Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

At the same time, he opened his mouth and sprayed a thick water arrow that shot towards Liu Huang.

Liu Huang hurriedly parried with his sword, but with a loud clang, he was sent flying backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Wu Yu, who was providing support from the perimeter, rushed forward to catch him, only to find that his arm had been broken by the impact and he could no longer participate in the battle.

Li Yuan's heart sank. The Ink Dragon Demon King had crippled Liu Huang, who was in the mid-stage of the Core Formation Realm, with a single move. It seemed that he had underestimated the opponent's strength.

"Meteor Explosion!"

He held nothing back, pouring all his power into the blade without reservation. The starlight on the blade grew brighter and brighter, and a blade aura several meters long was reflected in the sky.

"boom!"

This attack forced the Ink Dragon Demon King to retreat a few steps, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes.

He took out a palm-sized black shield, waved it in the air, and the shield instantly enlarged, transforming into a huge black tortoise shell that blocked his way.

A huge, phantom-like sea turtle could be faintly seen on the tortoise shell, radiating an intimidating aura.

Li Yuan slashed at the tortoise shell with his sword, and a loud "clang" was heard, sparks flying everywhere.

The tortoise shell remained motionless, but Li Yuan was blasted backward and landed more than ten feet away.

"A royal-level magic weapon?"

The magic weapon that the Ink Dragon Demon King casually took out was of the royal level. How can we fight against it?

Li Yuan felt a headache coming on, but he brandished his knife and charged forward again.

This time, he no longer confronted the Ink Dragon Demon King head-on. Relying on his agile movements, he roamed around, faster than lightning.

For a moment, all that could be seen in the room were his afterimages, and it was impossible to distinguish which one was real and which one was fake.

"Hmph! A mere trick!"

The shield in the hands of the Ink Dragon Demon King grew larger, becoming several meters in size, completely protecting him behind it. Streams of water arrows shot out in all directions, shattering the afterimages.

After a series of maneuvers, Li Yuan failed to injure his opponent in the slightest, while Han Kuo was injured by a water arrow and had no choice but to retreat in disappointment.

"Hahaha! The Demon Suppression Division is nothing special, is that all they've got?"

The Ink Dragon Demon King grew increasingly frenzied in battle, hurling sneers, "Having not entered the Central Plains for over a hundred years, the Demon-Slaying Guards are truly getting worse with each generation."

Upon hearing this, Han Kuo and the others all looked grim, yet they were helpless. The strength of this Ink Dragon Demon King was beyond their capabilities, and they could only let him run rampant.

Li Yuan knew that if the fighting continued like this, not only would it not save Ji Fanghua, but it might also cost him his life.

He calculated the time and figured that Lord Lou's reinforcements should be arriving soon; he just needed to stall for a little longer.

"You, a dignified demon king, rely on magical treasures to deal with us juniors? If you're so capable, then fight me in person!"

The tortoise shell was too thick for Li Yuan to break through. He had long seen that the Ink Dragon Demon King was arrogant and conceited, so he deliberately provoked him with words.

"Why would I need to rely on a magic weapon to deal with a nobody like you?"

As expected, the Ink Dragon Demon King fell for the trick and withdrew his shield with a backhand.

"Flame-Piercing Slash!"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Yuan slashed down with his sword in mid-air.

A fire dragon suddenly surged, and the faint phantom of Yan Ji appeared, its scorching aura seemingly capable of melting everything.

Before this, Li Yuan had always used the power of the stars. With this strike, he awakened Yan Ji and, with the help of the power of a divine-level magic weapon, his power was astonishing.

"Um?"

For the first time since the start of the war, the Ink Dragon Demon King felt a threat. Arrogant by nature, he refused to dodge and instantly transformed into a half-dragon, covered in a thick layer of scales.

A thick tail swept across from behind, seemingly trying to withstand the blow head-on.

"boom!"

The fire and the darkness collided, creating an astonishing spectacle. A huge mushroom cloud rose into the sky, and the powerful shockwave sent the onlookers flying in all directions.

