Chapter 096

Chapter 96: Battling the Five-Colored Boa

Yun Xi tightened her fists unconsciously. Secretly extending her spiritual sense outward, she saw a herd of single-horned rhinoceros beasts rushing fiercely toward the city gates. Crawling close behind were sharp-snouted crocodiles, moving swiftly along the ground. Their advance was relentless and menacing.

The second-stage demon beasts cared nothing for the weaker first-stage creatures. Whatever blocked their path, they crushed without hesitation. The air filled with the endless cries of dying beasts, and the cultivators tasked with watching over the battlefield immediately sounded the alarm.

At the signal, the Qi Refining cultivators battling outside the city walls swiftly covered each other’s retreat back to the safety of the protective array. Yun Xi realized immediately: [It’s time for the Foundation Establishment cultivators to fight.]

Sure enough, Sheng Yu Hong turned decisively, leading the Foundation Establishment disciples of the Grand Righteous Sect down from the city wall into battle.

Yun Xi barely had a chance to prepare herself before she was swept forward into the fight by her fellow disciples. When her feet finally stopped moving, the scent of blood grew unbearably strong.

“Yun Xi, don’t just stand there! Prepare yourself!” Mu Ning Zhu called urgently, noticing Yun Xi’s momentary distraction.

Snapping back to reality, Yun Xi released her spiritual sense to stay alert while firmly gripping the Seven Star Fatal Staff. She poured her spiritual energy into the staff, watching as it instantly expanded in length.

There was a reason she had chosen this weapon. Single-horned rhinoceros beasts were thick-skinned and sturdy, famous for their reckless charges. Their horns, incredibly tough, were prized materials for weapon refining. Meanwhile, her practice of the Peerless Sword Lightning Manual was still rudimentary. If she openly used her lightning energy, she risked exposure, so instead, she chose to disguise her swordsmanship with the staff.

[If things go badly, I’ll just rely on the white magnolia defensive hairpin,] Yun Xi thought grimly. [I only need to stay alive.]

Mu Ning Zhu saw Qin Tong Shuang and Long Dao Yu’s team cornered by two rhinoceros beasts, unable to retreat. Without hesitation, she dashed toward them, sword raised, with Yun Xi following closely behind.

Mu Ning Zhu’s blade sliced across the hide of a charging rhinoceros beast, leaving a bloody gash. The wounded beast grew even wilder, snorting furiously as it charged straight at Mu Ning Zhu.

Executing the Thousand Shadows Riding the Wind technique, Yun Xi twisted gracefully around Mu Ning Zhu. She leaped high into the air, then descended swiftly, gripping the Seven Star Fatal Staff with both hands. Using gravity to her advantage, she struck the rhinoceros beast squarely on the head.

A dull thud resounded, and Yun Xi felt the beast’s skull fracture beneath her blow. Unable to withstand the powerful strike, it collapsed onto its knees, slumping sideways into unconsciousness. Yun Xi quickly collected the beast into her storage bag, only then noticing Qin Tong Shuang and Long Dao Yu staring in shock.

Yun Xi spoke impatiently, “What are you two doing? Get back quickly! We won’t be able to protect you once the fighting intensifies!”

“Ah! Right!”

“We’ll retreat right now!” the pair hastily responded, finally regaining their senses. They inwardly marveled at the clear gap between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators.

Mu Ning Zhu was engaged in combat with another rhinoceros beast, but from the corner of her eye, she caught Yun Xi’s astonishing move. Suppressing the twitch of her mouth, she called out, “Yun Xi, over here!”

Yun Xi swatted away a sharp-snouted crocodile crawling toward her feet. With a swift, ghost-like motion, she reached Mu Ning Zhu’s side, crouched low, and smashed the staff directly into the rhinoceros beast’s knee. Another crisp snap rang out.

Instantly, Mu Ning Zhu seized the opening, stabbing her sword into the beast’s eye with a flash of green sword-light. The rhinoceros beast dropped dead immediately, and Mu Ning Zhu wasted no time claiming her prize into her storage bag.

