Queen of Ten Thousand Demons Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 77

The hull of the spirit boat, with its shield activated, was now severely damaged. The deck boards had already been shattered with several large holes. If the Hàoyue Bracelet struck it again, it would instantly shatter into pieces.

At this moment, Fú Zhāo was suspended above the spirit boat, facing Yan Gengshen.

Her figure suddenly trembled in the moonlight. Her ears abruptly elongated and sprouted fluffy fur, the silvery-white ears trembling slightly in the wind.

Immediately following, Fú Zhāo’s slender body was tightly enveloped by a fierce wind, as if an invisible force tore away the constraints of her human form. A layer of bright white halo emerged on the surface of her skin. With a faint crisp sound from her bones, her entire figure stretched out like flowing water, becoming instantly long and agile.

Nine massive fox tails suddenly unfurled from behind her. Each tail was covered in silvery-white down, and the tips glowed with an eerie blue flame, like nine dancing star rivers. Her fingertips were sharp as blades, her nails flashing with cold light.

However, before anyone could clearly see her appearance, she was as fast as lightning. Her figure zipped through the air like a phantom, her nine fox tails generating a sweeping wind. She broke through the momentum and lunged straight toward Yan Gengshen’s face.

Fú Zhāo’s pupils contracted. She raised her sharp claws, bringing with them a surge of murderous intent, and clawed at Yan Gengshen’s face. Yan Gengshen slightly turned his body, dodging the attack. He spun in the air and retaliated with a counter-strike.

A sharp, miserable howl of the Nine-Tailed Fox erupted in the sky. A giant white beast was flung dozens of yards before barely managing to stop. The snowy-white fur on its chest was heavily stained red by the blood spilling from its mouth.

Wan Xuānr frowned deeply. She was about to raise her Hányuān sword and step forward to assist, but suddenly heard a voice transmission from Fú Zhāo: “Take the people and flee first. I will stall him. Yan Gengshen has indeed broken through to the Integration Stage; he is not someone we few can handle.” Having said this, she did not hesitate. In the blink of an eye, she shot out, her long sword flashing with a faint, chilling light as she stabbed toward Yan Gengshen’s back.

Yan Gengshen had never felt his spiritual power so abundant. It was as if his every move could shake mountains and rivers. Regarding Wan Xuānr’s attack, he gave a cold snort: “Attempting to stop a chariot with a mantis’s arms. Even ten of you in the Integration Stage might not be able to wound me in the slightest.” He then punched forward, meeting the oncoming Hányuān sword.

To the shock of the thousands below, Wan Xuānr, the head of the immortal sects and a prodigy who reached the Dàchéng Stage in three hundred years, only managed to withstand Yan Gengshen’s punch for less than three seconds before being knocked back dozens of steps. Yan Gengshen, meanwhile, brushed off his sleeve, completely unmoved.

It would be false to say Wan Xuānr was not horrified at this moment. She had faced countless opponents in her life. Even when fighting opponents in a higher realm, no one had ever taken her full-force strike without retreating even a single step.

Tantai Jing watched the three figures in the sky, fighting an intense and lively battle. However, Yan Gengshen remained at ease, while Fú Zhāo and Wan Xuānr were visibly losing ground. She figured they wouldn’t be able to hold out for more than an hour before being completely defeated.

She looked at the demon army opposite them, which was already eager for battle, just waiting for Yan Gengshen’s command to charge. She immediately realized that since Yan Gengshen had just broken through, he was treating them merely as toys to amuse himself. The demon army was brought along to serve as spectators and for intimidation. Once he was done playing and had adapted to the power of the Integration Stage, none of the humans present, nor she or Godmother, would survive.

They had reached a desperate situation. She had never felt such a profound crisis.

She glanced at the Integration Pill in her palm. Taking it now was definitely not the best time. If she took the pill, she might be able to fight him, but breaking through to the Integration Stage and enduring the Heavenly Tribulation would take at least three days. And clearly, given their current state, even gaining one hour would be a miracle.

Lu Xiaoxiao frowned tightly, her anxiety increasing as the situation on the battlefield grew more unfavorable. She urgently asked, “Jing’er, how many times can he use that technique to tear the void? Is it still possible to set up a small transmission array to get everyone out?”

Tantai Jing murmured, “How many times? Transmission array… He does not cultivate spatial or temporal techniques. Even after breaking through to the Integration Stage, he probably cannot tear the void multiple times in a short period.”

She looked up and saw Wan Xuānr and Fú Zhāo being struck away again by Yan Gengshen’s punch. Both were now seriously wounded. Fú Zhāo’s originally nine tails were now reduced to only six.

