Plant VS Cultivation

Chapter 166: The Demon King's Attack

The Crab Islands.

The martial arts competition was in full swing. The rich rewards of this competition had driven the participating Foundation Establishment cultivators to show all of their abilities, making the event exceptionally thrilling.

The surrounding audience was also excited by the contestants' performances, cheering loudly. However, among the rowdy crowd, a young man in black robes remained calm.

"Is that all?"

The young man in black shook his head. He had originally thought that the Crab Islands might produce a cultivator who had reached the rumored Immortal Golden Core realm. But after witnessing the event, he saw that there was nothing special about the human cultivators of the Crab Islands.

Losing interest, the young man in black immediately left the spectator stands and headed toward the heart of the Crab Islands.

This young man in black was none other than the Jiao Long Demon King. The Jiao Long Demon King, capable of transforming into human form, did not make a loud appearance to launch an attack. Instead, he had disguised himself as a loose cultivator and infiltrated the Crab Islands.

Only those large demons who could not fully transform would attack in a grand manner. After all, without full transformation, they could not sneak in quietly.

"A near 4th-tier array."

Soon, the Jiao Long Demon King reached the perimeter of the island and immediately saw the mist enveloping it. As a demon who had lived for over a thousand years, he was able to recognize the formation protecting the island. Having lived even longer than the Chi Sha Demon, the Jiao Long Demon King knew the array well.

With this near-4th-tier formation in place, the Demon King's original plan to secretly eliminate the Immortal Golden Core cultivator was clearly impossible.

As a demon king, it would be beneath his dignity to personally kill a junior. Therefore, if possible, he had hoped to carry out a covert operation. But with the near-4th-tier formation, this plan was no longer feasible.

However, this wasn't a major issue.

The Jiao Long Demon King approached the island, and his arm transformed into a fierce dragon claw. He reached out toward the mist above the island.

If he were to get trapped within the near-4th-tier formation, the Demon King would be delayed for a moment, but as long as he didn't enter the formation, it wouldn't be difficult to destroy it from the outside.

"Boom!"

As the Demon King struck, a massive dragon claw appeared in the sky above the island, tearing a gap in the mist that surrounded the island. However, the gap was quickly sealed by the surrounding mist.

"Hm?"

Within the island, Gu Mo suddenly opened his eyes, looking at the dragon claw in the sky with a solemn expression.

Although he had been prepared, Gu Mo had not expected the Demon King to arrive so suddenly. He had anticipated a grand invasion, with the sea demons charging in. He hadn't expected the Demon King to infiltrate the island covertly.

Unfortunately, it was a little too late. If the Demon King had come a few years ago, Gu Mo might have been more worried, even considering the possibility of fleeing. But now...

Gu Mo immediately canceled the Cloud Mist Illusion Array. This array couldn't stop the Demon King, and Gu Mo didn't want the array to be damaged. He wasn't an array master and couldn't repair formations.

Moreover, the Cloud Mist Illusion Array was just a cover for the island's plants—it wasn't meant for defense against enemies.

"This is..."

As the Cloud Mist Illusion Array was removed, the lush island, filled with various plants, was revealed. Before the Jiao Long Demon King could fully assess the situation, the overwhelming aura of several 3rd-tier peak-level cultivations made his expression grow even more serious.

"Spirit Planter!"

Upon seeing the 3rd-tier peak-level energy emanating from the strange-looking plants, the Jiao Long Demon King immediately thought of the profession of Spirit Planter.

Low-tier Spirit Planters were weak, but high-tier ones were terrifying, especially those who had lived for a long time. After all, the longer the plants lived, the stronger their combat power became. Thus, most Spirit Planters would practice cultivation techniques that extended their lifespans. Only by living long enough could their plants reach their full potential.

At this moment, the Jiao Long Demon King realized that he had encountered a high-level 3rd-tier Spirit Planter. These ancient Spirit Planters were incredibly powerful, and in a positional battle, even a 4th-tier Demon King or a Nascent Soul true cultivator might not be able to defeat them.

The only weakness of Spirit Planters was their poor mobility in battle.

"Sigh, I always wanted to conceal my identity as a Spirit Planter, but in the end, it was exposed."

Gu Mo sighed softly, but he also knew that it was unrealistic to continue hiding in the face of a Demon King.

