dense network
The banyan tree in front of the bamboo house has just sprouted new buds, and the tender green leaves are still covered with morning dew, which casts a fine light when the wind blows.
Yunxiu bent down and stuffed the last bag of spiritual fruits into the cloth bag. When his fingertips rubbed the leaves, he suddenly remembered that Yingtang had squatted here a few days ago and said that when the fruits were ripe in autumn, he would pick some and dry them into dried fruits and take them back to feed the little squirrels in Yaoxi Mountain as winter food.
"Let's go." Yan Xiu's voice came from the door of the bamboo house. The Broken Water Sword was already on his back, and the collar of his ink-black tights was lifted by the wind.
He looked up at the mountains in the distance. The morning light was climbing out from the valley, dyeing the outlines of the distant mountains a light gold.
Yingtang finally touched the branches of the banyan tree, and the light green spiritual energy seeped into the soil through his fingertips, leaving a little memory for the place where he would stay for the next few days. Wuyi was carrying a bundle of newly woven sycamore branches and vines, muttering to himself:
"I should have hunted a few more pheasants a few days ago. There won't be such good food on the road."
The four of them walked along the stream towards the mountain path, and the bamboo forest gradually disappeared behind them.
At first, the path was relatively flat, the rocks by the stream worn smooth by the water, making them a very stable place to tread on. Yunxiu walked in the middle of the path, occasionally picking up a few round stones and playing with them in her hands. This was a habit she had developed during her time in Yaoxi Mountain, always enjoying collecting odd and wonderful trinkets. Later, Yingtang even made her a small bamboo basket to hold the stones.
But before I had walked for long, a familiar chill suddenly came from the air, like ice chips drifting into my collar along the wind.
Yunxiu's grip on the stone suddenly tightened.
"Stop."
Yan Xiu's steps suddenly paused, and he drew the Broken Water Sword from his back. The sword's clear light instantly shattered the surrounding tranquility. His sharp eyes swept towards the woods on the right. The shadows there were swaying unusually, not because of the wind, but rather as if something was hidden within, watching their movements.
Yingtang immediately protected Yunxiu behind him.
Wu Yi pointed to the ground, and light green spiritual power spread along the branches and vines. The soil on the ground bulged slightly, and several branches and vines as thick as bowls broke through the ground and stretched towards the woods like spirit snakes.
"Who?" Wu Yi's voice was filled with anger, and the branches and vines formed a dense net in front of him.
"Don't play tricks, come out and fight me head-on if you have the guts!"
The movement in the shadows of the trees suddenly stopped, and then, like lightning, a cold, white divine force shot out, striking Wu Yi in the face. The force carried a bone-piercing chill, instantly freezing the grass and trees along its path into icy shards, which crumbled to dust on the ground.
"careful!"
Yan Xiu reacted the fastest, holding the Broken Water Sword horizontally in front of him. The moment the sword light collided with the cold white divine power, sparks flew everywhere, and the surrounding air was slightly heated.
He was so shocked that he slid back half a step, the tip of his shoe scratched a shallow mark on the bluestone, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged.
Zhi Huan slowly emerged from the shadows of the trees, his dark cloak still stained with dead leaves. A cold, white divine power lingered around him, like murderous intent wrapped in a thin layer of ice. His gaze fell directly on Yun Xiu, the rage in his eyes even stronger than before, but a sneer curled up at the corner of his mouth:
"The little mouse knows how to hide, making it easier for me to find it."
"You're following us?"
Zhi Huan ignored Yingtang and just walked forward step by step. With every step he took, a thin layer of ice formed on the ground, and even the water flowing by the stream was frozen and slowed down.
"I'm not looking for you, I'm looking for her."
He pointed his finger at Yunxiu, and the cold white divine power condensed into a vortex at his fingertips.
"Hand her over, and I can let you die more peacefully."
"dream!"
Wu Yi took the lead in launching the attack. The branches of the phoenix tree in front of him suddenly wrapped around Zhi Huan. The branches were emitting light green spiritual power. When they touched the ice surface, they made a "sizzling" sound and actually melted the thin ice a little.
Ke Zhihuan just raised his hand and waved it, and the cold white divine power turned into countless thin blades, which instantly cut the branches and vines into pieces. The broken branches and vines fell to the ground, still emitting white smoke.
He has recovered, even stronger than last time, Yunxiu thought.
Wu Yi was shocked by the aftermath of the divine power and took a few steps back. A wound deep enough to see the bone appeared on his arm. Blood oozed out instantly, staining the cuffs of his blue shirt red.
He gritted his teeth, gathered spiritual power on his fingertips again, and wanted to attack again, but was held back by Yingtang.
"Don't force it."
Yingtang's voice was filled with urgency. Light green spiritual energy brushed across Wu Yi's wound, temporarily stopping the bleeding. She looked up at Yan Xiu with a questioning look in her eyes.
The previous plan was to go directly to Yaoxi Mountain, but now Zhihuan is blocking the way, and fighting hard will only increase casualties.
Yan Xiu tightened his grip on the Broken Water Sword, his eyes flicked between Zhi Huan and Yun Xiu, and he suddenly whispered to Yun Xiu:
"I'll hold him back later. Run towards Yaoxi Mountain and don't look back."
"I don't--" Yunxiu was about to retort when he was interrupted by Yan Xiu.
"Listen!"
His voice was filled with an unprecedented urgency. The cold white divine power at his fingertips lightly touched the faint light in Yunxiu's palm, as if transmitting some kind of power.
