Chapter 754: More Monster Than Monsters

Soon, Beimu had no time for other thoughts. As Lu Shanjun gradually revealed his true form, Beimu's mouth widened slightly, and he stared in horror at the scene on the distant mountain.

Black smoke continually billowed upwards, creating a fiery spectacle above the mountain ridge. However, this black smoke was not ordinary demonic energy; it wasn't demonic energy at all. Instead, it was a product of the transformation of Lu Shanjun's current demonic energy, appearing exceptionally peculiar and eerie.

Lu Shanjun's body had swollen into a monster far more grotesque than any demonic energy. The colors of his clothes first turned black and yellow, then adhered to his skin, transforming into fur. His limbs and bones became prominent, growing increasingly sharp and massive. His shoulders broadened, his spine vertebrae protruded one by one, and his stature grew taller and taller.

Bursts of dense demonic energy seemed to blur the air like heatwaves, giving rise to the black smoke amid slight distortions in vision.

The entire process of revealing his true form appeared slow but was actually very fast. At this moment, Lu Shanjun had transformed into a building-sized monster, neither entirely tiger nor entirely demon. Upon closer inspection, his massive tiger body also bore traces of a human face. When his tail swept past, it created multiple afterimages, as if many tails were flicking.

Endless demonic energy soared into the sky, inducing various visual phenomena. As the demonic energy flowed, it resembled boundless flames spreading in all directions, like fierce fire intertwined with black winds across the heavens.

The true form of Lu Wu.

Even though Lu Shanjun's cultivation was far from complete, the revelation of this true form left all who witnessed it awestruck and terrified.

From his distant vantage point in the sky, Beimu couldn't help but stare intently. He had never seen the true form of the Lu Wu demon body before, but it appeared to be an extremely terrifying existence. This was no ordinary creature transformed into a demon. According to some insiders within the Heavenly Revelation Alliance, it was likely an ancient exotic species, whose bloodline was so potent that it had already transformed its physical shape.

Kun Mucheng, on the other side, was also terrified. He floated in the air, gazing blankly at the monster standing on the distant mountain ridge.

"Good heavens, what kind of ferocious monster is that...?"

The only ones who showed no reaction to Lu Shanjun's transformation were the four Golden-Armored Warriors. While others were still in shock, trying to guess Lu Shanjun's true form, the Golden-Armored Warriors' next wave of attacks had already arrived.

As Lu Shanjun's true demon body had become massive, the four Golden-Armored Warriors instinctively extended their own bodies, becoming four towering golden giants. With just one stomp, which didn't damage the mountain's foundations, they charged towards the seemingly terrifying monster, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind.

"Heh—!" "Ha—!"

The Golden-Armored Warriors roared loudly, their yellow sashes fluttering and extending. In an instant, they surrounded the transformed Lu Shanjun from four directions. Using the strength of their limbs, they leaped high into the air, soaring on the wind.

*Swish, swish, swish, swish*. The four yellow sashes, like four yellow beams of light, shot towards the direction where the Lu Wu's body leaped. The sounds they made as they passed were incredibly heavy, causing Lu Shanjun to quickly dodge and then dart across several mountain peaks.

Lu Shanjun knew that the Golden-Armored Warriors were not skilled at flying. However, he had no intention of simply flying away to escape.

'Let's continue!'

As he dodged the entangling yellow sashes, Lu Shanjun thought to himself, his four paws lightly stepping onto the summit of a hillside. But looking into the distance, he noticed one Golden-Armored Warrior was missing.

At that very moment, golden light permeated the area beside Lu Shanjun. His pupils contracted, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a Golden-Armored Warrior, emanating faint purple lightning, appear beside him. Its speed was several times faster than before. At this moment, the Golden-Armored Warrior's right arm was raised high, poised to strike down on the demon body with a tearing force and immense wind pressure.

'No time to run! Can't run!'

