As Sinmon's surprise attack came, Eddie had already vanished without a trace. "Ah!" Saltold Old cried out in agony as he fell onto the rocks, bleeding profusely from his chest and neck. Unlike Sinmon's rapid recovery, Saltold Old's legs twitched as if he was dead on the spot.
Sensing something amiss, Jeanne raised an eyebrow and remarked,
"This old man seems to be feigning death... How did your ruse go, Eddie? Did they hurt you badly?"
Eddie reappeared behind Jeanne, shaking his head to indicate he was fine. In reality, his waist was badly wounded, a deep lash wound almost revealing his bone.
"This kid has an unseen shadow, likely a life-guardian beast. It not only attacked Sinmon's eyes but also restrained Saltold Old's hands and feet, even taking hits for its master. We must be cautious," Bone Needle warned his companions.
Meanwhile, Laura unleashed a devastating aurora towards Saltold Old's corpse, obliterating a large section of the rocky terrain near the pool, creating a new water body.
After the aurora dissipated, a figure stood at the edge of the pool—a green-headed, gold-backed, black-tailed humanoid tortoise.
The creature spoke in Saltold Old's voice, "It's been ages since I've shown my true form. These young ones are not to be underestimated. To quell my rage and repay you, I've decided to torture and devour you all alive..."
Eddie exclaimed in disbelief, "A thousand-year-old green-hatted tortoise?"
Jeanne, stroking Eddie's cheek, asked softly, "If we die, will you recognize me in the next life?" Eddie, wiping blood from his lips, assured her, "If you're still a beauty, I'll recognize you in an instant."
Jeanne's query about her appearance if she turned ugly elicited an honest yet cautious response from Eddie, promptly earning him a punch from Jeanne.
Sinmon chuckled, "You won't have a next life. Saltold Old has a 'Soul Capturing Bead.' Your souls will be imprisoned in it forever!"
Eddie, lifting Jeanne, prepared to escape. Holding the Ashen Blade, he deflected Bone Needle's swift attack, then kicked Sinmon's injured eye to retreat.
Saltold Old's turtle form attacked Eddie with astonishing speed, sending him flying with a swipe of its tail.
Bone Needle seized the moment, impaling Eddie's shoulder with a bone spike, pinning him to a rock.
As Sinmon's heavy punch approached, Eddie vanished again, reappearing inside Laura's protective barrier and lifting her in his arms.
"Idiot, I'm not like Jeanne, a strength-enhanced warrior. I can't escape! Let go, I'll stay and fight with you!" Laura screamed in protest.
"I'm a man, my word is final!" Eddie, with great effort, hurled Laura towards the narrow opening of the cave. Laura, unable to resist, landed on the topmost rock. Just as she tried to jump down, Jeanne leaped back, catching Laura in her arms, giving Eddie a deep, warning look with her tiger-like eyes. Biting her silver teeth, Jeanne leapt out of the cave... Leaving Eddie alone to face five enemies.
"Do you know why we didn't stop them from leaving?" Phosphor, laughing heartily, explained, "Because we have people waiting outside!" The top of the cave echoed with fierce wolf howls and women's shouts. The sounds of battle resonated down to the cave for a long time.
Phosphor pointed at Eddie earnestly, "You don't know how much the Ten Great Demons value you. To hunt you down, they've deployed numerous decoys to distract the Great Xia and Tian Luo nations. "
"They sent a Little Demon, four Earth Demons, and five Human Demons, a total of ten powerful beings, to annihilate you... "
"You are our primary target, and if you don't surrender, you must die! As for Jeanne and Laura, under the attack of four Human Demons with conflicting attributes, they won't last long... "
"And about your two-headed demon wolf and Laura's three-tailed snow fox, we've specifically sent a Human Demon to hunt them down. "
"You have no chance of escape. Starting today, all traces of you will vanish from the world..."
Eddie's brows furrowed in serious contemplation as he heard Phosphor's words.
The turtle-headed Saltold Old laughed coldly, "You have no chance against me alone, I could kill you a hundred times over!"
As Sinmon furiously pounced, bombarding Eddie with punches, he still didn't understand how Eddie had silently shattered his eyeball.
Not just him, even the enchanting Phoenix, sitting on the stone, furrowed her brows in confusion.
