Chapter Seventeen: Surviving to the End is What Counts
"Kun position clashes with four, Li position retreats by six. The venomous creature has begun swimming towards the left," Li Changshou continuously transmitted his voice from the warm and comfortable trunk of the old locust tree. Qin Xuanya was only three hundred zhang away from this cypress tree.
The cliff protruded horizontally, and at this moment, the Three-eyed Azure Wave Snake had already swum out of its original hiding place in the crevice of the cliff, gliding along the cliff face under the rock wall, with its snake head probing out near the cypress tree trunk.
It had been alerted by Qin Xuanya and the six pursuers, but it had not been discovered by Yuwen Ling in the air.
This allowed Li Changshou to save much of his calculations.
Li Changshou was concentrating on calculating, while at the same time, he was trying to suppress the flow of qi within his body and continuously instructing Qin Xuanya. He also had to observe the movements of this demonic creature and couldn't ignore Qin Xuanya's safety...
The face hadn't been fully ground yet; you couldn't just turn the donkey into donkey meat at this stage.
Here it comes.
Qin Xuanya was only a hundred zhang away from the big cypress tree!
The attention of the Three-eyed Azure Wave Snake was completely drawn by the battle of the few people fighting it out, and it slowly swam along the cliff face, faintly blocking the path to the Immortal Breaking Grass, but it didn't move far away from the Immortal Breaking Grass.
It was an experienced hunter, well-versed in the art of ambush. At this moment, it was also quite patient, treating Qin Xuanya and the few pursuers in front of it as snacks on a plate.
Li Changshou could already imagine how terrifying and thrilling it would be when this three-zhang-long venomous snake suddenly pounced out without warning.
This world was originally so terrifying.
Next...
The Wood Escape Mantra circulated, and Li Changshou freely moved up and down in the trunk, slowly descending to the root of the tree.
Li Changshou's voice transmission continued without stopping, constantly entering Qin Xuanya's ears: "Kan position advances by three, Zhen position retreats by nine. The venomous creature is now targeting you. When I mention 'jump,' you must rush into the air with all your might, without any hesitation."
Qin Xuanya hummed softly in her heart, her fingers continuously sliding, with flying swords imbued with firelight shuttling back and forth around her; soaring on her sword, her long skirt danced, she was like a fairy dancing in the flames, incredibly charming and dazzling.
In the air, Yuwen Ling carried Yuan Qing's shoulder, helping him resist the miasma around them; Yuan Qing looked down at Qin Xuanya below, his eyes revealing a deep infatuation.
"General Yuwen! We mustn't let Xuanya slip away this time!"
"Don't worry, Fourth Young Master. Last time, she wasn't expected to have a teleportation talisman. Her magical power is now limited. When she retreats to the edge of the cliff, I will take action to force her, and then the young master can appear beside her. If her feelings toward the young master are merely disgust, the effect of the love curse might be halved. We need to make her have some fondness for the young master."
Yuan Qing's face looked a bit ugly, but he nodded in agreement, "General Yuwen, I appreciate your efforts."
Yuwen Ling then said in a deep voice, "I also have some doubts, Fourth Young Master, how did you manage it? You haven't won over Princess Liu for sixty years. If this matter fails today, or if the love curse fails to take effect, we must kill Princess Liu here. Please be prepared early, Fourth Young Master."
Yuan Qing clenched his fists tightly, his expression somewhat angry, but he didn't say much.
Below, Qin Xuanya had already retreated to the vicinity of the cliff, about to enter the canopy of the cypress tree.
Li Changshou, who had already landed at the root of the tree, suddenly flashed a gleam in his eyes. The phrase 'jump' was transmitted to Qin Xuanya's ears through magic!
The flying sword under Qin Xuanya's feet burst into flames, and her graceful figure soared into the sky, dodging several streaks of light that came her way!
Meanwhile, the six people pursuing Qin Xuanya were unaware of the dangers ahead, and they rushed straight into the canopy of the cypress tree!
They had no intention of stopping; they only wanted to take a few steps forward and continue chasing. Little did they know, the edge of the canopy was a line between life and death!
Whoosh—
The sound of breaking through the air suddenly rose, and the Three-eyed Azure Wave Snake, which had been waiting at the cliff for a long time, suddenly sprang out without warning!
Yuwen Ling shouted from above, "Retreat quickly!" But at this moment, the leftmost masked man was already bitten by the poisonous creature's open mouth!
The sharp teeth clenched, and the snake head violently pulled, tearing off half of the man's body in an instant...
Li Changshou, hiding at the base of the old cypress tree, pondered to himself that it wasn't easy to win against this poisonous beast head-on.
The remaining five people immediately wanted to retreat, but how could the Three-eyed Azure Wave Snake let go of such a delicious meal at its mouth?
