"Could I be this unlucky?!"
Seeing the giant serpent slithering toward him, Luo Cheng let out a silent wail in his heart and turned to flee.
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
Wherever the serpent passed, the earth shook and mountains quivered. Trees and vegetation were crushed in its wake; nothing could stop it. In just a few breaths of time, the distance between Luo Cheng and the serpent closed to only two or three hundred meters!
"It's so fast! Huh?"
Just as Luo Cheng was at a loss, he suddenly spotted a woman in white ahead of the serpent.
Behind the woman in white hovered a giant azure bird. She wielded a treasure sword, her entire body encircled by faint azure light. Her feet didn't touch the ground as she continuously dodged the serpent's jets of black mist.
"Damn it!"
Luo Cheng couldn't help but curse inwardly. There was no need to guess; the serpent was clearly drawn here by the woman!
Another jet of black mist cut through the forest, landing less than fifty steps away from Luo Cheng.
Crack!
Where the black mist passed, the trees exploded instantly, forming a straight path through the woods. The surrounding trees and leaves rapidly withered.
"It's poisonous!"
Luo Cheng caught a whiff of a pungent stench and immediately felt dizzy and disoriented. Just then, a soothing cool sensation rose from his abdomen, instantly clearing his mind!
"Iron Magnolia!"
Luo Cheng let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, to recover from his injuries last night, he had taken an Iron Magnolia Pill, and traces of its medicinal strength still lingered in his body.
Otherwise, even the serpent venom alone might have been enough to kill him.
"There's no escape!"
Seeing the serpent draw closer and closer, Luo Cheng's gaze swept over his surroundings and spotted a massive rock. He dashed toward it and hid behind the boulder.
The woman and the serpent rapidly drew near.
Now, Luo Cheng could clearly see the woman's appearance.
She was clad entirely in white, her long black hair cascading like a waterfall. Her brows curved like crescent moons, and a veil covered her face. As she soared through the air, she seemed like a celestial being descended from heaven.
What captivated Luo Cheng wasn't so much the woman's ethereal elegance but her Martial Soul!
The azure bird behind her burned with a fiery azure flame, with ten stars flickering within its body!
Ten-star Martial Soul!
Luo Cheng drew a sharp breath. This was the first time he'd ever seen such an immensely powerful Martial Soul up close!
However, the woman's situation was far from ideal. A layer of ominous black mist shrouded her brows, clearly indicating she had been poisoned by the serpent.
Swish!
In the blink of an eye, the woman was in front of the boulder and spotted Luo Cheng hiding behind it.
As their eyes met, a flicker of surprise crossed her gaze—it was evident she hadn't expected to find someone here.
Frowning slightly, the woman leapt backward, changing direction and soaring away.
Yet, in the brief moment she hesitated, the serpent suddenly lunged forward, opening its massive jaws.
Ssssss!
A jet of inky black mist, as thick as a barrel, shot directly at the woman in white, piercing through every tree in its path.
"Heavenly Heart Sword!"
With no way to evade, the woman swung her sword, unleashing a dazzling azure sword energy stretching more than eight meters long.
Boom!
Incandescent light exploded outward, scattering Qi Force in all directions. The ground beneath them split into deep cracks, and the acrid stench in the air grew unbearable!
The woman in white was forced backward through the air, the black mist around her brows becoming even denser.
Roar!
The serpent seized the opportunity to charge forward, its massive body rising upright and its tail sweeping sideways like a giant Big Iron Whip aimed directly at the woman.
The woman transformed into a streak of azure light, narrowly dodging the strike.
However, the massive boulder shielding Luo Cheng was sent flying by a violent force!
Luo Cheng was immediately exposed, and an overwhelming sense of danger surged within him.
Cursing under his breath, Luo Cheng didn't hesitate to push his speed to the limit, dashing away in desperation.
In almost the same instant, the serpent unleashed another jet of black mist, piercing through the spot where Luo Cheng had been standing moments ago. The house-sized boulder was pulverized into dust!
Thud!
