Chapter 342: Chapter 327: Seven-Colored Cloud-Swallowing Python
The ambushing "Celestial Eye" people targeting Zhouyang’s group numbered over a dozen. Among them, seven had cultivation levels similar to those of Purple Mansion Stage cultivators, which was nearly twice their number.
At that moment, suddenly ambushed, the four could only save themselves in haste.
Zhouyang first activated the protective shield attached to his "Spirit Rhinoceros Jade Pendant" and then triggered his body-protecting divine technique "Qianyang Golden Light." With these two layers of protection activated, he barely managed to fend off the sudden attacks of fiery beams and icy spears.
After blocking the attacks, he didn’t rush to counterattack. Instead, with a flash of golden light, he directly used the "Rainbow Light Escape" divine technique to retreat a hundred miles in the direction they came from.
Although this action might seem like abandoning his teammates, in a crisis, it was his instinctive reaction after countless battles.
After all, having been abruptly attacked just now, he had no idea how many enemies there were; staying and fighting on the spot was the worst strategy.
When he fled the encirclement, he opened his "Separation Fire Golden Eye" to scan the battlefield. Seeing the number and strength of the enemies made him slightly relieved; he hurried back to the battlefield to support his teammates, sword in hand.
At this moment, with Zhouyang having left the battlefield, the trio of Xiao Feng and others faced an overwhelming number of attackers, leaving them in a dire situation.
Most Barbaric Alien Races do not refine magical artifacts like cultivators. They either possess powerful bodies like Barbaric Beasts or Demon Beasts or have unparalleled magic talents that even cultivators cannot match.
The "Celestial Eye Race" was the standard "mage" type.
Relying on their "Celestial Eye," they could easily cast various magic spells corresponding to their rank and strength.
At this moment, Xiao Feng and the others were simultaneously suffering attacks from several Tier Four spells and numerous Tier Three spells.
Withstanding so many magical attacks at once, Xiao Feng and Jiang Fengxian could barely manage due to their higher cultivation levels.
But Li Zhengwei, with only the Fifth-Layer cultivation of Purple Mansion, was in trouble.
He was indeed the weakest in their group, and his cultivation technique wasn’t high-level, just a fairly decent intermediate technique.
Facing such fierce magical attacks at once, his protective spiritual artifact and its defense shield were quickly destroyed, causing him to spit blood and fall to the ground.
Zhouyang, rushing over on his sword, saw this scene and his face changed drastically, yelling out urgently, "Fellow Daoist Li, hold on, Brother Huang is coming!"
Before finding that Golden Core Stage cultivator’s cave mansion, Li Zhengwei couldn’t die. If he did, where would they find that cave mansion, whose location was unknown?
All three of them understood this logic.
Therefore, as Zhouyang shouted out loud, Xiao Feng and Jiang Fengxian didn’t just stand by.
Xiao Feng’s old face showed a flicker of pained reluctance, but he quickly took out a Tier Four Middle-Grade Defense Spirit Talisman to protect Li Zhengwei.
Meanwhile, Jiang Fengxian’s delicate face turned cold. With a swift spell cast by her delicate hand, nine thick vines burst from the ground, forming a giant cage that imprisoned four nearby "Celestial Eye" people.
Then she shook her delicate hand again, summoning a Tier Four High-Grade Demon Beast, the "Seven-Colored Cloud-Swallowing Python."
The "Seven-Colored Cloud-Swallowing Python," over a hundred zhang long, immediately spewed a large cloud of seven-colored poison towards the caged "Celestial Eye" people.
In an instant, after a series of chilling screams, several "Celestial Eye" people inside the vine prison were reduced to a pool of poisonous water.
With several of their own dead in an instant, the remaining "Celestial Eye" people were shocked and angry, their rage directed towards attacking Jiang Fengxian.
But by then, Zhouyang had also arrived, sword in hand.
He waved his sleeve, sending ten crimson sword rainbows to slice through several "Celestial Eye" people. At the same time, his hands quickly weaved spells, unleashing the "Qianyang Divine Thunder" technique.
With a thunderous clap, golden divine thunder descended from the sky, instantly shattering a Tier Four "Celestial Eye" person who was resisting the "Seven-Colored Cloud-Swallowing Python" into a pulp of flesh.
Meanwhile, Xiao Feng went all out, also killing a Tier Four "Celestial Eye" person and several Tier Three ones on the spot.
In the blink of an eye, the tide of battle shifted completely.
Under the powerful counterattack from Zhouyang and the others, more than half of the ambushing "Celestial Eye" people were lost in an instant.
Being intelligent beings, the remaining "Celestial Eye" people realized this and dared not continue battling Zhouyang and the others.
One of the Tier Four "Celestial Eye" people had a flash of yellow light on their back, and all the surviving "Celestial Eye" people were enveloped by this yellow light, escaping into the earth via Earth Escape.
It had only been less than a quarter of an hour since Zhouyang and the others were ambushed—a remarkably brief time.
"Fellow Daoist Li, Fellow Daoist Li, are you alright?"
Zhouyang’s flying sword landed next to the fallen Li Zhengwei, concerned about their guide’s condition.
