Chapter 128: The Power of Spirit Art_1
Outside the valley, Lin Tianming and his companion hid in the treetops, anxiously waiting and looking ahead.
Since Lin Shikang had entered, it had already been half an hour, yet the silent valley remained calm.
Lin Tianming was somewhat worried about Lin Shikang's safety and looked tense. He couldn't help but speak up.
"Twelfth Grandpa, Third Grandfather has been in there for so long, why is there no movement at all?"
Lin Shihua also felt anxious inside but dared not show any sign of it. He could only pretend to be calm and said,
"No movement means that Third Brother is relatively safe. Let's wait patiently a little longer. Once the message comes, we will immediately go in to assist him!"
Before he had finished speaking, sudden booming sounds erupted from deep within the gorge.
The expressions on Lin Tianming and his companion's faces changed instantly as they focused intently ahead, not daring to miss even the smallest bit of information.
At that moment, a streak of golden light flashed across the dim sky and soared high, condensing into the shape of a bamboo.
The Golden Bamboo was extremely conspicuous as it passed through the thick fog and came into their view.
"What is that?"
Lin Shihua's face was flushed as he said to Lin Tianming,
"That's the signal method we agreed upon with Third Brother; he's hinting to us that we can enter!"
"Twelfth Grandpa, there is no time to delay, let's go in now!"
Lin Tianming was the first to react. He reminded Lin Shihua and then charged into the gorge, rushing toward the marked direction.
Lin Shihua did not dare to hesitate. He leaped forward and quickly followed Lin Tianming's pace, disappearing at the entrance.
...
Inside the gorge, Lin Tianming and his companion moved like agile monkeys, swiftly navigating the treetops.
Following the path that Lin Shikang had scouted and marked, they didn't need to be on guard everywhere.
As a result, their speed greatly increased, several times faster than when Lin Shikang had entered.
Despite Lin Shihua's divine sense and eyesight being obstructed, Lin Tianming relied on the Eye of Five Colors, his vision unaffected in the slightest.
As the noises grew increasingly intense, they were drawing closer and closer to Lin Shikang's location.
After just over ten breaths' time, they were less than five hundred zhang away from Lin Shikang.
Ahead of them, Lin Shikang at the Foundation Establishment Eighth Level was locked in fierce battle with a Crimson Gold Snake in the late phase of the Second Order.
Lin Shikang, with a single-handed seal, released a series of fireballs as thick as water buckets accompanied by various grades of talismans, shrouding the massive body of the Crimson Gold Snake.
"Boom boom boom..."
The sky rained down fiery attacks on the Crimson Gold Snake, and once the firelight dissipated, the enormous form of the Crimson Gold Snake was revealed.
Green and yellow scales showed several charred spots, with two areas at the top fleshed open; however, these injuries were merely like scratches to the body of a Second Order Crimson Gold Snake.
"Hiss..."
With a piercing shriek, the Crimson Gold Snake violently swung its head, spitting out a yard-long tongue as sticky saliva dribbled from its giant mouth.
Though it did not sustain a fatal injury, its fury grew as Lin Shikang repeatedly dodged its attacks. The Crimson Gold Snake lashed out with its huge tail, sweeping directly toward Lin Shikang.
Lin Shikang leaped vertically over a hundred zhang, dodging the strike narrowly. Behind him, several large trees were snapped at the trunk, creating deep pits in the ground.
Lin Shikang's expression was grave. After more than a dozen exchanges with the beast, relying on his Golden Wind Sword and combining it with talisman papers, he did not expect to defeat the Crimson Gold Snake but hoped to delay it a while, to wear down its ferocity.
The Crimson Gold Snake, which had not gained an upper hand after a prolonged battle, glared at Lin Shikang with its blood-red eyes and twisted its body, becoming even more berserk.
As Lin Shihua and the other arrived, Lin Shikang's face showed a hint of excitement.
The three stood side by side atop the few remaining trees, watchfully eyeing the Crimson Gold Snake.
"Shihua, the two of you distract this beast from the side; we'll join forces to besiege it. Quick battle to avoid drawing other demonic beasts."
"Alright, everyone be careful!"
The trio exchanged a few words before Lin Shikang took the lead, waving his Golden Wind Sword and unleashing increasingly fierce Sword Qi, stirring the surrounding air into a whistling frenzy.
Lin Tianming didn't hesitate, conjuring all his Earth Evil Swords to join Lin Shihua in a flank attack on the Crimson Gold Snake from another side.
When all three went all out, the canyon was lit with flashes of fire as earthshaking noises echoed around.
