pappabearbooks Chapter 398 - 364: Formidable Opponent, The Power of Yang Thunder!
Chapter 398 - 364: Formidable Opponent, The Power of Yang Thunder!
Today, Meng Chuan intends to completely explore this area.Leaving no stone unturned, there might be a hidden lair of an upper-level Celestial Demon.
Despite everything, Meng Chuan still doesn’t know what his current strength is after numerous cultivation techniques and the Six Orifices Transformation of Qi Blood.
Perfect for practicing with an upper-level opponent, as middle rank can no longer satisfy him.
As he ventured deeper into this peculiar landscape, the wind and sand were shielded layer by layer by the sandstone, and the surrounding noises gradually quieted down, no longer as noisy as before.
With the environment improving, everyone calmed down and started hunting Celestial Demons.
Meng Chuan was also honing his fist skills while committing slaughters.
One punch, one demon, crisp and resolute.
Listening to the occasional proficiency notifications for the Three-Stream Five Elements Fist in his mind, Meng Chuan felt good.
If only it could be like this every day, practicing mental techniques at the camp, then practicing fist skills in real combat outside.
Returning in the evening to exchange resources and continue cultivation, it could be called a Martial Arts perpetual motion machine.
But unfortunately, this place [Yellow Sand 011] has already been allocated to the military as a training ground, and once the trials are over, they won’t be able to enter again.
Unlike other Demon Nests where one can freely hunt, it’s a pity.
After all, most Demon Nests not allocated as resource areas are either too dangerous to be taken down quickly,
or the resources have almost been scavenged by predecessors, so going in again is just clearing up, leaving only the soup to drink.
"If there are more good days like this in the future, we can only rely on Manager Shen of Hanhai to make efforts..."
Apart from the school-arranged trials, to feast on lower-grade Demon Nests, one can only rely on pioneering teams during the birth of new Demon Nests.
Ordinary society’s Martial Arts families naturally do not have this blessing.
As the holder of the [Dawn Sets Sail] contract in Hanhai, he must pioneer aggressively!
...
Two hours later, everyone had started taking turns exerting power.
Only Meng Chuan remained energetic, tireless.
These "little Karas" barely gave him any trouble.
Even before practicing [Five Thunders Rumble], Meng Chuan always had energy...
Looking towards a structure, several times larger than the other sandstones, Meng Chuan was delighted.
In his perception, behind the colossal sandstone ahead, there was a massive accumulation of demonic energy.
The concentration of this demonic energy is almost identical to the demon that had possessed Lin Yue previously.
It’s a formidable opponent.
"It seems that when an upper-level Celestial Demon resides in a Demon Nest, it needs a ’big house’ to demonstrate its status."
He speculated that this might be a pattern to identify the location of powerful Celestial Demons.
Meng Chuan signaled to the others with his eyes, and everyone understood, holding their breath, quietly retreating to a distance.
Xu Qingfeng pointed to the large "sand sculpture" and gestured a "be careful" sign.
Meng Chuan nodded in response, then refocused and slowly approached the target.
Suddenly, his brows furrowed.
"I’ve been discovered..."
For sneak attacks, the [compression] state is still useful.
But Meng Chuan couldn’t ignore the speed of an upper-level Celestial Demon; in case he couldn’t unleash his physical form in time, he might suffer in the confrontation.
No sooner had the thought faded in Meng Chuan’s mind than there was a boom!
The nearly ten-meter-high sandstone exploded instantaneously, scattering yellow smoke everywhere.
A massive shadow, nearly ten meters in width, cast against the sandstorm ahead.
It approached slowly, its shadow growing ever larger.
"Damn... what the hell is this..."
From afar, just looking at this creature’s shadow sent chills down everyone’s spines.
Chu Yanlong’s expression was grave; he recalled seeing similar beings in the Demon Nest notes.
Rustling sounds emerged from the dust.
Then, a hairy, barbed black long leg emerged.
Even bent, this leg was nearly two meters tall.
