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Chapter 456: Papa Has Leveled Up

A surge of black qi erupted instantly.

Fear began to creep into Tang Shi's eyes, but before it could take hold, Ji Lingyu suddenly burst apart, morphing into a blood-colored crow that crashed onto the ground. It was a Nightmare Beast in disguise!

"So it was a fake," Tang Shi breathed a sigh of relief.

"These Nightmare Beasts can mimic people from our memories," Chu Liang explained, showing off the brick in his hand. "But they can only copy the form, not the essence. With my Demon-Revealing Brick, their true form will be revealed."

"That's impressive," Tang Shi remarked, eyeing the brick with curiosity. Suddenly, a faint throb pulsed at the back of her head. She muttered in confusion, "Why do I feel like I've been hit by that brick before..."

"Maybe you dreamt about it," Chu Liang quickly stowed away the golden brick and nudged her forward. "No time to waste. Let's go."

Tang Shi only remembered a Nightmare Specter invading her dreams before Chu Liang woke her up. As for how he had done it, she couldn't recall, and Chu Liang saw no reason to tell her he had knocked her out cold.

Just think of that night as nothing but a dream.

The cave was a winding labyrinth, dimly lit and full of twisting paths that slowed their progress. Not long after they ventured further, a figure suddenly darted out from the side.

"Brother Chu! Junior Sister!"

It was Yun Chaoxian.

Bam!

Without a second glance, Chu Liang swung his brick mercilessly. The strike was so fierce that Tang Shi's eyelids twitched. If that had been the real Yun Chaoxian, it would have left him in serious pain.

"You two..." They hadn't gone much farther when Yan Qihu suddenly appeared.

"Heheheh..." Lin Bei sprang out next.

Without blinking an eye, Chu Liang lifted his brick and knocked down more than ten Nightmare Beasts along the way.

"Chu Liang?" A voice called out as Jiang Yuebai stepped into view from a side path.

Dressed in white, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Huh?" Chu Liang hesitated, his hand pausing mid-swing. "I think I need to take a closer look at this one."

"Even I can tell this one's a fake!" Tang Shi shouted from the side, unable to hold back.

"One must act with caution," Chu Liang replied.

You weren't this cautious when you were smashing your way through the monsters... The young lady's eyes were filled with doubt.

In the end, Chu Liang brought the golden brick down, knocking the fake Jiang Yuebai out cold.

The blood crows they encountered along the way wielded formidable illusionary powers. Without the jade pendant given to them by the Noble One to protect their divine souls and minds from these illusions, they might have easily fallen into the trap.

After some time, the two finally reached the end of the cave. Sitting there, cross-legged, was a massive demonic creature.

It wore bronze armor, its body cloaked in jet-black feathers. Behind it, a pair of enormous blood-red wings stretched outward. Its head was that of a giant bird, its eyes gleaming with an eerie intelligence.

This had to be the leader of the blood crows they had faced earlier.

Behind the creature loomed a pitch-black gate, leading to an unknown destination. This was likely the gateway to the Nightmare Demon King's dream world, just as the Noble One had described.

As Chu Liang and Tang Shi approached, the creature slowly opened its eyes.

"I am the Commander of the Blood Crows, a loyal servant of the Nightmare Demon King. You dare defy the Demon King's authority? Your fate is to be eternally trapped in nightmares." The Blood Crow Commander's voice boomed through the cave, though its beak remained still.

Sensing its aura, Chu Liang could feel the oppressive power of a sixth-realm demonic beast. He knew that fighting this blood crow wouldn't be easy.

"Such a mighty blood crow," Chu Liang muttered.

With a quiet breath, Chu Liang called out the Dustless Sword and wore the Inferno Devil Armor.

The gate was right in front of them. All they had to do was take down this blood crow—there was nothing more to say.

Boom—

The fight commenced in a flash as Chu Liang charged ahead. In the blink of an eye, both the Divine Dragon Fire and blood flames surged into the air. His aura stood strong, not the least bit inferior to that of the Blood Crow Commander!

The Blood Crow Commander spread its wings wide, releasing a massive flock of blood crows from its back that swarmed toward Chu Liang and Tang Shi like a dark cloud.

