Chapter 131: You Can't Kill Me!

Ji Huo drew a deep breath. Lightning flickered in his eyes, and behind him there suddenly appeared the aura of a thunderous giant bear more than ten meters tall.

At that moment, his feet were planted firmly upon the earth, and the power of the ground flowed endlessly into his body. The giant bear’s surface gradually took on a yellow-brown hue, making it seem as though a thunder bear had transformed into a brown bear.

As he continued circulating his profound art, the brownish-yellow color upon the giant bear grew increasingly pronounced. Its aura, once upright and unstoppable like thunder, shifted into something heavy and immense—thick as a mountain.

Seeing this, Xia Ningshang also drew a deep breath. The Demonic Dragon Spear in her hand immediately began pouring out billowing black smoke as she unleashed all her demonic power.

Her eyes were completely covered by black energy, and black smoke surged around her body. The smoke rapidly expanded, transforming into a black dragon nearly twenty meters long.

As she swung the Demonic Dragon Spear, the black dragon circled constantly around her, occasionally letting out a low growl as it coiled around the giant bear.

The two of them reached the peak of their momentum in an instant. One black and one yellow, their energies intertwined, and the surrounding space began to tremble violently.

High above, the Demon Fox, locked in fierce battle, glanced down. Then it paid them no further attention and continued fighting the short man wielding the Human Sovereign Sword.

Ji Huo and Xia Ningshang exchanged a glance and nodded at the same time.

The enormous brown bear let out an angry roar. A gigantic sphere of energy, flashing with both lightning and yellow-brown radiance, began to form in its mouth. The giant bear lifted its head high, then abruptly blasted the sphere toward the vermilion palace gates more than thirty meters tall, spitting it out as casually as one might spit.

The demonic energy in Xia Ningshang’s eyes surged. She thrust her spear with all her strength, and the circling black dragon roared as it charged forward.

The two attacks struck the gates simultaneously!

“Boom!”

Amid billowing clouds of dust, a sudden sound like shattering glass rang throughout the entire space.

…

“Why haven’t they come out yet?”

“Are we really going to lie here all night?”

“The important thing is, it’s still raining.”

“Perhaps time flows differently inside and outside the barrier.”

After waiting for quite some time without seeing the slightest movement, the onlookers who had been watching the spectacle began scratching their heads. They were growing bored. After battling through the entire night, they were cold and hungry, and even beginning to feel drowsy.

Then someone muttered, “I could really use a drink.”

The crowd fell silent.

After that, somehow, someone managed to procure several jars of liquor from a nearby inn, making the scene even stranger.

Since they had obtained liquor, they naturally took the opportunity to acquire some umbrellas and tents as well. Before long, large red tents were being erected across the rooftops.

Then, somehow, someone brought over a brazier.

It was a fine invention. After being drenched by rain all night, drying off beside a charcoal fire was perfectly reasonable.

And then, with charcoal and tents in place, heavy rain pouring outside, and the atmosphere already set, how could they not grill a few skewers?

Li Zhi stared thoughtfully at the mutton skewer in his hand. The rich fragrance of lamb, combined with cumin and chili, had greatly whetted his appetite.

Yet when he turned his head and saw the rooftops wreathed in smoke from dozens of fires, large and small, scattered around the palace, along with martial artists loudly shouting and drinking, he truly could not understand how the scene had turned into this.

“Don’t just sit there. Eat, eat!” Mr. Wen, brimming with enthusiasm, grabbed a grilled chicken wing and stuffed it into his mouth.

“Young Master Li must rarely see a scene like this.” Iron Eagle smiled as he expertly brushed butter over a skewer of roasted meat, then dipped his brush into chili and applied another layer. After repeating the process several times, the fragrance of the meat became even more intoxicating.

“Indeed, it is exceedingly rare.” Li Zhi gave an awkward smile.

He seldom ate barbecue in ordinary circumstances, let alone on roof tiles amid the ruins, with his sleeves and trouser legs rolled up as he sat there openly eating. It was entirely at odds with his usual image.

Iron Eagle explained, “When traveling the martial world, there are times when you have no opportunity to eat, so everyone becomes accustomed to finding a moment whenever they can. Nothing is more important than food. No matter the circumstances, filling your stomach comes first.”

“For that reason, most martial artists know a little about cooking. Grilling meat is practically second nature.”

Li Zhi nodded. Watching Iron Eagle’s practiced movements, he noticed that even the people from the Six Fan Gate were remarkably skilled at grilling. Clearly, this was something they did often.

Li Zhi had read many popular tales of the martial world and had always harbored vague fantasies about it. Yet, looking at these martial artists putting up tents and shouting across the rooftops, he felt that it was hardly any different from sitting at a roadside stall and eating skewers.

Forget it. There was no point thinking about it…

Li Zhi shook his head. He was genuinely afraid that if he kept watching, his fantasies about the martial world would be shattered.

Was the abnormal one him, or was it this martial world?

He then bit down hard on a skewer of lamb leg, and his eyes immediately lit up. The meat was wonderfully rich and tender. The instant he bit into it, lamb fat burst across his tongue, mingling with the distinctive fragrance of chili and cumin, along with the smoky flavor of charcoal. It was delicious.

With the rain falling from above and striking the red tents in a steady, resounding rhythm, the scene possessed an unexpected charm.

“Crack!”

From the direction of the distant palace came the sound of something shattering.

“Awoo!”

When the fox’s cry rang out, everyone looked up. They saw a colossal creature burst from the palace and soar toward the sky.

The great demon’s body was enormous. Its long, immaculate form possessed a beauty reminiscent of moonlight. Though they were reluctant to admit it, quite a few martial artists felt that the demon fox was actually rather handsome, even alluring and enchanting.

“I must have had too much to drink,” one martial artist muttered. He bent slightly at the waist, then sat down again.

The demon fox rapidly flew higher. Its four paws trod upon white clouds, and as its body shot from the palace, its tail—its tail actually continued endlessly, snaking out from within the palace like a serpent.

When the entire demon fox stood upon the dark clouds in the sky, nine tails, each longer than its body, swayed restlessly behind it. The dark clouds, thunder, and torrential rain filling the night sky seemed almost completely concealed by those tails.

“Wuuu!”

The demon fox raised its head and let out a long howl toward the heavens. Its voice was desolate and carried for a hundred miles.

Immediately afterward, an invisible aura began rapidly gathering from the surrounding area, descending upon the great demon and becoming entangled with it.

A faint golden halo appeared upon the snow-white tails behind it.

The demon fox’s profound and mysterious aura swiftly changed from simple oppression into something majestic, weighty, and murderous. At that moment, it resembled an emperor of the mortal world. Merely looking upon it gave everyone the urge to kneel, while an involuntary tremor rose within their hearts.

“Roar!”

Several golden dragons burst from the palace. They circled and converged in midair before finally transforming into Ji Junhong, who held a massive golden sword and whose eyes glittered with golden light.

He gripped the sword in one hand and faced the demon fox that blotted out the sky without the slightest trace of fear.

“Human Sovereign! You cannot kill me! I am now connected to the destiny of the Great Zhou and bound to the lands of the Great Zhou. I am the emperor of the Great Zhou!”

“Even with the Human Sovereign Sword in your hand, you cannot slay an emperor of the mortal world who commands ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers!” the demon fox snarled in a low voice.