Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

She wanted to ask more questions, but the Ink Dragon Demon King was clearly unwilling to say anything more and changed the subject.

Meanwhile, Han Kuo and the others searched the seaside for a day without any news. They figured that the Ink Dragon Demon King's goal was Snow Peak Mountain, and he wouldn't stay in one place forever.

So he asked the local demon-suppressing bureau to keep an eye out for Ji Fanghua, and Liu Huang led his group to chase after her towards Chenzhou.

Qingyuan territory.

After leaving Xuefeng Mountain, Li Yuan traveled at full speed without stopping. He activated his full cultivation and entered the territory of Southern Guangdong in less than a day.

Thinking that Han Kuo and the others were still behind him, he slowed down, released his spiritual sense, and searched for Ji Fanghua's whereabouts as he walked.

When he arrived at a forest outside Qingyuan City, he suddenly stopped.

Several miles ahead, there were two auras, one of which belonged to Ji Fanghua.

The other aura was naturally that of the Ink Dragon Demon King. He must have a magical artifact to shield him from detection, as Li Yuan could only sense a very faint demonic aura. If Ji Fanghua's identity had not been confirmed, it would have been easily overlooked.

The Ink Dragon Demon King possessed considerable cultivation and held Ji Fanghua as a hostage. Li Yuan, being alone, dared not be careless. He first concealed his aura and then emerged from another fork in the road.

He pretended to be a traveler from the direction of Guangzhou, and after walking for a short while, he indeed saw two riders riding side by side on the main road ahead.

One of the men in black had an arrogant demeanor; he was likely the Ink Dragon Demon King who had kidnapped Ji Fanghua.

Li Yuan was hesitant to act without being certain of success, so as not to implicate Ji Fanghua.

The Ink Dragon Demon King had noticed him long ago, but seeing that his cultivation was only at the early stage of the Core Formation Realm and that he was all alone, he didn't pay any attention to him and only gave him a brief glance.

Ji Fanghua's spiritual power was sealed, so she couldn't sense it in advance and only saw it when Li Yuan walked up to her side.

She was always reserved and only glanced at him casually before turning away, acting as if he were a complete stranger.

"Please wait a moment, gentlemen." Li Yuan stepped forward with a look of delight, cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, gentlemen. I came from Guangzhou and unfortunately got lost. May I ask if this is Qingyuan County?"

The Ink Dragon Demon King stopped, glanced at Li Yuan, and casually pointed: "Just follow this road, and you'll arrive after crossing that mountain."

"Thank you for your guidance." Li Yuan thanked him repeatedly, while Ji Fanghua silently followed Mo Jiao, not taking the initiative to speak.

After some probing, Li Yuan only wanted to confirm whether Ji Fanghua was injured. Seeing that she was alright, he didn't linger. After thanking her, he really headed towards Qingyuan County.

He had calculated that the Ink Dragon Demon King would also take this route, and sure enough, the two met again half an hour later. He took the opportunity to greet him, but the other party was too lazy to pay attention.

Thus, they met several times along the way. Li Yuan secretly observed, looking for an opportunity to take action and rescue Ji Fanghua. However, the Ink Dragon Demon King was very vigilant and never let Ji Fanghua be alone.

And so, the two sides walked at a leisurely pace for most of the day, sometimes ahead and sometimes behind, until they entered the territory of Shaoguan.

Suddenly, a thunderous sound of hooves erupted behind them.

Li Yuan turned his head and saw Han Kuo and his group of more than a dozen people rushing towards them along the official road. They had been chasing them all the way from Panyu, traveling day and night, and finally intercepted them here.

"Ink Dragon! Release Miss Ji!"

Han Kuo reined in his horse, drew his long sword, and pointed it directly at the Ink Dragon Demon King.

Liu Huang and the others dismounted and surrounded the Ink Dragon Demon King, each exuding murderous intent, clearly prepared for a desperate battle.

Surrounded, the Ink Dragon Demon King remained completely calm, smiling contemptuously: "You bunch of chickens and dogs think you can stop me?"

He reached out and grabbed Ji Fanghua, storing her in a personal spatial treasure. He stood with his hands behind his back and arrogantly said to the crowd, "Come at me all at once, so I don't waste time dealing with you one by one."

