Chapter 831: No One Can Surpass Him

The howling winds, flashing lightning, and roaring thunder lasted for about half an hour. Ji Yuan and the others, at the heart of this storm, stood there for the entire duration. While the immense power of such a formidable lightning spell was astonishing, witnessing so many demons undergoing tribulation simultaneously was undeniably a spectacular sight.

The dazzling lightning slowly weakened, and the pervasive thunder gradually became sporadic. Even the raging winds seemed to show signs of abating, as sand and stones swept up by the gale continuously fell from the sky.

The wails of some demons could slowly be heard, though occasionally, rumbling thunderclaps—either sporadic or slightly more concentrated—would sound again, striking the locations of some demons like aftershocks following a major earthquake.

As the wind and thunder gradually subsided, the continuous mountain range finally revealed itself again. However, the mountains were no longer as they had been.

As far as the eye could see, the mountains and land were nothing but scorched earth. They were not only charred brown but also riddled with large craters. Only a few fragmented, smoking charcoal remnants remained of the once abundant plants and trees.

Beyond this, the corpses of demons were strewn across the mountains and plains. Most were incredibly gruesome, some already dismembered and resembling pieces of charcoal. While some bodies retained enough form for their original shape to be discerned, others were completely unidentifiable; only the lingering demonic aura and the smell of burnt protein indicated they were bodies.

Some corpses were even dozens to hundreds of feet underground. Only the burnt, foul-smelling demonic energy emanating from barrel-sized charred holes proved they had been buried deep beneath the earth.

These were often demons who had attempted to use earth-burrowing techniques to escape the heavenly lightning. However, once the lightning tribulation began, there was no escaping it. The lightning directly pierced the ground, reaching deep underground. Although it seemed to lose a little power, underground it could unleash a more concentrated and destructive force. Demons, being more restricted below the surface, died more quickly and tragically than those undergoing tribulation on the surface.

The more powerful the demon, the more clearly they understood that they couldn't just run around blindly in such a situation.

For the demons, this half an hour was incredibly long—so long that most of them didn't survive to see its end. Yet, as Ji Yuan had said, and as most immortal cultivators knew, a considerable number of demons could withstand the lightning tribulation. In addition, there were four individuals who had "cheated" beforehand.

Ox-King, Lu Shanjun, Wang Youhong, and Shi Jiu were all huddled in a deep pit on a mountainside. The small cave they hid in was not untouched by the lightning, but it was merely affected. Apart from some accidental damage during the initial chaotic phase, almost no lightning bolt struck directly at them, even Shi Jiu the zombie, who was most abhorred by heaven and earth.

However, the four were equally agitated. Not to mention Wang Youhong and Shi Jiu, even Ox-King’s face was pale. This wasn't an act; it was the old ox's genuine reaction. After experiencing the overwhelming lightning tribulation and seeing the tragic scene outside, no demon could remain calm.

Although the saying goes, "He who has a clear conscience fears no knock on the door from a ghost," Ox-King dared to bet that ninety-nine percent of good people would still be greatly frightened by a ghost's knock. If good people can fear ghosts, then good demons can fear lightning!

“This... this Mr. Ji's lightning spell... it's too astonishing...”

Hearing Ox-King's voice tremble, Wang Youhong and Shi Jiu felt an inexplicable sense of relief for some reason. Perhaps they understood that Mr. Ji's terrifying power had utterly cowed this brute ox — no, this ox demon — had scared this ox demon senseless.

After recognizing Ox-King's true nature, Wang Youhong and Shi Jiu could no longer bring themselves to call the old ox a "brute ox." Fierce when enraged, cunning when sly, deeply scheming, powerful, and with infinite potential—such an Ox-King could only be referred to as "Ox Demon," as fear arose from the depths of their hearts.

In this situation, with the Ox Demon utterly terrified by Mr. Ji, he wouldn't dare play any tricks on him. This brought considerable relief to Wang Youhong and Shi Jiu. As long as the Ox Demon couldn't control Mr. Ji, they, being on the same boat, wouldn't have to fear the old ox. As for the possibility of controlling Mr. Ji... they wouldn't even consider such an absurd notion.

Just as they were relaxing, Shi Jiu and Wang Youhong inadvertently noticed Lu Shanjun's expression. In their eyes, Lu Wu remained unperturbed in the face of such terrifying lightning magic. There was even a faint smile at the corner of his lips, and they seemed to perceive, almost as if an illusion, a slightly unconcealed, subtle... excitement from Lu Wu?

Was this excitement from witnessing countless tragic deaths? Or was it excitement for the lightning tribulation itself?

