A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 213 The Celestial Venerable of the Viper Dragon
Outside the Forest of Oblivion, Yan Chixia killed two assassins from the Yin Moon Dynasty with a single sword strike. The other three took the opportunity to escape. Yan Chixia did not pursue them. He simply wiped away the bodies with his hand and returned to the wooden house.

"The Yin Yue Dynasty has been making more and more frequent moves lately. Including this time, they have killed no fewer than twenty people in the past few months."

Upon hearing this, Sima San Niang cast the last few hand seals towards the array's core. The runes trembled, and as the light flowed, the array's damaged parts were completely repaired.

Seeing that the formation had returned to normal, Sima Sanniang withdrew her hands and said calmly, "We are not unaware of what the Yinyue Dynasty is planning. This is just a preliminary test. Once we figure out the details of this place, the next ones to arrive will not be these assassins, but the Demon Lord."

Yan Chixia nodded upon hearing this and said, "There absolutely cannot be any mistakes here at Yin Shi You Quan. Fortunately, the sect has sent a team of elites, as well as various array artifacts. With your array formations, Third Sister, it shouldn't be difficult to hold out for a while."

“Junior Brother Gu Xu never does anything without being sure of success. This time, he really might be able to completely resolve this Yin World Nether Spring.”

Sima Sanniang couldn't help but admire herself. She was considered a first-rate expert and had achieved some success in the art of magic and formations, but she was helpless against the Yin World Nether Spring and could only seal it. When she learned that her junior brother Gu Xu had specially crafted a magic artifact to solve the problem of the Yin World Nether Spring, she was extremely shocked.

“Junior Brother Gu Xu is exceptionally talented. Even I can’t see through his cultivation level. The Xuanxin Sect is truly blessed to have him.”

“Junior Brother Gu Xu sent a message earlier, asking Hongye to come directly from Zheyun Mountain to Wangqing Forest. Judging by the time, she should be arriving soon.”

Upon hearing this, Sima San Niang smiled. Hongye was sent to the sect for training when she was four years old. Although she could see her once a month, her daughter was often not by her side, and Sima San Niang still felt a little empty. Now that she heard that her daughter had returned, she was overjoyed.

Just as the couple were talking, the array pivot in front of them suddenly shook. Yan Chixia and Sima Sanniang's expressions changed. The latter pointed her finger and poured her magic power into the array pivot. A light screen opened up, revealing the source of the vibration. A tall, thin man with an ugly face, wearing a black and red robe and holding a golden snake staff, was attacking the array outside the Forgetful Forest.

The three Xuanxin disciples who were currently overseeing the situation were lying on the ground, their faces covered in colorful marks, clearly indicating that they had been poisoned.

"The Celestial Venerable of the Viper Dragon!"

Yan Chixia's eyes sharpened. This fiend had been cultivating in Panyuan Ravine and rarely concerned himself with matters of the righteous and demonic paths. His sudden appearance here without any apparent reason clearly indicated his stance.

"Third Sister, you stay here and continue with the formation. I'll go and meet this person."

After saying this, Yan Chixia flashed with red light and flew south towards the Forgotten Forest. At the same time, the Serpent Dragon Celestial Venerable looked up and stared directly at Sima Sanniang through the light screen. The latter snorted coldly and used her hands to perform hand seals. The broken formation was quickly repaired under the gathering of the formation's energy. In just a few breaths, it became as good as new.

That wasn't all. Just as the Celestial Venerable Huilong was about to continue attacking the formation, streaks of flame shot out from within the formation, forming crimson fire dragons that attacked the Celestial Venerable Huilong.

Seeing this, the Celestial Venerable of the Dragon King sneered and raised his hand. Snow-white crystal light shot out like rain, rushing towards the fire dragons. After only a few brief collisions, several fire dragons were shattered, but the crystal still had energy left and continued to attack the formation.

A blinding light flashed, causing Sima San Niang to squint. When the light dissipated, she was astonished to find a huge gap in the formation. Without the formation to block it, the turbid yin energy drifted out bit by bit.

"What is this?"

Sima San Niang was greatly alarmed and hurriedly deployed array devices to try to repair the gap. However, to her surprise, no matter how many array devices she deployed, the gap not only did not shrink, but instead showed a tendency to gradually widen.

He reached out and swept his hand toward the array's core. The light barrier approached the gap, and he saw some white light spots dotting the edge of the gap, constantly wriggling. The array's mechanism was being drawn away by these things to widen the gap.

"This thing looks a bit like a spirit-eating worm, but it also seems a little different."

