Suspended in midair, Ye Ling took in the entire scene. Her expression remained as calm as still water, a sense of understanding dawning in her heart.
It appeared that this was its demonized combat state. She would have to proceed with extreme caution.
The Demon Goat's subtle backward glance earlier had not escaped her sharp eyes. She quietly channeled a wisp of spiritual energy to trace the path of its gaze.
At first glance, it seemed to be nothing more than ordinary wild grass. However, after studying it closely for a brief moment, Ye Ling's eyes suddenly narrowed.
Right in the middle of the patch of grass stood a spiritual herb that looked completely ordinary, virtually identical to the surrounding blades of green grass.
Yet, its body faintly exuded an incredibly subtle medicinal potency. It was definitely no ordinary plant.
She made a mental note of it. Once this battle was over, she would definitely go over and examine it closely.
Once the black flames completely consumed the Demon Goat's eyes, the Giant-Horned Demon Goat's aura broke free from all constraints. A violent, murderous energy swept through the entire valley.
In its demonized state, its combat power surged by several levels. It completely cast aside its rationality, leaving only the feral instinct to tear its opponent to shreds.
At this moment, it wanted nothing more than to impale this human cultivator who had broken its horn with its massive horns and crush her under its hooves.
Enveloped in black flames and a demonic gale, the massive goat charged forward like a black flash flood.
Its sole remaining left horn gleamed with a bone-chilling cold light. Gathering all its demonic power, it aimed directly at Ye Ling's chest with a deafening screech that tore through the air.
Its four hooves stomped wildly. Each step in the air caused the valley to shudder violently, creating a dense, impenetrable wall of hoof shadows that completely sealed off all of Ye Ling's paths of retreat.
The onslaught was ferocious and absolute—a desperate, life-or-death assault.
Ye Ling's expression grew incredibly solemn. She did not dare to underestimate her opponent in the slightest.
She pushed the True Dragon Unfettered Art to its limits while swinging the Qinglan Sword. Two and a Half Layers of Sword Force swirled around the blade. This was the absolute peak of the combat power she could unleash.
Her Sword Force was indeed far superior to anyone of the same realm, and her physical body was even comparable to the Tongxuan Realm.
However, the gap in their cultivation realms still existed. Her spiritual energy reserves and endurance at the mid-stage Xiantian Realm were far inferior to those of a true Tongxuan Realm demon beast.
In the next instant, an earth-shattering collision erupted!
Clang!
The giant horn slammed violently into the Qinglan Sword, which was enveloped in Sword Force. The terrifying counterforce instantly exploded into a circular wave of violent energy.
The valley floor collapsed layer by layer, and rocks exploded in all directions, causing the entire valley to shake violently.
Ye Ling's arms immediately went numb as she held her sword. The skin between her thumbs and index fingers burst open, and blood flowed steadily down the hilt.
The boundless Tongxuan demonic power surged back along the blade, frantically tearing at the protective dragon qi of her physical body.
She felt as if she had been struck by a massive battering ram. Her body flew backward uncontrollably for dozens of meters. The blood in her chest churned violently, and she barely managed to suppress the sweet taste of blood rising in her throat.
Unafraid of death, the Giant-Horned Demon Goat seized the advantage and immediately pressed its attack, refusing to give Ye Ling even a moment to catch her breath.
Its pitch-black hooves, carrying scorching demonic flames, rained down like a torrential storm.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A rapid succession of heavy, muffled impacts echoed continuously.
Countless heavy strikes slammed mercilessly onto Ye Ling's shoulders, back, waist, abdomen, and arms.
Each strike carried the wild demonic power of the demonized Giant-Horned Demon Goat, far exceeding the onslaught of the previous anglerfish.
No matter how powerful her True Dragon physical body was, it still had its limits.
Within a few short breaths, the protective dragon qi surrounding Ye Ling shattered layer by layer, turning dim and dispersing.
Her tough skin and flesh were bruised black and blue by the wild strikes. Her clothes were completely shredded, and several gashes tore open across her body, dripping blood onto the ground.
Ye Ling gritted her teeth and endured the agonizing pain. Relying on her extraordinary mental fortitude to withstand her injuries, she never stopped swinging the Qinglan Sword, unleashing slashes of Two and a Half Layers of Sword Force one after another.
