Chapter 667: How Strong Can a Newcomer Be?
The coiling Yin Qi on his body dispersed, and the chilling sensation vanished. The Ox Demon immediately felt refreshed.
“Damn it! A sneak attack! How utterly shameless! ”
After steadying himself, the Ox Demon immediately began to curse vehemently at the torn opening in the barrier.
Under his gaze, two figures emerged one after another from the ripped opening in the barrier. These two were naturally Yang Haoran and Bai Xue, and the sudden burst of Spirit Power had, of course, originated from Yang Haoran, the Underworld Official.
As the two stepped out from within the barrier, the ripped opening slowly mended. The trembling barrier didn't cease just because the tear was closing, but with the Ox Demon's attacks gone, its shaking wasn't as violent as before, gradually returning to a state of calm.
The Ox Demon’s gaze settled on Yang Haoran, while the Cat Demon’s attention fixed on Bai Xue.
“Hmph, so you *were* hiding here. It seems the intelligence we gathered was accurate. ”
The Cat Demon let out a cold snort, then spoke in a deep voice, his tone laced with malice. As his words trailed off, he redirected his gaze to Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran's smile remained fixed, utterly unaffected by the Cat Demon's words.
“From your words, it seems you hold a considerable prejudice against demons. Have you forgotten that you, yourself, are a demon? However, there’s one point I absolutely must correct you on: I am not entangled with demons; I am involved with the Spirit Police. As an Emissary of Death of the Underworld Office, what exactly is wrong with me growing closer to the Spirit Police? ”
Yang Haoran’s calm composure unsettled the Cat Demon greatly. And Yang Haoran’s words at that moment left him with a feeling akin to punching cotton – he knew perfectly well Yang Haoran was twisting logic, yet he found himself utterly unable to refute it.
The feeling Yang Haoran gave him at that moment was as if he had them utterly cornered; how could he possibly feel at ease?
“You seem awfully confident. If you're so self-assured, why were you hiding within the barrier like a cowardly turtle just now, not daring to emerge? ”
No sooner had the Cat Demon’s words fallen than the Ox Demon instantly chimed in.
“Not just a cowardly turtle, but a despicable scoundrel! A dignified Emissary of Death of the Underworld Office, resorting to such shameless sneak attacks – you’ve truly disgraced your entire Underworld Office! ”
Standing outside the barrier, it was impossible to clearly perceive the true situation within, nor could one sense any power fluctuations. Thus, when Yang Haoran and Bai Xue approached the villa’s main entrance, the burly Ox Demon had no idea of their arrival, which led him to definitively declare Yang Haoran’s action a sneak attack.
Yang Haoran had no intention of explaining himself. With a smile still gracing his face, he exchanged a knowing glance with Bai Xue beside him. She understood, and with a wave of her hand, a surge of Demon Power whistled forth, shooting directly towards the burly Ox Demon.
Yang Haoran followed immediately, launching an assault on the Cat Demon.
The sudden, successive attacks from the two caused both the Cat Demon and Ox Demon’s expressions to change simultaneously. Though inwardly enraged, their reactions were swift. They immediately deployed their respective techniques to counter Yang Haoran and Bai Xue’s assault.
The two sides instantly plunged into fierce combat. For a moment, Yin Qi surged into the air, demonic winds howled, and torrents of Demon Power collided violently with each other, and with Spirit Power, shaking the very earth.
Both sides’ attack speed was blistering, and their assault power was equally ferocious. In mere moments, they had already exchanged dozens of blows. The surrounding trees were snapped clean off, the ground became pockmarked with craters, and the combatants ascended from the earth to the sky.
The barrier unleashed by the Mountain River Grand Array had remained unconcealed the entire time. No longer subjected to the Ox Demon’s direct assault, the barrier had initially begun to stabilize. However, the residual shockwaves from the fierce battle between the two sides continuously slammed into it, causing the barrier to tremble violently once more, preventing it from cloaking itself.
Nevertheless, as long as the barrier remained intact, the people and structures within it were safe.
Inside the barrier, Feng Xiao was somewhat afraid, her expression filled with apprehension. Though a Pharmacist and quite proficient in alchemy, her courage was genuinely lacking. Watching Bai Xue and Yang Haoran fiercely battle two powerful demons outside the barrier, she felt profound worry, fearing that the two might not be a match for their opponents.
