At the very moment Ye Qingxuan raised his head to gaze into the distance—
A figure shot into view from the very direction he was looking, and an enraged voice roared out:
“Human whelp! You dare to massacre my tribe? You’re asking for death!”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than this Cyan Demon, who had just arrived and not yet even closed in, struck out from a distance in a fit of fury.
Ye Qingxuan watched the oncoming attack, which was packed with dense demonic energy, and let out a cold chuckle.
“So it’s just a mere Nascent Soul realm Cyan Demon?”
He had thought that the one drawn here by the energy fluctuations of the Spirit-Cleansing · Nuclear Explosion Pill would be a Spirit Transformation realm Cyan Demon.
Who would have expected it to be only Nascent Soul?
If it had been a Spirit Transformation realm opponent, Ye Qingxuan would have retreated without hesitation. But a Nascent Soul realm Cyan Demon? He truly didn’t take it seriously.
Though the one who had descended into the Demon Domain was merely a clone of his, and he hadn’t brought any precious magical treasures with him, he had still prepared quite a few trump cards.
Among them was the fifth-grade Nuclear Explosion Pill series he had refined after advancing to a fifth-rank alchemist—including the fifth-grade Spirit-Cleansing · Nuclear Explosion Pill.
The energy level of that fifth-grade pill was already on par with the demonic energy condensed by a Nascent Soul realm Cyan Demon.
So Ye Qingxuan had no fear of its demonic attacks.
Without any intention of backing down, he produced a fifth-grade Spirit-Cleansing · Nuclear Explosion Pill and hurled it straight at the incoming assault from the Nascent Soul Cyan Demon.
Instantly, a cacophony of booming rumbles and piercing sizzling sounds erupted once again.
The white Spirit-Cleansing energy and the black fifth-grade demonic energy twisted and ground against each other, triggering a violent reaction that sent wave after wave of energy rippling outward in all directions.
Seeing this, Ye Qingxuan raised a five-colored spiritual barrier in front of him, easily deflecting the fierce residual shockwaves.
This swirling five-colored barrier was but a small application of the Divine Ability seed he had condensed—the Minor Five-Element Shield.
The Nascent Soul Cyan Demon, who had been speeding over from afar, saw his attack blocked with such casual ease and immediately halted his advance.
He eyed Ye Qingxuan warily, apparently no longer daring to act rashly, and demanded:
“Rat of a human, what kind of trick are you using?”
But before Ye Qingxuan could even answer, the Nascent Soul Cyan Demon struck again, unleashing several more attacks in rapid succession.
Using the explosive bursts as cover, a sinister grin crept across his face as he swiftly closed the distance toward Ye Qingxuan.
He had no idea what method Ye Qingxuan had used to block his attack—but the spiritual energy fluctuations Ye Qingxuan was giving off were only at the mere Zifu realm.
As long as he could get in close, he was certain that this human wouldn’t be able to stir up any trouble.
Ye Qingxuan, from afar, had initially thought that the Cyan Demon would stop and question him.
He had been about to hurl out some taunts to keep the demon’s attention fixed on him, while secretly preparing talismans and Nuclear Explosion Pills for a sneak attack.
To his surprise, the bastard had no sense of demonic honor and moved even faster than he did.
“Damn—what a cunning old dog!”
Ye Qingxuan cursed under his breath, but his hands never slowed.
He activated a fifth-grade Instant Movement Talisman, and his figure vanished from the spot. But just before disappearing, he scattered more than a dozen fifth-grade Nuclear Explosion Pills and fifth-grade Spirit-Cleansing · Nuclear Explosion Pills all around him.
You have to understand—the power of a single fifth-grade Nuclear Explosion Pill was comparable to a sixth-grade lower-rank talisman, carrying the force of an initial-stage Spirit Transformation realm strike.
When over a dozen of those, combined with the Spirit-Cleansing versions, all detonated together… if that Nascent Soul Cyan Demon charged headfirst into that, there was absolutely no chance of survival.
Unfortunately, cultivators have sharp spiritual senses—especially when facing a life-or-death crisis.
The Nascent Soul Cyan Demon, who had been rushing straight at Ye Qingxuan, suddenly felt a premonition of extreme danger.
“Oh no!”
He muttered under his breath, pulled out a black talisman, and activated it without a moment’s hesitation.
In an instant, his body was shrouded in a dark light—and he, too, vanished.
BOOM—CRACKLE—HISS—
A brilliant sphere of energy began to rise, spreading and sweeping outward in all directions. The shockwaves lingered for a long time, refusing to fade.
