Chapter 438: The Struggle Between Good and Evil

Beams of radiant light extended in all directions, suppressing demonic energy, monstrous aura, and, most critically, the toxic miasma. Even amidst the ongoing battle and spell-casting, the cultivators of Xianxia Island meticulously maintained their grand formation.

"The scale of this toxic miasma from the earth's veins is overwhelming. Even if it originated from a fractured earth vein releasing its baleful energy, the atmosphere remains chaotic. Fortunately, the branch cultivators have suppressed it with formations, and by now, the earth veins should be stabilized."

The leading elder of Xianxia Island, while casting spells and sweeping away demons from several passing mountain peaks, muttered to himself, gazing at the various cracks in the ground some dozen miles away. The largest fissure had already been sealed by the cultivators of the branch sect using a formation, though other areas still occasionally exuded toxic miasma.

For demons who shun righteous cultivation, lacking the tranquil mindset for deep practice and insight into the Heavenly Dao, this type of heaven-and-earth baleful energy serves as one of the finest elixirs and external aids. It not only facilitates their breakthroughs but also assists them in mastering various demonic arts and divine powers.

It can even, to some extent, postpone their destined tribulations. However, such a delay is likely to snowball; if their cultivation is insufficient when the time comes, minor tribulations will escalate into major ones, and major ones into fatal ones.

"Hmph, let's eradicate these scourges first!"

The number of demons indeed far exceeded expectations. Yet, this conflict was not merely between good and evil; it was also a matter of Xianxia Island's prestige. Thus, even at the cost of casualties, these demons had to be eliminated.

The old man, astride a colorful cloud, had already flown over a hundred miles from the center of the Xianxia Island cultivators. The other five elders did likewise, forming a standard hexagonal pattern with a diagonal span of over two hundred miles.

Leveraging their profound cultivation and unique protective arts, they eliminated any demons they could along the way, avoiding prolonged entanglement with those they couldn't. With swift evasion techniques, they rapidly reached their designated positions.

As if by telepathy, the six Xianxia Island elders simultaneously pointed skyward. The colorful clouds beneath their feet drifted away, soaring higher into the heavens, then bursting into brilliant light.

The new grand formation was activated. Beams of colorful light encircled the surrounding area, and a sensation of intense heat gradually emanated from within.

Many demons, whether still concealed or fiercely battling the cultivators, grew agitated, wantonly unleashing their demonic arts and divine powers.

A demon lord unfurled wings composed of demonic energy, soaring through the sky with a horde of demons, engaging in battle with four or five Xianxia Island cultivators. It even clutched a pulsating heart in its hand, leaving it unknown which cultivator had succumbed.

As his agitation intensified, he finally noticed that the distant light had already risen like pillars of fire, extending in six directions.

"This is bad! Everyone, we must break out quickly! The old fogeys of Xianxia Island have set up a double formation. This place is no longer safe; once the radiant flames ignite, no one will escape!"

"Roar… Demons are demons, furtive and timid. As long as we slaughter these so-called immortals, what use is a formation without anyone to control it! Aow roar…"

A colossal azure wolf howled at the sky. The dark clouds, which had been rumbling with thunder and lightning, parted to reveal an illusory, bright moon.

This moon was not real, for it was still daytime outside this mountain range, yet the power of the moonlight was genuinely drawn down. For a time, its light swept across vast sections of the valley, significantly easing the agitation and burning sensation in the minds of the hordes of demons and monsters.

Immediately, the giant wolf let out a "Roar...", its wolf head transforming into an illusory form. In an instant, it leaped dozens of miles, appearing as a wolf-shaped spectral mist, weaving between the cultivators and demons. The next moment, without distinguishing between immortals and demons, it directly devoured the living beings within an entire area.

However, it was clear that just before the wolf-head spectral mist solidified, several streaks of colorful light had managed to escape from within.

While many demons had initially remained in a wait-and-see state, the activation of the second formation by Xianxia Island's six elders, clearly designed to lock and seal the area, trapping all demons within, immediately caused them to panic.

