I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield Chapter 672 - 497: Devour and Evolve, Tier 8 Demon General (Part 2)

In the very next second, the bodies of the four demons abruptly ceased their movements.

Crack, crack, crack~

Exquisite cracks, resembling a spider web's delicate pattern, began to manifest across the icy armor encasing their forms. Sharply snapping, purplish electrical sparks danced within these fissures.

Following this, with a resounding boom, the ice armor fragmented into countless crystalline shards, scattering outwards in all directions.

Dark and violet demon blood erupted as their massive forms crumbled like shattered glass, exploding mid-air into drifting ashes and torn flesh, cascading down towards the spirit plant jungle below.

Qin Tian's silhouette reappeared a hundred meters above, the purplish electricity adorning the Black Frost Long Saber slowly fading. The blade remained immaculate, devoid of any bloodstains.

On the periphery of the conflict, Dongfang Qi observed this spectacle, his eyes widening with profound astonishment.

He had initially presumed Qin Tian would require significant effort, yet the kill was executed with such swiftness and surgical precision—these were four demons of peak Tier Six. Even he wouldn't have concluded the battle any faster than Qin Tian.

"Qin Tian, from the Seventh Bureau, under Marshal Lin."

Dongfang Qi's gaze seemed to uncover a deeper truth, a hint of sentiment clouding his eyes. It appeared Marshal Lin had nurtured another remarkable prodigy.

"Indeed, it is the power of the Ice God Race."

Qin Tian cast his gaze upon the remnants of the demons. The ice power emanating from the creatures' icy patterns bore a striking resemblance to that of the Ice God Race. This observation led to a singular conclusion: certain demons possessed a mechanism to absorb the power of the Ice God Race, facilitating their evolution.

Once demons acquired control over ice power, the damage inflicted upon them by the Ice God Race would naturally diminish substantially.

What exactly are these entities?

Qin Tian's brow furrowed slightly. Thus far, the demons had exhibited several formidable capabilities, including their tenacity in battle despite inflicted wounds, their ability to retain combat prowess after millennia of dormancy or imprisonment, and this peculiar evolutionary strength.

He momentarily set aside these perplexing thoughts, preparing to plunge his blade once more into the demon ranks. Suddenly, a suffocating aura erupted from the distant sky.

Dark, oppressive demonic qi surged skyward like phantom smoke, reaching relentlessly for the heavens. It was accompanied by an incredibly dreadful chill, so profound it seemed to pierce not merely the skin but the very soul, like sharp needles, threatening to freeze consciousness into fractured ice shards.

Whoosh——

A colossal figure, standing dozens of meters tall, advanced from the depths of the ice abyss. It was a Demon General, distinguished by its double horns, which gleamed with a cold, metallic luster. Its physique was as solid as a mobile mountain of flesh, its bulging muscles causing its black, scaled armor to split open in ghastly fissures.

Its body was adorned with intricate, interwoven patterns. Black demonic markings and ice-blue spiritual patterns coiled around each other, appearing to writhe alive beneath the scales. Its eyes were twin pools of profound darkness; wherever its gaze swept, even the very air seemed to solidify with cold.

"This aura… Tier Eight!" Qin Tian's grip on his saber tightened abruptly, surprise and uncertainty flickering in his eyes.

Since their entry into these ruins, this marked the first appearance of a Tier Eight demon. In contrast, the strongest individual within the Empire's ranks was merely Tier Seven, possessing Eight Stars.

The battlefield descended into a moment of profound silence.

The prodigies of the Golden Clan, who had been engaged in fierce combat moments prior, now wore expressions of shock. Even the Holy Blood geniuses furrowed their brows, their gazes fixed intently on the approaching Demon General as they channeled their spiritual energy to its utmost limit.

"Leave it to me."

At that precise instant, a steady and composed voice resonated through the vast expanse of the sky.

Soon thereafter, a figure resplendent in golden light ascended from the central encampment. The aura of the Golden Sacred Dragon erupted with sudden intensity, and a towering, dragon-shaped silhouette materialized behind him.

It was Ji Taiyan!

Gripping a golden spear, its tip smoldering with radiant dragon flames, his bright yellow battle robes fluttered in the fierce wind. The golden dragon emblem emblazoned on his chest resonated with the spectral dragon silhouette as he charged directly towards the imposing Demon General.

The golden spear met the Demon General's massive claw with a resonant "Clang!" that echoed clearly, causing the very void to hum.

Ji Taiyan executed a somersault, evading another sweeping claw from the Demon General. The dragon flames at his spear tip surged, lashing out towards the demon's knee—the very juncture where the ice armor met its flesh.

The Demon General, despite its seemingly cumbersome appearance, reacted with remarkable swiftness, sweeping its stout leg bone across, suffused with a soul-chilling cold, forcing Ji Taiyan to spiral away.

