Devouring demons, I attain immortality.

Lin An and Liu Zhanshu had only rushed halfway when they felt a powerful demonic force rushing towards them.

The three men in black robes instantly blocked their way, surrounded by black mist, their eyes flashing with a crimson light.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, be careful!"

Liu Zhanshu gave a low shout and quickly swung his long sword, sending a sharp sword aura straight towards one of the men in black robes.

Lin An dared not be careless. The Nine Revolutions Demon Slayer Blade in his hand shone brightly with golden light and slashed fiercely at another black-robed man.

However, the strength of the three men in black robes far exceeded their expectations.

Liu Zhanshu's sword energy was easily blocked by the man in black robes, while Lin An's blade light was also dispersed by the opponent's palm.

These three men in black robes had all reached the Nascent Soul stage.

"Hmph, you mere ants dare to challenge our Seventh Demon Palace!"

One of the men in black robes sneered, his voice hoarse and cold.

Lin An's heart sank. He could sense that the three men in black robes were at least at the late Nascent Soul stage, and might even be close to the Divine Transformation stage.

"Lord Liu, we must join forces!" Lin An said in a low voice.

Liu Zhanshu nodded, and the two quickly moved closer, standing back to back, watching the three men in black robes warily.

"Lin An, I'll hold them off. You find an opportunity to attack!"

Liu Zhanshu said in a low voice, then suddenly swung his sword, the sword energy like a rainbow, heading straight for the three men in black robes.

Lin An nodded and quickly circulated the spiritual energy within his body, making the golden light on the Nine Revolutions Demon-Slaying Blade even more dazzling.

However, the three men in black robes did not seem to be in a hurry to attack. Instead, they watched them coldly, as if they were toying with their prey.

"Lin An, be careful of their demonic power!" Liu Zhanshu warned in a low voice.

Lin An nodded, remaining secretly vigilant. He knew that demonic power was unpredictable and that one could easily be corrupted by it if one was not careful.

Just then, one of the men in black robes suddenly made a move, his black energy condensing into a giant palm that slammed towards Lin An and Liu Zhanshu.

Lin An swiftly swung his blade, and the golden light collided with the black energy, unleashing a series of booming sounds.

However, the black aura seemed endless, constantly eroding Lin An's sword light.

"Not good!" Lin An was startled and quickly retreated, but the black aura followed him like a shadow, relentlessly pursuing him.

Seeing this, Liu Zhanshu quickly swung his sword, the sword energy like a rainbow, in an attempt to help Lin An resist the black energy.

However, the three men in black robes attacked simultaneously, and black energy surged in like a tide, instantly engulfing the two men.

"Lin An! Lord Liu!"

Upon seeing this from a distance, Su Yichen and Zhu Ling'er's expressions changed drastically, and they rushed over quickly.

However, before they could even get close, they were repelled by a powerful demonic force, making it impossible for them to approach Lin An and Liu Zhanshu.

"Hahaha, you mere ants dare to oppose evil!"

Zi Yan's laughter echoed in the air, filled with mockery and disdain.

Lin An and Liu Zhanshu were surrounded by black energy, their spiritual power was rapidly depleted, and their consciousness began to blur.

"Am I really going to die here?"

Lin An was unwilling, but he knew that they were powerless to change the situation in the face of such powerful demonic energy.

Just then, the system's voice rang in Lin An's mind again.

[Ding! Host is facing a life-or-death crisis. Activate the 'Ultimate Devour' function of the 'Devouring System'?]

"Ultimate Devouring?" Lin An was taken aback, then his heart leaped with joy.

He quickly responded in his mind: "Activate!"

[Ding! The 'Ultimate Devour' function has been activated, consuming 1000 taels of gold, lasting for 10 seconds.]

As the system notification faded, Lin An felt an unprecedented power surge from within his body. The golden light on the Nine Revolutions Demon-Slaying Blade instantly intensified, and the runes on the blade seemed to come alive, radiating a dazzling light.

"Break it!"

Lin An let out a low shout and suddenly swung his sword, unleashing a golden light that instantly tore apart the surrounding black mist.

Upon seeing this, the three men in black robes paled and quickly retreated, but it was too late.

