Swords and skulls clashed, sparks flying.
Jiang Liu tapped his finger lightly, and for no reason, a sense of pride and arrogance arose within him, a pride that was invincible even when facing an Earth Immortal.
"Who controls the rise and fall of this vast land?"
The river flows, pointing out the landscape; five swords traverse the land; eagles soar through the sky; fish swim in the shallows.
In an instant, only ghostly cries and screams could be heard, and the dozens of ghostly figures surrounding the skull vanished as soon as they appeared. In the brief pause of the demonic fire ghost head, the "Heavenly Roar Sword" struck first, like a rooster pecking, piercing the top of a skull spewing dark green poisonous smoke, and the poisonous mist filled the sky.
With a soft cry, like the crowing of a rooster, the Heavenly Howl Sword was followed by a scream from within the poisonous mist. A flash of sword light, and the skull fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.
"ah!"
In the sky, the demon corpse's primordial spirit let out a painful cry. This "Five Ghosts Soul-Devouring Staff" could be considered his natal magic weapon, having been refined for over a hundred years to take shape. It was only waiting for the five ghosts to unite so that it could be upgraded to a "celestial artifact," and naturally, it could not be destroyed. With a movement of its primordial spirit, it occupied a skull and bit down on the "Autumn Dew Sword."
With a crisp "crack," the "Autumn Dew Sword" was chewed to pieces in one bite.
The skull charged wildly, instantly reaching the "Cicada Sword" and spitting out a cloud of yellow sand that engulfed the sword. Jiang Liu immediately realized that he had lost control of the "Cicada Sword," clearly corrupted by some kind of evil spirit.
Jiang Liu was overjoyed. The primordial spirit had finally launched an attack itself; even losing two flying swords was worthwhile. He knew that if the primordial spirit were to escape, it would only take an instant, and Jiang Liu couldn't say he could stop it. Now that the primordial spirit was in control of the skull, Jiang Liu naturally had a better chance of killing it.
In an instant, he thrust the "Heavenly Roar Sword" at a skeleton, killing it along with the "Azure Ox Sword".
At the same time, the invisible sword knocked down a skull that was spewing fierce winds. Jiang Liu raised his hand and unleashed a palm lightning bolt. Palm lightning relies on the conversion of primordial energy, and can be used even when isolated. Of course, its power is insignificant compared to "Nine Heavens Thunder".
A bolt of lightning struck, a flash of sword light appeared, and then a wailing sound was heard. A hand caught the skull, which had already vanished into thin air, but the faint wailing could be heard emanating from its mouth.
"Kid, I really underestimated you!"
"...You think you can escape with your life just because you destroyed my most precious treasure? You underestimate the Earth Immortals. How could a mere mortal like you understand the difference between immortals and mortals! Behold the magnificence of the Heavenly Demon..."
Chapter 135 The Demon of His Heart
There is a law or principle in the universe; we can grasp it and embrace it.
There are rules governing the universe; we can understand and apply them.
Refining essence into qi, generating primordial energy, earth, water, wind, and fire, and the first signs of supernatural powers appear.
By refining Qi into Spirit, the primordial spirit leaves the body, allowing one to roam freely across the five lakes and four seas without moving the physical body. Furthermore, one can withstand the fierce winds of the nine heavens and ascend to the immortal realm. One can also comprehend the laws of heaven and earth, grasp a trace of the ultimate principles of the universe, and naturally acquire supernatural powers.
Once one reaches the realm of Earth Immortal, one can comprehend the profound and mysterious laws of heaven and earth. The specifics vary from person to person, and are difficult to explain or describe.
Some people compare the laws of heaven and earth to clusters of flowers blooming in the mountains; some are fragrant and filling the valley, some are elegant and pure, and some are poisonous. These clusters of flowers may only contain one kind, or more likely, many kinds are mixed in.
As a demon, the Corpse Demon naturally cultivates the demonic path. After breaking through to the Earth Immortal realm, it comprehends a kind of demonic supernatural power called "The Manifestation of the Heavenly Demon of Others' Minds".
