Chapter 137: Cooperating with the Demon Commander (Part Two)

Jiang Feng instinctively took stock of his personal net worth and was pleasantly surprised to discover that he was quite well-resourced.

Upon seeing the gap between their magical treasures, Jiang Feng knew at once that this would be a difficult fight.

Why was there such a massive price difference between top-grade dark-tier and purple-tier nether artifacts? Aside from more refined and rarer materials as well as superior performance, there was one exceptionally crucial factor: runic arrays.

Top-grade dark-tier artifacts often possessed their own runic array techniques. For instance, the dispersing sand mist of the Fuxiao Nether Armor was a runic combat technique known as "Mist Slaughter." Meanwhile, the runic array technique of his own pair of Seven-Star Gloves was quite unique, taking the form of a sword array.

The vast majority of tier-four magical treasures possessed runic array techniques, while only a tiny few did not, such as the Thunderbolt Flowing Light Wings. For a magical treasure without a runic combat technique to still be rated as tier-four, there could only be one explanation: a certain characteristic of its own was overwhelmingly powerful, such as the killing intent of the Eight-Desolation Pale Flame.

A good magical treasure in the hands of an incompetent person might simply be a pile of scrap iron, yet in the hands of an expert, it could unleash immense power.

What happens, then, when an expert is decked out in good magical treasures from head to toe?

Jiang Feng felt a slight headache coming on. The situation was constantly springing surprises. Originally, his plan had not changed much overall; he had simply intended to use Infinite Devouring to throw the spiritual turbulence into even greater chaos, thereby creating an opportunity for his own escape. Never had he imagined that these fellows would actually generate even more turbulence, making his plan all the more seamless.

Yet he now realized that despite all their calculated stratagems, the Demonic Commander was not suppressed by them to the extent they had imagined.

Unfazed, the Demonic Commander charged back and forth through the encirclement. With the runic array technique "Mist Slaughter" of his nether armor fully activated, his entire person resembled a humanoid meat grinder, barrelling forward with unreasonable and brute force!

The pair of Twin-Eyed Tiger-Eye Boots on his feet were no ordinary items either; every time they stamped against the ground, the earth trembled violently!

They bore a marvelous resemblance in efficacy to the Myriad-Phenomena Gloves on Jiang Feng's hands.

Whenever his opponents revealed the slightest opening, the flying sword hovering above his head would instantly flash downwards to strike. Had it not been for the tacit coordination among the Seven Disciples of the Yin River, several of them would have already been slain. As the Demonic Commander grew increasingly accustomed to this style of combat, he wielded it with ever-greater mastery.

Stamping fiercely with his feet, he shot forward like a cannonball, colliding toward True Person Haiyu with astonishing speed. True Person Haiyu was terrified, his flying sword thrusting in rapid succession as a curtain of swords materialized before him.

Yet halfway through, the Demonic Commander suddenly tapped the ground, his figure twisting abruptly to dash with ghostly speed toward someone else.

True Person Fulu had intended to step forward to assist True Person Haiyu, but he never expected the Demonic Commander to pivot so suddenly. Before he could react in the slightest, the Demonic Commander was already right in front of him. Panic abruptly surfaced in his eyes.

Just as he was about to be shredded into a pulp of flesh and blood by the sand mist, a blinding sword beam flashed directly at the Demonic Commander.

True Person Haiyu's reinforcement arrived at the perfect moment. The Demonic Commander still held considerable wariness toward Zheng Zhong, and his figure spun like a spinning top to dodge the sword beam. Before Zheng Zhong even had time to breathe a sigh of relief, a cluster of sparks suddenly burst from atop his fellow disciple's head, and a flying sword flashed out of existence.

The Demonic Commander's gaze abruptly landed on True Person Wanchun. He had not expected that Jiang Feng would actually be able to detect such a covert strike of his.

True Person Wanchun shook his head inwardly as he watched. The coordination among this group was far too inferior compared to the faction under the young lady's command, falling far short of his psychological estimate. With no other choice, he had no alternative but to shout, "Everyone else, head into the air; Brother Zheng will handle him!"

