"Teng Snake!"
Li Xuan, Liu Tianlu, and Bai Liqi all trembled at the words. Wasn't the Teng Snake a creature from ancient times?
Legend had it that the Teng Snake was over three hundred zhang long, with wings on its serpentine body. Besides slithering on the ground, it could also soar through the heavens. It was no exaggeration to say it could traverse both sky and earth.
However, after the great battle of ancient times, such creatures had gone extinct. Who would have thought that on the outer fringes of the Gui Xu, Li Xuan and the others would encounter one?
Moreover, Li Xuan discovered that besides the extremely low visibility, his divine sense could not probe beyond two thousand meters. Clearly, using divine sense to investigate anything in the Gui Xu was almost impossible.
"This Teng Snake is already dead. What is currently occupying its body should be an evil spirit formed from the accumulated malevolent energy of this place. Everyone be careful. This Teng Snake not only retains its strength from when it was alive but, with this evil spirit, its power is likely far beyond its natural abilities."
An Batian spoke up as he looked at the Teng Snake below, its tongue flicking as it coldly regarded the group in mid-air. As a sovereign of his domain, An Batian was naturally very knowledgeable about such beings.
Li Xuan and the others nodded. Sentient spirits could be born from immortal weapons and artifacts. The quality of these spirits depended on the user's own character.
If a spiritual master with a history of excessive killing possessed such a weapon, the resulting spirit would naturally not be good. Conversely, for a person of great righteousness, the spirit born from a spiritual weapon would not be malevolent.
Even without An Batian's instruction, Li Xuan and the others were already facing the Teng Snake below as if confronting a great enemy. Its blood-red eyes were like two crimson lanterns, and its long tongue was several meters in length.
Li Xuan knew this Teng Snake must have perished during the ancient great battle, and its corpse, within the Gui Xu, must have been influenced by the dense malevolent energy of this place. The fact that an evil spirit could be born here indicated the intensity of the malevolent aura.
"Sect Master, this snake is blocking our path. We probably have no choice but to fight," Zuo Changfeng said to An Batian, looking at the Teng Snake coiled below.
An Batian frowned slightly. They were merely at the edge of the Gui Xu, and such a terrifying existence had already appeared. Who knew what other horrors awaited them in the depths of the Gui Xu.
Although they could bypass this Teng Snake and enter from another side, An Batian knew that the moment his group showed any sign of retreat, the Teng Snake would instantly find a weakness and launch a fierce attack.
"This snake should possess the strength of the late Hua Wu realm. However, with the malevolent energy of this place, if it goes berserk, it could likely reach the peak of the Wan Xiang realm. We have just entered the Gui Xu, and it's not advisable to expend too much energy."
"Peak Master Luo Kang, mobilize the power of the Seven Treasures Hall and attack with me. We must finish this quickly and conserve our spiritual energy," An Batian's thoughts raced, and he made his arrangements.
"Alright." Luo Kang nodded slowly.
"Kun Wu Eight Swords!"
"Seven Treasures!"
Seeing Luo Kang nod, An Batian's mind stirred. A spiritual light flashed, and eight spiritual swords emitting strong spiritual light appeared around him. Above Luo Kang's head, a treasure hall suddenly enlarged, exuding a terrifying pressure as if looking down upon all beings.
"Attack!"
As An Batian's voice fell, the eight swords around his body rapidly enlarged and pierced through the void. In just a moment, they appeared above the Teng Snake.
Simultaneously, Luo Kang's hand seals changed, and the treasure hall floating above his head, like a mountain, crashed down upon the Teng Snake below.
Hiss!
As if sensing the threat, the Teng Snake flicked its tongue and swept its long, giant tail towards the rapidly approaching Kun Wu Eight Swords.
Swish!
As the Teng Snake moved, a colossal beastly aura instantly permeated the air. The pressure of the late Hua Wu realm instantly forced Li Xuan and the others to circulate their spiritual energy to resist. The Teng Snake's tail sweep actually knocked back the Kun Wu Eight Swords in an instant.
Then, the Teng Snake flapped its wings and its figure rapidly disappeared from its original position. The Seven Treasures Hall descended, but its target was missed.
"Be careful!"
Seeing the Teng Snake vanish, An Batian frowned slightly, clearly surprised by how easily the Teng Snake had repelled the Kun Wu Eight Swords with a single sweep. In this vast expanse, the Teng Snake, using the power of heaven and earth to conceal itself, was undoubtedly lurking in the shadows.
"Sect Master, has this Teng Snake sensed the threat and fled?" In the blink of an eye, the time it takes to burn a stick of incense passed. Seeing that the Teng Snake had not reappeared, Di Renhai spoke.
Li Xuan pouted. Although the Teng Snake was a creature from ancient times, it was still a snake.
Even ordinary snakes would bite back when threatened, let alone this Teng Snake with its terrifying late Hua Wu realm strength.
However, none of the people present were weaklings, and their status was not low. Li Xuan was certainly not foolish enough to question Di Renhai's words.
"This creature has been completely assimilated by the evil spirit born from malevolent energy, and it is by no means that simple. Since the Teng Snake has not appeared, let us continue our journey," An Batian nodded slightly. Then, with a thought, the Kun Wu Eight Swords returned to his body.
As An Batian finished speaking, he moved and slowly descended towards the ground. An Batian dared not accelerate rashly, for they had encountered a Teng Snake corrupted by malevolent energy right at the entrance to the Gui Xu. It was hard to imagine what terrifying existences they might encounter next.
Furthermore, flying in the air at this moment was indeed a very unwise choice.
"Let's continue on our way," An Batian said in a deep voice after landing and looking around.
Everyone nodded. The peak masters of each peak beckoned their respective holy disciples to follow closely. Clearly, the appearance of the Teng Snake had put some pressure on these powerful beings.
"Junior Brother Li Xuan, be careful." Bai Liqi and Liu Tianlu said in a low voice to Li Xuan before following behind Bai Li Sheng and Liu Wen.
Li Xuan nodded slightly and looked towards Luo Kang, who was not far from him.
"You've seen the dangers of this place. Do you regret coming with me?" Luo Kang transmitted telepathically to Li Xuan, seeing his solemn expression.
Li Xuan was taken aback for a moment, then shrugged indifferently and walked directly behind Luo Kang.
"This is my choice, and also my destiny. Master, let us continue our journey," Li Xuan transmitted telepathically.
"Let's go," Luo Kang nodded slightly and then followed after An Batian and the others.
As Li Xuan and the others disappeared from this fringe area, the Teng Snake, which had already vanished, reappeared.
Its long tongue slowly flicked out, and it stared in the direction Li Xuan and the others had gone before soaring into the sky and disappearing once more.
(Wishing all fellow Daoists a happy Lunar New Year's Eve!)