0139 Demonic Corruption

Kuzhan paused only for a moment before continuing to stuff the demon in his hand into his mouth, devouring it piece by piece.

Since arriving at Taicang City, Bai Guo had been assisting her master and had never experienced real combat. Seeing Kuzhan’s actions, she retched twice, her face turning deathly pale. She instinctively stepped closer to Jiang Feng and whispered, "Demons... demons are truly cruel!"

Jiang Feng ignored her. He kept his eyes locked on Kuzhan and the demon opposite him, not wanting to miss a single detail.

The demon facing Kuzhan looked no different from a human; he appeared to be an ordinary person wearing black robes. The robes hung loosely on his frame, fluttering at the slightest breeze as if there were nothing beneath them. His skin was incredibly fair, his features strikingly handsome, and a faint smile played on his rosy lips. His expression, as he gazed forward, was filled with a tender, bashful allure.

When Jiang Feng saw him, his heart sank. He could not discern the opponent's level, but whether it was the demon’s appearance or Kuzhan’s attitude toward him, it was clear that this fellow was immensely powerful. If he had been sent by the so-called "Great Commander" to stop Kuzhan, then sealing the demonic rift this time might prove difficult.

What was even more worrying was Kuzhan. Was he eating that demon in front of them merely to intimidate them? No, Jiang Feng could sense that after consuming the demon, the airflow around Kuzhan had noticeably stabilized. Clearly, he was indeed severely wounded and had resorted to cannibalism purely for healing.

Kuzhan was undeniably a demon, but under the constraints of the Demonic Pact, he was currently "on their side." With their ally injured and the enemy strong, what were they to do?

Kuzhan ate the demon until only the head remained, then tossed it aside with disdain. "Since you know what's at stake, get lost!" he said coldly.

The handsome demon smiled gently. "My apologies, Lord Kuzhan, but I must follow the Great Commander's orders. For your own survival, I think it would be better if you stepped aside."

Without another word, Kuzhan roared, lunged at the demon, and reached out to grab him.

The handsome demon stepped back lightly, his black robes billowing. Suddenly, a vast amount of black mist poured out, completely engulfing both him and Kuzhan. Demonic energy surged, shrouding the entire surface of the river and threatening to spread further.

Sounds of intense combat echoed from within the black mist, with massive shockwaves occasionally crashing outward, forcing Jiang Feng and Bai Guo to keep their distance. As two demons far exceeding their level fought, the density of the demonic energy reached a breaking point. With a faint "crack," the demon-repelling incense burner hanging at Jiang Feng’s waist split and then shattered into dust.

Bai Guo’s face changed. Gritting her teeth, she pulled up her sleeve, removed an arm ring tightly fitted to her upper arm, and handed it to Jiang Feng. "Take this!"

Once the incense burner broke, a massive wave of demonic energy rushed toward Jiang Feng. His Heaven-Heart Seed reacted instantly, beginning to absorb the energy. Jiang Feng felt a slight wave of dizziness. He instinctively took the arm ring and glanced at it, immediately recognizing it as a superior demon-repelling artifact—far more sophisticated in design and craftsmanship than his own burner. Its only drawback was that it was too intricate to be produced in large quantities. Of course, in this situation, it was a thousand times more practical than his burner.

As soon as he held the arm ring, a protective barrier formed around him, shielding him from the demonic energy. Jiang Feng’s mind cleared, and he realized the situation. He shoved the arm ring back into Bai Guo’s hand. "No, you need it too!"

Bai Guo jumped back, refusing it. "I’m at the Sky-Bright realm; my level is higher than yours, I can hold out longer!"

Her level was indeed higher than Jiang Feng’s, and if she was determined to give it up, he had no way to force it back on her. However, her reaction to the demonic energy was clearly much more severe than his. After staying in the demonic mist for just a short while, her face had turned ashen, and her eyes appeared unfocused.

This wouldn't do!

Jiang Feng glanced at the battle on the river, scooped up Bai Guo, and turned to leave. They were too weak; even staying here was impossible, so it was better to retreat.

They had only taken two steps when a figure flashed. Kuzhan suddenly burst from the mist and appeared beside Jiang Feng, pinning his shoulder down. "You want to run?"

"No," Jiang Feng said urgently, "I’m just getting her to safety, then I’ll be right back..."

Before he could finish, the handsome demon appeared beside them as well. He suddenly seemed to realize something, looking at Jiang Feng with a strange gaze. "Is this the brat? The one who controls the Broken Branch and obtained the Two-Heart Seed? In other words..."

Hearing only the first two sentences, Kuzhan’s expression shifted violently. He spun around, extended his claws, and blocked an incoming attack!

The handsome demon opened his hands, and a silver light flowed between them under the moonlight. Jiang Feng realized at once what his weapon was—a silver wire as thin as a strand of hair, incredibly sharp. It sliced into Kuzhan's black claws, and a few drops of black blood began to ooze out.

