Chapter 997: Sentient Lotus; Instant Kill! (I)

The Thousand Blade Mountain Range stretched for tens of thousands of li, its countless peaks rising across the landscape in seemingly random fashion. Yet beneath that apparent disorder lay a clear hierarchy. The lower mountains contained low-tier mineral deposits and were typically inhabited by low-tier exotic beasts. Conversely, the higher one ventured, the more valuable the resources became and the stronger the beasts guarding them.

At the same time, as the tier of the mountains rose, the number of guardians steadily decreased. First-tier mountains often housed tens of thousands of them; second-tier ones usually only a few thousand. By the third tier, their numbers usually dwindled to around a hundred, though even a hundred third-tier exotic beasts were enough to force most Adepts to retreat. Luo Chen's group had already learned that lesson firsthand when they were driven off by the black-golden viper swarm. Fourth-tier mountains were on a whole different level. Their guardians often numbered fewer than ten, sometimes only one or two, yet no sensible Adept would mistake that for a sign of safety.

At the foot of a towering blue fourth-tier mineral mountain, four figures raced downhill at full speed. The moment they crossed beyond the mountain's territory, they slipped into a formation prepared in advance and concealed themselves completely. Not long afterward, a dark blue giant ape came charging back. Upon returning to the mountain, it seemed to discover something missing and let out a furious roar. Hearing that enraged bellow, all four of them smiled.

Just then, a slender, shadowy figure appeared within the formation. Upon seeing the group, she asked, "Did you get the Blue Evolution Lead?"

The leader, a crimson-haired elder, nodded with satisfaction. "Of course. We paid quite the price to sever the entire vein, but I managed to take the finest part of the deposit. Fellow Daoist You Ya, thanks for drawing away the giant ape."

You Ya's face remained hidden beneath her hood. Without revealing any emotion, she extended her hand. "Give me my share."

The crimson-haired elder raised an eyebrow. "The vein is still intact. It's difficult to divide properly. How about we wait..."

"Give it to me!" Her tone left no room for negotiation.

The elder's expression darkened. The other three hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over, but You Ya's gaze never left the crimson-haired man. "If I can lure it away, I can just as easily lure it back. Are you sure you don't want to give me my share, Crimson Corpse?"

The atmosphere instantly became tense. Crimson Corpse took a deep breath and retrieved a translucent blue crystal from his storage pouch. The moment it appeared, the expressions of the other three changed dramatically.

"That's the finest piece from the entire Blue Evolution Lead vein. It's practically approaching the fifth tier. How can you..."

The speaker was cut off by a raised hand. Crimson Corpse forced a smile. "Enough. We wouldn't have made it this far without her Shadow Escape. She contributed the most, so it's only right that she gets the best share. Fellow Daoist You Ya, I hope we can continue working together."

You Ya snorted softly and accepted the Blue Evolution Lead under Crimson Corpse's reluctant gaze. The moment it landed in her hand, she let out a quiet sigh of relief. With this, the final flaw in my Shadow Escape will be resolved. Even a Sage won't be able to find me. Looks like it's finally time for me to visit the inheritance grounds.

Having obtained what she wanted, there was no longer any need for future cooperation. Right before their eyes, her shadowy silhouette began to fade. Crimson Corpse's expression changed drastically. "Fellow Daoist You Ya, are you breaking our agreement?"

You Ya shook her head. "I'm not breaking my word. I'm simply ending our partnership."

"You—"

"Stop her!"

The other three cultivators immediately flew into a rage and moved to stop her. Before any of them could act, however, Crimson Corpse barked a sharp command and stopped them. The displeasure on his face was unmistakable, but so was the caution in his eyes. The dark-blue giant ape had not gone far. If they started fighting now, there was every chance they would attract its attention again.

You Ya seemed to see straight through his concerns and let out a soft chuckle. "Fellow Daoist Crimson Corpse, you know how to keep your cool. Since you've shown such restraint, I'll give you a piece of information. Consider it compensation for the losses you'll suffer without me. About three hundred li from here, a fourth-tier golden eagle is fighting a group of cultivators. If you hurry over, you might still make it in time to pick up the scraps."

Her words had barely finished echoing when her figure blurred. By the time the others looked again, she had already stepped out of the formation and vanished without a trace. Such was the famed Shadow Escape of the Shadow Witch of the Northern Sea. Her concealment was virtually impossible to see through, and regular formation constraints could hardly restrain her. Crimson Corpse was well aware of her capabilities, yet watching her pass through his formation as though it did not exist still sent a chill through his bones.

