Chapter 220: Chapter 217: The Old Daoist’s Backup Plan, a Showdown with the Blood Demon King

BOOM! Space shuddered.

The Blood Demon, enraged by Ning Jiang, made a grasping motion with his large hand. His Domain Power surged forth, compressing the space around Ning Jiang from all directions.

Before an Earth Martial Realm expert, not even a Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm cultivator could resist, let alone Ning Jiang.

"Hmph."

At that critical moment, a cold snort echoed. Ning Jiang tossed his hand, and a scroll unfurled horizontally in mid-air. From within, an ancient voice slowly reverberated.

"If I hadn’t left a few tricks up my sleeve, you would have truly caused a catastrophe."

The scroll was not large, and the image painted upon it was simple: an old Daoist in gray robes, his sleeves fluttering. He looked incredibly lifelike.

Just then, the scroll’s surface erupted in a blinding, divine light. From within that radiance, the old Daoist’s body slowly materialized. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Break."

The moment the old Daoist appeared, he let out a soft cry, and the Domain Power the Blood Demon was using to crush Ning Jiang instantly shattered.

"It’s you, that wretched Daoist." The Blood Demon’s gaze hardened. "A few years ago, you went to great lengths in this Demon Cave trying to find me, but I managed to evade you every time."

Several years prior, the old Daoist had investigated the Demon Cave for months, but the demon had used certain methods to successfully avoid his search.

"You refer to yourself as a king. It seems you are indeed the Blood Demon King who fell in Ancient Times. How tenacious. To think you’ve revived after all these years."

The old Daoist remarked with amazement. The Demon Race possessed numerous abilities, but the most troublesome trait was that most of them were incredibly difficult to kill. Sometimes, they might appear to have been smashed to pieces, but they might not have truly died.

In fact, throughout the Great Thousand Realms, there were places where nigh-unkillable members of the Demon Race were suppressed.

This Blood Demon King must have possessed some Secret Technique back in Ancient Times that allowed him to preserve his life. Then, after years of scheming and planning, he was reborn.

If not for his own foresight in leaving behind a scroll with a portion of his power sealed within, this Blood Demon King would have brought a terrible disaster upon the world the moment he escaped.

"Such power... Could he be a Heaven-Reaching Realm expert?"

Seeing the old Daoist resist the opponent’s Domain Power, countless people cried out in shock.

After all, the Primordial Spirit of the Star Sword Sect’s Old Sect Leader had been utterly defenseless before the Blood Demon, crushed in an instant.

"He must be in the Heaven-Reaching Realm! Such methods far surpass the Earth Martial Realm."

The figure of the Star Sword Sect’s Old Sect Leader that had appeared earlier was translucent, so it was clearly identifiable as a Primordial Spirit.

This old Daoist, however, had a form so solid it was almost indistinguishable from a real person.

Only someone at the Heaven-Reaching Realm could possibly achieve such a feat.

Sure enough, the Blood Demon King’s next words confirmed their suspicions.

"Wretched Daoist, if your main body were here with its Heaven-Reaching Realm cultivation, I would turn and flee. But do you think a mere remnant of your power can pose a threat to me? Or do you fancy yourself a Celestial Martial Realm King?" The Blood Demon King didn’t seem too concerned about the old Daoist.

A Celestial Martial Realm King could easily kill him even by just condensing a Dharma Body from Magical Power.

But there was still a huge gap between the Heaven-Reaching Realm and the Celestial Martial Realm.

"Young man, how certain are you about what you mentioned earlier?"

Ignoring the Blood Demon King, the old Daoist turned his gaze to Ning Jiang, who stood beside him wearing a black and white mask.

Just a short while ago, Ning Jiang had communicated with him, and the two had come to an understanding.

"Absolutely."

Ning Jiang slowly uttered a single word, his calm tone radiating confidence.

The old Daoist’s eyes flickered, clearly hesitant. After a moment, he made his decision. "In that case, I will take a gamble on you. No matter what, this Blood Demon King cannot be allowed to escape, or there will be a great catastrophe."

"This body of mine only contains one-fifth of my true power. It’s just enough to be on par with the Blood Demon King. If you want to defeat him, it must be a swift battle, as my power will soon be depleted. You should understand this!"

Just as the Blood Demon King had said, the power the old Daoist had left behind was not enough to kill him.

"Don’t worry, I know what to do," Ning Jiang nodded.

"Very well. I entrust everything to you."

As the old Daoist spoke, his body transformed into streams of white light that surged into Ning Jiang.

In an instant, Ning Jiang’s aura began to skyrocket, rising at a terrifying rate with every breath: Spirit Realm Peak, Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm, First Realm, Second Realm...

All the way to the Fourth Realm.

And yet, his aura didn’t stop there; it continued to climb.

BOOM!

Ning Jiang’s clothes and hair billowed without any wind as a terrifying pressure erupted from his body. Everyone felt their bodies grow heavy.

The Earth Martial Realm!

In that moment, the old Daoist’s power had forcefully pushed him into the Earth Martial Realm.

"I was wondering what kind of trick you had. You think you can handle me with this kind of power infusion? How laughable. With your cultivation, can you even control such immense power?"

The Blood Demon King was disdainful, completely looking down on Ning Jiang.

In his eyes, Ning Jiang was like a child who had been given a great hammer. Could a child possibly wield the true power of such a weapon?

