68: Chapter 68 Obtaining the Jadeite, Su Qinghan's Crisis

The intense airflow generated earlier when the Black-Scaled Python and the demonic cultivator fought had long since evenly distributed these poison powders into every corner of the snake cave.

The Demonic Cultivator Leader was in a moment of ecstasy and maximum relaxation. Gasping heavily, he unpreparedly inhaled a large breath of air mixed with ice-blue dust deep into his lungs.

"Hmm?"

The Demonic Cultivator Leader's fingers were less than an inch away from the earth core jade marrow, but they suddenly froze in mid-air.

An extreme, bone-chilling cold capable of freezing even the Soul exploded violently within his Meridians!

Under the erosion of this extremely cold toxin, the already exhausted spiritual energy in his body directly turned into blocks of lifeless ice!

"Poison... How could..."

The Demonic Cultivator Leader's eyes widened in horror, a strange rattling sound coming from his throat.

He tried to circulate his spiritual power to force out the poison, only to find that his Dantian Qi Sea was completely frozen solid, leaving him unable to move even a single finger!

Bang!

The rock beneath the Demonic Cultivator Leader's feet suddenly shattered.

Qi Yang burst directly out from underground.

Without a word of nonsense, and without even looking at the Demonic Cultivator Leader's despair-filled face, he flicked his right wrist.

Swish!

A pitch-black sleeve dart dipped in blood-dissolving powder and bone-corroding poison liquid cut through the air with an ear-piercing screech, accurately piercing straight through the Demonic Cultivator Leader's throat!

Pfft!

A bloom of blood blossomed in mid-air.

The Demonic Cultivator Leader's eyes bulged rigidly as he collapsed, dying without closing his eyes.

A grand expert of the Qi Condensation 11th Layer, the overlord of the Hundred Poisons Sect, died so aggrievedly at the hands of someone at the Qi Condensation 9th Layer.

"In your next life, remember to check your surroundings before snatching things."

Qi Yang coldly retracted his sleeve dart, his voice hoarse and icy.

Then, Qi Yang moved nimbly to the Demonic Cultivator Leader's corpse and ripped the Storage Pouch from his waist.

This old Devil Head had spent his whole life murdering and robbing; his net worth was definitely immense.

Next, he walked over to the massive corpse of the Black-Scaled Python, using a dagger to quickly slice off several of its hardest scales and pull out its incomparably flexible snake tendon.

"Materials from a Tier 1 Peak Yao Beast will definitely sell for a good price at the market, or be great for forging Magical Artifacts myself."

Having finished looting the spoils, Qi Yang took a deep breath and turned his fervent gaze toward the stalactite.

That drop of milky-white earth core jade marrow was emanating mesmerizing fluctuations of Spiritual Qi.

Qi Yang carefully retrieved a warm jade box from his Storage Pouch.

A top-grade spiritual resource like earth core jade marrow had to be preserved with warm jade, or its Spiritual Qi would quickly evaporate.

Holding his breath, he used his spiritual energy to guide all three drops of earth core jade marrow condensed on the stalactite into the jade box without missing a single drop.

Clack.

After closing the jade box, Qi Yang's suspended heart finally settled back into his chest.

"With these three drops of earth core jade marrow, my Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Roots will have at least fifty percent greater certainty when breaking through to the Qi Refining Tenth Layer to liquefy spiritual energy!"

Qi Yang grinned, all the wrinkles on his face bunching up together.

Now that he had obtained the treasure, this was no place to linger.

Qi Yang pulled out a small jade bottle, preparing to drop a few drops of corpse-dissolving water to dispose of the corpses of the Demonic Cultivator Leader and the Black-Scaled Python, completely erasing any trace of his presence.

Just as he uncorked the bottle...

Rumble!

A sudden, violent vibration rocked the rock wall above the snake cave, causing large chunks of rubble to crash down.

Immediately after, an extraordinarily violent and foul-smelling Demonic Qi, along with a sharp yet noticeably weak Sword Qi fluctuation, clearly transmitted through the rock layer into Qi Yang's perception web!

"Hmm? Someone is fighting above?"

Qi Yang frowned and immediately extended his perception upward.

The moment his perception web stretched out, Qi Yang's expression changed.

"It's Su Qinghan's Sword Qi! And... the aura of a Tier 1 Peak Yao Beast?!"

At this moment, in a karst cave less than a hundred feet above the underground snake cave...

Su Qinghan's moon-white long dress was already stained red with blood.

Her long hair, usually impeccably styled, was now a chaotic mess, and her strikingly beautiful face was pale and exhausted.

Coiled across from her was a terrifying venomous flood dragon, even larger than the Black-Scaled Python and bearing two hideous heads!

