Chapter 421: The Profound Snowfiend Python
Although Yuan Heng’s cultivation was only in the Grain Avoidance Realm, his original body was a golden softshell turtle that had cultivated for hundreds of years. His foundations were incredibly solid; ordinary cultivators of the same realm weren’t even remotely comparable.
When he charged ahead, the middle-aged man in purple and his companions were visibly startled.
Still, it wasn’t that they were afraid of Yuan Heng. Rather, they were worried that if this came to blows, the Gathering Stars Realm Ling Yunhe wouldn’t just sit back and watch!
Conflict was on the verge of breaking out, when suddenly, someone bellowed from deep within Cold Emerald Valley.
“That vicious creature is far too strong for us!”
“Run! Hurry up and run!”
These shouts were still echoing through the air when they saw a stretch of radiant light shoot out of the valley.
Six men and three women.
The leader was a man in red. He was tall and stalwart as a mountain, with imposing majesty.
The group was fleeing at top speeds, and they cut rather sorry figures. It seemed they’d encountered something so terrifying that they had no choice but to flee.
When they neared the entrance to the valley, they sighed in relief, then slowed their pace. However, all of their expressions contained lingering terror.
“Greetings, Sect Master!”
The purple-robed middle-aged man and company each greeted him in turn; they felt as if their savior had arrived, and they all sighed in relief.
The red-robed man was none other than the sect master of the Yuanyang Spirit Sect, Yan Junshan, a peak Origin Palace existence!
Those following him were all prominent members of the sect.
One of them was a withered elder in long navy-blue robes. His name was Lai Changxiao, and he was one of the Yuanyang Spirit Sect’s two Gathering Star Realm high elders!
“What’s going on here?” The red-robed, stalwart Yan Junshan surveyed his surroundings, and when he saw Yuan Heng, Su Yi, and company, he frowned.
The purple-robed middle-aged man promptly rushed up to him and explained what had just happened.
Yan Junshan and his companions’ gazes immediately landed on the distant Ling Yunhe.
There was nothing for it; in Su Yi’s group, Ling Yunhe, the sole Gathering Stars cultivator, was unquestionably the most attention-grabbing.
“Fellow Daoist, might I ask your honorable name?” Yan Junshan asked gravely.
“I’m Ling Yunhe from the Great Qi’s One Sky Sword Pavilion,” said Ling Yunhe calmly.
Yan Junshan was visibly surprised, and his expression turned somewhat grave.
The collective strength of the Great Qi’s cultivators was second on the continent.
Furthermore, the One Sky Sword Pavilion was the Great Qi’s top orthodoxy. Rumor had it that they had a Spirit Dao cultivator to hold down the fort, and their accumulations were enormously powerful.
Even in the Great Xia, they’d be a first-rate faction.
“So, you’re a fellow Daoist from the One Sky Sword Sect.” Yan Junshan pondered, then waved. “Everyone, make way. Let our fellow Daoist through.”
The purple-robed middle-aged man and company quickly cleared a path.
“Many thanks.” Ling Yunhe bowed slightly, and he and his companions proceeded into the valley.
As they passed Yan Junshan, the leader of the Yuanyang Spirit Sect suddenly said, “Fellow Daoist Ling, be careful. Although enormous fortune lies deep within the valley, it's also home to grave danger. Earlier, we attempted to venture inside, only for an extremely terrifying vicious beast to block our path. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have returned so soon.”
Ling Yunhe’s heart tensed, and he nodded.
As for Su Yi? From beginning to end, he paid Yan Junshan and company no heed at all.
In truth, they weren’t paying attention to a “mere” Grain Avoidance youth like him, either…
It was only after watching Su Yi and company fade from view that the withered Lai Changxiao said, “Sect Master, they say ‘the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.’ Are we to play the part of the oriole?”
Yan Junshan’s eyes flashed, but he shook his head. “If that Ling?Yunhe can really kill that vicious creature and obtain the good fortune it protects, his strength will be too great for us to overlook. Even if we work together, I’m afraid we’d be biting off more than we could chew.”
Lai Changxiao said, “Then what are you planning?”
Yan Junshan pondered briefly, “Since Ling Yunhe and his companions know we’re in the area, they won’t risk their lives unless they’re certain they can take that vicious creature down. After all, they’re sure to worry that we’ll take advantage of their weakened state.”
Lai Changxiao nodded. “That’s indeed the case.”
Yan Junshan finally seemed to reach a decision. “Our Yuanyang Spirit Sect absolutely cannot let this fortune slip through our fingers!”
He took a deep breath, then gave his orders. “Deacon Li, spread word of Cold Emerald Valley’s good fortune. You are to immediately inform Flying Spirit Sword Manor, the Profound Green Saber Sect, and?Spiritmist?Temple.”
“Yes, sir!” A gray-robed middle-aged man rushed off to carry out his orders.
Lai Changxiao frowned. “Sect master, if those three great sects get involved, I’m afraid it’ll lead to unpredictable trouble.”
Yan Junshan said, “Martial Uncle, as I’m sure you’re aware, our Yuanyang Spirit Sect isn’t strong enough to reap this good fortune for itself. It’s only by joining forces with the area’s three greatest sects that we’ll obtain any portion of it at all.”
He paused, and his eyes glinted with cold light. “Besides, if Ling Yunhe and his companions really are lucky enough to seize the fortune within the valley, we can borrow the other three sects’ power to take them down!”
Lai?Changxiao’s?eyes lit up. “You want to bring in tigers to take down the wolves?”
Yan Junshan smiled. “That depends on whether or not Ling Yunhe and his companions are capable of seizing this opportunity. In any event, one way or another, our Yuanyang Spirit Sect will take its share!”
