threaten
The fog was very thick in the heart of Muxi Mountain, and the cave entrance looked like the darkest point in the fog.
The wind blowing in from the cave entrance carried a fishy, pungent smell. When it didn't enter his nostrils, it felt like tiny needles pricking him, causing Nie Huaisang to suddenly cover his mouth, his stomach churning violently.
"What are you all standing there for?!" Wen Chao's whip lashed against a nearby tree trunk, sending bark fragments flying. "Climb down! Unarmed? Perfect! Let a few useless trash fall to their deaths, saving this young master from seeing them!"
The faces of the young men from each family were deathly pale. The cave entrance was bottomless, with vines hanging down for over thirty feet, and the darkness below was as thick as ink. Jin Zixuan subconsciously took a half step back; his pride prevented him from climbing like a gecko, but fine beads of sweat had already appeared on his forehead.
Nie Huaisang's legs were trembling. He was pushed forward by his fellow disciple and staggered forward, muttering, "It's over, it's over, this is the eighteenth level of hell."
Xie Lin Yang walked forward, not looking at Wen Chao. Her fingertips first touched the rock wall, then the vines; beneath the slime were extremely fine barbs that pricked her fingertips, making them numb. She took a deep breath; the sweet, pungent wind filled her lungs, making her eyes shine even brighter. As she turned, she met Jiang Cheng's gaze.
Jiang Cheng's brows furrowed tightly, and the cuffs of his purple robe were stained black with the sticky sap from the vines. When he saw her looking over, Jiang Cheng wanted to say something, but Xie Lin Yang suddenly smiled, a very faint smile, so quick it was like an illusion. Then she mouthed silently, "Trust me."
Jiang Cheng's pupils contracted sharply. He understood; it was a plan.
Without further hesitation, Xie Linyang grabbed the vines with both hands, leaped into the darkness, and was the first to slide into the darkness. His purple shadow flashed and was swallowed by the thick blackness below. Only the soft sound of his clothes brushing against the rock wall remained, which was quickly drowned out by the deathly silence.
Meng Yao followed in third place. He didn't grab the vine next to Xie Linyang, but chose the one a little further away, moving as lightly as a cat.
Upon landing, the cold air seeped out from the cracks in the rocks, creeping up the legs of my trousers and making my bones ache.
The dome was so high that its top was invisible, with only a few rays of sunlight seeping in through tiny gaps, as thin as spider silk. Underfoot were uneven rocks covered with a layer of dark green moss, which made a "plop" sound when stepped on, as if crushing something.
The most terrifying thing was the pool in front of us, as black as lacquer, yet as thick as blood. White steam floated on the surface of the water, not hot, but cold. If you got close, you could see tiny ice crystals wrapped in the steam.
Xie Linyang made a hand seal with her fingertips in her sleeve, and the spiritual power of the "Life-Generating Technique" flowed through her body. She could "see" that the towering trees in front of her were not stone islands, but the carapaces of living creatures. Underneath every inch of moss were hidden dark blue scales, and every "heartbeat" was its breathing.
"Young Master, the demonic beast is at the bottom of this pool." Wen Zhuliu suddenly spoke, his black robe sweeping across the ground, stirring up a gust of cold wind.
"That's right!" Wen Chao laughed, pointing his whip at the crowd. "Draw blood! Wake this old bastard up! I want to see just how powerful the Slaughtering Xuanwu really is!"
Wang Lingjiao immediately leaned in, her nails painted with henna, and pointed at Mianmian, who was huddled behind Jin Zixuan, her voice both shrill and sweet: "Young Master, look at that girl in the pink dress! She has such delicate skin and tender flesh, her blood smells the best! We can use her blood to draw her out!"
Mianmian was so frightened that she trembled all over, her hands gripping her sleeves tightly, her knuckles as white as paper.
Jin Zixuan, standing in front, frowned and took half a step forward. Lan Wangji beside him had already moved. He didn't speak, but simply moved closer to Mianmian, his white robes hanging down like a silent barrier.
"Young Master Lan is going to protect her?" Wang Lingjiao laughed even harder. "Sure, let's bleed together! Young Master Jin, would you like to join in the fun too?"
At the back of the crowd, Su She, a disciple of the Lan clan, shifted his foot. He took half a step forward, as if to say, "It's just bloodletting, why offend the Wen clan?" But Lan Wangji suddenly turned around.
His eyes were devoid of emotion, yet as cold as ice. Su She's words caught in his throat, and he shrank back, but a fire burned in his eyes.
Xie Linyang saw all of this. She took a step forward.
"I'll do it."
Two words instantly silenced the noisy cave.
