At the southwest region of Luofeng Canyon.
Five elders from the Wenxian Sect, under the mighty hammer of a demon marshal-level black bear demon, were already at a clear disadvantage.
The elder in the red robe, even more unfortunate, took a direct blow to the head. His skull shattered, and he died on the spot, brain matter splattering around.
The remaining four, though lucky to survive, were well aware that the black bear demon was clearly toying with them. It was like a wolf chasing a rabbit, not necessarily incapable of catching its prey, but rather making the prey exhaust itself before savoring the feast.
"Hehehe, none of you can escape!" The red glow in the black bear demon's eyes flickered as it lunged forward with a bear paw. It slammed the white-browed elder to the ground. The others gasped in horror as they witnessed the elder being torn into fragments by the demon's sharp claws, blood and flesh scattering in all directions.
The black bear licked its own claws, greedily sucking the fresh blood off them, and then chuckled with a sinister grin.
Giggle, giggle, giggle. The spider-woman also revealed a dreadful smile. "How about now? Won't you quickly reveal the whereabouts of Thirteenth Brother?"
"You damned demons, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Elder Tiejian's eyes were filled with fury. "If you want to kill, then kill. Give me a swift death!"
The spider-woman's three rows of eyes on her forehead started spinning in disarray. One of them looked at the tiger demon. "Boss, it seems like they really don't know about the Thirteenth Brother."
Within the Luofeng Canyon, there were originally no demons. If anyone had encountered other demons before, the impression would undoubtedly be quite profound.
"Don't know? Then don't waste any more time!" The tiger demon snorted coldly. "Number Three, settle this quickly!"
"Got it!" The black bear demon grinned. "Sorry, the boss is rushing me. You guys, just surrender and wait for your demise!"
The remaining three elders from the Wenxian Sect, with a glint of despair in their eyes, knew very well that in the presence of so many demons, including three demon marshals, there was absolutely no chance of survival.
The black bear demon started running, its massive body causing the ground to quake with each step.
"Skull-Shattering Strike!"
The colossal beast-bone war hammer descended with formidable force upon Elder Tiejian's head.
At that moment, a streak of sword light shot forth from the distant horizon. With a resounding clang, the ferocious force managed to push back the massive body of the black bear demon by several dozen steps.
The black bear demon looked ahead in astonishment, as if it had just seen a ghost.
Purely in terms of strength, not even the tiger demon could match him.
"Thinking of killing someone right under my nose?"
The voice approached from a distance, and in the blink of an eye, a remarkably young man appeared suspended in the sky. His face still bore a hint of youthfulness, yet his gaze was sharp and decisive. Clearly, the sword in his hand had long tasted blood!
Elder Tiejian's eyes, once filled with despair, now ignited with renewed hope as he saw an infinite glimmer.
Empire legend, Yan Jinghong!
Although this fourteen-year-old teen was several decades younger than these old men, his appearance seemed to reassure everyone, like a soothing balm for their troubled hearts.
"Young Hero Yan, it's Young Hero Yan!"
"Many thanks for Young Hero Yan's rescue. This favor will be remembered for a lifetime!"
The three Wenxian Sect elders who had narrowly escaped death were overflowing with gratitude, expressing their thanks a thousand times over.
Yan Jinghong, however, paid no attention to them. Instead, he cast a cold gaze at the demons across from him.
"Where is it?" Yan Jinghong extended a hand, and a burst of murderous intent enveloped his entire being. The space within several dozen yards seemed to transform into a purgatory.
The demons with lower cultivation levels trembled in fear. Even the three demon marshals had solemn expressions.
Elder Tiejian and the others swallowed hard. It dawned on them that Yan Jinghong had not come to rescue them. He was here to deal with those demons.
Another figure flew in from the distant horizon.
It was a charming woman, with a graceful and curvaceous figure. She caught up with Yan Jinghong from afar, hands on her hips, panting from the exertion. "Cousin, couldn't you have waited for me?"
This woman was Yan Jinghong's older cousin, Lin Yinyin.
Apparently, over half a year ago, Yan Jinghong had lost a precious item. Since then, he had been tirelessly searching for its whereabouts and recently discovered that the item might have fallen near the Luofeng Canyon.
Hence, Yan Jinghong appeared in this place.
"Boss, what's going on?" The black bear demon was a bit slow on the uptake. Despite reaching the rank of demon marshal, its intelligence still fell short.
The spider-woman's six eyeballs rolled in all directions simultaneously. She thought that these might be enemies from the boss's past.
Yan Jinghong stood with his hands behind his back, surrounded by shimmering golden light, resembling a deity descending to the mortal realm. He spoke coldly, "I'll say it again, hand over the item!"
The tiger demon, feeling a chill from Yan Jinghong's gaze, gritted its teeth and said, "What item? I don't know!"
"Hmph, little tiger, you stole my Essence-Stealing Blood Pearl. You've already reached the rank of demon marshal and even trained so many lackeys. Do you plan to resist until the end?" Yan Jinghong sneered.
Yan Jinghong's gaze turned cold. "Hand over the item! I don't want to repeat myself for the fourth time. Don't provoke my anger!"
As Yan Jinghong uttered the word 'anger', his voice had chilled to the point of freezing. The surrounding air seemed to have solidified.
The tiger demon roared, and the black bear demon charged without the slightest hesitation, swinging its war hammer.
Subsequently, one after another, the demons all seized the opportunity to fly out.
There were wolf demons, pig demons, bat demons—all of them menacingly charging forward.
Although they had mutated into demons, their bloodline still retained the most primitive instincts of beasts.
The soldiers trained for a thousand days would be used in a single moment!
The reason the tiger demon took out the Essence-Stealing Blood Pearl and mutated the qualified demonic beasts in Luofeng Canyon into demons was to have the capital for a major battle with Yan Jinghong today.
In the beginning, the tiger demon was merely a recently born black tiger cub. However, due to its possession of a high-level demonic beast bloodline, it caught the attention of Yan Jinghong, who decided to bring it along by his side.
Yan Jinghong was unaware that this little black tiger possessed intelligence far beyond human imagination.
It quickly seized an opportunity, escaping the battlefield during Yan Jinghong's fierce battle with a formidable foe. Moreover, it managed to steal a precious treasure of fate, the Essence-Stealing Blood Pearl, from Yan Jinghong.
Utilizing the essence within the Essence-Stealing Blood Pearl, it quickly advanced to become a demon marshal. Anticipating that Yan Jinghong wouldn't let the matter rest, it concealed itself in the Luofeng Canyon, cultivating its own power.
According to its plan, it could have cultivated a massive demon army. Unfortunately, that plan has now fallen apart.
"Originally, out of consideration for our past master-servant relationship, I didn't want to kill you. But this is your own doing," said Yan Jinghong, his voice cold and merciless. Once he made a move, he became the most ruthless killing machine.
Lin Yinyin silently stepped back. Although her cousin was four or five years younger than her, the power he possessed was probably beyond her ability to withstand, even if she combined all her strengths a hundredfold.
Yan Jinghong didn't need any help at all.
Because he's a legend. The only legendary genius of the Tianbai Empire!