"In this Cangyun Mountain, there is a sealed passage," Daoist Mingyuan said. "Recently, I discovered that the seal on this entrance seems to have loosened. When I went to investigate, a demonic beast actually emerged from the entrance."
"What?" Ye Bufan's heart leaped in surprise. On present-day Earth, demonic beasts were extremely rare. The spider belonging to that Old Man Wan Gu was the second demonic beast Ye Bufan had seen in many years.
Now, Daoist Mingyuan had brought Ye Bufan here and told him about a demonic beast appearing near the teleportation array. Ye Bufan guessed that the other party was likely seeking his help.
"If there's anything you need, Senior, please state it directly. Ye Bufan will do his utmost," Ye Bufan said.
Daoist Mingyuan nodded and said, "The strength of that demonic beast appears to be at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. In my younger days, a hidden injury I sustained caused my strength to drop from the peak of Foundation Establishment to the early stage. Your current strength is also at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. I wish to invite you to spar with me and slay that demonic beast."
Upon hearing this, Ye Bufan thought it was an excellent opportunity to engage in combat with a demonic beast and readily agreed.
"Good! Very good!" Daoist Mingyuan nodded, turned, and vanished before Ye Bufan's eyes.
Seeing this, Ye Bufan quickly followed Daoist Mingyuan's pace. The two of them weaved through the mountains one after another, eventually arriving at a secluded mountain cave.
As soon as he entered the cave, Ye Bufan detected a foul, fishy odor, followed by a roar from within.
The old man and Ye Bufan concealed their auras and hid behind a large rock.
The two of them poked their heads out and looked into the vast cave ahead. Thousands of stone pillars grew from the ground, varying in thickness. They resembled the stakes used in martial arts training.
Upon these stone pillars stood a colossal creature, roughly the size of a truck. It resembled a rhinoceros, with a horn on its snout that emitted a red glow and radiating heat.
"This is... an Yan Jiao Xi (Flame Horned Rhinoceros)," Ye Bufan searched his memories of the various demonic beasts Lin Xiaoyao had introduced to him in his childhood and came to a conclusion.
During his rebellious teenage years, he had been very resentful of Lin Xiaoyao's insistence on him memorizing these bestiaries of creatures that might not even exist. He had even been severely scolded and beaten by Lin Xiaoyao for it.
It was only after he became a true cultivator himself that Ye Bufan understood that this knowledge would be invaluable later on. Knowing oneself and one's enemy guarantees victory.
The Yan Jiao Xi before him was a fire-attribute demonic beast with astonishing strength. Its horn could spew flames exceeding a thousand degrees and unleash mental attacks.
"You recognize it?" Daoist Mingyuan looked at Ye Bufan with excitement.
Ye Bufan nodded and shared the useful information he possessed with Daoist Mingyuan. After listening, the latter's gaze towards Ye Bufan changed.
"I never expected this Yan Jiao Xi's most vulnerable spot to be its feet," Daoist Mingyuan chuckled. "When the time comes, I will attract its attention, and you will seize the opportunity. We aim to take it down tonight."
Ye Bufan nodded and became serious. Since descending the mountain, he hadn't truly unleashed his full strength. Now that he had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, it was the perfect time to gauge his current power.
Daoist Mingyuan exchanged a look with Ye Bufan and then flew towards the Yan Jiao Xi.
Caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Daoist Mingyuan, the Yan Jiao Xi was surprised. Daoist Mingyuan produced a halberd and swung it towards the beast.
"Tu Mo Long Po!" The halberd sliced through the air with a piercing sound, radiating a cold black gleam. The sound resembled a dragon's roar, and the gleam transformed into a long dragon that lunged towards the Yan Jiao Xi.
The Yan Jiao Xi was flung towards the rock wall behind it. In mid-air, it suddenly illuminated, and a ball of red flame spewed towards Daoist Mingyuan.
"A good opportunity!" Ye Bufan saw the Yan Jiao Xi's foot exposed. He produced his damaged long sword and flew on it towards the beast's leg.
"Cultivator!" The Yan Jiao Xi spoke in a human voice. "Damn humans, always resorting to sneak attacks."
Ye Bufan sneered. After the battle at the Yang family's estate, he had spent several days studying the damaged sword and discovered its material was so peculiar that even he couldn't identify it.
Although the sword was incomplete, it was exceptionally sharp. Ye Bufan grew to favor it with every use.
"Zi Xu Jian Jue!" The damaged sword shot out, and Ye Bufan's entire being emanated overwhelming sword intent.
The Yan Jiao Xi's four legs attempted to retract, but it was too late. A scream erupted as the sword pierced one of its feet, creating a bloody hole.
"Boom—"
The Yan Jiao Xi's entire body ignited in fierce flames, and it unleashed two torrents of fire towards Daoist Mingyuan and Ye Bufan. Wielding their respective weapons, they swept through the flames, expecting to extinguish them. However, the flames inexplicably split into two, catching them by surprise.
Ye Bufan reacted swiftly, forming sword seals and unleashing a technique called "Liang Xiu Qing She" (Two Sleeves of Green Serpents). Sword Qi burrowed into the flames and exploded from within, causing the flames to dissipate.
Daoist Mingyuan was not so fortunate. With a groan, his arm was ignited by the flames. He was only saved from further harm by severing the sleeve of his robe.
"Junior, let us attack together. I'll strike from above, and you attack from below," Daoist Mingyuan communicated to Ye Bufan using sound transmission.
Ye Bufan nodded heavily. This scene was witnessed by the Yan Jiao Xi, which roared in anger, "Damn humans, ganging up on me!"
The Yan Jiao Xi suddenly leaped into the air. Its horn unleashed a massive fireball, which then transformed into countless smaller fireballs, hurtling towards Daoist Mingyuan and Ye Bufan.
Seeing this, Ye Bufan's heart rejoiced. Wasn't this an opportunity to attack its horn?
"Senior, you keep its attention, and I'll give it a big one," Ye Bufan said to Daoist Mingyuan, then vanished from his spot.
Daoist Mingyuan nodded and soared into the sky, his form multiplying into several avatars that attacked the Yan Jiao Xi simultaneously.
At this moment, Daoist Mingyuan felt his surroundings spin violently, and his very soul trembled.
"Not good! Mental attack!" After being struck, Daoist Mingyuan warned Ye Bufan.
"Mental attack, eh? I have that too!" Ye Bufan sneered in the shadows. His damaged sword shot into the sky, transforming into countless sword shadows. The Yan Jiao Xi found itself disoriented by the dazzling array of sword illusions.
"Huan Yin Mo Tong!" Ye Bufan shouted sternly. Suddenly, a pair of enormous eyes appeared before the Yan Jiao Xi. Within the depths of these eyes lay a vast abyss, which sucked the Yan Jiao Xi into it. The Yan Jiao Xi froze mid-air, dazed.
"The opportunity has arrived."
The damaged sword flew out, carving a massive bloody hole in the Yan Jiao Xi and entering its body...