“Hahaha!!!”
Zhao Zonghan laughed maniacally in triumph:
“Gu Changqing!”
“With these three peak Tier Two giant wolves added to the mix, what do you have to defeat me?!”
The Sword Peak group clenched their fists.
Gu Changqing pointed his longsword straight at Zhao Zonghan:
“Cut the crap! Bring it on!”
Swoosh!
Possessing a Wind Spiritual Root, Gu Changqing vanished in an instant.
Pushing his movement technique to its absolute limit, he appeared right in front of Zhao Zonghan and unleashed the Medium-grade Earth-grade sword technique, 【Swiftwind Fleeting Shadow Sword】.
A dense storm of green sword blades descended upon Zhao Zonghan's head.
The weakness of Beast-Taming Peak disciples was undeniably obvious. They didn't cultivate physical body spells, spending all their resources on demon beasts instead, which left their actual bodies incredibly weak.
Even though Zhao Zonghan was at the early stage of the Golden Core Realm, taking this combo head-on would leave him heavily injured if not dead.
However,
a massive white shadow flashed by.
The 【Frost Moon Underworld Serpent】 appeared in front of Zhao Zonghan.
It opened its maw, spitting out a massive glob of deep blue icy flame.
Boom!
The icy flame collided with the storm of sword blades.
Most of the blades were frozen and shattered.
A small portion of the blades penetrated the icy flame and stabbed toward the white python.
Clank, clank, clank!
A layer of hard ice armor quickly condensed on the giant serpent's body, blocking all the sword blades and leaving it completely unharmed.
Gu Changqing frowned deeply. This beast actually possessed a Tier Five Bloodline!
“Hahaha! Gu Changqing! With just you?!”
Zhao Zonghan mocked from behind the serpent:
“Frost Moon Underworld Serpent! Use 【Moonlight Cold Breath】!”
The white python reared its head and spat out a breath of extreme cold.
Whoosh—
The surrounding temperature plummeted.
As the cold breath hit the ground, several chi of thick, solid ice rapidly formed.
The area within dozens of zhang turned into a domain of ice.
The Sword Peak group felt a bone-chilling cold invade their bodies.
Their spiritual energy circulation grew sluggish.
Even their Protective Gang Qi began to form ice crystals, slowing down their movements.
This skill clearly affected the three giant wolves as well.
However, demon beasts possessed powerful physical bodies. Shaking off the ice shards, they lunged ferociously once more.
Qi Linger and Monk Du'e each took on one wolf.
Chu Qianfeng and Qin Zhiwei barely managed to team up against the last one.
The three giant wolves fought with bloodshot eyes, simultaneously activating 【Berserk】.
They traded injury for injury, attacking with reckless abandon.
They pushed everyone back step by step, forcing them to spit up blood.
The one in the best state on the field was actually Monk Du'e.
He was smoothly utilizing his 【Golden Bell Shield】.
The berserk giant wolf's pounces actually failed to break through his absurd defense.
Qi Linger dodged with difficulty, transmitting her voice anxiously:
“Master! Please quickly repel the giant wolf and go rescue Junior Sister Qin and the others!”
Hiding inside his Golden Bell Shield, Du'e had a constipated look on his face.
Activating the Buddhist secret technique 【Telepathy】, he replied guiltily:
“Th-this poor monk... is not good at fighting!”
Qi Linger's eyes widened.
So you put all your skill points into defense and running away?! Just how afraid of death are you?!
But Qi Linger's cry for help reminded Du'e.
Hum!
He suddenly deactivated his Golden Bell Shield.
The giant wolf's pounce missed.
Du'e activated 【Step-by-Step Lotus】.
Transforming into a streak of golden light, he quickly dashed in front of the imperiled Qin Zhiwei and Chu Qianfeng.
Hum!
The Golden Bell Shield was activated once more.
It narrowly blocked a wolf claw on the outside.
Qi Linger also dodged her giant wolf's pounce and instantly arrived at their side.
The four Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered once again, standing back-to-back.
With the monk's defense as their core, they struggled to withstand the onslaught of the three berserk giant wolves.
But,
the longer they stayed in the ice domain, the more the cold seeped into their marrow, making their spiritual energy circulation slower and slower.
Defeat was only a matter of time.
Bang!
A dull thud echoed.
Midair, Gu Changqing was directly swatted away by the white python's massive tail.
Originally, he could still use his speed advantage from the Wind Spiritual Root to deal with the demon beast.
But the cold breath covering the ground delayed his movement by a fraction of a second.
That mere fraction of a second made him fail to dodge this fatal blow.
On the ground,
Gu Changqing stood, leaning on his sword.
