Chapter 147: Subduing the Demons
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
The towering mountain was shrouded in thick, black clouds as torrential rain poured down, with flashes of blood-red lightning slicing through the night sky.
Amid the storm, Qin Ming was surrounded by radiant green mist. The rain couldn’t touch him as the Wood Force fused with his Celestial Light to form a massive green palm imprint. The glowing palm lit up the darkness like the hand of a celestial giant, poised to vanquish the demons on this mountain.
Qin Ming thrust the green palm forward. It unleashed a blinding burst of green radiance, evaporating the torrential rain with a deafening roar that drowned out the thunder itself. The Fire Lion roared in retaliation, its claw blazing with red light as it descended like a thunderbolt, engulfing the battlefield in scarlet flames.
The green palm and red claw collided in a dazzling explosion of green and red light. The force of their clash illuminated the black mountain, the energy waves shaking the peaks. The intense brightness pierced the night sky, as if tearing through the veil of darkness.
There stood a human youth, his hair flowing in the wind, his composure otherworldly. With his bare hands, he blocked the fiery claw of the massive beast, its crimson body radiating heat like molten iron.
A pack of blood lions watched from the mountain, their eyes wide with disbelief. That was their king—the Fire Lion, whose flaming claws could incinerate everything in their path. Yet, it was unable to overwhelm a mere human youth.
Nearby, the old donkey, who had rolled up its sleeves as if to help, hesitated. It quietly lowered its sleeves and stood still, unwilling to engage. In just one day, the boy had transformed into a completely different person, now capable of fighting the Fire Lion head-on.
“Roar!” The Fire Lion’s deafening roar shook the mountain and echoed across the plains. Its voice cut through the storm, startling demons and monsters across the region. Bird demons soared into the night sky, their eyes wide with shock.
“The Lion King can’t suppress a human boy?!”
The Fire Lion, its body massive like an elephant’s and glowing crimson, radiated intense heat. It swung its flaming claws relentlessly at Qin Ming. Yet, shrouded in Wood Force, Qin Ming countered fearlessly with palms of green energy, each strike matching the lion’s monstrous power.
The two figures moved at lightning speed, colliding like two storms intertwined atop the mountain.
The Fire Lion’s crimson scales shimmered, exuding an oppressive aura. Flames erupted from its body as it launched another fiery assault. Yet, Qin Ming’s punches and palms grew stronger, resonating with the mountain’s grass and trees. The green radiance surrounding him intensified, his strikes powerful enough to leave the lion’s claws bleeding.
Furious, the Fire Lion conjured two massive scimitars from a mixture of demon energy and Celestial Light. The spectral blades cut through the Wood Force, scattering it in a burst of energy.
The lion’s crystalline forehead gleamed, its consciousness aura pulsating with intensity as it guarded against Qin Ming’s white sword—a weapon that had previously injured it severely. Its caution was justified.
With a resonant hum, a green longsword condensed in Qin Ming’s hand, formed entirely from the forest’s Wood Force. The blade sparkled like an emerald sun.
Qin Ming struck with the Wood Sword, the blade meeting the lion’s scimitars in a shower of sparks. The scimitars shattered, dissolving into wisps of demon energy and Celestial Light. The Wood Sword struck true, tearing through the lion’s scales and leaving a deep, bloody gash.
The Fire Lion roared in pain, its claws snapping toward the green blade in an attempt to break it. Instead, three of its claws were severed, the wounds bleeding profusely. The lion released the sword and retreated swiftly.
Once, Qin Ming had been on the defensive, barely able to crack the lion’s protective light. Now, after his seventh awakening, the situation had reversed.
Wielding the Wood Sword, Qin Ming unleashed the mountain’s full vitality. The blade descended with overwhelming force, leaving the lion no room to dodge. Demon energy and Celestial Light boiled around the beast as it braced for impact.
With a thunderous explosion, the Wood Sword dissipated, but not before flinging the Fire Lion across the battlefield. Half its body was drenched in blood, its scales shattered, and its wounds deep enough to expose bone. The once-proud creature now resembled a bloodied shadow of its former self.