Instantly, within the entire area encompassed by the radiant light, black clouds and demonic energy surged upwards in vast quantities. Demonic aura soared to the heavens, and demonic flames raged furiously.

Even some powerful demons and demon lords, possessing profound cultivation, unleashed divine powers, attempting to reverse the thunderclouds in the sky. While they couldn't entirely usurp control over the lightning, they tore open numerous gaps, allowing portions of the lightning to be harnessed by the demons.

"Crack... Boom..." "Crack... Crack... Crack..." "Boom..." "Boom..." "Boom..."

At that moment, at least dozens of lightning bolts struck the mountain peak where Ji Yuan stood. Clearly, many demons shared the perception of the handsome young man from before, believing Ji Yuan to be the absolute central figure of Xianxia Island's expedition.

Ji Yuan, with his left hand still holding his sword behind his back, waved his right sleeve from side to side towards the sky, effortlessly drawing streams of lightning into it. They were then absorbed into the yet-to-recover Thunder Talisman of Edict, without a single spark of lightning escaping.

Although he still couldn't fully utilize the Thunder Talisman due to the previous heavenly tribulation, absorbing the lightning controlled by these demonic arts posed no issue.

At that moment, Ji Yuan stood on the mountain peak, surveying his surroundings. Although radiant light still filled the sky around him, the number of demons clearly far surpassed that of the Xianxia Island cultivators. Moreover, with the aid of the earth vein's toxic miasma, the demons' arrogance was steadily rising.

Especially after several powerful demons and demon lords, who had previously lain dormant, made their move, managing to contend with numerous cultivators, the initial apprehension that the hordes of demons and monsters had felt towards the Xianxia Island cultivators seemed to have significantly waned.

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, Ji Yuan's left arm remained still as his right arm reached back to grasp the hilt of the Green Vine Sword. The next moment, he drew the sword.

"Zheng..."

A clear sword cry resonated across the land, and in an instant, a dazzling sword light flashed.

"Awoo... Ugh..."

The giant wolf that had been roaring atop the mountain instantly fell silent. Engaged in a fierce struggle with three Xianxia Island cultivators, it was unexpectedly decapitated by the immortal sword.

A line of blood appeared on the giant wolf's neck, followed by its massive head slowly sliding off and plummeting into the abyss below. Immediately afterward, the colossal wolf corpse also toppled, falling and creating a thunderous crash as it impacted the mountainside.

Ji Yuan knew he could not act recklessly, not only because his magical power was ultimately finite, but also because he understood that many demons likely regarded him as Xianxia Island's central figure, secretly fearing him.

Yet, this did not mean he couldn't act. On the contrary, he not only had to strike, but each strike needed to be with the force of thunder, otherwise, it wouldn't be enough to deter the multitude of evildoers. He had consistently been searching for "key targets" on the battlefield, and whenever he spotted a formidable demon that happened to be entangled by Xianxia Island cultivators...

...then in the next moment, Ji Yuan, having channeled all his magical power into the immortal sword, would draw and strike. At this frequency of charged attacks, the immortal sword's keen edge was simply unrivaled.

Ji Yuan struck repeatedly, each time with devastating effect. Demons struck by his sword were not merely injured; their bodies and souls were utterly annihilated.

To some observant demons, this scene suggested that Ji Yuan was still not fighting with full power. It seemed as if he were merely bored observing the battle, occasionally swinging his sword to casually take a life.

This immediately deflated the demons' arrogant spirits, especially among the powerful demons and demon lords. After fighting for so long and regaining their composure, they began to contemplate retreat.

The lightning directed at Ji Yuan earlier had been a mere probe. After witnessing Ji Yuan's casual collection of the lightning, and then observing him occasionally striking afterward, it seemed as if he only began to act because he was bothered by the lightning.

Consequently, from that point onward, no demon's attack was directed towards Ji Yuan's side. This represented an unspoken, mutual fear, as if everyone harbored the naive belief that by doing so, they could avoid provoking him.

