143: Chapter 143 Reap the Benefits

Seeing the situation clearly, the eyes of the Chi Ling Valley Cultivator flared with intense light. Joy spread across his face, and he immediately ceased holding back.

He formed hand seals, his spiritual power surging at full capacity to control the two venomous pythons as they circled in the air, continuously spewing corrosive toxic smoke that enveloped the Yao Beast.

The High Grade Spiritual Artifact long sword in his hand moved with the speed of a startled swan and the swiftness of a shooting star, creating layers of sword shadows that rained down, hacking and crushing the Red-Armored Fire Lizard with frantic intensity.

Half an incense stick's time passed in the blink of an eye.

The sounds of the violent slaughter finally faded. Under the storm-like onslaught of the Chi Ling Valley Cultivator, the Red-Armored Fire Lizard—already drained of spiritual power and devoid of fighting strength—could not withstand the final blow. It was cleaved into two by a single sword strike, its heavy body crashing onto the desolate, black stone ground, its life extinguished completely.

After such a fierce battle, the Chi Ling Valley Cultivator felt his blood and Qi churning, his spiritual power severely depleted, his clothes stained with dust, and his aura unstable. Yet, successfully slaying this troublesome Yao Beast still filled his heart with wild joy.

He took a moment to regulate his breath before stepping forward, intending to collect the Yao Beast core and the intact carcass of the beast. The Materials from this Second-Stage Late Stage Yao Beast were of great value.

Yet, just as he took a step and prepared to bend down, a figure suddenly appeared amidst the pile of rocks forty or fifty zhang away. The figure stood with hands behind his back, gazing at him with a beaming smile.

The hairs on the Chi Ling Valley Cultivator's body stood on end, and alarm bells rang loudly in his heart. He abruptly halted and turned around, focusing his gaze. His expression changed drastically, breaking out in a cold sweat.

The fact that the other party appeared so calm and composed meant he had clearly been lurking here for a long time.

A wave of immense lingering fear washed over him. Daring not to relax in the slightest, he suppressed the fatigue from his depleted spiritual power, immediately activating his defensive Spiritual Artifact to hover around him. He remained vigilant, assuming his strongest defensive stance.

However, when his Divine Sense swept over the other party and he saw that the newcomer possessed only the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment Initial Stage, his tense nerves relaxed slightly, though the coldness and vigilance in his eyes remained undiminished.

The person who had appeared was none other than Li Changqing, who had already successfully harvested the qingxuan jade dew grass and safely stored the Spiritual Plant in his Storage Pouch.

He had patiently waited here, having calculated the timing perfectly. This Chi Ling Valley Cultivator had been locked in a bitter battle for a long time; sixty to seventy percent of his spiritual power had been exhausted, leaving him with less than half of his usual cultivation and less than thirty percent of his combat strength. Even the opponent's two Spirit Beasts were severely drained.

Moreover, the other party's cultivation Realm was a minor level lower than his own, and in such a state of spiritual depletion, he was incapable of fighting again. Appearing at this moment was the perfect Opportunity to strike while his opponent was vulnerable.

The Chi Ling Valley Cultivator's expression was icy as he stared fixedly at Li Changqing. His voice was low and hoarse, laden with intense vigilance and suppressed anger, as he slowly spoke: "This Fellow Daoist, I presume you have been lurking here for quite some time, haven't you?"

As his voice faded, his gaze suddenly darted toward the pile of rocks where the Spiritual Plant had previously grown; it was empty, and all spiritual light had vanished. In an instant, his pupils contracted, his face contorted in ferocious rage, and he gritted his teeth, shouting sharply:

"Was that qingxuan jade dew grass taken by you! Hand it over immediately! Otherwise, I will ensure your Divine Soul is obliterated today, and you shall never enter the cycle of Reincarnation!"

He had fought with everything he had, bathed in blood, exhausted most of his spiritual power, and nearly suffered grievous injuries just to slay the Red-Armored Fire Lizard and seize this peerless Spiritual Plant. In the end, his efforts had only served to benefit another; having his treasure secretly snatched away caused the rage and resentment in his heart to erupt to the extreme.

Li Changqing's expression remained indifferent, his smile leisurely and devoid of even a hint of panic. He spoke in a measured, teasing tone: "Why must you be so angry, Fellow Daoist? I saw that you were locked in a fierce battle with the Yao Beast and had no time to attend to anything else, so I simply took the liberty of collecting this Spiritual Plant for you."