His heart is filled with the wondrous manifestation of the Heavenly Demon!
It relies on the primordial spirit to invade the enemy's sea of consciousness and arouse the enemy's inner demons. It is a supernatural power that destroys people's Dao heart and leads them into demonic possession.
Extraterrestrial demons come without a trace and go without a mark. They arise from the mind and are born from thought. They are elusive and unpredictable, changing randomly like electrokinesis, and they specifically target cultivators who are about to attain enlightenment.
The Corpse Demon's "Heart Demon" is naturally not as powerful as the extraterrestrial demon, but it can still shake the heart and stir up the mind. Then it will backfire on the heart, and in a single thought, the sea of consciousness will shatter and all the cultivation of a lifetime will be reduced to nothing, the Dao heart will be extinguished and fall into the demonic path, or the primordial spirit will be damaged and the cultivation will be greatly reduced.
Of course, if one can survive the attack of the "Heart-Breaking Demon," the Corpse Demon's primordial spirit will inevitably suffer a backlash, and the victim will be further tested, making their Dao heart even more steadfast.
This is a deadly move that misses the enemy and injures oneself; it is not used lightly.
For the corpse demon to be forced to use such a supernatural power, Jiang Liu is truly too abnormal.
Attacking mortals with the cultivation level of a mortal immortal, not only could they not kill them, but their own magical treasures were also destroyed.
If the corpse demon were to escape now, Jiang Liu would naturally be powerless against it. However, it coveted Jiang Liu's magic weapon and thus used the demonic power "Heart Demon Manifestation".
Such supernatural powers that act directly on the soul can only be resisted by the Dao heart unless one possesses supreme treasures that protect the soul.
How could a mortal who has not yet become an immortal withstand a desperate attack from the primordial spirit of an immortal?
In an instant, a wisp of red smoke appeared in Jiang Liu's sea of consciousness. The red smoke condensed and vaguely took on a human shape. Its appearance was hazy and indistinct, but it bore some resemblance to Jiang Liu.
"The Demon of Slaughter! Heh heh... It's actually the Demon of Slaughter! With such a powerful inner demon, you've fallen into the demonic path! Heh heh..."
Since his rebirth, Jiang Liu has been constantly killing, which naturally formed a murderous demonic thought. After being stimulated by the demon corpse's "Heavenly Demon Manifestation of Other Hearts", it actually took shape, but it has not yet truly manifested its demonic form.
"Inner demons?"
Jiang Liu immediately felt an overwhelming killing intent rise from his heart, and even his eyes turned red.
For a cultivator, once they develop inner demons, it means their spiritual progress will either stagnate or they will go astray and become completely demonic.
Hallucinations arose, and inner demons danced wildly. Jiang Liu suddenly felt as if his heart was on fire, and he needed to kill indiscriminately to quell his anger, and he needed to drink fresh blood to extinguish the burning sensation that came from his very soul.
Has he gone mad with evil spirits?
Naturally, one must guard one's original mind. If one's mind is occupied by inner demons and invades one's soul, one will die and become nothing more than the shell of a celestial demon.
Externally, two ferocious skulls were attacking frantically; internally, the inner demons were stirring up a monstrous blood wave in the sea of consciousness.
"Kill...kill..."
Jiang Liu gritted his teeth and persevered, even his gums bleeding slightly.
He barely managed to summon the "Nine Heavens Primordial Yang Ruler," then sat cross-legged, focusing all his attention on dealing with his inner demons.
"Hehehe... You truly have a great talent for cultivation. I want your body! I'll use the power of the Heavenly Demon to sever your soul and let me possess it... Hehehe..."
"I'm afraid you'll try to kill me, but I'll kill you instead!"
At the same time, Jiang Liu focused his mind, sat upright with his palms facing each other, and the power of True Martial suddenly appeared, with the illusion of a tortoise and snake condensing in his sea of consciousness.
A tortoise and a snake withstood the destruction of the blood-red, murderous inner demon!