Its tail flicked, creating afterimages as it directly smashed one person to the ground, sealing off the escape route for the rest. Scales all over its body opened up, emitting thick poisonous mist, enveloping the remaining few.
"You damn beast!"
A furious roar came from above, and then a burly figure broke through the mist. He threw down the battle-axe in his hand and rushed directly towards the Three-eyed Azure Wave Snake.
The Three-eyed Azure Wave Snake with a flesh horn on its head immediately felt threatened. It raised its head and rammed the fallen battle-axe; this oddly shaped flesh bag on its head was its strongest spot!
With a clang, the giant axe was directly deflected, and the snake's head slammed into the ground. A crack appeared on the flesh bag, and a few drops of golden blood flowed out.
The creature became furious, and its tail flicked, bouncing into the air.
Yuwen Ling, who was in the air, raised his hand to retrieve the big axe, and then directly smashed it towards the neck of the Three-eyed Azure Wave Snake!
At the base of the tree, Li Changshou held three paper figures in his right hand, hesitated for a moment, and then took out the fourth one. After a while, he took out the fifth and sixth ones...
In his left hand, he held his most powerful sedative - the Superior Quality Soft Immortal Powder.
Li Changshou waited for the right moment to sprinkle the soft immortal powder. He had to wait until the Three-eyed Azure Wave Snake couldn't hold on anymore before making his move.
—The Three-eyed Azure Wave Snake was not afraid of poison, but Yuwen Ling couldn't withstand it.
At the same time, Li Changshou didn't forget to fully expand his spiritual awareness, searching back and forth within a radius of ten miles, checking for any hidden dangers.
On the other side, Qin Xuanya had already followed Li Changshou's instructions and retreated to the back side of the cliff.
With Yuwen Ling no longer supporting him, Yuan Qing also didn't dare to stay in the mist any longer. He finally took action himself, rushing from mid-air towards Qin Xuanya, wielding a three-foot green blade in an attempt to stop her from leaving.
However, at this moment, Qin Xuanya had no intention of retreating. She turned around and controlled numerous flying swords, instantly suppressing Yuan Qing.
Although Yuan Qing's cultivation was slightly higher than Qin Xuanya's, he could only defend himself desperately...
But Qin Xuanya was distracted by observing the fierce battle on the cliff with her spiritual awareness.
She could feel Li Changshou, who was constantly communicating with her, nearby. However, at this moment, she had no idea of Li Changshou's exact location, and her heart gradually grew anxious.
Nevertheless, the entire situation was under Li Changshou's control.
The Three-Eyed Blue Wave Snake regarded Yuwen Ling, at the initial stage of the Yuanxian Realm, as the biggest threat and refused to retreat even half a step, guarding in front of the Immortal Solving Grass.
Yuwen Ling, wielding a giant axe at the moment, continuously chopped down, protecting the three subordinates who had lost consciousness due to snake venom behind him...
In this situation, Yuwen Ling found it difficult to hold back, and both sides were exerting their full strength.
Li Changshou patiently lurked, standing still at the base of the old tree roots, waiting for the opportunity to strike and ready to flee at any moment.
Because this incident happened suddenly, it was a purely adaptive move, and Li Changshou also slightly lowered his expectations of himself.
This time, let's go with a ninety-eight percent certainty to make a move. It's not realistic to always pursue one hundred percent certainty...
After a brief battle, almost half of the bald tree crown was chopped off, and the aura waves caused by the giant axe created numerous ravines on the cliff, collapsing almost half of it.
After all, the Three-Eyed Blue Wave Snake had not yet ascended to immortality. Even though it was facing Yuwen Ling, who had no powerful magical treasures at the initial stage of the Yuanxian Realm, it soon couldn't resist, and its body was flowing with poisonous blood, about to be killed on the spot.
"Great work, big guy," Li Changshou said inwardly. He gently shook his left hand, and the colorless aura in the bottle of superb soft elixir was enveloped by his mana. It was first sent to the trunk of the pagoda tree, then quickly seeped out of the trunk and quietly sprinkled onto Yuwen Ling.
Soon, Yuwen Ling's movements slowed down slightly, and he felt a bit dizzy and blurred vision.
"This snake's poison is really powerful!" Yuwen Ling cursed inwardly, his eyes widened with bloodshot eyes. Despite feeling drowsy and unsteady, he still let out a powerful roar.
He dared not fight anymore. He immediately burst out with a powerful strike, leaping into the air and using his immortal power to fix the giant snake, while his giant axe swung directly towards the Three-Eyed Blue Wave Snake's neck!
However, at this moment, the Three-Eyed Blue Wave Snake hesitated and glanced at the three Immortal Solving Grasses on the edge of the cliff...
It was precisely this hesitation that deprived it of the chance to escape.
With both hands grasping the axe, it was directly beheaded from the back of its neck, and the snake's head flew up, splattering poison blood everywhere!