The Black Roc, watching coldly from above, refrained from intervening. It observed the battle with a calculating gaze, using the Fire Lion’s struggle to gauge the human’s capabilities.
The Fire Lion’s face darkened, its flames dimming. A day ago, it had almost killed this human with a single blow. Now, the same human was driving it back. The boy approached, green mist swirling around him, his expression serene and detached, exuding the air of a celestial being.
The lion, furious and humiliated, donned a helmet forged from rare metal, covering its head entirely. It believed its earlier failure had stemmed from the distraction of guarding against Qin Ming’s white sword. Now, its vital areas were protected.
Qin Ming smiled faintly, having detected a faint fragrance in the air—the sign of “strange blood” within the lion. The discovery thrilled him; the creature’s blood might yield a potent elixir to further enhance his foundation and power.
The Fire Lion misinterpreted his smile as mockery for wearing the helmet. Enraged, it charged forward.
Qin Ming’s movements were fluid and relaxed, his body stretching naturally as he prepared to counter. His five fingers extended into a claw, executing the Dragon Claw Technique he had obtained from Luo Fu Immortal Mountain.
Bolstered by his transformed Celestial Light Force, Qin Ming’s claw strikes tore through the lion’s protective aura, shattering its crimson scales repeatedly. With the Golden Severing Finger, he snapped several more of its claws, leaving its forelimbs drenched in blood.
The lion looked down at its ruined claws, now stumps, before being sent flying once more. Qin Ming’s Wood Palm struck its torso, cracking its helmet and leaving its head bloodied.
Within moments, the Fire Lion had suffered grievous injuries: four broken ribs, a gaping wound in its abdomen, and blood pouring from its mouth. Its dominance was shattered.
“Stand aside!” came the Black Roc’s voice. It and the Fire Lion were both colossal creatures, unable to fight effectively together in close quarters.
The roc descended swiftly, a dark figure like an eclipsed sun. In a blur, it struck with blinding speed.
Qin Ming tightened his grip on his blade, fully aware of the Black Roc’s terrifying power. He met its strike with a resounding clash, shattering the black light that shielded the beast—a mixture of malice, Celestial Light, and demon energy that no ordinary Outer Saint could penetrate.
Dodging the roc’s talons, Qin Ming counterattacked, his white jade alloy blade slashing toward its wing. The edge struck true, slicing through feathers and leaving a trail of black plumes in its wake.
Hovering mid-air, the Black Roc crossed its massive wings like arms, forming an intricate seal. It unleashed a barrage of dark beams aimed directly at Qin Ming, each strike carrying the weight of its immense power.
Qin Ming parried the onslaught with his blade, the clash ringing out like the resonant hum of celestial metal.
The storm above the towering mountain grew more ferocious, with thick clouds pressing low and flashes of lightning growing ever more intense. Qin Ming gazed at the tempest, an idea forming in his mind. It was time to attempt something bold—something he had once considered at the Celestial Light Pit of Luo Fu Immortal Mountain but ultimately abandoned. Now, he had the strength and confidence to try.
With the White Jade Alloy Blade glowing in his grip, Qin Ming unleashed a burst of wind energy that stirred the clouds, altering the trajectory of the torrential rain. Testing further, he activated Dominating Force as a core, combined it with Wind and Thunder Force, and attempted to capture the lightning bolts striking near the mountain. To protect himself, he channeled Wuji Sutra, summoning earth energy to shield his body, and resonated with the mountain’s Wood Force, enveloping himself in green radiance.
Raising his blade skyward, he fully unleashed Wind and Thunder Force to guide the lightning. A deafening crack followed as bolts of electricity arced through the mountain, their dazzling energy terrifying to behold.
The Black Roc, mid-flight, screeched in agony as a stray arc struck it. Its feathers stood on end, singed by the electricity.
Encouraged, Qin Ming tried again. This time, he drew upon both Dominating Force and Wind and Thunder Force, successfully attracting another, albeit dimmer, lightning bolt. Thunder exploded, shaking the entire mountain.
