The demonic cockroach remained as it always was, appearing innocently curious and calm.
Master Yongxin executed a Buddhist divine ability, one that had condensed decades of profound Buddhist scripture understanding. His fingertip landed on the demonic cockroach's forehead, and a golden '卍' symbol flashed, seeping into the creature's head.
"Success!"
Master Yongxin rejoiced inwardly, yet he was also quite puzzled. How could it be so simple? If this truly were the same demonic creature from ten years ago, it wouldn't have been this easy.
But then, he thought it through.
The demonic creature from ten years ago had already perished. Perhaps this one was its offspring, its power not yet reaching the level of its parent.
Suddenly, the demonic cockroach opened its mouth, unleashing a roar. The resulting sonic wave spread outwards. Master Yongxin's expression shifted drastically, and he instantly retreated with a tap of his toes.
The '卍' symbol that had just seeped into the demonic creature's forehead reappeared. The demonic cockroach grabbed the '卍' symbol, tilted its head, and crushed the symbol in its fist.
"Impressive."
Master Yongxin frowned. He had just considered it an offspring, but now it seemed that wasn't the case. With this level of ability, few demonic creatures could achieve such a feat.
"You youngsters, leave quickly. This is no business of yours."
A fierce battle was inevitable, and it was a pity that the surrounding buildings would likely suffer severe damage. Fortunately, they wouldn't have to compensate for the damage. The Special Department had money; they could handle the reparations.
Did they really think the Special Department's finances came entirely from government allocations? A lot of it came from the use of their image rights, turning Special Department members into merchandise, like dolls and such, specifically to trick those little children.
There were even more perverse practices he didn't want to mention.
Some even turned the strong male members of the Special Department into inflatable dolls. Was that something a human should do?
Adding to that were film appearances, the use of their names, or serving as stuntmen, and all sorts of other miscellaneous income. All in all, it was a considerable financial revenue.
Li Yourong said, "Master Yongxin, we are willing to stay and fight the demonic creature alongside you."
"You are too weak," Master Yongxin replied.
It was indeed blunt, but there was no other way to put it. They staying behind wouldn't even qualify as a snack for the creature; they would only become a burden.
Li Yourong looked at Master Yongxin, remained silent for a moment, then cupped his hands and said,
"Farewell."
He then waved, quickly leading his companions away to provide support elsewhere. Master Yongxin had already spoken so frankly, there was nothing more to say. He only hoped the master would remember that in this dangerous moment, a brave fan was willing to fight alongside him, but he wasn't deemed worthy.
He hoped this brave heart would reach the master.
In the distance, Sun Xiao stood far away, still filming. Watching the situation unfold from afar, his mouth hung open in astonishment.
"I never thought I'd be able to capture such a scene."
"The four veteran powerhouses guarding Yanhai City have appeared. Even if I die, I must record this footage."
The thing he had looked forward to most in his life was happening.
Due to personal reasons, he couldn't join the four great academies and could only remain an ordinary person. So, he followed the footsteps of these true powerhouses, recording their battles.
To others, his thoughts might be incomprehensible. Was this necessary?
But everyone had different hobbies and interests.
And this was his.
Well... a hobby he was willing to die for.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Three figures appeared on the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, observing the situation below.
"It's him, as expected."
Lin Daoming, dressed in Taoist robes, wearing a headscarf, and carrying a money sword, muttered to himself. When he opened his mouth, the missing teeth made him feel a slight whistle of air.
With a flick of his robe, his sleeves billowed, and countless purple talismans scattered like confetti.
These talismans weren't the common yellow, but purple.
The colors of Maoshan talismans were categorized as: Gold, Silver, Purple, Blue, Yellow.
Golden talismans possessed the greatest power, demanding a high level of cultivation from the caster and consuming a great deal of energy. The current shower of purple talismans was enough to demonstrate the strength of Lin Daoming. A single purple talisman would be enough for an ordinary level four powerhouse to unleash a significant attack.
Lin Daoming formed hand seals.
