Rustling sounds echoed right beside his ears. Within the nearby vines, the aerial roots of the giant trees, and the hidden thickets, movement broke out everywhere:
One, two, three…
A total of nine giant centipedes crawled out!
Their pitch-black outer shells glistened ominously in the sunlight. Each raised its tail high into the air, the venomous stingers atop them vibrating frantically, ready to squirt deadly poison from all directions!
There was no way to dodge!
Su Li froze on the spot, virtually unable to budge. He could only force himself to erect several layers of defensive arrays.
The venomous stingers pierced right through his defensive arrays!
They were about to drive straight through Su Li’s body!
In the next instant, a silver-white figure descended from the heavens. Sword intent—cold as ice—shielded Su Li squarely from the front.
Upon the white robe, silver threads embroidered a crane. Hair black as ink, and because he was so close, there was even the faint, delicate fragrance of sweet osmanthus.
The poisonous stingers were cut down completely, falling harmlessly to the ground.
Su Li’s pupils contracted sharply: “Master…”
The man turned his face slightly, a tiny mole near his lip making the contour of his mouth even more perfect.
“Do not panic. Master is here.” His voice was as clear as icicles.
Su Li was both shocked and overjoyed: “How come Master is here?”
Lu Yin replied: “It’s a long story. Let Master resolve this first before we chat in detail!”
In the next second, sword intent erupted. Lu Yin pinched a hand seal and practically plowed through the entire clearing!
Beneath the swirling dust, the vine’s true form was laid bare.
It measured a full ten meters in length with thick, gnarled branches. As it slithered slickly, it looked like several giant snakes twisting around one another.
And held within its numerous branches was a orb of pure black stone, occasionally flashing with an eerie light and an ominous aura.
Having fought demonic cultivators before, Su Li immediately asked upon seeing the pure black stone clearly: “Demonic energy? A thing from the Demon Realm?”
Lu Yin narrowed his eyes: “Correct. The demonic cultivators planted a demonic seed here. If triggered, the entire Qingpeng Secret Realm will be destroyed.”
He pinched a seal and swung his sword. The Frost-Dust Crystal Mirror at his chest shone brilliantly like the moon, projecting a beam of pure light directly onto the clump of demonic energy!
The vine let out a screeching, agonized howl, twisting violently back and forth!
Yet it was to no avail; Lu Yin’s mirror tracked its movement, refusing to let it go.
Gradually losing its vitality, the vine seemed mortally wounded by the bright moonlight, preparing to submit to its fate.
Right at that moment, the demonic energy pulsed!
Su Li’s chest tightened with a heavy sense of foreboding. Just then, Lu Yin let out a muffled groan, and the moonlight instantly dimmed.
“Master!” Su Li panicked. Sweeping his gaze across the poisonous stingers on the ground—eight, there were only eight, but there had clearly been nine centipede husks!
Master was struck by a poison stinger!
Lu Yin clutched his chest and spat out a mouthful of black blood—he was indeed poisoned!
He hadn’t expected the venomous stinger to be so fierce!
The demonic seed pulsed once more like a giant beating heart. Lu Yin gripped his chest, all color draining from his face as he swayed on his feet, on the verge of collapsing!
Su Li rushed forward to support him: “Master!”
Yet Lu Yin thrust the precious sword in his hand into Su Li’s grasp: “Master can still hold on. Take this and go chop down that demonic seed!”
“But…” Su Li hesitated.
“Hurry!” Lu Yin urged.
Clenching the magical artifact tightly, Su Li charged into the black vines.
Refusing to back down, the vine suddenly spread its pitch-black branches, burying Lu Yin in the blink of an eye and hoisting him straight up!
The thick, dark vines slithered over his white-satin silver robe, tightening until the originally loose sleeves and garments clung close enough to outline his physique. Lu Yin’s delicate, snow-white wrists formed a stark contrast with the evil, profane vines. Some vines even crept up Lu Yin’s neck, forcing him to tilt his head back, leaving his jaw covered in red marks from straining.
Lu Yin struggled, but weakened by the poison, he couldn’t break free. His pupils were slowly losing focus. His fingertips stiffened and trembled, only to gradually lose all strength and hang down limply.
“Master!” Su Li tried to charge back, but Lu Yin merely uttered a weak phrase: “The demonic seed…”
Gritating his teeth, Su Li watched helplessly as his Master was engulfed by more vines, his entire body wrapped in evil demonic energy—one vine was even crawling toward his Master’s mouth, the tip bearing a nozzle dripping with poison!
His eyes turned blood-red, but in the end, he swung the sword and slashed down at the clump of black energy!
A piercing screech pierced straight through his skull!
The demonic energy shattered!
The demonic seed crumbled beneath his stroke.
