Chapter 1386

Soon, monstrous creatures—human-like, dog-like, and lizard-like—emerged from all directions, baring their teeth as they closed in on the group.

It was as if these creatures had appeared out of nowhere; moments before, the surroundings had been empty, but now, the sheer number of them was enough to make one's skin crawl.

Yun Jianyue gulped. "You brat, if these monsters eat us, I'll haunt you even from the grave!"

Yan Xuehen's face also paled, and she instinctively leaned closer to Zu An, as if his presence offered a modicum of comfort.

Yu Yanluo, on the other hand, was the calmest. She was the only one minimally affected by the malevolent energy, and she quietly resolved that she must protect the others later.

At that moment, the black monsters spotted them and lunged forward with roars.

Zu An summoned his Twin Yin-Yang Swords and sliced the charging black monsters into three pieces. He avoided using the Tai'e Sword primarily because it had been damaged by the Sun-Shooting Bow, and he feared further damage if he brought it out. Additionally, he was concerned the Demon Emperor would take an interest in it, as it was capable of contending with divine artifacts. It would be problematic if the Demon Emperor seized it, especially since Mi Li resided within.

As expected, the Demon Emperor was drawn to the weapons in Zu An's hands. "The Yin-Yang Twin Swords of the Sea Race?" he mused.

"It seems this boy has a close connection with the Sea Race."

However, as the formidable Demon Emperor, a mere pair of Heavenly-tier weapons were beneath his notice. He paid more attention to the weapons wielded by the other women.

Sect Master Yun's New Moon Wheel was indeed overbearing and domineering, its movements elusive and unpredictable, making it impossible to guard against.

Palace Master Yan's Flying Snow Sword possessed an icy cold quality that perfectly matched her Snowflake Divine Sword.

Queen Medusa's Thousand-Mile Mountains and Seas Map was said to have been forged by the Libationer of the Human Race's Imperial Academy. Although its power was inferior to the weapons of the other two women, its mystical qualities were far superior. Legend had it that the Libationer was unfathomable, with cultivation levels approaching Zhao Hao's. He used to scoff at such claims, but now it seemed quite possible.

If the human race possessed two Earth Immortals, it would certainly not bode well for my demon race.

However, he no longer had time to ponder this, as there were too many black monsters. Many had noticed the three of them standing there and were now charging towards them.

"You're asking for death!" the Demon Emperor sneered. Without any discernible movement, a golden flame erupted, instantly incinerating the approaching black monsters to ashes.

Yet, as if they knew no fear, many more black monsters quickly appeared, charging towards him one after another, their expressions becoming even more grotesque.

Perhaps sensing his immense power, many black monsters that were originally attacking Zu An and his group were also drawn to the Demon Emperor's side.

Zu An seized the opportunity, grabbing the women's hands. "Quick, let's go!"

He pulled them desperately up the mountain. Although there were fewer black monsters directly ahead, they continued to appear ceaselessly.

So he took out the Nine Cauldrons and unleashed the White Lotus True Flame from within.

The White Lotus True Flame was spoils of war he had obtained from Banka earlier; he hadn't expected it to be useful so soon.

Inside the Nine Cauldrons, it originally appeared as a delicate, charming, unopened lotus bud. But once unleashed, it instantly transformed into a monstrous calamity. Innumerable white lotuses arose and bloomed, incinerating the surrounding black monsters.

"This boy actually possesses such a valuable item," thought the Demon Emperor, who was somewhat surprised by the scene from afar. He then recalled the unsolved case that had erupted in the capital a while ago, when the Blacktooth Clan was searching everywhere for the culprit. It turned out this boy was the instigator.

"Fortunately, I placed a puppet curse on him. Ultimately, all these treasures will fall into my hands."

Although many black monsters attacked from all sides, they had no effect on him whatsoever, and he dealt with them with ease. His only concern was the strange malevolent energy ahead. As someone with not many days left to live, he didn't want to lose even a sliver of life force.

While the Demon Emperor's attention was drawn to the dazzling White Lotus True Flame, Zu An noticed something strange about the Nine Cauldrons after they were summoned.