Graduates of ordinary Maoshan academies were accustomed to single-handed seals, which required less cultivation. Dual-handed seals, however, communicated with heaven and earth, invoking powers like heavenly thunder and earthly fire, demanding a much higher level of skill from the caster.
"Seal!"
The descending purple talismans spontaneously ignited without fire, transforming into specks of starlight that covered the surroundings. Golden array patterns appeared beneath their feet, followed by pillars of light that shot into the sky, converging above to form a Five Elements Eight Trigrams Grand Formation.
The demonic cockroach curiously looked up, perhaps puzzled by these occurrences.
The medical cultivator took out a pill, his fingertips emitting a glow that infused the pill. With a casual toss, the pill flew towards Master Yongxin.
"This pill is excellent," he praised, then swallowed it in one gulp.
Master Yongxin's aura surged to its peak. Chanting a Buddhist mantra, he said, "Everyone, this old monk will go first. Watch for your opportunities and strike when the moment is right. I hope that with the combined strength of the four of us, we can suppress this demonic creature."
As soon as he finished speaking, Master Yongxin roared, his white beard swaying. His entire body turned golden—a LuoHan Golden Body, a state only achievable by powerful Buddhist cultivators, far surpassing the Diamond Body.
The demonic cockroach tilted its head, then vanished from its spot, instantly appearing before Master Yongxin. It struck out with a palm, but Master Yongxin was unfazed, growling,
"Thousand Leaves Compassionate Palm!"
A flurry of palm strikes rained down on the demonic cockroach, and the air between them filled with booming sounds.
"Great strength, robust body, incredible speed, tireless stamina… A well-rounded and extremely dangerous demonic creature."
Master Yongxin discovered that the demonic cockroach possessed incredibly abnormal traits.
If hundreds of such creatures appeared, the human world would likely be doomed.
Liu Haichan, the Daoist cultivator stationed in Yanhai City, controlled his sword with his mind. A Daoist long sword materialized before him, then multiplied infinitely, countless swords swirling around him. Then, the myriad swords merged into one.
He pointed two fingers like a sword, directing the giant blade forward.
Whoosh!
The enormous sword transformed into a stream of light, sweeping towards the demonic cockroach.
Master Yongxin sensed the approaching energy behind him and used the Golden Cicada Shedding Skin technique to disappear from before the demonic cockroach. The giant sword following close behind pierced straight towards the demonic cockroach's chest.
Crack!
The cockroach caught the tip of the sword with both hands, bending slightly at the waist. Its feet shifted subtly, creating cracks in the ground as an ear-piercing roar erupted from its mouth.
"Five Thunders Technique!"
Lin Daoming unleashed a Maoshan technique. Dark clouds churned in the sky, followed by a thick bolt of lightning that struck the demonic cockroach directly.
Seizing this opportunity, they unleashed their full power, using every technique at their disposal.
The battle was incredibly intense, leaving no room for reaction.
The sword gripped by the demonic cockroach vibrated violently, threatening to burst through its palms and impale it.
Beads of sweat appeared on Liu Haichan's forehead. The demonic cockroach's strength was truly formidable, and their struggle was fierce. He then flicked his sword finger.
The long sword transformed, and countless smaller swords erupted from its hilt, enveloping the demonic cockroach like a flower blooming and then closing, striking its back with innumerable blows.
"Amitabha, the divine abilities of the Daoist and Maoshan academies are truly domineering," Yongxin exclaimed, then chanted a Buddhist mantra. Buddhist light radiated from him, and the illusory image of a Buddha appeared behind him.
The Buddha's illusory form towered several meters high.
Just as the sword attack concluded, Master Yongxin pressed his palm downwards. The Buddha phantom extended its hand, striking the demonic cockroach. With a resounding boom, the ground trembled, leaving a giant handprint.
Immediately following, Lin Daoming and Liu Haichan unleashed their techniques once more, launching a relentless barrage of attacks, unwilling to give their opponent any chance to recover. If this creature was truly like the one from ten years ago, these attacks alone wouldn't be enough to kill it.
