Its reaction alone proved it was a master of Earth Spikes. A Great Demon, true to its name!
At that moment, countless Jade Spikes struck its Shield.
The Shield covering the Demon Dog’s body trembled, then shattered into a burst of Spiritual Light.
The Jade Spikes barely paused before striking the Demon Dog’s body, only to be blocked by the yellow light shimmering from its scales.
Just as Zhang Deming was about to press his attack, a powerful, silver-white electrical light suddenly flared from within the Vine Thorn Ball.
The sharp Vines lost their strength for a moment from the electric shock. Seizing this brief respite, the Demon Dog forcefully broke free from the Vine Ball.
Immediately, the earth around the Vine Ball turned to quicksand, swallowing the now-limp sphere whole until it vanished from sight.
Zhang Deming froze for a second. A large portion of the Spiritual Power in his Dantian had been instantly depleted.
Having broken free, the Demon Dog didn’t look for an easy target this time. Instead, it turned its gaze and immediately locked onto Zhang Deming, a fellow practitioner of Earth Spikes. Of all its opponents, it was most wary of his Techniques.
Electricity crackled across the Demon Dog’s body as it transformed into a silver streak, charging toward Zhang Deming like a bolt of lightning.
Seeing this, Zhang Deming stretched out his hand. The silk-like Vines in his palm rapidly wove themselves into a jade-green Long Sword. As the Demon Dog reached him, he slashed upward to meet it.
Light Wings materialized on Zhang Deming’s back and began to vibrate rapidly. Man and beast were instantly locked in a high-speed, close-quarters battle, flashing and weaving around each other.
For a moment, Tong Hou couldn’t find an opening to attack. Li Shifan sent his Flying Sword out, launching surprise attacks from time to time, preventing the Demon Dog from focusing its entire Heart Spirit on Zhang Deming.
Zhang Deming and the Demon Dog dodged and weaved for a few moments more, Spiritual Light flaring with every clash of sword and claw.
After another clash, a cold glint flashed in Zhang Deming’s eyes. The Long Sword in his hand suddenly exploded into countless Jade Threads that swarmed toward the Demon Dog, seeking to entangle it.
Simultaneously, Zhang Deming’s entire body also exploded into a sky-filling cloud of threads, which shot directly toward the Demon Dog to bind it.
The Demon Dog faltered. Its Shield had been shattered and couldn’t be reformed so quickly. Even with its scales flashing with yellow light, it was still entangled, strand by strand, by Zhang Deming’s threads.
"A Tier Four Vine Skill?!!" exclaimed the onlooking Tong Hou, his pupils contracting the instant he saw Zhang Deming explode into threads.
Only a Tier Four, Law-Level Technique could produce such an effect. Otherwise, even the Vine Transformation Skill from the Bloodline Transformation Path could never achieve this.
Nangong Cheng hadn’t acted rashly since his first move. A storybook hovered before him as he quietly watched Zhang Deming and the Demon Dog’s high-speed battle.
However, the Spiritual Power within him was churning. As time went on, even his scholar’s robes began to billow with power.
The moment Zhang Deming exploded into threads and entangled the Demon Dog, a sharp light flashed in Nangong Cheng’s eyes. Without a moment’s hesitation, he declared, "The story says: A rain of flowers like arrows!"
As he spoke, a dense cloud of white, jade-like petals materialized before him, each one shimmering with a sharp, cold light.
"The story says: Lotus Seed, Heart’s Connection!"
Simultaneously, a single lotus seed materialized before him, and his entire aura intertwined with that of Zhang Deming, who was still in his thread form.
By the time he finished, Zhang Deming’s threads had completely wrapped around the Demon Dog.
The white jade petals before Nangong Cheng began to rain down upon the entangled forms of Zhang Deming and the Demon Dog.
Strangely, as the lotus seed before Nangong Cheng pulsed with light, the white jade petals caused no harm to Zhang Deming in his thread state. They passed right through him as if he didn’t exist, striking the Demon Dog.
Nangong Cheng’s long-brewing Technique rained down in a torrent. Though the Demon Dog’s scales were strong, the Spiritual Light protecting them began to dim under the furious assault. Slowly, scales started to crack and shatter, and streaks of blood began to appear.
Meanwhile, Zhang Deming, having become Vines, restrained the Demon Dog. He faltered for a second when the petals reached him, but upon discovering they passed through him like phantoms, he paid them no more mind.
Once the threads had the Demon Dog fully restrained, the ones on its back writhed and coalesced, reforming into Zhang Deming’s upper body. His lower half remained a mass of threads, keeping the Demon Dog pinned.
A jade Long Sword appeared in his hands. Gripping the hilt with both hands, he plunged it directly down at the Demon Dog’s head.
CLANG...
With a sharp ring, Zhang Deming’s sword struck the top of the Demon Dog’s head, producing the sound of striking metal.
The tip of the sword pierced its fur but was stopped by a skull as hard as steel, unable to penetrate any deeper.
The Demon Dog was momentarily dazed. At the same time, as wounds appeared on its body, some of the threads began to glow with a cold light and burrowed into the tiny cuts.
YELP...!
Completely restrained, the Demon Dog felt the Silk Thread Vines invading its wounds and let out a sharp bark.
Spiritual Light surged from its body once more. Zhang Deming’s expression flickered, and the Silk Thread Vines restraining the Demon Dog immediately scattered.
The moment the Silk Thread Vines pulled away, the Demon Dog’s body erupted with boundless electricity, discharging currents into its surroundings like an electric orb.
Zhang Deming’s figure re-formed to the side, just as Nangong Cheng’s rain of flowers came to an end.
Both of their faces were a little pale. The cost of a Tier Four Technique was still a bit too high for their Duality-level Cultivation.
Unlike Nangong Cheng, however, Zhang Deming’s Spiritual Power, though rapidly consumed, also recovered quickly. Nangong Cheng’s expenditure, on the other hand, was a true drain on his reserves.
After the burst of electricity faded, the Demon Dog’s figure reappeared. But before Zhang Deming and Nangong Cheng could act, the ground beneath their feet softened, and an immense pulling force emanated from the earth.
Zhang Deming’s expression changed. ’This is... Devouring Power?’
’Does it have a faint Celestial Dog Bloodline? Is this some kind of top-tier genius among Demon Beasts?’
...