Chapter 738: Delicate Situation

Jiang Xueling flicked the horsetail whisk in her hand. After several swings, the whisk's strands coalesced as if forming a sharp sword, which she then used to directly meet the furious sword moves of Demon King Miaoyun.

"Clang..."

The tip of the whisk met the demonic sword, producing a crisp and resounding clang. A powerful gust of wind erupted, scattering all the surrounding dust and turbid air.

Demon King Miaoyun smiled, withdrew his sword, and changed tactics. His form, like mist, flickered behind Jiang Xueling, and a multitude of demonic swords materialized, as if countless streaks of sword light simultaneously appeared from all directions.

Jiang Xueling's whisk swept out a swathe of white light, enveloping her entire body in protection, engaging in a brief but intense exchange with the Demon King's swordplay.

This scene lacked grandeur or ethereal grace, yet the flickering sword lights changed with extreme speed. Sword energy repeatedly carved fine marks on the Devourer Beast's head, and sword intent surged in all directions, causing the temperature around the Devourer Beast's head to continuously drop. A layer of frost even formed around Jiang Xueling's feet.

The Demon King's sword energy and intent were incredibly sharp and well-structured. Compared to conventional sword immortals who specialize in sword arts, the Demon King's sword techniques seemed to combine martial swordsmanship with cultivation spells. Jiang Xueling's response was also remarkably outstanding, making her resemble a skilled swordswoman rather than an ethereal female immortal wielding a whisk.

This spectacle made Ji Yuan's eyes light up, while Ju Yuanzi and Lian Baiping on the side were already subtly channeling their magical energy.

Meanwhile, the Leopard Demon King roared as it landed on the Devourer Beast's back, attempting to tear its flesh. However, the Devourer Beast's hide was thick and tough, and the minor injuries it sustained on its back were negligible. Furthermore, with its own spiritual light surging, it resembled a golden, stone mountain continuously trembling in the air.

"Hahahaha, let's see if your hide is tougher than my claws! How long can you last!"

The Leopard Demon King roared with laughter, yet looked up at the sky. More than a dozen streaks of immortal light, trailing vibrant colors, were flying through the air. These were the disciples of Weimei Sect, led by Zhou Xian, all of whom possessed considerable cultivation.

"You audacity, vile creature!" "Prepare to die!"

Zhou Xian led her fellow disciples, descending from the sky onto the Devourer Beast's back. After a command to "form array," the Weimei Sect disciples immediately utilized the existing formations on the Devourer Beast's back, weaving around the enormous leopard, attacking with their spiritual forms, and engaging the Demon King in battle.

While observing the battle between immortals and demons, Ji Yuan also glanced at Ju Yuanzi and Lian Baiping. This situation was somewhat unique, and he needed to carefully consider how he should intervene.

"Ji Yuan, what are you truly thinking?"

A faint, raspy voice entered Ji Yuan's ear. He cast a sidelong glance at Ju Yuanzi and Lian Baiping, neither of whom reacted. The voice, of course, originated from the Xiezhi scroll within his sleeve.

Ji Yuan's lips remained still, but his voice traveled back into his sleeve along the same path.

"My dear Xiezhi, surely you can see that the Devourer Beast possesses a significant Kun bloodline, can't you? This little one's bloodline is even purer than that of the Great Whale General back then."

"Hmph, that's not an answer. Do you think I couldn't tell? If you don't intervene, relying solely on that girl from Weimei Sect and those two beside her, they might protect this Devourer Beast for a while. But if it continues its frenzied consumption in the Southern Wilderness, it will inevitably draw more and more demons. You must understand, its mouth is now a bottomless pit; it will never be full. Rather than letting it die in the Southern Wilderness, it's better if I consume it."

*You're a combination of Kun and Taotie, aren't you?* Ji Yuan mused inwardly, slightly startled by the revelation that the Devourer Beast could never be sated. Yet, he chose to trust Xiezhi, merely transmitting his reply.

"Then its fate is its own."

After Ji Yuan spoke, there was no further sound from his sleeve, so he said no more. Ji Yuan naturally had a plan in mind, but at this moment, he was far from feeling at ease.

In Ji Yuan's view, the Devourer Beast's awakening hunger didn't necessarily mean it needed to be full to undergo metamorphosis. Instead, it had triggered a heavenly tribulation.

Just as a flood dragon requires the power of water to transform into a true dragon—a process that is both an aid and a trial, not for causing floods to harm mortals but for achieving its true form—the Devourer Beast's current situation was similar.

According to Weimei Sect's past experiences, the few times the Devourer Beast attempted metamorphosis over long ages involved protecting it within the sect's grand formation. This approach was perhaps not the "true" way, which explained their failures. Xiezhi's words further clarified this point for Ji Yuan.

Currently, the Devourer Beast was in a near-frenzied state due to extreme hunger, only vaguely responsive to Jiang Xueling's guiding words. This was the Devourer Beast's tribulation. If it passed, it would be like a golden scale transforming into a dragon upon meeting the wind. If not, there was a very high probability of the Devourer Beast perishing on this path.

The Two Wastes were the most taboo regions in the eyes of the righteous sects. The Black Waste was almost entirely a realm of terror. The Southern Wilderness was slightly better, at least maintaining some basic understanding with various realms. Nominally, it was distinguished from the Black Waste, though privately, it was uncontrolled. On the surface, it had agreements with various cultivation worlds.