Chu Yanlong’s face changed dramatically, and upon seeing this leg, he couldn’t help but shout loudly:
"Meng Chuan, run!"
Upper-level Celestial Demon, Crimson Refining Spider!
This type of Celestial Demon stands at the pinnacle within the entire Demon Nest.
Even an upper-level sand scorpion is no match for this giant spider.
Chu Yanlong believed that if Meng Chuan reached the second limit, he could at least contend with strength against it.
At the first limit... there was almost no chance of slaying it.
Boom!
A loud noise interrupted his thoughts, as he saw Meng Chuan already lift his Fierce Tiger Spear, striding forward into the yellow mist, and fiercely stabbed!
This creature looked like it was full of poison, with such a large size, better to test its depth first!
With the sandstorm severe, Meng Chuan squinted for a rough assessment, this demon should be the Crimson Refining Spider.
Recalling the Demon Nest notes that marked its weaknesses, regardless of whether the previous strike worked, he would leap again and smash onto the big spider’s abdomen.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t expected, the eight compound eyes of the opponent flashed a crimson hue, and it splashed all over him.
Meng Chuan’s grip loosened, dropping the Fierce Tiger to the ground.
This kind of attack wasn’t from the Crimson Refining Spider; it was a damn Demon Eye Spider!
How did it grow so large?
Meng Chuan was puzzled, the notes also recorded such Celestial Demons but stated their largest size shouldn’t exceed three meters.
The one before him was as big as a semi-trailer truck!
It seems the Demon Nest notes couldn’t be entirely trusted, as they were all sketched from early military explorations.
Some errors are quite normal.
Hiss!
A screech, massive red light surged from the eight eyes, sweeping towards Meng Chuan again.
Meng Chuan glanced at the Fierce Tiger, helplessly retreating first.
The red light missed, as the Demon Eye Spider’s mouthparts opened and closed, diving aggressively towards Meng Chuan, its speed frightening.
This creature could engage in close combat, and control demonic energy for long-range "weakening spell" attacks, extremely troublesome.
As the Demon Eye Spider lunged forward, Meng Chuan donned his fierce battle armor, his Fist Blade drawing an arc of light while clashing with its jaws.
Clang—!
The hardness of the Demon Eye Spider’s jaws was no match for the Third Grade True Martial. Its deep yellow, saliva-dripping sharp teeth were instantly filled with cracks.
Feeling the sudden pain, the giant spider decided to engage in a long-range battle with the opponent.
Another red beam shot down, aimed directly at Meng Chuan.
It realized that clashing head-on with this man was of no benefit!
Unexpectedly, Meng Chuan had already moved above its head, his mind controlling his inner energy, which was infused with sparks.
Red lightning swirled around his arm, with Bing Fire Yang Lightning gathering here.
Spectators in the distance were all stunned by this shocking scene.
"Aren’t we all Martial Arts Family? Why are you doing this?"
Xu Qingfeng recognized it as the fist skill Meng Chuan had been practicing in the courtyard the previous day.
Chu Yanlong shook his head, realizing he had been worrying for nothing.
With this strength, not even a Demon Eye Spider could pose a threat, let alone anything else.
"Die!"
With the immense Fire Attribute True Qi’s support, Meng Chuan’s right arm carried a wave of flames, the darker Bing Fire Yang Lightning danced through the flames, crackling sharply.
Boom—!
Crack!
This punch landed squarely on the giant spider’s back, producing a short and crisp fracturing sound that made one’s teeth ache.
The Demon Eye Spider’s back exploded, scattering shards into the air.
In pain, it reared up, its jaws clacking rhythmically with no conscious control.
The next second, in the reflection of its eyes, a solid black Iron Fist with a blade enlarged relentlessly, piercing straight into its brain...
...
A few minutes later, Meng Chuan, holding the Tiger Soul, rummaged around on the Demon Eye Spider’s body.
"The Celestial Demon’s True Spirit, much like a human’s, is generally located in the chest. I need to turn this giant spider over."
