Chapter 9: Within the Deep Mountains Lies a Hidden Realm
After shattering the light shield, the tail hammer continued its momentum and struck the chest of the seventh junior disciple. A sound of bones breaking echoed as the seventh junior disciple was violently sent flying, crashing heavily against the stone wall, blood gushing forth as he fell to the ground. The crocodile let out a triumphant roar before plunging into the magma pool, splashing countless droplets of lava.
However, the consequence of being soft-hearted is that those individuals sought revenge with numerous accomplices. In the end, Lin Xiao flew into a rage, resulting in a bloodbath, and all feelings of resistance vanished. This is no longer the world of the past; it is a world where the weak are preyed upon by the strong, and strength reigns supreme. One must never show mercy.
The flames at the spot where the crocodile was attacked dimmed, emitting a hissing sound. This strike was powerful, sending the crocodile's body flying. However, the crocodile, with its innate combat prowess, swung its long tail with remarkable agility as it was propelled away. The Seventh Disciple had just escaped the crocodile's jaws, and his previously tense state of mind relaxed. As a result, he was caught off guard and was heavily struck by the tail, shattering the protective blue shield around him.
However, watching the crocodile continuously spewing flames, its long tail smashing against the rock walls, sending debris flying, the spectacle was truly terrifying. Nevertheless, they did not stray too far from the magma pool. The bodies of the two cultivators were enveloped in a blue orb of light, seemingly unfazed by the flames emitted by the crocodile. While dodging alongside *Tu* *Shu*, they continuously wielded their flying swords to attack the crocodile.
The two cultivators were engaged in battle with a crocodile. The lizard stood an impressive two meters tall, measuring ten meters from head to tail, its body enveloped in boiling flames and covered in bright red scales. Its thick, long tail ended in a round ball the size of a watermelon, resembling a massive hammerhead. Lin Xiao, having only a limited understanding of metals and ores used in sword refining, was utterly clueless about what this creature actually was
"Beast, do not resist your fate!" The senior brother roared, channeling his true essence to activate the Water Droplet Treasure. The Water Droplet Treasure instantly transformed into a massive ice sphere and hurled towards the crocodile. The crocodile did not back down; it opened its mouth and shot out two large fireballs to meet the attack, while simultaneously twisting its body and swinging its long tail.
After several days of travel, Lin Xiao began to feel somewhat bored. He had not encountered any cultivators, but he did come across quite a few secular martial artists engaged in conflicts, their motives invariably revolving around various secret manuals and divine weapons. Lin Xiao was also caught up in this, and on several occasions, when someone sought trouble with him, he ended up incapacitating them. Coming from a world governed by law, he still felt some aversion to killing.
The flames of the crocodile had little effect, and after several attacks with its long tail proved ineffective, it became agitated. With a loud roar, its flames surged, and its short, stout limbs suddenly pushed against the ground, leaping towards the junior disciple alongside Tushiran. The senior disciple exclaimed, "Beast, how dare you! Seventh junior disciple, be careful!" At the same time, a circular magical artifact shot out, striking fiercely against the side of the crocodile's body.
Lin Xiao, with keen eyes, noticed that the tail hammer had developed a dent, indicating the tremendous force of the previous impact. The senior brother was also affected by the shockwave but managed to withstand it resolutely, as behind him was the seventh junior brother. A trace of fresh blood trickled from the corner of his mouth; with a flicker of his mind, he circulated his true essence and promptly retracted the water droplet artifact.
He did not enter immediately, but waited for a long time. Then, his consciousness spread out like a spider web, scanning the entire valley and the surrounding peaks. After confirming that no one else was hiding secretly like he had just done, he finally felt at ease to move the boulder aside. After entering the cave, he moved the boulder back into place.
After gently placing down the Seventh Disciple, he turned to face the crocodile that had just crawled ashore, his eyes filled with a hatred as vast as the sea. With a loud shout, an astonishing chill suddenly erupted from his body. A flash of blue light revealed a water droplet-shaped magical artifact appearing in his palm, slowly rotating. The intense cold was palpable even to Lin Xiao. The crocodile seemed to sense the danger of this object, its fiery red eyes fixated on the water droplet artifact, hissing as sparks occasionally flew from its mouth.
