Dragon Snake swirled through the clouds, resembling a massive divine dragon soaring in the sky, eyeing Wan Shi Tong with a predatory gaze.
In front of Dragon Snake, Wan Shi Tong seemed like a mere mosquito, utterly incomparable. However, the Mandala Demon Flower behind him was also in a frenzy, resembling countless strange purple spirit snakes, its soft body appearing even more intimidating.
"Old man, don't think that transforming into Dragon Snake can scare me; my Mandala Demon Flower is no pushover!" Wan Shi Tong declared. Suddenly, the Mandala Demon Flower behind him erupted as if infused with boundless Spiritual Energy. The flowers and vines grew wildly, and Wan Shi Tong appeared almost insignificant beneath the rapidly expanding Mandala Demon Flower.
The battle between the two was truly refreshing for Lingfeng. Although somewhat worried about Wan Shi Tong's safety, the dramatic scene made Lingfeng forget about secretly aiding him, only hoping to see a clear outcome.
Dragon Snake roared in the air and then performed a sweeping tail motion. The enormous Dragon Snake resembled a giant mudfish, its body thrashing about as the white clouds above were stirred into irregular shapes. In an instant, the thick tail of Dragon Snake swung from behind to strike heavily against the growing Mandala Demon Flower.
Everyone expected a violent sound and had braced themselves for impact, but when the giant serpent's tail collided with the Mandala Demon Flower, it merely stirred up a fragrant breeze without any deafening noise.
Although Dragon Snake was soft, its massive size meant that what should have been a gentle approach turned into a heavy blow. Meanwhile, despite the continuous growth of the Mandala Demon Flower, it remained soft due to being composed of Spiritual Energy. The impact felt like hitting cotton—soft and silent, with all force dissipated.
Having easily withstood Dragon Snake's attack, Wan Shi Tong couldn't help but chuckle, even the Mandala Demon Flower seemed to tremble as if laughing breathlessly.
"Wow, big brother really knows his stuff; the Mandala Demon Flower perfectly embodies the principle of overcoming hardness with softness!" Lingfeng exclaimed in admiration.
Realizing something was amiss, Dragon Snake quickly turned and fled into the mist.
Wan Shi Tong would not let it escape so easily. With a shout, he commanded the growth of the Mandala Demon Flower, and some vines even surpassed Dragon Snake in speed, racing ahead to form a web of vines that left Dragon Snake with nowhere to run.
"Next comes catching a turtle in a jar!" Wan Shi Tong thought as he blocked Dragon Snake's path and began to whip at it with the vines. The vines had fine barbs that soon made it difficult for Dragon Snake to endure such punishment.
Though suffering greatly, Dragon Snake seemed indestructible and stubbornly refused to revert to its original form of Man Bu She.
Growing anxious, Wan Shi Tong summoned more vines and struck fiercely at Dragon Snake. However, what happened next was beyond his expectations; he saw that Dragon Snake, with a flash of inspiration, shrank its body dramatically and agilely weaved through the gaps to evade the lashes of the vines. In an instant, it was right before Wan Shi Tong, baring its teeth menacingly.
Dragon Snake bared its teeth, clearly having just suffered a great deal, with its body still in pain. Its fiery red eyes seemed ready to shoot out swords to pierce through Wan Shitong.
Seeing Dragon Snake like this, the usually optimistic Wan Shitong couldn't help but laugh heartily, completely oblivious to the fact that his own vulnerabilities were fully exposed.
The transformation of Dragon Snake was so swift that Lingfeng couldn't react in time. Compared to the enormous Dragon Snake from before, the current one looked almost like a loach. Yet in front of Wan Shitong, it still appeared as a massive python, only now it was entirely crimson and looked somewhat eerie.
"Have you admitted defeat?" Wan Shitong laughed for a moment, pointing at Dragon Snake and asking.
Dragon Snake slowly shook its head, then suddenly opened its large mouth. The fiery core inside swirled around as if brewing something.
Wan Shitong was intrigued, unsure of what Dragon Snake was up to. Suddenly, Dragon Snake paused for a moment, and then its mouth erupted with light. A wave of heat shot out as a torrent of searing flames burst forth.
Wan Shitong was too close to Dragon Snake, and his body was restricted by the massive Mandala Demon Flower, leaving him unable to move freely. Without any warning, he was engulfed by the flames.
"Big brother!" Lingfeng exclaimed in shock.
Man Pillar couldn't help but shake his head and sighed, "Although this Dragon Snake is transformed from my Shixu, it is highly versatile and possesses extraordinary skills, making it no different from a real Dragon Snake. Wan Shitong has been too careless, leaving such obvious vulnerabilities!"
Lingfeng couldn't pay attention to Man Pillar's comments and anxiously watched the flames surrounding Wan Shitong. However, there was nothing more Lingfeng could do; the height where Wan Shitong was located was far beyond what he could reach, and he couldn't use any hidden weapons to help him escape. All he could do was wait.