She couldn't see how Eddie, when hit by Sinmon, managed not only to escape unscathed but also blinded Sinmon's eye, which was truly strange!
Eddie raised the Ashen Blade, spiraling it to form layers of blade towers, slicing through the surrounding space.
Sinmon's resistance was strong at first, but as Eddie spun his hands like a waterwheel, he forced Sinmon's arms apart.
The Ashen Blade's fierce slashes caused Sinmon immense pain, but his defense was too strong, merely causing pain without injury. In response, Sinmon tried to grapple Eddie and headbutt him.
"I'll show you who's the boss!" Eddie, more frenzied than Sinmon, rained punches on Sinmon's face, focusing especially on the injured eye.
His elbows and knees relentlessly pursued, and he finally headbutted Sinmon's face with a thunderous roar.
Saltold Old, Bone Needle, and Phosphor watched in amazement, witnessing for the first time someone brawling and overpowering Sinmon in close combat.
Eddie, seemingly a madman, forced even the mighty Sinmon to retreat step by step.
As Eddie pinned down Sinmon's throat and shook his head violently, Saltold Old, Bone Needle, and Phosphor heard Sinmon's cervical vertebrae creaking, nearly breaking.
"Roar!" Sinmon, waving his massive arms, finally managed to loosen Eddie's grip, gasping in agony. Gathering his strength again, Sinmon slammed Eddie onto the rocky surface and raised his huge leg, preparing to crush Eddie into a pulp. A roar, even louder than Sinmon's, exploded: "Roar!"
Eddie, like a demon god, lifted Sinmon's leg, holding him mid-air and smashing him onto the ground.
He treated Sinmon like a ragged sack filled with cotton, lifting and wildly slamming the much larger Sinmon against the ground, causing rocks to burst and debris to fly.
Unsatisfied, Eddie then threw Sinmon against the cave wall, shaking the entire cave, nearly causing a collapse.
Saltold Old, Bone Needle, and Phosphor were stunned, witnessing Sinmon being brutally beaten for the first time.
Wasn't Sinmon's brute strength unbeatable?
How could this be possible?
Did Eddie possess even greater strength than Sinmon?
"Damn it, I can't move, and you guys won't help!" Sinmon complained loudly, struggling out of the shattered wall, shaking his dizzy head in pain.
"This kid has some ability to temporarily immobilize others," Saltold Old quickly became cautious, having previously fallen for this trick.
Sinmon's strength wasn't lacking; he was immobilized and couldn't resist, which is why Eddie had the upper hand. Hearing that Eddie's trump card had been revealed, Bone Needle's eyes flashed with murderous intent. It was time to strike.
He danced his dance of death, creating dozens of illusions, surrounding Eddie from all directions. Meanwhile, Saltold Old attacked more directly, his huge turtle shell slamming towards Eddie's head.
Eddie's illusion vanished, reappearing atop a pile of rocks, striking heavily at the air... Boom! A shadow was sent flying to the ground.
It turned out Bone Needle's true body fell hard onto the floor as all his illusions vanished. "He can see through invisibility!"
Bone Needle's cry of shock was cut short as Eddie pounced on him, fists tight, legs wrapping around Bone Needle's waist, hands twisting his head back, intending to break his cervical spine, coldly sneering, "Correct, here's your reward, a dead man's head!"
Bone Needle's skeletal wings jabbed Eddie like raindrops, blood splattering everywhere. But Eddie, undeterred, firmly held Bone Needle, mercilessly twisting his head.
The sound of cracking bones was horrific. Compared to Sinmon, Bone Needle's defense was much weaker. His primary strength lay in his ultra-speed stealth attacks, but once Eddie caught him, his greatest weakness was exposed to Eddie's merciless grasp.
Had Eddie attacked with the Ashen Blade or the Dragon Slaying Dagger, Bone Needle wouldn't have been so afraid, as his bone armor could defend against swords.
However, Eddie chose the most direct method.
As Sinmon twisted Bone Needle's cervical spine and was about to break his head off, Bone Needle, unable to move, tried to struggle.
His summon, the Fallen Angel Skeleton, attempted to defend against the immense force while attacking with its bone wings, hoping to drive away the enemy.
