Chapter 70: Wolfish Embarrassment

While it's advantageous to leverage external resources, relying on them too heavily as support is ultimately ill-advised.

"Old geezer..."

Wang Yu cursed under his breath, certain that Liu Jinxian and the two others wouldn't conceal his actions. It seemed his only option now was to flee.

Return to the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect?

The sect had rules, but enforcement was poor. People frequently disappeared within its gates, and as long as there were no witnesses, it was mostly overlooked. Deaths were simply deaths, and bodies were even repurposed as materials to train other disciples. Wang Yu himself had killed over ten people; the sect's stronghold offered him no real sense of security.

Moving into the Enforcement Hall was an option, but a new problem would arise: he'd have to procure spirit stones for the second-generation Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Zhuo. That neither suited his personality nor did he have the time.

The situation with True Disciple Su at Cold Blood Peak was equally chaotic. Though he seemed to be under Su's command, he had long since been operating independently. Placing his hopes on that individual would be tantamount to courting death. At a critical juncture, Zhao Shang might even betray him.

The Reverse Spirit Blood Sect was nothing but a demon's den; returning was out of the question. However, he still needed access to demonic cultivation secrets and couldn't genuinely betray the sect. Too few hidden techniques were available at the Qi Condensation stage. Perhaps after breaking through to Foundation Establishment, he would have a chance to visit the sect's scripture pavilion again.

With time pressing, he secretly fled into the distance, desperately trying to devise a plan.

Just as Deacon Xu was about to deliver the final blows to the Bone Lion King, a flash of inspiration struck Wang Yu.

The Reverse Spirit Blood Sect controlled four prefectures, and Feng Prefecture was the most remote. It was not only close to the Endless Ice Plains but also very near the Northern Sea of the Chaotic Ancient Sea. If he ever truly faced an impossible situation, plunging into the ocean would serve as a valid retreat. Furthermore, the branch sect of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect in Feng Prefecture, being geographically distant from the main power, had its highest cultivation level at only the Core Formation stage, making it significantly weaker than the branches in the other three prefectures.

Communication between the main sect and the branch was also infrequent. Perhaps he could seek refuge in Feng Prefecture City. Although he was an outer sect disciple, he carried an Enforcement Hall token, which, for a local branch sect, actually carried more weight than the status of an inner sect disciple.

With this in mind, Wang Yu, while swiftly fleeing, pulled out the map Gu Zhengshun had given him. The map only marked the area within a thousand li of Mystic Bone Mountain, but by deducing from his previous route, he could roughly determine his position. He could then roughly determine the location of "Feng Prefecture City." Without hesitation, he immediately sped off at full force in a southeasterly direction, confident he couldn't go wrong as long as he reached a large city.

As for his flying artifact, the Black Silk, it was suitable for long-distance travel but useless for escaping; it wasn't as fast as he could run on foot. Soon after, he completely vanished from the Mystic Bone Mountain area, his patrol duty entirely abandoned.

Meanwhile.

The panting Deacon Xu, after considerable effort, finally slew the Bone Lion King. His left shoulder was completely impaled by a bone spur, and blood flowed ceaselessly. It was clear he was not a dominant powerhouse among those of his cultivation level.

Liu Jinxian, Situ Hong, and the others emerged sequentially from their temporary cave dwelling, looking at Deacon Xu with a mix of surprise and uncertainty. Ultimately, Liu Jinxian stepped forward and spoke:

"May I ask which senior from the sect you are, and what business brings you to Junior Brother Wang Yu?"

Deacon Xu, with bloodshot eyes, instantly appeared before Liu Jinxian. With a swift motion of his right hand, he completely restrained her, his thumb and forefinger clasping her throat as he chillingly demanded:

"Speak, where is Wang Yu?!"

Lunatic.

This scene caused Situ Hong and Gu Zhengshun to repeatedly back away. He was truly insane to dare treat someone surnamed Liu this way; even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would face dire consequences.

Liu Jinxian, gasping for breath with her mouth wide open, managed to raise a hand and point towards the location where Wang Yu had previously opened his temporary cave dwelling.

