Divine Transcendence

Chapter 202: Adhere to; hold fast to; stand fast by

As the fierce flames approached, the crazed single-horned green-scaled python showed no intention of avoiding it. The snake first leaned back to gather strength, then suddenly lunged downward, spewing out a blast of icy wind.

Under the force of the icy wind, a stream of cold air formed and rushed straight towards Yuan Ming.

The blazing fireball surged upwards against the cold air, evaporating the cold wind instantly and creating a large amount of white mist, obscuring Yuan Ming’s vision.

But in the next moment, a fiery red sun lit up within the white mist.

The intense firelight expanded dramatically, rapidly growing from a small fireball to a dazzling wall of fire. Countless flames scattered and splattered, evaporating all the mist.

In the bright firelight, the body of the single-horned green-scaled python burst open, shattering into countless pieces that shot out in all directions.

Even the mountain of savage beast corpses was blasted open, with shattered remains of savage beasts scattered everywhere.

The beast horde that was charging from behind was inevitably impacted, and some of the savage beasts, who were not particularly strong, were pierced by the strong impact and flying bone fragments, resulting in casualties.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Yuan Ming once again manipulated the black needles to charge into the beast horde, quickly resolving the situation.

He quickly took out a pill and swallowed it, while also holding a spirit stone in one hand to rapidly restore his mana.

After a moment, Yuan Ming suddenly frowned and looked up at the sky.

The densely packed horde of beasts above suddenly began to become chaotic, with some savage beasts and birds of prey attacking each other, engaging in a chaotic battle.

This meant that the beast-attracting incense he had released earlier was starting to lose its effect, and the next wave of the beast horde would not continue to gather here, so the danger was about to be resolved.

Before Yuan Ming could retract his gaze, the savage beasts circling above were suddenly attracted by the strong scent of blood and discovered him, diving down towards him.

Yuan Ming sighed and had no choice but to once again control the black needles and swiftly attack.

At present, controlling the black needles was the most practical method of attack, as this item was delicate and consumed the least mana. With Yuan Ming’s own soul power, it was also the most convenient.

As for Yuan Ming himself, he needed to quickly restore his mana. As long as no second-level savage beasts appeared, he would try to avoid taking action in order to conserve his strength.

However, the savage beasts in the sky, especially the seven or eight scavenging vultures, clearly did not want to let him off easily.

They all scattered and continuously swooped down to attack, their agile bodies and high speed making it difficult for the black needles to be effective.

Helpless, Yuan Ming clapped the corpse-storing bag and summoned the body of the Foundation Establishment stage corpse refiner, Tian Snake.

As the corpse refiner appeared, the soul crow that Yuan Ming had left behind in the cave had also flown back without stopping, and immediately rammed into the head of the corpse refiner, merging into it.

In the next moment, a glint of light flashed in Tian Snake’s eyes, and he began to move.

Wearing a pair of black gloves on his hands, he came to stand not far from the female formation master, alert and on guard.

If the scavenging vultures were only going to eat the dead beast corpses, Yuan Ming didn’t need to worry, but if they attacked Xiying as if she were a corpse, he would immediately take action.

Even if the black needles couldn’t stop them, there was still Tian Snake, providing an additional layer of protection.

It was unknown how long had passed, but the mountain forest finally began to quiet down, with many more savage beast corpses scattered around.

Yuan Ming was also mentally fatigued and had no choice but to retract the rest of the soul crows, leaving only one to remain vigilant.

The corpse of Tian Snake naturally returned to the corpse-storing bag, and he could only barely activate the corpse for a short time, unable to fully unleash its power and not daring to keep it out for long.

"There shouldn’t be another large-scale beast horde attack. It’s almost half an hour..." Yuan Ming was thinking to himself when his gaze suddenly sharpened.

He raised his hand and grasped the Cold Star Sword, then swiftly dashed to Xiying’s side.

He saw the trees in the mountain forest swaying, and a giant, five-zhang-tall mountain turtle, with a massive body, broke through the towering ancient trees and charged towards them.

The mountain turtle was a land tortoise with a tough physique and a shell that was nearly as defensive as a magical weapon, and it possessed immense strength.

In the many legends of the Southern Wilderness, there had always been stories of mountain turtles carrying mountains on their backs, and they had always been the embodiment of strength.

However, this mountain turtle had always been gentle and non-aggressive, usually not attacking other creatures, but it seemed to have been affected by the beast-attracting incense and had gone mad.

At this moment, Yuan Ming suddenly noticed that there was a yellow spirit talisman attached to the head of the mountain turtle.

This was a spirit beast raised by the sect, and the spiritual power emanating from it had already reached the initial stage of the second level, making it a Foundation Establishment stage spirit beast.

The mountain turtle was less than twenty zhang away from them, and Yuan Ming had no time to think, so he could only raise his sword and meet it head-on.

As it approached, Yuan Ming gripped the sword with both hands, and his mana surged into the Cold Star Sword.

The sword emitted a flickering starlight, and white cold air overflowed from the sword, condensing into white ice crystals on the blade.