But the attempt came at a cost. Qin Ming grunted in pain as the residual energy struck him. Despite the protection of Earth Qi and Wood Essence, the strike left him momentarily paralyzed, his body tingling. Fortunately, the damage was not fatal. His control over lightning, though improved, was far from perfect, a humbling reminder of the dangers involved.
The Black Roc fared far worse. A direct hit punched a gaping, bloody hole through one of its wings. Though its formidable cultivation saved it from disintegration, the damage was severe. The once-mighty beast fell from the sky, its wing stripped of feathers, leaving behind a charred, reddened expanse of flesh.
The old donkey stood dumbfounded. Was this the same invincible elder brother it revered? The sight of the Black Roc, one of the most feared beings in the plains, reduced to this state in mere moments, left even the other bird demons cowering in shock.
The Black Roc stood in the downpour, the rain pouring over its burned, bare wing. On one side, it retained its intimidating black feathers; on the other, it was left naked and scorched. Furious, it trembled with rage, its shame almost unbearable.
After a moment, Qin Ming slowly rose to his feet, only to find the enraged roc charging toward him across the ground. “Well, Baldy, where will you fly now?” Qin Ming taunted, his words carrying both sting and mockery.
The Black Roc froze briefly, glaring at its ruined body, before letting out an ear-piercing cry that shook the storm. The taunt had struck a nerve as deeply as the lightning had, and the roc attacked with renewed fury. Its black wing swept forward like a massive blade, aiming to crush Qin Ming.
Qin Ming met the strike head-on with his blade, his enhanced Celestial Light Force cutting through the roc’s defensive aura. A sharp clash rang out as feathers scattered under the force of his counterattack.
The roc opened its beak and unleashed a beam of dark energy, distorting the air with its destructive power. Qin Ming sidestepped, letting the beam obliterate a grand structure behind him, reducing it to rubble.
Despite its injuries, the Black Roc’s speed remained astonishing. On the ground, it moved like a streak of black lightning, its wings slashing down with the force of massive cleavers. Each strike shook the mountain, cracking the earth.
Qin Ming’s body glowed with lightning, his wind energy swirling around him. Letting go of his blade, he activated Wind and Thunder Force, using it to control the blade in mid-air. The blade hovered near him, striking at the roc in swift, relentless arcs.
“Blade Control Technique!” The old donkey’s voice quavered in disbelief. As a friend of the weasel demon Huang Yuan, a blade master attempting to perfect this very technique, it knew the difficulty of achieving such a feat. Yet this human youth had already accomplished what Huang Yuan could not—guiding the blade with Wind and Thunder Force, albeit within a limited range.
The spinning blade slashed at the Black Roc, drawing blood and scattering more feathers. The roc’s bare wing was left riddled with deep wounds, its bones visible beneath the torn flesh.
Finally, Qin Ming attempted to summon lightning once more. A bolt descended from the heavens, striking the Black Roc squarely on its back. Another bloodied hole appeared, and the remaining feathers on its body burned away. The roc let out a heart-wrenching screech, staggering backward, its body trembling violently.
Qin Ming, too, felt the strain. The lightning he summoned through simulation struck close, leaving him briefly stunned. Yet he remained vigilant, sensing the presence of new threats.
As if on cue, the Black Roc shouted, “Brothers, now’s the time! What are you waiting for?”
Three figures emerged from the shadows: a massive silver hedgehog, a bird resembling a phoenix, and a human male. The Black Roc and Fire Lion had clearly anticipated Qin Ming’s growth after refining the silver heart, and had called for reinforcements to ambush him.
The Black Roc spoke again, “Brothers, he carries a small sword forged of exotic gold—a priceless treasure. Kill him, and I’ll also offer you a share of strange blood!”
Qin Ming rose to his feet, his eyes gleaming with battle intent. “Three pieces of strange medicine in one day?” he said, a smile forming. “Today might be a good day after all.”