138: Fierce battle

Outside the Arena Stage!

Around the viewing platform where the Medicine Pavilion was located, the air seemed to freeze into ice.

Daoist Lianxiao stood at the edge of the platform, his black Daoist robe fluttering without wind. Ripples of spiritual power spread out around him like raging waves in a stormy sea, and killing intent permeated the air.

Several Elders from the pavilion stood with their heads bowed, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Usually, they held high positions and great power within the Medicine Pavilion, but facing the furious Pavilion Master now, they looked at each other in silence; not a single person spoke.

"Useless! Truly two useless fools!" Daoist Lianxiao's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth. "Over twenty carefully nurtured Disciples, wasting so many of my Medicine Pavilion's Spirit Pills and medicines, only to be wiped out in one go! They are truly good-for-nothing failures."

With both Ji Yao and Xiao Chen dead, it meant the Medicine Pavilion could only stop here this year; there was no possibility of winning the Heavenly Selection Grand Ceremony.

That heavenly dust pill that could have helped him break through to the Soul Emergence Stage... had ultimately vanished into thin air.

Could it be that he could only try that Spirit Devouring Tapir's demon core again?

Both the Grand Elder and the other person had died in the Spiritual Vulture Mountain Range; this path was clearly no longer viable.

Daoist Lianxiao had originally thought that breaking through to the Soul Emergence Stage was just a step away, but now everything had come to naught. The cooked duck had flown away, and the Soul Emergence Stage, once within reach, had become a mere illusion. How could he not be furious?

Not only that, but the compensation the Medicine Pavilion promised to the various Holy Lands still had to be paid. This time, the Medicine Pavilion had truly suffered a crushing defeat.

"Who is that man in the luxurious robes? Find out for me." Daoist Lianxiao turned his head abruptly, the killing intent in his eyes nearly overflowing. "Investigate! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find out everything about his background!"

"Pa... Pavilion Master." The Second Elder stepped forward with trepidation, his voice trembling slightly. "The Mysterious Realm Emissary is still watching from the high platform. Today is the Heavenly Selection Grand Ceremony, and with the Mysterious Realm Emissary presiding, even if we find that person, we cannot take action against him on the spot."

Hearing this, Daoist Lianxiao froze. He then slowly raised his head and looked up at the four mist-shrouded high platforms, where he could faintly see several figures seated.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart.

If he continued to be angry, he would only be stewing in his own frustration here!

"Good, very good!" Daoist Lianxiao gritted his teeth. "That ant better pray he gets chosen by the Mysterious Realm Emissary and can ascend to the Profound Realm in a single bound! Otherwise, once the ceremony ends, I will definitely make him wish he were dead!"

..."Kid, you're celebrating a bit too early." Long Lie's voice fell.

The Fire Snake Spirit whose head had been severed suddenly churned amidst the scattering sparks! Its crimson magma-like pupils lit up again, and the flames at the break surged like a tide. In the blink of an eye, a new snake head covered in flaming patterns coalesced, looking even more hideous than before.

It let out a deafening hiss and, carrying an even more intense heatwave, pounced toward Ye Hao once again.

"Now that's more like it!" A flicker of surprise crossed Ye Hao's eyes, yet he still showed no panic.

With a light tap of his foot, his figure drifted back several yards like a ghost, just barely avoiding the fire snake's bite.

At the same time, he flicked his wrist, and his long sword drew a black arc. The sharp Sword Qi, like a blade cutting through Chaos, struck directly at the fire snake's seven-inch mark.

"Clang!"

The moment the Sword Qi collided with the fire snake's body, sparks flew everywhere. Flames and Sword Qi intertwined, actually forming a strange energy vortex in mid-air.

At the same time!

Meanwhile, the other fire snake on the right took the opportunity to arch its body. Its tail, carrying a scorching airwave, whipped toward Ye Hao's lower back like a red-hot iron flail.

Ye Hao's figure remained as steady as a rock. Chaos Qi instantly condensed into a small shield, precisely blocking behind him.

With a muffled "thud!"

The fire snake's tail struck the shield, and scalding sparks splashed down.

The two fire snakes seemed to exchange a glance and both opened their huge mouths. Two crimson pillars of fire gushed out like magma, converging in the air to form a blazing fire net that completely enveloped the area several yards around Ye Hao.

"Trying to trap me?"

