Mahayana 106
Chapter 106: Joining Forces to Break Through the Sea of Red Spider Lilies
TL : Cnine
ED/PF :
Part 1
However, upon arriving here, the scent of the red spider lilies was not as strong as it had been within the flower sea. The group gradually recovered, barely able to maintain their clarity of mind.
Lin Xiao had largely recovered, gently flicking open and closed his folding fan, the earlier chaos of the flower sea no longer showing on his face.
With a light smile, he said, “Why don’t the three of us join forces and kill one first? We’ll leave the other to Senior Old Demon King, who’s at mid stage of Golden Core realm. What do you think?”
“Heh… you young ones are bold. These old bones of mine hardly seem fit to face a late stage Golden Core realm skeleton,” The Old Demon King replied with amused smile.
“You only need to hold it off for a short while. We’ll deal with the other skeleton and then come help you. And Liu Yue and Fairy Luo should be catching up soon. By then, these two skeletons won’t be a problem,” Lin Xiao said calmly.
“Fair point, but it’s still risky. We should wait for the other two before engaging in combat,” The Old Demon King said after a moment’s hesitation.
“Old man, you may want to buy time, but these skeletons won’t agree. And there are likely more Golden Core realm skeletons approaching. If we delay any longer, we’ll all die here,” Xiao Yifeng said with a cold smile.
The moment Xiao Yifeng’s words fell, the two skeletons raised their shattered magic artefacts and came rushing towards them in a murderous charge.
With one arm tightly around Su Miaoqin, Xiao Yifeng dashed forward alongside Lin Xiao and Mo Shuiyao, heading straight for one of the skeletons.
Behind them, Old Demon King cursed inwardly. With no choice left, he could only grit his teeth and face the late stage Golden Core realm skeleton head-on.
The three of them surrounded the other Golden Core realm skeleton and attacked together. Yet both Mo Shuiyao and Lin Xiao were secretly baffled; Xiao Yifeng seemed far more focused on shielding Su Miaoqing, only lazily sending out the occasional sword wave, as if he were just putting on a show.
They couldn’t help but curse him in their hearts, as all the pressure fell squarely onto their shoulders. What they didn’t realise was that Xiao Yifeng was already pushing himself to the limit just to fake on the Golden Core realm expert.
Being a fake, he couldn’t possibly attack with the same rhythm as they did. Helplessly, he could only pretend he was prioritising Su Miaoqing’s safety, disguising his weakness behind the act of “holding back”.
It really couldn’t be denied, as true disciples of Jadefire City and the Tender Blossom Pavilion, Mo Shuiyao and Lin Xiao were the real deal.
Having crossed swords with them countless times in his previous life, Xiao Yifeng knew their strength and sharp minds all too well. Facing them as enemies would give anyone a splitting headache, but standing beside them as allies was an entirely different story, their foundation was rock-solid.
Both of them wielded mid-grade immortal artefacts, radiating frightening power. With Xiao Yifeng launching sly, razor-angled strikes from the flanks, the three of them managed to trade blow for blow with the late-stage Golden Core realm skeleton.
Meanwhile, Old Demon King was being chased all over the place by another late-stage Golden Core realm skeleton, screaming at the top of his lungs in wildly exaggerated fashion. To anyone else, he looked moments away from defeat, but to the people who knew better, he was clearly in full control and simply enjoying the theatrics.
They didn’t stay locked in combat for long before a ripping sound split the air behind them, Luo Yun and Liu Yue finally arrived, hauling daoist Lingyun along.
Both of them stalled for a heartbeat at the sight of the battlefield. Then, without a shred of hesitation, Liu Yue casually hurled Daoist Lingyun to the ground and deployed a defensive formation, shielding him from any stray skeleton attacks.
He immediately charged toward the skeleton tormenting the loudly howling Old Demon King, after all, the old man’s screams were so tragic that leaving him any longer felt almost cruel.
