14: Chapter 14 Feigning Death with Tortoise Breath: A Matter of Life and Death!

"Wh... What happened?!"

"My body... can't move!"

The handymen in the outer perimeter who were still clearing weeds collapsed limply to the ground under this pressure, their faces filled with despair.

Even that patrolling Disciple of the Qi Condensation 6th Layer was pale-faced at this moment, his legs shaking like a winnowing sieve.

"It's a 1st-rank Late Stage Yao Beast... Ice Python! The guardian Spirit Beast here has awakened! Run!"

The patrolling Disciple let out a pig-slaughtering scream, abandoning even his leather whip, and turned to sprint outward frantically.

1st-rank Late Stage Yao Beast!

This was an existence equivalent to a human Cultivator of the Qi Refining Ninth Layer!

In this Xuantian Sect Outer Sect, apart from those outer sect Elders who were in seclusion, this Ice Python was the absolute overlord!

Qi Refining Ninth Layer against Qi Condensation 5th Layer was as simple as an elephant stepping on an ant, leaving not even room to struggle!

Qi Yang was closest to the core of the cold pool, and that terrifying pressure slammed onto his body with the force of Mount Tai pressing down.

Crack, crack, crack!

The bones all over Qi Yang's body emitted a grinding sound.

Had he not worn the black turtle shield underneath to block most of the pressure, this single blow could have directly shattered his internal organs!

Run?

This thought flashed through Qi Yang's mind, but he immediately dismissed it.

The perception of the Ice Python was incomparably acute; whoever dared to use Spiritual Qi to run away right now would immediately become its primary target.

That patrolling Disciple of the Qi Condensation 6th Layer hadn't run even ten zhang away.

Splash!

The pool water exploded, and a huge python tail, as thick as a water bucket and covered entirely in ice-blue scales, burst out of the water. Accompanied by a piercing sound of breaking air, it viciously whipped against that Disciple.

Bang!

There was not the slightest suspense.

That Disciple of the Qi Condensation 6th Layer didn't even have time to let out a scream before being whipped directly into a ball of blood mist, minced meat mixed with internal organs scattering all over the ground!

Instant kill!

This was the terrifying strength of the Qi Refining Ninth Layer!

Qi Yang lay flat on the ground, his pupils violently contracting to the size of a needle tip.

At this critical moment of life and death, his heart, which had been hiding and surviving for decades, displayed a hair-raising calmness without any panic!

Qi Yang abruptly thrust his hand into his bosom and crushed a small black medicine pouch with his fingers.

Soul-Bewitching Powder!

This was concocted by using the black gourd to ripen a few hallucinogenic poisonous herbs. It didn't have much effect on high-level Cultivators, but it had miraculous effects on Yao Beasts with sensitive sense of smell, emitting a pungent stench that covered all traces of aura.

The medicinal powder quickly diffused around Qi Yang.

Immediately following that, Qi Yang fished out a drab Medicinal Pill from his Storage Pouch and swallowed it in one gulp.

A first-grade superior Medicinal Pill, the turtle breathing pill!

The instant the Medicinal Pill entered his abdomen, Qi Yang's heartbeat abruptly stopped, and his blood flow completely stagnated!

Even the Spiritual Qi within his Dantian was tightly locked deep within his Qi Sea, not leaking even a shred!

His whole body fell rigidly into the cold weed pile, his complexion turning as pale as paper, and his body temperature dropping rapidly, resembling a corpse that had been frozen stiff for over ten days without a trace of vitality!

Swish swish!

A huge splashing sound rang out, and the Ice Python's head, as large as a house, protruded from the water.

Two scarlet vertical pupils exuded cruelty and coldness, coldly scanning everything on the bank.

It had just sensed a trace of abnormal Spiritual Qi fluctuation at the edge of the Formation, which was why it had awakened from its slumber.