The Double-Headed Venomous Flood Dragon!

This was a true overlord of Ten Thousand Snake Valley, possessing Tier 1 Peak strength and a tough Physical Body. Moreover, its two heads could spew intense poison and fierce flames respectively—its combat power was insanely abnormal!

Just half an hour ago, although the Xuantian Sect group had avoided the direct onslaught of the snake tide, they accidentally disturbed this sleeping Double-Headed Venomous Flood Dragon during their retreat.

The flood dragon flew into a frenzy, burning two Inner Sect Disciples of the Qi Condensation 8th Layer to death with a single blast of fire.

To cover the group's retreat, Su Qinghan, as the leading Senior Sister, resolutely stayed behind to bring up the rear.

Relying on the powerful explosive force purified by her Three-element Profound Spiritual Root, she forcibly lured the Double-Headed Venomous Flood Dragon more than ten miles away, before finally being driven into this dead-end underground karst cave.

"Hoo... Hoo..."

Su Qinghan gasped heavily, her sword-holding hand trembling slightly.

The spiritual power inside her body was completely depleted.

Although the Three-element Profound Spiritual Root absorbed Spiritual Qi extremely fast, in such high-intensity life-and-death combat, the rate of recovery simply couldn't keep up with the consumption!

Roar!

The Double-Headed Venomous Flood Dragon emitted a deafening roar.

Its two pairs of crimson vertical pupils locked onto Su Qinghan. Its left head suddenly snapped open its bloody maw, shooting out a glob of pitch-black, foul venom like a cannonball!

"Wind Shadow Step!"

Su Qinghan clenched her teeth tightly, forcing out the absolute last trace of spiritual energy from her Meridians as her body dodged to the side like catkins drifting in the wind.

Sizzle!

The venom grazed her shoulder and struck the rock wall behind her, directly corroding a bottomless pit into the hard rock and emitting billows of pungent white smoke.

Although Su Qinghan avoided the venom, she completely lost her balance and crashed heavily onto the ground.

"Am I... going to die here?"

Su Qinghan looked at the encroaching Double-Headed Venomous Flood Dragon, a trace of despair flashing in her eyes.

She was only eighteen years old, a Prodigy at the Qi Refining Tenth Layer with a bright immortal path ahead of her. How could she die in such a dark corner?!

Meanwhile, down in the snake cave below, Qi Yang had already grasped the situation above with complete clarity.

"This girl, playing the hero!"

Qi Yang cursed inwardly.

To save her, or not to save her?

Reason told him that taking the earth core jade marrow and immediately fleeing with earth escape was the safest choice.

But on second thought, Su Qinghan was currently a Personal Disciple of Jianzhi Peak and his biggest protective umbrella for peacefully farming in the outer Sect's Nether Grass Field!

If Su Qinghan died, the Sect would definitely investigate the cause of her death.

When that time came, he, her husband in name, would definitely be pushed to the forefront of the storm, and might even be killed by a new manager of the Spirit Plant House using any random excuse.

"Cutting off my protective umbrella is equivalent to cutting off my road to longevity!"

A glint of decisiveness flashed in Qi Yang's eyes.

Save her! He had to save her!

But he must never expose his identity and strength!

"I can't show my face; I can only play dirty."

Qi Yang rapidly calculated in the underground snake cave.

His current cultivation was at the Peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation. If he rushed up to face the Tier 1 Peak Double-Headed Venomous Flood Dragon head-on, he would absolutely end up as delivery food.

Qi Yang's gaze swept quickly across the snake cave.

On the ground was a large puddle of poisonous black blood shed by the Black-Scaled Python, as well as various leftover poison powders on the Demonic Cultivator Leader's corpse.

"Got it!"

A flash of inspiration struck Qi Yang's mind.

He immediately formed hand seals, earth-element and water-element spiritual energy bursting forth simultaneously.

The Five Poisons Nourishing Spirit Art operated frantically!

First, using earth-element spiritual energy, he forcibly carved a narrow channel—only as thick as a fist—through the underground rock layer leading straight to the karst cave above.

Next, using water-element spiritual energy, he mixed together the Black-Scaled Python's toxic blood on the ground, the demonic cultivator's blood-dissolving powder, and the remaining Frost Absolute Shadow in his hands!

The mixture of these three potent toxins triggered a terrifying chemical reaction, transforming into a thick, pitch-black blob of top-tier venom that radiated a nauseating stench!

"Water Pressure Blast! Gather for me!"

Qi Yang funneled all of this mixed venom into the narrow earth channel, then used dense earth-element spiritual power to apply intense pressure at the bottom of the channel.

This was just like a high-pressure water gun compressed to the extreme; as long as the valve was released, the venom would burst forth with terrifying speed and destructive power!