Jiang Feng’s expression darkened. This attack was aimed at him. The demon had discovered the Demonic Pact between him and Kuzhan and had quickly devised a solution. Kuzhan was strong, but Jiang Feng was weak. If he killed Jiang Feng, the pact would automatically dissolve, and Kuzhan would no longer be able to seal the rift!

"Chaofeng, get out of here!" Kuzhan roared.

The demon named Chaofeng laughed softly. Spreading his black robes, he glided into the air. A moment later, he swooped down like a giant bird, his target once again being Jiang Feng!

His speed was astonishing. Jiang Feng instinctively hugged Bai Guo tighter, while Kuzhan threw himself in the way to protect them once again. The battle shifted from the center of the river to the riverbank. Chaofeng moved like a bat in the dark, turning and maneuvering with ease. His targets were as fluid as his movements; he attacked Jiang Feng, then Kuzhan, and occasionally even lashed out at Bai Guo.

Under normal circumstances, Kuzhan was slightly stronger, but he was already suppressing his strength due to the Demonic Pact and was severely wounded from the previous sealing attempt. Now, having to desperately protect Jiang Feng made the fight far more difficult. He grew angrier with each passing second, roaring incessantly, but the effort left both him and Jiang Feng covered in wounds.

Earlier, they had only been affected by the periphery, but now, with the battle happening right beside them, Bai Guo was overwhelmed by the demonic energy and had lost consciousness. Jiang Feng had already placed the arm ring back on her, but the demonic energy had already invaded her body, leaving her unresponsive.

Without the protection of the arm ring, demonic energy surged wildly into Jiang Feng, rushing toward his Heaven-Heart Seed. The seed was incredibly greedy; it reacted to the demonic energy exactly as it did to the Bright Power he usually cultivated. At first, Jiang Feng’s body struggled to adapt—he turned pale and felt slightly nauseated, just like Bai Guo. But the golden blood energy within him sensed the disturbance and became even more active. As it circulated, the symptoms disappeared instantly.

He could clearly feel the Heaven-Heart Seed devouring the demonic energy, its core beginning to turn black. However, the absorbed energy was not flowing into the Origin Branch to mix with his Bright Power; it was heading in a completely different direction.

His heart skipped a beat. *Heaven-Heart Seed... Heaven-Heart Seed.* Was its name different from the "Bright-Heart Seed" for a reason? He had previously thought it was just a strengthened version of the Bright-Heart Seed, but now it seemed there was more to it than that.

He had no time to ponder, however. Chaofeng’s attacks grew increasingly urgent, and Jiang Feng’s wounds multiplied. He could only fight to protect Bai Guo; she had come because of him, and he could not let her die here.

Kuzhan was furious. "Chaofeng, you’ve ruined my plans! I won’t forgive you for this!"

Chaofeng’s laughter drifted on the wind. "You’ve ruined the Great Commander’s plans. You should worry about whether he’ll forgive *you*!"

At that moment, a wisp of mist drifted from his body and descended. It landed on Jiang Feng and Bai Guo, transforming into several black snakes that began to crawl upward along their bodies.

Jiang Feng was never one to sit and wait for death. While shielding Bai Guo, he scanned the surroundings, searching for a way to break the deadlock. Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation on his neck. He reached up, grabbed it, and looked down. He saw two black snakes caught between his fingers, struggling frantically!

The sensation they gave off was bizarre; Jiang Feng could see them clearly with his eyes, but he couldn't feel them at all between his fingers. If not for his sight, he would never have known they were there.

*What are these?*

He wiped his face and grabbed two more. He looked down in horror to see four identical snakes on Bai Guo, crawling toward her nostrils and ears. Jiang Feng instinctively tried to grab them, but he was a moment too late. He only managed to catch two on her face; the other two slithered into her ears!

Jiang Feng didn't know what they were, but there was no doubt that their eerie appearance in such a moment meant nothing good. He pressed his hand against Bai Guo’s ear, channeling his power to dissolve the strange black snakes. But in his haste, he forgot that his Heaven-Heart Seed was currently circulating demonic energy, not Bright Power. Thus, it was demonic energy that surged into her!

With a loud "bang," the arm ring on Bai Guo’s arm shattered. Fragments grazed her fair cheeks, leaving thin cuts. Her complexion was a ghostly blue-white, and the blood seeping from the wounds was pitch black!

Jiang Feng immediately thought of Zhang Jin, who had jumped into the demonic rift, and his face drained of color. *Could Bai Guo be corrupted by the demonic energy and become a puppet of the demons?* And the worst part was, it was *he* who had injected the energy into her!

At that moment, Bai Guo moaned in Jiang Feng’s arms. Her face remained a deathly blue-white as she slowly opened her eyes. A speck of black appeared in the depths of her pupils, and then, like ink dropped into water, it rapidly spread.