Several of his ribs were broken, and blood continuously gushed from his mouth.
Although the white python did not specialize in physical cultivation, it was, after all, at the Tier Three Mid Stage.
The layer of ice armor covering its body was as hard as iron. When Gu Changqing's sword blade struck it, it could only leave a shallow notch.
Blood kept leaking from the corners of Gu Changqing's mouth.
Yet, the green sword intent surrounding him was churning violently like boiling water.
“If only... I could be just a bit faster.”
“As long as I exceed this beast's speed, I can unleash that strike...”
Following his low murmur,
the sword intent around him began to expand frantically.
Countless green wind blades materialized out of thin air, swirling around his body at high speeds.
At this critical juncture of life and death,
his 【Flowing Cloud Sword Intent】 finally broke through its cocoon and emerged as a butterfly, advancing from "Initial Comprehension" to "Minor Achievement".
In an instant, gusts of wild wind whipped up around him, blowing away the ice shards filling the air.
Sensing that something was wrong, Zhao Zonghan immediately pointed at Gu Changqing and roared:
“Swallow him!”
The white python opened its bloody, gaping maw and snapped toward Gu Changqing with a gust of foul wind.
Bang!
The massive serpent mouth snapped shut, swallowing Gu Changqing whole.
A look of wild joy flashed in Zhao Zonghan's eyes.
But in the next second, his smile froze.
There was no blood spurting out, nor was there any physical sensation of a hit.
“Come back!”
Zhao Zonghan screamed in terror.
Too late.
The "Gu Changqing" left in place was slowly dissipating.
It was an afterimage left behind by speed pushed to its absolute limit.
The real Gu Changqing had already appeared above Zhao Zonghan's head like a ghost.
With a wave of his left hand, a Tier Three Medium-Grade 【Explosive Talisman】 transformed into a streak of light and hurtled straight toward Zhao Zonghan's face.
This was Gu Changqing's goal.
Throwing a talisman might not hit the agile white python.
But targeting Zhao Zonghan, a glass cannon with an incredibly weak physical body, had a ninety-eight percent success rate.
Zhao Zonghan had absolutely no time to dodge.
Yet, as a Golden Core cultivator, he wasn't a complete useless fool either.
The beast-taming ring on his wrist suddenly flashed.
A massive black turtle with a thick shell covered in green patterns appeared out of thin air, blocking the way in front of him.
It was a Tier Two peak defensive demon beast, the 【Green-Patterned Mystic Rock Turtle】.
Boom!
An earth-shattering explosion rang out.
The giant turtle's hard shell was directly blown open, leaving a bloody, mangled hole.
Zhao Zonghan, hiding behind it, was also sent flying several zhang by the shockwave of the explosion.
He rolled several times before stopping, sprawling on the ground and vomiting blood. The glow of the life-saving treasure robe on his body instantly dimmed, completely ruined.
Midair,
the white python, which was about to pursue Gu Changqing, quickly abandoned its target and slithered back to Zhao Zonghan's side, shielding him tightly.
It was terrified that Gu Changqing would rush forward recklessly to fight to the death.
But to its surprise, Gu Changqing had absolutely no intention of pressing the attack.
He quickly turned around in midair.
His gaze locked onto the three berserk giant wolves that were currently besieging his fellow disciples.
【Swiftwind Fleeting Shadow Sword】!
This time, the minor achievement 【Flowing Cloud Sword Intent】 was attached to the countless sword blades.
The green sword blades transformed into a storm that filled the sky, their power multiplying several times over.
In just an instant, the three giant wolves were slashed until their flesh split open. Howling in pain, they retreated in disarray.
The encirclement was torn open, leaving a gap.
Seizing the opportunity, a green figure soared into the sky on a flying sword.
It was none other than Qin Zhiwei.
Gu Changqing, Qi Linger, and Chu Qianfeng stood firmly in front, blocking the enemies, but their divine senses were all focused on Qin Zhiwei in midair.
They cried out in their hearts:
Great! She's finally escaping...
But just as the thought arose,
Swoosh—
a thick, blood-colored root pierced through the ice from underground at a speed invisible to the naked eye, shooting past everyone.
Immediately after,
Pfft.
A hair-raising, dull sound of tearing flesh echoed from the sky.
The Sword Peak group froze, slowly turning their heads.
Midair,
Qin Zhiwei's chest was directly impaled by the blood-colored root.
Drops of crimson blood dripped down the root onto the pristine white ice.
Her right hand was still tightly clutching the 【Cloud-Piercing Shuttle】,
but she hadn't even had the time to inject her true qi into it...
Rate on N.U.
