"Boom——" An almost uncontrollable explosion resounded, deafeningly loud! It was like a burning sun exploding in an instant, releasing a destructive force from the blood moon, along with an extremely cold aura. Ripples appeared in the void, and the ground around silently turned to dust under the force of the explosion. Gong Wushuang, facing this attack, looked extremely pale, coughing up blood three times in a blink of an eye. Despite her long sword radiating once again, it seemed so fragile against the exploding blood moon. "Puff——" A mist of blood sprayed from Gong Wushuang's mouth, her sword cracking slightly, seemingly unable to withstand the attack's force. "Ding——" With a crisp sound, her sword shattered into pieces, and the red light within it burst and faded. Her complexion drastically changed, retreating rapidly, as if unable to escape the boundless cold. "Even if I die, I'll take you with me!" A low roar sounded, followed by even larger explosions. "Boom! Boom—Boom—Boom—" The cold aura finally burst completely, with blood-colored lightning chaotically zapping through the void. Everywhere in sight was blood-red. On the high ground, everyone dumbly watched the scene unfold. Even just watching from afar filled them with a feeling of utter despair. This was the gap! Before true power, their pride was but a joke. Fortunately, they were far enough from the epicenter!
Everyone felt a stroke of extreme luck. However, those nearby like Nalan Ping, despite timely deploying their Qi armors, found them full of web-like cracks, ready to disintegrate. They had nearly been affected by the attack, feeling a bizarre sense of survival. Nalan Ping managed better than Feng Niangzi and Tie Shi, who looked ashen-faced. They knew they had offended someone absolutely not to be trifled with. Recalling last night's events in Najia Town, if Li Yi had used this attack then... Shivering at the thought, the two showed bitter smiles.
As the blood-colored light slowly dispersed after spreading hundreds of meters, the cold aura still caused goosebumps. At the epicenter of the blood moon's explosion, a semicircular pit appeared, smooth and filled with flickering blood-colored lightning, radiating a breath-stopping dangerous aura. The sky above, once filled with two combatants, was now empty. This puzzled Nalan Ping and others. Nalan Ping sighed, "Could it be that both of them... perished under that attack?" His own disbelief evident, he sighed again. Feng Niangzi and Tie Shi also showed surprise, then bitter smiles. Regardless, the disappearance of the two seemed the best outcome. If Gong Wushuang had won, it would be one thing, but if Li Yi had prevailed, they knew what would likely follow. Tie Shi swallowed nervously, "Nalan Young Master, what should we do now...?" After a moment, Nalan Ping's face showed a hint of ruthlessness, whispering, "Today's events must not be spread. It would bring great trouble to all three of us... Our guards and your mercenaries must be controlled. As for others..." The three exchanged glances, reaching a silent agreement - in the Najia Mountains, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests.
After a while, the sounds of battle resumed, but soon quieted down... In the tranquil mountains, dense forests occasionally emitted eerie sounds, making the serene environment suddenly feel ominous. In a clearing near the sea, several large trees lay haphazardly. On the ground, two figures entangled messily, their bodies torn and tattered as if escaping an explosion. This eerie silence lasted only moments before a strange red light emerged from one of the figures' rings, forming an elderly figure.
"Lucky boy, not only did you forcibly use a Baihu level technique and survive, but you also escaped unscathed from being caught in its blast..." The Serpent Venerable sighed, looking at the unconscious Li Yi. He glanced around, his face growing more intrigued. After pondering, he extended a finger toward Li Yi, infusing a small amount of red Qi into him. Li Yi's body jerked, and he slowly opened his eyes.
Li Yi only felt waves of darkness before his eyes, feeling weak in his hands and feet, and emptiness within his body, as if devoid of any Dou Qi. If not for the faint rotation of the Dou Qi whirlpool inside him, Li Yi might have thought his Dou Qi had been crippled. This sensation made him quite depressed, but fortunately, the appearance of The Serpent Venerable somewhat eased his mind. Right then, Li Yi struggled to sit up, glanced around, and asked in a low voice, "Old Coot... what place is this?"
The Serpent Venerable glanced at Li Yi and replied, "Awake? Good... As for where this is, why don't you guess..." Li Yi rolled his eyes and said, "Anywhere is fine, just don't tell me this is deep in the Naga Mountains..."
