Chapter 101: The Thousand-Faced Demonic Creature

“Junior Brother Meng? Junior Brother Meng?”

Lin Yunchuan called out several times to the disciple token, but Meng Yingxing gave no reply.

He frowned, glancing at Mo Kaiming beside him.

“Meng Yingxing hasn’t replied?” Mo Kaiming asked faintly.

“We will depart for Zhongyang Town immediately, without any delay!”

Lin Yunchuan said, then immediately took Mo Kaiming and ran out of the city, ascending on his sword.

Fengyu City, where they were currently located, was neither too far nor too close to Zhongyang Town. Even at their fastest speed, sword flight would still take over half an hour.

Lin Yunchuan’s face was solemn, only hoping that nothing had happened to Meng Yingxing.

Perhaps the activation of the grand array disturbed the spiritual energy in the air, preventing Meng Yingxing from answering Lin Yunchuan’s message, thus severing their connection.

“Loyal dog Senior Brother’s efficiency… is quite fast, but the timing of this report is a little off.”

Xiu Qingcheng looked at the surging, dangerous scene before her, feeling inexplicably troublesome.

Good news: the so-called Soul-Siphoning Array had been activated.

Good news: this Soul-Siphoning Array only siphoned the souls of specific women within the array and was ineffective against Meng Yingxing, who was male, and Xiu Qingcheng, who was a sword spirit.

After the ancient tree and the grand array absorbed the souls of the women sacrificed by Xu Jie, black mist began to seep from the ground. The mist quickly enveloped the bone-thin women and the two Xu family members, continuously emitting creaking sounds like bones breaking.

The surrounding air currents became turbulent due to the array’s activation. Fierce cold winds, mixed with fine snow, whipped Meng Yingxing’s long hair into disarray.

Fragile twigs, peeling from the ancient tree, brushed against Meng Yingxing’s cheek in the strong wind, leaving a bloodstain on his face.

“Disciple? What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for the array to fully activate before you dare to go? Charge over now and interrupt him!”

Xiu Qingcheng said, they could go.

Meng Yingxing took a deep breath of the cold air and charged forward, swinging his sword.

The azure sword was imbued with white spiritual energy. The Death-Killing Sword’s momentum was fierce as Meng Yingxing plunged from mid-air straight towards the obscure black mist at the center of the grand array.

However, that seemingly intangible black mist formed a powerful barrier. The Ting Tian Sword struck it but could not advance an inch further.

“Hahaha! You don’t really think, with your cultivation realm, you can break through the power of the great Tree God, do you? You little ant, delusional!”

From within the black mist, a familiar voice came.

It was the voices of Xu Jie and Zhou Lanyi speaking together, both male and female.

“My cultivation is indeed not enough…”

Meng Yingxing gritted his teeth, gripping the sword hilt with both hands, pushing forward inch by inch.

“But… I believe in the sword in my hand!”

The Ting Tian Sword slashed down, its sharpness unyielding.

If he could shatter Ye Xuan’s Xuanpan Golden Form then, he could now break through this mist with his Master!

Meng Yingxing’s forehead and arms bulged with veins. He gritted his teeth, letting out a forceful roar from his mouth.

Accompanying Meng Yingxing’s roar, the Ting Tian Sword in his hand slowly tore open the black mist, gradually creating a gap.

‘Good boy!’

Even just being a tool in Meng Yingxing’s hands…

She cheered for his current performance.

‘There’s a saying about invincibility, that’s just when the power of attack is too weak!’

“You actually managed to break through this barrier of the great Tree God,” the voice from the black mist sounded slightly surprised.

‘Thanks for the compliment, it’s nothing much, just cutting through melons and vegetables.’

The surprise of the unknown entity in the black mist was the best compliment for Xiu Qingcheng, and Xiu Qingcheng accepted it very ungraciously.

Meng Yingxing burst into the black mist, but seemed a little slow.

Within the black mist, there were no women, no Xu Jie, and no Zhou Lanyi.

There was only a terrifying demonic creature with slender limbs and a tall stature, covered with the facial skin of beautiful women.

And on the demon’s head, were the faces of Xu Jie and Zhou Lanyi.