Lin An's golden sword energy instantly struck one of the black-robed men. The black-robed man let out a shrill scream, and his body was instantly engulfed by the golden light, turning into ashes.

"What?!" The other two men in black robes were horrified when they saw this and quickly retreated.

Lin An gave them no chance to catch their breath, swiftly swinging his blade, golden light surging towards the two men in black robes like a tidal wave.

The two men in black robes tried to resist, but their black aura was as fragile as paper in front of Lin An's golden light, and was instantly torn apart.

"No! This is impossible!"

One of the men in black robes let out a furious roar of resentment, but he was quickly swallowed up by the golden light and turned to ashes.

Seeing this, the last man in black robes had a look of despair in his eyes and quickly turned to run away.

However, Lin An's golden sword energy had already caught up and instantly engulfed him.

"boom!"

A burst of golden light erupted, and the last man in black robes turned to ashes and vanished into the air.

Lin An let out a long sigh of relief. His spiritual energy was almost completely depleted, but he knew that the battle was not over yet.

"Lin An, are you alright?" Liu Zhanshu rushed to Lin An's side and asked with concern.

Lin An shook his head and whispered, "I'm fine..."

Liu Zhanshu nodded, then turned to look at Zi Yan in the distance, his expression solemn.

"Zi Yan's strength is too great. Senior Xuan Fengzi probably won't be able to hold out for long," Liu Zhanshu said in a low voice.

At this moment, while fighting with Xuan Fengzi, Zi Yan would occasionally glance at Lin An.

Even he hadn't expected that the three men in black robes would be so easily killed by this unknown junior.

"Let's join forces and help this old man..." Lin An said in a deep voice.

Liu Zhanshu nodded, a resolute glint in his eyes. The two quickly adjusted their breathing, their spiritual energy surging once more, preparing to join forces against Zi Yan.

Lin An gripped the Nine Revolutions Demon-Slaying Blade tightly. Although the golden light on the blade was not as dazzling as before, it still exuded a powerful aura.

He took a deep breath and whispered to Liu Zhanshu, "City Lord Liu, I'll keep Zi Yan occupied. You find an opportunity to attack his weaknesses!"

Liu Zhanshu nodded slightly, the long sword in his hand gleaming coldly, sword energy gathering at the tip, ready to be unleashed.

The two exchanged a glance, then simultaneously charged towards Zi Yan.

As Zi Yan was locked in fierce combat with Xuan Fengzi, he sensed Lin An and Liu Zhanshu approaching and a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips: "Overestimating yourself!"

He suddenly flicked his sleeve, and a monstrous black aura swept in like a raging tide, heading straight for Lin An and Liu Zhanshu.

Lin An's eyes narrowed, and he swiftly swung his sword. The golden light and black energy collided once more, unleashing a deafening roar.

However, Zi Yan's black aura was far more powerful than that of the black-robed man before. Although Lin An's golden light barely managed to resist the erosion of the black aura, his spiritual power was being rapidly depleted.

"Lord Liu, now's the time!" Lin An shouted, using all his strength to restrain Zi Yan.

Seizing the opportunity, Liu Zhanshu moved with lightning speed, instantly circling behind Zi Yan. His longsword suddenly thrust out, its sword energy like a rainbow, heading straight for Zi Yan's back.

Zi Yan snorted coldly, his figure swaying slightly, managing to dodge Liu Zhanshu's attack at the last second. He then struck out with his palm, black energy condensing into a giant hand that shot straight towards Liu Zhanshu.

Liu Zhanshu's expression changed, and he quickly swung his sword to defend, but the power of that black energy far exceeded his expectations. His sword energy was instantly shattered, and the remaining force of the black energy did not diminish, directly blasting him away.

"Lord Liu!"

Upon seeing this, Lin An felt a pang of anxiety, but he couldn't afford to be distracted at the moment, as the black aura of the purple flames was already closing in once more.

Seeing this, Xuan Fengzi frowned and suddenly waved his whisk, sending a beam of azure light straight towards Zi Yan, trying to buy Lin An and Liu Zhanshu a chance to catch their breath.

Zi Yan sneered and casually waved his hand, deflecting Xuan Fengzi's attack.

He looked at Lin An with icy eyes, his voice filled with endless mockery: "Boy, you do have some skills, but in front of me, you are still nothing but an ant."