Meanwhile, in the outer perimeter, slightly further from Ji Yuan, many powerful demons and demon lords roared, unleashing evil magic that soared skyward. Beyond resisting the divine powers and magical artifacts of the cultivators, their primary objective was to shatter the formations of the Xianxia Island cultivators.

In particular, the six great elders of Xianxia Island began casting their divine powers from the outermost perimeter, slowly advancing inward and gradually accumulating an auspicious, fire-like energy reminiscent of radiant light.

Across the various battlefields, elements of wind, fire, thunder, and earth were manipulated. Heavenly light shone, and mountains crumbled...

Within a radius of several hundred miles, battlefields where cultivators and demons clashed were ubiquitous. Some leaped and shifted across the mountain terrain, while others engaged in swift pursuits and aerial skirmishes. Radiant light and sharp blades coexisted, as roars and furious shouts echoed simultaneously.

A demon lord, seemingly adorned with a pair of smoke-wreathed bat wings, swiftly glided between the mountain ridges, simultaneously engaging in battle with Xianxia Island cultivators and briefly communicating with other demons.

"Those six cultivators who departed are on the outermost perimeter. As long as we disrupt and dismantle the inner formations, and then concentrate our efforts on a single breakthrough point, we can escape the array."

"The premise is that the person in the center doesn't intervene, or rather, we deal with him first!"

A female demon, shrouded in demonic energy like a blood mist, flew to his side on a demonic wind, looking with slight apprehension toward Ji Yuan's distant location. From such a distance, they could only discern the mountain, not Ji Yuan himself, yet they all knew that the sword-wielding figure stood motionless on that mountain peak from beginning to end.

At this point, the female demon seemed to recall something.

"Where's Beimu? Why is he still not acting at a crucial moment like this? Didn't he say that luring cultivators here would be perfect for capturing them all? Now Xianxia Island is here, but where is he?"

The demon lord who had manifested bat wings scoffed coldly.

"If he's still not acting now, he either plans to hide and wait for us to exhaust each other, or he's already fled. Beimo's words can only be trusted by a third!"

"What about you? How much can your words be trusted?"

The demon lord sneered but offered no reply, instead continuously channeling demonic energy towards the ground fissures.

"It's not only immortals who can set up formations!"

Simultaneously, several demonic figures appeared to have circled around to the vicinity of the large and small earth vein fissures. The next moment...

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"...

Vast quantities of earth vein miasma, which had been subdued for a long time, suddenly erupted explosively into the sky, akin to a volcano spewing towering black smoke.

"Rumble..."

The plum blossom needle formation at the Xianxia Island branch was instantly engulfed by the explosively erupting baleful energy, and the formation was shattered.

Many Xianxia Island cultivators were employing wondrous techniques, slaying demons while simultaneously repelling their counterattacks. However, upon hearing the violent rumbling from the earth, as if a dragon was turning over, they instinctively looked down.

"This is bad!" "Quickly get clear!"

"Get out of the way..."

Immortal escape lights, along with life-saving divine powers and techniques, were unleashed. Streaks of radiant light instantly fled. A small number of cultivators with lower cultivation and slower reactions, alongside the vast majority of demons they were entangled with, were all swallowed by the unleashed toxic miasma at that moment.

The miasma instantly tore apart the radiant light of Xianxia Island's inner formation, piercing through the thunderclouds and continuing its surge skyward.

"Rumble, rumble, rumble..."

The entire sky rippled as if constantly vibrating. Amidst the towering, surging baleful energy, several more streaks of radiant light escaped, and demonic light also flew out from within. However, it was clear that all those who had endured the impact, be they cultivators, demons, or monsters, were significantly affected, so much so that they flew side by side without engaging in further combat.

"Now! Go!"

Some demon lords and powerful demons, who had been awaiting this precise moment, swiftly ascended, fleeing upwards along the columns of baleful energy…