Meng Chuan jumped off it, standing before this "half-hanging" body.
His muscles bundled, he grabbed two of the spider’s legs, lifting it forcefully and flipping it over so its abdomen faced the sky.
Releasing his grip, he found several barbs embedding into his palm, a tingling sensation seeping through.
This was the Demon Eye Spider’s neurotoxin, the signature weapon of such Celestial Demons.
Regrettably, it died before using this ability, and Meng Chuan felt a twinge of pity for it.
He then focused his heart spirit, watching as the flesh in his palm twisted, expelling the needle-like barbs. Fresh chapters posted on ????????????????????✶????????????????✶????????????
Their root was so fine it was almost imperceptible, with a faint backward hook, extremely sharp.
"Even a dead centipede doesn’t stiffen, able to penetrate my defenses with its hair.
Against Upper Rank Celestial Demons, one must remain cautious and can’t afford to be careless."
Apart from the True Spirit, the most valuable part was its eight eyes, each the size of a goose egg.
The ability to emit weakening red light came from these eyes.
Each eye could serve as the main material for a ’Demon Suppressing Weapon,’ and of the highest grade, with a total value exceeding a million.
After prying them loose, Meng Chuan quickly stashed them in his backpack, their ghostliness making him uncomfortable.
"I can’t use these. I’ll sell them to the school for credits later."
Of course, he’d keep the True Spirit for personal use.
An Upper Rank True Spirit, when fed to the Dragon Demon to transform into essence energy, significantly boosts oneself, far surpassing Middle Rank levels.
After finishing up, Meng Chuan joined the others in clearing out a wave of sand scorpions attracted by the commotion, before heading to the next location.
Finding a place with a wide view, they all sat down to tally their gains while recuperating.
Meng Chuan sat cross-legged, checking his mental panel.
Just now, through actual combat, his Five Thunders Strike advanced to the proficient level.
"In future encounters with Middle Rank Celestial Demons, I should use the other four thunder techniques more.
Once I can integrate them all to the level of Bing Fire Yang Lightning, I should break through to mastery."
Sparring in actual combat provided a quicker improvement compared to daily fist practice.
Seven days later, apart from resources, his cultivation wouldn’t fall behind too much.
On the other side, Xu Qingfeng counted the scorpion tail stings in his bag, his face brimming with joy.
"With the battle merits from demon hunting added, I’ve struck rich!
If every day yields this harvest, I’ll be cracking open Qi Armor Spirit Pills like sunflower seeds back at school."
Others were similarly glowing with excitement, tallying up their haul.
When the excitement subsided, they suddenly felt their bodies aching all over.
This was the physical aftermath left by prolonged battling.
Without a certain level of horizontal practice enhancing the body, none could avoid this.
"Let’s head back to the camp and rest up first, then continue hunting later."
Chen Jingyi’s proposal met unanimous approval.
Meng Chuan thought for a moment and said:
"You all go back to rest first. I’ll scout this area, then check out some other spots, charting more nearby regions for you."
"Thanks, Brother Chuan!"
"Brother Wang, you’re almost thirty; don’t call me brother..."
...
Chu Yanlong was in good shape too, but he didn’t plan to explore other places, choosing to remain at the Sharp Peak Rock Formation to hunt.
The strongest in Yellow Sand 011 was Upper Rank, and there can’t be two tigers on one mountain.
With the Upper Rank removed here, the remaining Middle Rank Sand Scorpions could be handled solo.
After bidding farewell to the others who were returning to camp, they turned back into the sandstone formations.
Once the area was thoroughly scouted, Meng Chuan and Chu Yanlong parted.
Heading towards the demon nest’s designated Wave Rock area as marked in the know-how.
"Be careful and stay safe."
"You too."
Meng Chuan glanced at his watch, then said:
"If all goes well, I’ll be back in about five hours to drop things off at the camp, and rest. We’ll meet back at the camp then."
"Alright."