“Your strength indeed far exceeds our imagination, but we are also far stronger than you! This is the power of the Tree God!”

All the mouths on the demon’s faces opened and closed, countless voices chattering cacophonously, extremely piercing.

Meng Yingxing’s face darkened.

‘To pursue immortality, to defeat a Middle Star-Grade child, they actually willing to make a deal with an unknown entity, turning themselves into this state.’

‘Absolutely disgusting.’

Xiu Qingcheng said coldly.

The feeling of aversion that the monster gathered before them had already… been cooked under her nose.

‘How pathetic!’

The light in Meng Yingxing’s eyes flickered, showing a few points of killing intent towards Xu Jie and one point of pity.

“Meng Yingxing! Go to hell! Then, return our peace to us!”

The Thousand-Faced Demonic Creature said, twisting its overly slender limbs in an exaggerated manner, and slapped at Meng Yingxing.

Then, the Thousand-Faced Demonic Creature’s hand suddenly stopped, abruptly turning into a kick aimed at Meng Yingxing.

‘The left is a feint; its real attack is coming!’

Xiu Qingcheng calmly saw through the Thousand-Faced Demonic Creature’s move for Meng Yingxing, and Meng Yingxing naturally trusted her implicitly. He remained still during the Thousand-Faced Demonic Creature’s first strike, only unleashing a sword slash when Xiu Qingcheng said to go.

The Thousand-Faced Demonic Creature looked soft like human skin, but when Meng Yingxing’s sword grazed its attack, he felt like he had hit steel, striking out a series of sparks.

Meng Yingxing pressed forward with his sword against the Thousand-Faced Demonic Creature’s attack. With his free hand, he pulled out a spiritual talisman, activated it with spiritual energy to burn, and several heavenly lightning bolts boomed down, striking the Thousand-Faced Demonic Creature precisely.

The Thousand-Faced Demonic Creature cried out in pain, emitting an ear-splitting scream.

“Shut up!!”

Meng Yingxing roared, the Ting Tian Sword waving like a rainbow, its tip tearing through several human faces on the Thousand-Faced Demonic Creature’s chest.

The Thousand-Faced Demonic Creature screamed even more hysterically but did not retreat from Meng Yingxing’s attack.

‘Clearly looking like a demon specializing in mental attacks, yet it had maxed out its melee combat skills.’

It attacked with both hands, its arms like arrows and cannonballs, fiercely stabbing towards Meng Yingxing.

This time, Xiu Qingcheng also preemptively warned Meng Yingxing of the Thousand-Faced Demonic Creature’s attack.

One of the demon’s hands pierced through Meng Yingxing’s left shoulder blade. Limited by Meng Yingxing’s strength, he couldn’t dodge it in time.

It pinned him to the ground, and the intense pain twisted Meng Yingxing’s entire face.

“Disciple——”

Seeing this, Xiu Qingcheng’s brow twitched fiercely, and she couldn’t help but cry out.

This blow from the demon before them felt as if it had pierced her own body.

Xiu Qingcheng’s brows twitched violently. She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and still resisted the urge to intervene and help Meng Yingxing.

‘It’s not the last moment yet——’

‘Until now, it is still Meng Yingxing’s battle.’

‘Only in desperation can one truly grow.’

“Master—no need to intervene, I can do it——”

Meng Yingxing’s hoarse voice reached Xiu Qingcheng’s ears.

‘Yes, Meng Yingxing also thought so.’

‘As expected of her disciple.’

‘Then stand up, and cut down all demons!’

Intense pain, like a hammer violently striking Meng Yingxing’s brain, almost made him faint.

He endured the excruciating pain, raised his hand to grab the arm of the demon that had pierced him, then with his other hand, he swung his sword backward with all his might! The demon’s arm was actually almost completely severed by Meng Yingxing!

The demon’s roar was deafening, and its arm, whose flesh was cut and still clinging by threads, was pulled back from Meng Yingxing.

Meng Yingxing struggled to get up from the ground, then once again raised his sword and leaped forward.

