“Haha, you barbarians, hurry up and become ingredients for my cauldron!”
With a burst of unrestrained laughter, a disheveled figure descended from the sky. He landed amidst the ranks of soldiers, holding a round cauldron and laughing loudly.
“Not bad, not bad at all. Fine ingredients indeed. It seems I am fortunate today to encounter so many superior delicacies.” The man had a long beard and blood-red eyes. His robes were filthy, and his fingernails were sharp. As he spoke, his yellowed teeth were revealed, and he appeared completely mad, a demon and yet not a demon.
The warriors roared and charged with their spears, but the man dodged the attacks with ease. He struck left and right, sending several tall Tuoba warriors flying. Then, he kicked one of them in the stomach, denting the thick bronze armor.
In the blink of an eye, several Tuoba warriors were defeated by this man. He moved through the many warriors as if in an empty field, drinking wine from his cauldron, and anyone his clothes touched would fall. The Tuoba’s weapons were useless against him, unable to hit him, and even being manipulated by him to attack each other.
The guard Meng Yue roared and charged forward as well, engaging the man with his weapon. However, he only managed to hold out for a few rounds before being smashed away by the cauldron.
“Insolent!” Meng Yue struggled to his feet, his face flushed with anger. He roared furiously, and his entire body gradually expanded.
His arms transformed into beastly claws, and his face grew fur. Sharp fangs protruded from the corners of his mouth, and he grew several meters taller. Like a giant werewolf, Meng Yue leaped up.
The ground he stepped on cracked, and then he charged towards the man like a whirlwind.
The man tilted his head back and drank his wine, unfazed by Meng Yue’s ferocious appearance. Instead, he opened his mouth and laughed, saying, “A fine demon transformation! As expected of the Taicang demon court. Today, I will act on behalf of heaven and subdue you, demon creature!”
With that, he charged forward with his cauldron. The giant cauldron was as light as a feather in his hands, allowing him to wield it as he pleased.
The giant cauldron spun rapidly, knocking back the surrounding warriors. Then, it smashed towards Meng Yue, who kicked it away.
Seizing the opportunity, Meng Yue descended from the sky, his five claws transformed into sharp blades, and slashed towards the man.
“Well done!” The man laughed, and pinched Meng Yue’s claws with two fingers. He somersaulted like a light sparrow and kicked Meng Yue.
It was only a light kick, but it shattered Meng Yue’s teeth. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and his nearly ten-meter-tall body was grabbed by the man. He was slammed heavily onto the ground like a hammer, causing Meng Yue to groan in pain.
“Nothing more than this, nothing more than this.” The man said with a sigh. “I thought you might have some strength, but this is so unfulfilling. Get out of the way and don’t interfere with my business.”
After kicking Meng Yue aside, the man looked at Jiang Wenji again. He walked towards her step by step, driving her back with each strike.
Jiang Wenji’s face was filled with anger, and she was about to erupt like Meng Yue. However, the man’s eyes lit up, and he said, “Let me see how the Taicang royal family’s demon transformation techniques fare.”
“Don’t push your luck!” Jiang Wenji said coldly.
“I will push my luck, so what?” The man laughed disdainfully. “You demons do not respect the laws of the ancient emperors, yet you practice these demonic arts. It truly harms the mandate of heaven and goes against the will of the heavens. We cultivators act on behalf of heaven to eliminate you demons.”
“Hmph, well said,” Jiang Wenji retorted coldly. “But who knows how many innocent people you have taken to refine into elixirs, to replenish your so-called life fires.”
“Blind, blind!” The man said again. “The path of life fire is the true path, the orthodox path bestowed upon us humans by the ancient emperors. You do not contemplate the way of the ancient emperors, but instead stray into the wrong path, truly deluded! Nourishing life fire with the flesh and blood of our own people is the only way to exist in this world. You blind fool, you might as well become my ingredient.”
As he spoke, he reached for Jiang Wenji’s fair neck. But at this critical moment, a hand grabbed the man’s wrist.
“Stop,” Jiang Wen’s voice came. The man looked at him in surprise, only to frown and look him up and down, his eyes filled with confusion.
“Who are you?”
“An unnamed person.”
“Since you are an unnamed person, then do not block my path.” As he spoke, the man sent a giant cauldron crashing towards Jiang Wen.
But then Jiang Wen drew a talisman out of thin air, and a golden inscription appeared in front of him. He glanced at the giant cauldron and said, “Go.”
The golden inscription imprinted on the giant cauldron, and the flying cauldron immediately quieted down.
The man was shocked. After breaking free from Jiang Wen’s grip, he took several steps back. He looked at him with a trembling voice and said, “Who are you! What is this technique!”
“This is the Dao,” Jiang Wen said indifferently.
“You are also a cultivator?! Why are you helping this demon! Shouldn’t such demons be exterminated?!”
“If one slaughters indiscriminately, how is one different from a demon?” Jiang Wen asked in return.
“Hmph, do you know how many people they burn to sacrifice to the heavens every year? Isn’t such wickedness evil? We cultivators are exterminating these demons to straighten the will of heaven!” The man said, his tone filled with arrogance.
“Words are wasted on you, let us not speak further. If you want to fight, I will accompany you. But this person cannot be killed by you.” Jiang Wen protected Jiang Wenji and looked at the man calmly.
The man tried to retrieve his cauldron, but found that the cauldron did not move at all. His heart was terrified, and he looked at Jiang Wen with fear. He leaped outwards, stepping on the heads of the warriors and flying away, leaving behind only a sentence that floated in the air.
“I will let you demons go this time, the Taicang demon court will eventually be destroyed by the mandate of heaven. I will wait and see the good show!”
After the man had flown away for a long time, the surrounding guards finally breathed a sigh of relief. The pressure this cultivator put on them was too great, and everyone was afraid that he would come again.
Jiang Wen recovered his mana and also relaxed slightly. He had been watching from the side and found that this man’s physical body was extremely strong, but the life fire within his body was even weaker than the Lamp Lighting Realm. That faint flame was like a candle, emitting a scarlet color.
It was completely different from Li Yunshang and the others’ bright crimson life fires, exuding a bloody and cold aura.
Why was this? Jiang Wen was puzzled.
He turned to look at Jiang Wenji, who was tidying up her appearance.
“You saved me again,” Jiang Wenji said.
“It was just a small effort, we are friends,” Jiang Wen said with a smile. He had only been bluffing the man just now, and the outcome of a real fight was still uncertain. After all, his cultivation had not recovered much, and he had not even officially entered the Refining Qi stage.
“Friends?” Jiang Wenji murmured in a daze. “Friends? That’s good too.”
