When he broke free from the nascent sword formation, he discovered that the thirty-six flying swords were actually made of Golden Thunder Bamboo. Golden Thunder Bamboo is the nemesis of demons; how could an ancient demon not recognize it? This gave him a vague sense of unease.
However, as an ancient demon, fleeing without a fight is impossible. Moreover, if he can devour enough human cultivators' nascent souls, transforming them into true demonic energy and infusing it into his body, he can directly advance to the Divine Transformation Realm. At that time, even if the opponent possesses the Golden Thunder Bamboo magic weapon, he can easily annihilate them all.
The only one to worry about is that strange cultivator who hasn't made a move yet. He seems to know a lot about the ancient demons, having pinpointed his current state and weaknesses. As for the cultivator wielding the Golden Thunder Bamboo Flying Sword, he's not a big problem as long as we're careful. After all, he possesses the True Demon Body. Even ordinary exorcising divine thunder wouldn't be able to seriously injure him in a short time.
Wei Wuyai's face was ashen. If the situation weren't so urgent, he would have already reduced everyone in the Ghost Spirit Sect to ashes. The Old Demon of the Joyful Union, a powerful cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage, had perished right before his eyes. Not even his Nascent Soul stage had escaped. This made Wei Wuyai feel utterly terrible.
For these great cultivators, who isn't afraid of death? He's lived for so many years, yet he still travels constantly, searching for elixirs to prolong his lifespan. Isn't it simply because he doesn't want to die?
Wei Wuyai felt he needed to settle the score with the Ghost Spirit Sect for almost getting him killed.
However, the most urgent task is to solve the problem of the ancient demons.
At this moment, the cultivators from the Ghost Spirit Sect and the Joyful Union Sect were already engaged in battle with the ancient demon. They were obedient and, following Lu Xuan's instructions, maintained a long-range, mobile fighting style.
However, the ancient demon had no intention of continuing the conflict. To prevent any unforeseen complications, it decided to launch a full-scale hunt, then hide and recover its cultivation.
Despite being surrounded by delicious food, the two strange monks made him extremely uncomfortable. Therefore, he decided to avoid them for the time being.
The ancient demon was already over two meters tall, but suddenly it grew even taller. At the same time, dark golden scales appeared on its body.
Han Laomo and Lu Xuan exchanged a glance. This divine ability was extremely similar to the Six Paths True Demon Art of the Chaotic Star Sea. However, when wielded by an ancient demon, it was undoubtedly far stronger than the original Six Paths Old Demon.
Not only were his entire body covered in dense, dark golden scales, but his body also underwent a strange transformation, taking on a form with three heads and six arms. According to Lu Xuan's memories, this seemed to be a body-refining demonic technique originating from the Demon Realm. Old Demon Han also possessed a similar technique, and he had refined it to a level stronger than most ancient demons. So much so that he didn't even need to disguise himself when he later entered the Demon Realm to seize treasures.
The moment the demonic technique was unleashed, Lu Xuan knew the ancient demon was about to get serious. He subtly communicated with Wei Wuyai and the others telepathically.
However, not all cultivators are as shrewd and experienced as Wei Wuyai. A few couldn't stop themselves and failed to retreat in time. When the ancient demon got close, two Nascent Soul stage cultivators were disemboweled and their Nascent Souls were ripped out in the next second.
When the ancient demon unleashed its full power, these human cultivators finally felt the terror of this peerless and ferocious demon.
Whether it's a protective magic weapon or a supernatural power, they're all like ordinary eggshells in front of him. They're easily pierced by his claws.
The opponent's escape techniques were bizarre, leaving no room for evasion. They used neither magical artifacts nor any special supernatural abilities, relying solely on their six sharp claws for close-quarters combat. This purely physical fighting style proved remarkably effective, yet they were unable to withstand even a single blow.
Even Wei Wuyai, the top cultivator in Tiannan who was highly regarded by everyone, could only barely protect himself by using some kind of substitute spell.
This threw the cultivators of Moonfall Demon Valley into chaos, with many fleeing in panic. At this moment, Lu Xuan, who was not far away, finally spoke. He had actually wanted to wait a little longer, to let these cultivators wear down the ancient demon. After all, this thing was a cultivator from the Upper Realm, and now, unleashing its full power with true demonic energy, it was comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator. It wasn't easy to deal with. However, these cultivators were simply too weak to fight; after a few rounds, they began to falter.
"Everyone, step back."
A voice echoed throughout the entire Fallen Demon Valley, even carrying a certain degree of spiritual suppression. It caused the ancient demon to pause in its movements. One cultivator managed to escape danger, running hundreds of miles without looking back before daring to glance back.
The two young cultivators who had warned the crowd earlier had stepped forward and blocked the ancient demon.
"Junior Brother Han, let's go. Ordinary cultivators probably can't fight this ancient demon head-on."
In truth, Han Laomo really wanted to say that he was just a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator and couldn't bear such a heavy burden. But there was nothing he could do; this sect leader knew most of his trump cards, and he was afraid he couldn't fool him. Moreover, Han Laomo also wanted to know what state his cultivation had reached.