Sima San Niang's expression was solemn. She reached out and activated the array mechanism. A ball of crimson flame burned towards the white light spots. This fire was the "Blazing Sun Fire," which was made by collecting the power of the heavenly sun and refining it with many precious materials. It was specially used to dispel evil spirits.

Unable to ascertain the origin of this object, Sima San Niang decided to use this fire to make a judgment, so that she could be more targeted in her attack. When the Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon saw Sima San Niang using the Blazing Sun Fire to burn the "hollow worm", he knew that she had made a foolish move. He immediately chanted the true incantation, and a black cloud of light appeared on his body, approaching the gap.

Just as the light cloud was about to enter the array, a crimson sword light from the distant sky struck the light cloud directly. The sword light trembled, and the crimson radiance seemed to pierce through the darkness. The black light cloud was immediately shattered. The sword light broke through the black cloud, and its remaining power attacked the Serpent Dragon Celestial Venerable.

"Yan Chixia!"

Sensing the incomparably sharp sword light, the Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon King straightened his expression and swung his golden snake staff forward. Black snake shadows rushed towards the sword light. The two forces collided without making a sound. The scattered air waves were all contained within a certain range and did not disrupt the formation.

Yan Chixia's move startled the Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon. He had originally intended to use the energy of the battle to create a powerful impact, but Yan Chixia had seen through his plan. However, it didn't matter, as he wasn't entirely reliant on this strategy.

Glancing at the "hollow worm" that was devouring the formation, the Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon Dragon was certain that once the formation was swallowed up by the hollow worm, it would be unable to have any effect on it in the future.

"At the current pace, we only need to hold on for half a quarter of an hour."

Taking a deep breath, the Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon King looked solemnly at Yan Chixia, who was flying towards him. The latter was renowned, and although he was also a first-rate expert, he was still somewhat lacking in confidence when facing this person. However, a direct confrontation was not an option, but stalling for time was possible.

“Huilong Heavenly Venerable, instead of enjoying your life in Panyuan Ravine, you have come to the Forget-Love Forest. It seems that you have already submitted to the Yinyue Dynasty. If that is the case, then I, Yan, have only one word: kill.”

After Yan Chixia finished speaking, he didn't give the other party a chance to speak. He also realized that the white light was not right and that he had to finish the battle quickly. He immediately used his signature move, "Crimson Flame Flying Light". Once this light was released, the opponent could only take it head-on. If they couldn't take it, they would be forced to lose the initiative. In the end, it would be a battle of who had more magic power.

Seeing the sword light shooting like lightning, the Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon King hurriedly summoned an octagonal black stone. As soon as this object was released, the incoming sword light was as if it were stuck in a quagmire, and its speed was significantly slowed down. Seeing that the "Constant Magnetic Sand" blocked the sword light, the Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon King immediately smiled.

Before he came again, he had already observed some of Yan Chixia's displayed techniques and knew that the opponent's most relied-upon skill was his sharp swordsmanship. Therefore, he borrowed the "Constant Magnetic Sand" from Qi Ye. Although this item could not completely suppress the opponent's sword light, it could still delay the attack for a period of time.

Yan Chixia noticed that the sword light was being constantly eroded by the magnet. His eyes narrowed slightly. With his discerning eye, it was not difficult for him to tell that this thing was the nemesis of sword cultivators. However, he knew more than just swordsmanship.

He flicked the sword, and several more streaks of "crimson flames" shot up. Meanwhile, his left hand secretly made a hand seal and channeled his magic, and a crimson talisman was sent flying along with the sword light.

"Constant Magnetic Sand" can restrain metal, but this "Wind, Fire, and Thunder Talisman" is not an exception. The talisman bypassed the magnet and went directly towards the Venerable Huilong. Upon seeing this, the latter flicked his wide sleeves, and a black figure crashed into the talisman. Two beams of light, one black and one purple, exploded. The Venerable Huilong was pulled back several steps by the energy. After regaining his footing, the Venerable Huilong took out another item, activated his magic power, and threw it forward.

This item is called "Jade Glazed Glass," produced in Panyuan Ravine. It is extremely precious and has the function of isolating heaven and earth and reflecting reality. Even the Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon King only has three pieces. This time, he has gone to great lengths to complete the mission.

Jade Glazed Glass transformed into countless points of light, separating the Serpent Dragon Celestial Venerable from Yan Chixia. The crisscrossing transparent mirrors of light greatly alarmed Yan Chixia. Under normal circumstances, Yan Chixia would have been eager to test it himself, but this was not the time.

After issuing several talismans, Yan Chixia quickly understood the purpose of the object. Although the Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon was clearly in front of him, he sensed that the dragon was very far away.

