Chapter 229: Trapped
Not long after Qi Huanyu and his group defeated the praying mantises, Tang Chuan's group found themselves locked in battle against a nest of white ice scorpions deep in the White Fox Valley.
There were around 20 to 30 of these scorpions, and all of them were quite powerful. Tang Chuan and the others were already in a dire situation, but all of a sudden, the few Spatial Tempering Stage scorpions in the nest somehow vanished without a trace.
Tang Chuan and the others were ecstatic, and they immediately retaliated, quickly slaying all of the ice scorpions before continuing onward.
Meanwhile, Su Tongxiao lingered for a moment in the air above them before vanishing yet again.
……
Several thin silver threads came flying down, whistling through the air before plunging into a white ice python's body to inflict a massive wound.
The Spatial Tempering Stage ice python let loose an agonized cry before plummeting to the ground. Blood was gushing out of its body as it spasmed a few times before falling completely still.
The thin silver threads came flying back before coming together to form a silver flying sword that returned to Bai Suyuan's side.
Sun Ke and the others were standing around Bai Suyuan in a circle to form a protective barrier, and outside the barrier were around a dozen more Spatial Tempering Stage giant pythons that were attacking them relentlessly.
Each of Sun Ke and the others had to deal with more than two of these giant pythons on their own on average, and they were definitely on the back foot, but they were still able to hold their own for now.
After slaying that python, Bai Suyuan didn't stop for even a single moment as she pointed a finger forward, and the silver flying sword shot forth through the air once again, split up into dozens of silver sword threads that formed a lotus flower shape as it hurtled toward one of the pythons that Sun Ke was locked in battle against.
Sun Ke was ecstatic to see this, and he hurriedly assisted her with his four azure flying daggers.
At this point, 10 days had already passed in the trial, and they were well and truly deep in the Profound Ice Mountain Range. The demon beasts that they were encountering were becoming more and more powerful, and on this day, they had been surrounded by around a dozen of these mid-Spatial Tempering Stage python beasts.
The six of them had immediately formed a circular defensive array, and as the most powerful one among them, Bai Suyuan was protected at the center of the array so she could retaliate against the enemy.
She certainly didn't disappoint, unleashing secret techniques one after another, displaying immense combat prowess in the face of the giant pythons.
Time slowly passed by, and the tide of the battle was beginning to turn in their favor.
The dozens of sword threads pierced through a giant python's body, and they hadn't struck a vital region, but they did temporarily stop it cold in its tracks.
Immediately thereafter, a massive purplish-golden staff projection came crashing down viciously onto its head, splitting its head into multiple chunks as blood and intracranial fluids splattered in all directions.
All of a sudden, a white python let loose a strange roar before fleeing into the distance, and the remaining python beasts immediately followed along, vanishing into the distant sky in the blink of an eye.
Bai Suyuan and the others didn't set off in pursuit. All of them had expended a great deal of magic power during the course of the battle, and they immediately pulled out some pills and spirit stones to aid in their recovery.
Meanwhile, Han Li was concealed high up in the sky as a blurry shadow within a cloud, and he gave a slight nod of approval.
He hadn't had to intervene even once during this entire trial.
Bai Suyuan and the others were all quite commendable in their tactical acumen and mental fortitude. The strategy that they had employed in the battle just now was a little unrefined, but considering their cultivation bases, they had already done extremely well.
After resting for a short while, Bai Suyuan and the others continued onward, and Han Li followed along.
However, in the next instant, his expression changed slightly as he turned to a certain direction, and Su Tongxiao appeared there amid a burst of spatial fluctuations.
"Weren't you busy protecting the other two groups, Brother Su?" Han Li asked with a smile.
"I've already mostly cleared out the other two routes. This is turning out to be a lot more exhausting than I bargained for! The two groups of disciples have improved quite a bit, so I'm sure they'll be fine on their own now. These disciples all possess exceptional aptitude, but they're sorely lacking in practical battle experience," Su Tongxiao sighed.
"They've grown up their entire lives in the sect under the protection of the elders, so it's no surprise that they don't have much experience in battle," Han Li said.
In his eyes, someone who hadn't experienced life-and-death battles wouldn't be of much use at all in perilous situations, even if they possessed a lofty cultivation base.
"It's not that difficult for them to accumulate battle experience. There's an Illusory Nightmare Pagoda in the sect that's available exclusively to direct disciples to help them improve in this regard," Su Tongxiao said.
Han Li was rather taken aback to hear this. "I didn't know there was such a place in the sect."
"There are many interesting places in the sect. You'll learn about all of them in due time, Brother Li," Su Tongxiao said with a smile.
Han Li nodded in response, then suddenly raised his head, and Su Tongxiao's brows also furrowed slightly at the exact same moment.
A Body Integration Stage demon beast was quickly approaching Qi Huanyu's group.
"I didn't think that a Body Integration Stage demon beast would appear so soon," Su Tongxiao mused.
Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly as the corners of his lips curved upward by a minute degree as he said, "It must've been attracted by the blood and carcasses of all of the demon beasts that you slew to clear out the two routes."
"Perhaps," Su Tongxiao replied before preparing to depart.
Qi Huanyu's group couldn't even deal with a bunch of Spatial Tempering Stage demon beasts, so they certainly didn't stand any chance against a Body Integration Stage foe. Hence, he had to keep a close eye on them as a safety precaution.
Right at this moment, his expression changed slightly as he cast his gaze toward Tang Chuan's direction.
