Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

Li Yuan ignored everything around him, his entire mind focused on the knife in his hand.

He felt the nameless blade absorbing demonic power faster and faster. The blade was scorching hot, and the dark gold runes began to flicker as if breathing. An ancient blade intent that had been dormant for a long time was slowly awakening deep within the blade.

The bronze palace seemed to sense the change in the blade and emitted a buzzing sound, resonating with it at a strange frequency.

The vine demon grew increasingly alarmed as it fought, sensing that its original demonic power was draining away at an accelerating rate, and the threat posed by that blade was becoming more and more intense.

No, this can't go on. This human boy and that knife are too terrifying.

Its wisdom accumulated over thousands of years has made it exceptionally sensitive to danger, and it immediately came up with an idea.

On the other side of the valley, Leng Ningshuang led her team to continue their steady advance. They had broken through the outer defenses and were approaching the core area of ​​the valley. They could even see the main body of the thousand-year-old Ghost Cry Vine, which was tens of feet tall.

In the middle of the tree trunk, within a cage woven from vines, the figures of hostages can be vaguely seen.

Victory is in sight.

The Taixu group's spirits lifted, and just as Leng Ningshuang was preparing to unleash her magic to break through the vine demon's defenses and rescue the hostages, a shocking scene unfolded.

On the giant Ghost Cry Vine, an aged face appeared. It opened its mouth wide and let out a sharp cry, which mixed with thick poisonous mist and rushed towards them like a tsunami.

It turns out that this vine demon was cunning and treacherous. After sensing the threat posed by Li Yuan, it decisively abandoned the Divine Martial Squad and concentrated its forces to deal with Taixu.

Leng Ning Shuang was the first to be hit, and the pressure increased sharply. She immediately noticed that the vine demon had intensified its attack, and she was shocked, not understanding what had happened on Shen Wu's side.

"Everyone be careful!"

For the first time, a solemn expression appeared on Leng Ningshuang's usually aloof and expressionless face. She shouted sharply, changed her hand seals, and poured out all the magical power in her body without reservation.

"Mystic Ice Barrier!"

"Freeze!"

A massive, crystal-clear ice wall, several feet thick, instantly materialized and blocked the path in front of the group. At the same time, a small ice crystal shield flew out from her sleeve, growing larger in the wind to protect her head.

Unfortunately, she still underestimated the full force of this thousand-year-old vine demon's attack. Dozens of main vines slammed into the Xuanbing protective barrier like giant hammers.

"Snap!"

"Boom!"

The seemingly indestructible ice barrier shattered in less than a breath, turning into countless ice crystals. The terrifying impact caused Leng Ningshuang's blood to churn, and her face turned pale.

The ice crystal shield was also struck by the vines, its light dimmed instantly, and it flew back.

Even more terrifying was the attack of the deadly poison mixed with the wailing and demonic sounds. The other four members of Taixu Academy, despite being protected by the Cleansing Artifact, were still shaken to their core. Illusions appeared before their eyes, and their internal energy circulation became sluggish.

The movements of his hands immediately slowed down by a few beats.

Having gained the upper hand, the vine demon held back even more, with countless tiny vines covered in poisonous thorns emerging from the mist and wrapping around their calves, instantly inhaling the deadly poison.

"what!"

One of the team members screamed as a poisonous stinger pierced his leg, causing him to lose consciousness instantly and collapse to the ground.

Another team member was also entangled around the waist by the vines and could only struggle helplessly.

The countless vine shadows frantically converged on the already disorganized Taixu squad. Leng Ning Shuang could only barely hold on, constantly casting ice spells to freeze the attacking vines.

However, she was struggling on her own, and her true energy was being rapidly depleted under such a high frequency of spellcasting.

"Something has happened to Taixu."

In the distance, Chu Yunhe and the others, who were catching their breath due to the sudden reduction in pressure, also felt the sudden energy fluctuations on the other side and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Li Yuan suddenly looked up, a sharp glint in his eyes. The nameless sword hummed in his hand, dark gold runes flowing around it, as if it were craving more demonic power.

"The essence of this vine demon is a great tonic for the sword." Li Yuan understood this, his eyes burning with desire.

He immediately instructed, "Senior Brother Chu, the four of you form a defensive formation and hold your ground. There's no need for a direct attack. I'll go check out the situation over there."

"Okay! Go ahead and don't worry, we'll take care of things here."

Chu Yunhe swung his longsword, and together with Shen Lian and the others, they changed formation, forming a small square array in perfect harmony, seeking only stability rather than offense.

Without further hesitation, Li Yuan swiftly cut a path with a few swift slashes and sped towards the depths of the secluded valley.

Wherever he went, he wielded his long sword with abandon, severing all the vines that tried to block his path.

"roar--!"

The vine demon was both shocked and furious when it realized that Li Yuan was heading straight for it, and a strong sense of crisis rose in its heart.

Seeing that Li Yuan had broken through the outer blockade and approached the core area, the vine demon's huge crying face became distorted. It suddenly grabbed the hostage, and its massive body sank down, directly disappearing into the solid ground.

This ancient demon was incredibly cunning; in the critical moment, it abandoned some of the vines, wrapped the hostages up, and escaped underground.

Leng Ningshuang and the others were stunned, completely bewildered as to what had happened.

"Huh? They ran away?"

Li Yuan's figure came to an abrupt halt. He frowned as he sensed the immense demonic power rapidly descending, moving quickly into the depths of the earth.

With the pressure suddenly reduced, Leng Ning Shuang reacted quickly, letting out a low shout as the ice crystal in her hand shattered, instantly destroying the remaining vines and temporarily freeing herself.

Li Yuan's figure transformed into a streak of light, flying to the battlefield where he had just been. He saw branches and leaves scattered all over the ground, leaving behind a huge, dark crater.

His eyes flashed, and without hesitation, he leaped down, locking onto the rapidly moving demonic aura ahead, and gave chase.

Almost at the same time, a figure as white as snow jumped down, followed closely by Leng Ningshuang.

The two disappeared into the dark underground passage, one after the other.

"Senior Sister Leng!"

When Taixu's team arrived, they looked at the bottomless pit and couldn't help but show their worry.

"It's alright, I'll go meet Captain Li. You all rendezvous with the Divine Martial Squad and look after each other." Leng Ning Shuang's cold voice came from underground and then disappeared into the distance.

Chu Yunhe and the others quickly arrived and joined the Taixu team members. They treated the injuries briefly and set up a defense.

……

Ancient tomb ruins.

The Myriad Manifestations Squad, relying on Wen Ruoxu's orthodox Taoist techniques, barely managed to fight the Yin Sha Ghost Cultivator to a standstill.

Just when both sides thought it would be a protracted war of attrition, a bewitching red figure drifted out from the depths of the tomb passage and appeared silently behind the Myriad Manifestations Formation.

She toyed with the wooden plaque in her hand, her eyes alluring as she looked at the unsuspecting crowd, a cruel smile playing on her lips.

Watch out behind you!

Wen Ruoxu, with his keen senses, was the first to notice the anomaly and exclaimed in surprise.

Everyone was shocked and turned around abruptly, only to see the fox demon raise her jade hand lightly, and a pink mist descended upon them.

At the same time, her figure transformed into several red shadows that were difficult to distinguish from reality, rushing straight towards the weakest member of the formation.

"Form ranks! Hold the line!"

Wen Ruoxu shouted sharply, and the bamboo slip in his hand shone brightly with golden light, quickly setting up a simple protective formation.