From Cao Xi's perspective, there were actually many ways to deal with this Earth Demon Old Ghost.
Whether it was the Ancient Clan behind Chen Xiao, or the Void Ancient Dragon clan behind Zi Yan, they only needed to send a message back, and any strong individual sent out could easily resolve the matter.
If that didn't work, the Cao Family could also do the job. As long as Chen Xiao was willing to speak up, those in the family who were stronger than him would definitely rush to help.
It was just a pity that Chen Xiao didn't seem to have such plans.
Based on all of the above, from the moment Chen Xiao set his sights on the Earth Demon Old Ghost, in Cao Xi's eyes, this old fellow was already a dead man.
Facing Cao Xi's merciless taunts, the Earth Demon Old Ghost's dark face was so gloomy it seemed like water could drip from it, and anger that was almost tangible surged in his eyes.
His pupils slightly constricted, and the joints of his withered fingers cracked as he clenched them. "Since that's the case, this old man will have to ask for guidance!"
As his voice fell, Dou Qi surged around the Earth Demon Old Ghost. With a raise of his hand, streaks of pitch-black cold air rolled like ink clouds. A pitch-black ghost claw, emitting bone-chilling coldness, suddenly condensed in his palm, carrying a fierce gust of wind that directly attacked Cao Xi's face.
The onlookers in the sky and on the ground hadn't even seen the trajectory clearly when they saw Cao Xi's expression remain calm. With a slight twist of his wrist, a Gilded Iron Rod shot out of the air. The red patterns entwined around the rod's body flowed, bursting forth with immense power, pressing down like a pillar supporting the heavens.
*"Boom!"*
Energy waves exploded, and the pitch-black ghost claw disintegrated inch by inch. The splashing ice crystals dissipated into mist in mid-air.
The Earth Demon Old Ghost's pupils shrank, and Chen Xiao, watching from afar, was also startled.
This Fourth Elder of the Cao Family, who was usually taciturn, seemed to be stronger than he had anticipated.
Chen Xiao thought carefully. Since they had met, although he had interacted with Cao Xi quite a bit, he had never seen him go all out. Even when they had previously围剿 Old Eagle Mountain Man, it was a situation of fighting with more against less, holding an absolute advantage.
Moreover, he seemed to have overlooked Cao Xi's identity. In the eyes of some juniors in the Central State Cao Family, Cao Xi was the iron-blooded Elder responsible for managing the clan rules and regulations.
His strength and combat power naturally couldn't be poor.
In addition, the Earth Demon Old Ghost was of the Ice Attribute, while Cao Xi was of the Fire Attribute. When their strengths were not significantly different, ordinary Ice Attribute individuals facing Fire Attribute powerhouses would inevitably be at a disadvantage.
Furthermore, the Earth Demon Old Ghost's attack just now carried the meaning of testing the waters, which made Cao Xi appear even more formidable.
But no matter what, after realizing that he had underestimated Cao Xi before, Chen Xiao was in a very good mood.
This way, the certainty of keeping the Earth Demon Old Ghost here today was even greater.
Chen Xiao's thoughts moved, and the Heavenly Demon Puppet in the distance immediately moved as well, sandwiching the Earth Demon Old Ghost with Cao Xi, one in front and one behind.
Cai Lin was unwilling to fall behind. She took a step forward, wanting to join the battlefield as well.
"Be careful," Chen Xiao reminded her.
Cai Lin didn't turn her head, just nodded slightly, and with a raise of her hand, a Seven-Colored Silk shot towards the Earth Demon Old Ghost.
Seeing that the Dou Zong level battle had completely erupted, Chen Xiao flew back to the edge of the battlefield.
When traveling outside, one must know their limits. He could unleash attacks comparable to Dou Zong powerhouses, but that didn't mean he was qualified to participate in such a battle. In his current situation, watching from the sidelines and looking for an opportunity to cause the Earth Demon Old Ghost some trouble was still possible, but truly participating would only tie Cai Lin and Cao Xi's hands.
Above the sky, three Dou Zong powerhouses with formidable auras and a puppet whose strength was no weaker than a Four-Star Dou Zong engaged in a life-and-death struggle. Dou Qi of various colors collided fiercely like a dazzling star river, and light and shadow intertwined, making people dizzy.
