Chapter Forty-Six: The Battle Rages Fiercely

Zhou Bai seemed rooted to the spot, only reacting at the very moment the rat demon lunged at him. He leapt over its head, then brought his blade down—not with the edge, but with the flat. Still, the blow landed squarely on the demon’s spine, and the sickening sound of bones shattering rang out.

The monster quivered, grievously wounded, and collapsed to the ground. Zhou Bai immediately raised his blade and struck again; the flash of cold steel left a deep, bone-revealing gash along the rat demon’s side. Yet the creature’s hide was tough, its demonic power coursing through its meridians, forcibly mending and stabilizing its bones so it could quickly regain mobility.

Rather than weakening the demon, these wounds only inflamed its ferocity. With a guttural roar and bloodshot eyes, it sprang up from the ground. Zhou Bai, however, did not rush to finish the fight. He chose instead to wear it down, darting about as his blade danced in arcs, inflicting wound after wound until blood flowed freely from the demon’s mangled body.

From the distant Great Hero Hall came the sounds of fierce combat, reverberating through the entire temple, which now trembled and threatened to collapse. The once resplendent hall was swiftly decaying, as if centuries had passed in an instant, its splendor stripped away by the passage of time.

But Zhou Bai was undisturbed. All his focus was poured into his Yin-Yang Eyes—only by exerting his full strength could he maintain this state of all-seeing clarity.

As the battle intensified, Zhou Bai moved with increasing lightness, each stroke of his blade stirring cold winds that tore apart the wild grass around him. Yet his body could not always keep pace with his reactions; several times, the rat demon’s claws grazed him, but on the whole, the scales of victory were tipping in his favor.

Still, the struggle was far from simple. He soon realized the crucial difference between common fiends and lesser demons: the former’s demon energy was vague and unfocused, granting only physical brute strength, while the latter could wield their power at will.

The wounds the rat demon left on Zhou Bai’s body were laced with demonic energy, clinging to him like a malignant curse that could not be purged in the short term. His wounds tingled and grew numb—Zhou Bai cursed inwardly, realizing this was likely a virulent poison. He had no choice but to channel his own Yin energy to resist it, yet still the corruption threatened to spread throughout his body.

“This has to end quickly. This rat demon has lost its reason; it shouldn’t be difficult to deal with,” he thought, gritting his teeth. He deliberately exposed an opening. Now transformed into its true form, the rat demon was driven purely by animal instinct and lunged straight for him.

Zhou Bai gathered all his Yin energy into his limbs, ready to unleash his greatest strength and dispatch the rat demon in one decisive blow—especially since two lesser demons still lurked nearby, eyes gleaming with predatory intent.

The ox demon was panting heavily, impatience written across its face. “Are we staying or going? Give me a straight answer.”

The snake demon cast it a cold glance, its eyes swirling. “The Underworld Registrar is spent. If you want to go, go now.”

“Fine.”

The ox demon, simple-minded, was easily swayed. It shifted into its true form—a yellow ox—and lumbered forward in great strides.

Zhou Bai frowned slightly at the sight, but it was still within his control. With a swift sidestep, he evaded the rat demon’s attack and slipped beneath its belly. His cleaver was not idle; the blade swept across the softer fur of its abdomen, tearing open a gaping wound that drenched him with blood and chunks of flesh.

A nauseating stench assaulted him. Zhou Bai held his breath and rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the ox demon’s trampling hooves.

The rat demon let out a piteous shriek and, abandoning all thought of further struggle, staggered away. It had barely moved a few steps before its viscera spilled out, intestines and liver tumbling from its split abdomen. Drained of all strength, the rat demon collapsed, its breath fading, and died after only a few faltering paces.

The ox demon now charged, but Zhou Bai showed no hesitation. He quickly swallowed a yellow pellet, then rushed forward. His fist slammed into the ox demon’s skull, knocking it aside, and then his blade carved a fresh wound into its hide.

The ox demon bellowed in pain. The serrated edge of the cleaver left wounds that, though shallow, burned with agony many times over. Yet even as a lesser demon, its control over demonic power was rough but far superior to that of wild fiends; within moments, the bleeding had stopped.

Zhou Bai gave it no respite. Springing from the ground, he drove his cleaver down into the demon’s back, twisting the hilt with all his might. Blood sprayed forth in torrents. The ox demon, massive but far less agile than the rat demon, could do nothing but thrash wildly, flinging Zhou Bai aside.

He spat on the ground, feeling exhaustion creeping in. Glancing at the wound on his chest, he saw it had gone pale. Fortunately, the yellow pellet’s medicinal power kept the poison from invading his organs—at least for now.

He knew he could not afford to falter. Should his resolve waver, the strength in his body would fail him at once.

With this in mind, he refused to relent, brandishing his blade in furious arcs as he battled the ox demon. On the surface, it appeared as though Zhou Bai was relentlessly pursuing the demon, holding the clear advantage; but the ox demon’s thick hide and robust flesh, stitched together by demonic power, made it nearly impossible to finish off swiftly.

In the distance, the snake demon licked its own cheek with a crimson tongue, waiting patiently. Its gaze flickered not only toward Zhou Bai, but also toward the crumbling temple.

The Mount Pan Temple was on the verge of collapse. With several thunderous crashes, it finally fell, reduced to a heap of rubble and debris. When the dust settled, the figures of Monk Three-Fires and the King of Nanshan emerged.

Both bore many wounds, but Monk Three-Fires seemed to grow stronger with each round. Astride the tiger-headed demon, his palms glowed with Buddhist light as he struck blow after blow, driving the King of Nanshan into wailing retreat.

A hiss, like escaping steam, sounded—then the snake demon made its move. Its lower body transformed into a serpentine tail, and it slithered rapidly toward Zhou Bai.

Seeing the snake demon join the fray, the ox demon was greatly relieved and withdrew to catch its breath. But before it could react, the passing snake demon suddenly opened its jaws wide; venomous fangs gleamed with a cold light, and it bit down hard on the ox demon’s neck.

Venom flowed into the wound. Taken completely by surprise, the ox demon offered no resistance. By the time it realized what had happened, its entire body had begun to tremble. Its demonic power lost control, wounds old and new burst open at once, and blackened blood poured out to form a dark pool on the ground.

Zhou Bai acted without hesitation. His legs tensed, hands gripping the hilt, and his cleaver traced a cold arc through the air, severing the ox demon’s massive head.

“I bear no ill will toward the Underworld Registrar, nor have I ever acted against you,” the snake demon said with a smile. It had long since planned to adapt to whichever side gained the upper hand, and now, seeing the balance shift, it made its choice accordingly.