A group of people suddenly flashed into the temple, all clad head-to-toe in black, their faces concealed by large conical hats, not a single countenance revealed.
As soon as this group of "Black-Clad Conicals" entered the temple, they seemed to sense something was gravely wrong.
"Hah!"
The ash-clad youth grinned coldly, a murderous aura radiating from him like a javelin thrust into the center of the black-clad figures. His movement was lightning-fast; a series of rings, condensed purely from Yuan energy, shot from his hand one after another, spinning wildly within the dilapidated temple, flashing with a chilling light.
Wherever the rings touched the Black-Clad Conicals, blood immediately erupted without cease.
The three middle-aged Heavenly Soldiers, standing in a triangular formation, suddenly shifted, blocking the temple's sole entrance. Each held a massive ball of flame, driven by their Divine Soul, unleashing the fires to rage throughout the structure. The Black-Clad Conicals were engulfed, quickly reduced to charred corpses emitting muffled cries.
The death postures of these new corpses were identical to the ground full of scorched bodies already lying in the center of the temple.
The red-clad and green-clad two-faced young women also prepared to act, but a formidable, two-headed python watched them like a hawk. The two women stared intently at the serpent, their expressions anxious, yet they dared not move rashly.
Only the young boy, no older than ten, remained seated, his face fixed in an innocent, guileless smile. Three flying blood snakes clung tightly to his neck and shoulders, their icy eyes sweeping across the interior of the temple.
Ji Changkong sat calmly beside the two young women, frowning as he observed the sudden battle erupting inside the shrine.
After a period of observation, he realized a fight must have already taken place here. The scorched corpses he saw upon entering were likely the work of the three middle-aged Heavenly Soldiers now guarding the door. The Black-Clad Conicals who just entered were probably allies of those already slain.
The peculiar little boy, the two pale-faced young women, and the three middle-aged Heavenly Soldiers seemed to have the Black-Clad Conicals as their collective target. Yet, these four parties were clearly not allied; judging by their silence before his arrival, their relationship had been hostile.
The fight raged on.
The ash-clad youth, who appeared near death when coughing, was utterly ruthless and chillingly brutal when he fought!
A Heavenly Soldier unites the Outer Three Harmonies (eye, body, hand) with the Inner Three Harmonies (essence, breath, spirit)!
The rings burst from his hand, turning the surrounding Black Conicals into rivers of blood. Observing the ash-clad youth, it seemed he hadn't even exerted his full strength.
The three middle-aged Heavenly Soldiers were in the Realm of Five Elements Heaven, primarily cultivating the Vermilion Bird, one of the Four Symbols, and mastery over Fire. Under their control, three massive flames rolled through the temple, instantly igniting any Black-Clad Conical they touched, turning them into vague, charred shapes.
Pat pat pat! Pat pat pat!
Giant hailstones hammered the dilapidated roof, the sound echoing as the battle inside reached its climax. Half the incoming Black-Clad Conicals had already fallen.
"Whoo..."
A strange, low moan drifted from outside the temple, similar to the cry of the Ten Ghost Insects, but deeper in tone.
At the sound, all the Black-Clad Conicals inside suddenly attacked the three middle-aged Heavenly Soldiers with frenzied abandon. The pressure on the three flame-wielders increased sharply, and they became somewhat flustered.
Bang!
A dull thud echoed from the doorway, and a powerful force struck. The middle-aged Heavenly Soldier closest to the entrance was blasted backward, crashing into the center of the temple.
Several Black-Clad Conicals quickly brought down their weapons. Before the struck soldier could rise, he was reduced to a bloody pulp.
"Woo... wooo..." The sound outside grew more urgent.
The ash-clad youth suddenly shot toward the exit. The middle-aged Heavenly Soldier remaining at the door looked on with anguish but simultaneously shifted aside, allowing passage. Circles of gleaming rings flew out like meteors, closely following the departing ash-clad youth.
Losing the balance provided by the ash-clad youth, the remaining Black-Clad Conicals surged forward, seemingly intending to converge where the strange cries originated. The two grieving middle-aged Heavenly Soldiers glanced hatefully at their fallen comrade's corpse before following suit with resentment.
In the blink of an eye, not a single living Black-Clad Conical remained inside the temple.
The ten-year-old boy finally stood up, cast a smiling glance toward Ji Changkong, and skipped out of the broken shrine. The three flying blood snakes remained close to his neck and shoulders, their icy eyes surveying the surroundings, seemingly prepared for any immediate danger.
Hiss hiss hiss hiss!
The two-headed python coiled before Ji Changkong and the two young women had not left. Its massive maw gaped open, greedily lapping at the fresh blood pooling on the ground—a significant amount flowed from the Black-Clad Conicals slain by the ash-clad youth's rings, and the python drank with evident pleasure.
