Making a Move
The appearance of the First-Tier Superior-Grade Demon Beast, the Yellow-Crystal Rattlesnake, threw the young man and the Blue-Robed Young Woman's assault into complete disarray.
The Black-Patterned Savage Bull seized the chance to break free of the pair's restraints and made its way to the Yellow-Crystal Rattlesnake's side, covered in wounds.
It seemed the two Demon Beasts knew each other.
"What should we do? Should we retreat?"
The Blue-Robed Young Woman transmitted her question to the young man, her tone anxious. The Yellow-Crystal Rattlesnake was impervious to blades and spears, and its venom was potent, making it extremely difficult to deal with. She had no wish to face the creature.
At her words, the young man's expression shifted. On one hand, the Wu Earth Yellow Apricot Fruit was a temptation before him. As a Rogue Cultivator, he rarely came across resources of such value.
On the other hand, he reckoned he was no match for the Yellow-Crystal Rattlesnake. On top of that, one of the Blood-Sha Brothers had lost his ability to fight, while the Black-Patterned Savage Bull watched them like a tiger eyeing its prey...
With those thoughts, the young man's expression hardened.
Retreat!
No matter how fine the resources, they were not as important as his life. Having cultivated so painstakingly to reach this point, he had no wish to bring his Dao Path to an end here.
He stretched out his right hand, and the Exquisite Treasure Pagoda rapidly shrank and returned to his palm. He and the Blue-Robed Young Woman retreated, one in front of the other, taking turns covering each other.
As for the Blood-Sha Brothers, they had clearly been abandoned.
"Hehe, Daoist Friends, please wait. How can we let such spirit medicine fall into the mouths of Demon Beasts?"
An aged chuckle came from behind the trees to the east, followed by the appearance of three figures.
One was an old man in white robes, and the other two were middle-aged men in their thirties. A black whirlpool was embroidered on each of their sleeves, the emblem of the Deng Lineage, a Rogue Cultivator Lineage from Dengzhuang Town.
"The Deng Lineage? Why are you here? No, you were following us!"
The Blue-Robed Young Woman's expression changed, then turned to indignation.
The young man beside her looked equally displeased. None of them were fools; if he still hadn't figured out why the three Deng Lineage cultivators were here, all his years out in the world would have been wasted.
Clearly, the three Deng Lineage cultivators had planned to play the fisherman profiting from the snipe and clam's struggle. Unexpectedly, the young man and the Blue-Robed Young Woman were quite sensible: seeing they could not defeat the two Demon Beasts, they had been about to retreat, forcing the three to show themselves.
"Hehe, Daoist Friends, don't talk nonsense. This old man merely brought the younger members of my Lineage here for training. Unexpectedly, I heard the sounds of fighting and thought Daoist Friends might need a hand, so I hurried over to help!"
Faced with the furious glares of the young man and the Blue-Robed Young Woman, the white-robed elder remained genial, rattling off his string of lies with remarkable fluency.
"Hah, what a thick skin you have!"
The young man gave a cold snort, but after a moment's thought, he smiled faintly. "You wish to cooperate in slaying the Demon Beasts?"
"Precisely!"
The white-robed elder gently stroked his beard.
"Then how should we divide the Wu Earth Yellow Apricot Fruit?"
"An equal share for each side, naturally!"
"Good. Then sorry to trouble you to make the first move. If you want to cooperate in slaying the Demon Beasts, you should show us your sincerity, shouldn't you?"
"Of course!"
The white-robed elder chuckled and took no offense. He gently patted his Storage Bag, and a streak of black light tore across the sky, attacking the Yellow-Crystal Rattlesnake with a piercing whistle.
Clang!
As expected, the black light was repelled, but the blow sent the Yellow-Crystal Rattlesnake flying several yards, drawing angry hisses from it.
Seeing the white-robed elder make his move, the young man and the Blue-Robed Young Woman wasted no time, bringing out their Law Artifacts to attack the two Demon Beasts.
