15: Chapter 15 Slaughter

A streak of white tore through the night sky, fast as lightning.

What kind of massive body was that?

It was like a moving white mountain, every scale shimmering with a cold, piercing light under the moonlight, as if forged from divine iron tempered a thousand times. It spanned between heaven and earth, carrying an unrivaled pressure as it slammed violently into that giant golden blade!

"Clang!"

The sound of metal clashing was deafening, like a thunderclap from the nine heavens, echoing through the mountains and lingering for a long time.

That seemingly indestructible giant golden blade was sent flying backward by this collision, tumbling dozens of times in the air, its radiance instantly dimming by a third.

Li Xiuyuan took the opportunity to coil around, using his soft underbelly to protect the heavily injured Mountain Wolf beneath him. In his brown slit pupils, there was now only cruelty and indifference as he stared fixedly at the giant golden blade that had flown away.

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away.

In a hidden mountain hollow, Lu Hong sat cross-legged with seven bronze lamps arranged before him, their dim flames flickering in the night wind like seven ghost fires.

He closed his eyes, his hands forming seals, his fingers moving in unpredictable patterns as he chanted. Each syllable was ancient and obscure, as if it came from another era.

"It's here!"

He opened his eyes abruptly, his gaze burning.

"Today, I shall act on behalf of heaven and destroy you, vile beast!"

Lu Hong formed a seal with both hands and slammed them onto the ground, his fingertips nearly sinking into the soil, and whispered: "With blood as the guide, with life as the medium, Demon-Slaying and Devil-Subduing Array!"

The seven bronze lamps flickered simultaneously, and the flame of one suddenly shot up, transforming into a tiny golden beam of light like a wisp of divine fire, which vanished instantly into the night sky.

At the same moment, on Yunfeng Mountain.

The giant golden blade that had flown away returned once more, its target being the white snake.

The ancient inscriptions on the blade erupted with an even more blinding light, like a small sun, illuminating the dark Yunfeng Mountain and dyeing every leaf and every rock gold.

Li Xiuyuan's massive body was fully exposed in the golden light: his mountain-like physique, his menacing white scales, his cold slit pupils, and the powerful aura he carried, as if he were an ancient creature!

Jin Shouyi happened to wake up at this moment. Seeing this terrifying scene, his vision went black from fright, and he lost consciousness again, passing out completely.

The metal blade, carrying supreme killing intent, shot straight toward the white snake, fast as a meteor, powerful as thunder.

Although Li Xiuyuan's form was massive, it was not clumsy in the slightest.

He shifted slightly to the side, dodging the head-on strike. The giant golden blade grazed his scales, shearing through several ancient trees behind him with a continuous, thunderous roar.

But the ancient coin did not miss; it immediately turned back, carving a strange arc in the air to strike again.

Li Xiuyuan dodged repeatedly, his movements impossibly agile, not at all like such a behemoth.

But ultimately, his size was too great; on this rugged mountain path, he simply couldn't maneuver properly.

After a few exchanges, several wounds appeared on his white scales, and scarlet blood trickled down, staining the rocks beneath him, a shocking sight.

As pain struck, Li Xiuyuan's anger grew even more intense.

This giant metal blade was clearly being controlled by someone, and that person probably wasn't far away. He stared at the ancient coin, his snake pupils reflecting the inscriptions upon it.

Then, he saw a faint wisp of spiritual energy attached to the inscriptions.

That wisp of spiritual energy did not belong to this Yunfeng Mountain.

His brown slit pupils followed the source of that spiritual energy, and he had already found the master behind it.

The next moment, the wind picked up.

Dark clouds gathered abruptly in the sky, and lead-gray clouds pressed down. The air pressure between the mountain ridges plummeted, becoming so stifling that it was hard to breathe.

"Whoosh!"

Rain poured down as if the heavenly river had overturned. The entire Yunfeng Mountain was instantly enveloped in a curtain of rain. Each drop was as heavy as a thousand catties, hammering against leaves, rocks, and scales with a dense, explosive sound.

Under the battering of the heavy rain, the inscriptions flickering on the surface of the giant golden blade faltered slightly.

Its previous lightning-fast speed had vanished; now it struggled to move through the rain like a fish swimming against the current, expending immense effort for every inch it advanced.

Seeing that the rain he had brought was effective, Li Xiuyuan stopped paying attention to the ancient coin and instead lunged into the mountain forest.

He followed the trail left by that wisp of spiritual energy, moving at high speed! Wherever he passed, ancient trees snapped and rocks shattered; his massive body carved a path straight through the mountain ridges.

