The Barred Snow Owl was a low-rank flying demon beast.
They tended to live in flocks, dwelling on open terrain such as tundras and icy slopes.
Naturally, they also built nests.
Those very nests were among the materials most prized by beast hunters among cultivators.
Having been maintained by the Barred Snow Owls over long periods, these nests served as a natural artifact-crafting material—supple, durable, and highly versatile.
Because of this, large flocks of Barred Snow Owls had long since vanished from the human cultivation world.
Whenever discovered, they were easily wiped out by beast hunters raiding entire nests.
At this moment, blocking Luo Chen and the others was precisely a flock of Barred Snow Owls that had bred naturally in this secluded environment.
A sweep of his spiritual sense revealed roughly a thousand of them in total.
It could be considered a medium-sized flock.
In a flock of this scale, a second-rank Snow Owl King was often born.
Such demon beasts possessed sharp spiritual senses and exceptionally keen eyesight.
No matter how well cultivators concealed their auras, slipping through the territory of their colony undetected was impossible.
Therefore,
if they wished to pass through, slaughter was the only option!
"Let's move!"
With a sweep of Fu Jiusheng's wide sleeve, the other three struck out at once.
As the four took flight, Luo Chen stood quietly in the rear with no intention of joining in.
This had been agreed upon beforehand.
To ensure Luo Chen remained in peak condition for pill refinement, he could stand by as a spectator unless strictly necessary.
This also afforded Luo Chen an excellent opportunity to observe their combat methods.
Under his watchful eye,
the four attacked simultaneously.
Madam You Sha held the Amber Vermilion Silk. As the long silk unfurled, it abruptly transformed into a massive curtain, enshrouding heaven and earth.
In an instant, an area a hundred zhang around became a cage.
The flustered Barred Snow Owls had only just flapped into the air when they crashed against the fiery red silk. In a breath, their mottled, snowy feathers were charred black.
*A water-attribute dharma treasure?*
*Then why are there burn-like marks?*
*Could it be a dharma treasure forged by incorporating fiend qi?*
Luo Chen muttered inwardly, his spirit eyes watching pensively.
Madam You Sha and her former Dao companion were known as the Nether Twin Fiends.
This was not a Daoist title, but rather an epithet bestowed in fear by others, which clearly reflected their style and methods.
"Twin Fiends" referred both to their ruthless demeanor and to their mastery of fiend qi.
Ming Sha had tempered his body with fiend qi to forge an unyielding physique, once taking a direct punch from Luo Chen's Desolate Ancient Tier 3 body.
Madam You Sha, on the other hand, employed a unique long-silk dharma treasure condensed from fiend qi to battle her foes.
For now, its full power had yet to be revealed.
Yet just thinking about it, Luo Chen realized that if an ordinary cultivator ran into it, their protective spiritual glow would tremble and sway, eroded by more than half.
*It's a good thing Ming Sha is dead. Otherwise, paired with her methods—one soft, one hard—the two together would sweep aside anyone in the same realm.*
In truth, Madam You Sha was the only one who revealed even a glimmer of her true abilities in this strike.
As for the other three,
Helian Yun manipulated a supreme-grade dharma artifact flying sword, darting relentlessly through the swarming flock.
Wherever it passed, blood rained down, leaving no survivors.
Fu Jiusheng did not deploy any weapons at all, merely casting one Fireball Art after another to mercilessly slaughter the owls.
Within moments,
under their onslaught, the Barred Snow Owls had no way to ascend to heaven or burrow into the earth, nearly wiped out amid a chorus of wails.
The reason it was only "nearly"
was that a Snow Owl King was currently bolting from a massive nest, screeching as it shot toward the sky.
"Vile beast, thinking of escaping?"
"Die!"
Madam You Sha uttered a low cry, and the surrounding Amber Vermilion Silk snapped shut in an instant,
binding the trapped Snow Owl King dead in its center.
As Madam You Sha clenched her fist, the silk tightened.
*Crack, crunch...*
The grating sound of grinding bones rang out.