Fortunately, being a Spirit Planter was only his secondary disguise; the real secret lay in the Sunflower and other plants.

"What's going on?"

As the Jiao Long Demon King struck and the Cloud Mist Illusion Array was removed, the Demon King's energy and the powerful 3rd-tier Spirit Planter auras spread, causing the cultivators of the Crab Islands to tremble in fear.

"The Demon King is here!"

At this moment, the cultivators of the Crab Islands suddenly remembered something they had almost forgotten. Five years ago, Gu Mo had warned them of a Demon King's attack. But for the past five years, everything had been peaceful, and they had gradually forgotten about the warning.

Now, the Demon King's aura suddenly arrived, giving the cultivators no time to prepare.

"Pause the competition!"

As the cultivators were still stunned, several Golden Core cultivators quickly reacted. As they sensed the Demon King's aura and the overwhelming 3rd-tier peak-level energies, they became more composed.

Although the Demon King was terrifying, the Grand Masters' strength was enough to deter him. With their presence, they would have time to retreat.

The only thing the cultivators of the Crab Islands could do now was to leave and not become a burden to the Grand Masters.

"Is this your confidence?"

The Jiao Long Demon King gazed at the strange 3rd-tier peak-level plants and then raised his fist. As a Demon King, his preferred way of fighting was with his fists. This was the favored method of demon beasts—wild, brute force, but effective. Especially when fighting human cultivators, demons had the advantage of physical strength, so they used it to their full advantage.

"Bang!"

However, the Demon King's punch was blocked by a light barrier. While the barrier rippled under the force of his blow, it did not shatter.

"Hm?"

This surprised the Jiao Long Demon King. He had not held back in his punch, but this seemingly ordinary defense formation had blocked it. Why?

"What!"

While the Jiao Long Demon King was confused, he sensed two streams of red and blue light shooting toward him, and for the first time, he felt a hint of danger.

The 3rd-tier elite Pea Shooter combined with the 3rd-tier elite Torchwood and Ice Flame Tree had powers approaching that of a 4th-tier being.

Without hesitation, the Demon King chose to dodge. He would not take on an attack he could not comprehend. However, as he was about to retreat, a feeling of unease suddenly washed over him.

Not only did he sense a threatening aura from all around, but there were also several large cherries in his line of sight.

"Boom!"

Seeing that the Demon King had noticed the Cherry Bombs, Gu Mo no longer hesitated. He triggered the explosion, and the terrifying force of annihilation immediately engulfed the Jiao Long Demon King.

With the 3rd-tier elite Cherry Bombs, even a 4th-tier Demon King would be in trouble. Furthermore, the Fire Peas and Ice Peas combined with the bombs should force the Demon King to retreat.

Gu Mo had never considered killing the Demon King; he only wanted to make him realize that he wasn't easy to deal with and to drive him away.

"Shh!!"

Amidst the terrifying explosion, an angry hiss rang out, and a huge figure shot out. The Jiao Long Demon King had revealed his true form, signaling that he was getting serious.

"Die!"

The massive body of the Demon King coiled in the sea outside the island. His dark body had multiple injuries, none of which were fatal, but they were undoubtedly a significant blow to his pride. After all, it was humiliating for a Demon King to be injured by a human Golden Core cultivator.

In a rage, the Demon King unleashed a surge of demonic energy, and the sea around the Crab Islands began to churn. In the next moment, a towering wave larger than the island itself crashed down.

"Boom!"

The wave, larger than the island itself, struck with such force that the entire island trembled. Had it not been for the Nut Barrier protecting the island, this blow would have shattered the island, destroying the sacred ground.

The Demon King's actions had clearly angered Gu Mo. Originally, Gu Mo had only wanted to force the Demon King to retreat. But now that the Demon King intended to destroy his sacred ground, Gu Mo could no longer tolerate it.

"What formation is this? Why is it so sturdy?"

The Jiao Long Demon King stared at the protective light screen over the island and felt a deep sense of apprehension. Had it not been for this defensive formation, he would have already stormed in and killed the human cultivator.

As the Jiao Long Demon King studied the Nut Barrier, several vines suddenly shot out from the sea, wrapping around the Demon King.

"What are these!"

The Jiao Long Demon King was startled. He hadn't noticed the spirit plants hidden beneath the sea.

In a panic, the Demon King spun around, trying to break free from the vines. But there were too many, and he could not escape in a short time.