A flash of light appeared in Yan Chixia's hand, and a small, exquisite bronze bell floated in front of him. With a surge of magical power, the bell rose into the sky, becoming as tall as a person. As he channeled his magical power, the bell rang softly a few times, causing the void to tremble and distort.

This item is a precious treasure recently crafted by Yan Chixia, named "Zhenglu Bell," which has the power to cleanse the mind and shatter the void.

The light mirror formed from the jade glass shattered instantly under this pressure, but within a few breaths it transformed back into a piece of jade glass. Yan Chixia's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and with a deep shout, the Zheng Lü Bell was struck repeatedly. A wave of force directly struck the jade glass, and with a few cracking sounds, several fine cracks appeared on the glass. Upon seeing this, the Huilong Heavenly Venerable felt extremely distressed.

He reached out and shot several beams of black light at the Zhenglu Bell, but they were dissipated halfway through. However, this brief respite allowed the injured Jade Glazed Glass to be successfully retrieved by the Serpent Dragon Celestial.

Having landed a successful blow, Yan Chixia gave his opponent no chance to catch his breath. He relentlessly expended his magical power, repeatedly striking the precious bell, unleashing a torrent of sonic attacks towards the Serpent Dragon Celestial Venerable. Simultaneously, with a focused intent, six streaks of crimson flame crisscrossed, attempting to cut off his opponent's escape route. Seeing this, the Serpent Dragon Celestial Venerable continued to activate the Constant Magnetic Sand with one hand, while simultaneously summoning his Golden Serpent Staff. A flash of golden light, and the staff transformed into a three-zhang-long, single-horned golden python, coiling and enveloping the Serpent Dragon Celestial Venerable's figure. The sonic waves, upon reaching this point, were immediately blocked by the golden python.

"Humph!"

Yan Chixia snorted coldly, and with a thought, the sword in his hand unleashed streaks of crimson sword light, sweeping across the sky as he charged forward. No matter how powerful the Hengci Gangsha was, it gradually became unable to withstand it, and in an instant, it was completely exhausted. The remaining dozens of sword lights immediately moved unimpeded, and together with the power of sonic attacks, they all struck the golden python, sparking a shower of sparks.

Although the golden python's defense was formidable, it still required its master to wield it effectively. If its magical power was insufficient, it would reveal its weaknesses. The Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon was already inferior to Yan Chixia in terms of magical power, and after releasing the Hollow Worm, his magical power was now only half of what it used to be.

As the boundless sword light and the surging sonic killing power surged within him, the Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon Dragon felt his mana being rapidly depleted. After persevering for a while, the Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon Dragon suddenly felt a sense of relief. He exerted all his strength to open a light barrier, pushing the sword light and sonic killing power outwards. He chanted incantations, and soon a white light fell from in front of him onto his hand.

"Yan Chixia, until we meet again!"

Having completed his mission, the Celestial Venerable of the Dragons had no intention of engaging in further combat. He threw out the jade glass as a barrier, and with a flash of black light around him, he flew away towards the edge of the Forgetful Forest.

When Yan Chixia saw him withdraw the white light, his heart sank. He turned around and saw that the sealing formation had been breached by a gap about the height of a person, and a torrent of malevolent energy was surging out from inside. Yan Chixia's face was extremely ugly. His eyes changed instantly, and he appeared at the gap in the formation. He immediately used his magic power to seal it up. In this way, the Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon King would not be able to pursue him.

Just then, a crimson halo suddenly rose from the outside, accompanied by a scream, and soon after, a woman in red gracefully descended.

"Red leaves!"

Yan Chixia already knew who the newcomer was when the crimson halo appeared.

“That Venerable Dragon just now…”

Yan Hongye first helped Yan Chixia stabilize his position, and then said, "I just caught him off guard and injured him with the Crimson Sun Heavenly Wheel, but he still managed to escape. Father, what exactly happened?"

"The dragon has already submitted to the Yin Yue Dynasty. This time it came to test us. I don't know what it used, but part of the sealing formation was swallowed up."

Even with the addition of more magical power, the gap remained largely unchanged, and the malevolent energy within continued to accumulate.

"Hongye, push her away first."

Knowing that her father and mother were going to cooperate, Yan Hongye immediately stopped, but she didn't go far. She held several spirit talismans in her hand, ready to release them if things went wrong.

After exchanging messages with Sima San Niang, the two exerted their strength simultaneously, working together from the inside out. After a few breaths, the gap was repaired. However, Yan Chixia knew that this was only a temporary fix, and it would crack open again in less than three days.

"Red Leaf, let's go."

