Yin Tu was horrified.
Dark Demonic Essence surged, and he immediately activated the Vajra Body Protection Talisman he had just acquired.
A grand Protective Golden Light materialized.
Yin Tu had just breathed a sigh of relief.
"CRACK!"
A grating, shattering sound suddenly rang out.
The Protective Golden Light fractured, cracks spreading across it like a spiderweb. This Protective Talisman was supposed to be able to block a Qi Cultivation Third Layer Demon Disciple for a full two hours, yet Hou Qi had shattered it to pieces with a single blow!
Hou Qi was still casting, his stance one of a fight to the death.
"By my blood, I invoke the Hundred Prohibitions Curse Killing: Nether Poison!"
BOOM!
A furious, savage expression appeared on Hou Qi's ugly face. His hands formed a series of seals, and a faint black fog, tinged with a sweet, coppery scent, began to spread from his body!
Any Qi Cultivation Third Layer Demon Cultivator who touched even a wisp of this black fog bled from all seven orifices, their flesh rotted, and they dropped dead on the spot.
Terrified, Liu Chun, Luo Ze, and the others shot backward in retreat.
Because it had all happened so suddenly, they had only managed to snatch two Vajra Body Protection Talismans.
The other Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer Demon Disciples, along with a few lucky Qi Cultivation Third Layer Demon Disciples, had each managed to grab one.
In total, fifty Protective Talismans were cleanly divided among more than thirty Demon Disciples.
Qin Xuan, meanwhile, had long since vanished with his five Magic Talismans. To his surprise, the one-tenth of a petal of his Nether Lotus Dharma Aspect, long dormant in his mind, suddenly seemed to be receiving nourishment.
It began to solidify at a speed visible to the naked eye.
A little less than half of the entire arena was now covered by the black fog. The fog attacked indiscriminately; aside from the Demon Disciples protected by the golden light and those who had escaped quickly, a great number of the others were either dead or injured.
At the center of the black fog was none other than Yin Tu, the object of Hou Qi's hatred.
Yin Tu tried to activate a second Protective Talisman, but he was a step too slow. Just as the second Protective Golden Light appeared, a wisp of black fog slipped in.
The next moment, his movements became noticeably sluggish and stiff. Dark spots appeared on his face, itching unbearably.
Yin Tu gave a light scratch, and the flesh on his face melted away like snow, rotting and falling off in chunks to reveal the stark white bone beneath.
"You... What is this Evil Technique?" Yin Tu, standing within the Protective Golden Light, stared with eyes wide as bells in utter terror.
"Hah..." Hou Qi let out a heavy gasp, a cold sneer appearing on his pale, ugly face.
"I may not have expected you to be the one to betray me in the end, but did you really think I hadn't prepared any countermeasures?"
"For now, it's just your face. But since you've been hit by my Nether Poison, over the next forty-nine days, your limbs, your torso... all the flesh on your body will rot and melt away. This is the price for your betrayal."
Luo Ze and the other Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer Demon Cultivators felt their scalps tingle with fear.
'What a terrifying Secret Technique!'
'If I were in Yin Tu's position,' Luo Ze thought, 'I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to dodge it either.'
It made Luo Ze curious, though. None of the four initial Cultivation Techniques they practiced had a move this insidious!
Qin Xuan was secretly relieved.
'As expected of a reincarnated Golden Core expert. The lingering fortune from his past lives runs deep.'
'Even after seven reincarnations, he's still leagues stronger than us 'Mud Seeds'. He even has several extra Secret Techniques.'
'Good thing I listened to the Golden Finger. Otherwise, I would have been the one who got hit.'
"Damn you!" Yin Tu was furious. He channeled his Demonic Essence, preparing to strike Hou Qi dead with a single palm.
Hou Qi's legs were splayed out as he sat slumped on the ground, not even trying to resist. Clearly, casting the Blood Coagulation Needle and Nether Poison Secret Techniques in succession had taken a massive toll on him.
"Heh heh, to think that after being so cautious for so long, I'll still die at the hands of a treacherous rat."
The fierce palm strike was inches away. Hou Qi closed his eyes in despair, quietly awaiting the arrival of death.
In that moment between life and death, within the pitch-black darkness, Hou Qi seemed to see a colossal, glowing Yin Poison Profound Snake Dharma Aspect coiling. It towered over everything, its scarlet tongue flicking in and out.
An inexplicable feeling of kinship washed over him.
Hou Qi wanted to step forward and touch it, but the Profound Snake Dharma Aspect only grew more distant. The feeling of kinship was also fading rapidly, and no matter how he chased after it, he couldn't reach it.
Annoyance, regret, self-blame, sorrow... A torrent of emotions poured out of him, as if he were about to lose the most important thing in his life.
"Ah!"
