Chapter 123: Senior Brother, My Name Is Ling'er

The four Mermaid race islands were in utter chaos. Anomalous matter was constantly encroaching, and corpse poison was spreading everywhere. The surviving Mermaid cultivators looked ferocious, even more savage than usual, seemingly intent on dying alongside the Seven Blood Eyes disciples. However, the surviving Mermaid cultivators soon noticed something amiss.

Although the eight nine-headed giant snakes on the four islands were growing stronger, and the anomalous matter, corpse poison, and reanimated corpses on the ground were increasing, most of the Seventh Peak disciples were surprisingly well-prepared. Some immediately took out handfuls of white pills and consumed them as if they were candy. Others pulled out talisman treasures specifically designed to briefly isolate anomalous matter, using them without hesitation. A portion even began digging holes, seemingly planning to hide from the tide of corpses and resist the anomalous matter and corpse poison; however, those doing so were mostly cultivators of considerable strength. Meanwhile, other Seven Blood Eyes disciples simply took out their individual Dharma boats and watched the outside world from within.

Some even took out formation plates and set up arrays, calling out to fellow sect disciples to join them for a fee. Most exaggeratedly, on Immachi Island, someone, using an unknown method, controlled dozens of corpses to form a circle, constantly absorbing the surrounding anomalous matter and corpse poison. This allowed the Seven Blood Eyes disciples inside to relax and openly call other disciples to join them for a clearly stated price. The methods were diverse and varied.

Furthermore, some Seven Blood Eyes disciples simply dove into the tide of corpses to search the bodies for leather pouches, and even cases of luring and ambushing enemies became commonplace. They seemed completely unconcerned by the eight nine-headed giant snakes; or rather, even the presence of these eight terrifying snakes could not deter their desire to get rich. It was clear they were desperately poor, exuding an aura that said, "Either kill me, or don't stop me from getting resources."

This scene filled the Mermaid cultivators with a profound sense of powerlessness, but they soon understood why. In the sky, Seventh Master, who had been standing on a large wing, was initially enjoying the spectacle, delighted that the trial had become more challenging. However, the next instant, when he saw the eight nine-headed giant snakes, his eyes lit up. He suddenly raised his hand and pressed down forcefully, and three of the eight nine-headed giant snakes immediately wailed. Their bodies disintegrated, turning into black mist that rushed out of the formation and were rapidly drawn towards Seventh Master. As the mist gathered in his hand, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on his face. "This is a good item," he murmured.

Simultaneously, the thirteen Core Formation cultivators around them were also stirred, and they recklessly took action. Although the presence of the formation affected their attacks, with their combined effort, wisps of black energy immediately seeped out of the formation and were collected by them. The hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators nearby could not stand idly by. Each employed their own methods, some even flying close to the edge of the formation to frantically collect resources.

Under their concerted efforts, the remaining five giant snakes within the formation appeared stunted. Their aura rapidly diminished in an instant, and one was even directly drained, dissipating amidst its wails. The remaining four also continuously dropped in cultivation from the Core Formation realm, quickly reaching the early Foundation Establishment stage. This decline hadn't stopped; they were still weakening, though at a slower pace.

The Mermaid Ancestor watched this scene, observing the excitement on the faces of the Seven Blood Eyes cultivators all around, and his heart filled with utter despair. The esteemed Seven Blood Eyes, such a grand sect, had changed. Everything had changed since Zheng Kaiyi became the Seventh Peak Master...

At the same time, some Seven Blood Eyes disciples on the four Mermaid islands, seeing this sight, were also stirred. They rushed out to join forces with their sectmates to surround and kill the giant snakes. On Juying Island, Ding Xiaohai, his clothes tattered but his momentum soaring, was the first to charge directly towards the giant snake outside Fishbone City. Three other fellow disciples also rushed from nearby to join him in attack. However, the other three were aiming to collect resources, while Ding Xiaohai's goal was to kill.

Amidst the resounding roars, Xu Qing witnessed this scene and also saw the three individuals who were attacking alongside Ding Xiaohai. Each was remarkable, and among them, a young woman in a gray Daoist robe was particularly eye-catching. This young woman was petite but exuded captivating charm. Her face resembled a hibiscus, her eyebrows were like willow leaves, and her eyes, more alluring than peach blossoms, were incredibly captivating. A strand of beautiful hair danced in the wind, and her crimson lips curved slightly upward, making her exceptionally beautiful. Her Daoist robe was quite loose on her, yet as her body swayed, one could still discern the fullness of her chest and her peach-like hip shape, especially her extremely slender waist, which made her figure particularly striking.

Zhang San swallowed hard, but the pressure from the giant snake made his heart tremble. He felt that with his strength, a sweep from a single snake head would leave him crippled if not dead. Xu Qing's gaze swept over them without a ripple. His focus was on the nine-headed giant snake. The image of the snake now overlapped with that of the murals in his mind, which astonished him and also heightened his vigilance considerably. He worried that if this snake existed, then the giant with two great worlds on his shoulders might also appear.