The sharp Sword Force repeatedly slashed at the Giant-Horned Demon Goat's body and horn.
Every strike tore through the Giant-Horned Demon Goat's flesh, drawing blood and leaving behind several bone-deep sword wounds.
Black demonic blood continuously gushed from its body. The combination of old wounds on its broken horn and new injuries made the Giant-Horned Demon Goat howl in frenzy.
Yet, in its demonized state, it seemed completely impervious to pain and injuries. The more wounded it became, the wilder it fought!
Weathering the fierce Sword Force, it forced its way closer to Ye Ling. Its remaining giant horn suddenly gathered power as it rammed sideways, the hard tip of the horn grazing right past Ye Ling's shoulder blade.
Rip!
Intense pain instantly washed over Ye Ling. Her left shoulder was ripped open, leaving a gruesome, bone-deep wound several inches long. Blood immediately dyed half of her body red.
The powerful impact sent her flying, crashing heavily into the mountain wall. The stone wall cracked under the force, sending a shower of loose rocks tumbling down.
Pfft.
Ye Ling could no longer suppress her churning blood, and she coughed up a mouthful of hot blood.
The gap in their cultivation realms was fully exposed at this moment.
Her Sword Force and physical body were both on par with a Tongxuan Realm demon beast.
However, her Xiantian spiritual energy reserves were limited. Over the course of the prolonged, bitter battle, Ye Ling's spiritual energy was rapidly depleted, and her Sword Force weakened layer by layer, making it impossible to maintain its peak sharpness.
In contrast, the Giant-Horned Demon Goat possessed the deep and vast foundation of the Tongxuan Realm. Even though it was heavily injured and had depleted a massive amount of its demonic power, its offensive remained unabated.
Trampling over the scattered rocks, it charged once again. Its giant horn was lowered, locking onto the fallen Ye Ling in an attempt to decide the battle with a single blow.
In this desperate situation, Ye Ling forced down the intense pain racking her entire body and overexerted all of her remaining spiritual energy.
She channeled every last drop of her nearly depleted spiritual energy into her sword, squeezing her Two and a Half Layers of Sword Force to its absolute limit.
Supporting her battered body, Ye Ling suddenly flipped upward into the air. Gripping her sword with both hands, she concentrated all of her physical strength, remaining Sword Force, and raw bodily power into a single strike, slashing down furiously at the Demon Goat's sole remaining horn.
The Giant-Horned Demon Goat did not back down either, meeting her head-on with its horn.
The second collision exploded with a force far greater than any of the previous exchanges.
Boom!
An ear-splitting shattering sound echoed through the valley, accompanied by a shrill, despairing bleat from the goat.
The Giant-Horned Demon Goat's final life-source horn was completely snapped off at the root under this life-or-death strike.
The thick, massive horn crashed to the ground as black demonic blood erupted like a fountain.
With its life source heavily damaged, the black flames surrounding the Giant-Horned Demon Goat instantly scattered and dimmed, and its violent demonic qi plummeted drastically.
Its massive body trembled violently. Unable to support its own weight any longer, it fell heavily to its knees. Its combat power drained away rapidly, leaving it completely incapacitated.
Meanwhile, Ye Ling had paid an incredibly heavy price.
Overexerting both her spiritual energy and physical body left her meridians throbbing with agonizing pain, her qi and blood on the verge of exhaustion, and her arms aching and trembling so much that she could barely hold her sword.
Countless wounds covered her body, with torn flesh and bruises everywhere, leaving her in an extremely battered state.
The heavy impacts she had forced herself to withstand earlier had damaged her internal organs. Had the True Dragon Unfettered Art not firmly protected her foundation and nourished her physical body, she would have been on the brink of death.
Ye Ling stumbled to the ground, her body swaying slightly. She had to prop herself up with the Qinglan Sword just to stay upright.
She had won.
At the cost of being covered in wounds, completely depleted of spiritual energy, and suffering severe internal and external injuries, she had managed to defeat this demonized Tongxuan demon beast in a brutal struggle.
Having regained its sanity, the Giant-Horned Demon Goat lowered its head to look at the shattered fragments of its horns scattered across the ground, its eyes filled with sorrow and despondency.
It had dominated this secret realm for hundreds of years, yet it had actually been defeated by a human in the Xiantian Realm.
Rate on N.U.