"Brother Li won’t die just yet, but the journey ahead might be delayed because of me!"
Covered in blood and collapsed on the ground, Li Zhengwei glanced at Zhouyang. After a slight twitch at the corner of his eye, he weakly responded.
Xiao Feng arrived just then. Hearing Li Zhengwei’s words, he immediately comforted, "Fellow Daoist Li, just focus on healing. The three of us will take turns carrying you along the way."
"What Brother Xiao said is very true. If your healing spirit pills are not enough, I still have some here that I can give to you, Fellow Daoist."
Jiang Fengxian rode over on the "Seven-Colored Cloud-Swallowing Python," her pretty face full of concern.
The three of them all needed Li Zhengwei to lead the way. If Li Zhengwei died, not only would they have made the trip for nothing, but after returning to the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm, they would lose many opportunities.
After all, their journey into the wilderness in search of the Golden Core Stage cultivator’s cave mansion had already been known by many cultivators. Seeing them return safely, who knows how much trouble awaits them.
Li Zhengwei himself knew this, so hearing the three speak, he didn’t stand on ceremony. He immediately accepted the healing spirit pill given by Jiang Fengxian and took it, then continued the journey with Xiao Feng controlling a flying ship spiritual artifact to carry him.
After killing a fair number of Celestial Eye Race individuals, Zhouyang and the others were worried about retaliations from these wilderness alien race members, so they hurriedly tidied up the battlefield and fled the scene.
Even so, throughout their subsequent travels, they occasionally encountered searching members of the Celestial Eye Race.
Fortunately, the wilderness jungle was vast, and the Celestial Eye Race wasn’t the masters of the wilderness, so they couldn’t pursue them endlessly.
Thus, after fleeing continuously for seventy to eighty thousand miles, they finally escaped the land of that Celestial Eye Race tribe.
However, the series of battles during the escape deepened Li Zhengwei’s injuries, so they had to temporarily find a place to let Li Zhengwei have sufficient time to recuperate and heal.
After waiting for more than a month, with Li Zhengwei’s injuries slightly better, leading the group of three to finally find the cave mansion marked on the treasure map, it was already their fourth month into the wilderness jungle!
"That’s right, it’s here. The surrounding scenery matches the treasure map. Who among you would like to test the array here?"
Outside a steep cliff, Zhouyang and others stood. Guiding them, Li Zhengwei held a piece of beast hide treasure map, compared it to the surrounding terrain, and with a confident expression, pointed ahead to beneath the cliff, drawing a conclusion.
"I’ll give it a try," Xiao Feng offered.
The white-haired Xiao Feng stepped forward as soon as Li Zhengwei finished speaking.
With a casual spell cast, he swung his sleeve, releasing a dozen head-sized fireballs that smashed towards the cliff ahead.
Rumble.
After a series of explosions, debris flew from the cliff, dust clouded the air.
????
Zhouyang and the others exchanged puzzled glances with Li Zhengwei, eyes full of question marks.
Where was the array you mentioned?
"Fellow Daoist Xiao, try again, use Tier Four Magic!"
Li Zhengwei’s expression tightened, but he offered no explanation, prompting Xiao Feng to try again.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng nodded, immediately forming a seal and releasing a Tier Four Middle-Grade Fire Magic, "Blazing Sun Star Burst."
Boom!
After a deafening explosion, the cliff in their sight trembled slightly, and the entire cliff along with the stones that had fallen earlier vanished, revealing a broad valley basin.
The valley basin was vast, over ten thousand acres in size, with a yard occupying several hundred acres within it, shrouded in mist, its mysteries unknown.
In the basin outside the courtyard, a variety of spirit elixirs and spirit fruits were planted. With a rough glance, Zhouyang identified no fewer than a hundred types of Tier Three and Tier Four spirit elixirs and fruit trees, with even more below Tier Three.
"Phoenix Tail Grass, Golden Silk Blood Orchid, Golden Dragon Eye, Golden Leaf Orange, Thunder Bamboo..."
Zhouyang’s gaze swept over the array of spirit elixirs and fruit trees in the basin, and with each name he uttered, his heart raced a bit faster.
The Zhou Family’s medicinal garden had been established for hundreds of years, yet compared to the spirit elixirs and fruits in this valley basin, the Zhou Family’s offerings paled in comparison.
"Hahaha, how about it? I wasn’t wrong, was I? Now do you believe my words?"
Laughter spilled from Li Zhengwei’s mouth, his face brimming with pride and joy as he pointed triumphantly toward the valley basin.
"Hehehe, Fellow Daoist Li, there’s no need to be overly cautious. We’ve never doubted the authenticity of the treasure map you held."
Xiao Feng chuckled, unbothered by Li Zhengwei’s tone.
As long as they could obtain the treasures within this cave mansion, even if Li Zhengwei insulted him to his face, he would not mind.
"Fellow Daoists, let’s not celebrate too soon. This is a Golden Core Stage cultivator’s cave mansion, and the arrays inside are likely Tier Five Arrays. If that’s true, it won’t be easy for us to secure the treasures inside!"
Zhouyang, coming back to his senses, reminded his two jubilant companions in a heavy tone.