thefictionvixens 48. Trapped in the cave
48. Trapped in the cave
Since entering the Myriad Beasts Space, Qing Lin has enjoyed considerable luck. Thanks to the Azure Blood Python she had subdued beforehand, her combat power was already quite formidable. Furthermore, Yang Yue gave her a high-level Earth-rank flying combat technique he had purchased at the auction. With this flying combat technique as a guarantee, no one below the Dou Zun level could catch Qing Lin, making her virtually invincible. This is why Yang Yue didn't object much to Xiao Yan bringing Qing Lin in; Yang Yue understood the predicament of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion better than anyone, and he saw that Xiao Yan and his companions had decided to gamble everything on this Myriad Beasts Gathering.
Upon entering, Qing Lin, relying on the Azure Blood Python and two other fifth-tier magical beasts, quickly rose to the top of the leaderboard. She was also fortunate to encounter a disciple from the Heavenly Serpent Palace; together, they not only avoided any trouble but also achieved quite good results.
An unexpected encounter occurred during one of their hunts—Shi Meng from Elephant Rhinoceros Mountain! Information about the six major powers was already quite public, and given Qing Lin's extraordinary status, Shi Meng understood Qing Lin's importance all too well, so he directly and ruthlessly attacked.
With another disciple of the Heavenly Serpent Palace risking his life to hold them off, Qing Lin used her flying ability to escape. However, Qing Lin was still young and inexperienced in combat, and she was unaware that Elephant Rhinoceros Mountain possessed a tracking ability. Although she managed to shake off Shi Meng each time, he would soon catch up again.
Moreover, due to Shi Meng's cunning, Qing Lin was unaware that he had been constantly being pressured in one direction. The Xiangxi Mountain martial art was unique; although its speed wasn't fast, its stamina was exceptionally strong, thus maintaining a constant pursuit and escape posture.
Just as Qing Lin was being chased to the vicinity of a huge cave, a young man in a wide robe suddenly appeared in front of her—Lu Zhi of the Xuanwen Sect!
Lu Zhi was quite interested in Qing Lin, the possessor of the Azure Serpent Three-Flower Pupil, and offered to let her go in exchange for her becoming his servant. Qing Lin refused, and the battle began. For some reason, Shi Meng and Lu Zhi both targeted Qing Lin from the start. Lu Zhi's speed was already considerable, and with Shi Meng covering for him, Qing Lin had no chance to escape.
The Crimson Serpent was loyal to its master, but it was at a disadvantage from the start against Lu Zhi. Qing Lin watched the Crimson Serpent being constantly beaten by Lu Zhi, feeling heartache and helplessness. She desperately wanted the figure in her heart to come out and help her, but the Myriad Beasts Space was so vast, and in all this time she had only encountered one companion. How could she possibly encounter her again?
The Azure Blood Python lashed its tail, striking Lu Zhi like a shadow. This time, Lu Zhi did not dodge as before, but caught the Azure Blood Python's tail with his hand.
"You beast, get out of my way!"
An overwhelming aura erupted from Lu Zhi, blasting the Azure Blood Python away and embedding it into the cave wall. Qing Lin, the master, though unharmed, saw his controlled beast severely injured, and his face paled.
After defeating the Azure Blood Python, Lu Zhi teleported to Qing Lin like a ghost and grabbed Qing Lin's throat.
"This is your last chance. Become my slave, or die!" Lu Zhi's somewhat magnetic voice now sounded cold and cruel.
His response was a burst of blue light in Qinglin's eyes, causing Lu Zhi to momentarily lose his senses.
The next moment, Qinglin broke free, and two serpentine demonic beasts attacked Lu Zhi from the left and right behind him.
The serpentine beast bit Lu Zhi, but the moment it made contact, yellowish-gray patterns appeared on Lu Zhi's shoulder, rendering the serpentine beast's bite completely ineffective.
Then, blood-red patterns appeared all over Lu Zhi's body, flowing like bright red blood.
The two magical beasts shrank as if they had been drained dry, and crimson mist rose from their bodies.
The two controlled magical beasts died, and a trace of blood flowed from the corner of Qinglin's mouth. Lu Zhi's eyes were cold, but he smiled and said, "I didn't expect the people from the Heavenly Serpent Mansion to be so stupid."
"Let me see what's different about the blood of the owner of the Azure Serpent Three-Flower Pupil."
Then Qinglin felt as if the blood in her body was evaporating, followed by a feeling of weakness. Qinglin watched as red lines were drawn out of her body and slowly flowed into Lu Zhi's body.
"Young Master Xiao Yan..." Qing Lin murmured softly, tears welling up in her eyes.
Shi Meng, who was on guard nearby, felt a little bored watching the scene and then stretched.
The next instant, a thunderous sound rang out, and a figure swept past him.
"Who?" Shi Meng asked warily.
Two long-awaited energy palm prints slammed into Lu Zhi. Lu Zhi frowned as he looked at the energy palm prints and impatiently ended the absorption state of the Bloodthirsty Mark.
"Qinglin!" The person who came was Xiao Yan, who pulled Qinglin into his arms.
Qinglin was overjoyed when she saw who it was, and couldn't help but cry out, "Young Master Xiao Yan, I thought I would never see you again."
Upon examining Qing Lin, Xiao Yan found her to be extremely weak. Had he arrived any later, she might have been drained dry by Lu Zhi.
Lu Zhi looked at Xiao Yan in front of him and raised an eyebrow: "It's you? I didn't expect to run into you so soon."
"How can Qing Lin's body be restored?" Xiao Yan asked, squinting his eyes. Qing Lin's condition was extremely poor. In Xiao Yan's judgment, even if they got out safely, Qing Lin's remaining lifespan would probably be limited.
"Recover? You can't recover after your life essence is absorbed by the Bloodthirsty Mark. Maybe you can recover if you defeat me, but can you do that?" Lu Zhi said jokingly. He never thought that the lives of the weak were worth pitying. He was only willing to say a few words to Xiao Yan because he thought Xiao Yan was a worthy opponent.
At this moment, Yang Lingyan and Chu Qun also entered the cave, but they were in a cautious standoff with Shi Meng. Xiao Yan handed Qing Lin over to Yang Lingyan.
Then, calmly, he said, "In that case, I must kill you!"
Seeing Xiao Yan's fighting spirit at its peak, Lu Zhi couldn't contain his joy. "Shi Meng, keep an eye on the other two and make sure they don't disturb us."
Upon hearing Lu Zhi's words, Shi Meng nodded in agreement.
Chu Qun and Yang Lingyan's gazes towards him also changed. After all, the geniuses of the major forces were never willing to submit to each other, and there were almost no good relationships between them. Among them, Shi Meng was the best of the best, with a ruthless personality and a notorious reputation in the Northwest Region. However, he was clearly obeying Lu Zhi at this moment, which made the relationship between them quite intriguing.
Lu Zhi didn't care about what others thought, but looked at Xiao Yan and said, "I hope you'll give me more surprises. It's been a long time since I've encountered a decent toy!"