Those familiar with dealing with demonic cultivators would surely recognize that this claw was the demonic seed within the body of a demonic cultivator.

Equivalent to the demon core of the demon race and the Golden Elixir of cultivators.

Xu Taiping had never seen it before, but from the aura it emitted, he could guess that this must be the unnamed demonic cultivator’s last resort.

Without hesitation, he took out his right hand that had been hidden in his sleeve.

Suddenly, a flame shaped like a crow appeared in his palm.

Though only the size of a thumb, the temperature in the courtyard soared the moment the crow flame appeared, even Duan Tianya, who had been indifferent, showed a look of shock in his eyes upon seeing the flame.

Not to mention the unnamed demonic cultivator, who was only a few feet away from the crow flame.

The moment the crow flame appeared, the demonic cultivator tried to retract the demonic seed, but it was too late.

Xu Taiping flicked the crow flame with his fingertip, a technique known as the fire-flicking method, and lightly flicked it towards the demonic seed of the unnamed demonic cultivator.

“Boom!”

A massive explosion sounded as a golden flame struck the demonic seed, then transformed into a pillar of fire that shot into the sky.

Unexpectedly to Xu Taiping, even though the demonic seed was destroyed, the unnamed demonic cultivator still managed to merge a strand of divine essence with the demonic qi and escape.

Faced with the escaping demonic qi, Xu Taiping had initially given up on the chase, but his right hand, marked with the Ghost-Sealing Talisman, suddenly lifted on its own accord.

Then, a tremendous suction force emerged from the talisman in his palm, drawing back the strand of divine essence hidden within the demonic qi.

The moment the demonic cultivator’s divine essence was absorbed by the Ghost-Sealing Talisman, it transformed into a screaming ghost face, pleading desperately at Xu Taiping.

However, Xu Taiping, unable to control the Ghost-Sealing Talisman at this point, paid it no heed.

With a “boom,” the ghost face was completely sealed within the talisman.

But the next moment, Xu Taiping’s vitality began to be devoured by the Ghost-Sealing Talisman at a visibly rapid rate.

“Isn’t this coercion?”

Initially pleased that the Ghost-Sealing Talisman could counter the demonic cultivator, Xu Taiping now felt like cursing.

“So it’s the Triad Ghost-Sealing Talisman. Had I known you possessed it, we wouldn’t have needed to go through all this trouble.”

Duan Tianya seemed to recognize the talisman on Xu Taiping’s hand, his face showing surprise.

With his vitality rapidly depleting, Xu Taiping had no time to ask why Duan Tianya said that and quickly stuffed a Qi Preserving Pill into his mouth, followed by a packet of Eight Treasures Powder.

“Boom!”

But at that moment, an extraordinarily terrifying aura suddenly appeared above the Listening Wind Pavilion’s backyard.

In an instant, dark clouds enveloped the area.

“It’s the Flood Dragon raised by Nine Mansions, tasked with monitoring demonic cultivators. Young man, step back.”

Duan Tianya stood up again, wielding the Severing Water blade.

“Boom!”

As he spoke, a ferocious-looking black Flood Dragon poked its head out from the clouds and viciously spewed black flames towards the Listening Wind Pavilion below.

Before Xu Taiping could act, Duan Tianya, looking haggard, gripped his long blade tightly and slashed at the black Flood Dragon.

With a “boom,” the black fire was scattered by Duan Tianya’s blade.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

However, after delivering the slash, Duan Tianya suddenly knelt on one knee, coughing violently.

Clearly, his body was at its limit.

“Boom!”

The black Flood Dragon, sensing his weakness, swooped down from the clouds, its massive tail sweeping towards Xu Taiping and the old man below.

“Go!”

The old man stood up once more, pushing Xu Taiping away, then swung his blade again at the black Flood Dragon.

“Bang!”

Duan Tianya repelled the Flood Dragon with another slash.

At this moment, Xu Taiping, having just recovered his vitality, couldn’t be of much help, but he didn’t want to flee just yet.

“At least I should contribute what I can.”

Thinking this, Xu Taiping brought three fingers together and channeled the last bit of his True Qi into the Cang Luan Ring, unleashing a “Severing Sea” slash at the tail of the black Flood Dragon.

“Boom!”

A blade of wind, formed from gathered energy, fiercely slashed at the Flood Dragon’s tail.

However, due to the insufficient True Qi, Xu Taiping’s Severing Sea only managed to deflect the Flood Dragon’s tail.

Seeing this, the Flood Dragon turned around, opened its gaping maw, and lunged to swallow both Xu Taiping and Duan Tianya in one bite.

“Run!”

Duan Tianya once again pushed Xu Taiping away with force and resolutely faced the Flood Dragon with his blade.

Seeing no other choice, Xu Taiping was about to flee with Lin Buyu.

But after a quick glance around, he suddenly realized Lin Buyu was nowhere to be seen.

“Clang!”

As he searched for Lin Buyu’s figure, a clear sound of a sword’s cry rang out.

Xu Taiping looked towards the source of the sound and saw a graceful figure standing in front of him and the old man.

Upon closer inspection, it was Lin Buyu!

At that moment, Lin Buyu suddenly brought her two fingers together and fiercely pointed at the black Flood Dragon.

Instantly, a massive surge of sword qi burst forth from her fingertips, transforming into a flurry of sword shadows that stabbed at the black Flood Dragon from all directions.

With a loud “bang,” the Flood Dragon was struck by the sword and sent flying backward, then quickly retreated into the dark clouds above, seemingly trying to escape.

Seeing this, Lin Buyu opened her palm and then clenched it towards the dark clouds, shouting:

“Heaven Split!”

As her words fell, the sword qi crisscrossed in the sky, relentlessly piercing the black Flood Dragon that was attempting to flee.

From below, the entire sky, along with the black Flood Dragon, seemed to split apart.

“Boom!”

In the next moment, under the relentless tearing of countless sword qi, the body of the black Flood Dragon shattered completely and fell to the ground as chunks of flesh.