"The only way to separate the remnant soul of the Ancient God is somewhere in the back of Yaoxi Mountain. Zhi Huan doesn't dare to touch you. He's afraid that if something happens to you, the remnant soul of the Ancient God will dissipate, and all his efforts will be in vain."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhi Huan attacked again. This time, his target was no longer Wu Yi, but Yun Xiu. The cold white divine power transformed into a giant blade, carrying an aura of destruction, as if it would split everything in its path in half.
"careful!"
Yan Xiu suddenly pushed Yun Xiu aside and rushed forward with his sword raised.
With a crisp "clang" sound, the Broken Water Sword blocked the giant blade. Where the sword light collided with the cold white divine power, a dazzling light flashed, shaking the surrounding trees and causing leaves to fall down.
Yunxiu was pushed and staggered a few steps. When he turned around, he saw Yan Xiu's back being swept by the aftermath of the divine power. The dark tights were instantly stained red. Blood dripped down the hem of the clothes and fell on the stones on the ground, spreading a small dark red patch.
“Senior Brother!”
Yunxiu's heart suddenly tightened, and the cold white divine power at his fingertips surged. He was about to rush over to help, but was held back tightly by Yingtang.
"Don't go!" Yingtang pulled her so hard that it hurt, and he showed no intention of letting up.
"Yan Xiu is right, you have to go! We will stop him!"
She raised her hand and threw a few banyan leaves at Yunxiu, and the light green spiritual power instantly condensed into a barrier around Yunxiu.
"This barrier can only hold off the attacks for a while. Run to Yaoxi Mountain and leave us alone!"
Wu Yi also endured the severe pain in his arm and condensed the Wutong branches again. This time he did not attack Zhi Huan directly, but threw the branches to the ground. The branches spread rapidly along the ground, weaving a dense net under Zhi Huan's feet, tightly wrapping around his ankles.
It was indeed a repetition of the same old trick. However, Wu Yi had increased his strength several times, and was able to temporarily restrain Zhi Huan.
Zhi Huan was entangled by the vines, and suddenly he was furious. The cold white divine power around him surged, and he froze the vines into ice sculptures. With another wave of his hand, the ice sculptures shattered into countless pieces. He turned to look at Wu Yi, the murderous intent in his eyes almost solidified: "You're in the way!"
The cold white divine power was like an ice-hardened blade, heading straight for Wu Yi's face.
Wu Yi had no time to dodge completely, and could only awkwardly sideways, letting the divine force grazed his shoulder and neck. His clothing was instantly torn, and his skin burned with pain. Blood dripped down his collarbone and onto the sycamore branches at his feet.
"Wu Yi!" As Yingtang exclaimed, Wu Yi raised his hand to stop her.
"Leave me alone!"
He gritted his teeth, cold sweat oozing from his forehead. Suddenly, a more intense pale green spiritual energy condensed at his fingertips, rapidly spreading along the remaining branches and vines on the ground. Unlike before, this time, the branches and vines exuded a dense, shimmering sap, like condensed dew in the early morning, but with a faint bitter fragrance.
That is the smell of the herbs commonly used in Yingtang.
Just as Zhi Huan was about to launch another attack, he felt a sudden movement beneath his feet. Several sap-laden sycamore vines shot out from the soil, tougher and more swift than before. Like venomous snakes come to life, they instantly wrapped around his wrists and ankles.
"This trick again?"
Zhi Huan sneered, his cold white divine power instantly surging, attempting to once again freeze the branches and vines into ice sculptures. However, this time, the sap didn't freeze when it touched his divine power. Instead, it seeped into his body like ink dripping into water, flowing along with his divine power.
"You're not so naive as to think this vine is still the same as before, are you?"
Wu Yi raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and rubbed his fingertips over the shimmering juice on the branches. There was a cold look of success in his eyes, and he didn't say a word of unnecessary explanation.
Just as Zhi Huan was about to mobilize his divine power to freeze the vines, his whole body suddenly stiffened.
The juice from the vines wrapped around the wrist penetrated into the skin like fine needles. The cold white divine power that had been flowing smoothly suddenly became stagnant, as if wrapped in sticky paste, and it even became difficult to condense it in the palm of the hand.
He looked down and saw that the skin that had touched the vines had turned light blue. Numbness crawled through his blood vessels to his heart. His fingertips trembled uncontrollably, and even his eyes had a dazed look.
The four of them exchanged glances and suddenly understood everything.
Senior Sister Yingtang always closed the door to dry herbs. The leaves in the bamboo sieve exuded the same bitter fragrance as the vine sap at this moment. Senior Brother Yanxiu drew delicate barrier patterns on the stone table. Wu Yi leaned over and asked, "Can this really lock the medicinal power in the vine?"...
The veins on the back of Yan Xiu's hand, which was holding the Broken Water Sword, subtly calmed down a little.
He watched Zhi Huan frantically trying to summon his divine power in vain, a flicker of understanding crossing his eyes. The barrier technique could lock in the medicinal power and act as a barrier; Yingtang's herbs could indeed hold back the cold white divine power.
It's really... learning and applying it in practice. Exploiting its functions to the maximum extent.
Yingtang's pale green spiritual energy, suspended in mid-air, paused, not moving forward. She recognized the herbal aroma in the juice. Seeing Zhihuan's face turn green, she knew the medicinal effects were spreading through his spiritual energy.
Wu Yi leaned against the black stone, but couldn't help but curl his lips. Just seeing the other person struggling, unable to even gather his divine power, he knew that his efforts over the past few days had not been in vain.
"You dare to poison me?!"
Zhi Huan roared angrily.
"It's really funny. We don't have a very close relationship, so why would I have to inform you in advance before poisoning you?" Wu Yi said.
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