True Person Fulu and the others flashed a trace of hesitation, but True Person Haiyu spoke without a moment's hesitation, "Listen to him!"

The others successively flew up into the sky, and the valley instantly emptied out, leaving only True Person Wanchun and True Person Haiyu to deal with the Demonic Commander. Growing more and more confident with every exchange, the Demonic Commander laughed heartily, "Come at me together!"

True Person Wanchun remained completely unmoved. "True Person Haiyu, use your flying sword."

Before his voice had even faded, his eyes were suddenly veiled by a layer of radiance—Spirit Eyes! He flicked his hand, releasing a bolt of sword qi targeted not at the Demonic Commander, but at the empty space directly above him.

Crack-crackle!

A flying sword revealed its true form, countless arcs of lightning flickering across its body. It let out a mournful cry, trembling incessantly.

"You dare destroy my flying sword!" Furious, the Demonic Commander made to charge toward Jiang Feng.

True Person Haiyu instantly grasped True Person Wanchun's intention. Flicking his wrist, several silver, blinding sword flashes suddenly flared to life, forcing the Demonic Commander back. The flying sword in Zheng Zhong's hand was also of tier four, unafraid of the billows of sand mist stirred up by the Demonic Commander's nether armor. Furthermore, with the valley now empty, he did not need to worry about accidentally injuring his comrades, and the sword radiance from his hands flowed continuously without pause.

In close-quarters combat, manipulating swords from afar paled far in comparison to wielding them directly.

The Demonic Commander was instantly thrown into a sorry state, dodging the sword flashes while desperately attempting to recall the *Heaven-Question*.

Disregarding everything else, True Person Wanchun unleashed nether spells as if they were worthless currency, hammering them frantically toward this unique flying sword of the Demonic Commander!

The Heaven-Question Sword had been refined from the essence of cloud souls, bearing a water-yin attribute. True Person Wanchun's nether spells, belonging as they did to overtly yang and blazing properties, were its natural nemesis. After taking twenty strikes in succession, it finally ceased its trembling, dropped like a piece of ordinary iron, and fell clattering to the ground, lying completely motionless.

Anyone with even a shred of common sense knew that this flying sword was destroyed. Many nether cultivators witnessing this scene from the sky could not help letting out sighs. Such a fine flying sword! And a top-grade dark-tier one at that! Just like that, it was gone...

With his beloved sword destroyed, the Demonic Commander was thoroughly enraged by Jiang Feng. The retaining ring around his hair suddenly shattered, every strand standing completely on end.

With bloodshot eyes, he let out a heaven-shaking roar, "Go to hell!"

Nether power roiled violently across his entire body. Like a lion that had lost its reason, he lunged frantically toward Jiang Feng. Thud, thud, thud! Several sword flashes struck his body, but completely ignoring them, he continued his direct charge straight toward True Person Wanchun.

With a loud bang, the Fuxiao Nether Armor split apart in all directions, and the sand mist instantly vanished.

Yet in that very fraction of a second, the crazed Demonic Commander reached True Person Wanchun.

A flying sword as exquisite as glazed glass flew straight toward him. Utterly furious though he was, the Demonic Commander still recognized the danger; pressing his right hand into a sword-finger, sword intent erupted forth!

The distance between the two had finally closed to within three yards!

The crimson light in the Demonic Commander's eyes surged violently. Stamping fiercely with his left leg, his entire body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow string as his right leg whipped viciously toward True Person Wanchun!

At the tip of his boot, a twin-eyed white tiger head abruptly materialized, roaring fiercely.

The Twin-Eyed Tiger-Eye Boots—runic array technique, "Tiger Roar"!

A bolt of sword qi wreathed in countless rays of light struck squarely upon the forehead of this white tiger without a single trick or frill.

"Hmph, you've fallen for it!" True Person Wanchun's smile was dripping with mockery, so much so that even Jiang Feng, hiding in the shadows, could not help frowning. "Spring Flow Sword Light!"

