At the outer edge of Ten Thousand Miasma Valley, where Black Marsh Forest met the core region.
Two massive clouds of demon qi surged forward at extreme speed, crushing the rotting wood in their path and plowing two deep furrows into the earth.
"Big Brother, you're just too cautious!"
Black-Scaled Snake Envoy rushed at the very front. Feeling the power within his body swelling to the point of bursting, he spoke with arrogance.
"What does that Bone Temple Master amount to anyway? So what if he killed three envoys?
"That was because Lord Chaiwang and the others were too useless!
"Now that I have obtained the Exalted Saint's supreme treasure, my strength has skyrocketed. Even if that bag of bones has the strength of the second transformation of eerification, I could swallow him in one bite!"
Trailing half a step behind was Azure-Scaled Jiao Lord, maintaining a form that was half-snake and half-jiao.
His body stood ten meters tall, covered in tumors and bristles. His original snake scales had long since burst open, leaving only wriggling granulation tissue.
His eyes were cold and sinister, his brows locked in a tight frown.
Although he had also swallowed the corpse god gu and stepped into the second transformation of eerification, his suspicious and treacherous nature left him feeling uneasy.
"Black-Scaled, do not underestimate the enemy," Azure-Scaled said in a heavy voice. "The Exalted Saint told us to receive him, not to strike. Since that Bone Temple Master dares to come to this meeting alone, he must have something to rely on."
"My plan is to test him first. If he actually has some skill, we'll follow the Exalted Saint's orders and invite him in. But if he's just all show and no substance..."
A cold light flashed in Azure-Scaled's eyes. "Then it won't be too late to intercept and devour him halfway, then apologize to the Exalted Saint later.
"Hahahaha! Big Brother, you truly are devious... oh no, I mean, you truly are resourceful."
Black-Scaled laughed wildly. "We'll do as you say. If that skeleton is a weakling, I'll crunch his bones for a snack!"
As the two brothers discussed how to divide their prey, the miasma ahead suddenly surged.
A figure stood quietly atop a massive boulder, blocking their path.
The figure was thin, carrying a massive sword wider than a person on his back, and clad in a set of armor made of paper.
"Hmm?" Azure-Scaled skidded to a halt, his momentum dragging a deep pit into the ground.
He squinted his eyes, sizing up the tiny speck blocking the way.
"Big Brother, this looks like a human cultivator?" Black-Scaled licked his jaw. "I just happened to get hungry on the way. I'll use him to pad my stomach."
Finishing his words, he didn't give Azure-Scaled a chance to speak. He opened his maw wide and lunged directly toward the figure.
Azure-Scaled frowned but did not stop him.
In his eyes, a minor character who hadn't even reached the first transformation of eerification was someone to be killed as they pleased.
To dare act insolently in Ten Thousand Miasma Valley was simply seeking death.
Just as Black-Scaled was about to strike.
Paper snow fell from the sky, and countless sheets of white paper turned into small figures upon landing.
They expanded as soon as they met the wind.
In the blink of an eye, the originally empty forest clearing was densely packed with hundreds of paper people.
"Ha? This is your method?" Black-Scaled laughed so hard the tumors on his belly shook. "Trying to scare me with paper people? Die!"
His massive tail swept across, intending to crush the group of paper people along with the man in paper armor.
"Form ranks."
Jian Huaishuang spoke two soft words.
The paper people, who had looked light enough to be blown away by the wind, suddenly shifted their temperament as they grouped into formations.
【General Star (red): A natural-born commander. When leading troops, the combat power of subordinates increases by 200%. Exceptional comprehension of formations and slaughter-type techniques. However, this destiny also tends to attract baleful energy from weapons and the attention of certain specific gods.】
Black-Scaled felt as if his tail had struck a red-hot branding iron.
Forces are reciprocal. Under the reflection of the Lie Sword Domain, the counter-shock traveled up his spine and straight to his head, making him howl in pain.
"What kind of ghost-thing is this?"
Before he could react, the paper people army's counterattack began.
Jiang Ziang waved the soul banner in his hand and shouted, "The Underworld has order! Malevolent ghosts, heed my command, appear!"
Following his order, hundreds of bizarre malevolent ghosts suddenly crawled out from the ranks of the paper people, roaring as they charged at Black-Scaled.
"The boss gave the word, charge!"
"Bite him! Bite his ass!"
"Oh no, my head fell off! Who can pick it up for me? Thanks, Senior Brother!"
A group of young Corpse Soul Sect disciples, now turned into paper people, shrieked and chattered while climbing up Black-Scaled's body along with the malevolent ghosts.
