Li Tongya landed in the mountains as low wolf howls echoed through the forest. Clouds and mist shrouded everything in complete darkness. Sweeping his spiritual sense across the cave entrance, he felt a strong wave of demonic and bloody qi.
Resting his hand on the hilt of his sword, he advanced, quickly conjuring a flame with his left hand and flicking it into the cave.
The flame rose in the thick demonic qi for two breaths before flickering out. Li Tongya gazed at the giant creature in the cave expressionlessly, gripping his sword silently.
"Why must you press me so hard, Fellow Daoist..."
A raspy voice echoed in Li Tongya's ears. The demon had long sensed Li Tongya's approach but had relied on the large formation to remain hidden in the cave without making a sound.
The dense fog of Mount Bianyan obscured everything, creating a desolate and uninhabited atmosphere that rendered spiritual senses ineffective.
Assuming that a proud Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator would dislike the trouble of a tedious search, the demon retreated to its cave, waiting for Li Tongya to leave the area.
To the demon's surprise, Li Tongya decided to descend into this area instead. Aware only that Li Tongya possessed some powerful dharma treasure, the demon dared not confront him directly.
The demon's voice turned harsh as it snarled, "I am a general under a demon king named Sanjun... I advise you to retreat quickly to avoid angering the demon king!"
"A demon king? If you had that kind of backing, you would not have dared to stay in Xu State!" Li Tongya countered, having gained this information from his secret meeting with the banyan fox.
The demon hesitated, realizing Li Tongya was not one to fall for bluffs. "You're a cultivator of the Purple Mansion and Golden Core Dao, not a demon-taming master. Besides, we demons often have dealings with cultivators... Why must you corner me so?" it asked.
Seeing Li Tongya unmoved, the demon's voice grew shrill as it pleaded tearfully, "I do not prey on cultivators or cause trouble... I live a solitary life on Mount Bianyan and only consume a few mortals when hunger compels me. It's the natural order of things! Why must you persecute me so, Exalted Immortal? Both your cultivation along with my demon power and intelligence have been hard-earned; why must we fight to the death?"
The wolf demon had cultivated in Mount Bianyan for many years where the practices from the north and south of Xu State intersected, hence it had learned much from both sides.
"I fled from the north and was fortunate enough to encounter a Maha or Dharma Master. He predicted my destiny, saying that if I cultivated in Mount Bianyan for a hundred years, a man would come to save me, bringing me great opportunities...! Now, the time is near. Please spare my life, Exalted Immortal..." it continued pleading.
Li Tongya ignored its pleas, silently accumulating sword qi. The wolf demon, realizing its pleas were futile, finally gave up hope and shot out of the cave like the wind.
A huge gray wolf, the size of a small house, appeared before Li Tongya, radiating intense demonic qi. Its ferocious green eyes burned brightly, and its thick, fluffy fur bristled. The demon spun around a few times frantically, trying to escape.
Li Tongya had anticipated this, drawing his sword instantly to unleash a brilliant sword aura that locked onto the wolf demon and descended forcefully. The wolf demon had no choice but to turn and face him directly.
Its expression was one of both shock and anger as it howled angrily, "Immortal, you are destroying my Dao!"
"...Not just your Dao."
Deep blue-colored serpent dragons appeared behind Li Tongya, which was different from the dark green water of Moongaze Lake. The waters of Mount Bianyan were colder, lending the serpent dragons their vivid deep blue hue.
The two serpent dragons snarled, moving menacingly as Li Tongya bellowed fiercely, "I want your life too!"
The wolf demon glared at Li Tongya, gritting its teeth as it remarked, "The Jing Dragon King , huh?"
It then spat a beam of green light which split into nine streams, shattering and dissipating Li Tongya's sword qi.
The wolf demon's Dao foundation was the Earth Shaman's Blessing , and it was powerful as it knew many secret techniques and nurtured a beam of green light in its chest.
When Li Tongya's sword qi was instantly dissipated, he was forced to summon two serpent dragons for aid. Despite the setback, his sword continued striking the wolf demon relentlessly.
Although the wolf demon was stronger, it had no intention of fighting Li Tongya as it thought to itself, This person doesn't seem to be a powerful sword immortal. He's just an ordinary cultivator, and these cultivators always group together. Killing one brings more trouble... I must find a chance to escape. I am just a small forest demon and cannot afford to provoke these immortal sect disciples!
With a long howl, four black shadows appeared from the forest below like a gust of wind. These were the Qi Cultivation Realm subordinates of the demon, who rushed up the mountain in response to the demon's call. Unexpectedly, several beams of mana light surrounded them almost immediately, revealing the members of the Li Family who now have them surrounded.
"I knew it! You've come prepared!"
The demon grew more frightened with its focus still solely on escaping. However, it was prevented from doing so due to Li Tongya's continuous sword qi.
It realized that while this cultivator was not an overwhelming threat, he was tenacious and difficult to deal with; clearly not someone who could be defeated quickly.
"Please, Exalted Immortal... Spare my life!"
The massive demon continued fighting Li Tongya with its green light, but was anxious and kept begging for mercy. It kept a wary eye on Li Tongya, afraid he might pull out some talisman or treasure to finish it off in one blow.
Li Tongya remained expressionless, his sword qi flowing continuously. He thought to himself, This demon is not easy to deal with. I could use the Qingche Sword or the mirror... but the mirror's power is too great. If it turns the wolf demon into minced meat in one blow, this trip would be in vain.
Li Tongya's spiritual sense touched the mirror, faintly feeling the power of the Supreme Yin Profound Light within it. He knew that if he were hit directly by one of the mirror's beams, he would not survive. Although the wolf demon was stronger, it might not be able to withstand its might either.
The wolf demon made a decisive move, realizing that its situation was unfavorable. It was not sure if there were any other Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators among the beams of mana light below.
With a long howl, it fired out another two brilliant beams of green light from its throat, but this time they were mixed with blood which made them stronger than the one before. The two serpent dragons summoned by Li Tongya were dispersed, and two beams of green light flew toward Li Tongya.
"Good!" Li Tongya praised, drifting back as he sheathed his sword. With his left hand, he gripped a tightly wrapped long sword behind him, unsheathing a cun of the green and white blade.
Buzz...
The swords in the hands of Li Xuanling and the others below vibrated uncontrollably, and the rusted sword fragments among the corpses in the mountains shook.
The wolf demon, terrified, gathered its demonic power and quickly erected a shield as it shrank back in silence.
"This cultivator indeed has some treasure!" it muttered softly and fearfully.
With the mere draw of the Qingche Sword, Li Tongya had managed to halt the two beams of green light. The sword arc from the Celestial Moon Slash shone brightly, clashing with a loud clang, knocking the beams askew and back to the ground where they dissipated into green sparks.
"Awoo...!"
The wolf demon's green light, a power it nurtured daily, was far superior to the two serpent dragons Li Tongya summoned with his Boundless Ocean . The broken spell caused the demon to spit out blood, staining the ground a bright crimson. Its demonic qi fluctuated wildly, clearly indicating severe injury.
Li Tongya twirled his sword, not giving the wolf demon a chance to catch its breath. The sword's glow split into three beams of white light this time.
"Threefold Moonlight!"