Yan Chixia called out to Yan Hongye, and the two of them took the three poisoned and unconscious Xuanxin disciples away and rode their escape light back to the wooden house.

As soon as the two entered the wooden house, Sima San Niang came out to greet them. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Yan Chixia quickly showed Sima San Niang the three people who had been poisoned.

Sima San Niang did not hesitate and had Yan Chixia put the three people on the ground. After checking them one by one, her face turned ugly.

"Third Sister, how is it?" Yan Chixia asked anxiously. Yan Hongye also looked over. The lives of these people could not be lost, otherwise there would be no way to explain to the sect leader.

"This is the unique poison of the Huilong, which is specially used to corrode the soul. Now these three disciples have been poisoned into their heart meridians. With my cultivation level, I cannot guarantee that there will be no problems after the detoxification. It seems that we can only rely on Junior Brother Gu Xu's methods."

As he spoke, he repeatedly pressed several key acupoints on the three disciples with his fingers to prevent the toxins from spreading.

Upon hearing this, Yan Chixia immediately said, "I will send a message to Junior Brother Gu Xu right away, hoping they can arrive as soon as possible."

After sending the message to Gu Xu, Yan Chixia put the jade talisman aside and asked about the origin of the thing that had disrupted the formation.

"This thing looks somewhat like a spirit-eating insect, but I tried to burn it with the blazing sun fire, but to no avail. It must be a kind of poisonous insect specially made by the serpent dragon to gnaw on the array mechanism."

When Sima San Niang was fighting the Hollow Worm, she discovered that this thing severely damaged the formation. No matter how many formations she filled, they were all swallowed up by it in the end. This was why she was unable to retreat. In the end, the Serpent Dragon took the initiative to withdraw, otherwise the entire formation probably wouldn't have been enough for it to eat.

"This thing is so powerful, and we don't know its origin. What should we do if we encounter it again in the future?"

Yan Chixia was deeply worried upon hearing this. All they relied on was the sealing formation and the Moye sword in the cave. The two complemented each other, and if the formation was destroyed, it would have a great impact on the overall seal.

"Given the current situation, we are already struggling to cope. The best course of action is for Junior Brother Gu Xu and the others to arrive as soon as possible and eliminate Yin Shi You Quan in one fell swoop."

Once they deal with the Yin World Nether Spring, they can free up their resources. No matter how much trouble the Yin Moon Dynasty causes, it will never be able to match their strength. At that time, it's uncertain who will defeat whom.

Inside the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect, Gu Xu reached out and put away the "Guardian of Righteousness and Demon-Slaying Shuttle." A trace of purple light appeared on the originally dark shuttle body. This was the Heart-Eating Demon Light after the fusion was completed. After being tempered by the Pure Yang True Fire, it was transformed from malevolent to auspicious, adding three points of power to the precious shuttle.

"The magic shuttle is complete; it's time to deal with the Netherworld Spring."

Just as Gu Xu was about to go find Jin Guang, the communication jade talisman on his body suddenly lit up. After checking it, Gu Xu's eyes flashed slightly. It seemed that the Yin Yue Dynasty was also making moves. This matter had to be resolved as soon as possible to avoid further complications.

With a flash, he arrived outside the Xuanxin Hall. After being announced by his disciples, Gu Xu entered the hall. At this moment, Jin Guang had already stepped down from his throne and came before Gu Xu. After the two exchanged greetings, Jin Guang asked with a hint of anticipation, "Senior Brother, has the Treasure Shuttle been successfully refined?"

"As expected, the shuttle has been successfully completed, and the matter of the Netherworld Spring can now be resolved."

Gu Xu reached out and released the treasure shuttle. Jin Guang saw the item, examined it, and nodded repeatedly.

"Senior Brother Yan just sent a message that Huilong went to the Forget-Love Forest and, using something, has already broken the sealing formation. Sect Master, we need to hurry."

Gu Xu briefly explained the matter of sending the message. Upon hearing this, Jin Guang's expression became more solemn. After pondering for a moment, he bowed to Gu Xu and said, "Senior Brother, please go to the Forget-Love Forest first. Junior Brother will bring people there immediately."

Gu Xu nodded and agreed. Solving the Yin Shi You Quan problem requires the right timing, location, and people. If any one of these is missing, the chances of success will be greatly reduced. To ensure that nothing goes wrong, they have no chance to start over.

After exchanging a few more words, Gu Xu walked out of the main hall and transformed into a streak of light, heading towards the Forgetful Forest. Just as Gu Xu left the Xuanxin Sect, the Moon Demon of the Yin Moon Dynasty sensed something and immediately sent the message to the Empress Dowager of Yin Moon.

(End of this chapter)