To ensure the Demon King was trapped, Gu Mo used up all his remaining 3rd-tier elite Entangling Water Plants.

"Attack!"

Once the Demon King was bound, Gu Mo immediately ordered a full assault. Energy Peas began to fire at the Demon King.

Though the Peas' power was only at the peak of the 3rd-tier, they would be difficult to harm the physically superior Demon King. However, they could help wear down his strength.

Gu Mo's plan was to first use the Pea Shooters to deplete the Demon King's energy before launching a stronger attack.

"Get off me!"

The Jiao Long Demon King roared, and his power exploded. For a brief moment, he managed to break free from the Entangling Water Plants, but just as he tried to escape, a Cold Ice Pea struck him directly.

In an instant, the surrounding sea froze over, trapping the Demon King and completely cutting off his chance of escape.

Now, Gu Mo had more than just the Entangling Water Plants to restrain the Demon King—he also had the Cold Ice Peas. The combination of the two could hold the Demon King for a while, and this time was Gu Mo's chance to unleash his full assault.

"Heavens!"

Far away, the retreating cultivators of the Crab Islands stared in disbelief at the scene of the bound and pounded Demon King. They had thought that the Grand Master would only be able to hold the Demon King off temporarily, but they never imagined that the Grand Master would tie him up and beat him senseless. This level of combat power was terrifying.

Compared to the excitement of the Crab Islands' cultivators, Gu Mo knew that although the situation was currently in his favor, there was still a long way to go before he could truly defeat the Demon King. Without the means of a Nascent Soul cultivator, it would be difficult to kill a Demon King.

However, with the Immortal Golden Core now within his grasp, Gu Mo had already mastered several techniques at the Nascent Soul level. Although using these techniques would consume some of the Immortal power in his Golden Core, he had enough to use them a few times without issue.

Continuing to have the Pea Shooters drain the Demon King's strength, Gu Mo summoned the Golden Jiao Scissors and infused a wisp of Immortal power into its blade.

In an instant, the spirit artifact-level Golden Jiao Scissors shone with brilliant golden light, and a phantom of a dragon seemed to appear along the blade.

The bound Jiao Long Demon King, though looking disheveled, wasn't truly threatened by these attacks. At most, they had drained some of his energy, but being a sea demon, the energy drain meant little to him. What truly mattered was his pride—being tied up and pummeled by a human cultivator was a deep humiliation.

But the entangling water plants were difficult to break, and he was stuck for the moment. However, it didn't matter. As soon as he escaped, he would make that human cultivator regret his actions.

Just as the Jiao Long Demon King thought this, an overwhelming sense of fear suddenly surged from the depths of his heart, as if he had sensed his ultimate nemesis.

"What's going on?!"

The Flood Dragon Demon King thrashed about wildly, overcome by a fear he had never experienced before.

"Huff… huff…"

Gu Mo gripped the blade of the Golden Jiao Shears tightly. His breathing was heavy. Stimulated by the power of immortality, he could feel the weapon growing heavier in his hand, as if it now carried the weight of ten thousand tons.

"Heh… Golden Jiao Shears against a flood dragon—could there be some kind of bonus effect?" Gu Mo approached the Demon King with the blade in hand, a smile creeping onto his lips as he caught sight of the terror in the flood dragon's eyes.

"Wait! I'm sure we can talk this out!"

The Flood Dragon Demon King's pupils contracted as he stared at the blade in Gu Mo's hand. From it, he sensed a deadly threat. Begging a mere human cultivator at the Golden Core stage for mercy would be a massive blow to his pride—but what did pride matter when his life was on the line?

"Don't you think it's a bit too late for that?"

The more terrified the Flood Dragon Demon King became, the more determined Gu Mo was to press forward. He hadn't been confident before about killing a demon king, but now, seeing the way the shears unsettled him, Gu Mo realized they truly posed a lethal threat.

And if they could kill him—then they should kill him. The deterrent effect of a dead demon king was far greater. If he let him go now, the demon king would never rest easy knowing that a weapon capable of threatening him was in a human's hands. It wouldn't be long before he returned with reinforcements—and Gu Mo wasn't strong enough to take on two fourth-rank demon kings at once.

So the best course of action… was to kill the Flood Dragon Demon King right now. Cut him down, and be done with it—once and for all.

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