"Master!" Meng Yao immediately exclaimed, his eyes filled with urgency. "No! Let me handle this!" He stepped forward, trying to stop him.
"I'll do it!" A more resolute voice rang out. Jiang Cheng pushed Meng Yao aside, walked to Xie Linyang's side, and their eyes met briefly. He saw the fleeting determination and hint in her eyes and instantly understood her intention.
A flash of cold light, and the dagger sliced open the palm. Blood gushed out, but Jiang Cheng didn't stop; he simply held his hand above the surface of the pool. Crimson blood dripped into the inky water with a "plop," like a drop hitting an empty jar, rippling outwards in concentric circles of red.
Just then, Jiang Cheng suddenly leaned forward, his tall shadow blocking Wen Chao's view. Xie Linyang's hand slid out from his sleeve, and with a flick of his fingertip, a small pinch of colorless and odorless powder silently fell into the water near the blood droplet.
"Jingzhe Powder" can revive upon contact with blood and can incite the madness of demonic beasts.
The blood mixed with the medicine sank to the bottom of the pool.
At first, there was only one bubble.
The "pop" sound was so soft it was almost an illusion.
Then came the second, the third… The bubbles grew denser and denser, surging upwards from the bottom of the pool like a pot of boiling water. The pool water began to sway, the amplitude increasing, and the “stone island” beneath our feet trembled as well, the scales beneath the moss faintly gleaming with a ghostly blue light.
"Thump—!!"
A deafening roar came from the bottom of the pool—not a heartbeat, but a thunderous roar! The shockwave caused rubble to fall from the ceiling, and everyone was thrown off balance.
"W-What happened?!" Wen Chao's whip fell to the ground, the light illuminating a horrifying scene—
Those "stone islands" moved.
The largest "island" slowly rose, the moss and seaweed peeled away, revealing a carapace covered with dark blue scales. At the edge, a huge head suddenly emerged from the water! Its horns resembled coral, its eyes were like blood-red wheels, and its open mouth revealed sharp teeth that intersected like daggers. A fishy wind, carrying a chilling aura, swept over, almost suffocating people!
The Black Tortoise, having slaughtered its inhabitants, has awakened.
Xie Linyang stood beside Jiang Cheng, looking at the ferocious beast's blood-red eyes. Finally, a faint smile appeared on her lips. The first step of the plan had been completed.
The pool water began to churn ominously, accompanied by a muffled and terrifying roar, and the "stone island" beneath their feet trembled violently! It was not an island at all, but the enormous back armor of the Slaughtering Black Tortoise!
"It's a monster! It's a monster!" Everyone was terrified.
The Wen clan cultivators immediately formed a battle formation, unleashing arrows and spells at the Xuanwu that had just raised its ferocious head. Those disciples from various clans, unarmed, could only scramble for cover, and the cave instantly descended into chaos.
In the instant the chaos erupted, Xie Linyang moved like lightning, rushing towards the bottom of the cave without hesitation. The "Blazing Radiance" in his hand flashed with golden light, and several sharp light blades accurately slashed at the hanging vines!
"Crack! Crack!" The thick vine snapped in response, and together with some loose rocks above, it crashed down, completely blocking the only exit!
"Xie Linyang! What are you doing!" Wen Chao exclaimed in shock and anger.
"I'll cut off your escape route!" Xie Linyang's voice was icy as he stood before the jumbled rocks, his blue robes fluttering in the chaotic air currents.
Wen Chao didn't even have time to curse Xie Linyang. Xuanwu, driven mad by the drug's effects, attacked indiscriminately, targeting the Wen clan cultivators wielding weapons first. Wen Zhuliu stood protectively in front of Wen Chao, his palm strikes fierce, deflecting Xuanwu's attacks, but the beast's hide was thick and tough, making it difficult to subdue for the time being.
Xie Linyang seized the opportunity. Just as Wen Zhuliu was fully engaged in dealing with a fierce bite from Xuanwu, his old strength waning and new strength yet to be generated, Xie Linyang gave Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, and the others a meaningful look. Jiang Cheng immediately understood, grabbing some pebbles from the ground to feign an attack on Wen Chao's flank, diverting some of their attention. Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian used his unpredictable movement techniques to weave through the Wen clan cultivators, creating even more chaos.
Just as Wen Zhuliu was being restrained by Jiang Cheng and Xuanwu, Xie Linyang made his move.
"Blazing Radiance" transformed into a golden lightning bolt in her hand. Instead of attacking Wen Zhuliu directly, it struck the "stone island" beneath his feet. The island, already unstable due to Xuanwu's movements, shattered and collapsed upon impact!
