Chapter 100: The Ox-Hair Needles Once More

Zitong’s cry not only failed to bring Hu San’s assistance any sooner, but it also extinguished the last glimmer of hope in the Peacock’s heart. It understood that if it could not eliminate these people before Hu San intervened, it would surely face its own demise.

To prevent Hu San from interfering prematurely, the Peacock gritted its teeth and burned its vital essence, pushing its demonic arts to their limit. In an instant, the black-and-white giant sphere it had transformed into expanded, the monochromatic zones spreading rapidly. The Iron Centipedes, who had still been struggling, were suddenly engulfed as the speed of their transformation into black-and-white statues accelerated, and in a blink, their bodies were completely shrouded.

Amidst a spray of black-and-white dust, the giant sphere smashed into the Seven-Star Sword Formation formed by Zitong and her companions. Although the women resisted with all their might, the formation inevitably shattered under the blow of the great demon burning its vital essence.

At the moment the formation broke, a flash of spiritual light emerged from Zitong, gradually condensing into green armor that encased her entire body. Although the black-and-white zone constantly clashed with the armor, it could not penetrate it for the time being. The other six women were not so fortunate; after losing the protection of the sword formation, they could only watch in horror as their bodies were rapidly consumed by the black-and-white transformation.

"Oh? This technique is quite interesting. Could it be that Lingfeng Mountain has connections with immortal cultivation sects?"

Upon seeing this, not only was the Peacock startled—immediately abandoning the idea of killing Zitong to charge at the old man in black—but even Hu San looked on with interest. The appearance of this green armor bore a resemblance to the defensive talismans he possessed, yet it seemed more akin to the demonic arts used by giant bears, lacking the refined aura of the immortals.

"Monster, die!"

After activating the green armor, Zitong seemed to regain her confidence. Instead of seizing the chance to flee the battlefield, she brandished her sword and lunged forward, joining the beleaguered old man in black to face the enemy. However, although she did not fear the Peacock’s demonic arts due to the armor, she had lost the enhancement of the Seven-Star Sword Formation. With her level-seven Qi cultivation, it was difficult for her to inflict any significant damage on the Peacock.

The situation on the field deteriorated sharply. Under the Peacock’s desperate assault, even the old man in black—a supreme expert with perfected Qi—could only temporarily slow the invasion of the black-and-white energy into his body. Moreover, under the shroud of this energy, both his attack speed and mobility were severely hindered. His strength was already inferior to the Peacock’s, and this only made matters worse. While he was not slaughtered like the common Qi experts, he suffered heavy injuries within just a few breaths, even with Zitong’s desperate assistance.

Of course, a supreme expert’s Qi is fully materialized, so while there was a gap between him and the Peacock—a demon in the early stages of gathering magical power—it was not insurmountable. Thus, in this life-or-death struggle, while the Peacock inflicted heavy damage, it also suffered greatly. Compounded by the backlash from burning its vital essence to force the Peacock Yin-Yang Great Rotation technique, its condition was no better than the old man’s.

"Huh? Is that a Cow-Hair Needle!?"

At that moment, Hu San had finished collecting the giant bear’s essence, but his gaze was drawn to another battlefield by the sight of something familiar. Not far from the Peacock's fray, Gong Dajia was leading two maidservants against the man surnamed Shen. At this point, the man surnamed Shen had also unleashed his full potential; his folding fan was used with such exquisite technique that it could be considered masterful.

The two maidservants, who were already struggling, were struck in their vital points by the fan's ribs—infused with Qi—during a desperate attempt to save their mistress. Though the details were unclear, their twitching bodies suggested they were beyond saving. Seizing the sacrifice of her maids, Gong Dajia found an opening and lunged, her curved blade poised to pierce the chest of the famous "Bone Scholar."

Just as joy appeared on Gong Dajia’s beautiful face, the man surnamed Shen, his move seemingly spent, displayed a mocking smirk. With a slight twist of his arm, he tapped the bottom of his fan. Amidst a mechanical *click-clack*, three small, black flowers familiar to Hu San flew from the fan and nailed themselves into Gong Dajia’s exquisite face.

This was none other than the legendary masterpiece of the Mechanism Hall: the Cow-Hair Needle. It was said to be a top-tier hidden weapon capable of threatening even supreme experts. It was unthinkable that this elegantly dressed young man possessed one, and completely unused at that. As Wu Xiong had previously claimed, the power of the Cow-Hair Needle was far beyond what ordinary experts could withstand. Struck by three bursts of the needles, the formidable Gong Dajia didn't even have time to scream before she fell onto the rocks, dead.

