In the distance.
Qin Sang and the others stood poised above the sea, each wearing a solemn expression as they stared in the direction of the small island. Catching sight of the Kui Dragon's silhouette and feeling the oppressive aura of a great demon, they grew deeply vigilant.
Waves splashed upon the sea's surface as a streak of black light shot over and landed in Chu Heng's palm. Hearts tightening, everyone turned to look at him.
Chu Heng nodded slightly. "The monster is indeed the Kui Dragon. Move!"
Before his voice had faded, the group took up their crystal steles, deployed their movement techniques, and closed in on the small island.
As they sped through the air, the youth surnamed Fang had already engaged the Kui Dragon.
The wind howled and the rain poured!
Midair, a streak of golden light tangled with the Kui Dragon. Silver light flashed with every breath the Kui Dragon took, and even the lightning falling from the heavens could be steered by the beast, crashing toward the golden light.
Man and demon fought fiercely; for a time, neither clearly had the upper hand.
Holding their breaths, Qin Sang and his companions slipped quietly onto the island and selected an open clearing.
Not far above them, the youth surnamed Fang was locked in intense combat with the Kui Dragon, cracking his golden rope to lash at the beast and draw its attention.
The youth surnamed Fang possessed formidable strength.
Though the golden rope striking the Kui Dragon could not pierce the defense of its scales for the moment, it caused the beast agonizing pain.
The Kui Dragon's ferocity was provoked. Spitting thunder and lightning, it repeatedly batted the golden rope away. Its body was colossal, yet exceptionally nimble. Extending and shifting midair, its long tail also crackled with lightning like a massive silver sword, forcing the youth surnamed Fang into a steady retreat.
"So strong!"
Looking up, the group was shocked by the Kui Dragon's might.
The bloodline power of this great demon was undeniably potent, giving it strength far beyond ordinary demon beasts. Without the Heavenly Cold Fierce Wind Array, they truly might not have been able to bring it down.
"Hurry and set the array!" Chu Heng called out in a low voice.
By now, the youth surnamed Fang was retreating toward their position. He was not completely incapable of blocking the Kui Dragon; rather, he was feigning defeat intentionally to lure the beast over.
The group sprang into action, working to establish the great array before the Kui Dragon arrived.
*Swish, swish, swish...*
The crystal steles dropped, plunging directly into the earth and disappearing from sight.
They stood hundreds of zhang apart from one another, encircling a vast clearing. After the crystal steles sank into the ground, frigid qi suffused beneath the soil, turning the roots of the vegetation in the clearing a deep azure, yet nothing out of the ordinary could be seen from the surface.
The chilling qi gathered deep underground, held dormant and unreleased.
Qin Sang and the others concealed themselves one after another, waiting for the right moment.
"It's here!"
Qin Sang stared at the two rapidly approaching figures and caught sight of the Kui Dragon's true appearance. This demon beast still differed somewhat from the legendary divine beast Kui Dragon; it looked like a flood dragon bearing a single foot.
Its scales, however, resembled fish scales, and its head was similar to a turtle's.
The demon's bloodline was impure, and piecing these traits together made it appear quite bizarre. Nevertheless, its ability to command thunder and lightning was extraordinary, clearly inherited from its Kui Dragon bloodline.
The Kui Dragon roared again and again. Arcs of lightning pursued the youth surnamed Fang, crashing down as though the thunder in the sky were completely under the beast's command. Furthermore, the thunder orbs spat from its maw carried astonishing might—striking a peak, they sheared the mountaintop clean away in an instant.
The two figures chased each other until they finally reached the airspace above the array.
As the youth surnamed Fang flew past, his speed suddenly surged. He accelerated and shot upward; seeing this, the Kui Dragon gave chase in haste, completely unaware that it was plunging into a trap, diving straight in.
*Boom!*
The ground exploded, sending shredded flora swirling everywhere in the wind and rain.
