In the Battlefield of the Gods and Demons, Ling Feng and his companions had been advancing through a desolate wilderness for two days.
This wasteland was vast beyond measure and was filled with scattered skeletons. The bones, having long since eroded, were half-buried in the shifting sands.
"According to the map from Brother Wen, this place should be the Boneyard Wasteland, and the ancient sect ruins we're looking for should be hidden somewhere within it," said Ling Feng while crushing a ghastly undead creature with a single blow.
They had encountered numerous toxic creatures seemingly corrupted by demonic qi. Even when decapitated, these undead spirits continued to attack, making the only way to kill them either burning them to ashes or smashing their bodies entirely to pieces.
Upon entering the Boneyard Wasteland, the number and strength of these creatures had only increased. For ordinary martial artists of the Pulse Formation Realm, even facing one or two would demand all their strength.
However, those qualified to enter the Battlefield of the Gods and Demons were all geniuses, many with strength comparable to the late Transformation Realm.
"This should be around the midpoint of the Boneyard Wasteland, where the danger will only increase. Miss Mu, Miss Tuoba, be cautious."
Ling Feng glanced back at his two female companions, surprised to see them looking more relaxed than he was. These two were undoubtedly his most formidable allies yet. Tuoba Yan, in particular, was comparable to an expert in the mid-stage of the Spiritual Element Realm, and her Tianheng Technique, boosted by the Tiance Mirror, could obliterate swathes of monsters with a single move.
As for Mu Qianxue, she relied on her spirit animal, Ye Yi, a small black cat that transformed into a massive black panther in battle, to crush undead creatures effortlessly. Ling Feng didn't know how Ye Yi had entered the Battlefield of the Gods and Demons, but he knew that Mu Qianxue's abilities were mostly supportive, while Ye Yi was her primary offensive weapon.
When asked how Ye Yi could accompany her, Mu Qianxue simply replied that he was her spirit animal companion, bound as part of her very soul.
Ling Feng didn't fully understand what spirit animal companion entailed, but in its transformed state, Ye Yi's strength was impressive, reaching roughly the third level of the Spiritual Element Realm.
Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed overhead.
Ling Feng looked up and gasped. He saw a colossal beast covered in black scales with a body as thick as a mountain. Its huge head seemed capable of swallowing a mountain whole.
This was a creature nearing the level of a demon king!
The massive beast's eyes settled on Ling Feng and his companions as it opened its gaping maw, descending toward them with terrifying force.
The gusts from its movements whipped up a sandstorm, nearly sweeping the three into the air.
Half-step demon king!
Ling Feng's pupils contracted. It would be easy to deal with a half-step demon king if the despicable donkey was here, but I need to rely on myself now.
Grasping the Eradicator of Realms, Ling Feng leaped skyward.
Four Transformations of Eight Desolations—Mountain Destroying Transformation!
He could only execute the Heaven-Slaying Sword Art with his full strength to go against such an overwhelming opponent.
"Big Brother, I'll help!"
Mu Qianxue called out, and a burst of nine-colored light surged through her body, infusing Ling Feng with immense strength. Within moments, Ling Feng felt his body fill with endless power. Then, with a few buzzing sounds, the meridian gate in his body opened wildly.
In an instant, ninety-six meridian gates had opened, boosting Ling Feng's strength to its peak. True qi surged within him and then channeled into Earth's Judgment, a cataclysmic strike.
Simultaneously, Tuoba Yan, empowered by Mu Qianxue's boost, raised the Tiance Mirror and summoned space barriers to slow the massive creature's movements by about thirty percent.
Ling Feng shouted, and with the help of his companions, he seized the opportunity, swinging his sword ruthlessly toward the creature's open maw.
The ground cracked beneath them as the colossal sword qi tore through the air, slamming into the creature's skull.
Dark green blood rained down as the beast roared in agony. Spreading its fleshy wings, it retreated, unwilling to face these tenacious opponents any longer.
Ling Feng exhaled, looking down at his hand. Though Earth's Judgment had inflicted serious damage, the recoil had torn the skin around his thumb, leaving his hand bloodied.
A half-step demon king beast is no easy foe!
Tuoba Yan and Mu Qianxue landed beside him, breathing a sigh of relief. Without their flawless teamwork, they would have been hard-pressed to drive it away, much less inflict serious harm.
"Big Brother Ling, that move was incredible!"
Mu Qianxue wiped sweat from her brow, her face pale. Facing an opponent near the demon king level had clearly unsettled her.
"Thanks to your boost of true qi, I could open an additional ten meridian gates. Without that, my strike wouldn't have broken through its defenses so easily."
Ling Feng smiled lightly. Although he'd known of her ability, experiencing its power firsthand was something else entirely.
After opening those ten meridian gates, he felt a subtle loosening of his realm's barrier.
In a way, her ability was an extraordinary one, able to push martial artists to their limits!
"Let's go; it's best not to linger here."
Ling Feng took a deep breath. Despite two days of travel, they hadn't found anything of great value.
As Wen Tingguang had said, the outskirts had likely been picked clean. To find valuable treasures, reaching the ancient sect ruins was the only way.