Deprived of support, the vines abruptly dispersed. Lu Yin, deeply poisoned, fell helplessly like a white crane stripped of its wings.
With robes fluttering in the wind, Su Li spread his arms and caught the white crane directly in his embrace!
His Master’s skin felt warm to the touch—overly hot, even.
“Master…”
Lu Yin’s eyes were unfocused, unable to answer him. An abnormal flush dusted his cheeks, his rosebud mouth slightly agape.
Su Li felt his throat go bone-dry at the sight.
Right—the poison stinger!
Snapping back to his senses, Su Li recalled how his Master had been clutching his chest. He gripped Lu Yin’s collar; Lu Yin made no reaction, appearing completely at his mercy.
Gritating his teeth, Su Li said: “Master, forgive my offense!” With a strong pull of his large hand, he tore the collar open, discovering that black, crawling vein-like markings had already spread across the jade-like collarbone—and the very center of those markings lay right upon his chest!
Unable to care about anything else, Su Li buried his head and used his lips to draw out the black spot, which was no larger than the tip of a pin.
The moment his lips touched skin, Lu Yin twitched violently in struggle, like a fish out of water. His white-jade palm fluttered uselessly in midair before finally clutching Su Li’s tense shoulder, leaving behind stark wrinkles in the fabric.
Su Li buried his head deep, silent and unwavering.
Finally sucking out the tiny stinger, Su Li spat it out forcefully and hurriedly scooped up pool water to rinse his mouth.
Perhaps because the demonic seed had been destroyed, Su Li felt no discomfort whatsoever. However, Lu Yin’s chest remained swollen, with dark purple vein-like threads crawling across his skin, without a single drop of blood bleeding out.
This won’t do—the toxin is still inside his body!
Could it be that he had to… suck it out again?
Right then, the Mirage Monster’s power suddenly activated between Su Li’s brows. Through Su Li’s eyes, the toxins inside Lu Yin’s body had nowhere to hide.
A sudden realization struck him—the toxin needed to be purged using spiritual energy!
Circulating the Mirage Monster’s power, Su Li lowered his head once again.
Lu Yin’s Ice Spiritual Root was fully activated. Spiritual energy carried the toxins through his body, intertwining and coiling with the Mirage Monster’s power, ultimately converting into fine mist that was sucked directly into Su Li’s dantian!
The Mirage Monster’s power naturally favored water; it had no trouble draining giant vines, let alone a naturally rare Ice Spiritual Root.
“Ah…” Lu Yin seemed unable to endure it, merely opening his eyes blankly as an indistinct sigh escaped him.
Repetitively, the toxin was finally extracted from his body, and the dark purple markings on his chest gradually faded away.
Seeming to regain a fraction of his senses, Lu Yin murmured softly: “No… stop… I’m almost completely drained…”
He was naturally referring to his spiritual energy, but Su Li’s entire body shuddered, only now realizing that his Mirage Monster power was so domineering that it could drain his Nascent Soul Master’s dantian to dryness, while his own meridians were soaked in spiritual energy, feeling immensely comfortable.
What kind of wicked technique is this?!
And Master’s voice is far too… far too soft…
Lu Yin blinked his fluttery, butterfly-wing eyelashes in confusion, speaking with a crying tone: “Supreme Will Valley… get the Medical Immortal…”
The smile that had just surged onto Su Li’s face vanished in an instant, his expression turning pitch-black:
At a time like this, the one Master thinks of is actually his Dao companion, the Medical Immortal? Even though the one purging the toxin for him was me!
“Med… ical Immortal…” Lu Yin gripped Su Li’s hand, persisting weakly.
Su Li nearly ground his teeth to dust. Looking down at his Master, he couldn’t help saying: “Master, with your robes half-open like this, do you really plan to go see the Medical Immortal?”
“What? No…” Lu Yin seemed still half-conscious, softly refusing, “Call the Medical Immortal over…”
Is he truly that persistent…? A layer of blood-red haze welled up in Su Li’s eyes as well. Unknowingly, the shattered demonic energy was creeping toward him too. He slowly lowered his head, about to seal those lips that were annoying him in the next second.
“Su Li, I still have to go save Su Li…” Lu Yin gripped his hand tightly, eyes filled with anticipation, almost pleading.
Su Li’s eyes widened in shock, his breathing turning rapid.
The name he heard was actually his own!
Master… what is Master saying?
His heart hammered violently in his chest.
Even at this stage—even after all this—the one Master is thinking about is me!
The blood-red tint in Su Li’s eyes gradually receded. He raised his head and neatly pulled his Master’s collar back together.
Then, he released a transmitting paper kite into the air.
Since Master wants the Medical Immortal, then I shall call the Medical Immortal after all.