Chapter 213 - Arc 13: Wild Beast Plains | Chapter 213: Rescue
Translator: Lynn
The three flying swords engaged with the wild beast; suddenly, the beast opened its mouth and spewed a burst of green flame onto one of the flying swords.
Instantaneously, the green flames crackled and hissed, reducing the flying sword to a heap of ashes and becoming grimy in an instant.
One of the male cultivators was infuriated, and muttered an incantation, channeling his true energy. The flying sword burst into a brilliant light, forcing the filth away and transforming it into drops of murky liquid that fell to the ground.
“This audacious creature dared to touch my flying sword. Shidi and Shimei, attack with all your might!” he shouted sharply.
The female cultivator giggled coquettishly. “Look, Shixiong!”
The other male cultivator also chanted an incantation, and after a moment, the two flying swords intersected and severed the head of the beast. The beast was on the verge of death.
However, at this critical moment, the two three-horned beasts lying nearby roared loudly.
They charged forward, opening their mouths to bite the flying swords.
While these two beasts didn’t aid the golden-horned beast before, they were now merciless, directly attacking the three cultivators!
Simultaneously, five wild beasts emerged from the beast den, all three-horned beasts.
In the blink of an eye, seven heads, including three black-horned beasts, confronted the three cultivators. The cultivation of these beasts rivaled that of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Each had a ferocious beast head, shiny black fur, and sharp spikes covering their bodies. The three horns glowed with a sharp and cold light. When their four hooves stamped, the ground quaked and cracked, and their long tails could crush gold and stones.
Upon sensing the released aura of the wild beasts, the female cultivator’s face turned pale, and her two senior brothers also paled.
Unfortunately, it was too late; they were already ensnared in the siege of wild beasts.
The trio shivered, finally realizing their mistake.
The beasts they encountered earlier had all been below two horns, easily defeated. But upon seeing the three-horned beasts and sensing their overwhelming aura, a strong sense of fear immediately gripped them.
The female cultivator panicked, saying, “Shi, Shixiong…”
The male cultivator with the highest cultivation level gritted his teeth. “Fight!”
The other male cultivator added bitterly, “Kill!”
Soon, they once again wielded their flying swords, forming a triad sword array.
The three flying swords shone brightly, swiftly shaping the character “pin” in the air, flying up and down.
The flying swords on the left and right wings emitted blue wind, combining with the ice-blue flying sword to unleash formidable power.
In an instant, a streak of frigid frost surged forth, transforming into a thick layer of ice fog, freezing the two-headed beasts. These beasts turned into lifelike ice sculptures, immobile.
The ice mist quickly filled the surroundings, seemingly set on freezing the remaining beasts. However, these beasts spat out thick green flames, more potent than the double-horned beasts encountered earlier, immediately clashing with the ice mist. The ice mist was devoured layer by layer, transforming into a viscous green liquid that corroded a large expanse of weeds.
Undeterred, the three cultivators urgently released their true energy and urged their flying swords, stimulating more ice mist.
The sword formation was a life-saving technique bestowed by their master, a skill they had honed for many years. Breaking it now would be challenging to recover from.
Regrettably, as potent as the Triad Sword Formation was, the variations they mastered were mediocre.
Despite the potency of the ice mist, when faced with numerous wild beasts, its defeat was inevitable. Although there were more changes to the sword formation, the three were not adept at altering formations flexibly, lacking the skills of sword cultivators.
Hence, despite their repeated efforts, the ice mist could only provide a temporary solution.
As the green flames surged toward them, nearly forming a sea of flames, their best efforts could only make the ice mist recede steadily, ultimately shrinking to a radius of only five or six feet, barely covering their bodies.
Even so, the ice mist continued its retreat.
Suddenly, green flames erupted, and the ice mist proved ineffective, allowing the flames to briefly touch the nun’s skirt. A three-foot flame burst forth with a “teng.”
Terrified, the female cultivator hastily retracted the ice-blue flying sword with a jerk of her hand and viciously slashed off the burning skirt. Unfortunately, in her haste, the cuts were imprecise. Her two senior brothers also withdrew their swords and made three consecutive cuts, finally alleviating her distress.
However, due to the numerous cuts, both the skirt and the inner lining were irreparably damaged, exposing a portion of her white jade legs. This incident brought a level of shame and humiliation she had never experienced before.
Who claimed that wild beasts lacked intelligence? Clearly, they were clever too.
Though the green flames consumed energy, their abundance made them “many and powerful,” unafraid of any depletion. On the contrary, the more potent the Triad Sword Formation, the more true energy it required, unable to sustain a prolonged confrontation.
As anticipated, shortly afterward, the sword formation collapsed. At this point, most of the trio’s true energy was depleted, leaving them without the strength to escape. They were left to face the imminent slaughter.
The three cultivators recognized that the tide had turned against them, and all feelings of superiority and conceit vanished.
Now aware of the hardships and shallowness of their understanding, regret and embarrassment flooded their thoughts. Yet, they could only await their inevitable demise.
However, with matters reaching this critical point, Xu Ziqing could no longer remain a bystander.
Any further delay would undoubtedly lead to the death of the three individuals. Despite their bold recklessness, they should not be left to perish in the jaws of the beast. Having witnessed their predicament, and being fellow immortal cultivators, he felt compelled to help.
Without hesitation, Xu Ziqing waved his face, which was now covered with a mask crafted from grass stems.
He activated his skills, and a long ivy sprang from his hand, swiftly striking out.