Saltold Old struck hard from behind, his internal force exploding like a mountain torrent, imprinting on Eddie's back. Eddie, struck by such a tremendous blow, appeared unscathed...
However, Bone Needle's nose and mouth gushed blood, and Phosphor shouted in panic, "This kid knows how to dissipate force, he can even break down my Hellfire! Saltold Old, use external force to attack, directly destroy his body!"
"Let me handle it!" Sinmon raised his giant fist and meteor-like smashed it onto Eddie's back, causing skin and flesh to burst open and blood to splatter.
He then grabbed Bone Needle and Eddie mid-air, wildly slamming them down in an attempt to knock Eddie unconscious and rescue Bone Needle.
After hundreds of deafening strikes, even Sinmon was exhausted. Dropping Bone Needle and Eddie, he believed Eddie must be dead, his body surely pulverized.
Saltold Old and Phosphor saw the bloodied mess of the two and breathed a sigh of relief. Only the Phoenix Fairy Woman, sitting on a cliff, frowned.
"Is he dead?" Phosphor asked Sinmon. "Definitely!" Sinmon replied, lacking confidence but pretending to be sure. How could he not be dead after such a beating?
"I can prove Bone Needle is dead, thoroughly so. As for me, it seems I'm still alive!" A bloodied Eddie suddenly sat up, holding up the head of Bone Needle, whose seven orifices bled and eyes were lifeless, and offered it to Sinmon, his face displaying a demonic grin.
"Thanks for your help; without it, I wouldn't have easily twisted off his head. His Fallen Angel Skeleton's attack and defense almost got me!"
Shaking with either fear or anger, Sinmon didn't know how to react. "Next, it's your turn." Eddie, covered in wounds and Bone Needle's punctures, stood up and pointed at Saltold Old, "Next to die is you!"
"Kid, what makes you think you can?" Saltold Old stood arrogantly, confident in his years of cultivation, deep skill, and invincible turtle shell defense, unafraid of his opponent.
"Because I'm younger and more resilient than you." Eddie, bloodied, approached Saltold Old, his eyes showing a chilling smile, "Before you die, let me tell you a secret: the Yew family doesn't just have one Yehky who can take a beating..."
Upon hearing this, Saltold Old, undaunted, struck Eddie's chest with his heavy claw.
Eddie elegantly turned around and with a sleek shoulder throw, tossed Saltold Old into the water. He then dove in after him, pursuing the attack.
Phosphor was delighted, "This kid is seeking his own death, he's challenging Saltold Old in water, where Saltold Old is second only to the Dragon Lord in aquatic combat within the Heaven Demons. This kid is as good as dead!"
Sinmon observed the churning waters, with blood occasionally surfacing, and was tempted to help Saltold Old. However, considering his own lack of water skills, he thought better of it.
Looking up at the Phoenix Fairy Woman, still nonchalantly sitting on the cliff, he felt reassured.
A few minutes passed, and the terrifying sounds from underwater gradually ceased. Both Sinmon and Phosphor saw Saltold Old's turtle form slowly rising to the surface, cheering for his presumed victory.
Sinmon, overjoyed, rushed to the water's edge to welcome Saltold Old back.
He was quite unsettled by Eddie's resilience and strength.
He had never seen anyone so bizarrely strong and relentless. The thought of Eddie twisting off Bone Needle's head despite being outnumbered and the injuries he sustained was unsettling. Sinmon loathed anyone whose fighting will was stronger than his.
As Saltold Old's body emerged from the water, Sinmon reached out to help him ashore, about to heap praise on him, but suddenly screamed in horror.
Phosphor, alarmed, asked, "What happened?" "Saltold Old has no head..." Sinmon's face was filled with fear.
"How can he not? Here it is!" Eddie slowly surfaced, holding up a green head in his hand, tossing Saltold Old's lifeless head ashore before laboriously climbing up, "It took a lot of effort to fish this out, don't say it's not there! By the way, I'm almost out of strength. Which one of you wants to come up and die first?"
Phosphor and Sinmon, hearing this, swallowed hard in fear, their throats painfully dry.
Only then did they realize why the Ten Great Heaven Demons felt the need to send an additional Lesser Heaven Demon, despite already deploying four Earth Demons and five Human Demons.
Eddie was indeed that formidable.