……
Cold Emerald Valley.
The further in they went, the denser the chill in the air. It was like a white fog filling the skies.
The chill was sharp as a knife’s edge, pricking and stinging their skin until they felt cold all over.
In the end, Yuan Heng and Qing Ya had no choice but to circulate their cultivations. Only then could they dispel the chill invading their bodies.
Su Yi, however, didn’t even seem to notice the chill. He walked right through the cold Yin mists without suffering any ill effects at all.
Ling Yunhe was relaxed too. His cultivation was in the Gathering Stars Realm, so he naturally wasn’t afraid of a bit of cold Yin energy.
Along the way, Ling Yunhe said, “Fellow Daoist Su, I suspect that the cultivators of the Yuanyang Spirit Sect won’t just stand back and watch as we leave with the valley’s fortune.”
Su Yi’s thoughts were elsewhere. “No need to worry about that. If they dare get involved, we can just kill them and be done with it.”
In his past life, he’d lost track of how many struggles for good fortune he’d experienced. How could he possibly fail to realize what the Yuanyang Spirit Sect was plotting?
“Kill them and be done with it…?” Ling Yunhe was briefly stunned. Then, his expression turned a bit strange.?But then, his attitude makes sense. How could Su Yi possibly worry about something like this?
With his strength and temperament, what kind of waves will he stir up when he reaches the Great Xia??Ling Yunhe sighed to himself.
Enough time to brew a pot of tea passed before Su Yi came to a sudden stop and gazed into the distance.
They were already deep within Cold Emerald Valley. The valley was surrounded by mountains on three sides, all of them so tall, they pierced into the clouds. The sky was full of cold white mist.
Boom!
Suddenly, a gust of cold, pale blue mist shot toward them, quick as lightning, and enveloped Su Yi.
As the pale blue chill swept towards them, the surrounding mists condensed and congealed at speeds visible to the naked eye.
Their pupils constricted, and their hair stood on end. The chill slowed even their circulation of blood and qi; it was strong enough to freeze a person into an ice cube!
If they hadn’t already started circulating their cultivation, this attack alone would have dealt enormous damage.
Su Yi, however, smiled. “Absolute Yin Chill? Indeed, there’s an Absolute Yin Spirit Vein here.”
He waved his sleeves.
Boom!
The Dao Charm of the Five Elements’ fire elemental power transformed into misty light and swept through the air, like gushing lava. It burst with heaven-burning, searing destructive power.
The pale blue air currents crackled and burst, and in the blink of an eye, they evaporated into nothingness.
Shortly afterward, the Yin mists condensing nearby melted and dissipated.
The distant scenery was now clearly visible.
A pitch-black mountain stood before them, with a cave at its base.
However, a giant, snow-white python was coiled in front of the entrance. Its head was the size of a boulder, with bright red eyes. Its body was as thick as a water barrel and covered in shiny, snow-white scales emanating misty, icy blue light.
“An ancient variant species, the Profound Snowfiend Python!” Ling Yunhe’s expression shifted.
This was a mighty variety of yao, and they possessed innate control over baleful Yin energy. Profound Snowfiend Pythons that could cultivate were even more terrifying, and they could kill most human cultivators of the same realm with ease.
The Profound Snowfiend Python before them had obviously cultivated for quite some time, and its aura was dense and imposing. It was easily on par with a Gathering Stars Realm expert!
Yuan Heng, as another yao, felt it the most deeply. When he saw the Profound Snowfiend Python, a suffocatingly oppressive terror rose within his heart.
This was unquestionably a mighty yao!
The scariest part was that, despite having yet to undergo metamorphosis, the serpent’s aura was still?this?terrifying. He dared not imagine just how powerful it would become after taking on human form.
Qing Ya, however, seemed to know no fear. Her pretty eyes widened, and she exclaimed, “What a beautiful python!”
“Is it pretty? Compared to its ancestors, the Hornless Ice Dragons, it’s way off,” said Su Yi calmly.
The Hornless Ice Dragons were a kind of primordial True Spirit, powerful creatures of the Hornless Dragon lineage.
Hornless Dragons were divided into three major varieties: Hornless Fire Dragons, Hornless Ice Dragons, and Hornless Lightning Dragons.
Of them, the Hornless Lightning Dragons were the primary lineage, and they were seen as the Hornless Dragons with the purest lineage. They were counted among the True Spirit Divine Beasts.
In his past life, for the purpose of refining medicine, Su Yi once captured a pure-blooded Hornless Dragon alive. He forced it to obediently offer up one hundred?taels?of spirit blood. Of course he knew about Hornless Dragons’ bloodlines!
The Profound Snowfiend Python was but a variant subspecies of Hornless Ice Dragons, a mix breed. Its impure bloodline made it far inferior to even a pure-blooded Hornless Ice Dragon, let alone a Hornless Lightning Dragon!
As soon as Su Yi said this, the Profound Snowfiend Python coiled near the cave’s entrance suddenly gazed at him from afar. Its bright red eyes locked onto Su Yi, and it flicked its tongue.
Then, it spoke in a cold, raspy voice with a hint of magnetic, feminine charm. “You’re just a little Grain Avoidance Realm cultivator, but you’ve got quite the mouth on you. I urge you to leave here immediately. Don’t force me to break the precept against killing.”
It slowly uncoiled itself and raised its head. Pale blue mist emanated from its snow-white body, and its eyes were as red and translucent as rubies, both mysterious and imposing.
“Wah!” exclaimed Qing Ya, and her eyes shone. “So, this pretty python is actually a girl! When she takes on human form, just how pretty will she be?”
“...” Her companions didn’t know what to say to that.
“...” Neither did the Profound Snowfiend Python.
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