Flicking its scarlet tongue, the Ice Python slowly slid onto the shore, its massive shadow completely enveloping Qi Yang.

The Ice Python's head lowered, less than three chi away from Qi Yang's body!

That sickening, fishy stench, mixed with extreme cold qi, rushed straight toward Qi Yang's face.

Although Qi Yang was in a state of turtle breathing, his perceptive power still existed.

He could clearly feel that the Ice Python's cold scales brushed past his scalp!

As long as the Ice Python opened its bloody maw, he along with the black turtle shield would be directly chewed to pieces!

Absolute thread of life and death!

Qi Yang's mind tightly guarded his spiritual platform, not allowing himself to produce even a shred of emotional fluctuation.

Fear, tension, killing intent—all these emotions would cause fluctuations in his Soul, thereby exposing himself.

Right now, he was a stone, a corpse!

The Ice Python's vertical pupils lingered on Qi Yang for a moment.

Its acute sense of smell only caught a pungent stench, and a lifeless cold corpse whose blood had even solidified.

Although Yao Beasts were ferocious, they had no interest in such stinky and hard dead meat.

It snorted disdainfully, spewing out a breath of white cold air that directly covered Qi Yang's body with a thick layer of frost.

Afterwards, the Ice Python turned its head, its scarlet gaze fixing on a few handymen in the distance who were still shivering.

"Roar!"

The Ice Python lunged forward abruptly, its bloody maw opening wide to swallow two living handymen straight into its belly.

Screams echoed above the cold pool, making one's hair stand on end.

After devouring a few living creatures, the Ice Python seemed to lose interest, its massive body slowly retreating back into the cold pool.

Splash.

The pool water returned to calm once more, leaving only blood and minced meat all over the ground.

After a full incense stick's time, confirming that the Ice Python had completely dived to the bottom of the pool to sleep, Qi Yang slowly lifted the turtle breathing state.

His heart began to beat again, and his blood flowed anew.

"Hoo..."

Qi Yang let out a long breath of white air mixed with ice shards. The clothes on his back had long been soaked through with cold sweat and frozen by the cold qi into a hard armor of ice.

"Really fucking thrilling."

Qi Yang cursed inwardly.

The oppressive feeling of the Qi Refining Ninth Layer was too strong; his current cultivation was still too weak, and he had to accelerate his development speed.

Without a moment's pause, he mingled among the few handymen who had survived by fluke, pretending to have been scared out of his wits, and fled the cold pool area.

Stumbling all the way back to the Outer Sect Herb Garden, Qi Yang double-locked the wooden door and bolted straight into the underground secret chamber at the first opportunity.

The secret chamber was as warm as spring, and the Formation isolated all auras.

Qi Yang impatiently pulled out that warm jade box and carefully opened it.

A few jade marrow spores emitting a faint fluorescent glow lay quietly inside.

"It's done!"

A light of wild joy burst from Qi Yang's eyes.

He immediately cleared out a small plot of spiritual soil in the corner of the secret chamber and planted the jade marrow spores.

Afterwards, he pulled out the stopper of the black gourd.

Drip.

A drop of emerald-green mysterious liquid dripped into the soil.

The jade marrow spores, which originally would have taken decades to sprout, began to break through the soil at a speed visible to the naked eye!

A crystal-clear seedling of jade pith ganoderma, exuding a rich, chilly Spiritual Qi, abruptly appeared before Qi Yang's eyes!

Qi Yang took a deep breath of the Spiritual Qi emitted by the jade pith ganoderma, feeling that his entire being and Soul had become a bit clearer.

Another principal ingredient from the incomplete formula of the foundation establishment pill has been secured!

"As long as I find the heavenly spirit fruit, once I reach Qi Condensation Great Completion, I can attempt to refine the foundation establishment pill!"

Qi Yang clenched his fists, his eyes filled with a yearning for the Dao of longevity.

In this cruel Cultivation World, strength was the only hard truth!

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