"Alright, my Great Geng Sword Formation should be able to annihilate this demon. But I still need the assistance of my senior brother, the sect leader."
"No problem, I'll give you enough time."
As he spoke, Lu Xuan stepped forward alone. Surprisingly, Lu Xuan didn't use any magical treasures for protection this time. Neither his three Heavenly Talisman Shields nor the Thunderclap Pearl made a sound. Lu Xuan even took off his Taoist robe and the inner armor underneath, flying towards the Ancient Demon with his upper body bare.
He actually planned to use his body-refining technique to engage the ancient demon in close combat.
------------
Chapter 542 Trapping Demons
Ignoring the gazes of the surrounding cultivators, Lu Xuan activated the Golden Jade Glazed Technique. This was the complete form of the body-refining technique he had created by combining the classics of Taoism, Buddhism, and Demonism. It could be said that this was the first time it had truly appeared in Tiannan.
Under the gaze of hundreds of onlookers, Lu Xuan's body emitted a golden light. At the same time, to everyone's surprise, his body seemed to faintly become transparent.
Through his skin, one could see that his bones possessed a strange, emerald-green hue. Golden skin and jade bones—this was a special effect of Lu Xuan's fully realized Golden Jade Glazed Technique. This was also the first time Lu Xuan had pushed this technique to its limit. After all, his opponent was also an ancient demon with a true demonic body. He never underestimated this special race renowned for their physical strength.
The ancient demon initially wore a mocking expression. However, upon seeing Lu Xuan's complete Golden Jade Glazed Technique, its expression turned solemn.
A sonic boom echoed through the air. It wasn't the style of a typical fantasy battle; it resembled a Superman versus Doomsday fight. Pure physical power clashed in mid-air. Even the dozen or so Nascent Soul cultivators nearby couldn't pinpoint the two's movements with their divine senses.
"With this kind of physical strength, once they get close, we will only have one fate."
A rogue cultivator at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm muttered to himself. A fellow cultivator not far from him added a comment.
"Perhaps the best course of action would be to immediately leave the body and escape upon seeing them."
Even Wei Wuyai, standing not far away, was covered in cold sweat. He finally understood what Lu Xuan meant when he said the Ancient Demon hadn't used its full strength. Given the Ancient Demon's physical strength, if it had used its true power, he probably wouldn't have lasted more than a few rounds. As a Great Cultivator, his divine sense could barely keep up with their movements. Therefore, in a real battle, he was able to react to some extent.
However, he had already discovered that their battle wasn't the head-on clash he had imagined. Each collision transmitted a strange vibration. Even from a distance of hundreds of miles, he could still feel that vibration subtly shaking the spiritual energy within his body. He couldn't even imagine what would happen if he were directly hit.
"Shaking Wave Demon Art? How do you know our demon race's secret technique?" The ancient demon was greatly surprised. His Shaking Wave Demon Art was a special secret technique specifically designed to target human cultivators. It used physical strength to attack enemies. A single strike could use a strange wave to shatter the opponent's protective aura, instantly killing them. For human cultivators, it was a nightmare.
This is also why Lu Xuan didn't use magic to fight his opponent. Don't be fooled by his previous strategy of having all the cultivators wear him down from a distance. He understands that this tactic is only effective when the opponent is wary. Once the ancient demon goes all out, only a direct confrontation can truly restrain him.
In the original story, Han Laomo possessed countless supernatural powers and secret techniques, along with trump cards like the Golden Thunder Bamboo and the Gold-Eating Insects. Even then, he couldn't defeat the Ancient Demon in Fallen Demon Valley. This was because pure magical attacks were rarely enough to truly defeat the Ancient Demon.
The "Shaking Wave Demon Art" sounds terrifying. But in reality, it's just a high-frequency vibration that uses the principle of resonance to disperse the opponent's spiritual energy. The ancient demon himself probably didn't even understand this principle. He simply cultivated this supernatural power step by step.
However, Lu Xuan already knew how to use high-speed vibrations to deflect the opponent's weapon bounces before he even began cultivating. Although the two techniques weren't on the same level, their basic principles were similar. Therefore, Lu Xuan had long ago incorporated the bounce technique into his cultivation, making it a unique physical combat secret art. Unexpectedly, it clashed with the Demon Realm's Shockwave Demon Art.
Having three heads and six arms would undoubtedly give one an absolute advantage in combat. However, in Lu Xuan's view, the ancient demon's fighting techniques were simply too crude.
There's no way around it; even cultivators who have lived for thousands or tens of thousands of years, very few of them focus on mastering combat techniques. Even body cultivators, or those ancient demons, truly pursue the continuous strengthening of their physical bodies, following the path of overwhelming force with sheer power.
Techniques are generally manifested in spells, supernatural powers, and even talismans and formations. When these things are truly refined, they are thousands of times more sophisticated than martial arts in the human world. However, if all of this is set aside, and it's a duel between two body cultivators who have both reached the pinnacle of physical strength, then techniques begin to show their effectiveness.
It's not that the Ancient Demon hadn't studied hand-to-hand combat. But it was, after all, an Ancient Demon. Not someone like Lu Xuan, who rose from humble beginnings as a mortal, a human martial artist who, for survival, had honed certain skills to their limits.