93: Chapter 93 is back.

As the night grew quiet and deep, the lights in the bamboo building at the back mountain of Lotus Pier remained unextinguished.

Wang Chongyang stood with his hands behind his back in front of the unfolded map, which marked the nameless mountain belly where the earth fire branch vein was located.

Standing beside him was Master Qingfu, the old Daoist still maintaining that half-asleep and half-awake appearance, the Qingfu Insect patterns on his cuffs flickering uncertainly under the lamplight.

Besides the two of them, only four people were called into the bamboo building: Wang Yaowu, Wang Yaowen, Wang Shouren, and Wang Shouyi, who had the highest cultivation level among the Shou-generation.

Wang Yaozu was in seclusion for a Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, which was at the most critical moment, so he was not disturbed by this matter.

Six people surrounded the map, and Wang Chongyang got straight to the point.

"That Ridge-backed Fire-scaled Python is an adult, a Tier 2 Yao Beast, with combat power comparable to the Early Stage Foundation Establishment. It has thick skin and dense flesh, and ordinary Magical Artifacts cannot break through its layer of rock armor."

"It is no problem for this old man to restrain it from the front, and Brother Qingfu will provide flank support. It won't be difficult for the two of us to join forces to slay it."

His finger tapped on the location of the magma lake marked on the map, and his tone changed.

"However, that area backs against Mount Xiao and is too close to the Ning Family's territory. If the commotion of slaying the demon spreads, the earth fire branch vein will no longer be a secret."

"Therefore, the key to this battle is not how to kill it, but how to kill it silently."

Master Qingfu opened one eye, glanced at the map, then glanced at Wang Chongyang, and said indifferently,

"You old fellow, asking someone for a favor still has so many demands. Isn't it just setting up a Formation to cover up the commotion? This old man's Qi-concealing Formation is still able to trap a beast."

He felt six small flags from his sleeve, the flag surfaces were as black as ink, with faint flowing light circulating on them.

"This is a Tier 1 High Grade Formation, the Six Harmonies Qi-concealing Formation. Once the Formation is set up, the commotion inside will not spread out a bit."

Hearing this, Wang Shouren's brows moved slightly.

Master Qingfu truly lived up to being a veteran Foundation Establishment cultivator; whatever he casually pulled out was a Tier 1 High Grade Formation.

He glanced at Wang Yaowu and Wang Shouyi, already having a plan in mind.

Wang Chongyang took over the conversation and pointed to the entrance of the rock cave on the map.

"In that case, Brother Qingfu and I will restrain it from the front. Shouren, your thunder method is extremely rigid and fierce, which has a restraining effect on the Yao Beast's rock armor. You, Yaowu, Shouyi, and Yaowen, the four of you, will form the Lesser Five Elements Combined Attack Array and act as circumstances dictate on the flanks."

"I don't expect you to confront the Tier 2 Yao Beast head-on, but you must deliver the fatal blow at the critical moment."

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the four people one by one, "Ever since the Lesser Five Elements Combined Attack Array was successfully practiced, it has not experienced a real life-and-death battle. This time will be the best whetstone."

Wang Shouren cupped his fists and replied, "Sixth Grandpa, rest assured; this grandson will definitely not disgrace the mission."

Wang Yaowu patted Wang Shouyi's shoulder, and the father and son looked at each other, nodding in unison.

Wang Yaowen untied the long sword from his waist and placed it on his knees, his fingers gently rubbing against the scabbard, a flash of cold light passing through his eyes, "Count me in for slaying demons and eliminating evils."

Wang Chongyang nodded, took out the heaven-covering bead from his bosom, and handed it to Wang Shouren, "Take this bead. If the battle situation changes or someone outside is spying, sacrifice it immediately, and it can isolate all Divine Sense detection."

Wang Shouren received it with both hands and solemnly tucked it into his sleeve.

Seeing that they had arranged everything properly, Master Qingfu slapped the six Formation Flags onto the table and said lazily, "Since it's decided, we will set out at the fifth watch tomorrow. This old man is not used to the food of your Wang Family; remember to bring a few jars of good wine."

Wang Yaowu grinned, "Senior, rest assured, the yunli wine of Lotus Pier will be provided in sufficient quantities."

At the fifth watch, a streak of grayish-white just appeared on the horizon, and the group of six quietly left Lotus Pier.

A shuttle-shaped flying boat flew out from Master Qingfu's sleeve. It was pitch black all over, and the hull was carved with intricate wind-type Formation patterns, which could be told at a glance that it was not an ordinary item.

