Chapter 31
Somewhere in the mountains, thick fog was like a curtain, covering the surrounding areas.
A light pink graceful figure slowly emerged from the fog, followed closely by people from Wangjiang Tower and Boyeng Sect. Spiritual energy flowed secretly around them, and they remained vigilant at all times.
When they reached a fork in the road, Li Jue finally couldn't hold back any longer and frowned, "How could the Yunshan secret treasure be hidden in such a remote place?"
Common sense suggests that the more valuable the treasure, the deeper it should be hidden. But Su Ruo had been leading them around the periphery for nearly two hours, and aside from a few insignificant traps, there was no trace of the secret treasure. His suspicions grew, and he finally asked now.
Su Ruo paused and turned around slowly.
Amidst the mist, she smiled as she spoke with a deep gaze, "What Young Master Li said is merely a commonplace perspective. Little do they know that, in terms of the existence deep within Cloud Mountain, the secret treasure we desire is no different from a stubborn stone on the side of the road, and is not worthy of being placed there."
Li Jue was stunned when he heard this, his expression suddenly changed. He was about to ask what that "existence" was, but Su Ling beside him sneered at this moment.
"Young Master, I advise you not to ask any more questions." Su Ling folded his arms and spoke with a hint of sarcasm, clearly still brooding over the public humiliation he had suffered earlier. "The existence within that hinterland is far beyond our comprehension. Even the strongest force in the Three Thousand Continents is like an ant in front of Him. Although Wangjiang Tower is powerful, if you dare not risk your life to provoke it, you will be destroyed in an instant."
"Brother!" Su Ruo finally spoke in a low voice at this time, looking at him with eyes full of warning.
Li Jue's face darkened and he was about to retort with anger, but Su Ling had already grabbed Su Ruo and turned around and walked quickly towards the valley ahead.
Seeing this, Li Jue behind him was angry, but because of the map in Su Ruo's hand, he had to suppress his anger. After a cold snort, he followed with the monks of his sect.
......
After walking for another two hours, the thick white fog in the forest finally began to thin out, and the chilly air carried by the wind also faded a bit. Just as everyone was feeling a little easier to breathe, they saw Su Ruo turn around and lead them to the entrance of a hidden valley.
The entrance to the valley was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for two people to pass side by side. On either side were steep black rock walls covered with dark green moss, so wet it made your hands slippery. After walking about a dozen steps, the valley suddenly opened up. What they saw made everyone's heart sink.
The ground in the valley was not ordinary soil, but was covered with dark brown gravel. There were some rusty fragments embedded in the cracks of the gravel. Upon closer inspection, they looked like the remains of broken weapons, with black blood stains on them. I wonder how many years they have been lying here.
The valley walls towered into the clouds, their faces densely engraved with dark blue runes. The lines of the runes twisted like snakes, shimmering dimly in the mist, like countless pairs of cold eyes, staring intently at the intruders. Grayish-white vines drooped from the valley walls, leaves absent, only withered branches entwined. The wind rustled them, creating a rustling sound that sounded like the whispers of the dead, chilling them to the bone.
In the depths of the valley in the distance, no one knew what was hidden. Occasionally, a few vague noises could be heard, like stones rolling down, or the low growls of some wild beasts. But when everyone looked up, they could not find any trace of the source of the sound.
Li Jue frowned, and his right hand was placed on the hilt of the sword at his waist with caution. His spiritual sense spread out like a spider web to investigate, but he found that the spiritual energy in the valley was abnormally chaotic. The surrounding spiritual energy seemed to be constantly being absorbed by the dark blue runes on the rock wall, making his perception become a little dull.
"Be careful, there's something wrong with this place..." He whispered to the people behind him, but before he could finish his words -
The ground beneath their feet suddenly shook violently! Gravel tumbled down, and the runes on the valley wall instantly lit up with a dazzling blue light. Then, a pale purple curtain of light suddenly rose from the ground. The edges of the curtain were shimmering with tiny arcs of electricity, wriggling like a living thing, and instantly connected together, trapping the group like a cage!
The moment the light curtain rose, everyone felt an invisible pressure coming towards them, even breathing became difficult, and the spiritual energy in their bodies began to stir uncontrollably.
"Oh no, it's a trap!" Li Jue was instantly filled with shock and anger. His spiritual energy surged, and he was about to shatter the light curtain with his palm. But as soon as his spiritual energy flowed to his palm, he felt his whole body stagnate as if he were stuck in a quagmire. The spiritual energy flowing through his meridians froze in an instant! The next moment, the spiritual energy in his palm dissipated.
This place can actually seal the cultivation level!
The monks from Wangjiang Tower behind him also changed color at this time. They tried to mobilize their spiritual power but to no avail. They could only watch as the light curtain continued to shrink, trapping them in the narrow space.
"What kind of path are you leading, you bitch!" Li Jue was furious at this and was about to turn around and curse -
But at this moment, a sneer came from behind.
Li Jue paused, and saw that Su Ruo and Su Ling, leading the disciples of the Boyeng Sect, had circled ten feet behind them at some point and stopped just outside the purple mist!
"What..." Li Jue was stunned when he saw this, and then asked in disbelief, "When did you get there?"
If this group of people wanted to move, their movements would definitely not be small. There was no reason why no one as strong as them would have noticed!
In the distant mist, Su Ruo's gentle smile had long since melted away, leaving only a chilling murderous intent. She glared at Li Jue and his group, then slowly pulled something out of her sleeve.
It was a strange flower that was completely green.
As if freshly plucked from a branch, dark green dew still clung to the petals, and a strange phosphorescence shone around the edges. And right at the very center, the pistil flashed with a myriad of dazzling flashes. Upon closer inspection, countless poisonous needles, as fine as ox hairs, lay hidden beneath!