Just then, a sudden scream snapped Hou Qi out of his trance. The excruciating pain he had expected never came.
Instead, it was Yin Tu who was howling in agony.
Hou Qi's eyes shot open in surprise. He saw that a Protective Golden Light had appeared around his body at some point.
Yin Tu, his strength greatly diminished, was instead thrown back several steps by the rebound force of the Protective Golden Light. His sternum caved in, and he sprayed a mouthful of bloody foam.
"Fellow Daoist Xiao, you saved me!"
Hou Qi was both shocked and overjoyed. He saw Qin Xuan holding a Protective Talisman between his fingers as it slowly burned away. It was he who had used one of his own talismans to save him.
Comparing Qin Xuan's actions to Yin Tu's, Hou Qi felt deeply ashamed.
Qin Xuan said, "We agreed to cooperate. It was a small effort, not worth mentioning."
Hou Qi was deeply moved. "Fellow Daoist Xiao, I guarantee that if you die by my hand one day, I will leave you with an intact corpse!"
Qin Xuan: "???"
Despite his words, Hou Qi's short frame suddenly shot to its feet, and he threw a streak of black light toward Qin Xuan.
Vengeful Poison Dragon Fang.
Understanding dawned on him.
Qin Xuan understood at once.
This was the fated opportunity the Golden Finger had mentioned—the True Demon Reincarnation Spiritual Artifact!
Vengeful Poison Dragon Fang: Forged from a Foundation Establishment Realm Vengeful Poison Horned Flood Dragon. A Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact that is not only razor-sharp but can also release a Resentful Decay Poison Fog to kill without a trace.
'What a treasure! A real treasure!'
Qin Xuan was overjoyed. He had one more tool for self-defense.
Not only that, but the petal of his Nether Lotus Dharma Aspect had also officially solidified in his mind!
Qin Xuan tried a backhanded sneak attack, stabbing an unprotected Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer Demon Disciple to death.
It used to take five breaths' time, but now it only took four for the Demon Disciple's emaciated body to shrivel up at a visible rate.
His eye sockets sank, his skin clung tightly to his bones, and he was ultimately reduced to a desiccated corpse of skin and bones.
'My Nether Lotus Dharma Aspect has thirty-six azure petals. Just by solidifying one, the operational speed of my Cultivation Technique has increased by at least twenty percent.'
'If I solidify all of them, won't my cultivation speed increase several times over?'
Just as Qin Xuan was reveling in his joy, Hou Qi's voice suddenly echoed in his mind via Telepathy.
"Fellow Daoist Xiao, as thanks for saving my life, I'll let you hold on to the Vengeful Poison Dragon Fang for now. This will settle the karma between us. After I reach Foundation Establishment, I'll come find you to get it back!"
Qin Xuan: "???"
'He's not giving it to me?'
'Fucking Demon Cultivators. They really have no class.'
'Asking for a life-saving gift back!'
Qin Xuan: "Fellow Daoist Hou, I, Xiao Ran, will be waiting for you to come get it. Just don't let me reach Foundation Establishment before you do!"
Hou Qi smiled confidently and sat down in silent meditation to recover his Demonic Essence.
'Fellow Daoist Xiao Ran is a good man, but a bit naive and simple-minded,' Hou Qi thought. 'Just now, on the brink of death, I don't know why I was able to comprehend that wisp of aura from the Black Nether Profound Snake Dharma Aspect.'
'But with the help of this aura, I'm confident that no other Outer Sect Demon Disciple will reach Foundation Establishment faster than me.'
After this battle, no one dared to underestimate Hou Qi again.
Hou Qi swaggered up to the first Blood Bone Throne.
The remaining six Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer Demon Disciples formed a standoff, warily eyeing one another.
Who the hell knew if the others had any more Secret Techniques up their sleeves?
As for Qin Xuan, he was deeply despised by the others.
Honoring an agreement, cooperating in good faith—it was a disgrace to Demon Cultivators... If not for him, Hou Qi would already be dead.
Their contempt for him deepened, especially when they saw him resort to a sneak attack just to deal with a Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer Demon Disciple.
'Damn it, he's just some sneaky bastard who got lucky and snatched five Protective Talismans, a point-leeching dog!'
Qin Xuan was happy to be seen this way.
After all, the top ten all received 100 Contribution Points. He didn't feel the need to compete, so he went straight for the seventh Blood Bone Throne and sat down.
As for the eighth Blood Bone Throne, it naturally belonged to the worthless Yin Tu.
Without any external forces acting on it, a Vajra Body Protection Talisman could last for twenty-four hours, or even longer.
The eight Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer Demon Disciples sat high on their thrones, simultaneously guarding against sneak attacks from one another while watching the Qi Cultivation Third and Fourth Layer Demon Disciples peck at each other like weak chicks below. It was quite a leisurely spectacle.
...