"If you are currently depleted of spiritual power and unable to clean up the aftermath, I don't mind lending another hand to collect the Red-Armored Fire Lizard's carcass and core for you as well. There is no need to thank me; it is merely a small favor. What do you think, Fellow Daoist?"

These frivolous, mocking words completely ignited the Chi Ling Valley Cultivator's fury.

He laughed in spite of his rage, a series of cold chuckles emitting from his throat. His eyes were filled with malice as he glared at Li Changqing, gritting his teeth as he said: "A mere Foundation Establishment Initial Stage, yet you dare to be so arrogant! Do you truly believe that after my great battle, I am weak and easy to bully, allowing you to fish in troubled waters and steal the Opportunity of others?"

"Today, I will let you know the miserable fate of those who covet the spoils of others and attempt to steal their Opportunity!"

Before his voice had even faded, the spiritual light around him surged violently. Forcing himself to endure the stagnation caused by his depleted spiritual power, he rapidly formed hand seals, activating the long sword Spiritual Artifact in his hand while simultaneously driving the two Second-Stage Middle Stage Seven-Colored Spirit Pythons. Accompanied by sinister toxic vapors and biting winds, they charged directly toward Li Changqing to slaughter him!

The gale tore through the dust of the wilderness; the Chi Ling Valley Cultivator's rage-fueled onslaught instantly stirred the Void Realm for a hundred zhang!

The two colorful pythons took the lead, their scales gleaming with an eerie, seven-colored radiance under the setting sun. With their maws wide open, they spewed forth rolling billows of ink-green toxic mist, which transformed into two sky-covering poison nets. Accompanied by the sharp, sizzling sound of everything they touched corroding, the nets descended to envelop Li Changqing.

Wherever the toxic mist passed, the black stones on the ground were instantly corroded into dense pits, and the withered wild grass turned into black ash the moment it was touched. The toxic, malevolent aura rushed toward him, the stench piercing to the bone.

At the same time, that High Grade Spiritual Artifact sword vibrated, enveloping all the spiritual power the Cultivator had left. It transformed into a sharp sword-rainbow over three zhang long. The sword momentum was domineering and violent, the sound of it tearing through the air a piercing roar, as it struck directly at Li Changqing's vital head. Every move was ruthless, leaving no room for quarter.

Although this Chi Ling Valley Cultivator had exhausted most of his spiritual power, his Foundation was extremely solid, and he was well-versed in the arts of combined beast-combat.

The man and the two pythons cooperated seamlessly. Their offensive was layered, swift, and tricky—a style of desperate, life-or-death combat. He attempted to use thunderous momentum to crush Li Changqing, whose cultivation appeared low, and reclaim the stolen qingxuan jade dew grass.

"A mantis trying to stop a chariot."

Li Changqing stood his ground, his expression indifferent as water from beginning to end. There was not a hint of panic, and his eyes held only a calm, collected depth.

Before his voice had even faded, two sharp beast cries suddenly exploded!

Hum!

A dark spiritual light shot out from his Spirit Beast bag. The body of the Second-Stage Late Stage Black Armor Turtle instantly expanded to a zhang in size. Its thick, pitch-black shell was layered, the textures covered in dense Innate defensive runes. The spiritual light condensed like a rock, steadily blocking the path in front of Li Changqing.

Boundless earth and water spiritual power surged outward. A vast green light emanated from the turtle shell, condensing into a spiritual light barrier as thick and solid as a mountain.

The moment the sky-covering seven-colored toxic mist struck the defensive barrier, it erupted with a violent, corrosive roar. Sizzling black smoke surged crazily, and the toxic miasma and malevolent aura frantically battered the barrier, yet it could never breach this solid defense, and all of it was kept at bay.

On the other side, the agile and translucent Flying Purple Nether Scorpion had a cold glint on its tail, its body wreathed in a pale purple toxic light. Its six legs trod upon the air, its movements as swift as lightning as it charged directly toward the two pouncing Seven-Colored Spirit Pythons.

A Second-Stage Middle Stage versus a Second-Stage Middle Stage—both were highly venomous Spirit Beasts. As they collided, they instantly ignited a fierce battle of beasts!