"Sister! What should we do now!" The green-clad girl finally broke the excruciating silence, stamping her foot.
"We follow!" The red-clad girl hardened her resolve, brandishing the gleaming short sword in her hand, and hurried toward the temple exit.
Hiss hiss hiss hiss!
The two-headed python instantly stopped drinking and fixed its gaze sharply on the two young women, its body moving agilely to block their path.
Ji Changkong, whose eyes had been narrowed, suddenly brightened with interest as he watched the two girls, curious how they would handle this.
Outside, the fluctuations of Yuan energy were fierce, and the hail continued to increase in size. In the face of such elemental fury, only those Heavenly Soldiers who understood how to wield the power of heaven and earth dared to remain standing. However, even powerful Heavenly Soldiers would face considerable constraints in such conditions; a misuse of power could easily lead to grave trouble.
Outside, several factions were locked in fierce combat beneath the hail the size of fists, constantly shifting the battlefield, gradually moving away from the dilapidated temple.
Extending his awareness, Ji Changkong could roughly surmise the situation outside. Though intensely curious, he chose not to observe the fray directly, remaining quietly inside to gauge the external changes through his spiritual sense.
In recent days, he had fully recognized the treachery of the human heart, understanding that not every cultivator of the Heavenly Way was benevolent. Sometimes, even an accidental glimpse could invite endless trouble. He knew that his current strength made even self-preservation difficult, let alone inviting confrontation.
"Kill that wretched python."
The red-clad girl was furious. Having been stared down and constrained by the two-headed python for so long, she was filled with pent-up rage. With the python’s previous master gone, she dared to fight back now.
"Xiao Rou, watch out for the poison smoke!" The red-clad girl warned, unleashing a burst of red sword energy from her shining short sword as she suddenly lunged toward the two-headed python.
As the green-clad girl drew her silver whip, it shimmered with white light, carrying the killing intent of the White Tiger Sacred Beast. When it struck one of the python's heads, a shallow whip mark appeared, causing the beast to become instantly enraged. Both heads thrashed wildly, evading the girls' subsequent attack while spewing wisps of green venomous smoke.
"Sister, watch out!" The green-clad girl cried out in alarm. Seeing one head of the python flicker eerily and lunge directly toward the red-clad girl's left ankle, she swung her silver whip desperately, creating layers of shadow, forgetting her own safety in her urgency to save her elder sister.
The python's other head, which had been darting close to the ground beneath the whip shadows, suddenly shot high into the air, its ice-cold jaws aiming fiercely at the green-clad girl's fair neck.
Thud!
A piece of an old, broken wooden table leg shot out like lightning, lodging perfectly between the massive jaws of the two-headed python as it lunged for the green-clad girl.
The meter-long wooden leg jammed between its upper and lower jaw. When the beast clamped down on the mouth that was inches from the green-clad girl, the leg snapped in two.
However, the brief interruption provided by the wooden leg allowed the green-clad girl just enough time to retreat. She quickly joined the red-clad girl, pressing back against the corner of the temple.
"Thank you," the green-clad girl whispered quickly toward Ji Changkong, who sat there impassively.
Nodding slightly, Ji Changkong said nothing more, keeping his eyes narrowed as he probed the movements outside with his senses.
Hiss hiss hiss hiss!
Unexpectedly, the two-headed python, which had been focused on pursuing the girls, suddenly abandoned the chase and turned, lunging toward Ji Changkong instead.
The serpent was quite intelligent; it had clearly witnessed Ji Changkong's prior intervention and held a grudge against him for thwarting its meal. It seemed intent on eliminating him first.
Damn it, more trouble!
With a low curse, a small dagger flashed with silver light. He stood up abruptly, his gaze calm as he faced the charging python.
"Sister!" The green-clad girl cried out.
"Help him!" The red-clad girl stamped her foot. Having regained her composure, she and the green-clad girl moved to attack the python from the rear.
A significant reason the red and green-clad girls feared the two-headed snake was its green poison smoke, but Ji Changkong was immune to it.
Having sparred and fought fierce beasts in the Poison Dragon Pool, he had discovered that neither the poisonous miasma that perpetually hung in the Yunmeng Marsh nor the venomous smoke from the beasts' mouths could truly harm him. Therefore, as the python lunged, he did not evade; instead, he plunged directly into the thickest area of green poison smoke between the serpent's two heads.
"Ah!" The green-clad girl, Xiao Rou, cried out suddenly, quickly urging, "Ugly Big Brother, dodge, hurry and dodge!"
It’s over, the red-clad girl thought inwardly, grabbing her sister's wrist and hastily saying, "This man is clearly an idiot; forget him. Let's take this chance to leave."
Thwack!
At that precise moment, one of the two-headed python's heads suddenly detached at the neck, spraying fetid, dark blood.