Chunlong"

Su Muwan wiped the blood from her lips, a resolute glint in her beautiful eyes. "This game has only just begun."

Originally, Su Muwan had almost forgotten about Dou Eqing, but when Dou Eqing was forced to the brink of life and death by Li Chunlong's puppet body, the mysterious cause and effect awakened her.

However, this awakening, under the influence of another layer of cause and effect, quickly made Dou Eqing's figure become increasingly blurred in Su Muwan's consciousness.

No, I can't forget him!

She murmured to herself in terror.

"If all I can do is forget you, then let me do one last thing for you..."

She made up her mind to go from helping Li Chunlong overcome his immortal tribulation to sabotaging it.

(End of this chapter)