The Xuanming Continent.
It was the most remote continent from the Great Xia Sword Sect, and its landmass was not particularly vast.
In fact, the entire continent's area was only about the size of two adjacent domains in the northeast of the Qingyun Continent.
Yet despite its modest size, this continent was home to many formidable cultivators and held a deep air of mystery.
Moreover, the small Xuanming Continent possessed two great forbidden grounds!
One was the Eight Directions Way, and the other was the Heaven-Slaughtering Sea!
At this moment, Meng Wanshu's gaze was piercingly cold, her brow and eyes filled with vigilance.
The jade bracelets on both her wrists gave off a soft, shimmering glow, weaving a strangely powerful barrier of ice-blue luminescence around her form.
*Tap!*
Meng Wanshu lightly tapped the tip of her foot against the surface of a lake, and in an instant, the water froze into frost!
In the blink of an eye, the sheet of ice extended downward for dozens of zhang!
The pitch-black night sky was veiled in heavy dark clouds, yet not even the faintest whisper of wind could be heard.
The entire mountain range was terrifyingly quiet, so still that even her own breathing was distinct and clear.
With a calm expression, Meng Wanshu gazed into the distance at the soaring peaks and steep ridges, a sharp glint flickering in her ice-blue eyes.
Set against the dark of night, the distant mountain loomed like a crouched beast, as if lying in wait for prey to deliver itself to its doorstep.
On Meng Wanshu's wrist, Jiuxiao suddenly snapped awake!
His slender body coiled around the woman's shoulder like a spirit serpent, transmitting an unmistakable emotion.
*It's dangerous! Extremely dangerous!*
That was the message Jiuxiao conveyed to her, and in that instant, Meng Wanshu raised her vigilance to the absolute peak.
Perched on her left shoulder, Pengluo stared fixedly at the distant mountains, swallowed hard, and muttered nervously, "Mistress... this damned place feels terrifying... Just on the outer perimeter, this baleful aura is already so heavy... This is no ordinary demon beast! Should we maybe... Hey, hey! Mistress! Wait for me..."
Before Pengluo could finish his sentence, Meng Wanshu had already gripped the Frost Severance Sword and walked into the depths of the forest.
As for why the Heaven-Slaughtering Sea was actually a mountain range, no one knew.
Jiuxiao's dark gold pupils swept continuously across their surroundings, alertly observing everything as his powerful sensory perception surged outward in all directions.
Pengluo clutched Jiuxiao's neck and whispered into his ear, "Brother Jiu, I've got a bad feeling about this place. My hands and feet are freezing. Why don't we persuade Mistress to think this over and get out of here first?"
With a slight shift of his dragon head, Jiuxiao flicked Pengluo away and snorted a blast of scorching breath from his nostrils.
Disdain flickered in his eyes. Though he too sensed extreme danger here, now was not the time to shrink back.
Even if it was dangerous, they had to advance!
Meng Wanshu slowly extended her hand, and rippling waves of energy instantly spread outward across a radius of a hundred li!
Suddenly!
*Boom!*
The heavy clouds abruptly surged in violent turmoil!
The previously tranquil spiritual energy went completely out of control, and the space of the entire world boiled like scalding water!
Bubble after bubble swelled throughout the fabric of space, bursting into pitch-black voids.
*Rumble!*
Beneath the churning, dense clouds, lightning rampaged, followed by a blinding bolt that plummeted fiercely from the vault of heaven!
The colossal lightning bolt remained starkly visible even across a hundred li.
Looking at that terrifying lightning, even Pengluo could not help gulping in fear.
"Merciful heavens... If I took a hit from that, it'd strip my skin off!"
A cold light flickered within Jiuxiao's dragon eyes. His serpentine form twisted, ready to manifest his true body at any moment.
*Roar!*
A sky-shattering lion roar echoed through the heavens!
High atop a distant mountain, an enormous silhouette suddenly leaped into the sky!
The terrifying sonic wave shattered the void for a thousand zhang around!
As the dazzling lightning crashed down, its radiance illuminated heaven and earth as bright as day.