Only after confirming she was truly gone did he turn back toward the others. He shook his head helplessly. "We couldn't have stopped her. And with that giant ape still nearby, unless one of you has a death wish, fighting her was never an option."

The three fell silent; they understood that just as well as he did. Even so, their frustration did not fade. In fact, it stemmed from something else entirely. Without the Shadow Witch, they had lost their most effective means of drawing away the powerful exotic beasts guarding mineral deposits. Their harvests in the Thousand Blade Mountain Range would likely drop by a huge margin. Under those circumstances, they might as well search for treasures in the Quicksand Sea or the Wood Heaven Plains instead.

Crimson Corpse shared the same concerns. He also had not expected You Ya to end their agreement the moment she obtained the Blue Evolution Lead. That said, there was nothing he could do about it, and he was convinced that letting her go had been the right decision. "Forget it. Let's head to that eagle's territory for now and see whether there are any leftovers worth picking up. After that, we'll leave the mountain range and gather spirit medicines in the Wood Heaven Plains instead."

Among the group, his cultivation was the highest, at the ninth stage of the Golden Core Realm. With You Ya gone, the others naturally deferred to his judgement. The four quickly dismantled the formation, concealed their auras, and set off through the mountains. They moved carefully around, and they made their way toward the territory of the Nine-Sun Golden Eagle.

***

Within a valley deep among the mountains, Devil's Cloud stared at the scene before him with an exceptionally grim expression on his face. A black flood dragon and a green bird had cut off his retreat, surrounding him from opposite sides and watching him intently. A single Demon King would not have concerned him, but facing two at once was an entirely different matter. Black King, in particular, gave him a sense of pressure he could not ignore. The aura he emanated was so solid that even other veteran late-stage Demon Kings might not be able to compare.

Slowly, Devil's Cloud lifted his gaze toward the two figures in the sky. "Azure Yang, are you telling the truth?"

Before Luo Chen could respond, Ding Yi spoke first. "Since when does truth depend on his word alone? Devil's Cloud, we've known each other for years. If you won't trust me, are you really going to trust him? If he kills me, you'll be next. He was the one who secretly set the traps and lured those exotic beasts to attack us earlier. Fellow Daoist, don't hesitate!"

Devil's Cloud's expression flickered. Part of him was telling him to act, yet he could not shake the doubts that had already taken root in his mind. Seeing that hesitation, Luo Chen merely glanced at him. "The fact that you're hesitating means you already believe me. Fellow Daoist, think carefully. Is the Ding Yi you know really the kind of man who would rely on nothing but a single treasure? And what about his other techniques? Is it that he doesn't want to use them... or is it that he can't?"

Devil's Cloud's face darkened. The more he considered the question, the harder it became to dismiss. He knew exactly what Ding Yi was capable of, even better than Luo Chen. As a ninth-stage Adept, he possessed several powerful enchanted treasures, and none of them were inferior to the yellow gourd. Yet during the battle against the Nine-Sun Golden Eagle, he himself had nearly exhausted every trump card at his disposal, while Ding Yi had appeared strangely restrained throughout the entire fight. At the time, he had not thought much of it. Now, however, it seemed increasingly suspicious. Given their long-standing relationship, how could Ding Yi have simply stood by while he was being attacked?

Now that he thought about it, if Ding Yi had truly died and the thing controlling his body now was the Flesh Ganoderma, then many of the oddities he had overlooked suddenly became understandable. For instance, the half day spent recuperating in the stone chamber. At the time, Devil's Cloud had found it strange that Ding Yi's mana had recovered so little despite resting for so long. Now, the explanation seemed obvious: The Flesh Ganoderma had never been focused on restoring mana in the first place. It had been using that time to refine Ding Yi's enchanted treasures and make them its own. And due to the shortage of time, it had only managed to refine the yellow gourd.

When Devil's Cloud fell silent, Luo Chen turned an icy gaze toward Ding Yi... or rather, the Flesh Ganoderma wearing his skin. "At a time like this, instead of fighting me to the death, you're still trying to persuade Fellow Daoist Devil's Cloud. It seems you know you're no match for me. In that case, you can die here!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Luo Chen formed seals and infused more power into the Infinite Blaze Prison, which immediately began contracting and trapped both him and the Flesh Ganoderma within its confines. The Flesh Ganoderma's expression changed drastically. It tried to mobilize the mana within Ding Yi's Golden Core, only to discover that it had become wildly agitated and difficult to control. Meanwhile, Luo Chen made his move. The Seven Fiend Swords instantly merged into one and shot forward.

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