"Arrogant!"

Han Kuo roared and launched the first attack with his sword.

Knowing the power of the Ink Dragon Demon King, the others immediately formed a battle formation, and more than a dozen fierce attacks intertwined into a net, enveloping the Ink Dragon Demon King within it.

The black dragon demon didn't even bother to move its weapon. It stretched out its right hand, spread its five fingers, and pressed lightly in front of itself.

A black curtain of water rose in front of him, blocking all the attacks. The water curtain seemed weak, but it was indestructible. No matter what Han Kuo and the others did, not even a ripple was made.

"Is that all you've got?"

The Ink Dragon Demon King shook his head dismissively, flicked his finger, and the water curtain transformed into countless water arrows, shooting towards the crowd.

"Clang clang clang!"

The crowd hurriedly defended themselves, and a series of rapid sounds came from all directions. Although they were water arrows, they made a sound like metal clashing.

"puff!"

One of the demon-hunting guards had his arm pierced by a water arrow, screaming as he staggered back. Immediately afterward, a series of screams rang out as everyone was struck. Only a few highly skilled individuals, such as Han Kuo and Liu Huang, were still struggling to hold on.

"Heh, it seems that's all you've got."

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp blade of light slashed towards him.

"Then let's see how I do!"

Li Yuan had been observing the Ink Dragon Demon King from a distance. Seeing that the Demon King had forced everyone back with a single move, he couldn't help but feel a chill.

This black dragon truly lives up to its reputation as the illegitimate son of the overseas demon emperor; its cultivation level is already at the half-step demon emperor stage.

However, this did not frighten him; on the contrary, it fueled Li Yuan's fighting spirit. Since his advancement, he had never encountered such a formidable opponent.

Facing the Ink Dragon, he dared not be careless and used all his strength from the start. The starlight on the blade shone brightly, and an imposing aura swept over. The Ink Dragon Demon King's disdain finally disappeared: "So you're actually at the Condensation Realm? Heh, this is more interesting."

His arm suddenly transformed into a dragon claw, its sharp claws gleaming with a cold light, and he actually took Li Yuan's knife head-on.

"clang!"

The silver-white blade clashed with the jet-black dragon claw, creating a deafening explosion.

Boom!

The shockwave sent the demon-hunting guards flying.

"Step back!"

Liu Huang hurriedly gave the order that those with cultivation levels below the Core Formation Realm were of no help in this level of combat, lest they cause unnecessary casualties.

With a single move, Li Yuan was forced to retreat more than ten feet before he could barely stop. In contrast, the Ink Dragon Demon King only swayed slightly and did not retreat even half a step.

The difference in their abilities is immediately apparent.

As expected of a half-step demon emperor, he is indeed much stronger than the likes of Black Feather and Mongoose.

"Hehe, this is getting interesting. It's much better than these worthless chickens and dogs. Let's have another one!"

Mo Jiao didn't recognize Li Yuan. Having finally encountered a worthy opponent, he was filled with fighting spirit and waved his hand, sending several jet-black water blades towards Li Yuan.

Li Yuan was not afraid at all and swung his sword again. Although he was at a disadvantage in the previous move, he had tested the strength of his opponent. Although he could not defeat the Ink Dragon Demon King, he still had the ability to protect himself.

Han Kuo turned to Liu Huang and roared, "Lord Liu, let's go together and cover for Brother Li! Wu Yu, you provide support from the outside and don't get close!"

"yes!"

Wu Yu was about to join the battle, but upon hearing this, he had no choice but to obey and retreat. He was disheartened, as he was still only in the late stage of the Breaking Illusion Realm and could no longer get involved in such a battle.

Li Yuan launched a frontal assault, his blade gleaming with starlight as he blocked all the water blades. Han Kuo and Liu Huang attacked from the left and right, respectively, to restrain the Ink Dragon Demon King.

"very good!"

The Ink Dragon Demon King finally abandoned his arrogance and became serious. He formed hand seals, and a black water dragon rose from beneath his feet, swirling and dancing around his body, blocking the attacks of the three men one by one.