"Damn bitch, you were a persistent one."

The man surnamed Shen spat, his peripheral vision catching sight of the mysterious youth who had killed the giant bear. Panic gripped him, and afraid to linger, he grabbed the dead body of Gong Dajia and prepared to flee. He was confident that Gong Dajia would carry something like the "True Qi Flower" on her person; judging others by himself, he was certain he wouldn't be wrong.

But before he could move, he felt a sudden chill in his chest. His strength vanished, and he could barely support the weight of Gong Dajia’s body. Lowering his head in disbelief, he saw a sword tip shimmering with cold, white Qi protruding from his chest.

*Slish!*

The longsword was jerked sideways, and with a miserable shriek, the man surnamed Shen’s chest was nearly cleaved in two. His strength failed completely, and he collapsed into a pool of blood, unable to stand.

"You... you are the Grand Elder’s daughter, Gong Sha? Ha... ha, what a clever ruse, what a master of deception."

In the man surnamed Shen’s disbelieving eyes, the maid Xiaoqing, who should have been long dead, slowly stood up. Her body shimmered with cold, white Qi, revealing her status as a first-class expert. The blood dripping from her sword made it clear who had delivered the blow.

"The Bone Scholar truly lives up to his reputation. Had you been more alert, the outcome of today might have been different."

Xiaoqing pushed back her disheveled hair and removed her mask, revealing a face of stunning, delicate beauty—even more enchanting than the deceased Gong Dajia. After revealing her true identity, she spoke no more, stepping forward to draw her blade across the Bone Scholar's throat, consigning the demonic titan to eternal darkness.

"No matter your background, sir, if this demon escapes, neither of us will leave the Empty Sea Avenue alive. Please, lend your aid to help slay this Peacock."

After dispatching the Bone Scholar, Xiaoqing—or rather, the real Gong Sha—bowed to Hu San, moved with agility, and joined the fray against the Peacock. By now, the Peacock had exhausted its ultimate techniques; the surging black-and-white energy had receded to within three yards of its body, and its ability to immobilize everything seemed to have vanished.

However, the humans were faring poorly. The old man in black had lost an arm, and the once-thick Qi protecting him was now a thin layer, ready to shatter at any moment. Zitong, despite her lower cultivation, was unharmed thanks to the mysterious green armor, though her Qi concentration had dropped due to exhaustion.

"ROAR!"

Seeming to sense the situation and realizing there was no hope of survival, the Peacock—unable to ride the demonic winds—chose one final, desperate act. The Yin-Yang sphere accelerated, enveloping both the old man in black and Zitong.

After a series of thunderous cracks, the old man’s Qi defense shattered completely. His body was riddled with holes, looking like rotted wood pecked by a woodpecker. By the time he was thrown from the black-and-white energy, he had breathed his last. Of course, in his final moments, the supreme expert had not let the Peacock off easily; a black blade was buried deep into the demon's side. Although the Peacock’s body was resilient, the blow left it staggering as if intoxicated, and the Yin-Yang Great Rotation came to a complete halt.

As the Peacock’s giant form dissipated, Gong Sha arrived just in time to join Zitong—whose armor had been worn away by the energy—in beating the weakened demon. Though the Peacock was at the end of its rope, its sturdy demonic body meant it still did not fear the two level-seven Qi experts. Had it not been for its focus being split by Hu San, the Peacock might still have had the strength to kill these two first-class experts quickly. After all, only true supreme experts could stand against a demon in the early stages of gathering power.

"It is time to end this."

With the moon high overhead, Hu San slowly unstrung his Nine-Ox Bow. Qi shimmered around his entire body, and amidst the Peacock’s frustrated howls, he fired arrow after arrow, steadily and rhythmically sending the once-haughty great demon into eternal sleep.

The process did not even require the assistance of Zitong or Gong Sha. Though this was not the first time they had seen the sharpness of the Qi attached to Hu San’s arrows, the sight left them both mesmerized. It appeared to be ordinary Wood-attribute Qi, certainly not reaching the level of a supreme expert’s materialized Qi—it looked to be around the eighth realm—yet its power was truly terrifying. Both women were well-traveled, and though they had seen many supreme experts in their lives, they had never encountered one whose Qi possessed such explosive, piercing intensity.

If he was this powerful at the eighth realm, it was hard to imagine what he would be like once his Qi broke through to the tenth realm of a supreme expert.

Seemingly stunned by Hu San’s display, the two women only snapped out of their daze once he finished extracting the remaining essence from the Peacock. They exchanged a look and walked over, stopping a few yards away from him.