"Roar!"

The twin horns of the Demon General flared with ice-blue light, unleashing a torrent of pitch-black demon flames that corroded the air, leaving behind blackened marks in their wake.

Ji Taiyan's gaze sharpened, the dragon silhouette materializing behind him let out a mighty roar, its golden scales shimmering as it unfurled its wings, daringly intercepting the encroaching demon flame.

With a searing hiss as the dragon wings met the fire, he expertly flicked his wrist. The spear, like a serpent emerging from its lair, zeroed in on the Demon General's left eye.

This spear thrust was as instantaneous as lightning itself.

A sharp 'pfft' sounded as the dragon spear impaled the demon's eye, eliciting a sky-shattering howl of agony from the Demon General.

By this point, Ji Taiyan had already executed a tactical retreat, observing the enraged demon. A surging Golden Sacred Dragon aura enveloped him, and the dragon silhouette behind him swelled dramatically, expanding from a mere few meters to dozens, its scales catching the daylight in a dazzling display. Its draconic roar reverberated across the frozen expanse, instilling palpable fear even in the distant demonic forces.

Gripping the spear with one hand, its shaft seemed to meld with the dragon silhouette. Radiant dragon flames flowed down the weapon, causing the surrounding snow to instantly vaporize into mist.

"Die!"

With a thunderous shout, Ji Taiyan launched himself, arrow-like, towards the Demon General. The dragon spear trailed a long luminous golden path behind it, subtly distorting the very fabric of space as it cut through the air.

Sensing an imminent mortal danger, the Demon General's icy carapace suddenly tripled in thickness, its ice-blue sigils flickering erratically as it attempted to muster its ultimate defense. However, this time, even before the spear could connect, the dragon flame had already begun to scorch its scales into cinders.

"Boom!"

The dragon spear struck the Demon General's forehead with pinpoint accuracy. The Golden Dragon Flame detonated instantly, surging into the demon's very skull.

The Demon General's ice armor fractured and disintegrated like brittle porcelain, piece by agonizing piece. The pervasive black demonic qi was annihilated by the dragon flame, and with a twist of his wrist, Ji Taiyan rotated the spear shaft, utterly obliterating the demon's head.

The enormous demonic form froze mid-air, the malevolence in its eyes rapidly receding before it plummeted heavily onto the ice field, carving a crater several meters wide.

Qin Tian, observing from below, paused his actions momentarily, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes.

"That must be the legendary royal Holy Blood Martial Technique – the Sacred Dragon Spear Technique.

Its power far surpassed conjecture; it wasn't merely a simple amplification of strength but a profound amalgamation of the Golden Sacred Dragon bloodline with martial arts, elevating Ji Taiyan's Tier Seven, Eight Stars spiritual energy to the Tier Eight level. It even managed to shatter the skull of a Tier Eight Demon General with a single strike.

"Impressive, as one would expect from the renowned Martial Arts genius, the Fifth Prince. Within a few exchanges, he vanquished a Tier Eight powerhouse."

"Rumor has it the prince had already mastered three Holy Blood Martial Techniques by the age of 14, with the Sacred Dragon Spear Technique being his most refined skill, and its magnificence is truly evident now."

"The prince's martial aptitude is entirely on par with His Majesty's during his youth; I believe the next successor..."

"Hush, be careful with your words. Such a discussion is not for us to engage in lightly."

These varied conversations reached Qin Tian's ears, providing him with a deeper understanding of the Fifth Prince, Ji Taiyan.

An exceptionally gifted royal heir, a formidable contender for the throne.

Yet, Qin Tian couldn't help but ponder why such a prodigious talent harbored animosity towards him, an individual he had never even encountered.

Qin Tian's brow furrowed slightly, a shadow of unease creeping into his heart.

Crack, crack, crack

Just as the onlookers believed the most significant threat had been neutralized, the decapitated body of the Demon General within the ice crater began to stir.

Its chest scale armor split open, revealing a swirling abyss, a pitch-black vortex-like hole. The demons engaged in battle below suddenly lost their autonomy, rising involuntarily into the air, transforming into a thick, viscous black sludge, and being voraciously consumed by the black hole.

In mere moments, fleshy buds sprouted from the demon's severed neck, and its bones regenerated with sharp 'cracking' sounds, rapidly forming a head far more grotesque than before, its eyes now glinting with a hint of bloodthirsty crimson light.

"Not dead?" Ji Taiyan hovered in mid-air, his expression shifting to a slight frown as he observed the Demon General rising once more.

The others witnessing this astounding event also displayed visible bewilderment.

Could this creature actually devour its own kind to achieve regeneration?

Gazing upon the seemingly inexhaustible tide of demonic forces surrounding them, a collective sense of dread inevitably settled upon everyone's hearts.