Some things weren't as exaggerated as in the Black Waste, but its true benevolence was limited. The pervasive miasma and malevolent aura throughout the Southern Wilderness clearly indicated its nature.

Even Ji Yuan understood that the probability of remaining untainted amidst corruption was far greater than being corrupted by proximity. Although he didn't agree with Jiang Xueling's "outdated idea" of immortals and demons being irreconcilable, given the current circumstances, they were all in the same boat. Weimei Sect could not abandon the uncontrollable, frenzied Devourer Beast, nor could Ji Yuan and his companions simply leave.

Now that they were truly confronting two Demon Kings from the Southern Wilderness, the situation inevitably grew more grim.

These two Demon Kings were certainly not benevolent, a fact Ji Yuan's spiritual sight confirmed at a glance. However, they represented something larger: the Southern Demon Realm.

The demons in the Southern Wilderness still adhered to certain rules and unspoken agreements. The last time this understanding was broken was when a great demon stole a precious immortal elixir from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, leading to numerous demons emerging from the Southern Wilderness to wreak havoc. Changjian Mountain and the Heavenly Secret Pavilion jointly slaughtered demons, and even the Mountain God of Hengshan intervened in his wrath. During that time, some old demons and demon kings in the Southern Wilderness largely remained silent.

This time, it was the Devourer Beast that had broken the unspoken agreement.

The core of Ji Yuan's fallback plan hinged on the Devourer Beast successfully transforming, or at least regaining its sanity even if it didn't transform. In either case, there would still be a chance to salvage the situation, and even negotiate with the Southern Wilderness Demon Kings. Otherwise, using his Sleeve Dimension technique to carry away the Devourer Beast would be impossible.

This was because of a crucial reality: the Devourer Beast was one of the very few beings capable of breaking free from the Sleeve Dimension technique in a short time.

The terrifying consumption of spiritual energy would be secondary. The essence of the Sleeve Dimension technique originated from the Devourer Beast itself, which possessed a self-contained world within its body, albeit small, yet truly existing. While Ji Yuan's Sleeve Dimension could trap others within the boundaries of his sleeve, it couldn't restrict a being that, to some extent, formed its own "world." The Devourer Beast's cultivation realm might not be high, but its innate talent was exceptional. At least, Ji Yuan's own calculations indicated he couldn't contain it in its frenzied state unless it regained its sanity and cooperated.

If the Devourer Beast cooperated, Ji Yuan believed he could manage to contain it within his Sleeve Dimension if necessary, and then escape the Southern Wilderness with Jiang Xueling and the others.

In utter despair, a spirit beast fell into the Devourer Beast's maw. The light ahead slowly vanished, and from behind, the suction led into endless darkness. Although it wasn't a blood-soaked mouth with sharp fangs to tear its body apart, once inside the darkness, its entire magical energy felt as if it had frozen.

*It's over, I'm dead now...*

In the darkness, patches of white mist appeared around it. Dazed, the spirit beast seemed to see other demons and spirits that had also been swallowed by the huge monster: some were enormous wolves, others birds, some like cats, and some still in human form...

The spirit beast could see all these demons suspended within the mist. All around was darkness; only the mist emitted light. The hundreds of demons and ghosts previously devoured by the Devourer Beast were almost all there, appearing as if dead. Yet, the spirit beast felt as if they were all still alive. It sensed itself and found itself also motionless, eyes closed, curled up in the mist, just like the other demons and spirits.

*I'm not dead?*

The spirit beast thought this, but its excitement was quickly diluted by boredom and fear. Here, there seemed to be no concept of time. It felt as if it had only just entered, yet it also felt like several years had passed.

The spirit beast could feel the spiritual energy from its body, the demonic energy from other monsters, and the demonic aura from fiends, all evaporating in wisps and strands. Yes, evaporating, disappearing after leaving the body. Meanwhile, this expanse of mist was slowly growing larger.

Vaguely, the spirit beast understood that this process would be incredibly long, perhaps stretching until its will naturally dissipated. It wasn't sure if other demons and spirits shared this realization. All it knew was that they were motionless yet alive, unable to communicate with each other.

*I wish it had just eaten me and chewed me up directly...*

In this expanse of mist, there were occasional faint vibrations. At such times, the mist would churn. After a few churns, the spirit beast vaguely felt as if there was a giant island deep within the mist.

At first, it thought it was an illusion, but after seeing it twice, it could discern pavilions and towers, and a gleaming immortal light. Unfortunately, it couldn't shout or call out, and the immortal island seemed incredibly distant. It felt unable to even ask an immortal to kill it, let alone rescue it.

*Someone please save me! Although I was born in the Southern Wilderness, I haven't done anything wicked. I was just following the King to cause some mischief...*

The little paper crane was currently circling the immortal island within the Devourer Beast, exploring everywhere. At this moment, there was no one else on the island; the little paper crane was the only living thing. It found it quite amusing to wander freely without any Weimei Sect cultivators calling it to stop.

Suddenly, the little paper crane seemed to hear something. It tilted its head, looking at the clouds and mist outside the island. The mist was denser than before.