Chapter 1544: Attack What He Must Defend
Rong Shao watched the chains suddenly change direction just a few dozen feet ahead, a wave of relief washing over him.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he continued his desperate flight.
Suddenly, a dark figure hurtled toward him. Squinting, he recognized the Fifth-Tier Shadow Rat.
He knew Gu Huang had deliberately thrown it to him.
This Shadow Rat possessed secrets of the Divine Blood Gate and might prove useful later.
Rong Shao scooped up the Shadow Rat and fled with it.
Meanwhile, Lu Ling’s expression turned malevolent as his attack missed its mark. He glared at Song Wen, who had thwarted his plans.
“Thunder magic? Excellent! This venerable one also excels in thunder magic!”
Lu Ling released the chains and began forming hand seals.
Song Wen immediately recognized the technique: the seventh of the Nine Great Thunder Arts Secret Techniques—Haotian Divine Thunder.
Just then, Song Wen sensed the Ghost-Faced Demonic Python closing in from behind, entering his divine sense’s range.
Lu Ling, focused on Song Wen, remained unaware of the python’s approach.
Perfect timing! Song Wen thought, a plan forming in his mind.
With a sudden movement, he charged toward Lu Ling at full speed. Simultaneously, the black wings on his back unfurled, unleashing an endless torrent of silver electric plasma that surged directly toward Lu Ling.
A cold smirk curled Lu Ling’s lips.
This desperate display was nothing more than a bluff, an attempt to force him to interrupt the nearly complete Haotian Divine Thunder.
Above, within the pitch-black ghost qi, a majestic pressure and murderous aura were already palpable. The Haotian Divine Thunder was about to descend—why would he abandon it so easily?
Moreover, the thunderbolts erupting from the black wings, though formidable, posed no real threat to him.
The crimson chain snapped back, coiling around him in serpentine patterns until it wove into a thirty-meter-wide protective shield, encasing him within its crimson embrace.
Boom!
As the silver electric plasma slammed into the chain shield, a dark golden thunderbolt pierced through the ghost qi from above.
Song Wen glanced up at the approaching dark golden thunderbolt, no thicker than a soup bowl, and curled his lip in disdain.
Its power paled in comparison to the Haotian Divine Thunder he was summoning—a full level weaker.
Keep in mind, Lu Ling’s cultivation realm surpassed Song Wen’s by a minor stage. Yet the Haotian Divine Thunder he wielded was inferior to Song Wen’s own.
Tsk tsk, it seems the Divine Blood Gate is holding back even from their so-called core disciples. At least Lu Ling hasn’t been allowed to fully utilize the Imperial Thunder God’s Sacrifice Platform to maximize his Thunder Art Talent.
As Song Wen mused inwardly, his attention shifted to the Ghost-Faced Demonic Python looming behind him.
He had unleashed thunder magic with his Thunder Kui Wings not for some “strike where they must defend” tactic, but to ensure Lu Ling remained too preoccupied to notice the python’s approach.
So far, the plan was working.
Whether Lu Ling was temporarily unaware of the python’s arrival, aware but too occupied to react, or… perhaps even intending to use the python against Song Wen, the fact remained: Lu Ling made no move against the creature.
Seeing the Haotian Divine Thunder closing in overhead while the Ghost-Faced Demonic Python remained a dozen miles away, Song Wen knew he had to reveal his true capabilities.
The Nine Calamity Heaven-Measuring Sword, barely two feet long, materialized in his hand.
A razor-sharp sword aura pulsed from the blade, forcing back the surrounding Yin Energy.
The short sword shot forth, aiming directly at the descending dark golden thunder.
Boom—
With an earth-shattering roar, the sword pierced straight through the thunder, soaring upward into the sky.
The Thunder transformed into eleven thousand dark golden sparks, scattering in all directions before vanishing into the dense Yin Energy that filled the sky.
The Nine Calamity Heaven-Measuring Sword, however, retained its momentum. After arcing through the air, it plunged straight toward the Ghost-Faced Demonic Python.
Lu Ling watched without a trace of fear in his eyes, his gaze burning with avarice.
“What a treasure! This sword will be mine.”
Before his words could fade, the chains coiled into a protective shield suddenly extended like a slender spear, taut and unwavering, shooting toward Song Wen.
In the instant the chains pierced the air, the Nine Calamity Heaven-Measuring Sword had already struck the Ghost-Faced Demonic Python’s head.
However, the short sword’s power had been significantly weakened by the Haotian Divine Thunder. Its remaining force was insufficient to threaten the python, leaving only a shallow white mark on its gray-white scales.
Conversely, the python’s brutal collision sent the sword flying.
The python’s gray-white vertical pupils swept over Tu You and Lu Ling in the distance, its bloodlust intensifying.
Two more excellent sources of blood food—a stroke of good fortune indeed.
But then its gaze shifted back to Song Wen.
This “blood food” had given it considerable trouble earlier and deserved to die first.
The Ghost-Faced Demonic Python’s blood-red maw gaped wide, its massive body surging forward like a mountain in motion, relentlessly closing in on Song Wen.
Meanwhile, chains shot through the air like spears, hurtling toward Song Wen from the opposite direction.
Instantly, Song Wen found himself trapped in a perilous crossfire, besieged from both front and rear.
Glancing swiftly around, Song Wen calculated that the chains would strike him first.
With a sudden movement, he darted toward the Ghost-Faced Demonic Python.
Just as he closed within a few dozen feet of the beast, the crimson-tipped spikes at the chains’ ends finally pierced his mana shield.
The mana shield, as fragile as paper against the spikes, shattered instantly.
The spikes continued their relentless advance, aiming directly for the vital point at the back of Song Wen’s skull.
But at that critical moment, the silver talisman clutched in Song Wen’s hand shattered, erupting in a blinding silver light that instantly engulfed him.
The chains pierced through the silver radiance, yet struck nothing. Instead, they slammed into the exposed fangs of the Ghost-Faced Demonic Python’s gaping maw.
Clang!
A deafening metallic clang reverberated as the chains recoiled violently.
The demonic python’s fangs remained unscathed, but the creature seemed to wince in pain. Its eyes flared with savage fury as it glared at the chains’ master—Lu Ling.
Yet the beast still spared some attention to scanning its surroundings. The ‘blood food’ that had previously caused it so much trouble had vanished without a trace.
Then I’ll just deal with the blood food right in front of me first.
The Ghost-Faced Demonic Python maintained its relentless momentum, lunging forward. This time, however, its target was Lu Ling and Tu You, who stood behind him.
(End of the Chapter)