181: Attempt to escape

Wu Mingjian raised his hand, and the descending Golden Rainbow Longsword flew into his grasp. The golden runes covering it also dissipated, returning to their normal state.

Just as Wu Mingjian reined in his aura and landed steadily on the ground, a thin, two-inch-long snake, unnoticed by everyone, crawled out from the Red Scale Snake Matriarch's gaping maw, at an angle no one had perceived.

The red thin snake used the surrounding ruins for cover, crawling away at an extremely fast speed.

Under the cover of night, and with the red thin snake trying its best to conceal its aura, even Wu Mingjian, a Dao Realm Martial Artist, didn't detect it for a moment.

"Hmm? Something's not right!" With the corpse of a Dao Realm Demon before him, Lu Ming naturally had no reason not to harvest it. However, just as he was about to use the Nether Soul Devouring True Scripture to forcibly strip the Demon's Soul, he suddenly realized that it was merely a soulless husk.

Nether Force reflected from his cold pupils, and with the enhancement of Nether Force, Lu Ming's vision changed.

His gaze swept over. Whether it was the surrounding personal guards or Demons, a cluster of light was contained within their bodies. The stronger their Cultivation, the more vibrant that cluster of light became. Especially for Wu Mingjian, a Dao Realm Martial Artist, his light-golden Soul was as dazzling as a blazing sun.

However, when Lu Ming's gaze fell upon the Red Scale Snake Matriarch's body, all he saw was a vast grayness; he couldn't find its Soul at all.

"Over there!" Lu Ming's peripheral vision caught it, and he quickly noticed a cluster of extremely dense, blood-red Soul hidden within the ruins.

He immediately understood that this was merely the Red Scale Snake Matriarch's ploy of feigning death to escape. A cold killing intent emerged in Lu Ming's eyes.

To escape, the Red Scale Snake Matriarch even abandoned its Demonic Core. Even if it managed to escape with its life, its Cultivation would likely plummet, and even its lifespan would be greatly reduced.

But precisely because of this, it was able to avoid Wu Mingjian's detection.

If Lu Ming hadn't learned the Nether Soul Devouring True Scripture, and could even observe the Souls of all beings with the help of Nether Force, he probably wouldn't have discovered the Red Scale Snake Matriarch feigning death and escaping.

"Good opportunity!" Lu Ming's eyes lit up. He originally hadn't harbored any intention of slaying the Red Scale Snake Matriarch and plundering its lifespan.

He had originally thought that extracting its Soul to Cultivate the Nether Soul Devouring True Scripture would be satisfying enough, but now its feigned death had given him this opportunity.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Ming channeled a trace of True Qi into the Wind Spirit Jade Pendant, and with his movement technique, his entire body transformed into an afterimage, swiftly pursuing the direction the Red Scale Snake Matriarch had fled.

"Hmm?" Wu Mingjian saw Lu Ming's figure, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes, wondering what he was trying to do.

However, in the next second, he noticed the direction Lu Ming was chasing: a red thin snake was fleeing at high speed.

It seemed to have realized its identity was exposed, and it desperately crawled, no longer trying to conceal itself.

Upon detecting the familiar Demonic Qi, Wu Mingjian's expression changed slightly, and he immediately understood.

"I was careless," Wu Mingjian muttered to himself.

After striking down the Red Scale Snake Matriarch with a single sword, a slight relaxation had also entered his heart, believing that it was completely dead. Yet, he never expected the Red Scale Snake Matriarch to possess such a means of escape.

At this moment, not to mention Wu Mingjian, even the Red Scale Snake Matriarch hadn't expected to be exposed.

"Human, I will never forgive you!" the Red Scale Snake Matriarch shrieked.

However, Lu Ming showed no hesitation. The corners of his mouth curved slightly into a cold sneer.

His long blade swirled, and the surging azure lightning released an aura of annihilation. As the Blade Aura, infused with Protective Aura, was fiercely brought down, the surging arcs of lightning attached to the curved Blade Aura, suddenly striking the Red Scale Snake Matriarch's body.

Bang!

The Protective Aura raged, and the surging lightning pulverized everything around it.

In its unwillingness, the Red Scale Snake Matriarch was engulfed by the Blade Aura, turning into a cloud of blood mist and completely collapsing.

Noticing the cluster of blood-red Soul, Lu Ming was already prepared. His palm condensed Nether Force, and with a flash of light, he ripped out the blood-red Soul and swallowed it.

A shrill wail echoed in his ears, the piercing screams and struggles particularly jarring. This struggle from the Soul level caused Lu Ming's brow to furrow slightly, and a hint of pain appeared on his face.

He could feel the Soul, with the Red Scale Snake Matriarch's residual consciousness, struggling fiercely, even attempting to erode his own consciousness.

Lu Ming had still underestimated the Soul of a Dao Realm Demon. The Soul Power contained within this small snake was more than ten times stronger than the Soul of the Black Rhino Demon he had previously devoured.

"Human, you dare to devour my Soul? This will be the biggest mistake of your life!" The Red Scale Snake Matriarch, who had initially felt despair, never expected the opponent to be so audacious. It let out a burst of mocking laughter.

"You're too noisy!" Lu Ming steadied his mind and spoke coldly.

Before his words finished, the Nether Soul Devouring True Scripture rapidly activated. Vast Nether Force surged like a tide, condensing into chains that imprisoned the Red Scale Snake Matriarch's blood-red Soul within his Dantian.

As Qi flowed, the restless blood-red Soul was quickly suppressed, as if thrown into a giant millstone, and began to rapidly refine.

Feeling the terrifying aura spread, the Red Scale Snake Matriarch let out a desperate cry, struggling in its final moments of unwillingness. However, against this method learned from the Legacy memories of the Nether Tiger Clan, it was unable to break free in the slightest.

The desperate screams gradually faded from Lu Ming's ears. Lu Ming's vision flickered, returning to calm.

[Congratulations on slaying a Dao Realm Perfection Snake Demon]

[Snake Demon lifespan: 3126 years, gained lifespan: 1042 years]

[Consumable Demon lifespan: 2876 years]

...Looking at the large amount of Demon lifespan harvested from the fierce battle tonight, Lu Ming's heart was filled with joy. The gains from tonight alone were almost equal to the total Demon lifespan he had obtained previously.

However, he also understood that Tianshi City's situation was rare in the entire Yunzhou. The city's government and even the Demon Suppression Division were all corrupted and eroded by Demons. If Wu Mingjian hadn't hidden some of his strength, and if he hadn't assisted, it would be hard to say what the situation would have been tonight.

Lu Ming was tallying his gains, and just then, a sound came from behind him. He instinctively turned to look.

Wu Mingjian, clad in silver armor and holding a longsword, landed behind Lu Ming. He looked at the Red Scale Snake Matriarch's corpse, which was beyond dead, and sighed, saying, "I was still too careless, Lu Ming. You did well today."

He did not dwell on who ultimately slew this Dao Realm Demon King. As long as it was confirmed that the opponent was dead, that was the best outcome.