This was Lu Shanjun's first thought. Not only would fleeing not allow him to completely avoid the strike, but if he did flee, he might be crushed to death. He had no time to consider anything else. Lu Shanjun gathered surging demonic energy throughout his body. At this moment, a massive tiger tail, leaving a trail of afterimages, swung towards Lu Shanjun's side. The eight afterimages converged with the tiger tail in that instant.

The Golden-Armored Warrior's red palm, crackling with faint purple lightning, made contact with Lu Shanjun's Lu Wu tail at that moment.

"Krak… BOOM…"

The air briefly shuddered, and the light brightened instantly. Then, the mountain ridge and earth violently tore apart in all directions. The explosive gale easily lifted layers of shattered rocks, and effortlessly uprooted large trees within a radius of dozens of zhang.

The impact of this strike was so immense that even the Golden-Armored Warrior couldn't react immediately. Instead, it stood its ground, stabilizing its body as it slid back slightly. Meanwhile, Lu Shanjun's tail felt numb, and his entire demon body, using the force of the blow, simultaneously rode the explosive gale to retreat rapidly.

However, the gale continued to rip outwards. Behind Lu Shanjun, as he rapidly retreated, three Golden-Armored Warriors had already arrived. They seemed to have their feet glued to the ground; the gale and the lingering vibrations had no effect on their movements. Blocking the path of Lu Shanjun's retreating demon body, they raised their three right arms upwards and then brought them down in a chopping motion, executing a move identical to the Golden-Armored Warrior's previous attack.

Even though he knew these three Golden-Armored Warriors were certainly far less formidable than the monstrous one he just faced, seeing their three descending right palms made Lu Shanjun's heart clench and his scalp tingle. He didn't try to meet them head-on. Instead, he slammed his front paws forcefully against the mountain, causing his entire Lu Wu demon body to leap skyward again. He also used the force of this stomp to shake the mountain ridge, making the rocks beneath the three Golden-Armored Warriors' feet crack and become unstable.

However, even these three Golden-Armored Warriors possessed powerful innate combat instincts. The moment Lu Shanjun leaped up, the yellow sashes behind the Golden-Armored Warriors had already pierced into the ground for support, while the yellow sashes in front of them shot out like lightning, coiling around his three claws.

"Roar..."

His body was dragged down from the air. Lu Shanjun swung his sharp claws, striking the entangling yellow sashes with intense demonic power, radiating a cold glow and exaggerated force. But they felt incredibly slippery, offering no resistance to his power. A cold glint flashed in Lu Shanjun's eyes, and he instantly redirected his claws towards the three Golden-Armored Warriors.

His sharp claws swept past the three warriors, exploding with sparks and a sound like artillery shells hitting the ground. The three Golden-Armored Warriors each took half a step back. The yellow sashes binding Lu Shanjun also loosened slightly, allowing him to escape.

"Whoosh..."

The sound of wind whistled from one side. Lu Shanjun's heart tightened. Without even looking, he knew the most formidable Golden-Armored Warrior had returned to his side. His right claw, which had just struck and was retracting, instinctively swung backwards, making contact with the Golden-Armored Warrior's raised left arm.

"Roar..."

At the same moment, Lu Shanjun flipped and leaped backward in mid-air, landing behind the Golden-Armored Warrior. Ignoring the pain in his right arm, he grabbed the Golden-Armored Warrior's shoulders and head with both arms, and with his massive, gaping maw, bit directly into the Golden-Armored Warrior's shoulder.

"Crunch... crunch crunch crunch..."

The wild demonic energy grew denser, and his demonic power intensified, indicating that Lu Shanjun's strength was continuously increasing. He could feel his teeth sinking in, but the Golden-Armored Warrior's strength was simply too immense. Its arm slowly, inch by inch, pried open Lu Shanjun's claws. The struggle made Lu Shanjun feel as if he were pushing an entire mountain range.

Even more terrifying, the yellow sash had already begun to coil around him. If he got entangled in it, escape would be nearly impossible. Lu Shanjun had no choice but to release the Golden-Armored Warrior and leap backward with all his might, simultaneously flicking his tail forward to strike the Golden-Armored Warrior's back.

