Chapter 36: Heart Lamp Part 3

As the hall lifted into the air on its high platform, Xiang Xian turned to battle the suddenly appearing Demon Person.

A Huang screeched and flew in, its body scattering countless Fire Feathers. Xiang Xian roared, gathering the sky-filling golden fire into one stream. He clasped his hands, sword fingers pointing at King Mu, unleashing an orange-yellow beam!

King Mu dissipated in the air to dodge, reforming as black qi that swept in again. But the Heart Lamp sensed the demon’s approach and burst with strong light, forming a spherical guardian barrier.

Xiao Kun reached out both hands toward the light-fire seed in the pedestal. The white fire seed climbed along his arms, scorching his body. Xiao Kun felt excruciating pain but didn’t let go, cupping his palms to trap it.

Xiang Xian unfurled fiery red wings and soared up, clashing with King Mu. He roared, “Xiao Kun?! It’s yours!”

“It’s burning me!” Xiao Kun said. The Heart Lamp scorched his body; its power was too overwhelming. As a Half-Demon Body, Xiao Kun felt his Yao Clan blood boiling within, even igniting!

Xiang Xian clashed several times with King Mu, who said deeply, “Wisdom Sword… You clearly have a long way to go before mastering it.”

“Hey… you… can’t we chat a bit before fighting?!” Xiang Xian gritted his teeth, struggling. Against a Demon General, he might have handled it easily, but the foe had come prepared without underestimating. The highest-ranking Demon King had descended personally!

“We’ve spoken many times already,” King Mu said deeply. “You just forgot. Take this!”

Black qi surged in King Mu’s hand, forming a pitch-black Demon Spear. He held it single-handed and thrust a Cloud-Breaking Slant from midair at Xiang Xian!

Xiang Xian never unsheathed the Wisdom Sword, relying solely on his cultivation base to tangle with the Demon King. With A Huang’s aid, he spread his fire wings to block the strike forcibly. A Huang, attached to him, took the shock and separated from Xiang Xian’s firebird form.

The Demon King far surpassed previous foes. He released overwhelming black qi, gripped the black Demon Spear with both hands, and swept horizontally, clashing with Xiang Xian in the air.

Xiang Xian was swept backward, crashing before the pedestal with a massive boom.

Panting, Xiang Xian had Xiao Kun behind him—eyes glowing blue, scorched by the Heart Lamp.

“No rush,” Xiang Xian wiped blood from his mouth and whispered. “You can do it. I believe in you, Xiao Kun.”

Xiang Xian leaped up again, drawing the Wisdom Sword. A golden light exploded in the valley. The Heart Lamp responded intensely, shooting meteor-like white beams.

“Almost there!” Xiao Kun was engulfed in Heart Lamp flames, skin cracking on his face, shoulders, and neck from the holy light-fire, blood spurting. He opened his chest to expose his spinning indigo inner elixir, drawing the flame into his body. “Hold on! Xiang Xian!”

Xiang Xian transformed into Acalanatha, golden fire jetting from his eyes, losing self-awareness. He hurtled the Wisdom Sword toward King Mu in the sky.

Acalanatha blazed with myriad golden rays. With the Wisdom Sword drawn, the power balance instantly shifted.

King Mu shot upward to evade the first strike, but the Wisdom Sword, forged with demon-exorcising might to counter demonic qi, pursued relentlessly upon sensing it, whistling toward King Mu!

King Mu blocked with the Demon Spear. They collided, black fire scattering. Now the Demon King reeled under the Wisdom Sword’s heaven-shaking power, smashing into the mountainside amid flying rocks.

Xiang Xian, clad in golden armor with divine descent power, charged toward the Demon King’s landing spot.

Before the altar, Mr. Ying’s figure suddenly appeared behind Xiao Kun. He raised his right hand, and at the moment the Heart Lamp left the magic array—when the guardian barrier was weakest—his Bronze Arm punched the barrier’s outer layer!

The barrier shattered instantly. Mr. Ying silently raised his left hand, revealing a small Glazed Lamp Seat.

All light in heaven and earth vanished, pale sunlight sucked away in an instant. Kizil plunged into eternal night. Only the Heart Lamp resisted, oscillating wildly between Xiao Kun and Mr. Ying. It turned into a thread of streaming light, drawn into Mr. Ying’s magic treasure.

“Mr. Ying?!” Xiao Kun recognized the figure.

“It’s over.” Mr. Ying said as he activated the magic treasure in his hand. The Heart Lamp burst into a brilliant light and was swiftly drawn away.

In that hasty moment, Xiao Kun could no longer resist. Just as he was about to lose the Heart Lamp, he made a snap decision. He withdrew his hands from the Heart Lamp, spun around, drew his saber, and performed a Blood Sacrifice. A streak of saber light shot forth. Mr. Ying neither dodged nor evaded; he blocked it head-on with his Bronze Arm. The fist tiger shattered, and at the same moment, the Heart Lamp was completely taken away, plunging the world into darkness.

In the final instant, Hulü Guang leaped down from the high cliff, shouting as he flew forward. While still in midair, he hurled his Broken Knife. The sharp blade spun through the air, accurately slicing toward Mr. Ying’s left hand and striking the lamp seat. The lamp seat let out a light clang and spun upward into the sky.

Mr. Ying had never expected someone to ambush him from the side. He whirled around abruptly, and the lamp seat shattered with a bang in midair!

Instantly, a massive flash erupted in the Kizil River Valley, restoring all the light. The Heart Lamp had vanished without a trace.

Mr. Ying shot into the sky, pursuing Hulü Guang.

From higher up in the river valley, King Mu charged out. He summoned the black qi spilling from his dispersing Demon Spear with both hands, forming a massive fist and palm. In the instant he took to the air, he seized Xiang Xian’s Wisdom Sword with his bare hands!

Flames erupted from Xiang Xian’s eyes as he gripped the Wisdom Sword and thrust it into King Mu’s body. King Mu neither dodged nor evaded; he took the heavy blow, locked the sword’s momentum with his left hand, and flicked his right fingers repeatedly. One after another, incomparably fierce strands of Demonic Qi burst forth, striking precisely at the small crack on the Wisdom Sword—the very crack Xiang Xian had once discovered.