When the Amber Vermilion Silk unfolded and flew back into Madam You Sha's grasp, only a pile of white bones and feathers remained on the ground; the blood and flesh were nowhere to be seen.
Seeing this, Luo Chen's brow twitched.
*A blood-path technique? Or a water-attribute method?*
The others were also somewhat astonished.
This Snow Owl King had reached the second rank, rivaling a human Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, yet it had been slain with such ease.
Madam You Sha took in their reactions with satisfaction. The Amber Vermilion Silk wrapped around her like a living creature, quickly settling into an ornament-like garment.
"The beast blocking our path is dealt with. Let us continue—"
"Watch out!"
At the warning shout, Madam You Sha's expression shifted, and she shifted sideways immediately.
Almost at the exact same moment,
an ocher figure surged into the sky, grazing past her by a hair's breadth.
*Boom!*
The ocher figure slammed back down, kicking up a massive plume of snow, dirt, and stone.
Through the haze, the crowd caught sight of its true form.
"A Mountain-Boring Earth Dragon!" Fu Jiusheng blurted out, his brows furrowing deeply.
Helian Yun was also well-traveled and knowledgeable, quickly explaining, "This type of beast is of the purest earth attribute. They love living alongside weaker avian demon beasts, letting them peck away parasites while hunting their avian companions for food when hungry. To think it was coexisting with Barred Snow Owls."
Fu Jiusheng frowned. "These beasts hold deep grudges and are masters of the Earth Escape Art. Having slaughtered its companion owls, it likely hates us to the marrow. If we don't handle this properly, it could stalk us for thousands of li."
Their exchange was swift.
The Mountain-Boring Earth Dragon on the ground now fully revealed itself.
It was a two-zhang-long behemoth, resembling both dragon and serpent, cloaked in thick, brownish-yellow scales.
Even from afar, its remarkable defensive power was evident.
At this moment, its brownish-yellow beast eyes glared fixatedly at the figures in the sky, its nostrils flaring repeatedly.
It seemed intent on burning the auras of all four into its memory.
Moreover!
Judging by its surging, vigorous vitality,
it was likely bordering on the third rank.
Such a beast would not be easy to kill on its home turf!
Yet if left alive, even if it posed little lethal threat, its relentless harassment over thousands of li would be an immense nuisance.
*Earth Escape Art...* Luo Chen, concealed in the rear, silently murmured the words.
Right then,
the Mountain-Boring Earth Dragon seemed to realize that Fu Jiusheng and the others were no easy targets.
None of their auras were weaker than its own.
Driven by beastly instinct, it developed the thought of a temporary retreat.
Seeing faint yellow light flare across its body, as if it were about to plunge into the depths of the snow the very next moment,
Xiao Sanren, who had been the first to warn Madam You Sha, suddenly spoke up.
"I'll restrain this beast. Slay it with thunderous force!"
Without waiting for their consent,
he raised his jade xiao horizontally.
Without playing it, he flicked his right finger lightly against the jade tube.
*Ding-dong!*
A crisp note rang out, and the ocher figure shuddered instantly, freezing in place for a fraction of a second.
Seizing this sliver of opportunity,
Fu Jiusheng dropped straight to the ground and struck the earth with a palm.
A broad expanse of yellow light rippled out. The already rock-hard snowfield instantly transmuted into ground as hard as steel.
Seeing this, Luo Chen offered silent praise.
What a fine spell to turn earth into steel!
He had noticed that Fu Jiusheng was somewhat similar to himself, being exceptionally proficient in spells—
and in the fire and earth attributes, no less.
This move was clearly meant to cut off the Mountain-Boring Earth Dragon's retreat.
With him stepping forward, the remaining two did not idle either.
Helian Yun abandoned any thoughts of hiding his methods and flicked his finger, sending a streak of black light shooting forth.
In the blink of an eye, it struck the Mountain-Boring Earth Dragon.
The brownish-yellow earthen armor that appeared extraordinarily sturdy was pierced through like rotting wood by that black light, opening a gaping hole
that sank straight into the depths of its skull.
Struck by this blow, the dragon's demon soul was jarred awake from its daze.
"Roar!"
