Chapter 118: Mutation [Third Update]

"My lady, we meet again! Ha, what a coincidence. How about I renounce my vows and you marry me?" Daokong said to Yuxin with a look of complete sincerity.

"I certainly will not, you lecherous monk!" Yuxin’s face flushed red. She had never expected this wretched monk to be so brazen as to suggest marriage; there was absolutely no chance of that.

"Seriously, Daokong, that’s not right. The Buddha has been so good to you; you should be dedicated to marrying the Buddha instead of trying to pick up girls here," Zhao Wushuang interjected.

Just then, a battle erupted inside. Wei Zhuang swung his Shark Tooth sword, unleashing a strike that roared like thunder. The members of the Ghost Sect were sent flying, vomiting blood. A single formation spirit had left them in tatters, and they scrambled to stand, clutching their wounds.

"Damn it! How are we supposed to fight someone this powerful?" the leader of the Ghost Sect groaned, struggling to his feet. Cheng Yaojin hadn't even made a move yet, but Wei Zhuang’s strike had already decimated them. It was terrifying.

"Let's risk it all! If a tiger doesn't show its claws, people really start treating it like a sick cat."

"Fighting is a great way to bond. Come, let’s get intimate!" Cheng Yaojin roared as he charged toward the Ghost Sect members, swinging his massive axe. With a deafening boom, the legendary hero’s strike descended with the force of heaven and earth splitting apart. The Ghost Sect members were blasted away again, completely unable to parry, collapsing to the ground as they coughed up blood.

"What the hell... how are we supposed to fight this?" The masked leader of the Ghost Sect was utterly bewildered. They were completely outmatched. Was there any other way?

The fox demons nearby were in no better shape. Wuming had sent them crashing into the walls with a single swing of his sword. They felt as though their bodies were falling apart, and a sweet, metallic taste filled their throats as they spat blood and groaned on the floor.

"Damn it, why are they so strong?" the lead fox demon muttered, stunned. "And that Zhao Yun over there hasn't even moved yet!"

"Screw this, I refuse to believe we can't beat a mere formation spirit!" the lead fox demon bellowed in fury, surging forward with all his demonic energy.

"Dragon Soars Ten Thousand Miles!"

The spear in Zhao Yun’s hand shimmered with a cold light. As he thrust, a burst of azure energy erupted, coalescing into a dragon that charged toward the fox demons. A dragon's roar echoed through the chamber, and the oncoming demons were blasted backward once more, their screams filling the air.

"Draped in armor stained red with the blood of a man with the courage to face an army, who dares challenge me today!" Zhao Yun shouted, his aura reaching for the heavens. The fox demons were speechless. What kind of relic was this? Why did it summon such monstrous spirits? None of them had anything to do with Buddha!

"Damn it, how do we fight this?" The Ghost Sect leader looked at the fox demons, his face full of resignation. "I'm afraid we aren't fated to claim this relic. These spirits are too monstrous; we can't even take one hit from them. Goodbye."

"Don't leave! We still have options. Let's think," the lead fox demon said, desperate. He pulled an ancient book from his robes, recalling that the girl's blood could harm the spirits. He turned suddenly to look for her, only to find she was gone. "What the hell? Where did she go? Where is she?"

"She was just here. Did she run away?" another fox demon asked, bewildered.

"Damn it, this place is too strange. Let's flee. Goodbye, and may we never meet again," the Ghost Sect elder declared.

"Don't go! We have other methods!" the lead fox demon cried out in a panic.

"Methods my foot! Tell me, how are we supposed to fight these monsters? Damn it all, I just wanted a relic, how did I end up in this nightmare? Goodbye—no, never again!" The Ghost Sect elder turned and bolted toward the main entrance. The formation spirits did not move to stop them.

However, Luffy and his companions had no intention of letting them go.

"Finish them off. We can't leave such a wicked cult alive," Luffy whispered to Zhao Wushuang and Daokong. It was the perfect moment; the cultists were injured, and they would never expect an ambush from behind the doors.

"Die!" Zhao Wushuang raised his greatsword, unleashing a spinning arc of azure energy.

"Great Strength Diamond Palm!" Daokong unleashed his ultimate move, his body glowing with golden light as a manifestation of a golden Buddha appeared behind him, striking out with a massive palm.

"Boom!"

Luffy’s attack was simpler: he unleashed a torrent of blue-and-white flames. Yuxin watched in stunned silence, terrified by the sheer power these men wielded.

The Ghost Sect elder, caught in the brunt of the assault, was instantly overwhelmed. He screamed and convulsed before his companions were likewise engulfed, dying without ever knowing what hit them. Their bodies were reduced to a bloody mess, then incinerated by the blue-and-white flames.

Yuxin blinked, shocked that these three men could kill so cold-bloodedly without batting an eye. But since they were evil men, her fear quickly faded.

*Whoosh.*

Luffy raised his hand, pulling a special pouch toward him. It had survived his Nirvana Rebirth Flames, only scorched on the outside, its contents intact. He opened it to find a sixth-rank crystal core and a manual titled "Sword Flight Immortality." It sounded impressive—apparently, it allowed one to fly on a sword.

He tucked it away and walked into the chamber. Daokong and Zhao Wushuang had each salvaged a storage bag of their own, following Luffy inside with satisfied grins.

"How... how could you possibly break through our demon kin's blockade to get here?" the lead fox demon asked, staring coldly at the mysterious newcomers, bitter that they had ruined their plans.

"Heh... we wiped them out, obviously. It’s that simple," Daokong said confidently, as if he had done it all himself.

"You..." The lead fox demon was filled with hatred. "We could have cooperated! You want the relic? We only want our ancestor. How about that?"

"Heh, do you really think we’d believe you? Who knows what secrets you're hiding?" Luffy certainly wouldn't trust them. He hadn't fully grasped the situation here yet. Below the Eight Trigrams formation ahead, the Nine-Tailed Fox must be sealed, but even his Samsara Heavenly Eye couldn't see through the depths below, meaning the situation was treacherous and strange.

"Thank you for bringing her back!" Suddenly, Yuxin’s voice changed, becoming ancient and eerie as her eyes turned blood-red.