Xi Mu did not hesitate at all when Bai Qi made his request, directly handing over the replica Eye of Horus he had obtained but not yet used.
Bai Qi, however, was not appeased. Even though Xi Mu repeatedly explained that the Eye of Horus he acquired was a replica, Bai Qi remained relentless.
Of course, Bai Qi knew that the Eye of Horus in Xi Mu's possession was fake. After all, the real one had already been forged by Bai Qi, so he couldn't possibly tell Xi Mu the truth now.
The reason Bai Qi insisted, even resorting to threats, despite knowing Xi Mu couldn't produce the real Eye of Horus, was simple: he wanted to squeeze out every last bit of value from Xi Mu.
It wasn't just Xi Mu. Before this, Bai Qi had used the same method to visit Xiao Feng.
Faced with Bai Qi's overwhelming pressure, Xiao Feng had no choice but to compromise, agreeing to do one thing for Bai Qi free of charge. Finally, under Bai Qi's coercion, Xi Mu reluctantly agreed to help Bai Qi capture the Feathered Serpent God.
With Bai Qi's strength, capturing the Feathered Serpent God wouldn't require much effort. The reason he let Xi Mu act while he observed was primarily out of concern that the Feathered Serpent God might have some hidden trump cards. If he were pushed too far and forced to use them, Bai Qi didn't want his own strength to be unnecessarily damaged.
And so it was. Seeing that escape was impossible, the Feathered Serpent God prepared for a desperate, all-or-nothing battle.
After being struck to the ground, it immediately unleashed its magic. Ink-green vines erupted from the earth, each as thick as an adult's waist and covered in dense barbs. A single strike from these would be fatal to a normal person.
But Xi Mu, being a great demon, wouldn't be killed by a few vines.
He wouldn't die, but he would certainly feel the pain of being struck a few times. Thus, the moment the vines descended, Xi Mu decisively flapped his wings and flew into the sky, dodging the incoming tendrils.
Bai Qi took a few steps back and said to Xi Mu in the sky, "I'll leave this one to you. Don't forget what you promised me."
Xi Mu had no choice in the matter. Rather than owe the Holy Lord one more thing, it was better to get it done now and avoid being threatened by him later.
Of course, as a demon, Xi Mu could also break his promise and vehemently deny what he had agreed to. However, given the current disparity in strength between himself and the Holy Lord, he wasn't yet in a position to challenge him.
At this time, it was best to quickly deal with this matter and continue to develop in silence.
The Feathered Serpent God certainly didn't dare to confront Bai Qi, the strongest among them. He knew that with his current strength and condition, he was no match for him. However, against that bat-like demon, it seemed this fellow's strength was also somewhat weakened, and his aura wasn't strong. As long as Bai Qi didn't intervene, he might not be an opponent.
With this thought, the Feathered Serpent God decisively set his sights on Xi Mu, grasping his hands and sending several vines stabbing towards Xi Mu.
Having the aerial advantage, Xi Mu flapped his wings, dodging left and right with ease, avoiding all the vines that lunged at him. But before he could recover, he saw a giant fireball hurtling towards him.
Boom!
The fireball exploded in front of Xi Mu, sending him flying back more than ten meters.
"See?" the Feathered Serpent God said to Bai Qi after finishing his combo. "I'm not to be trifled with. If you dare to push me too far again, it won't be just a lesson."
Bai Qi, however, was unconcerned. He didn't speak, merely pointing a finger towards the sky.
Looking up, Xi Mu, who had been blasted by the fireball, was now diving from the sky towards the Feathered Serpent God. The wings he flapped generated sharp blades of air, nearly two meters wide, hacking towards the Feathered Serpent God.
Perhaps Xi Mu felt he hadn't vented enough. After the air blades struck the Feathered Serpent God, Xi Mu decisively stopped in mid-air. Then, he conjured purple magic orbs in both hands and threw them. Following that, he rained down magic orbs of various colors on the Feathered Serpent God below as if they were free.
Although Xi Mu's Sky Demon abilities didn't seem particularly high-level in terms of dominion, it was precisely because he wasn't the strongest in dominion that Xi Mu developed in other areas. Unlike other demons who relied entirely on their dominion in combat—like Zhong Su using lightning, Di Kui using earth and stone, Ba Sha using water, and the Holy Lord using fire—their combat methods were very singular.
But Xi Mu was different. Xi Mu's combat style was known for its complexity and variety. For instance, the magic orbs he threw now, each color represented a different elemental magic. In some magical aspects, Xi Mu had even surpassed the Holy Lord.
The Feathered Serpent God called himself the God of Harvest, possessing dominion over the sun and control over plants, meaning he was associated with fire and wood attributes.
Xi Mu's seemingly indiscriminate bombardment was, in fact, a test to see which elemental magic could inflict the maximum damage upon him.
Although the Feathered Serpent God resisted constantly, his efforts seemed insignificant under Xi Mu's relentless assault. Especially after Xi Mu completed his test and launched attacks using magic specifically tailored to the Feathered Serpent God's attributes, the Feathered Serpent God was beaten to the point where he couldn't lift his head.
"Enough!"
Suddenly erupting with magic from within his body, he repelled all the incoming magic orbs.
Even a rabbit bites when cornered, let alone the Feathered Serpent God?
Enraged, the Feathered Serpent God prepared to unleash his ultimate move against Xi Mu.
As an ancient deity, although the Feathered Serpent God couldn't compare to any of the Eight Great Demons in combat, he shared their long lifespans.
Living for a long time, one would inevitably acquire one or two trump cards.
The Feathered Serpent God, as the God of Harvest, had a trump card that was quite contradictory to his title. His trump card was a powerful curse based on rules, a curse from which even the mighty Bai Qi could not be exempt.
Due to the curse's power, its use had a significant impact on the Feathered Serpent God, so he would absolutely not use it unless it was absolutely necessary. But in the current situation, if the Feathered Serpent God didn't use it, he might not have another chance.
However, fortunately, throughout the entire ordeal, Bai Qi had only shown himself, and ninety-nine percent of the Feathered Serpent God's animosity was directed at Xi Mu. Now, the Feathered Serpent God was hastily unleashing the curse, without time to think much, so his primary target was naturally Xi Mu.
By the time Xi Mu realized and prepared to escape, it was already too late.
Xi Mu's speed was indeed very fast, but the curse, which the Feathered Serpent God had expended immense effort to cast, was faster and had a locking effect. No matter how fast Xi Mu was, he couldn't escape and was ultimately hit by the curse.
As the curse took effect, the Feathered Serpent God's wings behind him petrified and fell off, and his green skin turned a lifeless grayish-white. Correspondingly, Xi Mu in the air plunged to the ground as if electrocuted, a severe sense of dizziness making him extremely uncomfortable.