In the distance, Sun Xiao trembled with excitement. He had never witnessed such a scene. It was spectacular, absolutely spectacular. This was the true battle of powerhouses.
The dazzling and diverse attacks left him dazzled, his hands shaking as he held the SLR camera.
"Steady, I must stay steady. This is a textbook example of combat."
He was witnessing history.
A battle like this hadn't occurred in many years.
Few demonic creatures could withstand several blows from these powerhouses, and the one that had appeared now was undoubtedly the strongest; otherwise, it wouldn't have attracted these four.
At this moment, they ceased their major attacks.
Thick dust billowed from the deep crater, obscuring whether the demonic cockroach was dead or alive.
Master Yongxin remained vigilant, observing the situation within the crater, golden light flickering in his eyes.
Liu Haichan could confirm that his sword attack had landed squarely on the creature, not missing a single point. Under normal circumstances, it would have pierced through the opponent's body. However, facing the demonic cockroach, even he couldn't be certain.
"It should be dead, right?" Lin Daoming asked.
Master Yongxin replied, "It's hard to say. Let's observe the situation. We mustn't be careless at this juncture."
As the dust gradually settled, they saw a blurred figure within the dust cloud.
"Be careful, it's not dead yet!" Master Yongxin shouted.
Everyone stared, incredulous. How could this be?
The dust settled.
The demonic cockroach stood before them. It was injured, yes, but it didn't seem significantly impaired. Instead, it tilted its head, looking towards the Medical Arts High Court expert on the distant skyscraper.
Then, it looked at Lin Daoming and Liu Haichan, finally settling its gaze on Master Yongxin.
The demonic cockroach retracted its gaze and looked down at the bleeding wound on its chest. It raised a hand and touched the wound, as if trying to wipe away the blood.
Coupled with its呆萌 (daimeng - innocent, naive) appearance, it looked very much like someone who had been bullied, helpless and pitiful.
They all knew the terror of the demonic cockroach.
Otherwise, ten years ago, they wouldn't have lost half their experts just to slay it.
But now, what puzzled them was…
Did they really kill the demonic cockroach ten years ago, or did they fail?
In the distance…
"I'm so full." Lin Fan rubbed his belly. He had eaten his fill, having consumed almost the entire demonic crocodile by himself.
Old Zhang and the demonic rooster couldn't eat that much.
They were full after just a little.
"Lin Fan, I'm so full I don't even want to move." Old Zhang said.
Lin Fan replied, "Then let's rest for a while. I didn't expect it to taste so good. If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known."
The demonic rooster buried its head and said nothing. It now understood that it was important to be low-key in everything.
Take this demonic crocodile, for example. Why did it die so tragically?
The reason was simple.
It didn't understand what it meant to be low-key.
If it had been more discreet, it wouldn't have died.
Putting aside the schadenfreude, it was still grateful to the demonic crocodile. Its strength was good, its meat was delicious, and it had eaten its fill. It had to be said, its own kind never disappointed.
Old Zhang said, "Let's walk around. It's good to exercise after eating a big meal."
Lin Fan smiled. "Okay, I'll listen to you."
If anyone had seen them, they would have been envious.
This was the friendship between the mentally ill. Who else could achieve this? Even if they could, it would definitely be filled with hidden agendas and deceit, never as pure and untainted as theirs.
Headquarters had detected the situation in Yanhai City.
Inside headquarters…
Jin Shangwu's face was grim. He was deeply troubled by the news that the demonic cockroach from ten years ago had reappeared. Regardless of whether one had experienced that incident or not, everyone understood the terror of that creature.
He now understood why One-Eyed Man had called him a traitor.
It turned out that One-Eyed Man had long suspected that someone was deliberately trying to lure him away from Yanhai City, which was why he had asked that question.
For everything to coincide like this, it was impossible not to arouse suspicion.
He believed that One-Eyed Man had definitely not left Yanhai City.
Since he had seen through the scheme…
Why would he leave?
Jin Shangwu pondered for a moment. He needed to get to the bottom of this. Being at headquarters gave him a good opportunity to investigate who the traitor was.