He wielded his sword like weaving, the blade cutting through the air with a sharp whistling sound. For a moment, crisscrossing sword qi rained down upon the demon.

“Hit them where it hurts, hit Xu Jie and Zhou Lanyi’s faces! I bet those are the weak points!”

Xiu Qingcheng instructed Meng Yingxing, but then frowned again.

The demon before them looked intimidating, but its displayed strength was not as formidable as imagined. Meng Yingxing, fighting with his life on the line, could even gain the upper hand.

But such a large array, an array that absorbed so many female souls, could it only produce such a demon?

This loss seemed overly exaggerated.

Meng Yingxing flashed forward, his body covered in blood, forcing back the demon’s attack with a head-on clash, then struck a precise sword blow, fiercely piercing into Xu Jie’s face on the demon’s head.

“Impossible! This is impossible!!!”

The demon screamed hysterically, retreating step by step.

“Great Tree God, great Tree God! Please give us more power, we don’t want to die! We don’t want to die!”

“We want to live! We want to live! We also want to live with our daughter!”

The demon pleaded for something, but to Meng Yingxing and Xiu Qingcheng, it was merely talking to itself, unheard by the heavens.

There was no such thing as a Tree God at all! Your obsession is too deep; you are walking the path of evil for your own desires!

Meng Yingxing stepped on the demon, holding the Ting Tian Sword high with both hands.

He gathered all his spiritual energy onto the Ting Tian Sword. White spiritual light surged, illuminating his blood-streaked face slightly.

“What you should be praying to is not some Tree God, but those women you have harmed!”

“No, don’t——”

The young man swung his sword, and the demon was vanquished.

Snow was still falling.

The snow fell silently.

Amidst the fine snow, only Meng Yingxing’s hoarse gasps could be heard.

Meng Yingxing pulled the Ting Tian Sword out of the demon’s body, watching the dry demon dissolve into ashes in the falling snow.

The formidable enemy had retreated. Xiu Qingcheng transformed into human form and naturally supported Meng Yingxing.

“Xu Jie previously only sacrificed women’s souls to the Soul-Siphoning Array for immortality. Now, he additionally sacrificed their physical bodies, intending to kill you. Pathetic, pathetic.”

Her gaze fell, unsure whether she grieved for the women, or for the two Xu family members, or both.

“Master, how was my performance this time? Are you satisfied?”

Meng Yingxing’s voice was somewhat weak, but he still had the strength to grin cheekily at Xiu Qingcheng.

Xiu Qingcheng gave him an annoyed glare.

“Did you bring medicine and bandages?”

“I brought medicine and bandages.”

Xiu Qingcheng snatched Meng Yingxing’s Qiankun Bag, took everything out, and very conscientiously began to emergency treat his wounds.

“Master, it hurts, it hurts!”

“Bear with it, it’s for your own good!”

Xiu Qingcheng glared at Meng Yingxing, but seeing his pitiful gaze directed at her, the force in her hands still softened a bit.

“Alright, alright, you did well this time, I’ll praise you.”

Meng Yingxing smiled, very happy to receive his master’s affirmation.

Moments later, Meng Yingxing stood before the gigantic withered tree, holding a torch.

“Although I don’t know if there’s truly a ‘Tree God,’ this tree, this grand array, it’s ultimately a menace.”

Xiu Qingcheng looked up at the tree canopy, nodded, and said, “Something like this, it’s better to burn it.”

Before throwing the torch, Meng Yingxing asked Xiu Qingcheng another question.

“Master… do you still remember that we initially came to help the Xu family find Young Miss Xu?”

“I remember.”

“If the Xu family wasn’t so deranged as to sacrifice their own daughter, then where did Young Miss Xu go?”

“Who knows.”

Young Miss Xu’s whereabouts seemed to have become a mystery.

Meng Yingxing raised the torch in his hand, about to throw it.

Suddenly, a fierce gust of cold, eerie wind swept through, extinguishing the brightly burning flame.

Meng Yingxing’s brow furrowed. A weak, listless voice came from behind him and Xiu Qingcheng.

“The Young Miss Xu you are looking for has already been sacrificed to the Tree God by me.”

“Also, this tree, you cannot burn.”