Arc 15: Heavenly Secret Realm | Chapter 258: Fight Together
Translator: Lynn
Xu Ziqing only realized he was still in his shixiong’s arms. Though he enjoyed being close to him, he knew this wasn’t the right time or place. He released his hold, raised his hand to recall the Qingyun needles, and let them float around his body.
Yun Lie said, “The Valley of Ten Thousand Snakes.”
Xu Ziqing nodded seriously, “Yes, I will be careful.”
This place was indeed the Valley of Ten Thousand Snakes.
Before Xuan Ze released the phantom of the broken map, within the mountain range shaped like a fierce tiger, several monster lairs were marked in red.
One of them was the Valley of Ten Thousand Snakes.
At this moment, Xu Ziqing realized that the force within the black hole was very strong; everyone had entered it, but they never landed on the same ground. If he hadn’t held on tightly to his senior brother, he might have been separated from him. When looking at the fragmented map, the area seemed small, but now that he was in it, he couldn’t see the end.
With such a vast area, finding others would be challenging.
However, he couldn’t dwell on that. Although Yun Lie’s sword intent expanded a line of defense, the number of poisonous snakes was increasing. They were gradually forming small snake mountains, their smooth bodies entangled, hissing, and exuding such intense venom that it formed clouds of poisonous mist.
In the Valley of Ten Thousand Snakes, these poisonous snakes weren’t ordinary. Even the weakest was a first-rank monster. There were countless large and small bosses of poisonous snakes, and a pair of king snakes known as “Yin Yang Zimu Snakes,” divided into male and female.
Fortunately, Xu Ziqing was a wood cultivator, and the wood energy permeating his body had the magical effect of filtering out poison, allowing him to endure. Otherwise, as soon as he landed, the poisonous mist would have blocked his seven orifices, and the poison would have invaded, killing him instantly.
Even so, it wasn’t safe to stay here.
Yun Lie took the lead, protecting his body with sword intent and extending his fingers, transforming them into countless white threads. These threads, flexible and slender, were his sword energy. Wherever the sword energy reached, the snakes were strangled, and the blood mixed with the venom, creating an even more pungent smell.
Xu Ziqing wasn’t idle either. He followed Yun Lie closely, directing Qingyun Needle to scatter and kill the snakes. Though not as calm as Yun Lie, he could still remove obstacles quickly, allowing them to move faster.
They didn’t know how many dangers lay within this secret realm, so conserving true energy was crucial. The attacking snakes were only at rank one, two, and three, and although numerous, they didn’t consume much energy. Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie aimed to pass through the Valley of Ten Thousand Snakes as quickly as possible without alarming the pair of king snakes.
Walking along the mountain wall, the two quickly covered a great distance. When encountering poisonous snakes above the fourth rank, they didn’t kill them but bounced them away with sword intent.
The two pair of cultivation brothers knew that the pair of king snakes had bred here for many years. While the lower-level descendants might be inconsequential, higher-level snakes above the fourth rank likely had names among them. Killing them in large numbers would attract unwanted attention from the king snakes. Thus, it was safer not to harm these high-level snakes.
Sure enough, they walked for five or six miles without making a sound and finally passed through the Valley of Ten Thousand Snakes, arriving at a swamp.
However, the swamp was home to a bloodthirsty one-eyed crocodile.
The brothers were not afraid of this crocodile, which was merely a gatekeeper for the king snakes in the Valley of Ten Thousand Snakes.
Xu Ziqing didn’t need his senior brother’s assistance. By merely exposing his aura of the Golden Core Formation period, fourth-rank monsters dared not show their heads.
The two rose against the wind, traversed the swamp, and walked two miles further to the lair of the thousand-faced bat.
In this mountain range, many monsters occupied specific areas without interfering with each other, yet were connected. To exit the mountain, one had to pass through these areas one by one. It’s not that they were unwilling to fly out from a high place, but the broken map warned that flying high would provoke high-level monsters to attack them in groups.
Given such circumstances, they dared not act recklessly. They had to travel on foot, at most resisting the wind slightly, and had to remain cautious.
The mountain ahead wasn’t very steep, but it was riddled with hundreds or even thousands of caves, resembling a beehive. The fierce aura emanating from these caves suggested the presence of many fierce creatures.
This indicated that the thousand-faced bat was definitely formidable!
Just as they steadied themselves, a layer of dark clouds suddenly floated out from the smaller caves.
Xu Ziqing looked closely and saw that the “dark cloud” was actually formed by countless palm-sized bats. These bats were all black, with scarlet eyes, fanged mouths, and human-like faces—utterly terrifying.
The “dark cloud” moved extremely fast, quickly approaching within several feet and becoming clearer.
