Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 103 - The Demon-Revealing Formation (3)

“You lied to me?” Rong Yu’s face suddenly darkened, the silver scales on his face turned black faintly, and his nails grew longer with the wind. In just a moment, his hands had become black claws. He let out a wild roar, the demonic aura around him surged, and he rushed towards Gu Baiying.

Gu Baiying shouted, “Xiu Gu–”

The silver spear suddenly appeared in his palm. The young man held the spear in his hand and fought with the shark demon.

The demonic aura on the merman was extremely violent, and the wind from the spear in Gu Baiying’s hand also brought up the surrounding wind. Ordinary people would not be able to withstand such a melee and would be injured by the flying debris. The guards of Li’er Country escorted the king back to the White Jade Palace, saying, “Your Majesty, be careful!”

Rong Yu, who was fighting with Gu Baiying, saw this and struck towards the king with his palm, “Don’t even think about escaping!”

“Stop him!” The rest of the cultivators rushed forward, each raising their weapons and charging towards the shark demon.

For a moment, the Imperial Mausoleum resounded with the clashing of swords and blades.

The cultivators entering the secret realm were all carefully selected disciples from various major sects, and their cultivation levels were by no means low. Yet, this shark demon proved extremely difficult to deal with. Despite their numbers, they couldn’t gain even the slightest advantage. Even Gu Baiying, in the later stages of Nascent Soul, only managed to inflict superficial injuries on Rong Yu with his spear, Xiu Gu.

Meng Ying and Mu Cengxiao exchanged a glance. One wielded the Moon Soul Sword, while the other gripped the God-Slaying Sword. They both flew up simultaneously, attacking Rong Yu from the front and back. Their sword edges fell on Rong Yu’s voluminous robe, but the ordinary garment seemed as if it were made of iron, leaving no trace. The shark demon sneered coldly and suddenly exerted his demonic power, causing Meng Ying and Mu Cengxiao to be blown away at the same time.

Tian Fangfang pulled the golden axe from his waist, and a fiery wolf fang appeared, coiling around the front blade of the axe. He shouted to Zanxing, “Junior Sister, let’s attack together!”

Understanding his intent, Zanxing’s Panhua staff blossomed into a sea of flowers at its tip. She leapt into the air, rushing towards Rong Yu’s back alongside Tian Fangfang. However, before the tip of the staff could touch Rong Yu’s robe, dense black mist emanated from under the shark demon’s garment, swiftly engulfing Zanxing’s Mirror Flowers and Water Moon and Tian Fangfang’s Dragon-Slaying Fire.

He struck out forcefully, and Zanxing and Tian Fangfang were hit by the massive demonic energy, sent flying and crashing heavily to the ground. Zanxing’s back ached intensely, and when she tried to speak, she coughed up blood.

“Junior Sister,” Tian Fangfang struggled to get up and helped her to her feet, “this shark demon is too strong; we are no match for him.”

Looking into the distance, they saw that the cultivators from Xiang Ling Sect, Yin Feng Sect, Chihua Sect, and other sects were also sprawled across the ground in disarray. The shark demon was extremely vicious – those with lower cultivation were killed instantly as he pierced their chests with his claws and drained their blood essence, while those with higher cultivation were rendered completely powerless.

“We can’t rely on Seventh Uncle alone,” Zanxing murmured, then looked over at Mu Cengxiao, who was standing up clutching his chest.

At this point in the original story, shouldn’t the male protagonist be shining with the spotlight and making a dramatic comeback? Why does he seem to show no signs of turning the tables?

“Look quickly!” Tian Fangfang suddenly focused his gaze, “Seventh Uncle hit him!”

Zanxing looked up and saw that, under the night sky, a spot of bright red had suddenly appeared on Gu Baiying’s silver spear. Opposite him, a line of blood marked a tear in the silver scale beneath Rong Yu’s eye.

The shark demon reached up and slowly wiped away the blood. He looked at Gu Baiying, his deep blue eyes as magnificent as the vast ocean, but now, a great storm was brewing within them.

“I came for revenge; this has nothing to do with you. Why meddle in my affairs, Immortal Gu?” Rong Yu’s voice echoed in the air, filled with a chilling coldness. “Why don’t we each take a step back and pretend you didn’t see me?”

Gu Baiying raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Only for revenge?”

“What else?”

Demonic energy swirled like black mist. Despite the deep night, the boy’s red hair ribbon shone as brightly as morning light. He smiled, his gaze sharp and all-seeing, his voice calm, “If it’s only for revenge, why conceal your demonic aura and go to such lengths to infiltrate the Starry Sky Terrace?”

Rong Yu’s expression shifted slightly.

“I don’t know why you’re slaughtering innocent girls in Li’er Country now, but your initial goal was just to enter the secret realm,” Gu Baiying said sharply. “You chose to target the disciple Rong Yu from Liuli Sect because it was inconspicuous among the sects entering the secret realm this time. You feared that Liuli Sect would notice the shattered life tokens of their disciples and cause unexpected complications. That’s why you spared Rong Yu and his senior brother, to ensure nothing went wrong before entering the secret realm.”

“Had it not been for the flaw revealed by the Fixating Step Technique tonight, you would have already entered the secret realm successfully.” Gu Baiying’s silver spear pointed at the shark demon, tiny snowflakes swirling around the spear tip, glistening in the night. He asked, “But I don’t understand. The secret realm in Li’er Country isn’t particularly valuable. What exactly is inside that you want so desperately?”

The air was silent.

After a moment, Rong Yu laughed. The shark demon was strikingly beautiful, and his smile dispelled much of the malevolent aura between his brows, giving him an alluring charm in the dim night. “As expected of the son of Fairy Qinghua. But as for what’s inside the secret realm, I don’t know either!” His voice turned suddenly sharp at the end, and he transformed into a mass of black mist, surging towards Gu Baiying!

The silver spear was instantly engulfed by the black mist. Meng Ying exclaimed in alarm, “Be careful, Senior Uncle!”

“Quick, go help!” Seeing the shark demon growing increasingly frenzied, Meng Ying and Mu Cengxiao once again charged at Rong Yu with their blades, while Tian Fangfang hefted his axe and joined the battle. Zanxing’s blood stained the honeysuckle pattern on her Tianji Dharma Robe. Rong Yu’s earlier palm strike had severely injured her. When she looked up again, she saw the black mist beside Rong Yu continuously expanding, as if it were endless, growing wider and denser.

How could he have such intense demonic energy? If he had been this powerful back then, how could he have been killed by the Demon-Slaying Formation? If this continues, even Gu Baiying might not be able to kill him, and Li’er Country will inevitably be destroyed.

At that moment, the Xiao Yuan Pearl in her chest suddenly stirred.

Zanxing was stunned.

Since she had entered Li’er Country, the Xiao Yuan Pearl had seemed dead, and Zanxing had gradually forgotten its existence. But now, the pearl was emitting a faint warmth.

It felt as though a veil had been lifted from her eyes. Zanxing rubbed them and suddenly realized that something had changed.

She saw Rong Yu within the black mist, and she could even see his true form. He had a silver-white fish tail, and on his chest, there was a scale different from the other silver scales. It was pitch black, just like the black mist surrounding him.

“Is this… his weakness?”

A wave of excitement surged through her heart. Zanxing patted her chest. This Xiao Yuan Pearl wasn’t bad at all. She shouldn’t have spoken ill of it. At a critical moment, it was reliable! “Martial Uncle, I’ll help you!” Zanxing held her Panhua staff and charged towards the end of the black mist.

A cascade of flowers burst from the tip of her staff, transforming into a stream of rosy light aimed at the shark demon’s heart!