Swordholder

"roar!"

At that very moment, a violent roar that shook the mountains and forests suddenly erupted from Chen Yuan's side, who was locked in combat with Xu Dekui.

Everyone present turned their heads at the sound, and the moment their eyes swept over, everyone's pupils suddenly contracted!

My heart is churning with turmoil!

In the center of the battlefield, Xu Dekui was surrounded by surging black mist, which directly manifested his true form as a pitch-black ferocious tiger. The overwhelming demonic energy swept in all directions, and with a slam of his giant claw, the surrounding mountains and rocks, several meters high, crumbled in an instant!

boom!

The earth trembled violently, and a continuous rumbling echoed through the soil, shaking the entire mountain forest.

"Oh no! Quickly, go help Lord Chen!"

Cai Fu and Gao Zhongliang had bloodshot eyes, roared fiercely, and their faces were full of anxiety and solemnity.

"We can't help!"

Gan Pinghua frowned and urgently tried to stop him, "Xu Dekui is already at the Great Perfection of the Yellow Court Realm; we would be utterly helpless against him!"

The remaining sword-wielders all nodded, their hearts filled with icy coldness!

Although Chen Yuan was proficient in the Heavenly Light Daoist Technique, this technique consumed a great deal of Heavenly Light spiritual power and could not withstand a long period of attrition!

Facing the beast demon Xu Dekui, who has fully unleashed his power, his chances of survival are slim.

Boom!

Before he finished speaking, the situation on the battlefield suddenly changed.

After Xu Dekui revealed his true form as a tiger, his immense magical power suppressed Chen Yuan, who had been firmly in the upper hand, instantly fell into a disadvantageous position!

From actively suppressing the enemy, he became passively dodging, his figure retreating step by step, constantly being restrained.

"Lord Chen! Leave immediately! Don't fight him to the death!"

Cai Fu shouted loudly, already taking half a step forward, determined to rush forward and help!

Gao Zhongliang could not suppress his impulse either, and was about to leap out!

In his heart, Chen Yuan, who was able to master the Heavenly Light Demon Slaying Technique, was a rare genius not only in the Sword Holding Society but also in the entire human race!

We must not perish here!

"roar······"

Just when everyone thought Chen Yuan was doomed, an even more powerful and desolate roar suddenly resounded through the mountains!

hum!

It was as if invisible waves were rippling through the void in all directions, causing everyone's clothes and hair to flutter wildly!

"Wha...what's going on?!"

Cai Fu, Gao Zhongliang, and their group froze, their eyes wide open!

Incredibly, I looked toward the center of the battle.

The deafening roar that came earlier clearly came from Chen Yuan's body, and vaguely resembled the roar of a giant dragon!

"What...what's wrong with him?"

Cai Fu and the others spoke in trembling voices, their pupils already shrinking to the size of pinholes!

Inside the arena, Chen Yuan's appearance had changed drastically; his long, black hair had turned into a glaring crimson!

A pair of curved horns sprouted from the ground on either side of his forehead, their branches intertwined and shaped like crescent moons, with strange patterns of black and gold flowing around their sharp horns!

His eyes were completely covered with a scarlet, eerie light, and endless violence surged within them!

boom!

A dense, almost tangible, blood-red aura enveloped his entire body like a thick fog, causing the hidden power within him to surge rapidly!

The Heavenly Righteous Sword that he had been holding had disappeared, and his palms had transformed into ferocious demonic claws covered with black patterns!

Swish!

He neither dodged nor avoided, but instead clashed head-on with the giant claws of the black tiger!

Boom!

The sounds of metal clashing against metal exploded in rapid succession, the clanging sounds echoing endlessly!

"A demon...a demonic appearance?"

Cai Fu and Gao Zhongliang gasped in shock!

The respect and hope that had just arisen from the Heavenly Light Demon-Slaying Technique instantly plummeted to rock bottom.

They originally thought Chen Yuan was a pure human cultivator of the righteous path, and the hope to support the future revival of the human race!

To my utter surprise, this person possessed such a strong demonic aura!

"How... is this possible???"

Zhou Ye stood frozen in place, his past beliefs shattered, his mind reeling.

The righteous path of heavenly light and demon-slaying techniques are fundamentally opposed to the path of evil cultivation; they are as incompatible as water and fire!

No one in this world has ever been able to cultivate two paths at the same time!

But how did Chen Yuan manage to do that?

The light of appreciation that had been shining in Gan Pinghua's eyes was completely extinguished, replaced by a deathly silence of disappointment!

Her expression was cold, her tone full of disdain. "So you possess the power of demonic arts? Hmph, what a disappointment!"

"I used to think you would be my strongest opponent on my path of wielding the sword, but I never imagined I'd stray onto the path of demons and heretics!"

On the other side, Chen Yuan activated the Evil God Devouring Heaven Technique, and blood mist surged and billowed around his body!

Roar!

He continuously absorbed the scattered evil spirits around him, and let out a fierce roar!

The crimson full moon hanging in the sky seemed to sense his abnormality, and it cast strands of crimson light to bless him!

It's as if a blood-red cloak has been draped over it!

Boom!

Chen Yuan's combat strength has risen sharply, and he is now on par with Xu Dekui, who is at the Great Perfection of the Yellow Court!

Upon seeing this, Xu Dekui, in his black tiger form, let out a roar filled with astonishment.

"No, impossible! You're a demon?"

"You are a demon, how can you cultivate the Heavenly Light Demon-Slaying Technique?"

This contradictory scene completely disrupted his fixed understanding of spiritual practice.

Chen Yuan completely ignored him, his demonic claws swirling, creating a piercing sonic boom in the void!

Bang bang bang!

His offensive grew increasingly ferocious and surging!

The exhilarating feeling of his power being completely unleashed swept through his limbs and bones, and he launched an attack without holding back!