"Now that it's suppressed by the formation, it's easier to get! If we can get some and sell it, we'll get rich. Everyone on the mountain will be scrambling to buy it. I never would have thought that Ding Xiaohai, who usually seems so proper, actually has ulterior motives, knowing this is good stuff and going for it!" "No way, I've got my eye on this thing. Zhang San, let's go!"

Zhang San's face twitched. He immediately turned and ran swiftly in the opposite direction without looking back, clearly unwilling to go courting death. "Zhang San, don't be a coward! Go on! That's valuable stuff!" "Or I could just put you down, and you can crawl over yourself," Zhang San retorted. The Captain sighed and turned to Xu Qing. "Xu Qing, you go. That thing is really good stuff."

Xu Qing ignored him. Having obtained the supreme treasure, he didn't want to take any risks. His only thought at the moment was to endure until the grand competition ended, quickly leave this place, and immediately reach the Foundation Establishment realm upon returning. Seeing that Xu Qing also wasn't going, the Captain sighed deeply. He took out a half-eaten, blackened apple from earlier, looked at the giant snake, took a bite, and his face showed immense regret and a profound sense of heartache, as if he felt others were snatching away his possessions.

Just then, among the four individuals battling the giant snake in the distance, the alluring young woman, while nimbly moving around the snake, seemed to sense something. She suddenly turned her head to look in the direction of Xu Qing and his two companions. After her beautiful eyes noticed Xu Qing, the young woman's eyes visibly brightened. She quickly nodded towards Xu Qing, as if greeting him. Seeing that Xu Qing wasn't paying attention to her, a flying talisman on her body flashed, and she abandoned the giant snake, flying directly towards Xu Qing. As a whistling sound approached, Xu Qing immediately looked up vigilantly, a black iron skewer appearing in his right hand. He stared at the rapidly approaching young woman, his poison powder ready.

Strangers meeting by chance, and the other party approaching so quickly, made Xu Qing instantly wary. Seeing this, Zhang San noticed Xu Qing's intention to release poison, and, startled, he quickly put some distance between them, also looking at the newcomer. The Captain, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes, his expression a half-smile.

"Hello, Senior Brother!" As if oblivious to Xu Qing's vigilance, the young woman happily ran over, raised her right hand, and surprisingly produced a ball of black mist. This object was precisely the giant snake's flesh and blood, which the young woman had placed in a transparent bottle. "Senior Brother, I'm Ling'er from the Intelligence Department. I have a question for you. If you tell me, I'll give you this piece of meat, okay?"

The young woman arrived, her voice as melodious as a nightingale, but she seemed oblivious to others' expressions. Without waiting for Xu Qing to speak, she immediately blurted out her question: "Senior Brother, do you like snakes, or do you like eating snake gallbladders?" The young woman looked on expectantly, as if this question had been buried in her heart for a very long time, and she had finally found an opportunity to ask it. After speaking, she stared directly at Xu Qing, completely ignoring the Captain and Zhang San.

Zhang San looked at the alluring young woman in front of him, petite in stature but with an exaggeratedly curvy figure, then at Xu Qing, and sighed deeply in his heart. Xu Qing's brow furrowed. He instinctively took a few steps back. While remaining wary, he was also very curious about her question, so he slowly spoke: "Snake gallbladders are too bitter." "So you like snakes then!"

Upon hearing this, the young woman's eyes brightened even further. She didn't bother to hide her emotions; her happiness was plainly visible on her face, and she even spun around excitedly. She then handed the small bottle in her hand to Xu Qing and, satisfied, ran off, as if to continue battling the nine-headed snake.

The Captain, still on Zhang San's back, glanced at the small bottle in Xu Qing's hand and suddenly shouted to the young woman running into the distance: "Junior Sister Ling'er, you can ask me a question too! Or three! How about ten?" Ling'er looked back, stuck out her tongue at the Captain, and quickly ran further away. The Captain's face filled with indignation. He patted Zhang San's head, his voice tinged with dissatisfaction. "Why not me? I'm not bad-looking! Ten questions isn't more cost-effective than just one from Xu Qing?" "Why not? You don't even have a lower body anymore, why would you?" Zhang San quietly retorted.

The Captain paused, wanting to retort, but seeing Zhang San's apparent intention to release him, he held back. And so, time slowly passed. The remaining four giant snakes grew increasingly weaker as the cultivators from the Seventh Peak outside the formation continuously collected resources from them. Moreover, the Seven Peak disciples inside the formation, having guessed their value, swarmed them like wolf cubs. Consequently, the giant snakes gradually disintegrated one after another. This grand competition ended with the last giant snake tearing apart.

At this moment, the formation in the sky boomed open. Outside, it was early morning, and the long-awaited sunlight streamed down, bathing the heavily scarred Mermaid race territory and falling upon the disciples with bulging pockets. Although half of the disciples had perished, each of the remaining ones reflected a bright light in their eyes under the morning glow. Xu Qing was among them. He looked up at the many cultivators in the sky, his gaze ultimately settling on the figure standing atop the large wing.