Amidst the smoke and dust, Li Yuan somersaulted several times in the air, then knelt on the ground, using the nameless sword as a support to barely steady himself, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

The Ink Dragon Demon King flew back more than ten feet before finally stopping. He looked down at his dragon tail, where a shallow bloodstain was left and the scales were broken.

"You little brat! You're asking for it!"

The Ink Dragon Demon King was furious. He was confident that his cultivation level was overwhelming, but he never expected that Li Yuan would be able to force him to transform into a dragon and even injure him.

This is an absolute disgrace!

He stared intently at Li Yuan with a sinister expression, slowly raising his claws. A ball of dark dragon energy formed in his palm, growing larger and larger, radiating a chilling aura.

Li Yuan's expression changed. This was a furious attack from a half-step demon emperor, and he had no confidence in taking it.

He held his sword in front of him, knowing that things had come to this point, he had no choice but to fight to the death, even if it meant getting injured, at least to save his life.

The Ink Dragon Demon King grinned as he looked at Li Yuan, holding a huge ink-colored water ball in his palm, and walked towards him step by step.

"Boy, you can rest in peace now that you've forced me to take serious action!"

Li Yuan's expression was solemn as he poured all his spiritual power into the blade. The massive blade shadow formed a barrier, protecting him behind him.

"You beast! How dare you be so insolent!"

The Ink Dragon Demon King admired Li Yuan's serious expression and a smug smile appeared on his face. Just as he was about to make a move, he suddenly sensed several powerful auras rapidly approaching from afar.

The first person, with white hair and beard, flew through the air with his hands behind his back, revealing himself to be at the Dao Realm level.

The Ink Dragon Demon King's expression changed. He snorted coldly, and with a flicker of his body, he transformed into a streak of black water light, shooting towards a distant river.

"Boy, I'll remember you. Next time we meet, I'll take your life!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure disappeared into the river without a trace.

As Li Yuan's energy dissipated, he immediately felt a wave of fear. He had no confidence in his ability to execute that move. Even with Yan Ji protecting him, he would have been seriously injured, if not killed.

Since his debut, although he has encountered danger several times, this is the only time he has been directly crushed.

However, this did not discourage him; instead, it fueled his fighting spirit. One day, he would be able to fight even a true demon emperor.

In the blink of an eye, those streaks of light had already landed. The one in the lead was none other than the Celestial Master Zhang Daojing. He had already entered the Dao Realm, equivalent to the level of a Demon Emperor. No wonder the Ink Dragon Demon King fled at the mere sight of him.

"Master Zhang, thank you for your help."

Li Yuan bowed respectfully, knowing full well what Zhang Daojing's departure from Xuefeng Mountain meant at this moment.

With the seal unstable and one person missing from its position, the Crowned Demon Emperor might seize the opportunity to launch a counterattack. If he were to escape, Li Yuan would feel responsible.

"Master, Miss Ji is still in his hands. Should we pursue her?"

Han Kuo looked at Zhang Daojing with anticipation.

Zhang Daojing glanced at the river and shook his head: "A dragon has entered the water; chasing it is pointless."

Li Yuan sighed. He knew Han Kuo was blaming himself, and whispered to him, "Brother Han, that Ink Dragon Demon King won't harm Junior Sister Ji for now. Besides, his destination is Snow Peak Mountain. We don't need to waste any more time."

Han Kuo's face turned ashen, and he gave a bitter smile. He naturally knew that what Li Yuan said was true, and that Zhang Tianshi could not leave Xuefeng Mountain for too long.

"Master, it is my incompetence that allowed the Ink Dragon Demon King to escape with Miss Ji."

Han Kuo lowered his head in shame.

"I will return to report first; you may arrive shortly thereafter."

After rescuing them, Zhang Daojing turned and left without delay. The three experts from the Demon Suppression Division who had come with him stayed behind to escort Han Kuo and his group back to the mountain.

"Everyone, take a short rest and we'll leave soon." Han Kuo glanced around and saw that most of the people were injured, so he could only arrange for them to rest and heal on the spot.