In just a few breaths, Xu Dekui was forced back into human form, and a demonic claw gripped his neck tightly, lifting him into the air!

"hehe!"

Chen Yuan's lips curled into a cold sneer, "The Great Perfection of the Yellow Court? He even went out of his way to reveal his true form as a ferocious beast. In the end, he's nothing special."

Xu Dekui's eyes bulged out as he was terrified by the young man with horns on his forehead and covered in blood!

"what!"

He screamed in agony, the fear of death engulfing him and overshadowing any thoughts of revenge. He frantically begged for mercy.

"No...don't kill me!"

"My Xu family can offer countless treasures and resources, and even the entire Xu family will surrender and willingly serve you as our master!"

While begging for mercy, his hand, hidden behind his back, quietly transformed into a sharp tiger claw, secretly gathering strength, waiting for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

"I don't want your favors, I don't want your submission, I just want your life!!"

Chen Yuan spoke coldly, his five fingers suddenly exerting force!

Click!

With a crisp crack, Xu Dekui's neck was snapped!

The best way to avoid being misled by the enemy is to kill without hesitation!

The head, its eyes wide open in death, rolled to the ground. A thin strand of hair quietly wrapped around the head, dragging it into the shadows and swallowing it whole.

Chen Yuan looked around at the corpses scattered all over the ground, and then looked at the dozen or so sword-wielding men not far away, clearly catching the mixed fear and apprehension in their eyes!

He frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and quickly came up with a plan.

"You two, lead the others to evacuate first, and wait for me on the hilltop ten miles away."

Chen Yuan looked at Li Wei and Zhou Ye, who was still in a daze, and gave them instructions in a deep voice.

Li Wei nodded immediately and reached out to pat Zhou Ye, who was still in shock and couldn't come to his senses.

"Everyone, let's leave here first."

Li Wei's gaze swept over Cai Fu and Gao Zhongliang, whose expressions were filled with surprise and uncertainty, and he spoke with a playful tone.

Even though he was only at the early stage of the Yellow Court realm, he was not afraid of these sword-wielders at all!

If they don't know what's good for them, he and Chen Yuan won't show any mercy!

After all, if they wanted to kill them, they would be enemies, and one wouldn't be merciful to an enemy.

The group of sword-wielders hesitated, glancing at Li Wei in turn, then turning back frequently to look at Chen Yuan, whose head was covered in blood and whose body was shrouded in a bloodthirsty aura.

After a moment, Cai Fu took a deep breath, suppressing all his doubts, and said to the others, "Let's go, let's go to the hill ahead and wait for him."

Although they couldn't figure out what Chen Yuan planned to do by staying, they understood that he didn't want them to witness what was about to happen.

Once the figures of the dozen or so sword-wielders had completely disappeared into the forest, Chen Yuan turned to look at Nuomi beside him and said calmly, "Let's get started."

"Okay!"

Nuomi was overjoyed. Thousands of hairs sprouted from beneath her feet, surging like a tide towards the corpses of the Xu family cultivators scattered on the ground. Each hair pierced into the corpses, frantically devouring the remaining flesh and spiritual energy.

Chen Yuan simultaneously activated the Evil God Devouring Heaven Technique, absorbing the scattered demonic spiritual energy on the spot, but deliberately left the remains of all the sword wielders untouched.

In a short while, all the remains of the Xu family members on the field were completely devoured, leaving no trace.

Chen Yuan and Nuomi returned to their original appearances, and with a flash, they transformed into two afterimages, quickly chasing after the direction where Li Wei and his group had left.

······

······

On a hilltop, the crimson moonlight cast an eerie and sinister glow over the ground.

Cai Fu, Zhou Ye, and the others lay in wait, breathing heavily, their expressions occasionally glancing at Li Wei, who was standing to one side of the crowd, filled with deep apprehension.

"Lord Cai, Lord Gao, that person..."

A young man with a missing arm spoke hesitantly.

His name is He Gui, and the person he is referring to is clearly Chen Yuan.

However, his gaze remained fixed on Li Wei.

Cai Fu and Gao Zhongliang both frowned; they knew what He Gui meant.

"He saved us."

Cai Fu said in a deep voice.

"But... he's a demon!"

He Gui spoke with lingering fear, a chill running down her spine as she recalled Chen Yuan's fierce appearance with his full head of white hair.

"Yes, let's run! What are we waiting for him to do?"

Gan Pinghua spoke, her expression anxious.

He Gui nodded repeatedly, then couldn't help but glance at Li Wei, who looked relaxed. "He can't stop us."

Gao Zhongliang looked at the young man and Gan Pinghua, and said in a deep voice, "Shut up!"

Cai Fu sighed, "If Chen Yuan wants to chase us, none of us can escape! He can kill Xu De Kui, so he can kill us too."

Upon hearing this, He Gui and Gan Pinghua's expressions changed drastically.

"Hehe, you're right."

Just then, a playful voice suddenly rang out, sending chills down Cai Fu and the others' spines and making their hair stand on end.

Everyone immediately became alert and looked ahead into the dim light.

There, a young boy walked slowly by, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth.

"Hehe, A-Yuan, you finished so quickly?"

Li Wei whistled and spoke calmly.

The newcomer was Chen Yuan. Although his murderous aura had completely dissipated, and he had returned to his sunny youthful appearance, his previous intimidation was still too great, causing the remaining sword-wielders to tremble.

Nuomi, who seemed to have acquired some candied hawthorns from who-knows-where, sipped them while curiously observing the dozen or so people around her.

Chen Yuan nodded to Li Wei, looked at the sword-wielders, and smiled:

"Indeed, if I wanted to kill you all, none of you would escape."

He spoke with extreme seriousness.

"Please trust in my abilities."