Feng Yu tightly held Meixiu in his arms, his voice heavy with regret. "I'm sorry... I came too late."
But the young girl in his arms didn't respond.
Her eyes were vacant, staring blankly at the headless corpse in the distance. Her lips kept muttering, "Father... Father..."
Feng Yu's pupils contracted. In his rush to save Meixiu, he hadn't noticed the other headless body on the ground. Now, he saw that the corpse was Meixiu's father—the once humble and honest man—now reduced to a lifeless body, cold and crumpled on the ground.
A surge of unprecedented fury rose within him. His aura began to swell, the faint yellow energy of his斗气 (dòu qì, fighting spirit) gradually appearing, causing the surrounding dust to swirl.
Gyokko, across from him, felt the pressure emanating from Feng Yu, and a sense of unease crept into his heart.
"How can a human be this powerful...?"
Gyokko seemed unable to believe that the human before him could trigger his instincts, warning him of imminent danger.
"No wonder Akaza fled last time!"
Gyokko's body began retreating back into his vessel. Then, with a leap, he attempted to escape, but before he could, a white tail knocked him back.
"Boom!"
The force sent a crack through the vessel's surface.
"Ahhh! How dare you! How dare you damage my masterpiece! This will not be forgiven... not forgiven!"
Gyokko glared at Xiao Bai.
At this moment, Xiao Bai's form grew larger, and three white tails shot up into the air. Behind him, the ethereal silhouette of a nine-tailed fox materialized, exuding an aura of nobility, divinity, and overwhelming power.
Gyokko's pupils shrank. "Impossible! Why can a fox use Blood Demon Techniques?"
"Hmph, filthy creature. How dare you anger my master? I'll kill you!" Xiao Bai sneered, and the nine tails behind him struck out toward Gyokko.
"Blood Demon Technique: Thousand Needle Fish Kill!"
In a flash, Gyokko took out a vessel adorned with water and plant patterns and shouted.
From the vessel, a golden fish appeared. Upon its emergence, it immediately shot golden needles at Xiao Bai.
"Boom!"
The ethereal fox's tails collided with the needles, causing a violent explosion. However, the fox's tails overpowered the needles, and the attack landed directly on Gyokko's vessel.
"Boom!"
Gyokko was sent flying, unable to defend himself.
"A filthy fox dares to do this to me!"
As Gyokko's concealed vessel cracked open, his skin began to shed. He stood fully revealed, his body now covered in scales, yet his form was flexible and fluid. He twisted 180 degrees and retrieved a white small vessel from behind, shouting:
"Blood Demon Technique: Octopus Hell!"
A gigantic octopus, the size of a house, emerged from the vessel. Its tentacles immediately wrapped around Xiao Bai's legs.
"Boom!"
Xiao Bai's size expanded again, even larger than the octopus. With immense strength, he pulled the creature toward him.
The ethereal nine-tailed fox behind Xiao Bai conjured an energy ball and shot it toward the octopus.
The force of the attack ripped apart one side of the octopus.
"Roar!"
The octopus screamed in pain.
Xiao Bai was about to finish it off, but Gyokko instantly appeared above him, splashing water from a wave-patterned vessel.
"Blood Demon Technique: Blood Prison Vessel!"
A water bowl enveloped Xiao Bai.
"Boom!"
The ethereal fox struck at the water wall, but this wall was strange—it felt both soft and hard, a contradiction that made Xiao Bai hesitate.
As he continued to attack, he soon realized the danger: the air inside the water prison was becoming thinner.
"What now?!"
Xiao Bai began to panic. He hadn't expected to be trapped by Gyokko.
Seeing Xiao Bai in trouble, Gyokko's face twisted into a smile of triumph. He reached behind him for something, but before he could act, an ear-splitting sound wave froze him in place.
"Ahhh!!"
A golden figure appeared in the sky.
It was Xiao Hei, who had just used his "Scream" skill for the first time, aiming it at Gyokko.
"Ahh, so loud!" Gyokko clutched his head, clearly suffering under the unbearable noise.
"Boss Xiao Bai, I'm here to rescue you!" Xiao Hei shouted at the trapped Xiao Bai.
Xiao Hei fired another Sunflare skill at the water prison, creating a breach in it. With the gap, Xiao Bai gasped for air, recovering quickly.
"Xiao Hei, hurry up and get me out! This thing is unbearable!" Xiao Bai cried out.
"Hehe, okay, Boss Xiao Bai!"
Another Sunflare shot out, and soon the entire water prison dissolved. Freed, Xiao Bai summoned the nine-tailed fox illusion again and glared coldly at Gyokko.
"You ugly freak!" Xiao Bai spat.
The nine tails gathered energy, launching it toward Gyokko. Xiao Hei followed up with a Sunflare.
Seeing the incoming attack, Gyokko dove back into his vessel.
"Boom!"
A cloud of smoke rose, and out of it emerged an intact white jade vessel.
Gyokko emerged from the vessel and drew out ten more vessels adorned with fish patterns.
"Blood Demon Technique: Ten Thousand Slippery Fish!"
Numerous fish with sharp, tooth-filled mouths poured out of the vessels, charging toward Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei.
Wherever the fish passed, everything was devoured, including fallen beams.
Seeing this, Xiao Bai immediately shrank in size and jumped onto Xiao Hei's back. Xiao Hei quickly flew into the sky, the two of them teaming up to deal with the terrifying fish below.
"Summon God!"
"Sunflare!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Explosions rang out as the monstrous fish were massacred. The air was filled with the scent of blood and the shattered remains of the fish.
As the fish turned into mush, they sprayed black venom at Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai. Fortunately, Xiao Hei flew high enough to avoid the venom, which corroded the ground beneath him, creating deep pits that emitted black smoke.
"Ugh, that's so poisonous!" Xiao Hei exclaimed.
In the distance, Gyokko's face curled into a sneer. His body disappeared instantly.
"Blood Demon Technique: Formation Kill Fish Scales!"
Gyokko's form reappeared on Xiao Hei's back, and he laughed maniacally.
"Everyone turn into fish!"
"Hand of God!"
Gyokko swung his fist toward Xiao Bai. Just as it seemed certain to land, a familiar figure appeared in Xiao Bai's sight.
"Total Concentration: Breath of Light, Fifth Form: Flash of Light!"
"Cling!"
A pale yellow light appeared before Xiao Bai, blocking Gyokko's attack.
"Master!" Xiao Bai shouted.
It was Feng Yu.
"Xiao Bai, go help Tomioka Giyu. Xiao Hei, protect Meixiu. This one is mine to deal with!" Feng Yu spoke coldly.
Both Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei nodded, shrinking their forms. Feng Yu and Gyokko landed on the ground, standing apart.
Xiao Bai rushed toward Tomioka Giyu, while Xiao Hei placed the unconscious Meixiu on his back and flew off to the distance.
"Vessel Demon, Upper Rank Five: Gyokko... Your punch has the ability to turn creatures into fish, doesn't it?" Feng Yu said.
Gyokko's heart skipped a beat. "You... how do you know?"
The secret he had so carefully hidden was revealed, and panic surged within him. This technique had been his trump card against all who encountered him.
"You disgusting, ugly creature. Die here today!" Feng Yu declared coldly.
...