Chapter 135: The Demon Clan Reaps the Fisherman's Profit

Baimu’s right side kick landed squarely in the center of Chiyan’s thick palm. As the two formidable forces collided, the resulting momentum instantly forced both of them backward.

Because Baimu had launched his attack while airborne, he held a slight advantage in posture. Coupled with the fact that he had struck first, even with only fifty percent of his power, his kick was enough to send Chiyan staggering back more than three paces, leaving the demon’s palm instantly red and swollen.

Taking advantage of the opponent’s recoil force, Baimu gave a light leap backward and landed steadily upon a boulder behind him. Although the soles of his feet tingled slightly from the lingering shockwave, his bones and meridians remained unharmed, allowing him to appear remarkably composed and calm.

After three exchanges of blows, the skirmish ended with Baimu holding a slight upper hand.

Yet beneath this glamorous exterior, only Baimu knew the truth: if he had not relied on the righteous energy inherent in the Azure Dragon Sword Qi, which possessed the power to suppress Nether Evil Qi, he likely would have been killed instantly by Chiyan during their very first clash.

However, this scene played out quite differently in the eyes of Qingluo and Nalan.

As for Qingluo, she was much more inclined to see Baimu defeat Chiyan. After all, judging by how he had stepped in to save her, Baimu’s character was far from ignoble. Furthermore, whether in appearance or speech, he could be described as a modest gentleman, gentle as jade. Such an outstanding young man inevitably stirred the heartstrings of Qingluo, who had never laid eyes on a human before.

As for Prince Nalan, his emotions were a swirling mixture of complex thoughts.

From a selfish standpoint, he naturally hoped that the two combatants would destroy each other, allowing his demon clan to reap the rewards as the fisherman standing by. Yet through the recent exchange, the more experienced Nalan had managed to perceive certain underlying clues: had it not been for that ancient sword, Baimu would have been defeated long ago.

Even so, his heart remained filled with jealousy and resentment. Though he did not yet know the name of that ancient sword, judging by the primordial energy emanating from its blade, it was clearly no ordinary artifact.

Why should such a sacred treasure fall into the hands of an ordinary human youth?

Moreover, the boy was merely sixteen or seventeen years old, yet his cultivation was far more unfathomable than his own, despite having lived for a thousand years. Recalling how he and his sister together had struggled against Chiyan, only for Baimu to drive the fiend back single-handedly, felt like a profound insult to the sibling pair.

After forcing himself to regain his composure, Chiyan cast another suspicious glance at Baimu, then looked down at his own red and swollen palm, and sighed with mixed emotion, "To think that after a lifetime of fighting across battlefields, today I have been driven into retreat by an unknown human youth. By all rights, I should simply take my leave wisely."

"Yet I am burdened with a vital mission today; unless I obtain the Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Fire Red Lotus, I shall not rest. Therefore, the two of us must fight once more!"

"Fight if you must, why waste your breath?"

As Baimu spoke, he rapidly circulated the Qi of Supreme Goodness through a minor celestial cycle within his body. As the energy flowed through his meridians, his previously depleted aura regenerated instantly. Like the four seasons of the heavenly dao, it circulated endlessly, ensuring he remained invincible.

Having suffered from carelessness and underestimating his enemy, Chiyan cast aside his arrogant mindset, replacing it with an unprecedented gravity.

"Soul of the Mystic Pill, spirit of the tree god, with my blood and essence, I form the spirit array!"

As the incantation was chanted in silence, the trees surrounding the cave entrance began to shudder involuntarily. A moment later, all the branches and vines seemed imbued with life, gathering behind Chiyan. The green vines even swayed their thick waists, eager and ready as if poised to attack at any second.

Seeing this, Baimu felt a chill in his chest, surmising that this ten-thousand-year-old tree spirit intended to use the vine monsters to assail him. He must not lower his guard now, or a single moment of carelessness could lead to eternal damnation.

"Strike!"

Chiyan let out a sharp cry, pointing with his finger like a sword and sweeping toward Baimu’s position. The tree spirits and vine monsters behind him immediately lunged forward with bared fangs and claws at an astonishing speed.

Vines as thick as a wrist swayed their emerald bodies to encircle Baimu’s waist, branches as thick as a human thigh smashed directly toward the crown of his head, and countless wild grapevines at his feet sought to bind his ankles. Given their rapid movement and nimble agility, they truly surpassed even snakes.

Fortunately, Baimu had long since prepared himself for battle. As the branches and vines swept toward him like a tidal wave, he immediately brandished the Azure Dragon Sword, slashing out more than a dozen consecutive strikes. Each sword stroke carried a roaring torrent of sword qi, cutting down many of the tree spirits and vine monsters right where they stood.

The Azure Dragon Sword was a paragon among sharp weapons; cutting down trees was nothing more than child's play for it. Any branch or vine touched by the sword qi was instantly severed into multiple pieces and dropped to the ground. Even if a few agile ones managed to dodge, they were inevitably intercepted and sliced in half by other oncoming waves of sword qi.

Baimu leaped into the air, fiercely brandishing the Azure Dragon Sword to lay waste all around him. The tree spirits and vine monsters were continually chopped to pieces by the sword qi, and green sap from the vines splattered everywhere, staining the nearby rocks green.

Enclosed within the heavy barrier of branches, Baimu resembled a descending god of war, whirling the Azure Dragon Sword into an impenetrable defense. Wherever his sword qi reached, branches scattered in retreat, and for a time, the two sides remained locked in a stalemate.

"Brother, should we go help him?" Qingluo asked, watching Baimu trapped in the encirclement, a trace of worry crossing her face.

"Do not rush." Nalan grinned with unruffled calm, replying with a cunning smile, "When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman benefits. We can just sit back and watch the tigers fight!"

"Brother..." Qingluo bit her lip and muttered softly, "Baimu saved my life just now. Do you expect me to repay kindness with enmity?"

"What kindness with enmity?"

"You have only been away from Pimu Dhiqiu for a few days, how did you pick up those hypocritical human notions?"

"For our demon clan, reviving our own tribe is the utmost priority. As for other personal grievances, they should all be cast to the winds!"

"Brother..."

Qingluo intended to continue persuading her arrogant elder brother, but before she could finish, a sudden change occurred in the arena.

Because Baimu had continuously brandished the Azure Dragon Sword, his spiritual power was excessively depleted, and his sword momentum began to slow down gradually. Sensing an opportunity, the surrounding tree spirits and vine monsters swarmed forward to surround him.

With the slightest lapse in concentration, Baimu’s sword-wielding right hand was tightly wrapped by a vine as thick as a child's arm. In his haste, he tried to circulate the Qi of Supreme Goodness to break free from the entanglement, only to find that the spiritual energy within his body had been completely exhausted.