Chapter 96 — Old Sentiments
劍問蒼天 · Page 4 of 6
All were struck dumb, thinking that the demonic sect villains were indeed uncanny—to hide so many venomous insects and monsters on their persons, and not fear being bitten in turn. Among them, Zeng Shuyan, standing far off, let his thoughts wander farthest of all: he actually wondered whether, if those senior and junior sisters of his sect were to see this countless swarm of venomous insects, they might be so frightened their whole bodies went limp and they could not even lift their artifacts.
The thought had barely flashed through his mind when his grip slackened, and he nearly took a bite from a giant ant at his feet. Fortunately it only tore the edge of his shoe. The fright was no small matter, and he hastily collected himself to deal with the situation.
But he and Li Xun had to hold off these countless giant ants at once, and the pressure was truly immense. In this brief span they had killed over a hundred more, yet the beasts seemed endless, still surging forward in waves.
Zeng Shuyan and Li Xun exchanged a glance, and each saw the intent to retreat in the other's eyes. Zeng Shuyan was just about to turn and urge the others on when, from the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught a faint flash of blue deep in the forest.
Instinctively, he started!
Ahead, Qin Wujiu's brows were tightly knit, and almost at the same moment, the thought of retreat sprouted in his heart. The four in the field today were truly hard to deal with. The Dead Marsh Giant Ants, which he had thought invincible, had been held off squarely by those two, unable to advance a single step for the longest time. And the ferocity of the Slaying Dragon Sword in the hands of this Canglan Sect disciple was truly beyond anything he had seen in his life—now and again the man would unleash a sword force that pressed ever forward, leaving no path of retreat at all. It was a real headache.
And over there, those various venomous creatures would clearly not hold Fa Cheng for long. If the man should come over, the day would likely be lost. Qin Wujiu was the Poison God's most prized disciple; young as he was, he possessed great decisiveness. In this moment he made his choice: with a shake of his right hand, three more strange toads flew out to entangle Fa Cheng, while the clear radiance of the Severed Longing in his right hand blazed forth. Suddenly he launched a great counterattack, so fierce that even Lin Jinghong had to fall back several steps.
Seizing this moment, Qin Wujiu suddenly leapt up and away from the others, laughing long as he said, "Let us call it a night here—"
Before his voice died away, he suddenly heard Zeng Shuyan shout from ahead, "Senior Sister Lu, quick, cut him off—"
Qin Wujiu was startled. From the corner of his eye he at once saw blue light rising in the darkness beside him. He was startled but not flustered; the Severed Longing was already laid across the path of the blue light. He was confident that no matter how powerful this strike, he could withstand it.
But unexpectedly, though the blue light rose in the dark night, amid the shrill wind the whole world suddenly fell silent. From the other side of the darkness, a sensation of icy cold welled up without a sound and struck him hard on the right side of his body.
For all Qin Wujiu's usual meticulousness, he was caught off guard in that flash of lightning and flint. With a "wa," he spat out a great mouthful of blood, his chest and lapels dyed crimson. At this crisis of life and death, he forced himself to hold on. In moments his right arm gave a series of "susu" sounds, and in the blink of an eye he released several dozen highly venomous monsters to block the others for a moment, while his figure flew far back at the same time. After a long while his voice came from afar, full of hatred, its strength already failing, yet shrill and sharp: "Ming Li, you're ruthless! The debt of this staff—we'll settle it another day..."