With a furious roar, its long tail swept out, swatting aside a flying sword Fu Jiusheng had casually launched.
Then, it prepared to dive into the snowfield.
Yet the moment its head drove down—
*Clang!*
It actually failed!
In all its life, such a thing had never occurred.
In that split second of bewilderment, Madam You Sha's Amber Vermilion Silk shot forth once more, transforming into a pliable ribbon that wrapped around it layer upon layer.
Tightening, compressing, scorching.
*Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...*
Visible torrents of blood sprayed from the Mountain-Boring Earth Dragon, swallowed up by the vermilion silk.
For a moment, red light flared brilliantly over the silk.
Wracked with agony, the dragon's ferocity erupted as it thrashed wildly across the ground.
Right then,
*Ding-dong!*
Another crisp xiao note drifted through the air.
Its body stiffened once again. Fu Jiusheng opened his hand, and the dharma treasure flying sword that had been swatted away plummeted from the heavens, piercing straight into its vital seven-inch mark on its lower belly.
*Pop!*
A sound like a bursting bubble echoed.
Taking this blow, the Mountain-Boring Earth Dragon lost all power to resist.
It slumped limp upon the ground, allowing the Amber Vermilion Silk to constrict tighter and tighter, until it was thoroughly consumed into a pile of pristine white bones.
That move again!
The others looked toward Madam You Sha, their faces involuntary tightening with wariness.
Seeing this, Madam You Sha smiled faintly. "This is no demonic method of mine, merely an unconventional application of the Water Drawing Dragon Transformation Art. Surely none of you will report me to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect?"
*Water Drawing Dragon Transformation Art?*
*Only a ghost would believe you!*
Helian Yun snorted coldly in his heart, reaching out to recall the streak of black light into his hand.
In the distance, only now did Luo Chen clearly see what that black light was.
Though it had only flashed for an instant before Helian Yun tucked it into his storage bag,
its familiar design was unmistakable to Luo Chen.
*A Soul Breaking Nail!*
*To think it's that item!*
For a moment, Luo Chen was inwardly startled.
Back when he was still weak, he had obtained a pair of Soul Breaking Nails, which were still preserved inside his storage bag to this day.
However, that pair possessed a massive flaw.
They could only be launched, not retrieved, and the formations inscribed upon them were exceedingly crude, possessing only an armor-piercing effect.
Calling them Soul Breaking Nails was an exaggeration; they were merely armor-piercing spikes.
Yet Helian Yun's display just now showed effortless control, launched and recalled at will.
It was clearly a true Soul Breaking Nail that had attained the low-grade dharma treasure rank!
Moreover, its armor-piercing effect was even more extraordinary; even the natural scales of a late second-rank earth-attribute demon beast could not halt it for an instant.
He wondered whether his Desolate Ancient Tier 3 physique and the blood-qi armor derived from it could withstand such a treasure.
Without realizing it, Luo Chen had already grown wary of Helian Yun.
While Luo Chen was lost in thought,
Helian Yun put away the treasure and made no mention of his own contribution, choosing instead to flatter Fu Jiusheng.
"This beast was truly worthy of nearing the third rank. Its vitality was so robust that even after taking my strike, it could still struggle before death. If not for Fellow Daoist's vast experience in piercing its demon core with a single sword, who knows what trouble might have arisen."
Fu Jiusheng did not claim credit either. "It had little to do with me. The credit belongs primarily to Fellow Daoist Xiao for stunning the beast's demon soul, and Madam You Sha for binding its body, allowing me to strike with ease."
"In my view, the top credit for this battle still goes to Fellow Daoist Xiao." Madam You Sha drew closer, the vermilion silk on her body carrying a few hints of blood stench. "If he hadn't warned me first and subsequently bought us the opportunity to coordinate an attack, how could we have instantly slain an entity on par with our own realm?"
An instant kill!
It truly was an instant kill!
Though this was their first time cooperating in battle, their coordination had been remarkably seamless.
First, confounding the Mountain-Boring Earth Dragon with the xiao note, then Fu Jiusheng cutting off its retreat, followed by the three striking simultaneously to trap or pierce it.
