Chapter 9: Fight to the Death Only (Requesting Votes)

"Crack."

At that very moment, the defense of the Water Origin Shield shattered, and the poisonous snake formed by the chains lunged straight at Song Changsheng.

"Rise, [Blazing Sun Formation]!" Song Changsheng held his hands out as if supporting the sky. Dense, crimson formation patterns emerged beneath his feet, instantly enveloping everyone within.

A phantom sun appeared above his head. As soon as the "poisonous snake" touched the scorching light, it emitted a "hissing" sound, evaporating into a mist of blood.

"Damn it!" The demonic cultivator hurriedly retracted his chains. In just that brief moment, the once-smooth chains had become pitted and scarred, making his heart bleed.

"You arrogant fool, die for me!" The eighth-level Qi Refining demonic cultivator roared,祭出 (sacrificing/releasing) a scarlet orb from his hand that smashed down with a thick aura of blood and malevolence.

Song Changsheng controlled the formation with one hand and cast a spell with the other. The treasure gourd began to spin rapidly, instantly colliding with the orb, and for a time, they were locked in an inextricable struggle.

"This brat is troublesome. Attack together!"

The remaining three unleashed their magical artifacts, and the four of them swarmed him. Song Changsheng’s pressure increased dramatically.

His hand seals shifted continuously. Accompanied by a hum, twelve triangular formation flags emerged from the ground. Song Changsheng’s eyes widened in fury as he shouted, "Blazing Sun Scorches the Sky!"

The sun above his head turned orange-red, and flames began to rise from the ground out of thin air. In a short time, the area covered by the formation became a sea of fire.

This fire was not like ordinary flames; once it touched the body, it was as hard to shake off as maggots on bone. They were forced to divert most of their spiritual energy to isolate the flames.

And this gave Song Changsheng his opening. The "Fire" character on his right palm suddenly manifested; at this moment, the entire sea of fire was at his command.

"[Fire Rain Technique]"

Song Changsheng pressed his right hand down, and the "blazing sun" in mid-air rained down a torrent of fire.

With the amplification of the entire formation and the exquisite control of the [Water-Fire Control Method], the power of this first-tier fire spell surged, becoming something even the ninth-level Qi Refining demonic cultivator could not ignore and had to face with caution.

For a moment, Song Changsheng actually suppressed all four of his opponents.

But Song Changsheng’s brows remained tightly furrowed. He understood this was only temporary; his spiritual energy could not sustain such consumption for long. He had to find a breakthrough point.

"You're the one." He cast his gaze toward a short demonic cultivator. He was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining and was already showing signs of fatigue.

Song Changsheng’s feet moved, and the short demonic cultivator only felt a blur before a figure appeared in front of him.

The demonic cultivator was terrified and immediately channeled his demonic arts to resist, but Song Changsheng flicked his finger, and the man's head was instantly pierced by a ball of flame.

Before the lifeless demonic cultivator could even fall, his body turned to ash in the raging fire.

"Old Nine!" The ninth-level Qi Refining demonic cultivator’s eyes were bloodshot as he lunged at Song Changsheng, a chain in his hand moving with extreme agility.

Song Changsheng was caught off guard and his arm was grazed by the chain, tearing away a chunk of flesh.

"Fight!"

The injury did not make Song Changsheng fearful; instead, it ignited the fighting spirit in his chest. A look of determination flashed in his eyes as he took a porcelain bottle from his Qiankun bag and downed more than half of it in one gulp.

Song Changsheng’s eyes widened as he felt a violent surge of spiritual energy erupt from his Zhongwan acupoint, rushing through his limbs and bones.

His nearly depleted spiritual energy instantly skyrocketed.

"Ah—" Song Changsheng roared at the sky. The treasure gourd erupted, shaking off all the magical artifacts that were entangled with him and returning to his side.

At this moment, holding the [Water-Fire Treasure Gourd], with the blazing sun hanging above his head and several fire dragons coiling around him, he looked like a god of war.

