Chapter 100: An Unexpected Turn

Lin Ze stood bewildered in the void, until a prompt swept across the panel.

[Distance from character too great, please switch perspective immediately]

"This lunatic woman!"

Even though he couldn't sense any aura, his eyesight was still intact. The monstrous energy in the air surged like rolling storm clouds, closing in on him in an instant.

With resignation, Lin Ze switched perspectives.

Opening his eyes, his vision was suddenly filled with over a dozen colossal figures, each one fierce and grotesque beyond imagination. They stood atop thick clouds, casting cruel, ruthless gazes upon him.

Surrounded by these beasts, Lin Ze felt a chill shoot up from his soles to the top of his head. Yet, his body, beyond his control, caused his delicate shoulders to tremble gently. She licked her lips, a faint smile curling at the corners.

"......"

He felt this was inappropriate and hurriedly switched back.

He saw Qin Hongxiu gripping the edge of her robe, carelessly tearing off the wide black cloak. Her graceful figure slowly crouched, five fingers resting upon the sword hilt.

There were no unnecessary words.

She flung the black robe, obscuring the vision of the many monsters.

A hiss!

In the next moment, the heavy sword pierced through.

She grasped the hilt with both hands, her expression calm, and in the blink of an eye, she was before the horned, sharp-toothed giant monster.

Fierce sword energy surged across the blade.

She struck down with force!

The giant monster watched helplessly as one of its massive horns tumbled into the abyss below. Before it could react, a straight line suddenly appeared across its savage face, running from forehead to jaw.

A wet splatter!

Its enormous eyeball burst instantly.

A deafening roar erupted from its mouth.

"Argh!"

Qin Hongxiu landed leisurely atop its head. No matter how the monster struggled, she stood firm as if rooted beneath her feet.

She lifted her gaze, sweeping her surroundings, the blood-stained heavy sword slung diagonally across her shoulder.

With a smile lingering on her lips, she asked softly, "Is that all?"

Lin Ze's expression grew grave. Now he understood what his junior master meant earlier.

If she lost, the other cultivators' efforts would be in vain.

It wasn't that she was stronger than everyone combined, but she was faster than anyone. Just now, none of these formidable golden core monsters could react to her speed. Even if she couldn't win, she could withdraw at any moment, making her invincible from the start.

Naturally, the one who could defeat her would not be of the same realm.

The other monsters' expressions shifted, their eyes tinged with dread, yet none moved. They remained quietly in place.

This was unusual.

Seeing this, Qin Hongxiu frowned slightly:

"Are you here to die?"

"You misunderstand, sword immortal. Even though the Heavenly Demon Sect is vast and powerful, it's not so extravagant as to let over a dozen golden core demons die in vain."

At that moment, a nondescript black cloud quietly descended from the sky.

A coarse voice emerged from within: "Their purpose here is simply to delay you for a moment."

Two ugly dog heads poked out from the cloud, smiling calmly: "After all, I don't have absolute confidence I can make you stay."

The words were intriguing.

On the surface, they seemed humble, but in reality, it was a certainty—if it took action, the only outcome would be her fleeing in panic.

For the first time, an unusual expression crossed Qin Hongxiu's face.

Her eyes narrowed, her grip on the sword hilt tightened slightly, but she remained silent, tacitly acknowledging the two-headed red dog's words.

Lin Ze looked doubtfully toward the black cloud, subconsciously touching his wrist.

It was... quite the coincidence.

The black cloud monster that vanished without a trace after parting from Xiao Family Village now appeared here. Even though it now faced Qin Hongxiu instead of himself, its arrogance remained unchanged.

Clearly, this was no ordinary golden core monster—at least far superior to the white fox.

Just then, the dozen or so monsters in the air resolved Lin Ze's doubts; they all bowed in unison:

"We welcome the Demon King."

Qin Hongxiu pursed her lips.

She lifted her cold iron sword with some resignation. "Senior Heavenly Dog, though you're the weakest among the Ten Great Demon Kings... Tsk, I'm rather straightforward, don't take it to heart."

"No matter," the Heavenly Dog's lips curled into a sinister smile.

"That's good." Qin Hongxiu smiled and continued, "The youngsters are playing, but for you to interfere as a senior is rather inappropriate, isn't it?"

"Indeed," one of the Heavenly Dog's heads nodded gently, while the other looked toward a patch of empty sky, unleashing a searing black flame—striking unexpectedly at its own side.

The tiger demon targeted by the black flame did not dodge. Whether out of trust or fear, the two-headed dog's authority was evident.

Boom!

Just as the flame was about to touch it, a graceful figure appeared in the void.

She sighed, reaching out to crush the flame with her palm. Between her fingers, sword energy flowed—such a formidable Nine Tribulation Sword Body could only belong to Qin Hongxiu.

Lin Ze stared in astonishment.

He saw the figure atop the giant monster's head growing faint, dissipating with the wind.

"Such a crude escape technique, how did you dare to use it?" the Heavenly Dog sneered, while its other head was full of praise: "Not burdened by reputation, your first instinct upon seeing me was to devise a plan to escape. Not bad."

Lin Ze's expression grew odd—how had he not noticed the black cloud monster's split personality before?

Qin Hongxiu rolled her eyes: "You're all playing dirty."

This custom of intercepting demonic calamities had lasted for centuries. It was an unspoken rule between the Heavenly Demon Sect and the Eastern Yue Sect that elders would not interfere.

Otherwise, there'd be no need to mobilize the peaks; a single Nascent Soul Immortal could slay thousands of rioting little demons with one sword. If everyone acted so shamelessly, it would mean outright war.

"By the previous rules, my actions are indeed improper," the Heavenly Dog sighed, its four eyes full of mockery. "But who told you this time is just play?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Hongxiu's face finally darkened.

This was precisely why she avoided battle—she sensed things might change, so she tried to withdraw first and find a chance to alert her sect.

Now, with their intentions laid bare, negotiation was no longer possible.

"If you break with our Eastern Yue Sect, how many of the Ten Great Demon Kings will survive?" She took a deep breath, hefting her heavy sword once more.

The Heavenly Dog considered seriously for a moment: "Probably not more than three."

"Are you confident you'll be among them?" Qin Hongxiu pressed.

"Certainly not. If it truly comes to a fight, I would likely be the first to fall," the Heavenly Dog slowly raised its paw, pausing, its coarse voice filled with laughter: "But who said we want to battle Eastern Yue? We simply wish to leave here, to go to Taiyang Prefecture."

Qin Hongxiu nodded in sudden understanding.

In an instant, she vanished again.

The pitch-black heavy sword slashed through the void, accompanied by a cold, low voice: "I think... you'd best stay."