140: Seeking the Dragon's Coil!

The night wind howled, whipping up a thousand piles of snow.

On the sea surface less than five miles from Turtleback Reef, three dark shadows trod upon the waves, moving so fast they left only afterimages on the retina.

The leader was a scrawny man draped in a pitch-black cloak sewn from some unknown beast skin, holding a dark gold compass in his hand.

The compass needle trembled frantically before finally locking onto the mist-shrouded deserted island directly ahead.

At the tip of the needle, a touch of crimson blood-light pulsated rhythmically, like blood-sucking fangs that had caught the scent of prey.

"Found her."

The scrawny old man—Ghost Hand, the leader of the Wan Sha Hall's "Three Corpse-Hunting Ghosts"—stuck out a tongue as withered as a tree branch and licked his cracked lips.

"Tsk tsk, our Young Lord's wife certainly knows how to hide, actually concealing herself at this godforsaken edge of the Chaotic Star Sea."

A burly man on the left, carrying a large ghost-headed saber, gave a strange, cackling laugh. "So what if she hides? Once struck by the blood-lead of the 'dragon seeking plate', even if she flees to the ends of the earth, she'll have to obediently come back with us to bow and marry."

"Marry?" The effeminate young Cultivator on the right toyed with two bone nails in his hand, a lewd glint flashing in his eyes. "The Young Lord only said he wanted her alive; he didn't say she couldn't be missing an arm or a leg. This Dragon Clan princess has such delicate skin; if along the way..."

"Shut up."

Ghost Hand shot him a cold glance. "You dare harbor designs on the Young Lord's forbidden plaything? Just say so if you want to be refined into a corpse puppet."

The young Cultivator trembled all over, put away the bone nails with a sycophantic smile, and dared not speak further.

Ghost Hand retracted his gaze, staring at the looming deserted island ahead as the greed in the depths of his eyes surged.

"Move out. Remember, just leave her with a breath of life. That Dragon Palace treasure on her is the real prize of this trip."

...Longevity Island, underground karst cave.

Gu Changsheng sat cross-legged, a massive water mirror suspended in the Void Realm before him.

The mirror surface was divided into dozens of small squares, monitoring every movement within a five-hundred-mile radius from all angles without any blind spots.

The conversation of the three dark shadows reached his ears clearly through the eavesdropping Formations pre-buried beneath the sea surface.

[Warning: High-risk targets approaching.]

[Leader: Ghost Hand (Foundation Establishment Perfection). Methods: Specialized in 'Corpse Fiend Poison'; the 'dragon seeking plate' in hand can break illusion Formations below the third rank.]

[Followers: Iron Corpse (Late Foundation Establishment Stage, Physical Body enhancement), Yin She (Late Foundation Establishment Stage, specialized in hidden weapon poison kills).]

[System Suggestion: The host is currently in 'Stealth' mode. The targets have a clear objective; it is suggested to remain silent and watch the tigers fight from the mountain.]

Gu Changsheng looked at the three hideous Faces in the water mirror with an expressionless Face.

His fingertips gently rubbed the taiyin submerging spirit jade at his waist.

This ancient jade was currently emitting a faint cold light, completely locking down his life force and Qi fluctuations.

Under his deliberate control, the entire Longevity Island was like a worthless rock, completely blending into the surrounding darkness.

"As long as they don't come knocking on my door, even if they poke a hole in the sky, it has nothing to do with me."

Gu Changsheng picked up his teacup; the tea had long since cooled, but he didn't mind, taking a light sip to suppress the faint, indistinct restlessness in his heart.

He was no Saint.

To provoke a behemoth like the Wan Sha Hall for a neighbor met by chance did not fit his survival aesthetics.

His previous hint had already been doing his best.

Just then.

In the water mirror, a corner of the mist on Turtleback Reef suddenly dispersed.

A green-clad silhouette appeared on the reef without any warning.

Shen Zhiwei wore a simple, plain-colored long dress; the sea breeze mussed her hair, but it could not disperse the resolute chill in her eyes.