There was no more time.

Tantai Jing stood up and flew toward the stern of the boat: “Xiaoxiao, Luo Mu, Wan Qīngyī, Lu Wǎnbái, come help me activate the transmission array.”

The few of them were already frustrated by their inability to help in the battle. Hearing Tantai Jing’s request, they immediately agreed.

Wan Qīngyī urged, “Tell us how to help you. There is no transmission array on this spirit boat.”

Tantai Jing opened her hand, and an ink-jade key floated before them: “This is the key to activate the Dōngchāng City transmission array. After it fell into my hands, I discovered it concealed a medium-sized transmission array. No matter where we are, it can instantly send us back to Dōngchāng City.”

Hearing this, Wan Qīngyī glanced at the wounded Wan Xuānr in the air and said with some despair, “A medium-sized transmission array can, at most, allow ten people through at a time. This spirit boat is so large, carrying over two thousand people. If you want to leave, you go first. It is impossible for me to abandon my mother and run for my life.”

“That may be true for ordinary transmission arrays, but this ink-jade key has been passed down from ancient times in Dōngchāng City. This item is definitely not a simple transmission array. It is said that in ancient times, medium-sized transmission arrays could transmit mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas. Right now, we must use all our spiritual power to activate it, send the entire boat back to Dōngchāng City, and then you must quickly return to the Yáoxiá Palace to activate the Great Protection Array and formulate a countermeasure,” Tantai Jing said with a solemn expression. “The other humans should flee in all directions away from this area. Gathering together will only be more dangerous.”

Without waiting for their objections, she picked up the ink-jade key and threw it off the stern of the boat: “Quick! Everyone on the boat, infuse your spiritual power into that jade pendant!”

At this moment, the cultivators on the boat were in chaos. Some had already secretly fled. Hearing this, they were all confused, but in the absence of any other option, they followed Tantai Jing’s example and began concentrating their spiritual power into the ink-jade pendant in the air.

The jade pendant instantly received thousands of streams of powerful spiritual energy. It immediately burst forth with brilliant light, radiating in all directions. Simultaneously, a ring of light appeared in the void, centered on the pendant. It expanded at an alarming speed, as if tearing a hole in the void, growing larger and larger, expanding from the size of a millstone to nearly thirty feet wide in the blink of an eye.

Just as the crowd on the boat began to cheer, Tantai Jing, who was slightly weakened from forcefully infusing a massive amount of spiritual energy, cried out, “It’s not big enough yet! Hurry!”

Lu Xiaoxiao looked back at the battlefield. Her gaze met that of Yan Gengshen, who had just used the Hàoyue Bracelet to knock away Wan Xuānr’s Demon Locking Tower.

He had now fully adapted to the Integration Stage spiritual power through the battle and was starting to feel bored. He was contemplating whether to just directly kill Wan Xuānr and Fú Zhāo when he was suddenly drawn by a blinding light from the stern of the spirit boat.

Yan Gengshen scoffed at the spirit boat. He didn’t believe any transmission array could send the dozens-of-yards-long spirit boat away. However, he still ordered: “All demons, charge up there and capture them for me! Don’t let a single one escape! You can keep the magical treasures and spirit stones for yourselves, even the Cháoyuán Sword and the Demon Locking Tower!”

As soon as he said this, the demon army went mad. They rushed toward the spirit boat, scrambling over each other, terrified that the Cháoyuán Sword would fall into someone else’s hands. The Yáoxiá Palace people at the bow quickly activated their shields to block the demons from entering.

“This is bad! The spiritual power is insufficient! Don’t follow that Tantai Jing’s nonsense anymore!” Xiè Hú roared at the bow.

He had not supported Tantai Jing’s idea in the first place. How could there be a transmission array in this world that could transport a spirit boat this large? However, being unsure of what else to do, he had obediently infused spiritual power into the ink-jade pendant. Now, standing at the bow, with the demon army attacking, he feared he would be the first to die, so he dared not waste any more spiritual power.

Lu Xiaoxiao watched the hole grow larger, seemingly just ten seconds away from being large enough for the spirit boat to pass through. Xiè Hú’s roar instantly caused more than half the people to withdraw their spiritual power. She couldn’t help but roar back, “Idiots! Don’t all support the shield! They won’t be able to breach the spirit boat shield for a while! The best strategy is to quickly open the transmission array and leave this place!”

“Ten seconds…”

“Nine seconds…”

Xiè Hú killed a demon with his sword, then turned and shouted angrily, “Don’t stand there giving advice! Aren’t you the ones running away first? Aren’t we the ones who will die first?”