"How is this possible..." The demonic cultivators were stunned by the scene. Is this the spiritual energy a Qi Refining cultivator should possess?

"Control!"

Song Changsheng thrust both arms out, and the fire dragons coiled around him surged forward. The last fourth-level Qi Refining demonic cultivator was caught off guard and instantly turned to ash.

"Damn it, I'll fight you to the death!" The remaining two demonic cultivators were filled with ruthlessness. They attacked Song Changsheng from both left and right.

Song Changsheng’s meridians and dantian were currently being stretched uncomfortably by the massive amount of spiritual energy, and now was the perfect time to vent it.

"Come on!"

The entire formation seemed to come alive at this moment. Twelve formation flags circled Song Changsheng, and the "blazing sun" in the sky crashed down, heading straight for the eighth-level Qi Refining demonic cultivator.

Having consumed a vast amount of spiritual energy to resist the flames for so long, the cultivator looked up at the descending "blazing sun" and realized with despair that he had no power to resist it.

He could only watch helplessly as the "blazing sun" swallowed him whole...

"Pfft."

He had killed the eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator with a full-force strike, but Song Changsheng paid the price. The chain slammed heavily into his chest, and for a moment, he felt his internal organs shaking.

"Come and fight me to the death." Blood trickled from the corner of Song Changsheng’s mouth, but his eyes were filled with madness. At this moment, he feared nothing.

"Arrogant!" The last remaining demonic cultivator was also very weak, but there was no turning back now. Only one of them could survive.

"[Blood Demon Great Art]!"

The demonic cultivator roared, and a layer of blood-colored light emerged around him. He had begun to burn his own life force.

Song Changsheng was undaunted, glaring at him: "Today, I will ensure you never enter the cycle of reincarnation!"

In an instant, the two collided. Accompanied by a dazzling flash of light and a surging sea of fire, the figures crossed, and one figure fell to the ground, instantly turning to ash.

When the flames slowly dissipated, only Song Changsheng remained, kneeling on one knee, surrounded by the shattered remains of the formation flags.

"Cough, cough, cough. A ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator is indeed powerful." Song Changsheng clutched his chest and stood up unsteadily. It was a pyrrhic victory.

He took a few healing pills, swallowed them, and looked around. The area for hundreds of meters had been burned bare. Fortunately, he had exercised control, otherwise, the entire mountain might have been reduced to scorched earth.

The demonic cultivators had all turned to ash, leaving only their magical artifacts and Qiankun bags preserved in the flames.

He collected them, and after a brief moment of recovery, he prepared to go and support Song Luding and the others.

Before he could move, a murderous voice came from not far away: "To think that Old Second and the others actually fell at your hands. I truly underestimated you."

Song Changsheng looked toward the sound and saw four figures in black robes emerging from the dense forest.

The masked man threw the unconscious Song Changying onto the ground and said coldly, "Those two old things have already gone to the underworld. Hand over those brats, or I guarantee I will make her wish she were dead."

Song Changsheng’s eyes were bloodshot, and he roared, "Beasts!"

"Hmph, don't talk, or I'll crush her head right now!" The masked man stepped on Song Changying’s head, his tone full of threats.

Just as Song Changsheng felt caught in a dilemma, a long rainbow descended from the sky, and a cold voice rang out: "You are not qualified!"

The masked man only felt a blur before his eyes. His three subordinates beside him were instantly riddled with holes by a rain of needles and died on the spot.

He felt a sharp pain in his chest. Looking down, he saw a silver needle as thin as a hair trembling as it pierced his heart.

The masked man tried to pull the needle out in terror, but the scene shifted, and his feet left the ground.

He looked down and saw a female cultivator with murderous intent in her eyes, holding him up by the throat with one hand.

"Mother, cough, cough." Song Changsheng felt a sense of relief; she had made it in time after all.

Looking at the scarred Song Changsheng, the anger in Xia Yunxue’s heart reached its peak. She stared fixedly at the masked man and said, "Speak! Who sent you here!"

...

Thanks to all the fellow Daoists for your votes and tips.

(End of chapter)