Chapter 698

Chapter 698: The First General

The Wood Demon continued to forge ahead, and Li Hui and his companions quickened their pace.

Ancestor Yan Jiao’s first general was still far away, and they would have to wait a bit longer to get through.

Yuan Ciheng secretly inquired, "Junior Brother, do you have a plan to handle this? I asked Lü Chunyang, and anyone positioned as the first subordinate under Ancestor Yan Jiao could be the sect leader in any sect. He reached the Late Stage of the Traveling Realm a long time ago, and compared to him, we are at an absolute disadvantage in terms of cultivation."

Li Hui couldn’t help but sigh, "Indeed! Reaching the Traveling Realm creates a huge gap; if I struggle against a single Wood Demon, encountering another demon would likely result in ominous signs of falling."

"Don’t worry, Junior Brother! Luo Meini and I will lend our full support!" Yuan Ciheng’s eyes brimmed with determination. In truth, both he and Luo Meini knew that if they faced him directly, they wouldn’t even qualify to serve as his footnote. But at worst, they would fight for their lives, as the junior brother must be protected.

“Thank you, Senior Brother and Senior Sister, for your concern,” Li Hui pondered for a moment before shaking his head, “Such a formidable enemy rarely appears in Wutu. I plan to make some arrangements, and it’s essential to eliminate these obstacles first. Thus collisions are inevitable. If the enemy pursues, I can lure him into the earth’s veins."

“The earth’s veins? Do you intend to use the core protection formation set by our predecessors?” Luo Meini’s eyes lit up.

Li Hui shook his head with a wry smile, “I can traverse the formation easily, but the opponent, as a Late Stage Traveling Realm cultivator, will not lag behind much. While I have gained some insights through fortune and possess other advantages on different continents, here on the Wutu Continent, I’m merely a practitioner just advancing to the late Profound Law Stage. The moment I take that crucial step is when I can reach the Pinnacle and become an ancestor.”

Just as he spoke, the ground ahead suddenly cracked, instantly drawing the Wood Demon away. Li Hui’s expression turned serious as he formed a seal and shouted, “Hurry!”

“Boom, boom…” Dread-inducing sounds came from afar as the Wood Demon, under the control of the Heart Talisman, was giving her all in battle, employing every assassination weapon against the incoming foe.

Within just Ten Moments, the sounds went silent.

Li Hui was taken aback, "Is this over already? Such a troublesome Wood Demon has had its head severed, the magic soul and Legal form crushed, and all its resurrection methods shattered, including the Heart Talisman I implanted.”

“Hahaha, I’ve never liked that woman, the Wood Demon. Since she attacked at my command, going back to face the ancestor gives me an explanation,” the laughter drew nearer, and the cultivators behind Li Hui felt like they were facing an imposing enemy. The faces of ten well-known Late Stage Traveling Realm cultivators changed drastically upon hearing the laughter.

“Pfft, pfft, pfft…” Many cultivators spat blood and hurriedly sat down to heal.

The laughter could injure from a distance; it was clear that the opponent had cultivated terrifying sound attack demonic skills. This first general under Ancestor Yan Jiao was far more terrifying than rumored.

The most potent power of the sound attack struck Li Hui, making his form shatter at once, with a cold snort echoing from afar: “Hmph, the little dog runs fast.”

In an instant, the person chased after him. Li Hui utilized the Ideal Body to morph into an arcane curve, navigating through perilous realms, tilting his head back to gulp down wine.

This wine was no ordinary spiritual wine; it was infused with pure true dragon blood and contained jade pills for enhancing Legal forms. Each gulp felt like his body was tearing apart in agony, and due to the crushed Awakening Grass mixed in, his gaze turned hazy, as if he were about to enter a state of awakening, yet the tearing sensation continually pulled him back from that state, creating a strange and unusual situation.

“Good wine!” Li Hui exclaimed, his face flushed, “Relying on others is inferior to relying on oneself; personal strength is the hard truth. Today, I will elevate my Legal form to the Pinnacle within the same realm.”

Prime Minister Turtle shouted, “Kid, you’re too reckless! Why are you merging so much true dragon blood? And those jade pills, they are from ancient recipes usually reserved for cultivating exceptional heavenly generals to grow three heads and six arms.”

“Hehe, three heads and six arms? I thought the pills from this Green Copper Hall could only nurture the Legal form. Those extra limbs would look too ugly; I, Li Hui, should appear elegant!” Li Hui burped and slipped away, and about half a stick of incense later, he "splooshed" into the underground water vein.

In the moment of falling into the water, Li Hui regained his clarity, and two broken horns sprouted from his forehead.

“Almost there, using this body as a furnace and dragon blood as fuel, I’ll refine the Six Paths Legal form to achieve transformation. Kui is the pinnacle of the Dao; once successful, it won’t be a silver snake, but a rare Kui snake in the world.” Li Hui’s body emitted a resounding crash as it trembled continuously.

“Hahaha, this is easy to find; so, you were here.” The voice of laughter echoed across the void.

The underground water vein suddenly fell silent, and a five or six-year-old boy approached; he was none other than the Sound Demon, the first general beneath Ancestor Yan Jiao.

The boy’s face bore an old air, looking down at Li Hui with disdain! He truly had the qualifications to be arrogant. As a capable subordinate of Ancestor Yan Jiao, the Wood Demon’s techniques fell before him in less than ten Moments.

The combat power of this Sound Demon had already surpassed the limits of Late Stage Traveling Realm cultivators, and against formidable Void Ascension entities, he held his ground, making him one of the strongest demons to arise in Wutu for thousands of years.

In the next moment, a light cold snort cut through the air like a knife toward Li Hui.

“Dong…” A booming sound erupted around Li Hui, as the Human Path Drum shielded him; wishing to solve the leader of the Heavenly Talisman Sect with just a cold snort was pure folly.

“Hmm? It’s tied to fortune, the Human Path journey; is this the ancient Kui Niu Drum from legend?” The Sound Demon revealed delight, his eyes gleaming with greed as he laughed heartily: “Hahaha, indeed, you’ve come across a treasure! You’ve obtained a supreme artifact for sound attacks, but it’s wasted in your hands; you don’t even know how to wield it.”

Li Hui remained submerged in the water, his body trembling violently.

He endured immense pain, each moment bringing forth countless sensations of tearing apart.

At this moment, within Li Hui’s dantian, the Six Paths Legal form began to collapse inward, generating silvery light. Soon, the silver light swirled, morphing into a silver snake, revealing broken horns atop its head, which held the Azure Sky Jade Symbol Sword.

Suddenly, the Sound Demon struck; when high-level experts clash, it happens in an instant.

“Bang…” A loud sound resonated. Under the control of the Sound Demon boy, there should have been a profound silence, yet when he lowered his head, he found his body inexplicably vanished, leaving only his head.

“Roar! What have you done to me?” The Sound Demon howled, desperately searching for his body.

Li Hui struck the Kui Niu Drum while summoning a large seal to firmly suppress the Sound Demon’s head. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he said, “For you, having your head severed is no big deal—it’s merely dividing your soul. I’ve split the timeline into two segments; your body will come back soon.”

As he spoke, he used the Cloud-Brush Dragon Claw Technique to seize the head and departed.

To unleash that earlier sword strike, the silver snake Legal form had used up the ultimate Fortune Ascending Talisman, or else he couldn’t have landed a hit at all.

This truly was a series of twists and turns; Li Hui had yet to settle matters in Wutu and was already faced with so many obstacles, prompting him to reflect on the need to never underestimate the multitude of cultivators. However, this further solidified his resolve to complete his arrangements and advance to the Traveling Realm.