The six boarded the flying boat, and it silently rose into the clouds, without even making a trace of a piercing sound, speeding away toward the southeast direction.

The flying boat quietly landed in front of an ordinary rock wall.

Wang Shouren brushed aside the vines hanging down from the cave entrance and stepped into it first.

The cave tunnel was long no longer in that appearance when Wang Shouren first explored it last time.

The Ridge-backed Fire-scaled Python had coiled here for unknown years and months, and its coming and going had long crushed most of the cave walls, with rubble everywhere. The rock walls on both sides, originally embedded with fire marrow crystal, were also crushed to pieces, and occasionally a hint of dark red could be caught in the crevices of the stones.

The deeper they went, the more scorching the air became. The fire-shamao qi mixed with the smell of sulfur solidified into substance, and every breath felt like swallowing a ball of fire.

Wang Yaowu walked at the very front, stepping and shattering a withered bone of an unknown Yao Beast under his feet, and cursed in a low voice.

Wang Yaowen closely followed behind, holding the hilt of his sword, his gaze fixed tightly on the increasingly bright dark red light ahead, with a solemn expression.

He was not mentally unprepared for this errand, but when he truly stepped into this cave tunnel that grew narrower and hotter as they walked, his heart still felt as if it were pressed by a stone.

Wang Shouyi walked at the very back of the group, responsible for guarding the rear, and his palms had already exuded a thin layer of sweat.

When the six finally sneaked to the edge of the magma lake, the view suddenly opened up before them.

In the huge karst cave, the magma lake surged and billowed, and every time a bubble burst, it sprayed a wisp of scorching fire shamao.

On a semi-exposed black reef in the center of the lake, that Ridge-backed Fire-scaled Python was coiled up and dozing off.

Its size was a circle larger than when Wang Shouren saw it last time. Its snake body, as thick as a water bucket, coiled for a full three or four circles. The dark golden rock armor on its back gleamed with a dim light under the reflection of the magma, and every scale was the size of a palm, overlapping layer upon layer like an iron tower.

With every breath the giant python took, it exhaled a wisp of scorching fire shamao, blowing ripples across the magma surface of the lake.

"Is this fucking a Tier 2 Yao Beast? I thought we came to fight a python, isn't this fucking a little dragon?"

Wang Yaowu gasped a cold breath and cursed in a suppressed voice.

He considered himself a person who had seen the world, and he had seen plenty of Yao Beasts when he ventured outside with Wang Chongyang back then. But the Ridge-backed Fire-scaled Python coiled up before him, which was larger than a house, still made the goosebumps on his back stand up one by one.

That layer of rock armor gleamed with a metallic luster under the reflection of the magma. Just looking at it, one knew that ordinary Magical Artifacts hacking onto it couldn't even leave a mark.

He subconsciously pressed the hilt of his sword, his knuckles pinching until they turned white.

Wang Yaowen stood by his side, his face still considered calm, but the palm holding the sword was already full of sweat.

He lowered his voice and said, "Fortunately, Sixth Uncle invited Senior Qingfu. Otherwise, relying just on the few of us, let alone slaying the demon, we wouldn't even be able to break this beast's rock armor."

Wang Shouyi stood at the position closest to the cave entrance, responsible for guarding the rear.

He did not speak, only untied the heavy sword from his back, grasped the hilt with both hands, his knuckles pinching white.

This was his first time facing a Tier 2 Yao Beast, and that coercive pressure coming from the instinct of the Realm made his breathing unconsciously lighten.

Master Qingfu stood at the edge of the lake shore, narrowing his eyes to size up the behemoth in the center of the lake. No particular expression could be seen on that calm and unruffled face.

But if someone leaned in to look closely, they would find a flash of sharp light vanishing deep in his eyes.

That was the instinctive reaction of a hunter when evaluating the weight of his prey.

He had lived for nearly two hundred years and had slain no less than ten Tier 2 Yao Beasts. The size of the Ridge-backed Fire-scaled Python before him indeed exceeded his expectations.

This thing was at least thirty percent larger than ordinary Tier 2 Yao Beasts, probably having chewed on countless good things in this earth fire branch vein.

However, never mind, it just so happened to save Old Wang Tou some effort. The older a person gets, the more they must accept aging; he would just put in a bit more effort later.

He shook out the six ink-colored Formation Flags from his sleeve and asked without turning his head, "Old Wang Tou, can you do it?"