Moments after Huang Feifei successfully slew the Black Scale Demon, the demon army completed its encirclement within mere breaths.
Demonic creatures adept at burrowing lurked beneath the ground, while the skies teemed with a dense multitude of powerful demons.
There was no escape, neither above nor below.
The encircling demons wasted no time. Without preamble, they launched their assault, unleashing a barrage of divine abilities upon the Flying Celestial Boat.
"Boom! Boom! Boom..."
A series of impacts rocked the flying vessel, causing it to sway and tumble. Twenty of the 108 protective formations were instantly shattered, and more continued to fall.
The sheer number of demons, bombarding the Flying Celestial Boat from every conceivable angle, mirrored how they themselves had previously used the boat's firepower to oppress the demons. Now, they were experiencing the taste of being outgunned.
"Everyone, listen to my command! Concentrate our forces and attack only the northeastern sector!" Huang Feifei shouted from the deck of the flying boat.
The cultivators on board, who had been attacking in various directions, altered their targets as ordered. Simultaneously, the flying boat surged forward, charging towards the demons in the northeast.
The Flying Celestial Boat's intention was clear: regardless of the enemies surrounding them, they would carve a path in a single direction.
With nearly ten thousand cultivators aboard, most of whom were at the Golden Core stage or above, and supported by a thousand spiritual energy cannons, the concentrated assault of over ten thousand attacks on the northeastern sector tore a breach in the demon encirclement.
"Accelerate!"
"Break through!"
As the newly created gap threatened to close, the flying boat hurtled towards it at maximum speed.
However, at that very moment, a Nine-Eyed Demon of the Nascent Soul stage materialized directly in front of the breach, transforming into a cloud of black mist and blocking the boat's path.
Nine-Eyed Demons were known for their ability to bewilder the mind and create illusions. In combat, one could easily fall prey to their deceptions without realizing it.
If the flying boat were to crash into this black mist, it was likely that all nearly ten thousand cultivators aboard would be mesmerized, rendering any escape impossible.
"Young Master! What do we do? The flying boat's defensive formations have only fifty-odd layers remaining!" Huang Feifei anxiously asked Xiao Fei. The flying boat continued to endure the demons' relentless attacks.
Once the defensive formations were completely destroyed, the flying boat would be lost, and their contingent of over ten thousand elite cultivators would be annihilated. These individuals represented the most skilled forces of the human race and the future pillars of resistance against the demons.
Xiao Fei, having died twice already that day, felt somewhat weak.
"Wait for me to force it to reveal its true form and freeze it for a moment or two. You seize the opportunity to slay this fiend."
"Understood!" Huang Feifei nodded solemnly.
Although it seemed preposterous for Xiao Fei, a mere Nascent Soul cultivator, to temporarily subdue a Nascent Soul stage demon, Huang Feifei placed absolute trust in him.
"Hahaha... Hahaha..."
A smile suddenly bloomed on Xiao Fei's pale face, followed by hearty laughter.
Joy was highly contagious, and as Xiao Fei shared his mirth, the black mist ahead successfully received this contagion.
"Hahaha... Hahaha..."
"Hahaha..."
Laughter emanated from the black mist, merry and unrestrained, though the sound was somewhat unpleasant, sharp and grating like fingernails on porcelain.
Following this, the black mist churned violently, contracting and reforming into the shape of a Nine-Eyed Demon.
The materialized Nine-Eyed Demon still held its belly with both hands, roaring with laughter.
"Hahaha... Hahaha..."
Huang Feifei was accustomed to such occurrences. Without waiting for Xiao Fei's instructions, she summoned her flying sword and struck at the Nine-Eyed Demon.
Concurrently, a radiant rune appeared in Xiao Fei's hand.
This Spirit-Calming Talisman had been dispersed during the previous battle against the mountain-like Nascent Soul demon. He had painstakingly reformed it and cultivated it within his body for nearly a hundred years.
While not as luminous as before, it was sufficient to freeze a Nascent Soul stage demon for a brief moment.
He had kept this Spirit-Calming Talisman as his ultimate trump card. During the fight against the Black Scale Demon, he had preferred to die again rather than use it.
Now, the situation was dire. Any further delay would result in the flying boat being destroyed by the demons, and no one would be able to escape.
Xiao Fei first withdrew the Law of Laughter from within the Nine-Eyed Demon's body. Otherwise, under the influence of this single law, all other negative states would be dispelled.
The Nine-Eyed Demon found the laughter unbearable and was powerless to stop it. The sudden cessation of its foolish giggling finally brought it a moment of relief.
However, before it could fully savor this relief, the rune in Xiao Fei's hand shot forth, transforming into a stream of light and entering the Nine-Eyed Demon.
The Nine-Eyed Demon was instantly frozen in a state of partial exhalation.
Almost simultaneously with Xiao Fei freezing the Nine-Eyed Demon, Huang Feifei's flying sword arrived.
Huang Feifei showed no hesitation.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
With several swift strikes, she cleanly sliced the Nine-Eyed Demon into numerous small pieces.
At the same time, a large mass of golden divine lightning appeared in Xiao Fei's hand and struck the scattered remains of the corpse.
Based on his past experience, this type of Nine-Eyed Demon, while possessing average combat power, was notoriously difficult to kill. They had no fixed form.
Xiao Fei intended to use this opportunity to bombard the remains with divine lightning. Soon, under the onslaught of his lightning, all the corpse fragments vanished, turning to dust.
Only a black demon crystal floated in the center.
Once again, Xiao Fei and Huang Feifei collaborated, successfully slaying another Nascent Soul stage demon.
That day, their combined efforts had already eliminated two Nascent Soul stage demon powerhouses. If this feat were to spread, it would undoubtedly send shockwaves throughout the entire cultivation world.
Under normal circumstances, killing a single Nascent Soul stage demon was an arduous task.
"The demon Nascent Soul has been slain!"
"Fellow Daoists, accelerate! Break through!"
The flying boat surged forward rapidly. Over ten thousand magical treasures and divine abilities unleashed their full power towards the front, preventing the demon encirclement from completely closing.
The flying boat could not afford any further delays; only twenty-odd defensive formations remained. They had to break through the encirclement quickly.
As long as the Flying Celestial Boat was given a moment of respite, its 108 defensive formations could recover.
However, just as they believed they had escaped the demon encirclement, another demon Nascent Soul stage powerhouse appeared directly ahead, blocking the flying boat's path.
At this moment, Xiao Fei was inwardly cursing!
Did the demons consider them that important? According to information provided by his second sister, there were only a little over a dozen Nascent Soul stage powerhouses among the demons on the entire Eastern Continent, based on verifiable records.
Yet, three Nascent Soul stage demon powerhouses had already appeared here today!
Was it really necessary?
And he truly had no more tricks up his sleeve.