Although the paper blades and swords in their hands were tiny, under the empowerment of the General Star destiny and Jian Huaishuang's death qi, they were incredibly sharp.
The tumors on Black-Scaled's body were sliced open like tofu by the little paper people.
"Damned ants! You dare wound me?"
He twisted his body frantically, his tail thrashing wildly and smashing the surrounding ground to pieces. Several paper people who couldn't dodge in time were instantly flattened into scraps.
"Oh no, Old Third was flattened!"
"It's fine. We'll have Senior Sister boil some paste when we get back. He can still be used once he's glued back together."
"Is this a demon king? So smelly! He smells worse than the Great Elder's feet!"
The remaining paper people chattered and chirped while nimbly leaping and dodging.
Jiang Ziang rubbed his forehead helplessly. Why did these disciples become so rowdy after turning into paper people? They weren't stable at all.
"Since you want to die, I'll fulfill your wish!"
"Old Second, stop playing around. This kid is a bit eerie. Let's go together and finish this quickly!"
Azure-Scaled was cautious by nature. Seeing that Jian Huaishuang remained calm despite being at a disadvantage, he immediately decided not to spectate any longer.
A lion uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit.
Hiss—
Azure-Scaled's figure blurred, instantly turning into a green afterimage with a speed several times faster than Black-Scaled!
Countless paper people stood before him, using their paper bodies to block Azure-Scaled's approach.
Although Jian Huaishuang tried his best to pull back his sword to parry, Azure-Scaled's power was too immense, and his angles were incredibly tricky.
Paper people were blown apart, the massive sword was knocked aside, and venomous fangs tore through Jian Huaishuang's paper armor, leaving a deep wound on his shoulder that exposed the bone.
"Hmm? Not a living person?" Azure-Scaled's pupils constricted.
Jian Huaishuang let out a muffled groan.
The paper people were connected to his origin. With so many of them destroyed, even though they could be restored, he was still suffering.
"As expected, facing two at once—one at the peak of the first transformation of eerification and one at the second transformation of eerification—is still too much of a strain."
He wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze growing even more determined.
His Lord had ordered him to follow in the shadows specifically to handle these uncertain factors. He would not allow anyone to disturb his Lord's actions.
"In that case, let's raise the stakes."
"Faith Conferment, divine seal, open!"
This was the divine seal bestowed upon him by his Lord, capable of bursting with even greater power at critical moments.
The paper snow fell faster, fluttering down and piling up into a thick layer on the ground.
Azure-Scaled wasn't feeling well either after receiving the reflected damage from the paper people. He felt as if his internal organs had been shattered in that last strike.
Jian Huaishuang's aura suddenly surged.
However, the more Azure-Scaled fought, the more alarmed he became.
This kid's domain was too disgusting!
Not only could it reflect damage, but it could also mislead perception.
Several times, he had clearly aimed for Jian Huaishuang's vitals, only for his moves to inexplicably swerve and hit Black-Scaled. This infuriated Black-Scaled, who kept screaming, thinking his Big Brother was using the fight to settle a private grudge.
"Big Brother, can you look where you're hitting!"
Black-Scaled was covered in wounds from the malevolent ghost bites and had just taken a tail whip from his own brother; his mental state was on the verge of collapsing.
"Shut up! This kid's domain has something strange about it!"
Azure-Scaled's expression changed as he stared fixedly at the gray death qi swirling around Jian Huaishuang.
During a close-range collision, he had sensed an extremely familiar aura.
This feeling... why was it somewhat similar to the aura on the Exalted Saint?
No, it wasn't just the Exalted Saint.
Azure-Scaled even felt that the corpse god gu he had just swallowed was actually transmitting a sense of closeness when facing Jian Huaishuang.
As if it had encountered power from the same source!
"How is this possible?"
Waves of shock surged through Azure-Scaled's heart.
Why did this kid have an aura similar to the Toad Saint? Even the corpse god gu reacted to him?
Could it be that this Bone Temple... had some unknown connection with the Exalted Saint?
No wonder the Exalted Saint's attitude was so ambiguous, not even caring that three of the four demon envoys were dead.
As this thought occurred to him, Azure-Scaled's movements involuntarily slowed by half a beat.
If he was accidentally attacking his own people, that would be awkward.
But while he hesitated, Jian Huaishuang did not hesitate at all.
"Slay!"
Seizing the moment Azure-Scaled was distracted, Jian Huaishuang became one with his sword, and the massive blade slashed heavily across Black-Scaled's already blood-drenched vitals.
"AAAHHH!!!"
Black-Scaled's blood-curdling scream echoed through the heavens.
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