Chapter 514: 妖孽休走

Already quite wary of the Golden Armored Warrior, the demons became even more apprehensive after Tu Siyan's words. Several of them ceased direct confrontation and stopped attempting to defeat him with their spells. Instead, they focused on manipulating water, lightning, and earth. Remaining high in the sky, they used every possible spell to stall the Golden Armored Warrior.

If Tu Siyan's words hadn't distracted them, if the phrase "true immortal's protector" hadn't carried such immense weight, and if the downpour hadn't been so fierce, perhaps these demons could have cast aside their concerns and observed carefully when the Golden Armored Warrior's armor shattered. They might then have noticed traces of him absorbing earth energy, leading to the possibility of deducing some of his weaknesses.

Furthermore, if they had continuously attacked the Golden Armored Warrior the moment the giant ape died, the sustained assault might have led to a qualitative shift, allowing them to shatter the spiritual talisman. Even though this warrior had endured tribulation lightning and was a "heaven-forged" artifact, he still had his limits.

But there were no such "ifs." The remaining demons were now solely focused on stalling the red-faced giant. Time was not on their side; every passing moment increased their peril.

The colossal black serpent coiled continuously, sweeping up mountain floods and mudslides to form a massive vortex in the mountains, with the Golden Armored Warrior at its center. Although his feet remained firmly planted on the ground, keeping him immobile, he struggled to maintain his previous rapid movement, appearing to advance with great difficulty.

Even so, the other demons only assisted with the spells, daring not to approach the Golden Armored Divine General. If caught by those yellow ribbon-like objects, they would surely suffer the same fate as the giant ape. No one was willing to test this, no matter how confident they were in their escape techniques; ultimately, their own lives were paramount.

The mudslides and mountain floods had nearly submerged the entire surrounding mountains, and the swirling vortex seemed to connect with the dark clouds overhead. If Ji Yuan had witnessed this scene, he might have mused that this was precisely what "Water Flooding Jinshan Temple" looked like.

"Thud... Thud... Thud..."

The Golden Armored Warrior continued to press forward in the heart of the flood, shattering every boulder that struck him with his fists.

"Sizzle... sizzle..."

Arcs of electricity shimmered around the warrior, who suddenly clenched his fist towards the sky.

"Crack... Boom..."

Lightning instantly struck down from the sky, as if the authority over lightning had shifted at that moment. However, the lightning did not strike the demons; it struck the Golden Armored Warrior himself.

A bolt of lightning wrapped around the Golden Armored Warrior's right arm. The next moment, he abruptly threw a punch forward.

"Thwack... Boom..."

A powerful impact created an open space at the bottom of the flood vortex. A purple-glowing lightning bolt, like a long spear wreathed in arcs of electricity, pierced through the flood. Its power was undiminished by the water as the lightning spear flew directly towards the colossal black serpent on the periphery.

"Quick, dodge!"

"Zzzzzzz..."

"Ughhh—"

The giant serpent was extremely vigilant, swiftly dodging while also channeling its full demonic energy to resist, but it was still pierced through the tail by the lightning spear.

"Whoosh... Rumble..."

The mountain floodwaters were thrown into disarray. At that moment, the Golden Armored Warrior shattered the mountain ridge beneath his feet and burst through the torrent, charging towards the nearby demons.

The giant serpent, terrified, flew high into the sky. Its tail was now completely numb, bearing a penetrating, bowl-sized wound that was charred black with persistent wisps of lightning coiling around it. Strangely, despite the numbness, attempting to sense the area with its mind caused a sharp, intense stinging in its spiritual consciousness.

"Brother Snake, quickly stabilize the flood! He's about to break free, hurry!"

The other demons were not skilled at water manipulation. Though they struggled to maintain the spell, they were no match for the Golden Armored Warrior, who charged through the water with the momentum of a thousand armies.

The black serpent couldn't afford to hesitate. It quickly stabilized the mountain flood again, roaring at its companions.

"Watch the lightning! Don't let him seize control of the thunder spells!"

Meanwhile, a group of four demons and one devil had departed. They looked back towards the depths of Pozi Mountain, where floods raged and thunder roared. Occasional tremors indicated the fierce battle unfolding there.

When the giant serpent's shriek echoed from afar, it startled the demons, who thought their allies had quickly given up. Fortunately, it was a false alarm; the mountain floodwaters had not yet receded.

Despite their individual intentions, they now had to work together.

"That fox said the mountain god likes to hide a thousand feet beneath the unfinished mountain god temple," one of them said. "We will first conceal our demonic aura, and then I will burrow underground and attack him directly from below. He will surely flee. At that same moment, each of you will use your Spirit-Binding Talismans to immobilize the earth spirits of the surrounding mountains. He won't have time to react and will certainly hit the talismans. Then we will capture him together!"

The woman who had previously mocked Tu Siyan was also present and nodded in agreement upon hearing the plan.

"Yes, let's act quickly," she urged. "Otherwise, delays will cause trouble, and it would be disastrous if an immortal were to pass by."

The five streaks of demonic light and aura gradually faded as they flew towards the distant outer mountains.

At this very moment, the mountain god Shi Youdao was huddled in his underground dwelling, hoping for the two celestial beings to arrive quickly. Although he knew the Golden Armored Divine General was powerful, there were many demons, and the immense commotion clearly indicated their formidable magical powers.

As the saying goes, two fists are no match for four hands. Shi Youdao was now quite pessimistic and, therefore, fearful while hiding. He was not yet a formal mountain god, but he had already enjoyed the dignity of one for some time and couldn't bear to lose that feeling.