With limited strength, Lin Tianming and his companion didn't dare to get too close, hovering around the periphery to constrain their foe while taking the opportunity to set up the Sword Array. The Crimson Gold Snake, now forced to be on guard, appeared extremely frustrated throughout the battle.
As the fight intensified, dozens of rounds went by in brutal combat, reaching a critical and white-hot stage.
Under the combined attack of the trio, the Crimson Gold Snake started to falter, gradually accumulating wounds all over its body.
With a full-force attack from the three, the Crimson Gold Snake couldn't attend to threats from both sides and was forced to twist its body to avoid vital hits.
The Sword Qi transformed from the Golden Wind Sword was incredibly fast, and the Crimson Gold Snake, failing to dodge, got hit with the Sword Qi on its tail.
Opening its huge, bloody maw, the Crimson Gold Snake let out a painful shriek. Its tail now bore a massive wound, and it was on the verge of being severed, as thick as a water bucket.
The pained Crimson Gold Snake completely lost its sanity, its blood-red eyes focusing on Lin Tianming and his partner as if determined to dispose of these two annoying nuisances.
The Crimson Gold Snake spat out two thick streams of water from its mouth that quickly solidified into hard blocks of ice, hurtling towards Lin Tianming and his companion.
Seeing the Crimson Gold Snake suddenly change targets, Lin Shikang shouted anxiously:
"Tianming, that's the Crimson Gold Snake's Innate Divine Ability, dodge it quickly!"
Hearing Lin Shikang's shout, Lin Tianming and his partner were horrified. They didn't dare to face the Crimson Gold Snake's Innate Divine Ability head on and, in a retreat, threw out several Second Order Defense Talismans to form two Defensive Shields in front of them.
Not daring to hold back and knowing that mere Second Order Defense Talismans might not withstand the assault, they each drew out their Defensive Spiritual Tools to securely protect themselves.
As the Crimson Gold Snake launched its attack and its attention was diverted, Lin Tianming took a risk and activated the Earth Fiend Sword Formation to envelop the snake's massive body.
Feeling the barriers around it and the wandering Sword Qi, the Crimson Gold Snake gave up on its continued assault on Lin Tianming and his partner, striving to break free from the Sword Array.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
A series of explosions followed, the talisman-created Shield shattered, and the ice lodged slammed onto the Defensive Spiritual Tools protecting Lin Tianming and Lin Shihua.
"Thud, thud..."
With the chilling ice striking their Defensive Spiritual Tools, Lin Tianming and Lin Shihua each spat out mouthfuls of fresh blood. The two were sent flying backward like kites with broken strings, retreating dozens of feet away.
Regaining their balance, they looked at their nearly destroyed Supreme Quality Spiritual Artifacts with pale faces and a shudder of fear in their hearts.
If it weren't for Lin Tianming's timely activation of the Earth Fiend Sword Formation, forcing the Crimson Gold Snake to abandon its target, the two of them would have been in great jeopardy.
Just as Lin Tianming and his companion escaped the dangerous situation, and while Lin Tianming's Sword Array had the Crimson Gold Snake trapped for a moment, Lin Shikang bellowed:
"Beast, meet your end!"
A silver-white Sword Qi burst forth from his palm, its terrifying energy shining as brightly as sunlight, cutting through the dim sky and heading straight for the Crimson Gold Snake.
Seeing this familiar and terrifying Sword Qi, Lin Tianming was somewhat stunned and couldn't help exclaiming:
"Great Sun Sword Qi Art?"
The Crimson Gold Snake felt the breath of death and desperately tried to escape its bindings. In just a moment, it broke through the range of the Sword Array.
The Sword Array broke, and Lin Tianming suffered a backlash, spurting out blood again, his face going utterly pale.
As the Crimson Gold Snake crossed the Sword Array, the silver-white Sword Qi blasted into its vital seven-inch area.
"Puff..."
After a thudding sound, the Crimson Gold Snake fell, its huge head crashing into the ground, carving out a deep pit upon impact.
The decapitated Crimson Gold Snake was a pitiful sight, blood pouring out and quickly pooling into a puddle. The snake, not yet dead, relied on its strong vitality to continue struggling.
Unfortunately, with such severe injuries, even a Second Order Demonic Beast was beyond saving.
In a short while, the Crimson Gold Snake stopped struggling and was clearly lifeless.
Seeing the Crimson Gold Snake completely dead, Lin Tianming let out a long sigh of relief, and the two injured companions sat down on the ground, exhausted.