"THUD—"

With a colossal thud that rattled eardrums, the Golden-Armored Warrior's body merely tilted forward slightly, then it turned around. The other three Golden-Armored Warriors also walked to its side. The four Golden-Armored Warriors lined up, watching the distant monster.

At this moment, even Golden-Armored Warrior B, C, and D seemed to faintly understand that the monster before them was far from simple. The lead Golden-Armored Warrior, for a rare moment, squinted its eyes slightly, displaying a more human-like expression than its three brothers. It was the only time Lu Shanjun had seen any of the Golden-Armored Warriors show an expression today.

While the other three Golden-Armored Warriors remained motionless, the lead Golden-Armored Warrior slightly tilted its head, re-evaluating the monster before it.

Beimu in the sky was already speechless. Witnessing the lightning-fast exchanges, the destruction of several small mountains, and the Lu Wu demon body currently confronting the four Golden-Armored Divine Generals, the shock he felt was immense.

'This Lu Wu... is unbelievably powerful...' Beimu thought. 'Could it be that these Divine Generals aren't as formidable as rumored?'

As Beimu considered this, he thought it was quite possible. Perhaps the Golden-Armored Divine Generals' power had been exaggerated, used to conceal the incompetence of the group who went to rescue Tu Siyan. And Tu Siyan, as one of the eight fox demons, would not only have her vital energy severely damaged after being suppressed beneath the mountain, but she was also likely terrified into submission, afraid to resist. Therefore...

With this thought, Beimu decided to try it himself. He glanced at Kun Mucheng, the cultivator in the distance who dared not act rashly, then his demonic body plunged downwards.

At this very moment, the other three Golden-Armored Warriors, lacking individual consciousness, burst forth again, charging towards Lu Shanjun in the distance. Their yellow sashes fluttered in front of them, while those behind them almost dragged on the ground. Endless earthly power gathered on them, making the golden light emanating from their bodies grow ever brighter. Only the lead Golden-Armored Warrior remained motionless.

"Brother Lu, I'll lend you a hand! Leave this one to me!"

Beimu's demonic voice was faint yet unusually piercing. Since three Golden-Armored Warriors had rushed towards Lu Wu, he naturally went to test the one still standing in place, the one Lu Wu seemed to have just bitten, as it appeared relatively safer.

The lead Golden-Armored Warrior seemed not to hear the demonic voice, still squinting its eyes at Lu Shanjun in the distance. Only when the dense demonic aura drew near did the corner of one of its eyes glance at Beimu.

What kind of gaze was that? It was scornful, arrogant, and carried a faint, deathly killing intent within its stillness.

"Sizzle..."

In the next instant, the Golden-Armored Warrior moved. Its speed was several times faster than when it fought Lu Shanjun. It instantly closed in on Beimu's demonic aura. Its right arm, like an afterimage shimmering with golden light and purple lightning, instantly plunged into the demonic aura, its hand forming a claw.

"Pffft..."

"Ugh..."

The demonic aura was forcibly dragged from its semi-material state back into reality, transforming into Beimu's body. At this moment, the Golden-Armored Warrior's colossal right palm pierced vertically through the midsection of Beimu's body, seizing half of his torso.

Only then did the Golden-Armored Warrior's head turn slightly towards Beimu, its gaze as disdainful as ever.

"Crackling..."

Beimu was utterly immobilized at this moment. His eyes wide with terror, he mustered all his strength to overcome his fear. With the quickest possible reaction, before the Golden-Armored Warrior could crush him, he detonated his own demonic body.

The infinite demonic energy in the Golden-Armored Warrior's palm was dissipated by electric light. A small wisp of demonic energy managed to scatter into the sky due to the impact, and it was only dozens of miles away, from within dark clouds, that Beimu, pale and covered in sweat, reconstituted himself.

"H-huh... h-huh... h-huh..." Beimu gasped. "Lu... Lu Wu, what in the world is that thing? Fighting one against four, battling this kind of guardian that's more monstrous than a monster..."