A blood-red mass, surging and chaotic. Then, black mist condensed, the very essence of the corpse demon. The two clashed, making Jiang Liu's thoughts even slower, leaving him in a daze, as if he were about to faint.
Fortunately, the nine golden flowers released by the "Nine Heavens Primordial Yang Ruler" briefly blocked the two large skulls attacking from the outside, ensuring that the body was not harmed.
Just as Jiang Liu was struggling to hold on, he seemed to hear a thunderous boom in his ears, which startled him awake and cleared his mind!
Suddenly, a sense of joy welled up within Jiang Liu, golden light seemed to emanate from between his brows, and his eyes became deep and indifferent, as if he were a god looking down at the heavens. His tortoise-snake form instantly transformed into a figure dressed in a black robe, an indescribable aura of majesty emanating from him.
A raging storm suddenly erupted in his sea of consciousness, breaking free from the black mist binding the demon corpse's primordial spirit. The blood-red killing demon exploded violently, scattering into a rain of blood across the sky.
The demon corpse's primordial spirit let out a miserable scream, severely injured, and fled in panic.
In the blink of an eye, the face that looked similar to Jiang Liu's, but was lean and dignified, slowly disappeared, and Jiang Liu regained his senses.
"That was close! Luckily, I activated my Innate Dao Body talent, which allowed me to extinguish that inner demon!"
With an innate Dao body, naturally close to the Dao, his body merges with the Dao, drawing upon the power of heaven and earth. Although he is only at the nascent stage, he is not something that ordinary demons can shake. If extraterrestrial demons were to descend, they might even damage Jiang Liu's cultivation.
Where are you going?
Seeing that the demonic corpse's primordial spirit was trying to escape, Jiang Liu was not about to let it get away so easily. He grabbed forward with his palm, took a step that covered more than ten zhang, and lightning flashed, with more than a dozen small lightning snakes appearing in his palm.
Still as a virgin, swift as a rabbit, with a single step and a grab, he instantly captured the primordial spirit.
In an instant, Jiang Liu unleashed the "power of a province," and with a tremor of his palm, an ancient map of Yangzhou was clearly revealed in his hand, generating an extremely violent power.
A terrifying vortex of power appeared inside the demon corpse's primordial spirit, shattering it into fragments and finally tearing it apart into a torrent of energy that vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.
"Huh? The primordial spirit that was devoured by the one that escaped is actually worth a hundred spirit stones!"
At this moment, the corpse demon in the White Bone Cave let out a desperate scream, and birds and beasts within a radius of three hundred miles scattered in panic.
The primordial spirit is the foundation of a cultivator. Although after reaching the Earth Immortal realm of Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation, even if the primordial spirit is damaged, it is difficult to harm the true body. However, cultivating the primordial spirit again requires arduous effort.
Jiang Liu destroyed his primordial spirit with a single palm strike, which was equivalent to destroying sixty years of his cultivation.
Chapter 136 Slaying the Dragon
As soon as the demon's primordial spirit was destroyed, the dense black clouds in the sky immediately dispersed, revealing the sun and restoring the bright and clear world.
A bright red sun hangs high in the sky, casting its scorching summer rays.
The winds of change occurred in the short span of half an incense stick's time, yet life and death shifted several times.
Jiang Liu cleaned up the battlefield, starting with the corrupted "Cicada Sword," which had lost all its spiritual energy and become an ordinary weapon, dropping directly to the level of a mortal artifact.
And that "Autumn Dew Sword" was chewed into pieces.
The other three swords are all damaged and need to be properly nurtured and refined before they can be used.
"Fortunately, I gained a lot of energy from shattering the demon corpse's primordial spirit, otherwise I would have suffered a huge loss!"
The demon corpse's primordial spirit left nothing behind, except for the two skulls remaining on the "Five Ghosts Soul-Devouring Staff," which fell to the ground. Jiang Liu was about to pick them up when he frowned.
