Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Two-Tailed

Jiao Guolong had no idea what was inside the box; he only knew from Qingyu’s final roar that their last hope of escape was pinned on whatever it contained.

When a man is drowning, he’ll grasp at even a single straw.

His fingers clutched the edge of the iron box, the chill biting into his skin, and he poured his spiritual pressure within.

With a click, the box sprang open. An invisible shockwave erupted from within, churning the seawater as if a giant unseen hand had stirred it, sending waves rolling in all directions.

Blood-red tentacles shot from the gap like lightning, exuding a suffocating stench, and in an instant, they wrapped tightly around Jiao Guolong.

His pupils shrank; his body was bound fast, unable to move.

The tips of the tentacles, sharp as blades, pierced his flesh, and blood bloomed in the water.

Next, a heart-like object burst from the box, hovering in the murky sea, emitting a faint and eerie crimson glow.

A silent shockwave spread outward from it as the center.

Qi Xiang, who had been swimming downward, was suddenly thrust upward by this force, his body hurtling uncontrollably toward the surface.

Water roared past his ears, and his vision flipped as if the world itself had inverted.

Meanwhile, inside the Space Supervision Bureau, blaring alarms sounded abruptly, and red warning lights flashed madly through the corridors and rooms.

The duty officer, who had been leisurely sipping coffee, dropped his cup in shock, sending coffee splattering across the floor.

Data flickered wildly on the screen, displaying abnormal spatial fluctuations.

He was stunned for a few seconds, then his expression changed drastically. He dashed to the control console, fingers flying over the keyboard.

“Warning! Warning!”

The broadcast echoed along the coast, but before it finished, Bai Yujing at the ship’s bow looked up.

Bang! A tremendous sound reverberated from the sky. The clouds were torn apart by an invisible force, cracks spreading like a spider web.

Sunset’s glow, fragmented by the fissures, seemed to be crushed and scattered by a giant hand, casting mottled shadows.

Heavy spiritual pressure poured from the rift, as if an invisible mountain pressed down on everyone’s hearts.

Whether it was Tang Zicong, the masked man, or the vice-captain, all broke into a sweat beneath this pure, brutal force.

Even Qingyu was taken aback.

Of course, it knew what was inside that box—America’s Spirit Arts Institute’s latest creation, the world’s most advanced demon bait.

Its purpose: to lure demons from the Demon Realm into this world.

Unlike ordinary demon bait, this newest American invention could summon high-level demons.

Could this spiritual pressure belong to a demon of the Tail Rank?

Qingyu’s heart leapt with delight.

Bang! The fabric of space shattered like a mirror, and from the rift, a snow-white figure burst forth.

Its upper body, towering as a skyscraper, resembled a colossal snow leopard, its entire form cloaked in white fur.

Between the fur, ghostly blue lightning runes flickered, as though each strand of hair brimmed with destructive power.

Its massive claws raked the void, their tips effortlessly tearing through the spatial barrier.

Then, two furry white tails slowly descended from the rift. With a casual flick, monstrous waves rose from the sea.

The curtain of water shattered instantly, scattering into countless droplets as if a torrential rain had fallen from the heavens.

On the deck, ordinary people had already collapsed in terror, some losing control of their bladders, the air thick with the stench of fear.

Even Diya and Liu Shuangling, faced with this overwhelming spiritual pressure, broke into a sweat and trembled involuntarily.

It was an instinctive reaction, beyond the reach of personal will—the helplessness of the lesser before the greater.

Though the Two-Tailed Demon had not yet fully emerged from the rift, its violent instincts made waiting impossible.

Spiritual pressure began to coalesce in its maw, deep violet currents swirling to form a terrifying sphere of energy.

The space around the orb warped from the heat, as if on the brink of unleashing utter devastation.

“No!” Tang Zicong’s pupils contracted, alarm bells ringing in his mind.

He knew that if this strike landed, the entire freighter would be annihilated in an instant.

Everyone aboard would die!

At that crucial moment, Bai Yujing moved. With a light step, he vanished like a phantom.

The next instant, he was above the Two-Tailed Demon’s head.

Its azure, slit-pupiled eyes contracted, struck by a nameless terror; its fur nearly shed from fright.

Die.

Bai Yujing’s fist swung down. A gigantic character for “death” seemed to imprint itself in the demon’s eyes, brimming with killing intent and dominance.

With a thunderous crash, the Two-Tailed Demon, still halfway through the rift, was smashed back with a single blow.

The rift snapped shut from the force. Space calmed once more.

“Warning, ce—... spatial fluctuation has disappeared, citizens please remain calm, I repeat…”

Crimson twilight hung over the horizon, dyeing the whole sea in gold and red.

Back in the Demon Realm, the Two-Tailed Demon’s body exploded into fragments.

Bai Yujing had not chosen to slay it on the spot, simply because a demon’s death would irreparably pollute this world.

Such pollution is deadly for ordinary people.

Yet for spirit masters, it’s considered a blessing.

A polluted world gives rise to rare treasures and materials beneficial to spirit practitioners.

This is why foreign spirit masters are so keen to lure demons.

But in Xia, the policy has always been to seal or drive away demons, resorting to killing only as a last resort.

Bai Yujing naturally had no wish to create a contaminated zone on these seas—better to drive the demon back home and let it perish there.

...

“What?!”

Qingyu stared, eyes wide in disbelief.

The Two-Tailed Demon had been driven back just like that?

Its mind couldn’t quite process it.

Tang Zicong, however, recovered first.

“Rend the night eternal—Night Severance!”

As his words fell, the sword split into seven crescent blades, each linked by dark silver chains, ringing with a clear metallic chime.

Tang Zicong gripped the chain and flung it forward. The seven blades shot through the air like meteors, their edge keen, slashing straight at Qingyu.

Slash.

The blades cut into Qingyu’s feathers with almost no resistance.

Night Severance was far sharper than any ordinary weapon; Qingyu’s plumage was as fragile as paper before it.

The searing pain snapped Qingyu from its daze. Its body convulsed, blood gushing from the wounds in a crimson rain upon the sea.

“I surrender! I surrender!”

Qingyu raised its wings high in the pose of a French military salute.

With a monster like that present, what was the point in fighting? Surrender and hope to join Xia’s Outlaw Division—perhaps survival was still possible.

Dense, transparent chains shot from the ship into the sky, binding Qingyu’s vast form and sealing its spiritual pressure.

Deprived of support, its body crashed heavily into the sea, raising a colossal splash.

The freighter rocked violently. Those on deck clung to the railings for stability.

The masked man barely had time to utter a word of surrender before the spirit-sealing chains bound him fast.

Qi Xiang, seeing the masked man restrained, beamed with delight.

The cold waves, mixed with Qingyu’s blood, washed over him, but he didn’t care—the joy of achievement filled him entirely.

Bai Yujing returned to the prow.

He was greeted by the complicated expressions of Diya and the others.

To defeat the Two-Tailed Demon with a single punch, without even using Shikai or Bankai—what a terrifying power.

They all understood full well what it meant.