Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1420: 762: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind (Part 2)

“Yun Qing Cave Heaven?! Exactly as I anticipated!!” Zhao Sheng's eyes flickered intensely when he heard those words, silently musing to himself.

Hmm?

Right then, his gaze fell on that compassionate countenance, and he abruptly knitted his brows.

Within those eyes emitting divine rays, a faint ominous shadow seemed to flicker.

Before any alert could escape his lips, the vibrant orb of light abruptly dimmed entirely before scattering apart.

The pyramid from before vanished without a trace, replaced by a colossal figure of light, towering hundreds of meters high, bearing a serene and benevolent expression, clad in flowing daoist robes and cloud-patterned boots, garments billowing gently, radiating an otherworldly immortal presence.

Amid the blinding glow, Xue Susu hung suspended in the light figure's chest area, with a partial corpse positioned below her, etched in countless dark lines weaving an intricate arcane design.

“That is…”

Wu Yue shuddered violently at the sight of that partial corpse, his features twisting into a mix of astonishment and joy.

Meanwhile, Zhao Sheng's expression shifted subtly; he abruptly glanced skyward, where the expansive celestial dome turned sheer and lucid, the void thinning like fragile glass, unveiling a glimpse of an immense “world” from some distant realm, descending gradually…

In that instant, time appeared to freeze, while paradoxically racing ahead!

Shock filled Zhao Sheng's eyes, as if he witnessed a beam of pristine radiance plummeting from an enigmatic abyss, resembling a “meteor” trailing flames, breaching layers of emptiness to enter the current world's heavens.

A sudden dash of azure streaming light arrived from the distant horizon, flickered briefly, and merged into the corpse's skull, vanishing in a blink.

At once, the realm quaked fiercely, and a divine colossal form materialized over Demon Rising Island, unleashing a fearsome pressure that subdued the skies and earth, instantly locking the world in “stasis”.

This massive entity proved to be a crimson-eyed burly giant with thick locks and a visage like the Thunder God, apparently a morphed ape fiend, yet truly the savage Po Tao Demon Emperor of the Demon Clan.

“Hoo～～Finally… Finally, this emperor has awaited this instant!” The Po Tao Demon Emperor glared down at Zhao Sheng and the pair below, his savage features splitting into a savage smile as he bellowed fiercely.

Even as his declaration trailed off, an infinite vortex-like demonic radiance erupted from his form, the most malevolent demonic glow that swiftly turned half of Dome Sea Star into “Dark Demon Land”.

Beneath the encroaching gloom, Zhao Sheng and Wu Yue each summoned a protective magical realm to fend off the advancing shadows. Xue Susu remained concealed within the light figure's form, eyes shut, while the pristine radiance from the light figure effortlessly dispelled the encroaching dark demonic rays.

“We're doomed, we're finished!” Wu Yue dripped sweat profusely, hastily transmitting to Zhao Sheng, his voice laced with terror!

“Taoist friend, stay calm, hurry and take cover behind Mr. Xue—remember the demon-slaying sword spirit.”

With Zhao Sheng's prompt, Wu Yue snapped to awareness, his body blurring as he darted behind the “light figure” and linked up with Zhao Sheng, who was already positioned there.

At that juncture, the Po Tao Demon Emperor utterly disregarded the pair of “insignificant pests”, his stare locked solely on the partial corpse inside the light figure.

He eyed the Great Venerable's remains with blazing intensity, as though beholding a priceless gem.

Behind the light figure's Dharma Image, Zhao Sheng's eyes wavered faintly, fully geared for flight.

“…Even now, no trump card shown? Have Wu Yue and I turned into disposable pieces?” Zhao Sheng mulled inwardly, his sight darting between the “light figure” and the demon emperor, covertly speculating on who might strike first!

Beside him, Wu Yue abruptly lifted his gaze to the Great Venerable's remains, eyes gleaming with avarice.

Witnessing this, Zhao Sheng could only shake his head in quiet dismay.

Right then, the Po Tao Demon Emperor appeared to lose all patience, erupting in a furious roar: “Human Clan vermin, this emperor shows mercy—choose: submit to me, or… perish!”

Yet prior to completing his threat, Xue Susu erupted in a vast blaze of nine-colored flames, the colossal light figure likewise bursting into raging fires.

Her eyes flew open, staring coldly as she swept her right hand, unleashing a torrent of nine-colored divine flames that coalesced into a massive celestial palm, slamming toward the Po Tao Demon Emperor, an inconceivable “searing blaze” sweeping through heavens and earth.