Little did he know, while he saw Ning Jiang as a child, Ning Jiang saw him in the very same way.

’As a Legendary Venerable from a hundred thousand years ago, a mere Blood Demon King is no different from an ant.’

"You’ll find out soon enough."

Feeling the surging power coursing through him, Ning Jiang clenched his fists and stretched his limbs, familiarizing himself with it.

BOOM!

Suddenly, he vanished from his spot, his figure gone in a flash.

"Hm?"

The Blood Demon King’s pupils contracted violently. He stared in disbelief at Ning Jiang, who had just appeared before him, and at the fist that was rapidly growing larger as it flew toward his face.

BANG.

The punch landed squarely on the Blood Demon King’s face. Like a cannonball, he was sent flying several thousand zhang away.

"Damn you, human! You’ve enraged me!"

The Blood Demon King transformed into a beam of light and shot back.

’Tough hide,’ Ning Jiang remarked silently.

His punch could have pulverized thousands of zhang of earth, yet on the Blood Demon King’s face, it had only drawn a little blood.

The bodies of the Demon Race were always exceptionally tough, even more so than those of the Beast Race.

"We need to go, now!"

With the Blood Demon King’s Domain broken by Ning Jiang, the other Martial Artists were finally free. They all fled the area as if their lives depended on it.

Even the several young paragons left without a second glance.

A battle between Earth Martial Realm experts was not something they could get involved in. If they remained, even the shockwaves could kill them hundreds of times over.

Life was precious. They had no desire to die in someone else’s fight.

"You dare ruin my plans? I will make you wish you were dead!" the Blood Demon King roared. "Take this! Great Blood Hand Seal!"

He thrust out his palm, and bloody light condensed before him into a colossal, blood-red hand. The hand was as massive as a mountain—evil, ominous, tyrannical, and bizarre.

It seemed this palm strike could not only destroy a person’s body but also corrupt their very soul.

As someone who had dealt with Blood Demons before, Ning Jiang was well aware of their characteristics. The blood of a Blood Demon was not only highly corrosive but also intensely poisonous.

Getting hit by it meant certain severe injury, if not death.

"Unfortunately for you, your blood power is useless against me."

A cold smile played on Ning Jiang’s lips as brilliant purple thunderbolts erupted from his body.

CRACKLE!

He unleashed a Thunderbolt, and its light illuminated the Demon Cave. It was more than a hundred times stronger than when he had used it before.

PFFT.

The Great Blood Hand Seal was instantly pierced by the Thunderbolt, which cut through it like a hot knife through butter.

"Damn it, it’s Thunder Power!" The Blood Demon King’s expression turned ugly.

Thunder Power was the ultimate expression of might and resilience, the natural bane of creatures like Blood Demons. What’s more, Ning Jiang’s was Celestial Tribulation Thunder.

Celestial Tribulation Thunder was the nemesis of many types of Yin Evil Power.

The Blood Demon King facing Ning Jiang was like fire meeting water; he was Innately suppressed.

"Blood Demon King, this era does not belong to you. You should have died long ago. Death is your destiny. Allow me to set things right and see you on your way."

Ning Jiang’s voice was immense, and the thunderbolts enveloping him grew even more brilliant.

RUMBLE.

The purple lightning was like a pillar connecting heaven and earth, completely submerging him within. With a grasp of his hand, a Thunder Battle Spear shot forth, shattering everything in its path.

"Domain Power, suppress!"

The Blood Demon King activated his power, and an invisible Force Field spread out a hundred zhang around his body. The Thunderbolt Long Spear gradually slowed, distorted, and finally shattered.

Why were Earth Martial Realm experts so powerful? Because their Domain Power could not only be used to trap others but also to defend against attacks from all directions.

"You have a Domain? So do I."

Ning Jiang charged forward. A massive boom resounded through the void, as if two giant millstones were grinding against each other. The deafening CRACK-CRACK-CRACK sound was ear-splitting.

This was the sound of their Domains colliding and crushing each other. If a Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm cultivator were to enter the range of their Domains, they would be instantly crushed into a bloody mist.

"How is this possible?! Why can this brat control this power so perfectly?" the Blood Demon King roared in furious disbelief.

"Kill!"

Ning Jiang was like a War God, immune to all Myriad Techniques. He closed in on the Blood Demon King, his fists crackling with brilliant thunderbolts, forcing the demon to meet him head-on.

BOOM.

The Blood Demon King exchanged a punch with Ning Jiang and was sent flying backward. His entire arm was corroded by the Thunder Power, turning charred and black.

If he had been an ordinary Earth Martial Realm expert instead of a Blood Demon, he would have fared better. But as it stood, he was suppressed. Before the Celestial Tribulation Thunder, he couldn’t even use seventy percent of his full strength and was no match for Ning Jiang at all.

"Alright! Finish him in one go!"

The White Ape and the Cyan-Haired One-Horned Lion hadn’t left. They were hiding in the distance, cheering for Ning Jiang.

"AARGH!"

With a bloodcurdling scream, the Blood Demon’s body was struck by Ning Jiang’s Thunderbolt and slammed violently into the ground, creating a massive crater.

"Damn you! You forced my hand!"

The Blood Demon King let out a furious roar and shot up into the sky.

He clasped his hands and produced a banner. The flag was blood-red all over, and from it seemed to come the wails of countless living beings—an incredibly bizarre and hair-raising sound.