The entire cauldron body was trembling abnormally. He seemed to perceive an ancient and profound Dao charm, but it was too subtle for him to comprehend at the moment.

The Nine Cauldrons subsequently trembled more and more violently. He even worried that the White Lotus True Flame's power was too immense, and that the Nine Cauldrons might not be able to withstand it.

At this moment, the Demon Emperor seemed to sense something and turned his head to look in a certain direction within the vast mountain range.

Deep within the mountains, an unknown distance from their location, an ancient coffin slightly trembled, and in the void, a pair of eyes seemed to slowly open.

"Father, what's wrong?" Crown Prince Jinwu asked. Seeing his father distracted and black monsters surging forward like a tide, he had to team up with Wu Liang to defend against them. Even a slight attack from the monsters would cause black energy to swirl around their wounds. Fortunately, he had the Golden Crow Sacred Flame protecting him, and they hadn't advanced further, which prevented the malevolent energy from entering their bodies.

Wu Liang, that plump fellow, had also somehow managed to defend against the black monsters' corrosive attacks, though the Crown Prince didn't know what methods he used.

"Nothing," the Demon Emperor replied, withdrawing his gaze. He still felt a lingering sense of trepidation.

What was that feeling just now? Why was there such a powerful presence that even he felt profoundly threatened, a sense of crisis even stronger than when he faced Zhao Hao?

How was this possible!

The aura lasted for barely a moment before dissipating, leading even the Demon Emperor to wonder if it was an illusion. After all, he was already nearing the Five Decays of Heavenly Beings, and any hallucinations would be normal.

He shook his head, thinking that this unknown land was truly too bizarre, and he needed to be extremely cautious.

Just as he was contemplating capturing Zu An and the others again, a deafening roar suddenly echoed from the mountaintop, followed by a massive figure leaping down. It appeared almost instantly before Zu An and his group. He wondered if it was because the Demon Emperor and he had just slaughtered too many of the black monsters here, thus provoking their master.

The monster's body was dozens of yards long, its face somewhat human-like yet also ape-like, with a mouth full of grotesque teeth and two protruding tusks from its lower jaw, like a wild boar.

Yet, its body was like a tiger's, with yellow and black stripes, and long hair hung from its face and body. A particularly dense black aura surrounded its entire form.

"What dense malevolent energy!" Yun Jianyue exclaimed, startled. Her own murderous aura was already quite dense, but compared to this monster's malevolent energy, it paled in comparison.

Yu Yanluo gasped, "Are you… are you feeling anything unusual?"

As the monster approached, even Yu Yanluo felt a wave of weakness, as if her life force was draining away. Black scales, like those from before, also began to appear on her hands.

Yan Xuehen gasped, discovering that the black scales were spreading many times faster than before, with some already appearing on her neck.

Seeing Zu An look over at the sound, she instinctively raised her sleeve to cover her neck. "Don't look!"

Zu An didn't have time to worry about that now, for he felt an extremely powerful oppressive presence from the giant beast before him. "This aura… it seems to be at the Earth Immortal realm too!"

"Judging by its appearance, it greatly resembles Taowu, one of the Four Perils recorded in ancient texts," Mi Li's voice came through, sounding particularly grave.

"Does it have any weaknesses?" Zu An hurriedly asked, his strong will never allowing him to give up.

However, Mi Li immediately poured cold water on his hopes. "The power gap between you two is already immense, not to mention you're currently being corroded by malevolent energy and only have a fraction of your lives left…"

After a pause, she added, "There's no hope. Just wait for death."

Zu An was speechless.

He had expected some profound insight from her pause, but he never thought he'd get this result.

At this moment, he quickly shouted back, "Demon Emperor, you still need us to scout ahead for you. You wouldn't want us to die here so soon, would you?"

The Demon Emperor completely ignored his 'come save me, come save me' expression and calmly said, "Indeed, now is the perfect time for you to test its limits."

The sudden appearance of this giant beast was too powerful, making the Demon Emperor feel somewhat threatened as well. So he intended to use Zu An and the others to engage it first, to observe what special abilities it possessed, allowing him to avoid many dangers when he eventually joined the fight.