64: Chapter 64 Battle against the Azure-Scaled Water Serpent

The Green-Scaled Water Snake flicked its forked tongue, venom dripping from its fangs and corroding fine pits into the stone ground. Su Qingyue tapped her toes lightly, her figure moving like flowing water to evade the snake's assault. The water vapor in her sleeves suddenly surged, transforming into dozens of water threads as fine as ox hair: "Traceless - Pierce!"

The water threads vanished into the air. With soft "pu-pu" sounds, the water snake suddenly froze, and fine beads of blood seeped from beneath its scales—those invisible water threads had actually pierced through its armor, stabbing directly into its seven-inch mark.

Her fingertips moved again, and the water threads abruptly pulled taut, pinning the water snake firmly against the stone wall. Under the light of the night pearls, the blood on the water threads quickly dissipated, returning to a crystal-clear state, truly traceless.

Zhao Yu held his longsword across his chest, the blade glowing with an earthy yellow aura, facing the lunging snake head without dodging or flinching.

The Green-Scaled Water Snake slammed into a point half a foot from the sword's circle, as if hitting a solid rock; even its cracked fangs could not advance an inch.

"Great Earth Monolith Guard!" he shouted lowly. The aura spread along the spine of the sword, weaving an airtight defensive net around him.

Then, the longsword suddenly swept around. "Rock-Splitting Sword!" The earthy yellow Sword Qi slashed out with the momentum of a collapsing mountain, but the water snake's long tail suddenly swept over, knocking the Sword Qi askew. Blood splattered onto the aura but was instantly repelled.

Zhang Wen's eyes narrowed as the lightning Spiritual Qi within him surged through his Meridians. Although this Green-Scaled Water Snake was strong, it was far inferior to the Xuan Shui Crocodile and did not require his finishing moves. He stomped his left foot hard on the ground, "Tremor Step Treading Thunder Marks!"

Purple lightning surged from his sole into the ground, and spiderweb-like thunder patterns instantly shot out from the cracks in the stones, crackling loudly.

The water snake was dazed by the shock, its body twitching within the thunder patterns, unable to move. Zhang Wen's figure blurred, and he was already in front of the water snake, his right fist gathering Lightning Radiance: "Rushing Thunder Delusion Breaking Fist: Startling Thunder Arises!"

The wind from his fist carried the sound of exploding thunder. Wherever his fist passed, purple lightning bloomed like a lotus, and the water snake was instantly engulfed by the Lightning Radiance. Without stopping, he flipped his left palm, "Thousand Mechanisms of Purple Lightning Transformation!" Countless tiny lightning needles appeared out of thin air, shooting toward the snake's body like a rainstorm and blasting it into the stone cracks.

"Watch out! It's not dead yet!" Zhao Yu suddenly swung his sword to parry. With a crisp "clang," the dying Green-Scaled Water Snake lunged forward to bite, its tail sweeping across with a foul wind toward Zhao Yu, only to be knocked back three feet by the monolith aura.

Su Qingyue formed a hand seal, the water vapor in front of her gathering into a vortex: "Thousand Waters - Dragon-Binding Rope!" Three water chains coiled around the snake's seven-inch mark like living things, but were shattered inch by inch by its scales. Her gaze sharpened, and the water vapor at her fingertips turned into ice shards: "Ice Seal!"

Cold air spread instantly, and the water snake's movements stalled. Zhang Wen seized the opportunity, the Lightning Radiance on his fists surging: "Rushing Thunder Delusion Breaking Fist: Thunder Net Locking Truth!" Purple lightning wove a cage around the water snake, the crackling electric net constantly shrinking and trapping it firmly.

"Give it the final blow!" Zhao Yu charged his longsword, the earthy yellow spiritual light condensing into a sword beam several feet long, "Unbreakable - Heaven-Shattering Slash!"

The sword beam tore through the air, erupting simultaneously with the thunder net. The water snake let out a shrill hiss, its massive body shattering inch by inch amidst the Lightning Radiance and Sword Qi.

Silence returned to the stone chamber, and all three were panting. Zhao Yu wiped the blood from his sword: "Finally, some peace and quiet."

Zhang Wen, however, looked toward the depths of the stone chamber: "Wait, there seems to be a passage where that water snake came from."

The two looked at each other, and Zhao Yu rubbed his hands, his eyes shining: "A place guarded by a snake and a crocodile can't be empty, right? Maybe there's some rare treasure for cultivation hidden there."