Though it sounded lengthy, it had taken no more than a breath or two.
When cultivators were of similar cultivation realms, overpowering a foe to kill them might be possible, but an instant kill was exceedingly difficult—
especially against demon beasts, which were famed for low wit yet ferocious vitality.
Achieving such results on their very first joint effort was truly cause for delight.
Fu Jiusheng looked at the pile of white bones on the ground and shook his head. "What a pity. The Mountain-Boring Earth Dragon is widely reputed as a treasure-hunting beast. Though vindictive, once tamed, they are exceptionally loyal. If we could have subdued it, with its earth escape abilities, who knows how many heavenly treasures it could have found for us."
"A treasure-hunting beast of that size? Fellow Daoist Fu, surely you jest?"
"Hehe..."
While the few conversed,
Luo Chen had already approached.
Xiao Sanren, who had rarely spoken earlier, suddenly said, "Rumor has it that Fellow Daoist Danchenzi has instantly slain late Foundation Establishment grand cultivators multiple times, and even Zheng Xian at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection was no match for you in a single exchange. The few of us joined forces only to barely slay a late second-rank beast of little intellect. In comparison, I fear we must look laughable to you."
Luo Chen frowned slightly, faintly sensing something amiss in the atmosphere.
A moment ago, the group had appeared to be chatting and laughing amiably, divvying up credit.
Yet they had clearly been flattering one another,
ultimately pinning the greatest merit onto Xiao Sanren.
However, the more outstanding one appeared, the more wariness one invited.
Xiao Sanren obviously understood this principle as well, which was why he casually brought up Luo Chen's past battle records—
as if to say: *Don't pay attention to me, focus on Luo Chen instead! He is the strongest among us.*
Prompted by his reminder, the other three also cast intentional or unintentional glances toward Luo Chen.
Luo Chen chuckled, glancing at the ground without offering any rebuttal.
"Let's go!"
"If we delay any longer, beasts in the vicinity will likely be drawn here by the noise."
His noncommittal reaction—neither refusing nor denying the claim—actually left the others somewhat awkward.
The group had no choice but to set off again.
Protected in their center, Luo Chen sneered inwardly.
From the moment it was formed, this team had never been of one mind.
Even if not every single one was harboring malicious designs, there were definitely those with ill intent.
If the venture failed, so be it!
If the Nether Origin Pill was successfully concocted, that would likely be when the conflict truly erupted.
*No matter!*
*If we part on good terms, I will naturally abide by my principles and share a Nether Origin Pill or two.*
*But if someone gets ideas about me, they shouldn't blame me for being ruthless.*
...
Following the sudden migration of the snow owl flock and the encounter with the Mountain-Boring Earth Dragon,
the remainder of the journey was far from the smooth passage they had envisioned.
The safe route Fu Jiusheng spoke of was plagued with frequent mishaps.
From time to time, roaming demon beasts would appear along the path.
Once, an Ice Ridge Wild Lion of the third rank was even entrenched across their way.
Because of it, Luo Chen and the others had to take a detour, costing them an extra two days.
In the end, counting from the day they entered the Great Snow Mountain, it took a grueling two months before they finally reached their destination.
Atop a lofty peak,
five white-clad figures lay prone beside the rocks, gazing down at the valley below.
"The Myriad Serpent Cave? I'd say Myriad Serpent Valley would be more fitting!"
Within the mountain-ringed valley, snow pythons marked with eerie black rings coiled throughout the terrain.
The rings encircling their snowy white serpent bodies made one's scalp tingle and sent chills to the heart at a mere glance.
Hearing Madam You Sha's remark, Fu Jiusheng moved his lips to explain, "The Black-Ring Snow Pythons in the valley are merely the lowest-rank demon beasts. The true Seven-Ring Snow Pythons dwell beneath the valley floor. The passage of countless giant pythons has forged an intricate network of subterranean caverns. Down there is our true destination!"
"Everyone, follow me!"
With that, he turned and walked away—
not toward the snow valley, but heading back in the direction outside it.
Seeing this, the others grew puzzled, but they did not slow their pace, quickly following behind.
Chapter 442