Chapter 125: Fight
Just then, Xiaoshan’s body suddenly arched upward violently as the halberd lying nearby flew straight back into his grasp without warning.
The moment his fingers closed around it, black and red patterns erupted across his entire body, swallowing his skin completely as his appearance changed at a terrifying pace.
His massive frame began shrinking rapidly, muscles compressing and stabilizing until his body settled at nearly seven feet tall, far smaller than before yet carrying a far denser pressure.
At the same time, countless materials burst out from the shattered surroundings and merged directly into the halberd, refining themselves into it as if drawn by an irresistible force.
Then suddenly, the barrier surrounding the arena exploded outward.
A massive pressure descended from Xiaoshan’s body the instant his feet touched the ground, crushing everything nearby as the arena shattered apart piece by piece.
The stone beneath him collapsed into rubble while cracks spread across the entire platform like spiderwebs unable to withstand the force.
Xiaoshan slowly stood upright, yet when he spoke, a completely different voice rang out from his mouth, deep and ancient, carrying clear arrogance within it.
"Indeed... my choice was correct, I never expected this physique to be so suitable," it said slowly, its gaze lifting upward with madness and hatred flickering within its eyes.
"Fang Yuan... I am coming back for what you took from me," it continued, and in the next instant its hand clenched slightly as the entire platform trembled violently beneath the pressure.
Hearing that voice, Lin Xiao Tian’s expression changed instantly as he looked toward Xiaoshan without hesitation and activated the system again.
For a brief moment, his face remained tense, but the moment the result appeared, some color finally returned to it.
Name: Ciao Xiaoshan
Age: 19
Physique: Hidden, partially unlocked
Status: Under demonic infiltration, being possessed.
The next instant, the figure turned slowly toward the gathered disciples, a cruel smile forming on its face as killing intent spread outward once again.
"Time to deal with a few insects first," it said lightly, and the moment the words fell, its body moved so fast that it seemed to vanish completely.
In the very next instant, it appeared directly behind Ji Wuchen, the halberd already descending toward his back with terrifying force.
Yet Ji Wuchen had clearly been prepared, because the moment the strike came, his spear snapped backward instantly and deflected the attack away before it could land.
But the second the weapons collided, Ji Wuchen’s expression changed.
The section of the spear that had touched the halberd began melting rapidly, black corrosion spreading across the metal as if it were being devoured alive.
The weapon twisted and softened within moments, forcing Ji Wuchen to throw it aside immediately before the corruption reached his hands.
Seeing that reaction, the demon laughed sharply, its voice filled with mockery as its body flickered away once again without pause.
This time it appeared behind Yan Feng, the halberd sweeping toward him before anyone could properly react.
Yet just as the strike was about to land, the figure’s body suddenly lurched backward violently, its movement interrupted as a sword pierced directly through its torso from behind.
The attack was sudden and clean, forcing it to step back at once as dark smoke leaked from the wound.
Seeing this, the demon cursed immediately, its expression darkening as it glared toward the body "That puny bastard is still in there," it spat coldly.
It grabbed the sword embedded in its torso and pulled it out forcefully before throwing it aside, its gaze lowering cautiously toward its own body for the first time since taking control.
The earlier arrogance faded slightly as it sensed the resistance growing more troublesome than expected.
Then in the next moment, it vanished again as its figure flickered across the shattered battlefield repeatedly as it launched itself toward the others, the halberd tearing through the air while the pressure surrounding it continued rising without pause.
The shattered platform descended into complete chaos the moment the demon moved again, its figure flickering across the battlefield so quickly that only brief afterimages remained behind.
The blackened halberd swept through the air with terrifying force as it appeared directly beside one of Ji Wuchen’s subordinates and cut him apart before anyone could react properly.
Blood sprayed across the broken ground as the upper half of the man’s body slid away, yet the demon did not even pause to look at the corpse.
In the next instant, it vanished again and reappeared above another disciple, bringing the halberd down violently enough to crush both the man and the stone platform beneath him together.
