Chapter 148: Glorious Return

"Impressive! I never thought the two of you could form such a brilliant combination!"

Gilda's voice suddenly rang out. At the same moment, a chilling, spectral glow appeared at the peak of Purgatory Peak, just enough to reveal his massive silhouette.

Xu Yang and Erza exchanged a look and simultaneously leaped into the air, moving towards the very summit of Purgatory Peak.

There was no doubt that by defeating the greatsword wielder, Xu Yang and Erza had essentially completed the trial.

They landed steadily and only then saw that at the vast peak of Purgatory Peak, Gilda's twelve subordinates were all present. Hui Xin, meanwhile, sat cross-legged amidst them, eyes closed in meditation, silently chanting Buddhist scriptures. Bathed in a golden aura, he appeared unharmed.

"You should be glad you didn't harm my friend, otherwise, I would repay it a hundredfold!"

Xu Yang remained calm and composed, while Erza, standing beside him, had a more complex expression.

"I believe you have that power, and besides, harming him would be meaningless to us. Hand over the Demonic Heart, and I'll let you see those people you wish to meet!" Gilda looked at Xu Yang with a half-smile. "I know that something subtle has developed between you and Empress Erza. Your bond has become incredibly strong; even life and death cannot sever it. But I insist on making you choose: save your old acquaintances, or protect the lives of those beside you! You can only pick one!"

Gilda looked as if he had his opponent cornered; however, Xu Yang quickly doused him with cold water.

"Trying to play mind games with me? I'm certain you have no idea where my companions are. Hui Xin remained silent, and you couldn't get anything out of him. In fact, you can't control any of us!"

Xu Yang's strong counter-attack left the self-proclaimed clever Gilda quite embarrassed.

"Heh heh heh! Boss, this kid saw right through your plan, that's pretty awkward!"

"You wench, shut your mouth. The boss is furious right now!"

The twelve subordinates began chattering noisily, truly fanning the flames.

"Hmph, I may not have any leverage over you, but I can control your lives and deaths!" Gilda roared, and a terrifying barrier, reaching from earth to sky, ignited around Purgatory Peak. A ghastly green light almost completely enveloped the entire mountain. The thunder in the sky grew louder...

"Soul Lock Underworld Array! This is the array Master strictly forbade practicing back then! You actually..."

Gilda said coldly, "Don't mention my father. He's the person I hate most in my life! If he hadn't given the Demonic Heart to you back then, I would have united all the demon tribes on the continent by now!"

Xu Yang looked at Gilda intently. "Unite? With your style of only knowing slaughter? That's butchery, not conquest! If you had gone through everything Erza did, you would understand why your father passed the Demonic Heart to her then! Only she is capable of leading the entire demon tribe to its peak."

"Shut your mouth!!" Gilda was seething with rage; the Demonic Heart was his greatest pain point! Seeing him suddenly leap high, he brought his great axe crashing down towards Xu Yang's head.

"Hmph, did I hit a nerve?" Xu Yang chuckled and unleashed a palm strike. A powerful surge of energy burst forth, forcing everyone around them back several meters in shock.

"Wow, this human kid is really something. He dared to directly take the boss's full-fury attack. He truly is the man who conquered the Demon Empress!"

Everything Erica said sounded like praise for Xu Yang, but the twelve subordinates weren't idle. They turned their attention to Erza.

"Empress, your man is already fighting our boss, so why don't we keep you company?"

Erza's cold and arrogant demeanor made her incredibly imposing. Even as a woman facing the twelve subordinates alone, she still maintained the unique aura of a true leader.

"If you wish to become souls slain by my sword, feel free to try!"

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The twelve top demon experts moved simultaneously, and Purgatory Peak became thoroughly lively.

Boom! Boom! Boom!!

Loud explosions continuously erupted. On the main battlefield, Xu Yang and Gilda were locked in an intense battle. Erza, meanwhile, was barely holding her own. After all, fighting twelve opponents alone, not being defeated was already impressive.

"The taste of the Demonic Heart, I'm starting to get impatient for it..."

Finally, among the twelve demons, the masked Shadow Stream Master was the first to unleash a truly powerful arcane technique on Erza. In an instant, a dark, shadowy seal appeared on Erza's body. At the same moment, Erica and Julia, the two female assassins, attacked simultaneously, coordinating with the Shadow Stream Master to launch a suffocating assassin's ambush.

The suppression effect of the mark was amplified many times over in an instant. Erza felt an invisible dark force completely enveloping her bloodline, making it difficult for her to unleash her peak combat power. The situation suddenly turned dangerous.

"Hmph, this time, I'll let you experience the pain of being devoured by a poisonous flower!"

As these individuals began to unleash their true signature techniques, the twelve powerful demons displayed their unique abilities. Large swaths of their strongest skills and divine powers crashed down on Erza.

"Watch out!"

Xu Yang was forced to split off a portion of his spiritual energy to conjure a sword, providing Erza with powerful defensive energy in the form of a brilliant sword-light barrier.

Even so, the suppressive force from her opponents was too strong...

Boom! Boom! Boom!!

Erza forcefully drew her sword. The formidable demonic power of Frost Mark's Fury erupted on the spot, forcing back the encirclement of the twelve powerful demons.

However, at the same time, Erza herself fell into a state of fatigue, unable to recover to her peak combat power instantly.

"Hmph, why don't you unleash the power of the Demonic Heart? Let us witness that supreme demonic legacy!!"

The twelve powerful demons continuously tempted Erza, but the Empress refused to fall for their tricks.

"Don't think I can't see through your intentions. You want to seize the Demonic Heart, but you won't get the chance!"

The Shadow Stream Master said indifferently, "Then we'll just take your life first."

"Attack!!"

The twelve powerful demons combined their strength again, preparing to heavily wound Erza while Xu Yang was preoccupied.

However, just then, Hui Xin, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly opened his eyes. A brilliant golden aura flared around him. Immediately after, those familiar enchanting figures reappeared!

Bai Lianxue, Ling Yao, and Ling Qingshu – the three goddesses – stepped through the air!

"We finally found this place. Monk, thank you!"

"Amitābha..."

Hui Xin chuckled and chanted a Buddhist prayer. As he slowly rose, he stood alongside Erza and the three goddesses, together facing the twelve powerful demons.

"Well, well, well, you bald monk were just faking it! It turns out you weren't restricted by the demonic seal at all!"

Jessica, as the spellcaster who had personally sealed Hui Xin earlier, was undoubtedly the most furious at this moment. Hui Xin's composure made her feel utterly incompetent.