At his words, those standing at the stern hesitated again, and instantly, more than half of the people maintaining the transmission array withdrew.

Tantai Jing forcefully infused a massive amount of spiritual energy into the jade pendant, nearly two-thirds of her total spiritual power. Her spiritual energy was now completely depleted. She lost her footing and nearly fell to the ground. Fortunately, Lu Xiaoxiao, standing nearby, was quick-witted and caught her the moment she fell.

Seeing her originally rosy lips turn pale and a thin layer of sweat covering her forehead, Lu Xiaoxiao felt immense heartache.

“How are you? Are you alright?” Lu Xiaoxiao asked, wiping the sweat from her face with her sleeve.

Suddenly, a violent buzzing and cracking sound were heard. The two looked up to see that the Demon Locking Tower was no match for the Hàoyue Bracelet! Having been struck away after protecting Wan Xuānr and Fú Zhāo this time, faint golden light was radiating from the faint patterns on its exterior.

Seeing this, Tantai Jing dared not delay any longer. She pulled a bottle from her sleeve and handed it to Lu Xiaoxiao: “Help me give this to Godmother. She will know what to do.” She then forced herself to stand up, intending to go and help.

Lu Xiaoxiao looked at her, thinking she sounded like she was giving a final testament. She quickly grabbed her, pushing her firmly back: “No! If you have something to say, say it yourself! I’m going up to help you.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. You are two realms below him. You can’t even get close to him.” She then shoved the bottle into Lu Xiaoxiao’s arms and lightly pushed her away with a palm, using the momentum to fly away herself.

Lu Xiaoxiao watched her fly away from her. Her haggard appearance could not conceal her stunningly beautiful face. Her pale lips slightly parted and closed, as if saying something, but the spirit boat was already overrun with a large number of demons, and a battle was raging, making it impossible to hear anything clearly.

She stabilized her backward-moving body and focused her gaze, only to realize that Tantai Jing had said: “Wait for me to return, and I will marry you.”

A pang of sorrow pierced her heart. Two streams of hot tears ran down her cheeks. She drew the Cháoyuán Sword, intending to chase after her.

Cháoyuán, feeling deep sadness at this, and seeing Lu Xiaoxiao’s impulsiveness, quickly blocked her way: “Don’t! Confronting Yan Gengshen now is like an ant trying to shake a tree. They are all in the Dàchéng Stage and have many means of self-preservation. They won’t die for a while. You must activate the transmission array first, or not a single one of us will escape.”

Lu Xiaoxiao stopped in her tracks and looked back. The transmission array was starting to become unstable, even showing signs of shrinking, because fewer people were infusing spiritual power. She didn’t know how much spiritual power was needed to fully open it. She looked up again and saw Tantai Jing, transformed into a White Tiger with wings spread, stomp the spirit boat with her four feet, knocking over a large number of demons, and flying toward Yan Gengshen.

Overwhelming despair gripped her heart. She grit her teeth and said, “Cháoyuán Sword, you go help Tantai Jing.”

Cháoyuán replied: “She has no spiritual power and has reverted to her original form. Whether I go or not won’t make much difference. Use all your strength to throw me toward that transmission array. I will help you open the transmission array.”

Lu Xiaoxiao no longer hesitated. She used all her strength to hurl the Cháoyuán Sword in her hand toward the jade pendant.

The Cháoyuán Sword spun a few times in the air and finally struck the jade pendant with a loud “clang.” Instantly, a blinding white light erupted from the sword and poured into the jade pendant with full force. The void black hole, which had been subtly shrinking, began to powerfully expand until mysterious runes emerged around it and slowly illuminated.

Wan Qīngyī saw this and shouted loudly, “It’s done! Start the boat!”

With this command, the boat slowly began to move, sailing toward the massive hole in the void, bringing along the demons who were fighting with the humans in the cabin.

Lu Xiaoxiao watched the large number of demons continuously surging in. She rushed to the bow and shouted loudly, “Everyone! Immediately activate the boat protection array and block any demons trying to enter!”

When she looked up at the sky again, a White Tiger with dual wings suddenly dive-bombed toward Yan Gengshen. Its massive body descended like a small mountain. Yan Gengshen struck out a palm infused with powerful spiritual energy. The White Tiger hastily twisted its body, narrowly avoiding the blow.

When the attack failed, a small golden tower with faint cracks furiously enlarged and smashed into Yan Gengshen’s back. Yan Gengshen withdrew his palm and sneered. He spun around and flung his arm back. The Hàoyue Bracelet on his wrist instantly appeared like a bright moon confronting the Demon Locking Tower. The two divine artifacts collided, producing a tremendous roar. Powerful spiritual energy violently surged outward. Many cultivators and demons with lower cultivation were knocked flying, and the already damaged Demon Locking Tower could not last three seconds before being flung backward again.