Yuwen Ling fell down, but his footing was unstable. He staggered two steps, leaning on the big axe to avoid falling awkwardly.
He took out a bottle of antidote and poured it directly into his mouth, but his movements were becoming increasingly sluggish...
"What kind of poison is this? How can it be so powerful!"
"General... we...," came the weak cries from behind. Yuwen Ling was about to turn around to rescue them, but he stumbled and almost fell; the antidote seemed to have no effect, and he felt dizzy.
Just then, there was a sudden sound of breaking through the air from the side!
A wooden arrow came from the side, piercing directly into Yuwen Ling's neck. The burly man's body trembled, turning around angrily to glare at the direction of the tree trunk.
Over there, 'Li Changshou' slowly emerged from the cypress tree, tossed out the Heaven Exchange Umbrella, gripped the bronze short crossbow, and also released three paper figures.
Pong, pong, pong! The paper figures transformed into clones and rushed towards Yu Wenling!
Meanwhile, 'Li Changshou' circled around to the side, swiftly swapped out wooden arrows for the bronze short crossbow, and fired again.
The crossbow emitted a radiant glow, and the arrows shot out with extraordinary force.
Yu Wenling was already deeply poisoned and completely unable to defend himself. Another arrow pierced his neck, and blood gushed out.
The three paper figures reached Yu Wenling's side and immediately stood in a triangle formation, releasing a green mist from the porcelain bottles they held.
The mist enveloped Yu Wenling like a living creature, and the strong man's body emitted a sizzling sound. Despite his last bit of strength, he managed to tilt his head back and let out a roar of agony.
Unfortunately, the Heaven Exchange Umbrella had already set up a barrier, completely isolating the area, and no sound could escape.
Yu Wenling's immortal body was rapidly corroded by the green mist. Large areas of his body were exposed to the bone, and transparent bubbles appeared around him.
He struggled to counterattack, swinging the heavy axe clumsily and slowly. The three paper figures agilely dodged backward.
Swoosh! The third wooden arrow pierced Yu Wenling's corroded chest, piercing his heart!
The three paper figures simultaneously began chanting spells, spraying three white flames from their mouths, engulfing Yu Wenling!
At this moment, Yu Wenling finally recognized Li Changshou and weakly uttered, "It's... you..."
A young immortal, although newly ascended, was already halfway into the gates of death.
But how could an immortal accept such an ending?
In the white flames, Yu Wenling suddenly closed his eyes. Several immortal lights surged from his somewhat terrifying body, and a faint shadow condensed above his head!
His primordial spirit emerged!
"Accept your fate!"
Yu Wenling's primordial spirit roared lowly, resisting the effects of the Heaven Exchange Umbrella, and struck out at Li Changshou!
Li Changshou immediately tried to dodge, but his ankle was suddenly grabbed by a masked man who had been poisoned and affected by the Heaven Exchange Umbrella, and who now struck out.
This man was trembling all over and seemed to be resisting the severe poison in his body, as if burning his soul and spirit, just to extinguish Li Changshou's last chance of survival...
Tsk, miscalculation.
Li Changshou shook his head slightly, and the palm from above already smashed down, directly smashing his upper body.
A trace of disdain appeared in Yu Wenling's primordial spirit.
"Although this kid's spells and calculations are impressive, he's still not yet an immortal..."
Whoosh—
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Under the cypress tree, the sound of breaking air rang out again, and seven long nails flew at high speed, hitting Yu Wenling's primordial spirit!
Each nail bore intricate seals and emitted a pale white ghostly fire!
Yu Wenling's primordial spirit looked down in astonishment, only to find that the three paper figures around him had never stopped spewing flames. When his primordial spirit left his body, his physical form had already been reduced to a skeleton, burning in the wind.
At this moment, the masked man, who had burned his soul, looked up blankly, watching as half of the paper figure danced in the wind, ignited by a wisp of flame...
He had burned away all his hopes for reincarnation, only to accompany half a paper figure to the grave.
Under the cypress tree, the newly appeared 'Li Changshou' opened his left hand, aimed his palm at Yu Wenling's primordial spirit, and gently closed his fingers. The seven difficult-to-refine Soul Annihilation Nails instantly detonated!
At the base of the cypress tree, Li Changshou used his spiritual awareness to observe the still-burning immortal skeleton. He furrowed his brows lightly and controlled the paper figures to toss out the Soul-Capturing Beads, while the first, second, and third paper figures intensified their flames.
This chilly and mysterious fire wasn't enough to harm an immortal, so he would have to find a way to obtain the Samadhi True Flame from inside the gate.
After waiting for a while longer, the skeleton collapsed with a bang, turning into ashes piled on the ground. The three paper figures began reciting scriptures according to the procedure, and Li Changshou finally set out.
A ceremonial step like dispersing the ashes had to be done by hand to ensure everything was done properly.