Under the bright summer sun, a dark spot appeared. Looking up, one could see a figure floating in the sky. Their eyes met, and then the person descended from the heavens.
His face was golden, with a faint hint of purple, and he had dragon horns on his forehead, yet his appearance was like that of an ordinary person in their early twenties. He wore dragon-shaped golden armor, a golden-winged helmet, and held a halberd, making him appear exceptionally brave and valiant.
The moment his foot touched the ground, he pointed his halberd at Jiang Liu, raised his chin, and said arrogantly with a mocking look in his eyes, "Hand over the treasure, and I'll spare your life!"
Jiang Liu looked at the man's appearance and knew without a doubt that he was a dragon. His brow furrowed slightly; though furious, he suppressed his anger and said, "Dragon Lord, you jest! What treasure do I possess? If Dragon Lord desires these two skulls, I will offer them to you with both hands!"
"Hmph!" With a cold snort, his brows furrowed, and a glint of light seemed to flash on his halberd. He shouted, "Enough nonsense! I saw it clearly just now. Hand over those flying swords and that mirror. If I were to make a move, losing an arm or a leg would be the least of your worries; you might even end up meeting the King of Hell!"
Jiang Liu curled his lips. One wave after another came to their deaths. Even if he was a true dragon, as long as he had not reached the Earth Immortal realm, he would still be killed if he was supposed to!
Unfortunately, this dragon's cultivation level hadn't reached the Qi Refining to Spirit Transformation stage; it was only at the peak of Essence Refining to Qi Transformation. Not reaching the Earth Immortal level meant it posed little threat to Jiang Liu. As for its background and the trouble that would follow killing it, if it truly became an enemy, Jiang Liu wouldn't hesitate to kill it immediately, giving it no chance.
Kill them first, then consider the consequences.
Although he was certain that the dragon posed little threat to him, Jiang Liu still carefully examined it.
Strategically despising the enemy while tactically respecting them is the strategic and tactical thought of the great leader Chairman Mao Zedong, and it consists of two inseparable aspects of defeating the enemy.
The armor was very beautiful, glittering with gold. Wearing the whole set made one look majestic and imposing.
"Just for show! My Zhen word technique is enough to break through your defenses... This Fangtian halberd is a good weapon, judging from its appearance, it should be a spiritual weapon, and a mid-to-high grade one at that..."
The halberd pointed at the river, motionless, while its long black tassel rose and fell incessantly, giving the impression that it was breathing! It was clearly no ordinary item!
Generally speaking, the halberd is often used for ceremonial purposes and rarely for actual combat. However, this does not mean it cannot be used in actual combat, nor does it mean that its power is weak. On the contrary, its power is astonishing, but it requires extremely high skill from the user. The halberd's head is sharp and pointed, requiring the user to be proficient in spear techniques. The halberd has blades on both sides, requiring the user to be proficient in axe and knife techniques. The gap between the halberd's branches and main body can be used to lock and seize the enemy's weapon. The long shaft of the halberd is also extremely lethal, which requires the user to be proficient in staff techniques.
In the secret arts of military strategists, the halberd is used in several ways: "Aid" techniques focus on thrusting, slashing back, horizontal thrusting, downward slashing, and diagonal parrying; "Hand" techniques focus on horizontal slashing and cutting; "Inner" techniques focus on reverse hooking, horizontal hooking, wall-pinning, and flipping thrusting; and "Pan" techniques focus on penetrating strikes, thrusting strikes, and straight slashing.
Therefore, just by looking at it, one can feel that the way to use this halberd is truly dazzling, let alone mastering it.
It is precisely because the halberd is complex to use, multifunctional, and requires immense strength and skill—combining the functions of both light and heavy weapons—that it demands so much from its user. Therefore, those who master it often become unparalleled warriors renowned throughout history. It can contend with heavy weapons like maces, hammers, and halberds in terms of strength, and with light weapons like spears, lances, and swords in terms of technique. It can even turn the tables, using skill to defeat the enemy and strength to overcome skill, gaining a significant advantage!