"Celestial beings, celestial beings, please hurry!" he mumbled. "If this continues, the demons will break free! This is beyond the capabilities of a humble mountain god like me; I'm truly powerless!"

In his anxious state, Shi Youdao's entire attention was focused on sensing the situation in the distance. He could even vaguely sense earth spirits continuously gathering afar. Although he didn't know if it was the demons or the Golden Armored Divine General casting spells, it at least indicated an intense battle.

"Safety first, safety first," he muttered to himself. "Divine General, it's not that I, your humble god, don't want to help you, but the demons' power is simply too overwhelming! My magical abilities are meager; going there would be suicide! If you survive, Divine General, please forgive me!"

Shi Youdao incessantly mumbled to himself underground. He feared the demons, but recalling the Golden Armored Warrior's indifferent gaze, he worried the warrior might settle scores with him later.

"Divine General, you hinted that I should hide... please don't go back on your word..."

As fear gripped Shi Youdao's heart, he suddenly felt a slight tremor underground. Though there was considerable commotion in the depths of Pozi Mountain at the moment, he could still distinguish subtle differences.

'Perhaps it's some underground animal... No! It's too deep here; what animal could possibly come this far down? This isn't good!'

A warning sign instantly arose in his mind. Shi Youdao had no time to verify anything; he immediately fled from his underground dwelling, escaping in a direction away from the sealed area.

"Swoosh... Bang..."

When he had fled about a *li*, the underground earth and rocks, usually obedient to his earth manipulation magic, suddenly became as hard as steel in an instant, leaving Shi Youdao dazed and disoriented from the collision.

Several streaks of light suddenly appeared around him — the spiritual scripts of talismans.

'Darn it! It's an ambush!'

Shi Youdao was, after all, merely a mountain spirit who had only just begun to assimilate with the ley lines. Even though he had been conferred a title by Emperor Daxiu, giving him some semblance of legitimate authority, he was still far from being a true mountain god. Coupled with the vast disparity in cultivation, he was now utterly trapped, even underground.

The next moment, his body felt an intense crushing pressure, and he was pulled towards the surface along with the spiritual talismans.

"Divine General, save me! Divine General!"

Amidst Shi Youdao's terrified cries for help, he was snatched a few breaths later by a seductive woman emanating demonic energy.

"Oh, so this is what mountain gods and earth spirits look like, hmm? Would Mountain God be so kind as to do this humble one a favor?"

This unnervingly sweet voice chilled Shi Youdao to the bone. Demonic light flickered in the woman's eyes, revealing blatant killing intent. His life was surely forfeit!

A quarter of an hour later, a major earthquake struck Pozi Mountain, forcing the villagers in the mountain settlements to flee their homes amidst the torrential rain.

Feeling the suppressing seal gradually loosen, Tu Siyan was overjoyed.

As the saying goes, a flood crest can split mountains. When the five demons who had captured the mountain god returned to assist, they simultaneously tried every means to stall the Golden Armored Warrior while manipulating water to assault the sealed mountain. They poured floodwaters into the mountain through the loosened parts of the seal to further destabilize it.

Finally, after another half an hour, Tu Siyan realized she could mobilize some of her magical power. She was, of course, not the all-powerful Monkey King, so she couldn't simply blast the mountain open to escape.

But at this point, it was enough for her to break free. Without much thought for anything else, Tu Siyan immediately followed the floodwaters, carefully swimming and escaping through the significant cracks that had opened in the mountain.

The moment she escaped the suppressing mountain, a tear-streaked Tu Siyan also saw the Golden Armored Warrior's full form for the first time. At that moment, ten demons were working together to trap him with mountain floods.

The Golden Armored Warrior, already five *zhang* tall, stood in the mountains like a golden iron tower. Every time he made a move, the surrounding demons instinctively dodged.

The moment he saw Tu Siyan break free, the Golden Armored Warrior's eyes flared with lightning.

"Fiend! Halt! Zha—!"

This was the most emotionally charged phrase uttered by the Golden Armored Warrior; his furious roar resounded like a clap of thunder. Especially the last syllable, which sent shivers through the minds of the demons who heard it.

"Boom..."

The mountain flood exploded, creating a hundred-zhang wide space because of his roar. Lightning from the sky instantly struck all around the Golden Armored Warrior, making him appear like a thunder god descended to earth.

"Tu Siyan has escaped, flee!" "Don't prolong the fight! Don't prolong the fight!"

"Everyone, escape!"

Amidst the shouts, the demons scattered and fled, with some even grabbing the weakened Tu Siyan and escaping with her.

"Boom..."

A mountain peak was directly shattered by the Golden Armored Warrior's step. Wreathed in lightning, he charged towards the airborne Tu Siyan. This was the first and only time the Golden Armored Warrior had left the ground since his battle with the demons began.

"Stop him!"

Tu Siyan let out a soft cry. Merely looking into the Golden Armored Warrior's eyes terrified her, so she dared not retaliate. After quickly forming hand seals, she transformed into a phantom and drifted away. Looking back, she saw the demon who had been helping her escape caught by the Golden Armored Warrior, then both plummeted back to the ground.

"Save me, don't leave me! Save me—!"

The demon shrieked in terror. It tried to use its life-saving escape technique but found itself completely entangled by the yellow ribbons, with lightning paralyzing its body.

But none of the other demons looked back. While Tu Siyan had to be saved, at this moment, escaping was paramount.