劍問蒼天 - 第166章 赤焰 - 翰墨軒

That youth in the sky showed no expression at all. His gaze swept across the battlefield below, and even as he watched the giant demonic beasts that had once guarded him fall one after another, he seemed unmoved—as though he had long since seen through all such life and death.

A wild wind blew past, and his figure slowly descended from the depths of the black clouds. The roar of ten thousand beasts grew ever more deafening; even beside him, within that pitch-black vapor, fine threads of lightning darted like spirit serpents.

Above the sea of clouds, the people and beasts that had been fighting desperately a moment before all fell still, and could not help but stare up at that uncanny youth in the sky. On his faintly demonic face, within his pupils, there seemed to be two points of light.

At last, the Beast Lord halted in midair, directly above the countless beast-demons. Behind him the vicious beast Taotie, its eyes glaring wide, let out a savage howl toward the direction of Jietian Peak of the righteous path.

"ROAAAR—" Almost at the same instant, as Taotie roared, ten thousand beasts raised their voices in a mighty bellow. The surge of sound came suddenly, yet it was like mountains toppling and seas overturning; for a time the winds and clouds changed color, sand flew and stones ran, and many among the righteous path could not help but stagger back several steps. Amid that sea of roaring, Taotie's body swelled abruptly, and in the blink of an eye it had become a colossal beast, coiling around the Beast Lord. And to either side of them, strange things began to happen as well.

The black clouds in midair suddenly seemed seized by some immense gravitational force; they came rushing in from every direction and gathered above the Beast Lord youth, gradually forming an enormous black wind pillar that spun rapidly, giving off a shrill, piercing sound as it slowly descended from the sky.

The pillar was inconceivably thick; at a rough glance it seemed capable of swallowing all of Jietian Peak. By now the canopy of heaven hung low, the wild wind blew bitter and sharp—a scene of utter ferocity, as if the end of the world stood before one's very eyes, and one could not help but feel despair.

The faces of the righteous path all changed. Such a divine and demonic art was truly unprecedented, unheard of. Though everyone had long expected that this Beast Lord was no ordinary being, none had ever imagined that this demon could possess such supernatural power—and as for that legendary elder of ancient times who was said to have subdued him and imprisoned him for a thousand years in the Ancient Cave of Demon Suppression, one could only wonder what manner of august figure he had been.

Watching the giant wind pillar descend slowly, its black and hideous form gradually revealing itself, an invisible suction began to enfold everyone above the sea of clouds. Many righteous disciples had already begun silently circulating their power to resist. Everyone knew well that if one were drawn into this demonic art, even nine lives would scarcely be enough to come back alive.

Outside the Yuheng Hall, Dao Yan Zhenren and the other two wore grave expressions. Sage Pucheng gazed at the giant wind pillar for a long while, then said in a low voice, "Such demonic arts—truly this old monk has never seen their like in all his years. Senior Brother Dao Yan, I fear the disciples below may not be able to withstand such sorcery. Why don't we—"

Dao Yan Zhenren nodded slowly and said, "What the Sage says is quite right. The principal has already appeared; it is time we also—"