Chapter 1089, Demonized

Translator: Silavin

 

The Tie Family Ancestor had not only shown a dramatic surge in power, his reason, too, seemed to be teetering on the edge of collapse, almost beyond his control.

 

His gaze settled first upon Ye Wuxian, and a murderous intent erupted from him so suddenly and so violently that those nearby shrank back in instinctive dread.

 

At that moment, several of the younger Tie Family members, having witnessed the Tie Family Ancestor’s condition deteriorating at an alarming rate, began using Support Skills on him, hoping to buy as much time as possible and help him maintain his state long enough to face Ye Wuxian in battle.

 

Yet that very gesture drew the Tie Family Ancestor’s attention onto their own heads.

 

The Tie Family Ancestor’s expression twisted with savage ferocity. He abandoned all interest in Ye Wuxian and turned instead to launch a direct assault upon those very Tie Family members, striking out at them with an open palm.

 

A tremendous gust of force detonated outward, engulfing them.

 

With a deafening *boom*, every one of those Tie Family members was obliterated on the spot. Not a single one of them managed so much as a groan before they perished.

 

The sight of it left countless Tie Family members gasping in cold horror.

 

Those young members of the Tie Family had never imagined that their own Ancestor would turn his hand against his own blood.

 

Tie Fusheng, who had been standing at the rear of the crowd throughout, could no longer contain himself. He called out in a loud, urgent voice. “The Ancestor’s condition is now unstable. He will attack anyone close to him! Everyone, stay away from him. Do not draw his Aggro!”

 

The state the Tie Family Ancestor had entered was known as Demonized. While it granted a tremendous Enhancement to his Combat Power, it simultaneously stripped him of control over his own body, reducing him to a raving beast that knew nothing but slaughter.

 

Furthermore, the longer he remained in this state, the greater the likelihood that his reasoning and Humanity would completely collapse.

 

In his youth, the Tie Family Ancestor had once used this very Skill to annihilate a Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family in a single battle. He had forged his legend with that one devastating battle.

 

However, the Skill carried a grievous price. After that battle, the Tie Family Ancestor had required a full twenty years of recuperation before he recovered even a semblance of his former self. His lifespan had also sustained irreversible Damage. The losses he had suffered were immense by any measure.

 

It was precisely because of this that he had stepped back from the front lines so early, relinquishing the position of Patriarch. His physical condition was simply no longer enough to sustain the high-intensity campaign of conquest and territorial expansion that leading the Tie Family demanded. All he could do was recuperate in the rear, and in doing so, perhaps squeeze a few more decades out of his dwindling years.

 

After all, so long as he remained among the living, he served as a deterrent to the other Ancient Noble Families. He was also a source of inspiration and resolve for the members of the Tie Family.

 

The younger members of the Tie Family, however, had no knowledge of the Skill’s terrible drawbacks. Nor did they understand why the Tie Family Ancestor, at the very height of his fame and influence, had surrendered the position of Patriarch so early in his life.

 

Now they understood. However, that realisation had come far too late.

 

Only the Elders of the Tie Family knew of the crippling aftermath that followed the use of Demonized. As a result, they had already retreated the moment the Tie Family Ancestor transformed.

 

The younger members, ignorant of the truth, had simply stood there. And they were the ones who paid for it with their lives.

 

With Tie Fusheng’s warning ringing through the air, every Tie Family members scrambled backwards in a frantic retreat, ceding the battlefield entirely to the Tie Family Ancestor.

 

With no Tie Family members left to attract his attention, the Tie Family Ancestor’s focus naturally fell upon Ye Wuxian.

 

In an instant, Ye Wuxian too could feel the crushing weight of that pressure bearing down on her.

 

At that moment, the Asura King strode forward, positioning itself directly before Ye Wuxian and placing itself squarely between her and the Tie Family Ancestor.

 

Tao Zi’s voice drifted out from within the Asura King. “Sister Ye, this enormous thing seems to be really hard to deal with. Why don’t you let us handle it for you? You can go and hunt down the others.”

 

Qin Qiu’s voice followed close behind. “Exactly. With the Asura King shielding us, no matter how powerful he is, he cannot touch us.”

 

“In this state, he cannot possibly hold on for long. A few minutes at most before he collapses from sheer exhaustion and dies. There is no need for you to engage him head-on. With our High Defence, we can simply hold firm against him for a while. Soon, the battle will resolve itself.”

 

Ye Wuxian listened, then smiled and called out in a clear, bright voice. “I appreciate your kind intentions, Sisters. But, this opponent is mine. No need to worry. My Level 100 Divine Skill allows me to turn into my Elemental Form. In that state, I am effectively unkillable. No matter how powerful he is, he cannot harm me. In fact, the stronger my enemy, the better. It gives me the perfect opportunity to test my own strength and this Ancient God Power.”

 

Even as she spoke, Ye Wuxian’s brow furrowed.

 

She had just watched the Tie Family Ancestor, in the grip of his frenzy, throw a single punch that reduced a nearby building to rubble. That building had been the Tie Family’s training arena. It was a structure housing numerous independent spaces, designed to allow their Family members to fight to their hearts’ content and sharpen their combat abilities.

 

Ye Wuxian had had her eye on a training arena of that scale for quite some time, and had specifically intended to claim it intact for the Ye Family’s future use.

 

But now, with one mindless punch, the Tie Family Ancestor had reduced that entire arena to a smouldering ruin. The materials used in its construction now lay scattered across the ground, many of them damaged beyond use.

 

Even if a good portion of those materials could still be salvaged and repurposed, the sheer expenditure of manpower and resources required to rebuild such an arena would be staggering.

 

Ye Wuxian had been carefully avoiding Damage to the training arena throughout the battle precisely so she could take it over once this was done. But now, this raving beast had levelled it with a single blow.

 

How could she not be furious?

 

“You wretched thing. How dare you smash up what is rightfully mine!?” Ye Wuxian cursed at the Tie Family Ancestor with absolutely no pretence of refinement, then transformed back into flame and charged straight at him, calling out to Qin Qiu and the others as she went. “The battle between him and me is not your concern. There are still plenty of Tie Family members here. I’m leaving them all in your hands. Once I’ve dealt with their Ancestor, I’ll come and join you!”

 

With that, she had already closed the distance and was upon the Tie Family Ancestor.

 

As she drove a palm forward, the Refined Ashless transmuted into flame that erupted from her palm, sending a massive tornado of fire surging outward to sweep over the Tie Family Ancestor’s body.

 

In an instant, flames rose and roared across the Tie Family Ancestor’s form. It was relentless and unceasing, searing continuously at his skin and flesh.

 

Yet the Tie Family Ancestor, in his current state, seemed impervious to pain. He paid the fire tornado no heed. Instead, he clasped both hands together and brought them crashing down toward Ye Wuxian in a thunderous strike.

 

With a resounding *crack*, a storm of force erupted and radiated outward in all directions. Several Tie Family members who were standing too close were sent flying. It was a testament to just how terrifying the power behind that single blow truly was.

 

Ye Wuxian took the full brunt of that strike. But even before the blow connected, she had already turned into her Elemental Form.

 

Her Form dissolved into flame, detonating in mid-air under the force of the impact, then recongealed above the Tie Family Ancestor’s head.

 

She had barely formed the upper half of her body before Ye Wuxian let out a sharp cry and thrust forward with her spear, sending another wave of flame cascading downward to crash over the top of the Tie Family Ancestor’s head.