Yan Gengshen, at the center of the battlefield, was suddenly pierced through the heart by a white claw—this was Fú Zhāo, who had been waiting for the opportunity on the side. Fú Zhāo’s originally smooth white fur was now heavily stained with red. Her nine originally elegant tails were now reduced to only four.

Just as everyone cheered excitedly, Yan Gengshen painfully whispered a sound and retreated, pulling out Fú Zhāo’s fox claw. Instantly, the Hàoyue Bracelet returned to his hand with an unusual surge of spiritual light. The large hole in his heart was restored to its original state.

Yan Gengshen said, “Damn it. Since you want to play, I’ll play with you.”

With that, he flung the Hàoyue Bracelet in his hand toward Fú Zhāo. The Hàoyue Bracelet was an ancient magical artifact, its damage extremely potent. They had not dared to directly confront it before. This time, the Demon Locking Tower was far away in Wan Xuānr’s hands, and Fú Zhāo, unable to dodge in time, could only forcefully take the hit.

Fú Zhāo could no longer hold on. She spat out a large amount of fresh blood and flew backward toward the spirit boat. The spiritual power in her body could no longer maintain her original size, and she reverted to the size of an ordinary fox.

Wan Xuānr and Tantai Jing, seeing this, disregarded everything else and flew toward Fú Zhāo’s location. Wan Xuānr caught the injured Fú Zhāo and landed on the boat, while Tantai Jing flew to the bow. With a leap from her four feet, she helped the spirit boat move faster through the transmission array.

Afterward, she reluctantly looked back at Lu Xiaoxiao, her eyes filled with endless attachment, as if trying to engrave this moment in her heart forever. However, after one breath, she turned her head resolutely. Her form stretched out, and like an arrow leaving the bowstring, she flew back, charging straight into the sky, where dark clouds pressed down and fierce winds swept.

Behind her, Lu Xiaoxiao led the effort to protect everyone’s escape.

However, the spirit boat was too enormous. Even moving slowly, its massive hull continuously touched the edges of the transmission array, accompanied by grating sounds of wood being squeezed, echoing through the space like low thunder.

Yan Gengshen frowned tightly. He never expected there to truly be a transmission array in the world that could transport two thousand people. He became momentarily anxious. He bypassed Tantai Jing and swiftly flew over, punching the entire boat through the air, attempting to instantly shatter the spirit boat along with the humans and the remaining demons inside.

Lu Xiaoxiao never thought Yan Gengshen would completely disregard the demons still on the spirit boat. She was about to recall the Cháoyuán Sword to block this seemingly world-shaking punch when she was tightly embraced by Lu Wǎnbái from the side.

Lu Wǎnbái struggled to restrain her, urgently saying, “Xiaoxiao, he’s not someone you can fight! Don’t be impulsive!”

Just as Lu Xiaoxiao struggled to break free, Tantai Jing was faster. Her figure was like a streak of light and shadow. She had sensed the danger almost simultaneously with Yan Gengshen’s punch. Diving down quickly, the wings on her back flashed with a blazing flame in the darkness. She charged toward Yan Gengshen with all her might.

Yan Gengshen knew well that this flame was no ordinary fire and could not be resisted head-on. He was forced to watch helplessly as the boat passed through the transmission array.

Just as the spirit boat passed through, the transmission array in the void slowly closed. When it was only an arm’s width wide, Lu Xiaoxiao saw Tantai Jing, who had been struck by Yan Gengshen’s punch, transform into her human form and fly toward the transmission array with a pale face.

She was only a single person’s distance away when a Yáoxiá Palace disciple suddenly flew toward the transmission array key. Lu Xiaoxiao was desperately anxious but powerless to break free. She felt a long sword lying across her feet. She flicked it up with her toe and kicked it away. The sword shot out and pierced Xiè Hú’s Dāntián (Golden Core area).

“Good thing…” Before she could take a breath, she looked back at the transmission array opening, only to see Tantai Jing’s figure abruptly halt. Only a piece of black skirt clothing was left blocking the front. Then, she seemed to be grabbed and pulled away.

At this moment, the transmission array had shrunk to the size of a person’s head. Yan Gengshen’s voice transmitted from the other side.

“Ha ha ha, on the first day of the next lunar month, I invite all of you to attend my sister’s Ghost Marriage with Tantai Jing! Don’t be late.”

The transmission array opening instantly closed…