His sword qi had already begun to take on color—vibrant and brilliant, truly living up to its name as if spring had arrived.

Just at that moment, the Demonic Commander suddenly smiled. Within that smile, Jiang Feng unexpectedly caught a trace of desolation and lingering resentment. The Demonic Commander spoke, "You've been hunting me for so long—is it truly just to extract the whereabouts of those two fellows from Jiuyan Town?"

Jiang Feng was startled to the core. He had never imagined that the Demonic Commander was being hunted by these people solely for the lives of the three true successor disciples of the Langya Chamber of Commerce from Lingbo Town!

Hearing these words, True Person Wanchun sneered coldly, "Spare us the attempt to whitewash the towering sins you have committed. My three junior fellow apprentices all died at your hands; those Jiang Feng and Duan Xingyun, I naturally must apprehend, but you—you must certainly die! I advise you, before you die, inform me of the whereabouts of those two. Perhaps I will grant you an easier death."
The Demonic Commander smiled indifferently, light and breezy, his voice gentle yet chilling to the bone, "Since I'm going to die either way, why should I grant your wish!"

"Courting death!"

Amidst this cry of courting death, countless sword lights poured down frantically. The Demonic Commander's breezy expression froze abruptly. He had never expected that his Twin-Eyed Tiger-Eye Boots would be directly shattered and disintegrated under the opponent's sword radiance!

Puff!

The ferocious white tiger head burst like a bubble, making a very soft sound—entirely devoid of the earth-shattering collision he had imagined!

Bang!

With another heavy explosion, the massive shockwave caused his heart to skip a beat involuntarily. Immediately afterwards, his body, his internal organs, and his entire network of meridians felt as though they were suddenly bursting apart, giving him the sensation that they were about to tear away from his physical form and scatter!

"Why isn't the Demonic Commander using Soul Annihilation?" Watching the bedraggled Demonic Commander Demon Lin Hai in such a state, Jiang Feng felt somewhat puzzled. He clearly remembered that when the Demonic Commander had previously routed the three true successor disciples of the Langya Chamber of Commerce from Lingbo Town, the terrifying might of his Soul Annihilation had been sufficient to dim the heavens and earth.

Jue wore a solemn expression tinged with faint regret, as though lamenting that a heroic figure was about to perish this very day at the hands of Lingbo Town's nether cultivators. Sighing softly, he remarked, "He's probably been engaged in fierce battles with these fellows for several days. Think about it: ever since you escaped, the Demonic Commander has likely been targeted by them. To have held out until now—vast though his nether power may be, it cannot withstand the constant attrition of so many people!"

Upon hearing this, even Duan Xingyun, standing nearby, could not help letting out a soft sigh.

The Demonic Commander's strength commanded awe, and his temperament was open-minded and straightforward. Although he was a disciple of the Demonic Sect, given the chance, he could surely have become good friends with him!

Hearing this, Jiang Feng remained silent. A moment later, he actually stood up, his expression resolute, without a shred of hesitation or doubt as he declared, "Senior Brother Xingyun, I am going out to help the Demonic Commander. Who knows, we might even manage to defeat all the people from the Langya Chamber of Commerce of Lingbo Town! Wait here for me a moment!"

"Don't be absurd! The Demonic Commander is already at the end of his tether. While these people are thoroughly repulsive, fighting them head-on for the sake of the Demonic Commander holds no benefit for us!" Duan Xingyun urged anxiously. For him and Jiang Feng to have survived until now was already a miracle; if they were to forge a blood feud with the Langya Chamber of Commerce purely for the sake of a Demonic disciple, the enmity established would be colossal indeed!

Yet Jiang Feng was the sort of person whose words were set in stone; even if one were to harness a nine-horse chariot, it was doubtful they could pull him back.

"It's fine, just wait here. If any nether cultivators manage to escape, you may sever ties with me!"

Dropping these words, Jiang Feng's figure abruptly vanished without the slightest hesitation!