Chapter 840: Demonic Aura

The demon was indeed powerful, possessing a formidable body. Its strange scales, in particular, shimmered with an unusual power that prevented the Star Snail from delivering a fatal blow.

Qin Sang, of course, wouldn't stop there. Pressing his advantage, he recalled the Star Snail, his figure flickering as he swiftly approached the fish demon's damaged body.

Meanwhile, the Two-Headed Hou cut off the fish demon's escape route.

At the last moment, the fish demon's eyes turned crimson, burning with hatred, before it self-destructed its demonic body using an unknown secret technique.

Its physical body detonated, flesh erupting into a blood mist that swept outwards in a crimson wave.

The wave not only contained immense power but also appeared to possess a corrosive force.

Qin Sang's expression subtly shifted. He abruptly halted, swiftly channeling the Ebony Sword to generate a sword curtain, attempting to block the incoming wave.

A moment later, he felt a tremendous force impact him. The sword curtain was torn apart by the wave, and Qin Sang was forced to retreat, seizing the opportunity to evade.

The Two-Headed Hou, being too close to the fish demon, couldn't evade in time. It roared in defiance, retreating while simultaneously unleashing its divine abilities. A surge of green energy enveloped its body, shielding it from the blood mist.

Fortunately, the fish demon was already severely wounded, significantly reducing the power of its self-destruction. The Two-Headed Hou reacted swiftly; as the blood mist surged forward, it was immediately blocked by the green energy.

Its fur became mottled and disheveled from the blood mist's corrosion, but thankfully, the Two-Headed Hou itself remained unharmed.

Yet, the blood mist proved extremely peculiar; a portion of it managed to infiltrate the green energy, turning it a mottled blue and red, and it continued to attempt to burrow into the Two-Headed Hou's body.

The Two-Headed Hou exerted itself to clear the blood mist, successfully preventing further corrosion, but found it incredibly difficult to eliminate it completely.

As Qin Sang and the Two-Headed Hou dodged, a blood-red arc suddenly shot out from the mist, piercing into the beast horde at an astonishing speed and fleeing rapidly.

"A demon core?"

Qin Sang's expression shifted. The fish demon hadn't died; it had merely detonated its physical form, allowing its demon core to escape.

By then, it was too late to prevent the fish demon's escape.

Qin Sang didn't pursue it. His priority was to escape quickly, as several powerful auras were rapidly approaching.

A fish demon without its physical body posed no significant threat. Qin Sang merely glanced at the blood-red arc, then disregarded it, flashing to the Two-Headed Hou's side to assess its condition.

While the blood mist posed no direct threat, it clung to the Two-Heheaded Hou like a persistent illness, proving difficult to completely clear.

Qin Sang was concerned that the blood mist might carry the fish demon's residual power, potentially allowing them to be tracked.

Being chased by the fish demon and a horde of other beasts would certainly be a major problem.

Considering this, Qin Sang had an idea and summoned the Nine Nether Demonic Flames.

As expected, the blood mist couldn't resist the demonic flames and was incinerated, emitting a foul stench.

"Kill! Kill them! I will eat their flesh and drink their blood!"

The fish demon, having narrowly escaped death, shrieked wildly amidst the beast horde, consumed by hatred for those who had caused it to lose its physical form.

Fueled by the fish demon's screams, the other beasts became frenzied and charged at Qin Sang.

With the blood mist finally cleared, Qin Sang and the Two-Headed Hou advanced side-by-side, cutting a bloody path through the beast horde with the Ebony Sword.

Since the greater demons had not yet arrived, the lesser beasts proved no match for Qin Sang and the Two-Headed Hou.

The powerful auras, startled by the near-slaying of the fish demon, hesitated, missing their best opportunity to intervene.

The fish demon, having lost its physical form and unable to protect itself, dared not pursue. It could only watch helplessly as Qin Sang advanced unstoppably, growing increasingly distant, its cries becoming more furious and desperate.

Qin Sang surged outwards. After gaining some distance, he flung a scroll upwards from his palm.