Deacon Xu turned his head to look, his grip loosening slightly. Just as he was about to press her for more information, an unexpected situation occurred.

Liu Jinxian brought up her knee and elbow, simultaneously breaking free from his grasp while striking Deacon Xu's forearm. At the same moment, a small emerald-green snake slithered out from her sleeve, secretly bit him, and then quickly let go. A flying sword flew out from her storage bag, carrying her swiftly backward, as she furiously cursed in humiliation:

"Where did this lunatic come from, to be so utterly audacious? My father will never let you off!"

Deacon Xu paused, looking at the wound on his palm. A jade-green line was already spreading from the wound along his meridians. His expression drastically changed. "Jade Snake Poison Thread Gu! You..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Jinxian, feeling utterly disgraced and hysterical, erupted. Her dignity had been trampled, and her inherently insecure personality completely unraveled. Her slender hand grabbed the small snake from her sleeve and crushed it.

The next instant.

A Core Formation aura descended as a colossal emerald-green snake phantom, at least a hundred meters long with bright yellow pupils and a look of pure fury, coiled behind her.

"Who dares to harm my beloved daughter!"

This was bad.

Deacon Xu's heart skipped a beat as he fully grasped Liu Jinxian's identity. This technique was akin to a Talisman Treasure. Core Formation cultivators would use their Natal Artifact's power, at the cost of its essence, to create a Talisman Treasure capable of saving their offspring's life in a crucial moment. A third-tier Talisman Treasure was the most basic requirement, and its creation was quite troublesome for the cultivator. It was typically only made by cultivators nearing the end of their lifespan, when their descendants faced difficulties. What Liu Jinxian used was a Gu Dao lineage trump card, a pseudo-talisman treasure equivalent to a Core Formation cultivator's full-power strike. How could Deacon Xu not be terrified?

This scene made Situ Hong click his tongue in amazement, grateful he hadn't clashed with Liu Jinxian in the underground palace. Such a trump card, granted only through immense favor, was beyond the reach of both him and Gu Zhengshun.

"Die!"

The colossal snake soared and charged towards Deacon Xu. Panic-stricken, he retreated while using his hand like a blade, severing his right hand, which had been bitten by the small snake, at the wrist. This sub-gu, derived from a Core Formation Gu cultivator's Natal Gu, was even more potent than a typical Talisman Treasure. Facing mortal danger, he had no choice but to emergency amputate his arm to prevent the poison from spreading to his heart.

At that moment, the giant snake phantom bit down, spraying poisonous liquid everywhere. Deacon Xu could only deploy his alchemy furnace to resist, then manifest a True Stellar protective barrier around himself with his true essence. A mirror also flew out from within him, adding another layer of golden light defense.

The alchemy furnace was the first to suffer, instantly corroded into a lump of scrap metal by the venom. It had an uncanny similarity to the venom of Corroding Poison Bees, which explained why Liu Jinxian had come to Mystic Bone Mountain to capture them. Immediately after, the True Stellar protective barrier shattered. The third layer, the golden light mirror, was also directly pierced by the giant snake's fangs. With a swing of its tail, the emerald-green serpent instantly coiled around him, completely encircling him.

A green light flashed and vanished.

"Boom—"

A terrifying explosion engulfed everything. Liu Jinxian vigilantly watched the rising dust and smoke, wary of any potential changes.

About five breaths later, a charred, one-armed figure, covered in flowing green liquid, stepped onto a dark gray ominous cloud and fled into the distance.

"Not dead?" Liu Jinxian frowned, turning to Situ Hong and Gu Zhengshun. "Let's go kill him together. We'll split the spoils."

Gu Zhengshun quickly shook his head. "I'm not going."

Situ Hong added, "I'm not going either."

"Two wastes," Liu Jinxian scoffed. "No wonder Wang Yu could dominate you both!"

With that, she summoned the pavilion-shaped flying artifact she had used to arrive and unhesitatingly pursued him, revealing her utter ferocity!