Meanwhile, Luo Yun flew towards Xiao Yifeng’s side, her fingers dancing across the strings of her yao qin as she joined the fight, striking the skeleton in tandem with the other three.
In the blink of an eye, both skeletons found themselves in dire straits. They threw their jaws wide and let out shrill, ear-piercing screams. From all directions, skeletons swarmed towards them, while several ominous Golden Core realm-level auras surged from within the sea of flowers.
Xiao Yifeng and the others’ expressions shifted. They all understood that time was running out. The enemy’s reinforcements had arrived. If they stalled any longer, they would soon be trapped in a siege by Golden Core realm-level skeletons.
“Stop holding back!” Xiao Yifeng roared. Mo Shuiyao and Lin Xiao both rolled their eyes in unison. ---Seriously? You’re one to talk.
Xiao Yifeng had no time to guess what the others were thinking. Pushing aside any hesitation, he activated another Golden Core realm talisman, a blazing Crimson Flame Talisman that erupted in sheets of fire.
Lin Ziyun had never expected him to reach the Foundation Establishment realm so quickly, so the talismans she’d given him were all prepared for that realm. Since they had originally been meant for Su Miaoqing, they were naturally fire-attribute.
With Luo Yun and Liu Yue joining the fight and everyone attacking with everything they had, the two skeletons only gave off the aura of late Golden Core realm. In reality, their strength was limited, and their attacks were simple and predictable.
Just as more skeletons were about to swarm them from behind, Xiao Yifeng and the group finally shattered the two in front of them.
Mo Shuiyao darted in and seized the broken magical treasure, while Old Demon King claimed the one from Liu Yue’s side.
Hearing bones rattling closer behind him, Xiao Yifeng wrapped his arm around Su Miaoqing and turned into a streak of light, fleeing the sea of red spider lilies. After all, in a world like this — better others die than you do.
The others cursed under their breath and completely abandoned any sense of dignity, turning and sprinting for their lives.
For a brief moment, Old Daoist Lingyun was left behind, but thankfully, Liu Yue proved he still had a conscience, and at the very last second, he dragged Lingyun out of danger.
They burst out of the sea of flowers and didn’t dare slow down, running even further before finally realising the pursuing skeletons hadn’t followed.
The skeletons, upon seeing them leave the red spider lily field, stopped at its edge, perhaps bound by some kind of restriction, or something else entirely.
One by one, the skeletons collapsed to the ground as if their power had simply drained away. Xiao Yifeng finally understood where the skeletons at the edge of the flower field had come from — they were likely the remains of those who had chased others to this very spot.
He couldn’t help but wonder, when the next group finally struggled their way here, would they feel “happy enough to die” when they saw this scene?
Finally out of danger, Xiao Yifeng and the others let out long breaths of relief. If the creatures had chased them any further, there would have been no small amount of trouble.
Xiao Yifeng gently woke Su Miaoqing in his arms. When she opened her eyes, she quickly slipped from his embrace, her cheeks faintly flushed. Yet her expression was subdued, her thoughts clearly elsewhere.
Liu Yue also woke Old Daoist Lingyun. Realising he had truly escaped, Lingyun was overflowing with gratitude toward Liu Yue, looking as though he might grab him and swear brotherhood on the spot.
Liu Yue merely waved it off without a word, continuing to carefully observe their surroundings.
The others carefully examined their surroundings and soon discovered a vast river stretching along the edge of the red spider lily sea.
The river was unnaturally wide, its surface swallowed in thick fog that completely obscured the opposite bank. The water, a sickly yellow-red colour, writhed with insects and snakes, while a rancid, blood-like stench rolled towards them in choking waves.
Within the river, countless wronged spirits wailed in endless torment, rising and sinking with the current. Ghostly figures drifted through the water, twisted human faces appearing and vanishing in the flow. From time to time, brittle, withered bones were dragged up and swept along the surface, a sight as dreadful as it was chilling.