"Scatter!" Ji Wuchen roared as he forced himself back onto his feet, grabbing another spear from the ground before charging again despite the blood still staining his robes.
The demon laughed sharply and swung the halberd sideways the moment Ji Wuchen approached, forcing him to block head-on.
The impact exploded outward instantly as Ji Wuchen was thrown backward across the rubble, his hands splitting open from the force while the spear shaft cracked loudly.
Before the demon could continue pressing forward, Yan Feng’s swords descended from above in silver streaks aimed directly toward its head and joints.
The demon twisted sharply to avoid the first few strikes, yet one sword still pierced through its shoulder before being ripped free again.
"Tch... annoying little sword insect," it growled before vanishing once more.
This time it appeared directly behind one of Ji Wuchen’s remaining followers and drove the halberd straight through the man’s back before lifting him into the air.
The disciple screamed only once before the weapon tore upward and split his body open completely. Seeing this, several disciples lost composure entirely and began retreating toward the outer edges in panic.
Just then, the fatty prince suddenly stumbled forward and hurriedly pulled something out from his storage ring, his trembling hands nearly dropping it in panic as the demon approached once again.
"T-take this then, you ugly monster," he shouted before throwing the object directly toward the demon with all his strength.
The moment it left his hand, the strange object suddenly shifted direction mid-air and locked onto the demon as if it had gained awareness.
Even when the demon moved sideways to avoid it, the thing followed instantly, clinging tightly onto its arm before it could shake it away.
The demon’s expression changed slightly for the first time.
Then it detonated and a violent explosion erupted at point-blank range, tearing apart the demon’s arm and half its torso instantly as black flesh and dark smoke exploded across the battlefield.
The shockwave blasted nearby rubble apart while the remaining disciples hurriedly retreated from the impact.
For a brief moment, even the battlefield went silent as the demon looked down at its destroyed body with visible surprise, dark energy leaking out from the shattered remains as the missing flesh rapidly began regenerating.
Within only a few breaths, the torn arm and torso reconstructed completely, as if the earlier explosion had done nothing permanent at all.
Then it laughed "Interesting toy you have there, fat bastard," it said while flexing its restored hand slowly, its eyes now carrying clear interest as it looked toward the trembling disciple.
The fatty prince’s face instantly turned pale seeing the demon’s gaze land on him directly, and he hurriedly hid behind Lin Xiao Tian without even pretending otherwise.
"Master... I suddenly feel that peace and kindness are more important than fighting," he muttered weakly while clutching his storage ring tightly.
Miao Han, Yan Feng, and Li Qingyuan attacked together from three directions at once, their blades cutting through the shattered battlefield in perfect coordination as they tried forcing the demon into a corner.
Yet every strike missed by inches as the figure twisted and vanished repeatedly, moving through their attacks like a ghost slipping between cracks.
Then suddenly it disappeared completely and in the next instant, it appeared directly behind Lin Xiao Tian, the corrupted halberd already thrusting toward his back and the unconscious Miao-Miao leaning against him.
Seeing this, Tianhe moved instantly, his kick crashing into the demon hard enough to distort the air itself, yet the figure ignored it completely as the halberd continued forward.
For a second, everything fell completely silent, and then a sharp scream suddenly rang across the battlefield.
"Senior Brother Ciao... no!" The shout was followed immediately by the sickening sound of flesh being pierced as the halberd drove cleanly through its target.
The entire battlefield froze as every gaze turned toward the scene at once, shock spreading across every face as they saw what had happened.
Instead of Lin Xiao Tian or the unconscious Miao-Miao, Bai Xue lay pinned against the shattered ground, the Halberd lodged straight through her body while blood rapidly stained her once pristine white dress.
She had watched the demon’s movements through the entire battle without missing a moment, and the instant it moved toward Lin Xiao Tian, she had rushed forward without hesitation and thrown herself directly into the attack.
Seeing this, Lin Xiao Tian’s eyes widened instantly, the calm expression he had maintained throughout the battle finally breaking apart as all color drained from his face.
