Sovereign of the Three Realms

Demons were a significant threat to many heavenly planes. They were cruel, cunning, and unpredictable.

There had always been various rumors spread about them. What everyone agreed on was that demons were very difficult to kill. It was an extremely arduous task to rid the world of their kind.

Looking back on the continent's history, many ancient figureheads and sects had paid a great price to eliminate the invading demons, yet they'd killed only some and sealed away the rest.

Demons were unfathomably tenacious.

If Lightford was a demon, was he an ancient one from outside the continent, or was he a human cultivator who had been assimilated by the demonic bloodline?

It was difficult to tell from his appearance. It'd be easier to deal with if he was merely turned.

If he was a true offworld demon, it'd be difficult to take him down.

Jiang Chen knew many ways to kill a demon, but he didn't yet possess the power to kill a cultivator at Lightford's level.

There were some viable options, such as powerful magical items. Some of them were the demons' natural bane and could eliminate the enemy in the span of a breath.

Talismans that targeted demons were another. They could suppress the demonic bloodline and weaken the demons significantly, making them easier to kill.

Then there were formations. Formations were more effective than brute force in any battle. They tapped into the energy of heaven and earth and manipulated the heavenly law to their advantage.

However, there were also downsides. Formations were difficult to manipulate; they required planning in advance and costed a lot of resources.

Finally, there was the more primitive way - simple strength in numbers. Any being of any race, no matter how powerful, couldn't fend off an army on their own.

With enough people on their side, it wasn't impossible to kill a demon. A demon might be able to fight two human cultivators at the same level. However, the humans stood a chance of winning if they swarmed the demon in a group of three to five.

That was what Jiang Chen and the others were doing.

Unfortunately, none of them could rival Lightford as an individual, which made the fight much more challenging.

Fighting together required teamwork and mutual understanding. They'd never fought together before and there hadn't been any time for them to practice. That made them uncoordinated.

If they had had a few days or even a few months to practice before fighting Lightford, their chances would be much better.

As it was, the Vermilion Bird and the Black Tortoise were the only pair that was fighting as a team. The others were all acting as individuals.

Jiang Chen had been trying his best to organize them, but no one would be able to issue orders quickly enough for such a battle. Things could change in the blink of an eye.

He did have items that targeted demons, but he hadn't had a chance to refine them yet.

The pentecolor crystals he'd acquired in the Cloud Camel Mountain, for example, were a fine material against the demonic race. If he could refine them into a weapon or a magical item, it would be very effective.

However, he hadn't been able to do that yet.

The Vermilion Bird joined the fray again. Its target was clear: it had to take the demon down. Even if it couldn't kill him, it must trap him.

The Vermilion Bird and the Black Tortoise's bloodlines were no lesser than a demon's. They were able to occupy sixty percent of Lightford's attention.

Meanwhile, Lightford was in a state of disbelief. He knew he'd increased his power by fifty to sixty percent, yet he was still unable to create an opening.

Firstly, he realized that he was in a disorienting formation. He didn't have the effort to spare for locating the exit when busy fighting for his survival.

Secondly, there were too many gods attacking him, keeping him preoccupied.

A few hits might not have hurt him, but no wall was truly impenetrable facing a big enough group. His enemies would eventually break through his defenses, no matter how powerful he was.

If there were only the group of divine cultivators, he was confident that he'd be able to flee and even kill a couple of them along the way.

However, the two sacred beasts that stood in his way were his biggest obstacles. Moreover, An Kasyapa had been attacking his weak points, which forced him to pay attention.

Neither the two sacred beasts nor An Kasyapa were to be underestimated.

An Kasyapa was almost as powerful as he was. Moreover, unlike the other cultivators, he hadn't been pulling his punches.

The others seemed to be fighting with all they'd had, but in truth, they were holding back. Very few were willing to take the risk to fight him head-on.

If they'd all risked everything to attack him, the boost to his power wouldn't be enough.

Because he'd been left on his own that the cultivators assumed his defeat was only a matter of time. No one wanted to put themselves into danger under the circumstances.

An Kasyapa was different. He seemed to be ready to make his last stand every time he attacked, which infuriated Lightford.

"You fool, An Kasyapa! Do you really think I won't kill you?"

An Kasyapa stared at him defiantly and cackled. "Kill me if you can, but you won't be able to do so without paying the price."

He was right. If Lightford could kill An Kasyapa without paying any price, he would've done so several times over. He wasn't willing to take the gamble because he would suffer significant injury in the process.

The two sacred beasts would be able to land an all-out attack as he went after An Kasyapa. They were much more powerful than the other so-called gods.

Even Lightford wouldn't want to take a hit from them.

Unfortunately, An Kasyapa had seen through him and attacked with abandon. Lightford burned with fury, but there was little he could do.