Within the valley, chaos reigned and killing intent overflowed!
The Emerald Water Black-Scaled Python, driven to complete rampage by the theft of its treasure and repeated provocations, madly twisted and swept its massive body. Its dark green scales clashed intensely with Mu Qingfeng's green steel sword and Liu Yun's crimson sword aura, issuing ear-piercing sounds of metal meeting metal. Dark Yin water arrows sprayed in all directions as if cost-free, corroding rock and ground, forcing the two to rely on exquisite movement techniques for bitter maneuvering with danger at every turn.
The seven Liyang Sect members were like jackals scenting blood, clearly assigned and vicious in method. That sinister young man (named Zhao Yan) didn't personally enter the fray but stood comfortably at the battle's edge, his gaze coldly scanning the field like a venomous snake seeking a one-hit-kill opportunity. Two disciples kept the charging Shi Jian thoroughly occupied—relying on numerical advantage, they bombarded him with various fire spells, leaving him with plenty of strength but nowhere to direct it, roaring in frustration. Another two disciples continuously used ranged spells to interfere with Mu Qingfeng and Liu Yun, adding to their pressure in dealing with the python.
The two Liyang Sect disciples charging toward Xiaoqi and Chen Feng wore cat-playing-with-mouse cruel smiles. The seventh-layer Qi Refining one with a scarred face wielded a ghost-head blade blazing with fierce flames carrying scorching heat, chopping down at Chen Feng whose breath hadn't yet steadied. The other, a sixth-layer Qi Refining skinny tall one, waved both hands as several "Fire Snake Spells" carrying sulfur气息snaked like living things, sealing all of Xiaoqi's retreat routes—clearly planning to first eliminate this "soft persimmon" who looked lowest in cultivation and had just crawled from the water.
"Junior Brother Xiaoqi, watch out!" Chen Feng barely raised his sword to deflect the flaming sword aura, shaken until his qi and blood churned. Seeing the fire snakes approaching, he shouted urgently, but couldn't even save himself.
Xiaoqi was soaked through, the cold pool water forming stark contrast with the blazing fire snakes before his eyes. The threat of death pierced like an ice spike, but the more critical the situation, the calmer his mind became—frighteningly so. The pure spiritual energy from the "Basic Purification Technique" circulated rapidly through his body, not only dispersing the chill but also elevating his perception to the limit.
Seeing several fire snakes already lunging within inches, the scorching heat wave singeing his hair tips, Xiaoqi's eyes flashed with sharp determination. Instead of retreating, he suddenly stepped forward! This step seemed reckless but precisely entered an extremely minute, fleeting gap in the fire snakes' interwoven attack net!
Simultaneously, that black pan behind him was somehow already in his hands. The pan body swept horizontally—not clashing directly but angled like a shield, precisely slapping the "seven-inch" energy nodes of two fire snakes!
"POOF! POOF!"
Two soft sounds—the two most threatening fire snakes seemed to have their throats seized. Their light suddenly dimmed, twisted a few times, then dissipated into scattered sparks! The other fire snakes grazed past his clothes, burning black marks into the ground.
"What?!" The skinny tall Liyang Sect disciple's vicious grin instantly froze, watching in disbelief as his proud spell was so easily dispelled by a black pan.
However, Xiaoqi paid him no attention. In the moment of dispersing the fire snakes, his gaze had already locked like the most precise ruler onto those two Vermilion Fruits on the white boulder swaying slightly with the chaotic currents!
An opportunity! The python was being desperately held off by Eldest Senior Brother and Third Senior Sister. The Liyang Sect members' attention was momentarily drawn away. Now was the only chance!
His feet pushed the "Willow Catkins in the Wind" movement technique to its limit. His entire body became like weightless willow catkins, yet also like a hunting leopard, narrowly avoiding a flaming sword slash the scar-faced man launched a beat too slowly due to shock. His form trailing afterimages, he again lunged toward that white boulder which had become the storm's center!
"Stop him!" Zhao Yan's pupils contracted from the periphery as he shouted sternly. He hadn't expected this seemingly weakest brat to have such bizarre movement technique and audacity beyond reason!
The two Liyang Sect disciples closest to the boulder who had been planning to harvest the Vermilion Fruits immediately abandoned that task, turning to intercept Xiaoqi. One swung a fist blazing with heat; the other held a sword with fire flickering at its tip.
Xiaoqi seemed oblivious. His eyes held only those two Vermilion Fruits! Facing the pincer attack, his body suddenly executed an extremely awkward yet fluidly smooth rotation, slipping like a fish through the gap between their attacks. Meanwhile his frying pan swept left and right!
"CLANG! THUMP!"
The left pan deflected the incoming sword tip; the right pan viciously struck the fist-swinging disciple's wrist, making him scream as the flames on his fist instantly extinguished.
Using the reaction force from these impacts, Xiaoqi's speed increased another thirty percent, finally stepping onto the white boulder again!
Now he was within arm's reach of those two Vermilion Fruits! But behind him, the scar-faced man and skinny tall one's attacks were already coming again. Further away, Zhao Yan's eyes were cold, his hand clutching a red talisman emanating dangerous aura!
No time to hesitate!
Xiaoqi's jade shovel shot out like lightning, precisely sweeping across both Vermilion Fruits' stems!
"Click! Click!"
Two almost simultaneous soft sounds—two crimson-gold glowing Vermilion Fruits fell into another jade box he had prepared! He didn't even have time to close the lid before stuffing the box into his robes alongside the first one.
Success!
"Seeking death!" Zhao Yan, seeing all the Vermilion Fruits taken, flew into a rage. The red talisman in his hand instantly activated, transforming into a basin-sized incandescent fireball emanating terrifying heat, crashing toward Xiaoqi's back like a meteor falling to earth! This strike had already reached the power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator's casual attack!
"Xiaoqi! Go!" Seeing this, Mu Qingfeng disregarded the python's hideous sweeping tail, forcibly twisting his sword momentum. An extremely condensed green sword qi arrived faster than sound, precisely striking the incandescent fireball's side, detonating it in mid-air!
"BOOM!!"
The violent explosion's shockwave sent Xiaoqi flying, but he used this force to sail like a kite with broken string toward the pool's other side, relatively distant from the battle zone.
"Cover Xiaoqi! Withdraw!" Mu Qingfeng spat a mouthful of blood, shouting sternly.
Liu Yun's sword light surged, forcing the python back momentarily. Together with Shi Jian and Chen Feng, they fought to converge toward Xiaoqi's landing position.
"Think you can leave? Leave the Vermilion Fruits!" Zhao Yan's face was iron-dark as he led the Liyang Sect disciples in hot pursuit.
And that Emerald Water Black-Scaled Python, seeing all its guarded Vermilion Fruits gone, let out a despairing and crazy hiss, pouring all its rage toward the nearest Mu Qingfeng and Liu Yun!
The chaos reached its peak! Xiaoqi held three Vermilion Fruits, becoming the target of all sides. Qingxu Temple's five fought while retreating. Liyang Sect followed in pursuit. And behind them was a completely berserk second-tier demon beast!
The harvest was immense, but the crisis had also climbed to the peak!