At the same time, seeing the barrier constantly trembling under the residual shockwaves of the battle, she also worried that it might not hold up and suddenly shatter. Should that happen, they would lose a crucial protective barrier.
Xiaokang’s reaction, in stark contrast to Feng Xiao’s, was one of pure excitement. Watching Yang Haoran and Bai Xue locked in fierce combat with their opponents outside the barrier, he was visibly thrilled. If Xiujuan hadn’t been constantly keeping an eye on him, he likely wouldn’t have stayed here obediently.
Xiujuan’s reaction differed from both. She remained expressionless, simultaneously observing the battle outside the barrier and keeping watch over Xiaokang.
Since Yang Haoran had instructed her to remain there, she would not disobey his command to do anything else. Yet, it wasn’t difficult to discern from her eyes that she still harbored some concern for the safety of both Yang Haoran and Bai Xue.
Outside the barrier, the Ox Demon held no advantage against Bai Xue. Inferior to her in both speed and strength, he remained constantly at a disadvantage, largely passive.
In his fury, the Ox Demon transformed into a bull-headed, human-bodied monster. While this half-demon, half-human form wasn't his true body, in this state, his strength was considerably greater than before.
But he soon discovered that even in this form, he could only suppress Bai Xue; to actually kill her was simply impossible. So, he decisively reverted to his true form, transforming into a massive yellow ox, intending to use his strongest state to overpower Bai Xue.
After the Ox Demon reverted to his true form, his strength surged. Seeing this, Bai Xue didn't hesitate either, reverting to her own true form, transforming into a white snake as thick as a water bucket.
With their true forms revealed, the snake and the ox collided in the air. Their battle shifted from a clash of Demon Powers to a raw, physical struggle. Each collision produced a deafening roar.
Concurrently, the Cat Demon also decisively reverted to his true form. Although he hadn't been fighting Yang Haoran for long, in this brief period, he realized that defeating Yang Haoran wasn't as simple as he had imagined.
His primary purpose in bringing the Ox Demon today was, first and foremost, to exact revenge for that day. If Yang Haoran hadn’t intervened, he was confident he could have captured Bai Xue and devoured all the Spirit Police. But Yang Haoran’s sudden appearance not only ruined that entire plan but also forced both him and the Ox Demon to flee in disarray. Therefore, he *had* to kill Yang Haoran to finally quell the hatred festering in his heart.
Beyond that, Bai Xue was equally his target, for she, too, was a powerful demon. If he killed Bai Xue, extracted her Demon Pill, and absorbed it, his strength would receive a massive boost.
From the intelligence he had gathered, he knew Bai Xue lived here. For him, this was perfect; he could take care of both of them at once, killing two birds with one stone.
He had already witnessed Bai Xue’s strength that day; he was confident he could kill her.
As for Yang Haoran’s true strength, he hadn’t known before. However, after obtaining the information he sought, he had unilaterally formed a rough estimation of Yang Haoran’s capabilities.
Based on the information he had gathered, Yang Haoran hadn’t been an Emissary of Death for long; he was merely a newcomer to the Underworld Office. Such a newcomer couldn’t possibly be very strong.
In his estimation, to deal with a newcomer like Yang Haoran, let alone him, even the great yellow ox had the capability to finish him off. It was precisely due to this calculation that he dared to come here with the yellow ox.
However, now that they were engaged in battle, he found Yang Haoran’s strength to be somewhat greater than he had imagined. While he was slightly surprised, it was merely surprise; he didn’t believe Yang Haoran’s strength actually surpassed his own.
Seeing the Ox Demon overwhelmed by Bai Xue, the Cat Demon wasn't surprised at all. He had fought Bai Xue before and knew her strength, just as he knew the Ox Demon’s strength like the back of his hand. So, the Ox Demon being outmatched by Bai Xue was precisely within his expectations. What he needed to do was to eliminate Yang Haoran before Bai Xue could finish off the Ox Demon. Then, he would team up with the Ox Demon to deal with Bai Xue, ensuring Bai Xue’s complete demise within moments and achieving the purpose of their journey.
To swiftly eliminate Yang Haoran, the Cat Demon decisively reverted to his true form, intending to use his most powerful state against him. After his transformation, he was confident he could send Yang Haoran to meet the Death God, revered by the Underworld Office, within a short span of time.
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