She seemed to sense something; she didn't look toward the direction the enemies were coming from, but instead turned her head, casting a deep glance at the deathly silent Longevity Island next door.

That glance was full of meaning.

Gu Changsheng's fingers holding the teacup paused slightly.

Is she looking at me?

No, she is looking at that sole chance of survival.

If she were to divert the disaster toward him at this moment, fleeing to Longevity Island to force him to help, Gu Changsheng would not hesitate for a second to immediately activate the island's killing Formation and blast her along with the pursuers into dust.

Better a dead Fellow Daoist than a dead me; that was the bottom line.

However.

Shen Zhiwei only took one look before retracting her gaze.

A faint mock curled at the corner of her mouth, as if mocking the coldness of the world, or perhaps mocking her own naivety.

The next instant.

A water lotus bloomed beneath her feet, and she transformed into a streak of light, surprisingly speeding away toward the southwest, away from Longevity Island.

That was the direction of "Soul-Severing Beach".

A dead land where even seabirds refused to stay.

"Interesting."

Gu Changsheng put down his teacup, his brow arching slightly.

This woman actually doesn't want to involve me?

Or does she have the confidence to counter-kill them in that dead land?

"Since you're so sensible..." Gu Changsheng tapped his fingertips on the Formation Plate, lowering the defense Formation he had originally prepared to activate by one level and turning the power of the scouting Formation to its maximum.

"Then I'll give you some Face and watch this show properly."

...On the sea, the chase broke out instantly.

"Trying to run?!"

Seeing Shen Zhiwei actively appear and flee, a flicker of playfulness flashed in Ghost Hand's eyes.

"Chase her! Don't let her run into the deep sea!"

The three dark shadows were like maggots on a bone, tightly biting onto that green streak of light.

Shen Zhiwei's condition was clearly extremely poor.

Her flight light flickered, and every time she accelerated, a trace of blood would seep from the corner of her mouth.

That was the backlash of the 'dragon locking nailss' inside her body.

For every bit of Qi she used, those three poisonous nails driven into her Dantian and spine would bore a bit deeper into her marrow.

The pain went to the bone.

But she didn't make a sound, only burying her head and running wildly.

"Hahaha! Run! Keep running!"

Yin She behind her let out a piercing, shrill laugh, occasionally striking out several streaks of eerie green poisonous light, forcing Shen Zhiwei to dodge clumsily like a cat playing with a mouse.

"The 'Soul-Severing Beach' ahead is a dead end! The magnetic field there is chaotic, making flight impossible. Let's see where you can run then!"

Shen Zhiwei turned a deaf ear.

Her gaze was fixed on the dark sea area ahead.

There, jagged rocks were everywhere, the seawater appeared a strange grayish-white, and the massive magnetic interference made the surrounding space somewhat distorted.

Closer.

Even closer.

Just as they were less than a hundred feet from Soul-Severing Beach, Shen Zhiwei's figure suddenly swerved, and like a bird with broken wings, she plummeted straight into that pile of jagged rocks.

"That's a dead land! Is she crazy?"

Iron Corpse froze for a moment.

"Who cares if she's crazy? Once she enters Soul-Severing Beach, she's a turtle in a jar!" Ghost Hand was overjoyed; he retracted the dragon seeking plate and was the first to charge down.

The three of them landed.

The surroundings were eerily quiet.

The grayish-white seawater slapped against the black reefs, making dull sounds.

The gravity here seemed several times stronger than outside; even the protective spiritual light of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators was suppressed until it was dim and lusterless.

Shen Zhiwei stood on a massive turtle-shaped reef with her back to the three of them.

She was no longer running.

"Can't run anymore?"

Ghost Hand landed ten feet away from her, not rushing to act, but instead cautiously scanning the surroundings.

After confirming there were no ambushes, he finally revealed those withered yellow teeth and smiled sinisterly. "Princess Highness, why bother? Just come back with us obediently. Even being a Cauldron is better than dying in this wilderness with no one to bury your bones."

Yin She and Iron Corpse flanked her from the left and right, blocking all paths of retreat.

Shen Zhiwei slowly turned around.