In the mountain hollow, Lu Hong was drenched in sweat. He chanted incantations rapidly, wanting to slay the white snake as soon as possible, but the rain was too fierce. Coupled with his own severe exhaustion and the complex terrain of the forest, he found he couldn't catch up to Li Xiuyuan at all.

But if he didn't slay that vile beast today, their plan would be completely ruined!

"Damn it, I underestimated it. This beast isn't a Tier 2 creature; it must be Tier 3. That sudden torrential rain was definitely not a coincidence; it's very likely its demonic art!"

Lu Hong felt immense regret at this moment.

He should have found two helpers. Now, he might not be able to slay the snake, and he might even lose Jin Shouyi in the process.

"No, I have to retreat and take Jin Shouyi with me."

Lu Hong hardened his heart, deciding he couldn't continue this entanglement. At worst, he could bring more people in a few days; it was only a matter of losing a bit of face, which was better than losing his life here.

He gritted his teeth and formed seals frantically with both hands, trying to regain control of the ancient coin. His spiritual energy once again tugged at the giant golden blade, but Lu Hong discovered something that terrified him to the core.

In the midst of the downpour, the white snake was coiled at the entrance of the mountain hollow, looking down at him coldly. The rain fell on him, sliding down his scales, his whole body gleaming with a cold, eerie light.

In those snake pupils, his reflection was cast.

Lu Hong's scalp tingled; his whole body felt as if a basin of ice water had been poured over him from head to toe.

How did it find his location?

Breath?

Impossible!

This mountain hollow was dozens of miles away from Yunfeng Mountain; how could it possibly track his breath to find him?

This confusion plagued Lu Hong, intertwined with fear. Seeing that he had one foot in the grave, Lu Hong frantically spurred the 'Qi' within his body, hoping to summon that giant golden blade. But Li Xiuyuan wouldn't give him a chance to resist; the moment Lu Hong formed the seal, he slammed into him.

Opening his maw wide, Li Xiuyuan bit off Lu Hong's upper body before he even had a chance to dodge. His legs remained standing in place for a moment before collapsing listlessly.

The giant golden blade finally arrived, but its master was already dead. With the spiritual energy link severed, the ancient inscriptions on its surface abruptly dimmed, returning to its original size—no larger than an adult's index finger—before falling into the muddy water with a "plop," silent once more.

Li Xiuyuan lowered his head, looking at the mud-covered ancient coin.

He pondered for a moment, then gently coiled his snake tail, picked up the ancient coin, and tucked it beneath his scales.

This battle had been extremely draining, and the Mountain Wolf was also heavily injured. Li Xiuyuan took it back to the side of the sacred tree on Phoenix Mountain; the sacred tree exuded vigorous vitality that could help the Mountain Wolf heal.

The rain on Yunfeng Mountain had stopped.

The white moon was visible once again.

Moonlight, like water, spilled over the forest that had been washed by the heavy rain. Everything appeared quiet and peaceful, as if the earth-shattering battle that just occurred had never happened.

Subsequently, Li Xiuyuan came before the unconscious Jin Shouyi. Without much thought, he swallowed him in one gulp.

He had originally thought this would just be a very ordinary human, but after eating Jin Shouyi, Li Xiuyuan was surprised to discover that he could gain 200 points of spiritual energy!

"Did I just eat a Tang Monk?"

This thought couldn't help but bubble up in Li Xiuyuan's mind.

Even a guy like Lu Hong, who clearly had cultivation, could control ancient coins, and could set up a killing array, only added 30 points of spiritual energy. Yet this Jin Shouyi, who was as weak as a chicken, could actually add 200 points.

"Doesn't that mean in a little while, I'll be able to raise my bloodline level to 4?"

"What effect will a Level 4 bloodline have? Complete Flood Dragon Transformation?"

A hint of anticipation appeared in Li Xiuyuan's slit pupils.

...

Yunfeng Mountain was already somewhat special, and combined with tonight's eerie celestial phenomena—the sudden torrential rain, the golden light shooting into the sky, and the continuous loud noises.

Dozens of miles away, one could see the golden light soaring into the sky and hear the deafening sound of metal clashing.

The first person to visit Yunfeng Mountain was Gu Xiao, who had met Li Xiuyuan once before.

He had rushed from the city to Yunfeng Mountain overnight, covered in dust but moving with swift, flying steps. This time, the moment he leaped into the forest, his face was covered by a nuo mask.