When Gong Qian woke up, she had indeed wanted to rush over to provide support, but the moment she sat up, she found that her lower body had completely lost sensation.
Only for that reason did she obediently accept Zhang Shou's treatment.
Otherwise, she would have long since run off to beat Deimos to a pulp.
Just as the three of them were at their wits' end, Gong Qian's phone rang.
Gong Qian glanced at the screen and answered immediately. "Minister!"
"Xiao Yi, are you alright?" On the other end of the line, Yu Lie asked with immediate concern.
Gong Qian hurriedly replied, "I'm not in any grave danger. I'm receiving treatment right now and will be able to move again soon."
"Good, good, good. Focus on your recovery, then. Reinforcements will be heading your way shortly," Yu Lie reassured her from the other end.
Gong Qian asked, "Minister, what on earth is that monster?"
Though she knew Zhou Tai possessed a special ability to unearth the latent potential of supernatural creatures, that beast was simply too formidable.
"That is Deimos, a high greater demon of the Abyss. It's at high Dragon-rank. If it hadn't been summoned here and was encountered directly in the Abyss instead, the vast majority of Dragon-ranks wouldn't be a match for it. It seems external forces have meddled in this matter," Yu Lie answered.
Yu Xian and the other two were startled to hear this. Until just a moment ago, they had assumed it was Zhou Tai. Only now did they realize that their enemy was no longer Zhou Tai, but Deimos.
"Damn it!" Gong Qian clenched her fists, gritting her teeth.
Her father had been killed by foreign forces, and only as the dependent of a fallen martyr had she received a drop of Pangu's Blood.
Because of this, what she despised most were the foreign factions infiltrating the country, and what the Crime-Purging Squad cracked down on most often were the running dogs bred by those very forces.
"All right, rest easy. As long as you're safe, that's what matters," Yu Lie urged.
After hanging up, Gong Qian put her phone away. In her pent-up frustration, she slammed a fist into the ground. The earth shuddered, and a stray pebble shot past Zhang Shou's cheek, instantly leaving a streak of blood.
Coming back to her senses, Gong Qian profusely apologized. Zhang Shou wiped the blood from his cheek, swallowed hard, and forced a smile. "It's fine, it's fine. I'm thick-skinned and tough-fleshed. A tiny scratch like this is nothing."
Internally, he was already thinking: *Whoever marries this broad in the future... if he accidentally catches an elbow while sleeping, wouldn't he be sent to see his great-grandmother in minutes?*
*Hiss.*
*Can't afford to mess with her. Definitely can't.*
***
On the other side, Tianxuan carried Mo Ye on her back while holding Jin Sheng and Gan Jiang in either hand, moving rapidly toward the perimeter.
She was burning with anxiety. She knew that the longer she took, the more severe the backlash Tianshu would have to endure. She had to find a medic to settle the three of them as quickly as possible and then return to her squad.
Although Gan Jiang and Mo Ye appeared to be more severely injured on the surface, the reality was that Jin Sheng's injuries were far worse.
This was primarily because Jin Sheng's power was fundamentally incompatible with Deimos's demonic power, like water and fire. When Deimos had lifted the golden lion Jin Sheng had transformed into, the demonic power had pierced into Jin Sheng's body like lightning, which was why he had been critically wounded in a single blow.
Tianxuan swiftly traversed the hills. Suddenly, she spotted a middle-aged man in military uniform walking toward her.
"Uncle!" Tianxuan's eyes lit up, and she called out immediately.
Jin Dajun stepped forward, glanced at Jin Sheng in Tianxuan's grasp, and chuckled. "Looks like this boy learned a hard lesson this time. Tianxuan, take them for medical treatment first. I'll go meet this greater demon from the Abyss."
Although he was only at high Tiger-rank, this was Earth; even if he couldn't defeat Deimos, he could still stall for time.
Qilin headquarters' plan was very simple: have him buy as much time as possible. Once tomorrow noon arrived, Zhao Yi would be teleported back here again.