However, it involved a rather high level.
What worried him most now was the situation in Yanhai City.
If it fell…
Impossible.
One-Eyed Man would absolutely not let Yanhai City fall.
Xiangyang Street.
The once prosperous street was now riddled with holes, all thanks to the demonic creature and the four experts.
Their combat power was a bit strong.
It was normal for the destructive power to be high.
It was a very normal situation.
At this moment…
The situation was not ideal.
Master Yongxin was panting. The demonic cockroach's strength was too formidable. Its endurance alone was unparalleled, even with the four of them combined.
Lin Daoming, using dozens of golden talismans as his trump card, condensed them into a binding immortal rope to restrain the demonic cockroach. But as he pulled, he felt that he couldn't hold on for much longer. If this continued, the consequences would be dire.
The demonic cockroach roared, its arms contracting, and one of the binding nails fixed to the ground snapped with a bang.
"Hey! Do you have any other tricks? Use them quickly!"
Lin Daoming shouted, the hand seals he had formed becoming distorted. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.
The other three were not in good shape either. Having fought at high intensity until now, they were not only exhausted, but their qi was almost depleted.
Suddenly…
They heard the whirring of helicopter blades overhead.
One-Eyed Man gripped the edge of the helicopter door, looked down, and then jumped. The wind howled, making his robes billow.
Mid-air, One-Eyed Man flipped, sending a palm strike downwards.
"Lin Daoming, withdraw the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation."
Then, One-Eyed Man's shirt ripped open, revealing his heavily tattooed torso.
The tattoo was of a Buddhist dragon, lifelike. In an instant, the dragon opened its eyes and coiled outwards, a dragon's roar echoing through the heavens. Then, it condensed into his palm.
Master Yongxin looked up in astonishment.
"The lost ancient Buddhist palm technique, the Buddha Dragon World-Extinguishing Palm."
In this brief moment, Yongxin had already decided on his future path: to relentlessly flatter One-Eyed Man. If he could learn this lost palm technique, it would be truly wonderful.
In the blink of an eye…
One-Eyed Man landed above the demonic cockroach. The Buddhist dragon danced wildly, entwining the demonic cockroach. With a boom, the ground collapsed, forming an unimaginably large crater.
He flipped in the air and landed gently, looking at the four experts with a smile.
"Sigh! At the critical moment, it's up to me."
One-Eyed Man said calmly, a faint air of forced coolness emanating from him.
Master Yongxin said, "Amazing! This technique is unheard of and unseen. Could you teach me?"
His expectant gaze couldn't be faked. With our years of friendship, could you refuse this small request of mine?
"No." One-Eyed Man said.
He had long seen through Yongxin's thoughts. Want to learn this move? Dream on. It took me four or five years of flattering to learn it.
Lin Daoming realized that One-Eyed Man was truly clever. They had agreed that someone would call him to headquarters, but he hadn't gone. Instead, he had chosen this opportunity. Wouldn't it have been better to appear earlier and save them so much effort?
However…
"What do you think of my Binding Immortal Rope? I used dozens of golden talismans at once. With this ability, can I be ranked among the top few Mao family experts in the country?"
"Tell me."
Lin Daoming just wanted to be praised. He had no other intention besides showing off.
Liu Haichan came to One-Eyed Man's side. "Is it dead?"
One-Eyed Man replied, "Hard to say, but it should be. If it doesn't die after taking that palm strike, then I'm out of options."
They chatted, completely ignoring Lin Daoming, which made him quite unhappy. Couldn't they hear him talking to them?
Could they at least give him some face?
Just then…
There was a movement.
Everyone's expression changed drastically.
Even One-Eyed Man, who had just exuded a faint air of forced coolness, frowned, looking uneasy.
A figure emerged from the deep pit.
Half of the demonic cockroach's body had been shattered, but to their shock, the shattered half regenerated.
"It can't be killed?"
One-Eyed Man felt that things were getting tricky.
No wonder so many experts had died back then. That battle must have been unimaginable. They were facing a monster, a monster that could regenerate even after having half its body destroyed.