Yuan Ming swung the long sword with all his might, slashing towards the mountain turtle’s exposed head.

A streak of white sword light arced out, and wherever it passed, the temperature in the air dropped sharply, and the suspended water vapor condensed into ice, even the surface of the green grass on the ground was covered with a layer of frost.

Just as the sword light was about to fall, the mountain turtle suddenly retracted its head into its heavy shell.

The sword light fell on the shell, emitting a sharp sound, then shattered and dispersed like starlight, but the mountain turtle was unharmed and once again stuck its head out, continuing to charge towards Yuan Ming.

However, after running for only two or three steps, the mountain turtle suddenly stopped, and a wave of cold air spread from where the sword light had fallen, instantly condensing into a layer of ice, enveloping the entire turtle.

The mountain turtle was frozen in ice.

Yuan Ming hadn’t had time to feel happy when his heart suddenly began to race.His divine consciousness, projected outward, sensed a powerful aura assaulting from the other side, heading straight for the female array master.

Yuan Ming abruptly turned around, only to see a tall figure suddenly appear from the nearby woods.

The man had a square face, a prominent nose, and short stubble on his cheeks. His brocade robe was stained with blood, and his expression was gloomy—it was none other than Elder Meng Shan.

Since the beginning of the sect invasion, this man had not shown himself. Yuan Ming thought he had already fled, but unexpectedly, he encountered him here.

"Elder Meng Shan! Your disciple is here, with treasures to offer you."

Yuan Ming raised his hand and called out loudly, trying to attract his attention.

However, his target, the unmoving female array master, paid no heed to Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming activated his jade belt, casting the Swift Wind Technique and Shadowless Step, his figure flashing rapidly, attempting to intercept between Elder Meng Shan and the female array master.

Elder Meng Shan remained indifferent, striking out with a palm towards Yuan Ming and said, "Once I kill you, everything will be mine."

Under the force of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, a casual palm strike was not something a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator like Yuan Ming could withstand.

Seeing a nearly transparent white palm imprint pressing through the void and hurtling towards him, Yuan Ming dared not face it head-on and hastily dodged to the side. Shocked by Elder Meng Shan’s shamelessness, Yuan Ming wasted no words, throwing out three Thunderfall Talismans towards Elder Meng Shan.

The talisman papers burned in the void, and three bolts of lightning fell from the sky, striking at Meng Shan.

He pushed his hand towards the sky, and a Bagua mirror in his palm lit up, forming a golden light barrier that blocked the attack.

The white lightning struck the golden barrier, scattering large arcs of electricity, but failed to inflict any damage.

Ultimately, Elder Meng Shan reached the female array master first. At her feet, Guoguo, the cat, suddenly bulged its eyes, its fur standing on end, but Meng Shan did not even glance at the small silver creature.

The thunderous roar of the lightning and the sparks that flew had caused a momentary glare in Meng Shan’s eyes, briefly obstructing his vision.

At that same moment, a black soul crow swooped down from a nearby tree, entering Elder Meng Shan’s brow with the speed of lightning, turning from solid to ethereal as it vanished inside.

The soul crow exploded within Elder Meng Shan’s sea of consciousness, unleashing pure soul power and causing a powerful soul shock.

Elder Meng Shan had no time to react before his body suddenly stiffened, as if he had lost control, and under the force of inertia, he toppled forward.

A flash of joy crossed Yuan Ming’s eyes. Without a moment’s delay, his figure flashed forward, and he raised his Cold Star Sword, slashing heavily towards Meng Shan’s head.

Just as the sword was about to strike, another change occurred.

"Roar..."

A roar, like that of a wild bull, erupted from behind him. The ground surged with yellow light, and huge boulders rose from beneath, colliding upwards, propelled by a powerful wave of air, striking at Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming’s back felt as if it had been rammed by a wild bull, and he was helplessly thrown forward. The mountain tortoise, previously frozen in ice, had broken free from control and launched an attack.

The soul crow’s soul attack, though not instantly fatal, could cause damage and loss of bodily control, but only for a moment.

Disturbed by the mountain tortoise, Yuan Ming had lost the perfect opportunity to overpower and severely injure Elder Meng Shan.

He sighed inwardly, and as he tumbled to the ground, he caught a glimpse of the Bagua mirror that Elder Meng Shan had dropped. He snatched it up, pushed off the ground with both arms, leaped back to his feet, and swung his sword at Elder Meng Shan once more.

Elder Meng Shan had by then regained his senses, though blood trickled from the corner of his eyes and his eardrums were swollen, leaving him somewhat dazed.

He didn’t even understand what kind of attack he had suffered, but as Yuan Ming’s long sword slashed down, he hastily took out a pair of black hooks and swung them to meet the strike.

With a "clang," the collision of the magical instruments sent Yuan Ming flying back seven or eight zhang before he could barely steady himself, while Meng Shan remained unmoved.

Elder Meng Shan wiped the blood from the corner of his eyes, his gaze refocusing on Yuan Ming, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Meanwhile, the mountain tortoise charged over with all four legs, rushing towards them.

Caught between the two, the situation was extremely unfavorable for Yuan Ming.