Chapter 136: Wanmo Abyss

"Nothing is impossible," Xu Yang remarked, a radiant blue halo forming under his feet and enveloping both himself and Elusha behind him, as he teased the twelve elite demon lords before them.

"That dead rat was too arrogant, revealing its poison-element demonic source. Human cultivators understand the principle of elemental counteraction, where all things in heaven and earth have a corresponding weakness. I merely needed to focus power that counters its elemental attribute, and its defensive capabilities would be severely compromised. That's why it's no longer in this world... Showing off truly invites disaster!"

Elusha, behind him, couldn't help but let out a soft laugh at Xu Yang's mockery. The empress's smile was truly breathtaking, capable of toppling kingdoms. Even across the entire continent, it would be difficult to find many women who could rival her in beauty.

As the radiant blue light beneath their feet intensified to its peak, a sharp beam of light shot skyward. Xu Yang and Elusha then impossibly vanished before the very eyes of Gilda and his dozen or so companions.

"A spatial cultivation technique!" Gilda exclaimed, still seemingly dazed, not having fully grasped the situation. "What is the origin of this human cultivator, to possess such profound power..." The Shadow Assassin beside him said coldly, "Stop daydreaming! Catch them!"

"Are you a fool, Shadow?" Gilda retorted. "Don't forget, that man's companion is still in our hands. We'll torture him severely; I refuse to believe we can't extract the whereabouts of those women!"

"Hehehe, good point. Let's retreat for now..." Gilda's team then successively vanished from the Myriad Demon's Den.

Xu Yang was currently unaware that the hostage Gilda's team spoke of was Eagle Beak, now known as Abbot Huixin of Linghan Temple. Looking at Flowers Through Mist had cast an illusion on Xu Yang, catching him off guard due to his lack of prior vigilance, allowing Gilda's group to exploit an opening. During that same period, the Shadow Assassin, accompanied by Crocodile and Rat, infiltrated the back mountain. Under the pervasive toxic mist released by the dead rat, the three goddesses completely lost consciousness. Due to the Heavenly Cloud Divine Monk's Relic within him, Huixin was immune to the toxin's effects. However, with his limited strength, he was no match for the Shadow Assassin and the other powerful demon lords. In a desperate move, he unleashed Linghan Temple's supreme cultivation technique, transferring the three goddesses to an unknown location, while he himself inevitably became their prisoner.

Until the whereabouts of Foxin and Jianxin were extracted, Eagle Beak would naturally not be in mortal danger. However, for the sake of Xu Yang's team, he was certainly going to suffer some hardship. Eagle Beak was inherently a loyal person, and Xu Yang's team had previously helped rescue his master, so this time, he considered it repaying a favor.

At this moment, Xu Yang and the Demon Empress Elusha materialized out of thin air in a desolate, dense forest. This was a place that not only Xu Yang, but even Elusha herself, had never visited before.

"Why did you save me?" The Demon Empress Elusha asked the moment she landed, her demeanor still aloof and cold.

"Because you are my enemy, my opponent," Xu Yang replied. "If you are to die, it can only be by my hand. No one else is worthy."

The empress scoffed, "Although I don't fully understand the cultivation techniques of you human cultivators, I at least know you are what is called a Qi Refinement realm cultivator. While your demonstrated combat power is astonishing, I can still tell that you are not a high-ranking figure within the human world's hierarchy. Therefore, in front of this empress, it would be best not to assume such a high posture."

Xu Yang smiled, not restraining himself in the slightest. Instead, he directly pinned Elusha against a tree!

"You... what are you doing?" Elusha stammered. Xu Yang playfully winked at her, saying, "What am I doing? Guess what I want to do!"

Elusha seemed a little frightened, a hint of alarm in her eyes, but even more so, a look of bashfulness! "Go away!" Her unique, soft whine made Xu Yang's heart skip a beat.

It had to be said, with her beauty, very few people in the world could likely maintain a calm and tranquil heart. They were so close that they could even feel the rhythm of each other's breathing, and the atmosphere instantly became exceptionally strange...

Roar!! Just then, an incredibly ill-mannered Demon Tiger King let out a furious roar, leaping out from the depths of the dense forest and staring unfriendlily at Xu Yang and Elusha. "The Demon Empress... is actually involved with a human? Ha... truly a disgrace!" it sneered.

"Damn it, who are you talking about?" Xu Yang and Elusha said in unison, then couldn't help but stare blankly at each other, finding the moment truly comical and awkward.

"Hmph, quite synchronized, aren't you?" the tiger scoffed. "Is this what you humans call 'telepathy'? Or perhaps 'flying wing to wing'..." The fierce tiger's absurd misuse of idioms made Xu Yang's face twitch. "Please," Xu Yang retorted, "if you haven't learned to speak properly, don't come out and embarrass yourself. Since you're so interested in us humans, I'll send you to reincarnation right now. Make sure you're born as a human in your next life!"

Xu Yang soared into the air, radiating sharp power, sword qi raging from his fingertips, heading directly for the Demon Tiger King's head. The only way to avoid awkwardness was to fight! Roar!!

The tiger seemed to have no idea that Xu Yang was such a powerful individual. His deceptive 'Qi Refinement realm' appearance had no doubt misled countless opponents. This foolish tiger, without a doubt, naturally became another of Xu Yang's fallen foes. With a single sword strike, the Demon Tiger King's head was pierced, and a mass of purplish-black demonic source crystal appeared in his palm.

"Can you use this?" Xu Yang asked tentatively. Unexpectedly, Elusha wasted no time. With a sweep of her hand, she directly swallowed the Demon Tiger King's demonic source into her body.

The powerful demonic source was rapidly refined within the empress's body. Especially at her chest, a strange, purplish light flashed and vanished. Xu Yang could feel that this mass of energy—not just representing Elusha's life essence—also harbored unimaginable, ultimate power! In other words, it was precisely because of that purplish light's presence that Elusha was revered as empress by billions of demons.

A moment later, Elusha slowly opened her eyes. Her injuries were mostly healed; at the very least, her mobility and basic combat abilities were fully restored. "You're a clever one, kid," she said. "You knew to use this idiotic tiger's source to help me heal my injuries!"

Xu Yang chuckled, "You certainly know how to save face. I don't understand, how can you claim to protect your demon subjects on one hand, yet on the other, unhesitatingly devour this demon tiger's source? Is it truly acceptable to uphold your glory in such a hypocritical manner?"

The empress rolled her eyes at Xu Yang. "What do you know?" she retorted. "Although I am revered as the Demon Empress, not all demons across the entire continent obey my commands. My absolute rule is confined solely to the Myriad Demon Abyss, which is merely a major demon territory."

Xu Yang smiled with a hint of mockery. "So, after all that," he said, "your empress title is just that of a self-proclaimed local deity. Nothing particularly impressive."