Wen Zhuliu staggered, but quickly regained his balance, disrupting his rhythm in protecting Wen Chao. Meng Yao and Jin Zixuan, who had been poised to strike, attacked simultaneously. Meng Yao snatched a longsword from a Wen clan member, her swordsmanship precise and ruthless, aiming straight for the spot Wen Zhuliu was sure to defend.
Although Jin Zixuan carried no sword, he channeled his family's martial arts techniques into his palm, which shimmered with golden light and possessed considerable power. Together, the two forced Wen Zhuliu back half a step.
This half-step gap was enough! Xie Linyang approached like a ghost, his target the panicked Wen Chao.
Before "Blazing Radiance" was even unleashed, she skillfully tripped and hooked Wen Chao with the staff, and then used spiritual energy to strike him. Wen Chao was restrained like a kite with a broken string, and the cold tip of the staff was pressed against his throat!
"Stop! Or I'll kill him!" Xie Linyang shouted sternly.
When the tip of the "Blazing Radiance" staff pressed against Wen Chao's throat, Xie Linyang's fingertips did not tremble in the slightest. The cold metal pressed halfway into the flesh, and blood trickled down the staff like a scarlet snake. Wen Chao's pupils dilated, and he screamed hoarsely, "Wen Zhuliu! Save me! Please save me!"
Wen Zhuliu's palm strike abruptly stopped three inches from Xuanwu's head. He slowly turned around, his sinister gaze sweeping over Xie Linyang. He knew she wasn't threatening him; she truly dared to kill him.
"Release the young master." Wen Zhuliu's voice was hoarse. "I'll leave you with a whole corpse."
Xie Linyang laughed, her laughter clear and cold, mixed with the roar of Xuanwu and the screams of the Wen clan cultivators, possessing an eerie penetrating power: "Leave me a whole corpse? Wen Zhuliu, you better take care of your master's neck first." She twisted her wrist slightly, and "Zhuoyao" sank in half a step further, Wen Chao's screams rose eight octaves, "Want to save him? Fine, exchange this beast's life for his."
Her gaze swept over the Slaughtering Xuanwu, which was still frantically whipping its tail. Just now, Wen Zhuliu had only injured its front paws in order to protect Wen Chao. At this moment, it was using its giant tail to lash the rock wall, and the broken stones were raining down. Those Wen clan cultivators who were hit by the tail were either killed or maimed.
Wen Zhuliu's face turned from pale to black. He had always been arrogant and had never been so easily manipulated, but Wen Chao was Wen Ruohan's most beloved son, and he could not afford to die.
"Fine." He squeezed out the word through gritted teeth, his aura suddenly surged, and his pale blue palm wind no longer held back, carrying a sharp whistling sound that tore through the air, heading straight for Xuanwu's Achilles' heel!
Everyone saw him shoot out, no longer holding back, unleashing the full power of his Core Transformation Hand. The pale blue palm wind, carrying a corrosive aura, slammed into the Slaughtering Xuanwu like a storm! Each of his palms contained the power to split mountains and shatter rocks, precisely striking the Xuanwu's relatively vulnerable head, neck, and limb connections.
Although Xuanwu was tough and resilient, it still let out painful howls under the relentless attacks of a master like Wen Zhuliu. Cracks appeared in its hard shell, and its movements became noticeably slower. The remaining Wen clan cultivators suffered even more heavy casualties under the aftershocks of Xuanwu and Wen Zhuliu's indiscriminate attacks, and soon none of them remained standing.
Finally, under Wen Zhuliu's terrifying palm strike, which concentrated all his strength and went straight to the skull of the Xuanwu, the Slaughtering Xuanwu let out a deafening roar. Its huge body convulsed violently a few times before finally crashing to the edge of the pool, splashing water everywhere, and then fell silent.
Wen Zhuliu stood alone beside the monster's corpse, breathing slightly heavily. The continuous bursts of power had clearly taken a toll on him, but the aura emanating from him remained dangerous and powerful.
He slowly turned around, his gaze sharp as an arrow, fixing once more on Xie Linyang: "The demonic beast has been eliminated, release the young master!"
Xie Linyan didn't move. She looked at Wen Zhuliu's slightly trembling left hand, and at the fleeting weariness in his eyes, and suddenly laughed: "Let him go? And then you use the Core-Melting Hand to destroy all of our dantian?" She pushed "Blazing Radiance" in her hand, and Wen Chao let out a pig-like scream, "Wen Zhuliu, do you think I didn't expect this? You used seventy percent of your power when you killed Xuanwu, and now you only have half of it left at most."
Wen Zhuliu's pupils contracted sharply; this woman had been calculating his spiritual energy consumption the whole time!
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