Chapter 121: Mountain Demon

"Looking for death? With your ability?" Meng Chuan abruptly transformed into a bolt of lightning, instantly streaking towards the mountain demon.

The human god-demon's sudden transformation into lightning and instant attack startled the mountain demon. It had fought human god-demons many times, but had never encountered such speed, even among Great Sun Realm god-demons.

It didn't even have time to react.

The single bolt of lightning suddenly unleashed dozens of smaller lightning strikes.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Terrifying lightning bolts struck the colossal mountain demon's body directly, causing shattered rocks to fly in all directions!

"Hmm?" Meng Chuan frowned. While the lightning he unleashed shattered some of the demon's rocky surface, it was negligible to the mountain demon's massive body—like merely singeing a few hairs.

"Its body didn't even twitch," Meng Chuan mused. "Clearly, this lightning can't cause it any paralysis." Lightning was remarkably effective against flesh-and-blood bodies; even if it didn't kill, it could induce paralysis and trembling, which could sway close-quarters combat. However, the mountain demon was clearly immune to this level of electrical attack.

The moment Meng Chuan landed, a surge of black, chilling energy spread outwards, causing everything around him to freeze. The ground, soil, and rocks were covered in a layer of ice, and the distant mountain demon was likewise encased, becoming a colossal ice mountain.

"Is that all you've got, human god-demon?" The mountain demon, encased in ice, still strode forward, completely unbothered by the frigid shell covering its body.

Suddenly, without warning, the ice-covered soil and rocks around them lifted into the air, furiously converging on Meng Chuan.

They formed a cage of mud and rock, attempting to trap Meng Chuan inside.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.*

Multiple blurry figures appeared everywhere. Though the soil and rocks repeatedly formed a cage, their speed was far too slow to contend with Meng Chuan.

"The chilling energy has no effect on it either," Meng Chuan frowned.

The mountain demon, annoyed that its mud and rock cage couldn't trap Meng Chuan, suddenly stomped its foot with phantom-like speed, aiming to crush Meng Chuan.

Meng Chuan felt the sky above him darken as the mountain demon's colossal foot descended.

A flash of lightning.

The mountain demon's foot landed on empty air, causing the ground to tremble.

*Whoosh.* Meng Chuan instantly darted into the air.

Electric light flickered.

In an instant, eight Meng Chuans appeared in quick succession. Each Meng Chuan executed the same move: a long saber thrust forward, creating an unusual arc and emitting a piercing shriek, like a dragon's roar.

Among the common techniques of the saber—such as cleaving, cutting, raising, and thrusting—the 'thrust' boasted the greatest penetrating power, as all the saber's might was concentrated at a single point. Meng Chuan employed the 'Dragon Roar Style' from the "Heart Saber Technique," a move renowned for its terrifying penetrative destructive force, and one of his most important mastered techniques.

The mountain demon was too large to evade; it could only endure the attacks with its body.

Each saber strike carved a deep cavity into the mountain demon's surface, about ten to thirteen meters deep and three meters wide. However, the demon's surface rocks shifted, and all eight cavities were quickly sealed.

"Die," the mountain demon roared, swinging its massive palm to swat at Meng Chuan, who had no leverage in mid-air.

In mid-air, Meng Chuan was a mere flash of electricity.

He traced an arc, nimbly moving around the mountain demon's body to its back.

This was the 'Flying Swallow Style,' the sole movement technique in the "Heart Intention Saber," which imbued his already incredibly swift movements with agile variations.

"Tiger Roar Style!" Meng Chuan unleashed his saber the moment he reached the mountain demon's back.

The saber gleamed with a roaring fury. Each strike against the mountain demon's body caused its colossal frame to tremble. In the blink of an eye, he delivered fifteen consecutive strikes.

With every strike, countless shattered rocks exploded from its form.

The 'Tiger Roar Style' was the most powerful pure force technique among all the saber arts Meng Chuan had mastered. Curiously, nine of the eighteen forms in the "Heart Intention Saber" were named after animals, including the 'Flying Swallow Style,' 'Dragon Roar Style,' and 'Tiger Roar Style.'

