Chapter 36: The Ferocious Tail Blaze—The Dragon’s Tail Subdues the Stars

"Talisman?"
A ripple of surprise stirred in Cao Kong's heart, but he did not panic. He could sense the threat emanating from that talisman, yet it was far from deadly.
So be it—he would kill!
The bear demon watched Cao Kong steadily advancing, his aura overwhelming. Even from several hundred meters away, the pressure from Cao Kong was palpable. The bear demon realized he had kicked a hornet’s nest.
This, however, only fueled his own ferocity. He sneered, "You refuse to take the easy way. Then die!"
With that, he poured his demon power into the talisman. A crimson light burst forth, and a roaring fire, blazing with terrifying heat, surged toward Cao Kong.
Instantly, Cao Kong sensed danger. It felt as though he had been locked onto; no matter how he moved, the inferno tracked him, its searing heat nearly unbearable.
The ground around him visibly dried and cracked, splintering under the assault.
Though he believed he could withstand it with the golden light shielding his body, there was no need to risk it—if the fire damaged the spirit herbs and treasures he carried, that would be an irreparable loss.
"Summon rain!"
Cao Kong intoned silently, channeling his Daoist arts, and a violent wind brought down a torrential rain. Yet, the fire was no ordinary blaze; this mundane rain failed to quell it.
The bear demon laughed. "You think this pitiful rain can douse the spiritual fire from an Orthodox Daoist fire talisman?"
He shouted at the wolf demon beside him, "Why are you just standing there? Hurry up! What if he withstands the attack?"
As he spoke, the bear demon’s already massive body swelled further, bursting his clothes as he transformed into a colossal bear five zhang tall. The broadsword in his hand now looked like a mere toy.
"Take this!"
With demon power surging, the bear and the wolf—who had reverted to his own bestial form, over a zhang tall—flanked Cao Kong from both sides, forming a three-pronged assault with the fire.
Cao Kong, weaponless, showed no fear. Seeing the raging fire and the ferocious demons closing in, he stepped into the combat steps, marking out a twenty-zhang circle as the eight trigrams, vanishing from the Xun position and reappearing from the Li.
He pressed his index and middle fingers together, forming a sword seal before his chest. The heart is governed by Li, the element of fire. He had cultivated the Tailfire Flame inherited from the tiger demon, and now was the moment to test its edge.
Power surged from his heart, channeling the force of the Tail Star. Borrowing the inner fire of Li, he swept his sword-fingers: at once, tail flames billowed forth, the fire swirling like a dragon’s tail.
"Sssst!"
The flames blazed, dazzling and fierce. Terror seized the bear and wolf demons—they instinctively knew this fire was deathly and dared not touch it.
Their advance halted in unison, each fearing Cao Kong would turn the fire upon them.
"Burn!"
With a thunderous shout, Cao Kong hurled the tailfire flame at the inferno, fighting fire with fire!

Thunder rocked the land.
Fire burst in all directions. Wherever the flames touched, grass, flowers, and trees erupted anew into blazing conflagration.
The two demons recoiled at Cao Kong’s display; fear crept into their hearts, and with it, a desire to flee.
Then, seeing Cao Kong seemingly lose control of the fire—his sword-fingers wavering, the tailfire slipping away—they shifted from dread to delight.
The bear demon roared with laughter. "Such a technique must drain immense power. Quickly, together—we’ll finish him and seize his fortune!"
The wolf demon replied, "Agreed! I’ll cover you with my demon arts."
With that, he opened his maw and unleashed a deafening wolf howl—a sonic attack aimed directly at Cao Kong.
Coward, thought the bear demon, cursing inwardly as the terrifying flames vanished.
Recalling the wood spirit pearl and the Tailfire legacy he had traded to Cao Kong, resentment and greed overwhelmed him.
Boom, boom, boom!
The bear demon invoked some secret art; his five-zhang form surged yet another zhang, blotting out the sun. Demon energy billowed, his eyes gleaming blood-red—a terrifying sight.
"Die!"
With a furious bellow, the bear demon charged, shaking the ground. The wolf’s howl, however, was even swifter.
Its mournful cry echoed, ensnaring the mind. Cao Kong felt his head buzzing, but he silently recited the Golden Light Mantra; his spirit, ruling over all within his mind palace, was untouched.
At that moment, the bear demon swung his broadsword with mountain-shattering force. Had the blow landed, Cao Kong would not have escaped unscathed.
But Cao Kong’s eyes flashed, and in an instant he shifted from the Zhen position to Xun, appearing twenty zhang away from the bear demon.
"Keep running—do you think you can escape? Let’s see if he can dodge this!"
The bear demon sneered and charged toward the golden leopard.
"Dodge? Foolish. This farce ends now."
Cao Kong replied coolly. He formed a sword seal, flicked it upward, and the vanishing tailfire flame suddenly reappeared, coiling around the bear demon like a dragon’s tail.
This was the Dragon Tail Concealing the Star, one of the transformations of the Tailfire Flame art.
Tailfire refers to the Tail Star among the Azure Dragon’s seven mansions, governing battle and slaughter—always ominous.
When the sun and moon meet, it is called the Star’s Concealment. When the sun is in Tail, the star hides, unseen.
Thus, Tailfire is fierce and shadowy: it can attack openly or lurk beneath grand facades, striking when the enemy is off guard—then the dragon’s tail flares forth in a killing blow.

"Sizzle!"
The tailfire flame lashed out like a divine dragon’s tail, enveloping the bear demon, its savage, scorching force seeping into every crevice, burning into the bear’s mouth and nose, searing its hide.
"Ahhh... roar..."
The bear demon howled in agony; his broadsword clattered to the ground as he frantically slapped at his burning fur.
But the fire clung to him like a maggot to bone; no matter how much demon power or technique he used, nothing availed him. He was reduced to a man of living flame.
As the bear demon felt his life ebbing away, he finally managed to crawl before Cao Kong and kneel, kowtowing repeatedly:
"It hurts—spare me, spare me! I’ll never harm another soul. Let me serve as your dog!"
Cao Kong sneered. This bear demon was cunning and vicious—how could he believe such a plea?
With a flash, he turned to pursue the wolf demon. The wolf, far weaker than the bear, panicked and tried to flee.
A flash of golden light, and the wolf’s head was struck as if by thunder, its skull shattered on the spot.
When Cao Kong returned, the bear demon lay dead, the scent of scorched meat rising from his body, his form having shrunk to its original size.
At that moment, Liu Xian arrived, utterly stunned—he could hardly believe his eyes. Two demons attacking together, yet Cao Kong had dispatched them with such swift, clean efficiency.
Just then, Cao Kong dispersed his golden aura. Liu Xian’s eyes filled with envy; this was pure Daoist qi—no wonder Cao Kong was so formidable, he had true lineage.
A demon with a legacy and one without—there was a world of difference in their strength. Only certain born prodigies could hope to compete.
Liu Xian cupped his hands. "I followed out of concern you might be ambushed, but I did not expect your martial and magical prowess to be so extraordinary. I am ashamed I could not help."
Cao Kong, no longer displaying the ferocity of battle, smiled gently. "Your thoughtfulness is enough for me."
He spoke sincerely; Liu Xian’s gesture had moved him, and he resolved to count him a true friend.
At that moment, the golden leopard bounded over to search the bodies of the bear and wolf demons.
Liu Xian remarked, "Just search the wolf. Even if the bear had treasures, Cao Kong’s spiritual flames would have burned them all to ash."
The golden leopard found this reasonable and dropped the bear’s corpse. As it hit the ground, the bear demon spat out a jade slip, shining with a clear light.
Liu Xian: "..."