Furthermore, several other generals would be teleported over alongside him this time to join forces and slay Deimos!
This was a rare opportunity to slay an Abyss greater demon. Once Deimos was killed, its entire body would be a treasure trove—likely enough to forge numerous pieces of Dragon-rank equipment, not to mention its blood could be used in various research projects and perhaps even lead to new supernatural systems.
Jin Dajun bade Tianxuan farewell and strode forward.
He cracked his neck with a crisp snap, then clenched his fists.
Though he appeared calm and unbothered, as if not aching for his son at all, the fury in his heart was already blazing fiercely.
"Deimos, huh."
Jin Dajun let out a low chuckle, took off his military jacket, and stored it into his ring.
Next, he stripped off his shirt and stowed it away, revealing a heavily muscled upper body. His skin gradually turned red, his hair ignited into flames, and his eyes radiated golden light.
Fiery Vajra Art!
This was an external hardening technique. Once mastered to great completion, one's entire body became invulnerable as vajra, impervious to all poisons, unharmed by fire or water, and endowed with boundless strength.
Not only had Jin Dajun mastered it to great completion, but he had also consumed Pangu's Blood for further enhancement, elevating its power to an even higher level. Kicking off the ground with tremendous force, his figure turned into a red streak of light, rapidly closing in on the battlefield.
***
On the battlefield ahead.
Although Deimos was immobilized, Zhou Tai Nine standing on its shoulder could still move. However, one of his feet happened to be caught by a golden thread, making it difficult to pull free in the heat of the moment.
He yanked repeatedly, but no matter how much strength he exerted, he couldn't pull his foot out.
After struggling for a while, he abruptly stopped. Pulling out the knife he had used to slit his wrists, he cleanly and decisively severed his own foot.
"Useless trash. In the end, I'm the one who has to handle things."
Zhou Tai Nine sneered in contempt at Deimos before quickly sliding down the demon's back to the ground.
Landing on one foot, he turned his head toward Tianshu and the others. The members of the Monster-Slaying Squad spotted Zhou Tai Nine as well, and many of their expressions shifted slightly as they realized something was terribly wrong.
Right now, immobilizing Deimos alone took everything they had; Tianshu was even burning his life essence.
They were rooted to the spot. If anyone cut off their spiritual energy supply, Deimos would break free in seconds. But maintaining the flow meant they couldn't move, turning them into lambs awaiting slaughter before Zhou Tai Nine.
"Feel the fear, tremble! Who should I kill first?" Limping toward the group, Zhou Tai Nine spoke with a sinister grin.
Without even glancing at Zhou Tai Nine, Tianshu commanded, "Tianji, Tianquan, burn your life essence. Yuheng, go deal with him."
"Yes, Captain!" Ferocity flashed in the eyes of both Tianji and Tianquan as they answered in unison.
Hearing this, Zhou Tai Nine broke into a desperate charge, howling maniacally, "Don't even think about it! Just die like good little sheep!"
Too late!
Tianji and Tianquan's faces fell. Burning life essence took time.
It was over.
Watching Zhou Tai Nine close the distance, despair began to creep into the hearts of the Monster-Slaying Squad members.
Right then, a streak of red light shot in from the distance like a meteor. Zhou Tai Nine wore a crazed expression, the muscles in his arm bulging as he prepared to plunge his knife into Tianshu first.
Yet in the very next second, an immense heat surged from behind him. He barely turned his head when the red light flared, and the colossal atmospheric pressure instantly crushed him to death.
*Boom!*
Jin Dajun landed on the ground, one foot planted firmly on the unrecognizable pulp of Zhou Tai Nine. He laughed heartily. "Hahaha! Not bad, not bad—looks like I'm not too late. You folks pull back right now; leave the rest to me."
"Understood!"
The members of the Monster-Slaying Squad breathed a collective sigh of relief, hoisted Tianshu onto their shoulders, and ran immediately.
The moment they took off, the golden threads binding Deimos snapped one after another, and the demon let out a deafening roar.
Chapter 46