A massive, deep crater, fifteen to twenty meters in diameter, was carved into the mountain demon's back. The fifteen consecutive strikes on the same spot had created a cavity over twenty-six meters deep, revealing the dark red rocks within the demon's body, which were now fractured.

"That's its true form," Meng Chuan realized. The mountain demon covered itself with external rocks, constantly cultivating them to be incredibly hard. However, its true form was even more powerful, though considerably smaller in comparison.

"You actually hurt me!" the mountain demon roared in fury. Countless rocks shifted, and the colossal crater on its back quickly filled. In its rage, it continuously conjured new rocky arms, forming a total of eight, which it furiously slammed towards Meng Chuan.

Meng Chuan, transforming into lightning, became incredibly agile.

He even used one of the demon's arms for leverage, flashing three hundred meters away, then instantly closing the distance to strike again.

"Heart Saber Form!"

This was the move he had practiced for the longest time.

Each saber strike impacted the demon's surface rocks, causing them to tremble but showing no visible damage. An invisible vibrating force was transmitted to the mountain demon's inner core, then exploded – the destructive force of Yin-Yang Annihilation. However, due to the mountain demon's immense size, this force was reduced to only 30% by the time it reached its core. After seven consecutive strikes, the mountain demon showed no obvious injuries.

"Arghhhhh!" The mountain demon roared in frustration. Its eight flailing arms couldn't even touch Meng Chuan; the human god-demon was far too agile. The demon was utterly enraged.

With a final roar...

Its body exploded with a thunderous boom.

Instantly, countless shattered rocks shot outwards in every direction at terrifying speeds, each exceeding the speed of sound. This was a truly destructive move. If unleashed in a human city, it would reduce everything within a ten-mile radius to ruins. Had it appeared in Dongning Prefecture back then, it would have been an utter catastrophe.

As the shattered rocks blasted outwards, a dark red mountain demon, just over thirty-three meters tall, charged towards Meng Chuan. It galloped forward, far swifter and more agile than before.

"Don't even think of escaping!" the mountain demon roared, now completely enraged.

However, all it could see was an explosion of rocks flying wildly, while a single bolt of lightning weaved effortlessly through the gaps in their trajectories. Not a single rock touched that lightning! These rocks were flying in every direction with different paths, all exceeding the speed of sound. With countless rocks constantly changing their relative distances at such velocities, even a god-demon's mind would struggle to react, making it almost impossible to avoid them all.

Yet, the human god-demon, transformed into lightning, stubbornly navigated and escaped the barrage, moving at an incredibly fast pace that quickly left the rocks behind. While the rocks were faster than sound, Meng Chuan's speed was even more formidable.

"Gone?"

The thirty-three-meter-tall, dark red mountain demon stood rooted to the spot, stunned. The human god-demon was no longer in this world.

"Arghhhhhh!" It could only unleash a roar of frustrated indignation. Countless shattered rocks flew back from all directions to reform its body, though the previous explosion had fragmented them even more thoroughly. The colossal mountain demon, now reformed to dozens of meters tall, was covered in countless dense cracks, composed entirely of fragmented stones. It would need time to slowly recover. It was a pity that even after such a furious outburst, revealing its true form to pursue, it still failed to catch the human god-demon.

A flash of lightning streaked out of the Nine Profound Cave, emerging outside.

"That mountain demon's rampage was truly terrifying," Meng Chuan mused with a touch of lingering fear. "Those rocks were astonishingly fast. If I had been hit, I would have been struck repeatedly by more rocks, and likely severely wounded."

With his primordial spirit, his reactions were indeed astonishingly swift.

It was only by relying on the 'Flying Swallow Style' and frantically moving away from the mountain demon that he managed to escape the ferocious bombardment.

"I've tested it. I can only barely injure it right now," Meng Chuan mused. "And with just one misstep, the mountain demon could kill me."

