Chapter 696

Chapter 696: The Wood Demon Countered by Gold

Li Hui had now perfected his cultivation in Hongfa. To take the next crucial step into the Traveling Realm, he needed to elevate Mount Tai to the Nine Heavens, enduring the refining of calamity fire and harsh winds. Only when Mount Tai faced the Heavenly Realm and the Demonic Essence World could he possibly take that all-important step forward.

This was a red line that should not be crossed lightly.

Currently, the Wutu Continent had four Mount Tais: Wan Nest Island’s Immortal Mount Tai, the Mount Tai dojo in Daxia, the Yin-Yang Merging Mount Tai near the Giant Armored Tribe, and the fourth Mount Tai close to the Barbarian Nation, held by Lü Chunyang and his divine cultivator friends.

With the accumulation from the silver snake bracelet, Li Hui was almost ready to open the fifth Mount Tai.

Li Hui planned to place this Mount Tai on the Xun Wind Desert, where the Golden Luan Great Thousand Cave was located. After that, the five Mount Tais would rise simultaneously to aid him in entering the Traveling Realm, but he had several arrangements to make first.

These arrangements originated from the Reversed Demon Dragon Horns’ deductions, a path that was not the orthodox route, but to change the future, he had to be daring.

At this moment, the Wood Demon took the lead, green light rising from all directions, quickly forming a forest where all the roots of the trees intertwined, thoroughly blocking the passage. Any cultivators falling down afterward would not be able to pass.

In a daze, it seemed as if the trees came alive, their brows and eyes fixated on Li Hui, their mouths opening to emit inhuman roars. The wood element within the Five Elements exuded immense demonic intent, as moss rapidly grew in the air, forming a Heaven’s Net.

Li Hui’s left cheek turned green, and his palms were covered in moss. The slightest movement caused him great pain as the moss began to erode him, requiring time to clear away.

This Wood Demon had cultivated for countless years, becoming something inhuman or ghostly. However, he was indeed powerful, maintaining peak vigilance against Li Hui, a late-stage cultivator of Hongfa, delivering lethal strikes with each attack.

“Whoosh…” Nine fire dragons swept outward as Li Hui endured the sharp pain, continually waving the Cloud-Brush to clear away the malicious green moss clinging to him.

The surroundings ignited fiercely, yet the shadowy trees seemed to resurrect from the ashes, as if they were infinite, severely restraining the Nine-Colored Divine Fire.

Prime Minister Turtle spoke, “Don’t waste your efforts. The Five Elements interact, and this Wood Demon has reached his peak. Even if you capture him with the Heaven-overturning Seal, as long as there’s even a speck of wood dust nearby, he can shift positions.”

“What if I make him forget?” Li Hui clenched his fists, releasing a thread of calamity power from his fingertips.

“Equally futile. Not to mention that his cultivation exceeds yours, every tree here has growth rings. If you make him forget once, he can remember right away. He’s truly something else,” Prime Minister Turtle stated, showcasing his broad experience and recognizing how formidable the Wood Demon was, emphasizing how dire the situation had become.

Having perfected the wood element to its pinnacle, the Wood Demon held a might that could break myriad laws. Moreover, since the wood element represented vitality and preservation, such an enemy was the hardest to eliminate. Even Li Hui’s Ideal Body was severely affected.

Li Hui’s expression turned serious as more Reversed Demonic Patterns appeared on the dragon horns atop his forehead, transforming him into a true Reversed Demon of notable rank.

“The Five Elements interact; metal overcomes wood, but this is a Wood Demon, so standard metal techniques will be ineffective.”

Under the Wood Demon’s astonished gaze, Li Hui drew forth the Azure Sky Jade Symbol Sword and, with a “clang,” he cut off two segments of his own dragon horns, leaving sharp notches on their tips.

Originally, the dragon horns had grown to a foot long; now, they were only half that, sticking up awkwardly, lacking their previously smooth and rounded appearance.

“Self-slicing your dragon horns?” The Wood Demon stepped back, feeling a pang of fear, secretly thinking, “I’ve met someone fierce today; no wonder this kid has made a name for himself—he’s willing to go to such lengths.”