Flying petals formed an illusion, disorienting the surrounding lesser beasts, causing them to lose sight of their targets.

Within the chaos of the beast tide, such an illusion would not last long and would be easily dispelled.

Nevertheless, for Qin Sang, it was sufficient cover.

He recalled the Two-Headed Hou and activated the Heavenly Demon Transformation!

*Whoosh!*

A pair of phoenix wings unfurled behind him, and Qin Sang's aura transformed, his demonic energy abruptly intensifying.

This was a peculiar change Qin Sang had discovered since cultivating this technique.

Since he began cultivating the *Heavenly Demon Refinement* technique, even before he mastered the Heavenly Demon Transformation, these changes had been subtly unfolding.

Previously, to feign weakness and maintain a disguise, he had deliberately consumed a malevolent demon pill, which had already imbued him with a faint demonic aura.

Consequently, he hadn't initially noticed the changes within himself.

It wasn't until he broke through to the second layer of *Heavenly Demon Refinement* that he realized his demonic energy seemed noticeably denser than before.

And when he learned the Heavenly Demon Transformation and performed this divine ability, he was astonished to discover that his demonic energy was nearly comparable to that of a demon beast in the Demon Spirit stage.

This peculiar transformation genuinely unnerved Qin Sang for a time, as he worried that cultivating this technique might turn him into a demon beast.

It was only after a long period, when Qin Sang confirmed there were no other changes to his body apart from the demonic energy, that he finally relaxed. He suspected the phoenix wings on his back might be the cause.

With a body brimming with demonic energy and beautiful phoenix wings on his back, strikingly similar to those of a Qingluan, Qin Sang felt he could even pass for a transformed great demon.

After finding himself caught in the beast tide, Qin Sang had an idea: could he activate the Heavenly Demon Transformation to deceive the other demons and escape?

Since he had only cultivated to the second layer of *Heavenly Demon Refinement*, his Heavenly Demon Transformation still had many flaws, making it impossible to deceive the eyes of true great demons.

However, it should be somewhat effective in deceiving lesser demons with lower intelligence.

Having been entangled with the fish demon for so long, the path previously opened by the golden light had already closed, leaving Qin Sang to find his own way to break through.

As expected, the illusion was immediately scattered by the charging beast tide.

The next moment, Qin Sang and the Two-Headed Hou vanished into thin air.

Wrapping himself in his phoenix wings, he merged into the beast tide. Upon quietly reappearing, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the surrounding beasts' hostility towards him had significantly diminished.

The demonic energy produced by the Heavenly Demon Transformation genuinely managed to deceive the beasts' perceptions!

The beasts perceived him as one of their own, reducing resistance. Consequently, Qin Sang's movements as he broke through were far quieter and utterly inconspicuous amidst the chaotic beast tide.

When the fish demon finally led its subordinates to catch up, they were astonished and enraged to discover that Qin Sang's trail had vanished.

Even the great demon with the keenest sense of smell, sniffing frantically, could not locate him; it was as if he had vanished into thin air.

The fish demon was enraged, yet for a moment, it couldn't devise a plan. It was forced to abandon its ambition of monopolizing the treasure and urgently contacted the leopard demon.

After shaking off the pursuit, Qin Sang felt a wave of relief. He skillfully wove through the beast horde, finally reaching the outer perimeter of the beast tide, where he saw the distant night sky and stars.

Unbeknownst to him, the Heavenly Demon Transformation had altered his aura, allowing him, by a fortunate coincidence, to avert a major disaster.

While Qin Sang made his escape, the Merchant Alliance members found themselves embroiled in a bitter struggle.

They were besieged by a large group of powerful great demons, including formidable ones like the Crane Demon, who had awakened their intellect.

These great demons were not only powerful but also advanced and retreated with discipline, making them incredibly difficult to counter. Even numerous masters couldn't withstand such ferocious assaults, and they quickly became embroiled in a desperate battle.

Madam Liu and Jin Ying deeply regretted not choosing to leave with Qin Sang.

They were still unaware that they had been implicated by Qin Sang.