"We'll know once we look." A faint smile played on Su Qingyue's lips. Her moon-white skirt flowed like a stream over the blood-stained stone ground. The silver-threaded patterns embroidered on the hem flickered in the dim light, creating subtle ripples with every step. Droplets of water splashed onto the skirt as she passed a puddle, only to be instantly absorbed by the fabric, leaving it as clean as new.

Claw marks and scale imprints crisscrossed the cave walls, the fishy stench mingling with the fresh scent of vegetation.

Zhang Wen looked at the moss on the edge of the cave entrance and pinched a bit with his fingertips: "This cave should be nourished by running water. The moss is growing so vigorously; there might be a water source inside."

Zhao Yu had already stepped inside with his sword, the earthy light on the blade's spine flickering: "I don't care about the water; as long as there's treasure."

The three walked about five or six zhang inside when the tunnel suddenly turned a corner. Turning the corner, their eyes suddenly lit up—ahead was a natural stone chamber. In the center, on a stone platform, a glazed lamp glowed faintly. Its wick was a translucent plant, with crystalline dewdrops condensed on its leaves, swaying gently with the lamp's flame.

"That's..." Zhao Yu's eyes widened, "dew-gathering grass! It's said to take ten years to form a single drop of dew. It can refine Impurities in spiritual power and is a great item for cultivation!"

Su Qingyue, however, stared at the base of the glazed lamp, where fine water patterns were carved: "It's more than that." She stepped forward slowly, the water threads in her sleeve lightly brushing over the lamp stand. Before they could touch the dew-gathering grass, a pale blue water curtain suddenly rose around the stand, blocking the three of them.

"Another barrier." Zhang Wen stepped forward, tapping the water curtain with a finger tipped with Lightning Radiance, only for it to be absorbed: "This barrier runs on water vapor and is connected to the aura of the dew-gathering grass."

Zhao Yu swung his sword at it, the earthy yellow Sword Qi hitting the water curtain and only causing a ripple: "Forcing our way in won't work."

Su Qingyue circled the water curtain halfway and suddenly gave a light laugh: "This barrier recognizes its master. When we were dealing with that water snake just now, I collected a bit of its spiritual water." As she spoke, she flicked a finger, and a shimmering drop of water fell onto the water curtain. The curtain "sucked" the droplet in like a living thing, then slowly receded.

On the stone platform, dewdrops from the dew-gathering grass were rolling down the leaves, dripping into the glazed lamp with a crisp sound.

Just as Zhao Yu was about to reach out and pick it, Zhang Wen suddenly pressed down on his wrist: "Wait, the Spiritual Qi around this grass... something's not right."

As soon as he finished speaking, the dew-gathering grass shook violently, and the dewdrops on the leaves instantly turned into tiny water arrows, shooting over in a dense swarm! Su Qingyue reacted extremely quickly, the water threads in her sleeves weaving into a net that blocked all the water arrows: "It's a guardian Restriction!"

Zhao Yu swept his longsword, the earthy light shaking off the stray water arrows: "Picking a plant is this much trouble?" Zhang Wen had already gathered Lightning Radiance, and the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder coiled around the roots of the dew-gathering grass like a rope: "It's rooted in the lamp base; we have to sever its Spiritual Vein first."

The moment the lightning light coiled around the roots, the dew-gathering grass suddenly wilted, and the dewdrops stopped falling. Su Qingyue reached out and picked the entire plant, taking the glazed lamp along with it: "This lamp base is made of Warm Jade; it's perfect for nourishing it."

Zhao Yu leaned in to look: "This grass should be enough for the three of us to share, right?" Zhang Wen, however, was looking toward the depths of the stone chamber, where some words seemed to be on the stone wall: "Look over there."

Several lines of blurred ancient characters were carved on the stone wall. Su Qingyue dipped her finger in some water and lightly brushed over the characters, making the marks gradually clear: "'By the side of the Xuan Shui, with dew as the guide, feed the snake and crocodile, guard the Spiritual Plant, and wait for the destined one to take it'... It seems this grass was specially left by a predecessor."

Zhao Yu weighed the glazed lamp, unable to stop smiling: "Predecessor or not, we are the destined ones!" Zhang Wen, however, looked out of the cave, his brow slightly furrowed: "Now that we've taken the item, we should leave. The commotion just now wasn't small; let's not attract anything else."

Su Qingyue carefully put away the dew-gathering grass, her white skirt swaying: "Let's go, there's nothing left to linger for in this place." The three turned to leave. In the shadows of the stone chamber's corner, only that unremarkable stone lay quietly, with nothing else remaining.