"Right you are, but no prize," The Serpent Venerable said with a slight smile. "Speaking of which, you're both incredibly lucky and unlucky... I've told you before, don't use the Blood Moon Fury unless you're at your peak. But you, after taking the Qi Returning Pill, used that move? Luckily, that Qi Returning Pill is good stuff. If it were some inferior product, it might have drained your soul power dry, and you wouldn't have been able to use that move."
Li Yi snorted, "At that time, you couldn't make a move. If I didn't go all out, wouldn't that be the end of me... So, are we really deep in the Naga Mountains?"
"Indeed."
"Absolutely sure?"
"Absolutely sure!"
"You're not lying to me?"
"Why would I lie to you?"
"Damn!" Li Yi slammed his fist on the ground, "How did I end up deep in the Naga Mountains!?" He knew that the depths of the Naga Mountains were typically the territory of high-level magical beasts. For instance, merchant caravans would travel through the borders of powerful magical beasts' territories to ensure safety. But deep in the Naga Mountains, if one accidentally entered the territory of a high-level magical beast, considering their hatred for humans, even ten lives wouldn't be enough to escape. Especially since high-level magical beasts possess intelligence similar to humans, such powerful beings are not something anyone would want to provoke lightly.
"How did I end up here?" Li Yi gritted his teeth.
"Because of her!" The Serpent Venerable pointed behind Li Yi with a somewhat amused expression. Li Yi turned around and saw a naked woman in his sight. Although he couldn't see her face, from this angle, Li Yi recognized her identity – Gong Wushuang!
"Damn it! Damn it! How did this woman bring me here!?" Li Yi had an expression as if he wanted to pounce on her and take his anger out on her.
The Serpent Venerable chuckled, "Don't underestimate this woman. At the moment the Blood Moon Fury exploded, she used a strange Dou Technique, breaking the spatial limit, and pulled you to her side, trying to use you to block the devastating power of the Blood Moon Fury. But since the Blood Moon Fury was unleashed by you, the damage to you wasn't great. However, the strong impact knocked both of you unconscious and blew you to this place... Speaking of which, you should thank this woman. If it weren't for her, with no Dou Qi in you at that moment, you would've been easy prey if you hit the ground. What do you think those people would've done if they caught you?"
Li Yi sneered, "So, not only should I not hate this woman, but I should also thank her heartily? Humph! If it weren't for her coveting the Remnant Jade of the Martial Deity, how would I have ended up like this... Now we're both stuck deep in the Naga Mountains, with nowhere to run... Damn it! Damn it!" Watching Li Yi's furious expression, The Serpent Venerable shook his head slightly and said, "Calm down, kid... Your current state is clearly affected by the Qi Returning Pill's power. Otherwise, with your character, you wouldn't get angry so easily. The situation isn't the worst... At least you didn't fall directly into some magical beast's lair. Otherwise, even I couldn't save you."
Then, The Serpent Venerable looked Li Yi up and down and added, "Besides, you don't have time to be angry now, do you? In such a place, shouldn't your priority be to recover your strength? And if I'm not mistaken, this battle has fully unleashed your potential in adversity, you might have touched the threshold of a breakthrough... Don't miss this opportunity, kid. Is this the time to be angry?"
The Serpent Venerable's calm tone gradually extinguished the fire in Li Yi's heart. Breakthrough! He didn't expect to have another chance at a breakthrough! However, being cautious, Li Yi didn't immediately start cultivating. He frowned slightly and asked, "Old Coot, is there anywhere nearby suitable for cultivation?"
The Serpent Venerable showed a faint smile and replied, "Good question. I've sensed it earlier. About five hundred meters from here, there's a cave, probably once the dwelling of some magical beast. But now, there are no magical beasts within hundreds of meters. It's a suitable place for cultivation."
Li Yi nodded, just as he was about to stand up, he sat down again with a wry smile, "Seems like even getting there is going to be difficult..."
The Serpent Venerable said indifferently, "Breaking and then standing, the effect is remarkable. What's the problem? Let me help you this time." As he spoke, The Serpent Venerable waved his hand slightly, and a wisp of blood-colored Dou Qi floated out, gently lifting Li Yi's body.