After instructing her disciples, the young girl turned her attention back to the swamp before her and murmured softly, “It seems that thing must be inside this box! All the previous trips were wasted—what we found was nothing but trash!”
Her voice was so low that none of the disciples could hear her. They were all too excited about the upcoming battle.
Upon the young girl’s command, the male and female disciples of the Masked Moon Sect immediately stood side by side with their cultivation partners and skillfully clasped hands. Instantly, a strange glow of blue and red light emanated from their overlapping palms, spreading along their arms and enveloping their entire bodies. The six pairs of dual-cultivation disciples were now shrouded in a dazzling display of red light for the men and blue light for the women, creating a mesmerizing interwoven spectacle. The remaining three disciples—two women and one man—who had lost their partners, could only take out a few magical instruments and make basic preparations.
Han Li, lying on the dirt mound, hadn’t heard the young girl’s murmurs, but he clearly caught the female disciple addressing her as “Ancestor Master.” The shock of this realization nearly made him bite his tongue.
“Ancestor Master of the Masked Moon Sect”—what did that mean? Han Li was no novice to the world of immortal cultivation; he understood perfectly. That meant she was a Core Formation expert, just like his own sect’s Ancestor Master Li! How could such a high-level expert appear in this forbidden land where no cultivator above the Foundation Establishment stage was allowed? His mind was thrown into chaos.
At that moment, the young girl saw that her disciples were all prepared and nodded in satisfaction before taking action.
She slightly parted her lips and spat out her magical treasure, the Vermilion Bird Ring. The ring flew into the air above the swamp, spinning rapidly and expanding to the size of a house. In an instant, its color shifted from pink to a fiery red, and sparks began to appear inside the ring, gathering and growing brighter until hundreds of fist-sized, scorching fireballs formed within the large ring. The temperature in the underground world rose sharply once again.
Han Li watched from the dirt mound, utterly stunned. With such grandeur and power, if this wasn’t a magical treasure, he wouldn’t believe it even if beaten to death.
The fact that the young girl could wield a magical treasure confirmed she was undoubtedly a Core Formation expert. But how had she managed to enter the forbidden land, and why was her spiritual power only at the peak of the Qi Refining stage? These questions swirled in Han Li’s mind, but he couldn’t find any answers.
Before the young girl could take further action, movement began in the swamp below. Centered around a specific spot, the mud began to churn and surge, the area of turbulence expanding and rising higher until it formed a tall bulge, creating an astonishing spectacle.
The young girl’s face flickered with confusion. In her memory, the Black Scale Python shouldn’t have such imposing momentum!
However, seeing the demon beast about to reveal itself, she didn’t dare hesitate. Forming a hand seal resembling an orchid, she connected her mind to the massive Vermilion Bird Ring, which began spinning mid-air until it became a blur from the speed. The hundreds of fireballs inside merged into a sea of blazing flames.
“Go!” the young girl shouted, her hand seal stabilizing abruptly.
Instantly, the ring’s rotation came to a sudden halt, and the sea of flames inside transformed into a thick, raging pillar of fire that shot downward toward the bulging swamp.
But before the pillar of fire could reach the swamp, a jet of ink-black water, as thick as a bowl, shot out from the bulging mud, directly countering the incoming flames.
A sizzling sound erupted between the two forces, and large clouds of steam billowed forth, shrouding the area in a thick mist that blurred everything.
“This isn’t the Black Scale Python!” the young girl exclaimed, her expression shifting dramatically upon seeing the jet-black water column.
As if in response to her words, a strange, sharp cry pierced through the white mist, followed by a gust of scorching wind that swept away the steam, revealing the true form of the demon beast.
A black, snake-like creature covered in massive scales appeared before everyone.
This snake-like demon beast wasn’t particularly large, only about three to four zhang long, but its entire body was shrouded in a faint black mist, giving it an extremely eerie appearance. From head to tail, it resembled an ordinary black python, except for its glossy, jet-black scales.
“Ink Flood Dragon!” the young girl cried out in recognition, her face showing a mix of fear and excitement.
The disciples behind her were bewildered. Wasn’t this the “Black Scale Python”? Why was she calling it an “Ink Flood Dragon”?
The young girl had no time to explain. The demon beast, floating several zhang above the ground, had already identified those who disturbed its rest. Its small green eyes flashed with malice, and it opened its mouth to shoot another jet of black water directly at the Masked Moon Sect disciples.
“Beast! You seek death!” Well aware of the Ink Flood Dragon’s power, the young girl didn’t dare neglect it, even though it appeared young. She pointed at the Vermilion Bird Ring in the air, and it glowed brightly with red light, instantly flashing in front of her. A series of fireballs shot out from the ring, intercepting the black water mid-air.
“Capture, Speed, Restrain, Confine, Lock!” The young girl formed a half-moon shape with her hands and solemnly uttered five words of power.
As soon as the words left her mouth, the massive Vermilion Bird Ring trembled violently mid-air, emitted a low hum, and vanished. The newly intelligent Ink Flood Dragon blinked its small eyes in confusion.
But in the next moment, the ring reappeared directly above the demon beast with a buzzing sound. Before the beast could react, the ring plunged downward, shrinking rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it tightly encircled the middle of the Ink Flood Dragon’s body, bursting into flames that engulfed half of the beast in blazing fire.
“Attack quickly! I can’t hold the Ink Flood Dragon for long!” Although the ring had trapped the demon beast, the young girl showed no relief, instead urging her disciples with urgency.
The Masked Moon Sect disciples, though confused about the beast’s identity, didn’t hesitate to unleash their long-prepared attacks.
“Strike!” Under the lead of an older female disciple in white, over a dozen red and blue light beams shot forth with a terrifying whistling sound, striking the immobilized demon beast accurately.
A series of loud explosions echoed as the light beams were forcefully blocked by the faint black mist surrounding the beast, resulting in violent bursts of energy.
“Keep attacking! The Ink Flood Dragon’s protective mist won’t hold much longer!” the young girl commanded sharply while continuing to channel her energy into the Vermilion Bird Ring, intensifying the flames engulfing the beast.
Under her orders, the disciples relentlessly fired red and blue light beams at the demon beast. Although they hadn’t yet broken through the black mist, the attacks drove the beast into a frenzy. It thrashed its head and tail wildly, struggling desperately to break free from the ring. But despite its efforts, the ring remained firmly in place, tightly restraining it under the young girl’s full power.
Han Li watched from the sidelines, his heart racing. He had never seen such a large group of cultivators joining forces against an enemy, especially with a magical treasure involved and facing a powerful demon beast. It was an eye-opening experience.
However, Han Li had made up his mind: whether the demon beast defeated its enemies or the Masked Moon Sect disciples killed it, he would slip away quietly after the battle. Now was not the time to recklessly expose himself.
“Woo—” Just as Han Li was lost in thought, the Ink Flood Dragon let out a long cry, several times louder than before, filled with pain.
Startled, Han Li focused his gaze and saw that the black mist around the beast had completely dissipated. A bloodied hole the size of a bowl had appeared on its scaly body, clearly injured by the red and blue light beams. The pain only made the beast struggle more violently.
“It seems the Masked Moon Sect has the upper hand!” Han Li thought to himself.
“Not good! Be careful! I can’t hold the Ink Flood Dragon any longer!” Just then, the young girl’s voice rang out, causing Han Li to pause. It seemed the outcome was still uncertain.
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