At ground zero, both Ye Qingxuan and the Nascent Soul Cyan Demon had long since disappeared, leaving behind only the violent ripples of energy that had ravaged everything around them.
The simultaneous explosion of over a dozen fifth-grade Nuclear Explosion Pills and Spirit-Cleansing · Nuclear Explosion Pills stirred a great number of nearby Spirit Transformation realm Cyan Demons—as well as several Spirit Transformation realm powerhouses from the Earth Profound Realm who had been lying in wait within the Demon Domain.
Spirit Transformation Cyan Demons from all directions began converging on the site at once.
Their immense auras pressed down from the sky as they streaked past, scanning the land below for any other intruders.
In a valley about a thousand miles away from the blast site, a five-man squad hovered beneath an ancient bronze mirror that masked their presence.
This group was a war squad composed of Earth Profound Realm Spirit Transformation powerhouses.
They had been lurking in the Third Demon Domain World for quite some time, hunting a good number of Cyan Demons.
And they weren’t the only ones. Within a radius of ten thousand miles around the blast site, there were three or four other Earth Profound Realm Spirit Transformation squads holed up in various hiding spots, keeping their auras suppressed.
Because these squads had slaughtered large numbers of Cyan Demons, they had drawn pursuit from the Demon Domain’s elite forces. Right now, they were evading the very squads sent after them.
Yes—to counter the Earth Profound Realm’s war squads, the Cyan Demon powerhouses had formed their own teams as well.
For them, if it made them stronger, there was no shame in learning from the enemy’s methods.
The intense energy waves caused by Ye Qingxuan didn’t go unnoticed. All the nearby squads—from both the Earth Profound Realm and the Cyan Demon forces—had sensed it.
Surrounding Spirit Transformation Cyan Demons, as well as the pursuer squads hunting down Earth Profound Realm cultivators, began moving in unison, forming an encirclement around the blast site to launch a full-scale purge.
In the eyes of these Spirit Transformation Cyan Demons, the only thing capable of causing such powerful energy fluctuations within the Demon Domain had to be an Earth Profound Realm Spirit Transformation squad.
If they could successfully wipe out one of those squads, it would be a massive win.
The higher-ups of the Cyan Demon race had placed quite a generous bounty on those invading Earth Profound Realm squads.
However, while the Cyan Demon powerhouses were on the move, the Earth Profound Realm Spirit Transformation squads—though somewhat puzzled—had no intention of heading toward the blast site themselves.
Watching the Cyan Demon experts streak past high above, one of the five men beneath the bronze mirror couldn’t help but turn to their leader and ask:
“Captain, what do we do now?”
Their squad was named Number One Demon-Extermination Squad, and its captain was Bai Yi—a core disciple of the Xuantian Sect, at the Spirit Transformation realm.
Why “Number One”? Because when they went to register, the name “Demon-Extermination Squad” had already been taken by someone else.
These squads weren’t just formed casually, either.
To officially establish a squad, you needed at least three Spirit Transformation realm cultivators to register with the Earth Profound Realm Alliance as a proper Spirit Transformation squad.
Beyond that, there were also Void-Refining squads, Space-Annihilating squads, and even Tribulation-Transcending squads.
Of course, a Tribulation-Transcending expert could form a squad all by themselves if they wished—there was no rule requiring multiple members.
The strong always enjoy their privileges.
As for cultivators below the Spirit Transformation realm, their privately formed teams could only be considered reserve squads within the Alliance—they weren’t qualified to be officially registered.
Besides operating independently, squads could also take on various missions from the Earth Profound Realm Alliance.
If they accumulated enough war merits, they could even be granted an honorary title, spreading their fame across all the domains of the Earth Profound Realm.
This was exactly why so many Spirit Transformation and above cultivators were so enthusiastic about forming squads.
Whether for fame or profit, building a solid team was simply too beneficial for everyone involved.
Hearing his teammate’s question, Bai Yi pondered for a moment, then chuckled softly:
“Since so many Spirit Transformation Cyan Demons have been drawn away, let’s head to that sixth-grade demonic vein we scouted last time. We’ll destroy it—and kill the Spirit Transformation Cyan Demon stationed there.”
“Let’s move fast, hit hard, and once this job’s done, we head back to the Earth Profound Realm for some downtime.”
“Agreed. Let’s do it.”
The others nodded in unison. Bai Yi’s decision had met with unanimous approval.
With their plan set—
The squad swiftly departed, heading in the opposite direction from the Cyan Demon powerhouses.