Terrifying energy aftershocks surged out, like a tsunami sweeping across the world, like a mountain collapsing with a roar!
Everyone looked up at the high altitude in horror, only to see spiderweb-like spatial cracks constantly bursting from the battle area, which then twisted and reassembled under the impact of energy.
The terror of Dou Zong powerhouses was evident!
Chen Xiao was closest to the battlefield and could see it more directly.
As expected, after Cao Xi also joined the battle, even a powerhouse like the Earth Demon Old Ghost was forced into a disadvantage.
But this old fellow was also worthy of being an old powerhouse in the Black-Corner Region. He was extremely resilient. Although the encirclement of Cai Lin, Cao Xi, and the Heavenly Demon Puppet put him under considerable pressure, it was not enough to completely crush him.
Or, to put it more appropriately, maintaining this state, it would take a very, very long time to turn the advantage into a victory.
It might take an hour, or even longer!
And this was not what Chen Xiao wanted to see.
Delaying would lead to changes!
With a thought, Chen Xiao observed the battle while circulating his soul cultivation technique, recovering his significantly depleted soul power.
Instantly, the special nature of the Nine Nether Soul Scripture was revealed again. An invisible and intangible aura, centered on Chen Xiao, continuously spread outwards.
The three individuals and one puppet in the battle, except for the Heavenly Demon Puppet which had no soul, were all affected at the same time, losing their focus for a moment.
However, Cai Lin and Cao Xi were already used to this situation and recovered faster. On the other hand, the Earth Demon Old Ghost was half a breath slower.
In a battle between powerhouses, one breath is enough to determine the outcome.
Although half a breath was not enough to kill the Earth Demon Old Ghost on the spot, he suffered a silent loss under the barrage of attacks from the two individuals and one puppet. His defense was slightly hasty, and he was forced back several hundred zhang before stabilizing his figure.
"Seeking death!"
The Earth Demon Old Ghost snorted angrily, quickly adjusted his strategy, and with a raise of his hand, a streak of Dou Qi shot towards Chen Xiao.
This situation was exactly like when Chen Xiao had dealt with that Second Elder earlier. It was meant to force Fang Yan to come to his aid, thereby reducing the pressure he was facing.
As he expected, seeing that the Earth Demon Old Ghost had locked onto Chen Xiao as his target, except for the Heavenly Demon Puppet which only knew how to follow orders, both Cai Lin and Cao Xi instinctively wanted to fly over to intercept.
If something happened to Chen Xiao, the main person, then what was the point of them dealing with the Earth Demon Old Ghost?
However, at this moment, a familiar old voice finally sounded.
"Fortunately, this old man didn't come too late. Earth Demon Old Ghost, the Demon Flame Valley has repeatedly attacked the students of our academy. The past grievances should be settled today!"
Before the person appeared, the punch shadow arrived.
The Dou Qi silk unleashed by the Earth Demon Old Ghost with a casual wave, though enough to make a Dou Huang expert look on in despair, instantly shattered under that punch shadow!
Following closely, Su Qian, clad in white robes, slowly appeared.
From the moment he received the news, he had rushed towards Purple Cloud City without stopping, and now, he had finally made it.
To deal with the Earth Demon Old Ghost, as long as there was an opportunity, even if Chen Xiao didn't say anything, or if it were someone else, Su Qian would be willing to lend a hand.
After all, Demon Flame Valley and Jia Nan Academy had a long-standing feud!
"Grand Elder."
Chen Xiao nodded in greeting towards Su Qian.
With Su Qian's arrival, his top-tier combat power was now fully present. With the addition of this Dou Zong expert, the Earth Demon Old Ghost, who was already at a slight disadvantage, would only find his situation more difficult.
Su Qian nodded slightly, not wasting any words. He took a step forward and joined the battlefield without hesitation.
"Mang Tianchi is also quite a figure. Although this old man doesn't fear him, I still respect him. I didn't expect that your follower would willingly debase himself and collude with Purple Firmament Pavilion."
Seeing Su Qian enter the arena, the Earth Demon Old Ghost sneered.