They exchanged a quick, knowing glance before rushing to save Zhang Yan, who was struggling desperately against another beast.

Zhang Yan had thought death certain at the hands of the second-stage demon beast. But when Mu Ning Zhu and Yun Xi appeared, working in perfect harmony to rescue him, he swiftly wiped the blood from his mouth and retreated gratefully behind the defensive array.

By now, the sharp-snouted crocodiles had fully entered the battlefield, followed closely by a swarm of colorful snakes.

Yun Xi’s head spun at the sight. She muttered softly, “Did we disturb a snake den or something?”

Mu Ning Zhu’s expression hardened further. She swiftly warned, “Yun Xi, keep detoxifying pills in your mouth. If you’re bitten, swallow one immediately.”

“Thanks for the reminder, Senior Sister.” Yun Xi genuinely hadn’t considered that danger. She quickly took two detoxifying pills from her storage, wrapped them in ice-attribute spiritual energy, and placed them into her mouth. Then, brandishing her staff, she began attacking fiercely.

Stealthily, she also began infusing her strikes with lightning energy. Even if the blows weren’t strong enough to kill, the lightning could still stun the demon beasts. She could always claim later that the Seven Star Fatal Staff contained lightning-attribute minerals.

In her frenzy of attacks against rhinoceros beasts and sharp-snouted crocodiles, Yun Xi didn’t notice when one of the stars engraved on her staff briefly lit up, then faded once more.

Just as the battle reached its most heated, Yun Xi was suddenly caught off guard. A Five-Colored Boa’s tail whipped through the air, flinging her into a cluster of writhing snakes.

Mu Ning Zhu’s shout echoed urgently, “Yun Xi!”

But Yun Xi had no time to respond. She rolled swiftly across the ground, slamming a palm down and releasing a wave of frost, instantly freezing every snake within five meters.

At that critical moment, a crimson glow enveloped her. Cracks appeared in one of the ruby earrings on her ear, sacrificing itself to block the fatal strike from the Five-Colored Boa.

Struggling to her feet amid surging blood and qi, Yun Xi felt the cold gaze of the boa upon her, its slitted pupils fixed maliciously as it slithered closer, flicking its tongue menacingly.

Clenching her teeth, Yun Xi spun the staff fiercely, shattering all the frozen snakes around her before storing their bodies away. Then, stepping forward with spectral grace, she charged the Five-Colored Boa directly.

“I’ll eat anything—but losses are not on the menu!” Yun Xi muttered defiantly as she matched blows with the enormous snake.

Mu Ning Zhu’s heart trembled watching Yun Xi’s reckless courage. A Foundation Establishment cultivator daring to confront a second-stage peak beast head-on—she wasn’t sure whether Yun Xi was simply daring or foolishly unafraid of death.

However, Mu Ning Zhu had no chance to watch further. A rhinoceros beast and sharp-snouted crocodile chose that exact moment to attack her simultaneously. She swiftly summoned vines to restrain the crocodile and lunged at the rhinoceros, sword striking rapidly. When her first blow was blocked, she didn’t hesitate, flipping through the air and launching a sword-light that ended the crocodile’s struggle for good.

Above, Sheng Yu Hong hovered, eyes fixed on the most dangerous beasts across the battlefield. He periodically lent support to disciples, aiding their escape. Then he spotted Yun Xi, fiercely locked in combat with the Five-Colored Boa. His expression instantly darkened.

“Wei Yun Xi! Retreat immediately!” Sheng Yu Hong roared furiously.

But Yun Xi was too caught up in her battle. She had discovered, intriguingly, that each swing of the Seven Star Fatal Staff increased its destructive power without adding weight. The Boa’s tail was already dented beneath her relentless blows, enraging it further. It hissed continuously, clearly summoning reinforcements.

Yun Xi was determined to claim the beast’s precious skin, famed for being impervious to water, fire, blades, and spears. So she feigned deafness to Sheng Yu Hong’s calls, continuing to dance gracefully around her foe, wielding her staff with focused intensity.

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed across the entire battlefield.