It was clearly so far away from them, but when this thing appeared, Li Jue actually felt a pungent fishy smell coming straight towards him.
"—— Seven Absolutes of Green Phosphorus Flowers!" In just a moment, he recognized this peerless poison weapon. His pupils suddenly shrank, and his face was instantly filled with fear. Then he shouted behind him, "Get out of the way!"
But his reminder was too late after all.
Su Ruo's eyes flashed with coldness, and the spiritual power at his fingertips moved slightly, and the Seven Absolutes of Green Phosphorus Flower exploded in an instant.
Countless rays of emerald green light shot out with sharp sounds of breaking through the air, their speed far beyond the reach of the naked eye. Like poisonous lightning snakes, they stabbed straight at the vital points of the thirteen Wangjiang Tower monks in the fog!
"puff!"
Almost in the blink of an eye, a streak of green light precisely pierced a monk's throat. Without even a shriek, the monk stumbled back, clutching his neck. Blood gushed crazily from between his fingers, his eyes filled with disbelief and terror. In a split second, dark green poisonous spots began to appear on his throat.
The other monks were all scared to death when they saw this and tried to swing their swords to block, but they did not expect that the green light was extremely sharp and went straight through the sword and pierced into their hearts; some monks wanted to mobilize their spiritual power to protect their bodies, but they forgot that the spiritual power in their bodies had already been sealed by the light curtain, and could only watch the green light coming!
A dark green poisonous mist spread like a tide from the point where the needles landed, carrying a pungent, sweet-smelling aroma. It corroded clothing with a sizzling sound. The monks struck by the needles felt a piercing chill spread through their meridians, their internal organs as if being gnawed by a myriad of poisonous insects, and excruciating pain instantly ripped through their bodies. They collapsed to the ground, convulsing, dark green blood gushing from their orifices. The skin on their faces and arms festered and melted at a visible rate, revealing the white bones beneath.
A shrill scream exploded in the silent valley, but was quickly swallowed by the poisonous fog and disappeared in an instant.
In just half a cup of tea, the bodies of those Jindan monks completely melted in the poisonous fog, leaving only pools of dark green pus slowly flowing on the gravel ground. Wherever they passed, even the gravel was corroded into tiny pits, emitting a disgusting stench.
After a long time, the fog gradually dissipated.
All that remained in the valley was a pale purple curtain of light and several pools of terrifying pus. Su Ling stepped forward, sword in hand, his boots crunching softly against the gravel. He bent down to investigate, using the tip of his sword to pry the pus from the ground. After confirming that no one was alive, he stood up and gave Su Ruo a reassuring look.
Su Ruo stood outside the light curtain, the cold murderous intent on her face quietly disappearing, returning to her usual composure. She raised her hand and waved, and the lavender light curtain receded like a tide, and the dark blue runes on the valley wall dimmed.
"The obstacle has been removed." Her voice remained steady, as if the horrific massacre had never taken place before her eyes. "Now, it's time to complete the mission assigned by the sect leader - find the fragments of the Demon-Suppressing Sword and bring them back to the Bodeng Sect."
Su Ling nodded, but as he turned around, he couldn't hide his worry and said to her, "But sister, you took Li Jue's poison. What are you going to do now that he's dead?"
"Brother..." Su Ruo slowly tilted his head, his eyes showing neither sadness nor joy, only a frightening indifference. "Perhaps you have truly forgotten how hard I worked to survive under the Young Sect Master during those years when you were enjoying the glory of being the eldest son of the Su family?"
Su Ling's face suddenly froze, as if he was pierced by an invisible sharp needle. He abruptly looked away, not daring to look her in the eye for a moment.
A trace of deep hatred flashed across Su Ruo's eyes, and then he turned around silently and led everyone from the Bo Deng Sect out of the valley.
......
For a long time, he stayed in the same place.
At the edge of the valley, in the shadow of a rock melted by energy impact, the air twisted slightly, and then an almost transparent light shield slowly emerged.
Then there was a slight "crack" sound like an eggshell breaking, and a disheveled figure rolled out from the light shield.
Li Jue fell to the ground, his once elegant dark purple robe now severely damaged, stained with dust and splattered dark green blood. Where his left arm had been, there was now nothing...
His face was as pale as gold paper, and his aura was extremely weak - his cultivation, which was originally in the late Jindan stage, had now fallen to the early stage of foundation building, and his strength was only one tenth of what it was!
He looked at the mess in front of him, his face turned blue and red for a moment, and then with a "puff" sound, he spurted out a mouthful of bright red blood!
If he had not activated the life-saving item given by his father, the "Xuan Chi Pearl", at the critical moment when Su Ruo detonated the poison weapon, and used this rare treasure that could withstand the full force of a Return to Void cultivator to withstand the devastating area attack, he would probably have turned into a pool of thick water like everyone else!
However, the poisonous needles of the green phosphorus flower were incredibly fast. Three of them penetrated his left arm at the moment when the shield was not fully opened. Seeing that the poison was about to spread throughout his body, he had to cut off his arm to survive.
Although his life was saved, his cultivation had fallen by a large realm, and twelve elite soldiers were killed here.
This time, his Wangjiang Tower suffered heavy losses, losing both his wife and his soldiers!
"Bo Deng Sect..." he said bitterly, pulling out another purple pill from his sleeve. Then, with endless hatred, he crushed it into powder. "You actually plotted against me and came here to Wangjiang Tower. When I get out, I will use all my strength to slaughter everyone in your sect!"
After he finished speaking, he took a deep breath, his body covered in blood, and filled with overwhelming hatred, and fled out of the valley without looking back.
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