Li Hui shook his head vigorously to keep himself alert, revealing an eerie smile. “It’s quite difficult to counter your wood, so I have no choice but to do this.”

“Buzz, buzz, buzz…” The Azure Sky Jade Symbol Sword buzzed as it scattered, releasing numerous tiny Azure Sky Rock Worms that began devouring the severed dragon horns.

“Go ahead! Eat the Reversed Demon Dragon Horns and transform immediately…” Li Hui accelerated the flow of time for the Azure Sky Jade Symbol Sword. The Azure Sky Rock Worms, which had begun by devouring Geng Gold, had long since absorbed many rare metals to strengthen themselves, gained numerous demon talismans for cultivation, and been nourished by dragon blood, significantly changing from what they once were.

“Kill!” The Wood Demon roared, and the forest he created uprooted as if it were a rolled-up mat.

“Hahaha, reverse against the reverse, see if your demonic wood is more powerful or my Reversed Gold sword aura is!” Li Hui unleashed a swarm of the rock worms, and to his surprise, they too began sprouting dragon horns, covered in silver Reversed Demonic Patterns, exuding terrifying talisman power and sword aura.

“Since we’re going to kill, let’s do it decisively—Reversed Gold Lumbering!”

At this point, there were as many insect shadows as there were tree shadows, with the insects unleashing their gleaming fangs, gnawing on the demonic wood and munching with satisfying chomps.

The previous Azure Sky Rock Worms had not possessed such strong incisors. Now, they seemed like gluttons, their appetites surprisingly vast.

The Wood Demon let out a furious roar, unleashing all his power, but he realized he was severely restrained by these insects. What shocked him more was that his cultivation, previously at the mid-Traveling Realm, was gradually declining.

Suddenly, the immense tree figure collapsed, revealing a demoness adorned with wooden whiskers.

This demoness was thin and shriveled, her wooden whiskers writhing like slender snakes in the air, emitting a constant sibilant noise.

She was the Wood Demon, and in front of her stood a raging ape towering three zhang high.

“Oh? Not yet transformed into a Demon God? Your timing is not too bad…” Li Hui also released his Legal form, which manifested as a beastly monkey slightly less than two zhang tall, baring its teeth and engaging in battle with the raging ape.

Although Li Hui was not a Traveling Realm cultivator, his Legal form was exceptionally refined; even if it was slightly weaker than the Wood Demon’s, the gap was not significant.

“Damn it!” the demoness hissed, “Entering the Traveling Realm is as easy as flipping a hand for you, and your Legal form even carries a trace of pure Yang energy.”

Li Hui pulled out a talisman, recalling Lü Chunyang’s warning. He knew that the ancient deity, Ancestor Yan Jiao, was very interested in him, and he thought, “After Changsheng Tian’s disappearance, the title of the primary deity on the Wutu Continent fell to Ancestor Yan Jiao, but am I fated to clash with this primary deity? More conflicts are bound to arise.”

With a loud “bang,” both Legal forms retreated at once, causing all the tree and insect shadows to vanish.

Li Hui held the Azure Sky Jade Symbol Sword and looked across to see the Wood Demon wielding two half-moon wooden shields, which combined to perfectly form the Yin-Yang Tai Chi!

“Oh? No wonder you’re so formidable, possessing both Yang Wood and Yin Wood!”

At that moment, the Wood Demon’s figure suddenly vanished, leaving behind the words: “I won’t return until my task is complete. The next time we meet, I will bury you…”

Li Hui chuckled mischievously, muttering to himself, “Next time? How could there possibly be a next time! Come back.”

“Boom!” A massive sound erupted nearby, and almost immediately, the Wood Demon stumbled out of the void, clutching its chest in terror, shouting with a strident voice, “Brat, you dare to deceive me?”

“What’s so surprising? You’re allowed to dive into my belly for tricks, but I’m not allowed to make moves in the shadows? How does it feel? The moment you charged out of my body, I already imprinted a Heart Talisman.” Li Hui formed a seal and declared, “Go now! My demonic puppets, after such a long time, you’ve finally revealed yourself. Your defenses are quite strong!”