However, they were instantly incinerated by his Divine Dragon Fire.

Boom!

Tang Shi followed closely behind, her spear thrusting forward with deadly precision. Her Vajra blood ignited, instantly putting her into a fierce state.

Splat, splat—

But as the two closed in, a faint stream of blood and qi started to ooze from their bodies, drifting toward the Blood Crow Commander. And it didn't stop—it flowed endlessly!

The commander raised an ancient bronze pike in its claws and struck fiercely at Chu Liang!

Clang—

Chu Liang brought up his sword to block, successfully deflecting the blow. Yet, even as he did, more of his blood and qi seeped from him. The Divine Dragon Fire around him flickered, its strength visibly waning.

Meanwhile, the swirling mass of blood crows around the Commander grew larger!

"Something's not right..." Chu Liang flipped backward, retreating as he shouted, "It's absorbing our blood and qi!"

Tang Shi found herself in the same predicament. Although she was powerful, charging forward to reach the Blood Crow Commander, she was quickly surrounded by a swarm of blood crows. The harder she struck with her spear, the more the blood and qi leaked from her body!

When her spear struck the Blood Crow Commander, piercing through its bronze armor and leaving a deep gash, the wound sealed up almost instantly.

It was continuously absorbing their blood and qi to heal itself.

If they continued fighting, they would be killing themselves.

"Retreat!" Chu Liang shouted, leaping backward to create some distance.

Tang Shi obeyed instantly, pulling back in a swift motion.

The Blood Crow Commander made a move to pursue, but in a flash, Tang Shi twisted mid-air, delivering a back-thrust with her spear that drove straight through its chest!

Boom—

The Commander recoiled in shock, and a swarm of blood crows swarmed in to separate it from Tang Shi.

The muscular girl, her veins bulging like coiled dragons, seized the opportunity and leaped out.

Seeing they had gained some distance, Chu Liang summoned the Dustless Sword.

"Heaven-Raising Sword!" he shouted, attacking from afar.

Boom—

A massive sword light filled the cave's depths, slicing straight toward the Blood Crow Commander!

"Caw, caw, caw—" It summoned an endless swarm of blood crows to block the attack, intercepting the sword light completely. Though the crows were obliterated, they were nothing more than expendable creations.

As the dust settled, the two figures at the cave entrance had already disappeared.

...

Chu Liang and Tang Shi retreated to the midsection of the cave, finding a secluded spot to plan their next move.

"That Blood Crow Commander is unbelievably strong," Tang Shi muttered, her small brows knitting together.

"It's not just a sixth-realm demonic beast. It absorbs our blood and qi whenever we get close," Chu Liang replied. "Fighting it up close is out of the question. We need to attack from a distance."

"But..." Tang Shi hesitated. "If we can't fight up close, I won't be of much use."

"That's fine," Chu Liang reassured her. "I'll take it one-on-one."

"But the power of your immortal arts didn't seem to hurt it earlier. Are you sure this is doable?" Tang Shi's concern was evident. "Shouldn't we fall back and rethink our approach?"

"No," Chu Liang said firmly, gritting his teeth. "As the saying goes, there's only been one path up Mount Hua since ancient times. We've come this far. If we don't break through today... who knows how much stronger that Nightmare Beast will become next time?"

As he spoke, he pulled out a jade box from his robe, opening it to reveal a glowing, golden fruit. It was clearly a spirit fruit, though Tang Shi couldn't quite identify which kind.

"What... What are you planning to do?" Tang Shi asked, eyes widening in confusion.

"To defeat it, I have to break through to the fifth realm," Chu Liang replied calmly.

"Huh?" Tang Shi was stunned by his words, feeling that something was off.

Sure, everyone knew that breaking through to the fifth realm would make someone stronger. But why did he make it sound as easy as drinking soup? Countless people spend their entire lives striving to reach that level, yet here he was, acting like all it took was declaring it.

Shouldn't he at least consider what reaching the fifth realm truly entails before making such a bold statement?

In fact, Chu Liang actually could.

He had already reached the pinnacle of the fourth realm. With enough treasures of nature, he could easily achieve a breakthrough. He had stayed at this level only to solidify his foundation.

