Chapter 138: The Demonic Blade's Eight Perils, Azure Flame (Part 1)

"You so-called righteous practitioners have so many tedious excuses and hesitate endlessly. Aren't you just looking for me? Well, your grandfather is right here!" Jiang Feng shouted loudly, suddenly flashing out from the void.

Just as he stepped into the Shadow Dance Soul-Cracking movement technique, a thunderclap echoed, and thunderclouds flashed. A man dressed in a purple-gold Bagua Daoist robe flew before him, casually flicking one hand to unleash a bolt of lightning. The blast exploded directly in front of Jiang Feng, violently shaking the surrounding air currents and cutting off his advance.

The man in the purple-gold Bagua Daoist robe was none other than True Man Wanchun. Among all present, his cultivation was undoubtedly the highest, and his reaction speed and ruthlessness were equally prominent!

Jiang Feng was not entirely incapable of blocking that fierce strike; he simply wanted to clarify his stance with the Demonic Commander first, lest the other party think he was just wasting his time.

Emerging into the open, he faced the Demonic Commander and usurped the spotlight, declaring, "Demonic Commander Molinhai, I have been lurking in the shadows for a long time. Hearing that you refused to reveal my whereabouts, I stepped out to rescue you anyway. In any case, I already have some old grievances with these fellows, so let us settle our old scores and new hatreds together. However, understand that I am helping you not out of a desire to be friends, and I hope you can make that distinction clear."

At this moment, Jiang Feng had no other choice. If things went wrong and today's events were spread abroad, his reputation would be utterly ruined by this rash action!

Seeing Jiang Feng appear so abruptly, Demonic Commander Molinhai was clearly taken aback. After staring blankly for a moment, he burst into a chuckle, speechless, "Fine, fine! Today, I shall stand with you to deflate the arrogance of these fellows!"

"Hmph, Jiang Feng, you are a heinous criminal of Jiuyan Town. Upon seeing us, why do you not surrender instead of colluding here with demonic sect disciples? It truly disappoints us deeply!" True Man Wanchun's gaze lingered on the White Emperor Glazed Tripod, a flash of undisguised greed crossing his eyes. Ultimately, however, he did not strike immediately, merely saying, "Once we execute this demonic disciple, we shall apprehend you. By then, I fear you won't even have a chance to run!"

"You people from the Langya Chamber of Commerce in Lingbo Town rely on your strength to bully the weak and rob others by force. How are you any different from the Master of Wuming Island? Yet here you are preaching to me today. It is truly shameful!" Jiang Feng had roughly guessed the man's status within the Lingbo Town Langya Chamber of Commerce. Though his words were arrogant, a trace of chill gripped his heart; the person before him possessed a cultivation level around the second stage of the True Nether Realm, making him no small threat.

True Man Wanchun let out a cold snort. "Then I am afraid I must be discourteous. Today, I shall capture you and take you back to Jiuyan Town as an example to deter others!" His gaze drifted thoughtfully, though no one knew what he was plotting. The disciples of the Langya Chamber of Commerce in Lingbo Town all shared a common trait: whenever they spoke, their tone was invariably lofty and condescending, as if they represented the heavens themselves. It unconsciously induced a sense of pressure in others, making them feel like lowly commoners before nobility.

This was not a deliberate act of pretense, but rather the natural product of their living environment—a disposition cultivated from birth.

Jiang Feng silently acknowledged their formidable presence, recognizing this as a form of psychological oppression. Even if two people possessed identical nether arts and comparable nether power, facing a disciple of the Langya Chamber of Commerce would inevitably cause one to cower and hesitate.

It was much like ordinary martial arts champions in the mortal realm: no matter how high their martial prowess, they would still instinctively fear the imperial officials.

"Status! Position!" Suddenly, these four words surfaced inexplicably in Jiang Feng's mind, manifesting as yet another form of intangible psychological pressure.

Jue's voice sounded softly, "He must have practiced a nether art capable of suppressing the spirit. Just keep your mind calm and natural, and you will be able to break his nether art."

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Feng asked coldly, "Hey, are you here to hunt down the Demonic Commander, or to interrogate me? Furthermore, even if I am a criminal of Jiuyan Town, what business is that of yours?"

"As your senior, I am merely reminding you. No matter how high your cultivation is, you have no right to kill Xuanxingzi, whose status is far superior to yours, especially since he is a member of the Langya Chamber of Commerce. Moreover, using this White Emperor Glazed Tripod—a demonic artifact—while you are a nether power practitioner of the Eastern Nether is hardly a respectable thing to do. It only brings shame upon you and your family!" True Man Wanchun said coldly, a multitude of cynical sneers flashing in his eyes. "Furthermore, you have already caused chaos in the Samsara Sea for several days. The Worship Moon Sword Sect is a righteous sect, yet you have turned this place into a complete mess. No matter who you are, no one can afford to let you off!"

"There is no need for you to remind me of that!" Jiang Feng laughed heartily. "You have said so much to me here—isn't it just to find a righteous excuse to seize my White Emperor Glazed Tripod?"

By this time, the sky was gradually growing dark, and the Hall of Worshiping Moon had been thrown into utter chaos by Jiang Feng. Many of the nether artifacts used for illumination had been reduced to worthless scraps, and their vision began to blur into obscurity!