The shockwave alone made Luo Cheng feel his internal organs boiling over, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood on the spot.
"It's terrifying—this must be a Four-star Demon Beast!"
Luo Cheng's heart was filled with terror.
If his reaction had been a fraction slower, he would've ended up like that shattered boulder!
"Catch this!"
Without hesitation, Luo Cheng took out his last Iron Magnolia-refined pill and flicked it toward the woman in white.
He knew well that with his strength, he had no chance of escaping. His only hope now lay with the woman.
The woman caught the pill, her eyes lighting up. She swallowed it in one gulp, and the black mist around her brows rapidly dissipated.
Roar!
The serpent roared furiously and lunged again.
This time, the woman in white no longer fled. She swung her sword, and a palm-sized azure lotus flower appeared at its tip.
Whoosh!
The azure lotus grew rapidly in the wind, instantly expanding to the size of a house and enveloping the serpent in blazing slashes!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sword energy struck the serpent's scales, erupting into a shower of sparks. The serpent was blasted away, its body now covered in wounds, blood gushing everywhere.
Luo Cheng stared in shock—he hadn't expected the woman to be so strong, her abilities far surpassing the Sixth Stage of Transcendence!
"Heavenly Heart Sword!"
The woman followed up unrelentingly with another powerful strike. As her treasure sword swung downward, a thin beam of azure light flashed through the sky.
Splurt!
The serpent's abdomen was instantly pierced, leaving a bowl-sized bloody hole. The flesh around the wound was charred black!
Roar!
The serpent let out a pained howl. Its blood-red, predatory eyes now revealed a flicker of fear as it turned to flee.
Luo Cheng was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected the serpent to retreat so decisively.
The woman in white watched the fleeing serpent, then turned her gaze toward Luo Cheng instead of chasing after it, descending gracefully.
"Are you alright?"
Luo Cheng shook his head lightly. "Just a mild shock to my Qi and blood, nothing serious. That serpent—it was a Four-star Demon Beast?"
"A Four-star Demon Beast, the Black Gold Python."
The woman nodded and stared at Luo Cheng. "I didn't expect you to have a Two-star Detoxification Pill, which just happens to counteract the serpent's venom. If you hadn't helped me detoxify, neither of us would've made it out of the Black Cloud Mountain Range today."
Luo Cheng felt somewhat aggrieved.
He had been dragged into this disaster unwillingly. If it hadn't been for her, he wouldn't have been entangled in the mess at all.
Evidently, the woman realized this too. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she said, "Yun Mengli. What's your name?"
"Luo Cheng."
Yun Mengli nodded, eyeing Luo Cheng intently. "You're only at the Body Tempering Realm—what are you doing in the Black Cloud Mountain Range's central region?"
Luo Cheng didn't hide it. "I came here to find spiritual medicine."
"Looking for spiritual medicine…"
Yun Mengli murmured softly. After a moment of silence, azure light flashed in her hand, and she suddenly produced a plant.
The plant stood two feet tall and was entirely jet black, resembling a coiled serpent. On its top were two thumb-sized fruits covered in dark golden scales.
Plucking one of the fruits, Yun Mengli handed it to Luo Cheng. "Top-tier Four-star spiritual medicine—the Jiao-scale Fruit. Take it."
"Top-tier Four-star spiritual medicine!"
Luo Cheng was stunned.
Yun Mengli nodded. Seeing Luo Cheng still in a daze, she added:
"I accidentally discovered this Jiao-scale Fruit earlier, but while picking it, I was struck by the Black Gold Python's venomous mist. If not for your help, I wouldn't have escaped unscathed today. This is your rightful reward."
Luo Cheng excitedly accepted the Jiao-scale Fruit. "Thank you!"
With this Jiao-scale Fruit, his grandfather's injuries could finally be healed!
"The Black Gold Python may not have gone far. I'll escort you out of the Black Cloud Mountain Range."
Without waiting for a reply, Yun Mengli grabbed Luo Cheng's right hand, tapped her toes lightly against the ground, and soared into the air like a crane. In an instant, they had already traveled several hundred meters.