Taiyi Dao Fruit

"Boom!"

The Three Points Return to Primordial Qi struck Cao Yuanlong's body, spreading like ripples of Qi Mechanism. Innate Qi entered his body, refining the True Qi, leaving Cao Yuanlong feeling a sudden emptiness in his qi. He was sent flying two fathoms away, landing sprawled in the muddy ground.

"It seems," Jiang Li withdrew with composure and approached, "that my Dinghu Sect's Heavenly Banner Spell is stronger after all."

Hearing this, Cao Yuanlong struggled to rise, but the alien energy wreaking havoc within him caused him to fall back down.

"This is not even a Thunder Technique!" Cao Yuanlong exclaimed angrily.

The mere addition of a "Heavenly Pig Divine Spell" prefix and passing it off as a Thunder Technique was nothing short of deception and auditory distraction, utterly despicable.

What he found most unacceptable was Jiang Li's slander of the Taiping Sect's Thunder Techniques.

"Heh."

Jiang Li chuckled dismissively, completely ignoring Cao Yuanlong's retort as if it was nothing more than the whining of a defeated dog.

Winning was all that mattered, who cared about whether it conformed to Thunder Techniques or not.

This was a fight to the death, not a friendly exchange. It was only natural to use every trick in the book.

Even Jiang Li's current speech was a deceptive tactic, intended to prevent Cao Yuanlong from realizing the real basis for his victory. If not for the Emperor's Qi Observation Skill to foresee his enemy's intention, even with the Mo Wu Battle Box's ability to transform and produce a Lightning Rod, Jiang Li would have been unable to respond in time.

The speed of a Thunder Technique was extremely fast; even the variations of the Mo Wu Battle Box could not keep up unless one could anticipate the trajectory and differentiate the Qi Mechanism in advance. Otherwise, they could only withstand it forcibly.

Cao Yuanlong was only focused on Jiang Li's sudden change, but he overlooked the main reason for his defeat. It could be said that he had a methodological approach to failure, and even if given another chance, the outcome wouldn't change one bit.

Closing in on his opponent, Jiang Li sealed all of Cao Yuanlong's major acupoints and then affixed a series of restrictive talismans, such as the Sealing Qi Talisman and Binding Talisman. He then called out to Gongsun Qingyue and the others, "There's no need to leave any survivors, kill the rest."

The heavy rain continued to fall, and although Law Order was adept at refining Thunder Techniques, they had no ability to summon the wind and rain. This rain was not called forth by Cao Yuanlong and his people.

Just at this moment, as if sensing Cao Yuanlong's group's defeat, a series of bizarre roars rose from the mountain wilderness beside the road.

The eerie sound, like the cry of an infant mixed with the loud scolding of a woman, revealed an uncanny presence through the wind and rain, and the already torrential downpour somehow grew even stronger.

"Let's head back."

Gongsun Qingyue drew her long sword, and her blade danced, slaying all the fallen Law Order and Yellow Turban Warriors, while Luu Wangji finished off the captured shopkeeper with a palm strike. All Taiping Sect members, except for Cao Yuanlong, were killed.

Jiang Li picked up Cao Yuanlong and took out several talismans, distributing them to everyone.

These were the Godspeed Talismans, meant to boost leg strength and lighten the body. Once everyone affixed them to themselves, they immediately felt lighter and quickly retraced their path, abandoning their horses.

In such circumstances, exhausted horses were indeed no match for one's own two feet.

The bizarre cries also grew closer and closer.

"Wah wah wah wah—"

From the roadside forest, the loud crying of infants could be heard, and eerie shadows darted between the trees, keeping pace with the urgent rush of the fleeing group.

Jiang Li looked in all directions, his eyes clearly locking onto the bizarre figure as its shadow flashed by.

The figure had a human head, disheveled hair, a body like that of a jackal or wolf covered in gray fur, and a pair of wings on its back. But from the waist down, a thick serpent's tail replaced its hind limbs, swiftly slithering across the ground.

"Classic of Mountains and Seas·Central Mountains Chapter"states: "Further west by three hundred miles lies Yang Mountain, abundant in rocks and devoid of vegetation. From it flows Yang Water to the north, converging with the Yishui River. There are many Transformation Snakes there, with faces like humans and bodies of jackals. They move like silken emerald ribbons. Their cries are like scolding, often foretelling great floods in their regions."

This was a Transformation Snake.

From the Karma Collection, Jiang Li's memory rapidly surfaced, allowing him to identify the creature's origins at a glance.