The Po Tao Demon Emperor lifted one hand, and the “dark demonic light” blanketing half of Dome Sea Star abruptly gathered in his grasp, morphing into a gigantic cranium, hurled at the nine-colored colossal palm; it whirled at high speed, the skull ballooning thousands of fold in moments, smashing ferociously against the palm.

Rumble!

The oceans surged back, the ground split and crumbled, the void ripped a horrifying “gash” spanning hundreds of miles wide, and a temporal-spatial tempest raged forth, only to be quelled into “stillness” by the two overwhelming presences.

Xue Susu had single-handedly repelled the Cave Void Demon Emperor's utmost assault.

This staggering spectacle stunned Wu Yue speechless.

Zhao Sheng too felt profound inner surprise.

While the duo reeled in their respective shocks, a voice abruptly resonated in their thoughts: “Hold on briefly, I'll strive to bind the Demon Emperor. Seize any opening to flee from here at once!”

Zhao Sheng jolted at the words, a foreboding chill gripping his core.

Ere he could reply, a verdant streaming light lanced out and fused into his frame, fading instantly.

On the opposite side, Wu Yue was similarly unprepared and got hit by a verdant streaming light.

Xue Susu cried out, and the light figure's dharma image encasing her swelled immeasurably, becoming a sky-piercing colossus whose form reached the clouds.

This dharma image titan unleashed a nine-colored realm, rapidly enshrouding over half of the Red Star, clashing savagely with the Demon Emperor's realm.

The skies and earth, along with every scrap of space, seemed to “ignite,” bursting with brilliant, flashing luminous arcs. The essences of two Dao Laws intertwined in brutal combat, locked in a vehement clash at the grand Tao's tier.

Mortal vital energy and vicious demonic essence collided and vaporized explosively. Thunders, shrieks, and myriad vibrations merged in a flash, as if Dome Sea Star confronted apocalypse.

Drawing on the Great Venerable's relic's might, Xue Susu held a temporary parity against the Po Tao Demon Emperor.

“Hurry, leave!”

As the foes vied in Dao arts, a pressing voice rang in Zhao Sheng's mind anew. Simultaneously, he sensed a vast mana cloaking his form, succeeded by a warp in time-space.

Before him swirled strange gleams, his whole self hurled by alien power, turning into a bolt of lightning, hurtling toward an obscure destination at inconceivable velocity.

Upon spotting the pair cast into the Void Realm, the Po Tao Demon Emperor guffawed maniacally: “Ha, attempting flight? Not so simple! Taotie Demon Sky… activate!”

Scarce had his command ended when a clump of Turbulent Demonic Radiance manifested behind him, this demonic radiance connecting straight to the Second Divine Palace Heaven.

The demonic radiance plunging from the Divine Palace Heaven, upon hitting the Murky Sky, chased the two “verdant gleams” at velocities dwarfing lightning by hundredsfold, swallowing them in an eyeblink.

In that breath, a gore-smeared ashen-white stone blade abruptly appeared in Xue Susu's grip, cleaving afar at the Po Tao Demon Emperor.

In this blink, the Demon-slaying Sword crossed boundless time-space, carving into the clump of Turbulent Demonic Radiance, grievously injuring the entity lurking within in a single blow.

This woman's accuracy and ruthlessness far exceeded the Po Tao Demon Emperor's foresight.

He could never have foreseen that prior maneuvers were all feints, with Zhao Sheng and Wu Yue serving merely as lures, solely to provoke him into unveiling his grotto-heaven and pinpointing his true form.

The Po Tao Demon Emperor's countenance twisted savagely, his demonic radiance thrown into chaos, and the Demon Emperor's realm spanning heavens and earth faltered briefly, permitting the rival's realm to pierce through, plunging him into utter peril, yielding ground relentlessly!

Xue Susu, capitalizing on this fortuitous edge, refrained from pressing the assault, instead abruptly pressing her palms to the remains beneath, and vanished in a shimmer.

“Boom”

Dome Sea Star trembled anew with violence, and the gloom on the verge of rout abruptly surged in power, launching a vicious riposte, reclaiming the bulk of Dome Sea Star forthwith.

Only then did the Po Tao Demon Emperor grasp that a foe had exploited the chaos to flee, his demonic essence seething in wrath.

Furious and deranged, he keenly traced the subtle emanation from the Great Venerable's remains, while directing his scrutiny into the Demon Sky's depths.

Zhao Sheng and Wu Yue, ensnared in the Taotie Demon Sky presently, inevitably became the targets of his ire.