Of course, he wouldn't truly die; Yuanchu Mountain would intervene to save Meng Chuan just before his demise.

However, Meng Chuan believed that as a practitioner of the perfected Thunder Extinction Demonic Body, even if he couldn't defeat his opponent, he must at least ensure his escape. If he couldn't even manage that, it would be a true disgrace.

"The mountain demon hasn't fully unleashed its power yet; I didn't even dare to engage its true form," Meng Chuan thought. "Its true form would be even stronger, and it hasn't even used its forbidden techniques." He understood the vast disparity between them; he had only been able to toy with the demon due to his speed. In reality, if the demon simply stood still, he couldn't harm it. "It seems I'll have to become a Great Sun Realm god-demon. Only then will I have a chance to kill it."

For a practitioner of the Thunder Extinction Demonic Body to become a Great Sun Realm god-demon, they must achieve 'Great Accomplishment in the Soul Realm.'

For high-grade demonic bodies, reaching the Soul Realm is sufficient to become a Great Sun Realm god-demon. For mid- and low-grade demonic bodies, the peak of the Intention Realm is enough.

To wield power far surpassing one's peers, one must naturally endure greater hardships and overcome more challenging thresholds.

"I've just comprehended the Saber Soul. To reach Great Accomplishment in it? Normal cultivation would likely take ten to eight years. I need to receive the "Heart Intention Saber" legacy now." Meng Chuan immediately transformed into a bolt of lightning, flashing into the distance. After several more flashes and a final leap, he arrived at another mountain peak.

A short while later.

Meng Chuan arrived at the Cave Heaven Pavilion.

"Lord Meng Chuan, please come in," the old steward of the Cave Heaven Pavilion said, leading the way enthusiastically. He had already received instructions from the Venerable to greet Meng Chuan.

Inside the garden pavilion.

The Venerable, with long hair draped over his shoulders, was writing on a fan.

"Master," Meng Chuan greeted respectfully.

"I insisted you comprehend the Saber Soul before accepting this legacy. You don't resent me for it, do you?" the Venerable asked.

"This disciple understands the principle," Meng Chuan replied. "What suits one best is indeed the best. Cultivating the Saber Soul through my own exploration was the most suitable path for me. By using my own Saber Soul as a foundation and then drawing inspiration from the Black Iron Heavenly Book's legacy, my future cultivation won't be entirely influenced by the absolute techniques. Only then can I break through the Black Iron Heavenly Book's limitations, forge my own path, and become a truly powerful god-demon."

The Venerable smiled and glanced at him. "That sounds very profound. It seems you've also been to the Scripture Cavern."

Meng Chuan bowed his head. "Nothing escapes Master's knowledge."

The Venerable waved his hand, and the void twisted. Two plain black iron plates, devoid of any writing or images, appeared on the corner of the stone table.

The Black Iron Heavenly Books were forged from meteorite iron, enabling them to withstand the primordial spirit infusions of legacies from terrifyingly powerful individuals throughout human history, thus allowing them to be passed down through generations. Also known as "Wordless Heavenly Books," they naturally bore no visible text or images on their surface, yet contained the true legacy within. Ordinarily, only Great Sun Realm god-demons who had condensed their primordial spirits could accept such a legacy. However, Meng Chuan's current demonic body was stronger than that of an average Great Sun Realm god-demon, so his primordial spirit could naturally endure it.

"Two Black Iron Heavenly Books?" Meng Chuan's heart skipped a beat.

"One is the "Heart Intention Saber," and the other is the "Heaven and Earth Wandering Dragon Saber." Of the three most powerful fast saber ultimate arts, Yuanchu Mountain only possesses two legacies," the Venerable explained. "You should learn both! Focus on the "Heart Intention Saber," but you can also examine the "Heaven and Earth Wandering Dragon Saber." Since you've comprehended the Saber Soul, you won't stray from the right path."

"Understood."

Meng Chuan respectfully reached out and took the upper Black Iron Heavenly Book first.