At last, the companions could clearly see what that gigantic figure was!
A massive white lion, easily a hundred zhang in size, leaped up from the mountain!
The ring of white fur around its neck crackled with the power of lightning, and an enigmatic mark between its brows radiated a purplish-red glow.
The moment the colossal beast appeared, an utterly horrifying baleful aura surged straight into the sky.
Reaching out with a paw as large as a hill, it seized the thick bolt of lightning falling from midair and shoved it straight into its maw, swallowing it whole!
Pengluo was struck dumb by the sight. He stood frozen in place, a flicker of frantic realization surfacing in his eyes.
His eyes bulged as he pointed at the white lion, stammering, "A... a... a Suanni!"
Terrified out of his wits, Pengluo grabbed Jiuxiao by the neck, ready to bolt.
"Run! A rank-seven Suanni! And a mutated one at that! There's no way we can hunt something like this, even if it only just broke through!"
Pengluo's heart trembled violently. No wonder there was not a single demon beast within a hundred li of the Heaven-Slaughtering Sea.
Every beast in this perimeter had almost certainly been slaughtered by this Scarlet Thunder Suanni.
Yet Meng Wanshu remained rooted in place without budging an inch, her beautiful eyes blazing with soaring battle intent!
Jiuxiao gave a sudden jolt, shaking Pengluo off his neck.
In the next instant, his form shifted as he manifested his true body: a colossal dragon thirty zhang in length, suspended in midair.
*Roar!*
A brilliant light gleamed in Jiuxiao's dragon eyes, and a profound, resonant roar suddenly erupted, echoing across a hundred li!
Having revealed his true form, Jiuxiao slowly lowered his head, lifting Meng Wanshu so she could stand atop his brow.
As he drew himself upright, the space within several hundred zhang around him began to fracture.
Facing a Scarlet Thunder Suanni possessing the bloodline of an ancient great demon, a surge of inexplicable fighting spirit ignited in Jiuxiao's heart!
The pride inherent in his bloodline forbade him from turning tail and fleeing!
The surrounding void fractured, countless arcs of lightning crackling relentlessly across the air.
Beside them, Pengluo had raised a foot to run and had not yet set it down; his neck stiffened, and he turned his head slowly.
Sure enough!
Perched atop the mountain peak, the Scarlet Thunder Suanni spotted Jiuxiao in the distance with a single glance!
A scorching look of greed erupted in the white lion's eyes, and it actually spoke human tongue in a deep, booming voice.
"A true dragon?"
"Hahahahaha! What a blessing bestowed by the heavens!"
The arrogant Scarlet Thunder Suanni clearly paid no mind to Meng Wanshu—or rather, though it had noticed both Pengluo and Meng Wanshu, it held nothing but contempt for them!
*Boom!*
The cloud-piercing peak abruptly shattered, and the massive form of the Scarlet Thunder Suanni charged roaring toward Jiuxiao!
Brilliant arcs of lightning burst from Jiuxiao's horns, their power enveloping Meng Wanshu in protective energy.
Baleful aura flared in the dragon's eyes. Breathing heavily, Jiuxiao shattered the heavens with a lash of his tail and charged straight toward the white lion!
Seeing Jiuxiao advance, Pengluo, who had been poised to flee, spun around and cursed under his breath.
Yet as he turned, purple runes surged beneath his skin, and his stature instantly ballooned to a full ten zhang tall!
Standing atop Jiuxiao's head, Meng Wanshu inhaled deeply, killing intent churning in her eyes. Her left hand snapped into a sword finger and swept upward in a sharp guiding gesture!
She called out in a clear, cold voice, "Spirit Incantation 82: Glacial Restriction Wall!"
*Boom!*
Nine consecutive thick, massive walls of ice, each a hundred zhang tall, slammed down in the path of the Scarlet Thunder Suanni!
*Boom! Bang! Bang! Bang!*
A relentless barrage of explosive shattering resounded. Meng Wanshu's expression remained calm, and with a flash of light beneath her feet, she vanished from the spot!
Chapter 587