Immediately following, a continuous string of thuds rang out. Five crystal steles broke from the ground, radiant with blue light. A blast of frigid qi gushed from beneath the earth, erupting outward to conjure a cage of icy chill out of thin air.
The cage was square and four-sided, trapping the Kui Dragon squarely within.
Within, biting winds whipped like chains, lashing at the Kui Dragon.
Standing firm upon the earth, the crystal steles continuously released waves of freezing qi into the cage. Qin Sang and the others had long since revealed themselves; each sat cross-legged atop a crystal stele, driving the array with all their strength.
Seeing this, the youth surnamed Fang braked his flying light abruptly and wheeled around. A look of delight surfaced on his face, and he burst into laughter as he gazed upon the Kui Dragon locked in the cage of chill.
Possessing no small intelligence, the Kui Dragon understood its plight immediately and let out a shrill, piercing shriek.
The shriek was intensely ear-splitting, causing Qin Sang and the others to frown. Even the dark clouds in the sky seemed shaken, churning unsettledly.
Within the cage, the Kui Dragon went nearly mad.
A mantle of lightning seemed draped over its body. Every scale gleamed with silver light, erupting with tiny arcs of electricity. Battered by the power of thunder and lightning, the chilling winds scattered into tatters, entirely unable to suppress the Kui Dragon.
For a time, chaos reigned within the cage.
Frigid qi and lightning clashed in ceaseless turmoil. Roars from the Kui Dragon echoed from within, accompanied by deafening peals of thunder.
*Boom!*
A thunder orb slammed heavily against the cage.
The cage shuddered violently, causing the faces of Qin Sang and the others to pale slightly in shock. Daring not be negligent, they poured their true essence into the crystal steles with all their might to reinforce the cage.
Yet before the cage could stabilize, the Kui Dragon's tail whipped across. Its power surpassed even the thunder orb spat from its mouth, nearly tearing a breach through the enclosure.
The cage had just formed and was currently at its most fragile. Under the Kui Dragon's frantic onslaught, it grew increasingly unstable and dispersed. They could barely maintain the cage itself, let alone execute the array's other transformations.
Sensing the cage's instability, the Kui Dragon saw hope of escape and turned all the more frenzied.
Its cries carried a strange rhythm that actually resonated with the thunder above. Dark clouds roiled, and lightning from every direction was drawn together, slowly coalescing overhead.
Seeing this, the youth surnamed Fang's face twisted with urgency, and he shouted loudly, "Channel more true essence quickly! Do not let this vile beast break free under any circumstances!"
Even as he shouted, he hurriedly raised the golden rope in his hand and flew upward. The golden rope bounded forth, stabbing fiercely toward the heavens to disperse the lightning.
The others knew this was the most critical juncture. Casting all else aside, they had no choice but to channel their true essence with everything they had.
The crystal steles shone with blinding radiance.
Frigid qi surged forth, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet. Even the area outside was affected; trees were coated in a layer of frost and frozen to death.
Yet Qin Sang secretly frowned at this moment. He felt his true essence depleting rather quickly; the Kui Dragon's strength had exceeded expectations. Trapping the Kui Dragon was not the end—they also had to hold out until the youth surnamed Fang killed it.
If he truly drained his true essence to exhaustion, any minor mishap could cost him his life. Glancing at the others, they too looked grave, yet compelled by the circumstances, they had no alternative.
After some thought, Qin Sang silently unsealed the corpse core, switching to drawing upon the true essence within it. He naturally would not let himself fall into such dire straits; if he discovered the situation was hopeless, he would withdraw immediately.
The island was in utter shambles.
Across the battlefield, a column of frigid qi hundreds of zhang in diameter shot into the sky, spinning rapidly like a tornado. At the center of the cage, an elongated figure was clearly visible—exceptionally ferocious, its body wrapped in lightning as it repeatedly slammed into the icy cage.
Under the violent shaking, the terrifying commotion made everyone's hearts pound, a testament to how fierce the battle had become.
Chapter 862