But after some time passed, the flames showed no signs of extinguishing or any movement. It was as if the fire had been stoked with more fuel, burning steadily without any reaction.
At that moment, Man Bu She transformed back into human form and stood in front of the flames, laughing arrogantly as he said, "Isn't your Wan Shitong supposed to be remarkable? After enduring my flames, even if you don't get burned to death, you'll lose all your cultivation!"
Upon hearing this, Lingfeng felt a wave of despair wash over him; it seemed that Wan Shitong was indeed in grave danger. However, whether alive or dead, there should be some remains left behind; it was impossible for him to vanish without a trace.
Yet the duration of the flames burning far exceeded everyone's expectations. Even Man Bu She, who stood nearby, found it strange as he stared intently at the still-burning fire.
The heat emitted by the sun became increasingly unbearable, as if it too was curious about this bizarre scene, causing a surge of excitement.
After nearly half an hour, Man Bu She could no longer wait and planned to extinguish the fire himself. However, the flames suddenly erupted, burning away all of Man Bu She's clothes, leaving him completely naked. In a panic, he hurriedly cast Spell to conceal himself with Spiritual Energy.
Everyone gasped in shock, and Lingfeng dared not make a sound, watching this astonishing scene in awe.
"It's a trap!" Seeing the unfavorable situation, Man Bu She quickly flew backward.
Then came another loud bang as the flames began to change, appearing as if they were being compressed. As the fireball transformed, Wan Shi Tong's body gradually became visible again, his clothes showing no signs of damage.
"You... you..." Man Bu She looked at Wan Shi Tong unwilling to accept defeat.
Wan Shi Tong tossed a marble-sized fireball towards Man Bu She, who easily dodged it. Then he said, "My son, I must thank you. I have now broken through to the late stage of Control Demon!"
Breaking through from the mid-stage to the late stage of Control Demon meant approaching Transcend Tribulation. After Transcend Tribulation, a Demon Cultivator must endure the process of Reforge Ascension. Of course, reaching the late stage of Control Demon was already quite an achievement; it was unexpected that Wan Shi Tong could break through a realm during battle.
Fortunately for him, his opponent was an arrogant person; otherwise, if faced with a cunning adversary who casually used a lethal move, Wan Shi Tong might not only have failed to break through from Mid-Level Demon Control, but could have also lost his life.
With no injuries at all, Wan Shi Tong had already dealt a significant psychological blow to Man Bu She. Hearing that Wan Shi Tong had broken through a realm made Man Bu She want to smash his head against a wall in frustration.
"Big brother, you're okay! That's great!" Seeing Wan Shi Tong full of vitality, Lingfeng exclaimed excitedly.
Wan Shi Tong smiled at Lingfeng, then provocatively looked at Man Bu She, threateningly saying, "My son, will you beg for mercy yourself or shall I spank you?"
Grinding his teeth, Man Bu She thought that since he didn't know if Wan Shi Tong had truly reached the late stage of Control Demon, he might as well take a gamble; perhaps Wan Shi Tong was just bluffing!
With this thought in mind, Man Bu She regained his arrogant demeanor and boldly declared, "Stop trying to scare me! Take this!" With that, Wan Shi Tong once again recited the Incantation, and mist swirled around his body once more.
Wanshitong knew that Man Bu She wanted to use the Dragon Snake transformation spell again. After a contemptuous smile, he slowly raised his right hand, and soon Wanshitong's hair stood on end as if he had just been struck by lightning. The difference was that his hair was still moving, as if caught in the wind.
Sure enough, as the mist around Man Bu She gradually thickened, a sudden gust of wind arose, whipping up sand and stones from the ground, making it difficult for anyone to open their eyes. Meanwhile, the mist surrounding Man Bu She was gradually blown away, exposing his bare body.
Seeing this, Wanshitong laughed heartily and pointed at Man Bu She, saying, "My son, even if you're hot-headed, you should pay attention to your image!"
Man Bu She gritted his teeth in anger but found himself powerless. He quickly cast a spell to cover his sensitive areas.
"This is just a lesson for you. If you behave yourself, I will let you remain as your sect leader in peace!"
Man Bu She felt helpless; he now realized that Wanshitong's cultivation was far beyond his own, and defeating him was indeed impossible. Hearing Wanshitong's conditions, he thought it wasn't too much to ask. Gritting his teeth, he bowed and said, "I apologize for offending you, elder brother. Please forgive me!"
Wanshitong nodded in satisfaction and then asked, "So tell me, do you still intend to make things difficult for that brother?"
That brother naturally referred to Man Pillar.
Man Bu She glanced at Man Pillar and quickly replied, "I wouldn't dare to make things difficult for him anymore!"
Wanshitong nodded again and took the opportunity to add, "And you must also give us the Demon Relic!"
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