She wiped away the blood from the corner of her mouth, and on that paper-white Face, a poignantly beautiful smile suddenly bloomed.

"Do you know why this place is called Soul-Severing Beach?"

Ghost Hand's heart suddenly leaped.

An intense sense of crisis rushed from the soles of his feet straight to his crown without any warning.

"Not good! Retreat!"

Too late.

Shen Zhiwei's delicate hand slammed hard onto the reef beneath her.

Boom!

The originally calm rocky beach instantly boiled.

Nine massive water-blue light pillars soared into the sky from nine directions, instantly weaving into a giant light net that completely sealed off the hundred-foot radius.

"Nine Palaces Wave-Locking Formation?!"

Ghost Hand's Face changed drastically. "When did you set up this Formation?!"

This was clearly a wasteland, and with the chaotic magnetic field, it was impossible to set up such a precise Formation in a short time.

Unless... she had chosen this place long ago as her burial ground, or... her killing ground.

"While you were chasing me like mad dogs."

Shen Zhiwei's voice was cold as she formed hand seals at a speed that made one's eyes blur.

Buzz!

At her brow, an ancient, weathered rune carrying supreme majesty suddenly lit up.

It was a mark shaped like a water drop, yet it contained the imagery of mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas within it.

"Edict: Water like sharp blades, cleanse the filth!"

With that clear cry.

The space within the Formation was instantly filled with a sacred and terrifying aura.

The originally grayish-white seawater turned into a crystal-clear azure blue at this moment, as if the Nine Heavens' Milky Way had poured down.

But behind this beautiful sight was ultimate killing intent.

"Ah—!"

Iron Corpse, who was in the lead, let out a tragic, blood-curdling howl.

The moment that blue water touched his protective Evil Qi, it was like boiling oil poured onto snow, instantly dissolving it.

Next came his flesh, tendons, and bones.

This water flow not only had extremely strong physical corrosiveness but also carried a power of rule-based erasure targeted at "evil beings".

In just three breaths.

That Late Foundation Establishment Stage demonic Cultivator, famous for his powerful Physical Body, turned into a skeleton of white bones before everyone's eyes, and finally, even the bones were washed into powder.

"What kind of ghost thing is this?!"

Yin She's heart and gall were nearly split by fear as he frantically sacrificed all his defensive Magical Artifacts.

A Medium Grade magic shield had just been propped up when it was easily pierced by a stream of water.

"Save me! Boss, save me!"

Yin She reached out his hand in despair, grabbing toward Ghost Hand.

Ghost Hand didn't even look at him, his figure retreating violently as he frantically crushed defensive Talismans one by one.

Puchi.

The water flow swept past.

Yin She's voice came to an abrupt halt.

Only a pool of turbid blood remained where he stood, which was purified clean by the blue water in an instant.

Two Late Foundation Establishment Stages, instantly killed.

This was the dominance of the top-tier immortal foundation [Cangxuan Decree].

Using water as a command to purify all things.

In its rules, the Evil Qi of demonic Cultivators was the filth that had to be cleansed.

"Puff—"

The price for forcibly activating the immortal foundation followed immediately.

Shen Zhiwei spat out a mouthful of blood, her entire person swaying.

The three dragon locking nailss inside her seemed to come alive, frantically churning her Dantian; the intense pain made her vision go black, making it nearly impossible to remain standing.

The Formation's light screen flickered a few times, and that terrifying blue water flow dissipated along with it.

"Is it over..."

Shen Zhiwei forced her eyelids open and looked forward.

There.

A cloud of blood mist slowly dispersed.

Ghost Hand still stood where he was.

The black robe on his body was already tattered, revealing a close-fitting dark red soft armor inside.

That was a life-saving item bestowed by the Wan Sha Hall—the Calamity-Substituting Blood Armor.

"What a ruthless woman..."

Ghost Hand looked down at the soft armor that had completely shattered, a trace of lingering fear flashing in his eyes, which then turned into sky-high rage and hideousness.

If not for this treasure armor, he would have died just now too.

"What a pity, truly a pity."