Chapter 703: Chapter 364: Battle of Wits and Courage, Jade Girl Falls Into the Water, Veil Revealed, Li Xian’s Teasing
The giant serpent was extremely sensitive to Dragon Qi, stealthily approaching and waiting for the opportune moment to strike and devour its prey. The serpent’s body spanned over a dozen feet, yet moved with hardly any noise, its colors blending seamlessly with the surroundings, making it incredibly hard to detect. Li Xian, with his superior vision, already noticed its presence, cleverly diverting Zhao Ranran’s attention with words.
Zhao Ranran was indeed careless, and by the time she realized, she was already entangled by the giant serpent. This thousand-year-old serpent was exceptionally strong, lying silently in wait, but when in motion, it was swift as thunder, employing tail whips, lunges, body slams, and rolls as part of its lethal tactics. She looked grim, evading while countering, her silver teeth clenched tightly as she muttered lowly, "You devious flower thief, even if you escape for a moment, what can you do?"
The giant serpent lunged again, its might undeniable. Zhao Ranran could not afford to be complacent, her longsword sweeping, commanding the branches and vines to tightly bind the serpent’s body. The giant serpent, ferociously strong, roared and charged. Zhao Ranran exclaimed, "You vulgar beast!" elegantly dodging the attack and thrusting towards the serpent’s body. Each time her sword tip struck the serpent, its entire body would tremble, letting out painful screams.
After a flurry of thrusts, the serpent’s surface remained unscathed, yet it had suffered severe internal injuries. This sword technique was called "Mysterious Sword Art," intended for transcendent sword techniques. Each move and form of this sword art contained an anecdote from an ancient sage of Daoxuan Mountain. Practitioners of this sword art were expected to create their anecdote, adding a new technique to the "Mysterious Sword Art" for future generations.
Li Xian cupped his hands and said, "Brother Serpent, many thanks, many thanks. You have the potential to transform into a dragon; if you survive today, let’s become sworn brothers. But most likely, it’s doubtful." Hearing the serpent’s continuous lamenting roars, it was evident it was seriously injured.
After fleeing for several miles, Li Xian glanced back and saw the serpent’s tail already severed, the millennia-old serpent now dead. He sighed inwardly, "This woman is not simple; first she tamed a dragon, then with a simple stab, she wielded tremendous skill. Although my ’Seven Stars Step’ is quite accomplished, it’s far slower than hers. I still need to find a way to escape secretly."
Li Xian stroked his hair, scattering seeds along the way, calculating the distance between the two of them. Suddenly, he heard a buzzing sound; there were bees nesting on the ground. Having dwelt at the Water Altar, with properties like "Orchard" and "Bee Farm," he was well-versed in raising, controlling bees, bee species, and their venom. He recognized them as "Earth King Bees," also known as "Killer Bees." The hives were built underground, extremely inconspicuous, and a passerby stepping on them would provoke an attack by the swarm.
There were several bee hives nearby. Li Xian spread twigs and grass to conceal the bee hives, camouflaging them as suitable rest spots on a small path. After a brief delay, he swiftly resumed his covert escape.
Soon, he reached the coastline, finding the floating iron boat already damaged. Clenching his teeth, Li Xian tossed the Sinking River Sword, stepping on it mid-air. The Sinking River Sword was only two fingers wide, providing a precarious footing, its blade slippery and sharp. As waves surged, it teetered from side to side.
Forced to use the sword as a boat, Li Xian skimmed across the waves. His speed was temporarily fast, but nowhere near as stable as the floating iron boat. Occasionally, when waves rose high, there was a risk of capsizing. He needed to employ lightweight skill to leap over waves before continuing to use the sword as a boat.
Though unable to resist the waves, he barely managed to cross the lake. Meanwhile, Zhao Ranran first cut off the serpent’s head, then severed its body, saying in a deep voice, "Mere flower thief, if I let him escape, I’d be useless. The next time we meet, no more talk, I’ll just kill him!" Stepping forward with lightweight skill, she continued the chase.
The path was marked with traces; she couldn’t think too much, hastening her pursuit. Suddenly stepping into the ground, she heard the buzzing arise, with hundreds of Earth King Bees swarming towards her. Zhao Ranran frowned, immediately knowing it was one of Li Xian’s tricks. She peered through the forest and saw Li Xian already on the lake, feeling anxious and angered.
Zhao Ranran said, "Truly a pack of snakes and rats, your thief bees naturally would help the flower thief." Extending her fair and delicate left palm, she wore a bracelet of gold threads that extended across her fingers, the back of her hand, and her palm, accentuating her exquisite hand. She waved her palm, and the bracelet lightly shook, emitting a pleasant sound.
The swarming bees fell in a flurry, twitching on the ground, lifeless. With several more waves of her palm, the entire swarm perished, unable to delay her a bit.
Zhao Ranran pursued again. Though her skills were high, she rarely ventured into forest hazards, unfamiliar with forest situations, inevitably falling for Li Xian’s tricks. Soon she reached the lake shore, and by then, Li Xian was already some distance away. Hearing Li Xian’s voice laugh out, "Fairy Zhao, you should return; you are a Jade Girl of Daoxuan Mountain, a standout figure of your time. Why stoop to deal with a mere flower thief like me? Struggling to capture me, what benefit does it bring to you? The lake’s dangers are immense; let’s part ways, never to meet again, isn’t it good?"
Zhao Ranran looked grim, thinking, "This little thief, whether he lives or dies, what does it matter to me. But daring to mock me and injure my divine bird, I won’t forgive him." She said coldly, "An upstart villain, do you really think I can’t catch you?" Then she leapt, intending to use lightweight skill to forcefully chase across the lake.
Li Xian was already more than a mile away from the shore, the lake waves surging, and even capable of using lightweight skill on water, there would ultimately be a limit to the light force. If he fell into the water, it would be hard to regain the light force. At that time, on the vast lake, if unable to discern direction, being trapped within the lake held countless dangers. Zhao Ranran, with her high skills and courage, treading the lake to pursue, was truly unexpected.
Li Xian couldn’t be careless, quickly driving the sword to escape. Zhao Ranran’s lightweight skill was called "Golden Lotus Pool Step," a rare superior lightweight skill. It’s said that when practiced to the peak, combined with high martial arts realm cultivation, the martial arts evolution is boundless, allowing one to climb from Su Mountain to Nine Heavens. However, practicing it is extremely difficult, and her current achievement is merely of minor level.
Her movements were light and graceful, her speed far surpassing Li Xian. With each step on the water, a golden lotus petal formed underfoot. Though still young, her cultivation had already reached the Third Realm, with highly evolved martial arts. Li Xian saw the distance closing, knowing that simply fleeing would inevitably lead to being caught eventually. He turned, gripping the sword’s hilt, and the Sinking River Sword raised a mighty wave, crashing towards Zhao Ranran.
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