Suddenly, a red light flickered ahead. Lin Xiao slowly approached with Tu Shu to take a look, and was immediately taken aback. At the end of a straight passageway of over ten meters was a vast space. In the center of this space was a magma pool approximately one hundred meters in diameter, with bubbling magma boiling vigorously, releasing a pungent gas continuously. In the center of the magma pool stood a large rock, upon which grew a fiery red flower. This flower resembled the snow lotus seen in a previous life, except that its petals were bright red like fire, which suggested it must be the Fire Lotus.
Seventh Junior Brother! Upon seeing his junior brother in such a miserable state, the senior brother immediately roared and flew over, taking out a blue pill and placing it into Seventh Junior Brother's mouth. "Seventh Junior Brother, you must hold on! I will kill that beast to avenge you, and then I will take you back to find Master. Master will surely have a way to heal you!"
Although it was pitch dark inside, it had no effect on him at all. After walking for a while, the terrain suddenly descended, and it twisted and turned at the same time. Lin Xiao did not dare to be careless; although he was not afraid of that Golden Core stage, he was still no match for that Nascent Soul stage. Moving cautiously as if he were a thief, he slowly advanced forward.
Unfortunately, the quality of their flying swords is quite poor, as they are unable to penetrate the scales of the crocodile's body. Each time the flying swords strike, they produce a clanging sound, as if colliding with metal. Lin Xiao wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes radiating a fiery light. It is evident that the two individuals possess water-based protective treasures, which is why they are unafraid of the flames spewed by the crocodile.
Upon hearing his junior brother's words, the Nascent Soul stage cultivator displayed an expression of excitement. Then, the junior brother pushed aside the massive stone behind him, revealing an opening about the height of a person. Lin Xiao secretly scoffed in his heart, realizing that this fellow had used the stone to conceal the entrance, no wonder he had not discovered it.
Having chased into a valley in the southwest of Lingxiao Sect, Lin Xiao lost track of the little weasel. Just as he was searching, he suddenly noticed two beams of sword light flying towards him. He was startled; this was the first time he had encountered cultivators in these past few days. He quickly concealed himself in a dense thicket, gathering his sword energy in his dantian and holding his breath. Peering through a small gap, he saw two cultivators descend and approach a cliff face to converse. Although they were not too far away, the wind in the valley made their words intermittent and unclear.
It was unclear how long he had been walking, but Lin Xiao estimated that he had already descended several hundred meters underground. After walking for more than twenty meters, the temperature of the air in the cave suddenly changed, and a wave of heat rushed towards him. Moreover, there seemed to be faint sounds of fighting in the distance. Lin Xiao became increasingly cautious and dared not be careless. After turning a few corners, the air temperature had become scorching, accompanied by bursts of a sulfurous smell. Lin Xiao had no choice but to channel his sword's elemental power to resist. After turning a few corners, the air temperature had become scorching, accompanied by bursts of a sulfurous smell. Lin Xiao had no choice but to channel his sword's elemental power to resist.
The ice mass easily shattered the two fireballs into a rain of flames, and then collided with the crocodile's tail hammer. The collision of ice and fire energy resulted in a violent explosion, and the turbulent airflow immediately surged forth. The water drop artifact was blasted away, reverting to its original form, and smashed into a hard stone wall. The crocodile seemed to be in great pain, emitting a frenzied roar, flames spewing wildly from its mouth, while its body was tossed around twice by the airflow.
On that day, as he was eating, a purple shadow flashed by like lightning and snatched the roasted meat from his hand. Lin Xiao looked on in astonishment, only to find that it was a small purple marten. The marten, clutching a piece of roasted meat larger than itself, was making a series of chattering sounds at Lin Xiao. Amused, Lin Xiao got up and pounced. The marten, still holding the roasted meat, transformed into a purple shadow and ran away
However, the few words that were heard were all keywords, and Lin Xiao could roughly infer the content of the conversation. It was likely that the Golden Core stage cultivator, who was gesturing excitedly, had discovered a Fire Lotus Flower in a certain cave, but due to the presence of a fire beast guarding it, he was unable to defeat the fire beast with his own strength, so he sought help from his senior brother
The two individuals may have been a bit agitated by the sting of the Fire Lotus Flower, so they merely glanced at it with their naked eyes before diving into the cave. They pulled the boulder back inside, once again covering the entrance. Lin Xiao emerged from the bushes, feeling genuinely excited. Although he did not know the specific effects of the Fire Lotus Flower, it was undoubtedly a valuable item.