But now, it seemed he had no choice. Facing this demonic beast required a boost in combat strength.

The Phoenix Sheep's Fruit of Life had been prepared for a long time. While refining it into a pill would have yielded greater effects, there was no time for that now. A simpler, riskier approach would have to do.

Chu Liang opened his mouth, swallowed the glowing fruit, then sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, focusing on refining its power.

"That's it?" Tang Shi blinked in shock. "This is too..."

Too reckless, isn't it? she completed the sentence inwardly.

Even for martial artists, who had an easier time with breakthroughs, it was never this easy!

You didn't even wash the fruit!!! Can you really achieve a breakthrough? Tang Shi thought.

She started feeling more and more worried, but before she could voice her concerns, Chu Liang had opened his eyes and said with a smile, "It is finished."

"Huh?" Tang Shi asked confusedly, looking as if she had question marks popping up over her head.

So, cultivators could achieve breakthroughs even more easily than martial artists? Tang Shi muttered to herself. She felt as if her understanding of the world had been shaken.

If Chu Liang hadn't already started striding confidently toward the depths of the cave, she might have thought he was just messing with her.

In the blink of an eye, Chu Liang stood once more at the entrance of the Blood Crow Commander's cave.

"You dare return..." The Blood Crow Commander's voice echoed, now tinged with fury.

It had taken a significant hit from Tang Shi earlier, and recovering from the wound took it some effort and time.

It was even angrier that it actually let these two pests escape.

And now, they had the audacity to come back.

"We haven't simply returned; we've returned to end you," Chu Liang declared, summoning the Dustless Sword. He formed a seal with his hands, lifting them toward the sky.

"Foolish delusions!" the Blood Crow Commander roared.

Through the fight earlier, it had gauged their strength. This time, it was confident it could finish them off!

But something felt off.

Chu Liang's flying sword shot into the air, instantly transforming into tens of thousands of blazing sword lights, sweeping across the sky in a brilliant display of flames.

Back then, he had relied on the Crimson Executioner Sword to perform the Ten Thousand Swords Seal—a technique far beyond his level at the time. But now, he had grown strong enough to wield it on his own.

If the Crimson Executioner could see this, would it feel a sense of pride and relief?

Boom—

The myriad swords filled the sky, exploding with thunderous force!

Relying solely on his own power, Chu Liang now wielded the Ten Thousand Swords Seal with far greater mastery. He even executed the Talismanic Sword Seal at the same time.

This was the power of the combination of the Ten Thousand Swords Seal, Myriad Talismanic Sword as well as the Divine Dragon Fire!

Rumble—

A fiery storm swirled like heavenly flames descending. The Blood Crow Commander summoned a massive flock of blood crows, forming a black cloud to intercept the attack.

Yet, upon contact, the crows were instantly engulfed and dissolved, unable to withstand the assault.

They disintegrated on impact.

Now that he had reached the fifth realm, the capacity of his Sea of Qi had expanded, and the quality of his foundational qi had greatly improved.

With the duality of Geng Metal qi, the piercing power of his sword light had now ascended to an entirely new level.

It was truly indestructible!

Combined with the Divine Dragon Fire, which naturally countered the crow swarm, the relentless barrage of fiery swords pierced through the Blood Crow Commander's true body in an instant.

The flames cast an eerie glow on Tang Shi's face, her eyes widening in sheer disbelief.

This is... too powerful, she thought.

Before this, the strongest person she had seen among the younger generation was her Eldest Senior Brother, Ren Hongdao. But now, looking at the Myriad Talismanic Sword Seal before her, she doubted even he could withstand it.

She was doubtful.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" The Blood Crow Commander was equally shocked. As the ten thousand beams of swordlights struck, it let out a desperate caw, "Why... why has your strength suddenly increased so much?!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions erupted from its body. Blood-red light and flames burst forth, leaving nothing but a heap of dust on the ground.

"The great Nightmare Demon King will not spare you! The day the Demon King awakens will be the day of your demise—"

Its voice continued to echo through the empty cave.

To its final question, Chu Liang could only respond silently in his heart.

Didn't see that coming, did you? Papa has leveled up.