But before everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, a Demon Pill shimmering with lightning floated up from the beast’s head. It too transformed into a streak of light, rocketing toward Zhang Deming like a comet.
’Holy shit!’
’If you’re looking for revenge, shouldn’t it be that guy over there!?’
Zhang Deming had almost no time to react. His entire body trembled for a moment, then returned to normal.
Vine Technique: Vine Body Incarnation!
His true body transformed into an invisible Silk Thread Vine and rapidly retreated.
The Vine Body Substitute left in his place was struck directly by the Thunder Ball. Amidst a flash of lightning, it exploded into a sky full of vine fragments.
The Thunder Ball then paused, as if it had sensed something, and once again charged toward the concealed Zhang Deming.
’Holy shit!’
’What’s with the grudge? I’m not the one who killed you!’
Zhang Deming’s expression darkened. His figure reappeared, and just as he was about to move, his entire body suddenly froze stiff.
Rune Technique: Yin Yang Chess Dao: Trapped Position!
A massive chessboard slowly materialized, enveloping the entire bottom of the cliff. The four people on the battlefield instantly froze in place, and the Thunder Ball was also confined, suspended in mid-air.
The entire battlefield was instantly brought to a standstill.
The four of them stood frozen, none of them struggling. But the suspended Thunder Bead trembled ceaselessly.
As the Thunder Bead trembled and shook, Tong Hou’s face turned red and pale in turns. He was struggling to maintain the stalemate, and the entire chessboard began to waver and vibrate slightly.
The man and the orb remained deadlocked for about ten seconds. Suddenly, the chessboard shuddered, shattered into a shower of Spiritual Light, and disappeared.
"PFFT..."
As the chessboard shattered, a sweet taste rose in Tong Hou’s throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Zhang Deming was just about to make a move, but the nearby Thunder Ball flickered a few times, its electric light dying out completely. It revealed an earth-yellow Demon Pill, the size of a longan fruit.
The Demon Pill trembled a few more times, then clattered to the ground.
At this point, the Demon Dog showed no more signs of movement. Not a shred of vitality remained. Neither the Demon Pill before them nor the corpse with the pierced skull showed any sign of life. It was well and truly dead.
Zhang Deming let out a small sigh of relief. He then turned, took a few steps forward to the half-kneeling Tong Hou, and asked, "Are you okay?"
Even if Tong Hou hadn’t acted, Zhang Deming wouldn’t have been in any real danger. At worst, he would have ended up a bit disheveled; he wouldn’t have even needed to use his full power.
But the man’s actions had clearly shown his attitude as a teammate, and Zhang Deming appreciated the sentiment.
Tong Hou wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "It’s nothing. I just overexerted myself and suffered some minor internal injuries."
Hearing this, Zhang Deming’s expression shifted. He opened his palm, and an emerald-like seedling sprouted from it, bearing two tender, jade-green leaves.
Zhang Deming hesitated for a moment. The Dark Pawn within him pulsed slightly, and wisps of vitality were channeled out.
The vine in his hand began to glow faintly red. He activated the power of the Blood-Sucking Vine, transferring the wisps of vitality into the vine in his palm.
Instantly, the leaves in his palm, which had been emitting a faint Life Aura, began to sway. Amidst flashes of Spiritual Light, their vitality intensified several dozen times over.
When he felt it was enough, Zhang Deming stopped and plucked the two young leaves from the seedling.
As the leaves were plucked, the seedling dissolved into Spiritual Light and dissipated.
Zhang Deming held out the leaves to Tong Hou and said, "Take these."
Tong Hou hesitated, then said, "Brother Summoning Spirit, there’s no need. It’s just a minor internal injury."
Zhang Deming said, "Take them. We’re in the back mountains, after all, and your injuries don’t look light to me. If you try to heal yourself, it’ll clearly take you at least half a day.
This Vine Technique of mine is a Law Level, Tier Four Technique. Its healing effects are quite considerable. This way, we shouldn’t waste any time."
Hearing this, Tong Hou hesitated again before accepting the leaves. He gave a friendly smile and said, "Then thank you, Brother Summoning Spirit."
Zhang Deming waved his hand. "You got injured trying to help me. I should be the one thanking you."
Tong Hou smiled and replied, "We’re fighting as a team. If I have the means to intervene, it’s my duty to do so."
"Alright, that’s enough. Are you two done with the mutual flattery and brotherly love? Isn’t it tiring?
That commotion just now was pretty big. Let’s pack up quickly and get out of here before we attract any other Demon Beasts and something unexpected happens.
After all, we’re not in the outer parts of the Shallow Area anymore. Duality Great Demons aren’t uncommon here," said Nangong Cheng, who was recovering his depleted Spiritual Power as he spoke.
Tong Hou and Zhang Deming both paused. They exchanged a smile, and then Zhang Deming turned to deal with the aftermath.
Tong Hou held the leaves, a Yin Yang Fish swirling in his eyes. A strange pattern appeared on his palm. He studied the tender leaves for a long while before finally swallowing them. Even as the leaves went down his throat, he remained vigilant.
When the leaves transformed into a dense wave of vitality that began to heal his injuries, he finally relaxed and sat down cross-legged to recover.
After turning away, threads of silk began to surge from Zhang Deming’s body. He picked up the Demon Pill from the ground and walked over to the Demon Beast’s corpse.
Li Shifan was also standing in front of the corpse. His consumption in this battle had been the lowest, because he had spent most of the fight on the sidelines.
It wasn’t that he was intentionally slacking, but rather that his abilities weren’t well-suited for a chaotic Cross-Tier battle like this.
Zhang Deming looked at Li Shifan and asked, "You or me?"
Li Shifan glanced at the vines weaving around Zhang Deming and said, "You do it, Senior Brother. I’m a bit slow."
Zhang Deming nodded. "Then you should recover for a bit."
With that said, the vines around Zhang Deming began to weave themselves into various tools. Before Li Shifan’s eyes, he quickly began to dismember the Demon Beast’s corpse, which had gone soft after its recent death.