The three-horned beasts, fixated on the three immortal cultivators as prey, were taken by surprise when a green vine suddenly emerged. It entwined the three individuals, pulling them backward.
Startled, the trio realized that someone was coming to their rescue. They dared not resist and remained silent.
In a flash of blue light, a figure appeared, and the three were transformed into a radiant cloud of light, disappearing without a trace.
The five triangular beasts roared furiously, and a powerful mental wave emanated from the beast den. However, after a brief search, it was retracted.
For Xu Ziqing, this was a long-awaited opportunity to snatch the three cultivators from the jaws of the beast. Although his wood escape technique was adept, bringing three people along made it more challenging than usual. Additionally, he was concerned about alerting the fourth-order wild beast, so he rescued the individuals swiftly and fled without hesitation.
After traveling continuously, he gradually slowed down, being hundreds of miles away from the beast den.
Here lay a vast grassland, with no large groups of wild beasts within a hundred miles. Occasionally, there were small groups that posed no threat to Xu Ziqing. He stopped, retracted the ivy, and let the three individuals down.
Barely able to stand, the three immortal cultivators saw a senior in green robes before them. Although his face was concealed by a mask, they sensed his well-cultivated demeanor. Subconsciously, they dispelled their anxieties.
The oldest man bowed in gratitude. “Sun Xinghong of Tianyang Sect, along with my Shidi Shen Peng and Shimei Qin Xiu’er, thank you for your kindness.”
After a moment’s thought, Xu Ziqing changed his voice to a slightly deeper tone and replied, “No need. You all have your own wounds; you should leave as soon as possible, that’s the right way.”
Having narrowly escaped danger, the three cultivators recognized the recklessness of their previous actions and felt a sense of shock. However, they didn’t wish to leave in disarray.
Despite being the youngest among them, Qin Xiu’er held a high status and promptly declared, “Senior’s life-saving grace, this junior and others should repay.”
Frowning slightly, Xu Ziqing wondered if they intended to do something more. Although he saved them, he harbored little affection for the three individuals; otherwise, he wouldn’t have concealed his face and altered his voice. Yet, the trio seemed to assume a camaraderie, and they were eager to gain some recognition.
Upon hearing Qin Xiu’er’s proposal, Sun Xinghong comprehended its implications. He hesitated for a moment before explaining, “Senior, allow me to clarify. When we arrived on the plain, we got separated from my teacher, and it was challenging to establish immediate contact with him. Therefore, we need to send a letter first and wait for the teacher to retrieve it. Otherwise, exiting the plain will prove difficult.”
Shen Peng added, “I’m genuinely unwilling to succumb to the beasts. I’ve been awaiting the teacher’s arrival these past few days. I also don’t want to waste any more time. Thus, I’m willing to train alongside my seniors and contribute everything I gain to them. Once the master reaches us, Tianyang Sect will undoubtedly reward my seniors.”
Qin Xiu’er concluded, “I’m curious about my seniors’ thoughts on this.”
A sense of displeasure stirred within Xu Ziqing. He didn’t need to ponder too deeply about the intentions of these individuals; he could discern them. However, his dedication to rigorous cultivation and Rong Jin’s appetite for blood made bringing them along cumbersome. Considering this, outright refusal seemed more sensible. As he prepared to voice his rejection, his expression suddenly shifted.
Sinister intentions!
Four formidable forces were approaching from not far away!
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Deep within the Wild Beast Plain, a multitude of wild beasts gathered together. Each one bore four black or red horns on their heads, collectively exerting an immensely formidable force.
Despite the layers of beasts, their horns pointed inward, creating an encircling formation around an unseen center due to their sheer numbers.
Suddenly, an icy sword intently soared into the sky, prompting a chorus of miserable howls from the wild beasts. In the sharp illumination of the sword light, their heads were violently shaken by a potent force, shattering into countless fragments that scattered in the wind.
In an instant, dozens of beasts fell, thinning the herd. Vaguely discernible within the beast congregation, a swaying piece of white clothing hinted at a figure that withstood the powerful winds generated by the unleashed force.
Soon after, another colossal golden sword rose, towering over a hundred feet high and emanating astonishing pressure. The boundless, sharp air whirled and whistled, slicing through the space with a “chi chi” sound.
In the relentless wind, several swords pierced the bodies of the reckless beasts, reducing them to thousands of pieces, blood spraying in all directions. Although the herd of beasts roiled, they inexplicably remained confined to their surroundings; any deviation led to immediate dismemberment.
The golden giant sword swung, sweeping through the air. The four-horned wild beasts expelled dark green energy but succumbed under the sword’s pressure, disintegrating into nothingness. Simultaneously, the beasts themselves were cleaved in half, spilling intestines and inner alchemy, forming a gruesome pool on the ground.
Ultimately, every wild beast perished on the spot, with none escaping. The area transformed into a gruesome battlefield, reminiscent of a god of death’s battlefield, with corpses strewn about and blood-forming rivers.
Amidst this carnage, the figure that had been surrounded by the beasts finally emerged—a stern-faced sword cultivator, clad in plain clothes. Despite the fierce battle that claimed the lives of hundreds of four-horned beasts, not a single hair on him was out of place, and his body remained immaculate, untouched by a drop of blood.
A frigid killing intent permeated the air like mercury, freezing the surroundings, turning the vegetation frosty, and casting an extreme chill upon the world.
Raising his head, the sword cultivator spoke in a cold voice, “You rat, come out.”
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