Jiang Li, having read extensively in Elder Wan's collection, even knew the creature's grade upon recognizing the Transformation Snake.

Seventh Grade Monster Dao Fruit·Transformation Snake.

The Transformation Snake was an omen of water disasters, possibly possessing the ability to mobilize water vapor to produce rainfall.

But a Seventh Rank wasn't sufficient to create a downpour of this magnitude.

As he pondered, a blurred shadow darted out from the trees on the other side, tilting its head to spurt forth a water arrow.

There was more than one Transformation Snake!

With only a single cry piercing the air, one might assume there was only one enemy, but in truth, these demon kinds had laid a trap. One Transformation Snake made noise to mislead its prey into thinking there was but a single foe, while the rest hid in the shadows, waiting for the perfect chance to strike.

It was this very presence of multiple Transformation Snakes that had created such torrential rain.

This depicted the current state of demon kind in the present era. Devil Cultivators were in fact humans who had assimilated a Demonic Attribute Dao Fruit, and though they were influenced by their bestial nature due to the Dao Fruit, they still possessed human intelligence.

'Indeed, demons aren't terrifying for their strength alone—it's their cultured nature that is truly to be feared.'

Jiang Li's thoughts flashed like lightning as he sidestepped a pace, his profound white Thunder Light surging, "Heavenly Pig, Heavenly Pig, child ghost Yuan Nine."

Reciting alternate lines of "Heavenly Pig Divine Spell" backwards formed the "Devil Slaying Evil Swallowing Spell," particularly effective against demon kind.

"Five Ding Du Si, Old Weng Bei Diao Gao."

"Boom!"

Thunder roared and flashed, forcibly scattering the water arrow into droplets shooting in all directions, with the Thunder Sound rumbling fiercely like the wrath of the heavens, causing the ambushing Transformation Snake to shudder.

Thunder Techniques were nearly anathema to demons, especially the demon varieties. The fear was like an imprint deeply embedded in the Devil Cultivators.

With Thunder Sound shocking the spirit, lightning strikes followed, the domineering Thunder Light flashing upon the snake's body. The gray fur on the jackal-like creature turned charred black, emitting an unpleasant odor, and further paralyzing the creature relentlessly.

"Hiss!"

The Transformation Snake hissed loudly, its demon energy bursting forth, forcibly quelling the trembling and numbness of its body. Its large frame swelled even more, as its tail swept across like a whip, lashing out with a chilling gale towards all the fleeing people.

The demons of today not only possessed culture but also knew Martial Arts. In terms of difficulty, they were far more challenging than the demons before the End of Dharma.

As the powerful wind approached, Jiang Li had no intention to retreat. His Innate Qi coursed fiercely as thunder flickered.

"Seven Politics and Eight Spirits, monstrous harbinger of the supreme."

Thunder Light struck the snake tail, accompanied by a pounding Thunder Sound and a sweeping blast of air.

"Bang!"

On the official road, mud and water splattered, with air waves rippling out in four layers, shaking the trees on both sides. Jiang Li, with footsteps firm in spiritual alignment, palms holding talismanic seeds shining brightly, exuded a crystalline aura surrounding his majestic figure like a statue of divinity.

All his force concentrated into a single surge, his Qi Mechanism drawing inward, so much so that even the splashing mud underfoot rolled like beads, scattering only after a considerable delay.

"Long-skull Giant Beast, Hammer Emperor's grasp."

The Mo Wu Battle Box swiftly reconfigured, transforming into a massive round hammer held aloft by Jiang Li, who swung it down in a broad arc.

"Bang!"

The hammer, wreathed in electrical sparks, slammed onto the snake's tail, flesh flew as scales and demon energy alike failed to block the savage blow.

Jiang Li had never learned Hammer Techniques, but in that moment, he needed no finesse—just the application of sheer brute force was enough.

It was only with such violent measures that he could truly intimidate this cluster of snake kind.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

One hammer blow followed another, with lightning frantically flickering, the snake first shrieking, then wailing in agony, until a final blow struck at its vital seven-inch section, severing its body.

In less than the blink of an eye, a Seventh Rank Transformation Snake had been ferociously slain, and this brutal show of force immediately caused the remaining lurking snakes to recoil. Their spirits were thoroughly shaken.

Jiang Li, wrapped in a sheath of lightning, swept his gaze imperiously over the surroundings before abruptly tossing the great hammer, transforming it back into a long sword as he and the others quickly made their way back.

After he departed, for a good quarter of an hour, the Transformation Snakes did not dare to pursue any further.