"The Langya Chamber of Commerce of Jiuyan Town has already issued an order to hunt down Jiang Feng and Duan Xingyun. If you join us now to exterminate the demons and uphold justice, your sins can still be mitigated!" True Man Wanchun had not yet given up. Seeing that Jiang Feng had exposed his intentions, he immediately fabricated another excuse.

"Hmph, enough talk! If you want to fight, then come!" Jiang Feng felt an urge to curse aloud. Glancing at the Demonic Commander beside him, his fighting spirit burned fiercely.

As he spoke, the nether power throughout his entire body surged to its absolute peak.

He was eager to witness a grand spectacle and build his renown, thereby accumulating more wealth and nether artifacts to ultimately achieve the realm of a Nether Monarch.

Without accomplishing one or two earth-shattering deeds, it would be utterly impossible for him to develop any sphere of influence. Besides, his primary purpose for traveling was not the Samsara Sea, but rather using the map obtained from the Azure Emperor Glazed Tripod to locate that legendary nether prison.

If he could defeat these fellows, even if he were reviled among the righteous factions, he would accumulate immense prestige within the demonic sects. To him, there was no absolute distinction between righteousness and villainy; after all, this world was inherently governed by the law of the jungle, where everyone, once introduced to nether power, could never escape the cycle of killing and being killed.

"Demonic Saber Eight-Fiend Scorching Flame, if I do not refine you now, it will be even more too late when my nether power wanes later. By then, if your spiritual sentience surges, I am very likely to be backlashed by you!" While sparring with True Man Wanchun in word and deed, Jiang Feng continuously refined the Eight-Fiend Scorching Flame stored within his Rivers and Mountains Bottle.

He had always lacked a proper, reliable nether artifact. Although his Rivers and Mountains Bottle contained items like the Nine-Bended Linked Ring Saber, he thoroughly disliked such artifacts: first, they had too many flaws; second, their material was subpar, as weapons of that caliber were permanently capped at the dark-tier supreme grade with no room for further improvement!

With this Demonic Saber Eight-Fiend Scorching Flame, not only would he acquire an exceptionally handy nether artifact, but he would also secure another missing piece for the Rivers and Mountains Eight Swords Diagram within his Rivers and Mountains Bottle!

This demonic saber was perfectly suited for him. With the blade in hand, ghosts and gods would cower, and its destructive power would be immense. Once refined, his combat prowess would instantly triple, far surpassing any of his existing nether arts!

Hum-hum-hum-hum!

Although the demonic saber "Eight-Fiend Scorching Flame" had been suppressed, its ferocious might and surging killing intent remained unvanquished, defying control. Upon sensing Jiang Feng's intent, it vibrated rebelliously, spraying rays of crimson light.

"Hmph, just a demonic saber, yet so ferocious—truly a rare sight in this world. Kid, I've realized that coming out of the Maze Forest with you is the wisest move I've ever made, allowing me to witness so many bizarre nether artifacts," Jue remarked, simultaneously mobilizing his nether soul power to fiercely plunge into the interior of the demonic saber, locking in a fierce battle of wills against the Eight-Fiend Scorching Flame.

The demonic saber Eight-Fiend Scorching Flame emitted a ferocious, lingering, and ghastly roar. At the same time, a vicious spiritual aura flooded into Jiang Feng's mind along with his own nether power. Instantly, a bloody figure materialized in Jiang Feng's mind, bearing two pairs of blood-red wings on its back. Countless waves of bloody stench billowed from its wings, choking Jiang Feng's nose and mouth. In an instant, it felt as though he had plunged into an ocean of blood.

"Is this the saber spirit of the Demonic Saber Eight-Fiend Scorching Flame?" Jue asked in surprise, startling Jiang Feng as well. "It hasn't fully matured yet, though. If you possessed boundless wisdom like mine, you could truly be called powerful. But right now, you are merely a turtle in a jar, and your dying struggle is entirely in vain!"

Jiang Feng knew that the giant blood-colored figure appearing in his mind was the projection—the artifact spirit—of the Demonic Saber Eight-Fiend Scorching Flame. Sensing that Jiang Feng wanted to subdue it, the spirit had launched a counterattack, attempting to influence his mind and stage a reverse usurpation to conquer him. Yet, this was ultimately just the desperate struggle of a spent force.

"Nether soul power!"

Jue let out a soft cry, wrapping nether soul power within his own spiritual consciousness and hurling the entire demonic saber straight into the midst of the nether soul power. As massive amounts of nether soul power enveloped the Eight-Fiend Scorching Flame, the bloody figure in Jiang Feng's mind grew significantly fainter, while the artifact spirit of the demonic saber emitted a powerful and resentful roar.

"Can it resist nether soul power?" Jue chuckled softly, step by step driving all the nether soul power deeper into the artifact to seize control of the demonic saber's demonic array.

Surprisingly, the demonic array of the Demonic Saber Eight-Fiend Scorching Flame consisted of only a single formation, unlike the White Emperor Glazed Tripod which possessed numerous ones. However, this single demonic array was intricately complex, composed of countless smaller demonic arrays, with each minor formation resembling a human organ. Jiang Feng couldn't help suspecting that if left to develop over time, this massive demonic array would eventually take physical form and evolve into a terrifying entity.

In that case, the Demonic Saber Eight-Fiend Scorching Flame would attain the existence of a White Nether Sacred Artifact.

Right now, however, this massive demonic array was gradually falling under Jiang Feng's control.