As it turned out, another Body Integration Stage demon beasts had appeared there. It was a giant bird that was flying extremely fast, and it was rapidly closing in on Tang Chuan's group.
"There are two Body Integration Stage demon beasts at once!" Su Tongxiao exclaimed with a hint of urgency in his eyes.
The three routes were quite far away from one another, so if he were to go to one route, then he wouldn't be in time to go to the other.
"Brother Li, can I trouble you to take care of the demon beast on Tang Chuan's route? I would be extremely grateful to you if you could do so," Su Tongxiao said as he turned to Han Li.
A reluctant look appeared on Han Li's face as he cast his gaze forward, and after a brief hesitation, he replied, "Alright, I suppose I could do that."
"You have my thanks, Brother Li," Su Tongxiao said, then immediately flew away into the distance.
Han Li took a glance at Su Tongxiao's departing figure, and after a brief moment of contemplation, he also vanished from the spot.
……
Meanwhile, Tang Chuan's group of eight was continuing onward, and according to the map, they weren't far away from their destination.
Over 70% of the demon beasts on their route had been wiped out by Su Tongxiao in advance, so they were naturally able to make very smooth progress.
Tang Chuan was well aware that one of the True Immortal Stage elders that was protecting them in secret had to have been responsible for this sharp decline in demon beast numbers.
Now that he no longer had to worry about his own safety, claiming the top spot in the trial became his new top priority.
With that in mind, Tang Chuan turned and yelled to everyone in his group, "Let's speed up a little more!"
He had to track down and kill a Dark Snow Bear as soon as quickly as possible. As for whether this group of eight would be capable of slaying a Dark Snow Bear, that wasn't something that he was concerned about at all.
There was no way that the True Immortal Stage elder would allow him to be killed by the Dark Snow Bear, so they would have to intervene at some point.
With that in mind, Tang Chuan was brimming with confidence as he sped up even further.
Right at this moment, a sharp screech rang out from afar.
The sound was coming from somewhere very far away, but it was extremely sharp and piercing, causing his eardrums to throb with sharp pain. As a result, he was forced to slow down involuntarily.
The other disciples in the group were all of inferior cultivation base to Tang Chuan, and they couldn't help but let loose pained cries as they clapped their hands over their ears.
"What's that?" Tang Chuan murmured to himself with a fearful expression.
A black dot had appeared in the distant sky to his left, and it was rapidly approaching them, quickly coming into view and revealing itself to be a terrifying demon beast.
It was a terrifying wyrm-like demon beast that was several thousand feet in size. There was a pair of large wings on its back, and every single feather on those wings resembled a sharp sword. Its long tail was riddled with huge bone spikes, and at the end of the tail was a scorpion-like hooked pincer that was glowing with faint blue light, clearly indicating that it was tipped with lethal poison.
Furthermore, the immense aura that the giant beast was giving off indicated that it possessed Body Integration Stage power.
"It's a Body Integration Stage demon beast!"
Tang Chuan immediately fled back in retreat as quickly as he could while frantically looking around, as if he were searching for something.
The fearsome beast didn't give them any time to react as it let loose a thunderous roar, releasing powerful soundwaves that created ripples that were visible even to the naked eye.
Tang Chuan and the others didn't even have a chance to summon any treasures before the soundwaves swept over them, causing them to bleed out of all of their orifices as the blood and magic power in their bodies churned violently.
With a flap of its wings, the giant beast conjured up numerous thick blue ice spikes before sending them flying through the air, hurtling directly toward Tang Chuan and the other disciples.
In this dire situation, an azure figure appeared out of nowhere in front of the eight disciples, then extended a finger forward.
Bursts of dazzling azure light were released from the figure's fingertip, instantly forming a massive light barrier in front of the eight disciples.
The soundwaves were instantly kept out, while the ice spikes shattered upon making contact with the light barrier.
The giant beast stopped cold in its tracks as it stared at the figure that had just appeared before it, and upon sensing the azure figure's enormous aura, it immediately fled into the distance with a panicked look in its eyes.
Meanwhile, the azure figure abruptly vanished from the spot, then appeared directly above the giant beast's head in the next instant.
With a casual flick of his finger, a streak of azure light shot forth before plunging into the giant beast's head.
The giant beast's entire body instantly stiffened, following which its massive head exploded violently.
Immediately thereafter, a series of black balls flew out of the beast's head, and it flew rapidly toward the azure figure with black light flashing erratically over their surfaces.
The azure figure was just about to fly back in retreat upon seeing this when the black balls abruptly exploded into dazzling balls of black light, which connected together to form an enormous black array, within which countless black runes were surging incessantly.
Traces of law powers were emanating from the array, and the air surrounding the array instantly became as hard as iron and steel, trapping the azure figure inside.
"What just happened?"
Tang Chuan and the other disciples were completely dumbfounded by what they were witnessing.
Meanwhile, on the Snow Camel Mountain route.
Qi Huanyu and five other disciples were hiding behind a small mountain with horrified expressions. Most of them were bearing severe injuries, indicating that they had just endured a fierce battle.
In the air beside them were four tiny figures, each of which was roughly two inches tall. They appeared to have been the nascent souls of the other four disciples in the group, all of which had presumably had their physical bodies destroyed.
At this moment, everyone was staring at a giant black array several thousand feet in front of the mountain.
On the ground beneath the array laid the carcass of a giant demon beast, while Su Tongxiao was trapped within the array, struggling with all his might to break free.
However, the black array was clearly no ordinary array, and it was extremely resolute, able to contain even a mid-True Immortal cultivator like Su Tongxiao.
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