At this moment, he deeply regretted rushing here so quickly to reclaim his pride. If he had just remained in seclusion for another year or two, the Earth Demon Old Ghost would have been confident in breaking through to Six-Star Dou Zong.
And once he stepped into the ranks of high-level Dou Zong, even facing these three people and one puppet, he would have been completely fearless.
But now, he truly felt death approaching.
Six-star and Seven-star, a difference of one star, yet a world of difference!
Listening to the Earth Demon Old Ghost's '幼稚' (childish) remarks, Su Qian couldn't help but laugh.
"If you had dared to show your face before the Dean left, I would have believed your words. Earth Demon Old Ghost, others may not know where the enmity between Demon Flame Valley and Jia Nan Academy comes from, but you and I know it well. For all these years, your Demon Flame Valley has been targeting Jia Nan Academy everywhere, simply because you were suppressed too miserably by the Dean more than ten years ago. Don't you think it's ridiculous to say such things now?"
"Also, Chen Xiao is an Inner Academy student of mine. You wouldn't still not know that, would you?"
His blustering words were mercilessly exposed, and the Earth Demon Old Ghost became enraged and ashamed. Without a word, he flicked his fingers.
In an instant, countless black ice cones strangely appeared from his fingertips, and then, like a torrential rain, they shot towards the three people and one puppet around him.
As the pressure grew, the Earth Demon Old Ghost no longer dared to hold back and was the first to unleash a Dou Skill.
Those black ice cones, like raindrops, seemed utterly insignificant, but the fierce wind contained within them was quite terrifying. Not to mention their overwhelming quantity, even a single one could probably directly kill a Dou Huang expert. This showed that these little things were not as cute as their size suggested.
The black ice cones tore through the strong wind and shot over. In an instant, the three people and one puppet reacted simultaneously.
Cao Xi's long rod was like a dragon, drawing out layers of fiery red rod shadows in the air. As the rod wind howled, the ice cones collided with the rod shadows, splashing out fine ice crystals.
Cai Lin's jade hand lifted lightly, and the seven-colored Dou Qi spread out like a brilliant rainbow curtain. Wherever it passed, the ice cones disintegrated and fell.
Su Qian's iron fist slammed out, and a fist shadow over ten zhang long, carrying the force of overturning mountains and seas, shattered all the ice cones. His body remained completely unharmed.
Although the Earth Demon Old Ghost was strong, attempting to suppress everyone with a group attack was still too naive.
After all, each and every one of them was a genuine Dou Zong expert!
On the other side, the Heavenly Demon Puppet was even more eye-catching. It felt no pain, allowing the black ice cones to strike its metallic body, emitting continuous clanging sounds. It withstood the assault and charged forward fearlessly towards the Earth Demon Old Ghost in counterattack.
"Ice Condensing Sword Art!"
Seeing the countless black ice cones easily dissolved by the three, the mountain-like approaching Heavenly Demon Puppet made the Earth Demon Old Ghost's heart tremble.
Counterattacking, he roared, his figure retreating like a ghost. His withered, stick-like fingers rapidly changed hand seals, each movement carrying a chilling coldness.
As the roar fell, the remaining black ice cones seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, gathering rapidly like returning winter crows. In the blink of an eye, countless ice cones merged into a pitch-black ice sword a zhang wide. A strange, eerie light flowed on the cold sword body, and a chill capable of freezing the soul erupted from the sword body. Wherever it passed, the air condensed into frost mist.
The Earth Demon Old Ghost pointed at the Heavenly Demon Puppet with two fingers. In an instant, the incredibly sharp sword tip, carrying the force of thunder, heavily pierced the Heavenly Demon Puppet's chest, actually sparking dazzling flames and plowing a hideous scar on the Heavenly Demon Puppet's chest!
Under this massive impact force, the Heavenly Demon Puppet was sent flying back a thousand zhang before finally stabilizing its figure.
The terrifying extent of a fully unleashed Six-Star Dou Zong was evident!
It was fortunate that the Heavenly Demon Puppet felt no pain or sensation. If this blow had landed on an ordinary Four-Star Dou Zong, it would have caused irreparable damage.
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