Ye Hao's pace suddenly quickened, his figure weaving through the gaps in the fire net like a ghost.

He swung his long sword again. This time, the Sword Qi was no longer directed at a single point but transformed into a sky full of black light specks, shooting toward the two fire snakes like a rainstorm. Every speck of Sword Qi carried the vastness of the Chaos Qi.

Every time he shattered the fire snakes, their bodies would quickly reform. Although it caused no lasting damage, it forced them to retreat repeatedly, and a flaw instantly appeared in the fire net.

Just as Ye Hao was about to burst out of the fire net, a cold light surged in Long Lie's eyes. His long sword turned into a bolt of green lightning, striking straight for the back of Ye Hao's heart!

As the sword wind whistled, it actually carried a sharp sound that pierced through space. He had clearly aimed for the opening while Ye Hao was dealing with the two snakes, intending to deliver a fatal blow.

As if he had anticipated this, Ye Hao suddenly flipped his left hand, and a palm-sized Ancient Inkstone abruptly appeared.

The inkstone was dark brown all over, its surface covered with mottled cloud patterns.

With a light push of his wrist, the Ancient Inkstone floated behind him. A translucent spiritual energy barrier instantly spread out like an invisible wall, steadily blocking the swift Sword Qi.

"Clang!"

The moment the green Sword Qi struck the barrier, a deafening boom erupted.

The piercing force carried by the sword wind caused the barrier to tremble violently, yet it failed to tear open even a single crack.

"It's actually another earth-rank magic treasure!"

A hint of greed flashed in Long Lie's eyes, which was then replaced by intense curiosity.

"Kid, however many good things you have, just take them all out."

Ye Hao did not answer, merely raising his hand to pull the Ancient Inkstone back into his sleeve.

Ever since Elder Qi Yue wiped out the four Hegemon-level Forces, Revered Master had given them a huge pile of Magic Treasures, saying it was useless to keep them.

His Eldest Senior Sister had grinned from ear to ear while holding over a dozen earth-rank magic treasures. He, on the other hand, had casually picked five or six "trinkets" that caught his eye, and this Ancient Inkstone was one of them. At the time, he just felt it was warm and comfortable to hold, as if he shared a fate with it.

Seeing that the other party didn't respond, Long Lie wasn't annoyed either.

If you won't answer, this old man will just take action to force an answer out of you.

As the two fire snakes teamed up to attack again, Long Lie suddenly shook his sleeves. With a rustling sound, hundreds of yellow paper Talismans slid out from his sleeves and spread out in the air like a yellow rainstorm.

The material of these Talismans was ordinary, and the cinnabar-drawn runes on the paper were even somewhat blurry. However, under the surge of Long Lie's spiritual power, they all ignited, turning into brilliant specks of light that wove into a massive light net in the air, completely enveloping Ye Hao and the two fire snakes.

He was using the Talismans to set up a Formation. Once the Formation was complete, this battle would surely come to an end.

After the previous rounds of exchange, Ye Hao already had some suspicions in his heart.

He had broken the fire snakes twice before, yet they could both quickly regenerate. The root cause was likely that Token. If the Token wasn't destroyed, these two fire snakes would continue to reform endlessly; these two beasts were merely being used to deplete his spiritual power.

The strength this person currently displayed was estimated to be around the Golden Core Fifth Layer.

He just didn't know which Holy Land the man was from. Could it be the Heavenly Secret Pavilion?

With his mind made up, Ye Hao suddenly slowed his movements on purpose. The Sword Qi from the black long sword in his hand also weakened slightly, as if he were gradually becoming exhausted.

Seeing this, the fire snake on the left immediately seized the opportunity. It arched its body and pounced toward Ye Hao like a bolt of crimson lightning, the pillar of fire spewing from its mouth nearly scorching the hem of his clothes.

A sharp glint flashed in Ye Hao's eyes. He appeared to dodge to the right in a panic, but in reality, his steps were precisely closing the distance toward Long Lie.

The fire snake on the right was not to be outdone and followed suit. The two fire snakes, one on the left and one on the right, once again formed a pincer movement, completely blocking Ye Hao's path of retreat.

"Fool!" Seeing this, a cold sneer curled on Long Lie's lips.

He casually swung out a blast of Sword Qi, the green blade of energy striking straight for Ye Hao's heart.