At that moment, Wang Youhong and Shi Jiu even felt that when the Apocalypse Alliance had recruited these two utterly terrifying demons, it was essentially laying the groundwork for its own destruction. Even if they hadn't met Mr. Ji, that day would likely have come sooner or later at the hands of these two demons. This feeling, once it appeared, was particularly strong, though now it held little significance.

“Some old friends are still alive,” Lu Shanjun said calmly, drawing their attention to what they should be focusing on. On the nearby mountains, naturally, not all Apocalypse Alliance members had perished; in fact, nearly half had survived. This was in stark contrast to other demons, though all the survivors were severely injured.

Ox-King, having calmed himself, gave a simple-minded chuckle. “They may have survived the lightning tribulation, but I doubt they’ll escape this.”

At this moment, on the expanse of black scorched earth, some demonic and monstrous energy gradually began to reappear.

“Hoh... huuh... huuh... cough, cough, cough...”

The Mark-Eyed Demon King's once vibrant silver armor was now in tatters, with some shallow burn marks across his body. Though still in human form, his head had transformed into that of a one-eyed toad. He clutched a twin-pronged steel halberd in his hand. As he gasped for breath, he looked up at the sky, his body steaming as if he had just emerged from a steamer.

“Finally... it’s over?”

The Mark-Eyed Demon King's hand, gripping the twin-pronged halberd, trembled slightly. He stared intently at the dark clouds in the sky, finally sighing with relief only when he saw the lightning weakening and the pressure diminishing. Then he cast his gaze around. Everywhere he looked, death was bathed in scorched brown, though the presence of some demonic auras remained.

Some of these demons were half-buried in the earth, struggling to get up. Some powerful ones, like Mark-Eye, were able to stand firmly on the ground. Some even appeared outwardly unharmed.

Originally, demons filled every mountain, but now, on any given mountain peak, fewer than one in ten demons had survived. After enduring this sudden lightning tribulation, the surviving demons, in addition to feeling relief, also felt a sense of bewilderment and helplessness, staring blankly at the tragic scene that stretched across the mountains and plains into the distance.

Some of the slightly quicker-witted demons now recalled that before the lightning tribulation descended, someone had proclaimed a dharma using a Daoist voice. This meant that the lightning tribulation was created by someone's spell.

Although the Mark-Eyed Demon King wasn't particularly magnanimous, he certainly wasn't stupid. He also realized this. His gaze swept around, and he spotted a faint golden thread descending from the sky onto a nearby mountaintop.

The Lightning Edict Talisman couldn't sustain the heavenly lightning power for so many demons; it served more as a catalyst for Ji Yuan's spell. Yet, even so, it was almost completely depleted of its power. When it returned to Ji Yuan's hand, its light had dimmed, but fortunately, its core essence remained.

Ji Yuan caught the falling lightning talisman, feeling a pang of regret in his heart. But the cost was worth it for such an exhilarating display of lightning magic.

Then, sensing the Mark-Eyed Demon King's gaze, Ji Yuan and the dozen or so immortal cultivators around him, including Daoist Master Yuan and the old beggar, turned their eyes towards the one-eyed venomous toad.

At this moment, the shadow cast by the lightning tribulation in the sky slowly dispersed. Light pierced through the dissipating dark clouds, illuminating the earth. It also shone upon the surviving demons, but instead of warmth, it brought a more biting chill.

Huge flying boats floated in the sky. Two towering mountains loomed at the extremes. Immortal cultivators, each holding a magical artifact or talisman, filled the sky. The light was not sunlight at all, but a pervasive immortal glow.

“Daoist Yuan?” “Senior Brother!”

Ji Yuan and the old beggar's voices came. Daoist Master Yuan was stunned for a moment before he immediately reacted. He was, after all, the nominal initiator of this event. He had truly been startled by Ji Yuan's lightning spell earlier and had instinctively waited for Ji Yuan's reaction.

Daoist Master Yuan wasn't embarrassed. He then opened his mouth and spoke with a Daoist voice, his thunderous tone echoing across the heavens in all directions.

“Fellow Daoists, the time to slay demons and eliminate evil is now. Act—”

With one side rested and ready, their morale soaring, while the other's hearts were mostly filled with despair, an asymmetrical battle between good and evil thus began.

The Mark-Eyed Demon King, who was the first to spot Ji Yuan and the others, was subsequently personally slain by Daoist Master Yuan. However, Daoist Master Yuan used great magic power to control water, freezing it into ice to shatter and kill. Not only Daoist Master Yuan, who specialized in lightning spells, but almost no other immortal experts used lightning spells. At least in front of Ji Yuan at this moment, they preferred not to use lightning magic.