Yun Lie’s eyes grew cold, and a three-foot-long sword aura swept from his hand. Many bats fell like dead leaves, creating a sound like rain in dense areas. However, more “dark clouds” continued to float out from the cave, appearing endless. The cold light in Yun Lie’s eyes swept over them, and the sword intent crushed the bats into blood foam!
Seeing how calm his shixiong was, Xu Ziqing felt a surge of calmness himself. He transformed the Qingyun Needle into hundreds, making it look like a torrential rain, and sent it crashing head-on into the swarm of bats!
However, although Qingyun Needle was a method of group attack, it couldn’t match the sheer number of bats. Despite its power, it couldn’t significantly reduce the burden on Yun Lie.
Xu Ziqing’s eyes turned colder. In this secret realm, with only his senior brother by his side, and surrounded by monsters, there was no reason to hold back. Without hesitation, he concentrated, raised his arms, and moved his palms. Instantly, thirty-two blood vines sprang out, quickly took root, and spread their thorny tendrils over a ten-foot radius, casting shadows on the ground.
The Bloodthirsty Demon Vine had grown much stronger.
After their adventures on the Wild Beast Plain and Xu Ziqing’s continual nurturing, the Golden Blood Grass, though still immature in his dantian, had significantly enhanced the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine. Its tendrils were thicker, its leaf buds the size of fists, with the topmost one the size of a bowl, its sharp teeth clearly visible.
Seeing Xu Ziqing release the demon vines, Yun Lie withdrew his sword intent and moved closer to Xu Ziqing, standing within the protective circle of vines.
The Demon Vine, already familiar with Yun Lie, did not need orders to avoid attacking him.
His shixiong’s trust struck Xu Ziqing. In the past, he had always relied on Yun Lie’s protection, but now, if he could use the Demon Vine to break through this barrier, he would be protecting his shixiong for once. No matter how gentle his temperament is, a man must show his strength. Yun Lie’s silent approval motivated him further. With a determined look, Xu Ziqing pointed and commanded, “Go!”
The Bloodthirsty Demon Vine surged forward, its tendrils flying, turning half the sky red.
The thousand-faced bats, merely first-order monsters, had thrived here due to their numbers and rapid reproduction. In large swarms, they could overwhelm even a Golden Core monk.
Unfortunately for the bats, they encountered formidable opponents this time. The Bloodthirsty Demon Vine had long since merged with Xu Ziqing’s dantian, becoming his lifeline and deeply intertwined with his cultivation.
Once released from his body, the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine could draw energy from the earth, requiring minimal effort from Xu Ziqing. This was the true power of the “Ten Thousand Woods Great Heart Planting Technique,” a legendary technique renowned for its heaven-defying capabilities.
At this moment, the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine reveled in its task, its energy sustained with ease. This was why Yun Lie had stepped back, allowing Xu Ziqing to take the lead.
As the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine danced wildly, the thousand-faced bats, like moths to a flame, charged relentlessly at the two young monks. However, the Bloodthirsty Demon Vines swiftly intercepted them. Any bat that recklessly continued its assault was swallowed by the leaf buds atop the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine, reduced to a puddle of blood to sate its hunger.
These bats, accustomed to preying on everything in the sky and on the ground, met their match here, becoming mere sustenance for the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine.
Xu Ziqing remained vigilant, ensuring not a single thousand-faced bat escaped.
Yet, where there were lesser bats, there had to be a Bat King. In the largest cave dwelled the Bat King, a peak sixth-rank monster, accompanied by dozens of concubines, also fifth and sixth-order monsters. These female bats were deadlier, their poison more potent, and their hunger insatiable.
Sensing the demise of its offspring, the Bat King, leading its concubines, emerged from the cave. It saw the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine’s rampage and was instantly enraged. Having refined its bones and gained the ability to speak human language, it roared, “Human cultivators, how dare to destroy my kin! I will suck your flesh, refine your soul, and ensure you never reincarnate!” This Bat King had a half-human form, with bat wings stretching wide behind it.
The concubines spread their wings as well. They had white complexions, stunning features, and blue eyes like precious gems, exuding an alluring charm. But their snow-white arms ended in iron claws like hooks, and when they opened their mouths, three-inch fangs gleamed menacingly, transforming their beauty into ferocity.
Despite the Bat King’s threats, Xu Ziqing did not retract the Demon Vine. His shixiong stepped forward, sword intent surging.
With a spiritual sword in hand, the white-clothed swordsman ruthlessly slashed at the Bat King.
“The Bat Demon will die,” he declared coldly, his murderous intent piercing to the bone.
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