The other two Deng Lineage members joined the assault. For a time, the radiance of spiritual power in every color shone together, and an icy murderous intent enveloped the area.
Meanwhile, the younger of the Blood-Sha Brothers quietly retreated with his elder brother in his arms.
He knew full well that, with their strength so greatly diminished, rashly joining the battle would put their lives in danger whether they ultimately won or not. It would be better to withdraw as soon as possible and stabilize his elder brother's injuries.
"The Blood-Sha Brothers are leaving. What should we do?"
Yang Tianwang asked by voice transmission.
"Kill them! Fifteenth Brother, go after them. Finish it as quickly as you can, and don't make too much of a commotion."
Yang Tianxue's face was impassive, killing intent surging in her phoenix eyes.
"All right!"
Yang Tianwang answered and was about to leave.
"Fifteenth Brother, take this."
Yang Tianyou tossed him a silvery-white talisman.
"Whoa, a Sound-Concealing Talisman! You really are a talisman-making master, kid. You've got every kind of talisman."
After that word of praise, Yang Tianwang turned and went straight after the Blood-Sha Brothers.
With the three Deng Lineage cultivators joining the fight, the two Demon Beasts immediately fell into a disadvantage.
Although the Yellow-Crystal Rattlesnake's defenses were unrivaled, it could not protect the Black-Patterned Savage Bull.
In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the already grievously wounded Black-Patterned Savage Bull was swaying ever more unsteadily, blood pouring from its wounds and staining its entire body red.
In the end, the white-robed elder seized an opening. A streak of black light flashed, and the massive bull's head fell to the ground. The Demon Beast Yang Tianwang had long wanted to subdue met a dismal end.
"Hiss!"
The Black-Patterned Savage Bull's death drew a series of piercing hisses from the Yellow-Crystal Rattlesnake, as though it were mourning its old friend.
It gave everyone present a hate-filled look, then transformed into a streak of yellow light and vanished into the ground.
"Damn it, the Earth Escape Technique!"
The young man holding the pagoda cursed, and the other four looked no happier.
Demon Beasts were especially prone to holding grudges, and from the looks of it, this Yellow-Crystal Rattlesnake had memorized their scents. Being marked by such a powerful Demon Beast was no small matter.
Even the white-robed elder, who had remained remarkably composed all along, looked grim. He was more calculating, however, and did not shout and curse like the young man.
What was done could not be undone, but fortunately, the Wu Earth Yellow Apricot Fruit had ultimately fallen into their hands.
"Now that the Demon Beasts have been dealt with, how about we divide the spoils?"
The white-robed elder was the first to make the suggestion.
The young man nodded slightly and pointed at the Wu Earth Yellow Apricot Fruit nearby. "Of the twelve fruits, we'll take six, along with the Black-Patterned Savage Bull's corpse!"
Hearing this, the white-robed elder gave a half-smile. "Aren't you being a little too greedy? We agreed to split the Wu Earth Yellow Apricot Fruit equally, and wasn't this Black-Patterned Savage Bull slain by me?"
"Do you take me for a fool? Isn't the Wu Earth Yellow Apricot Tree part of the spoils? If we didn't have a fixed home, we would never let you have this treasure."
The young man sneered, then stepped forward and put away the Black-Patterned Savage Bull's corpse.
The two middle-aged men behind the white-robed elder were about to speak, but he raised a hand to stop them.
"It's only a Demon Beast's corpse. If he wants it, let him have it. The Wu Earth Yellow Apricot Tree is the true treasure to be passed down through the Lineage!"
And so the young man collected the Black-Patterned Savage Bull's corpse without hindrance. The two groups then walked toward the Wu Earth Yellow Apricot Tree together, preparing to harvest the spirit medicine.
What they did not know was that, at that very moment, Yang Tianxue and her younger brother Yang Tianyou had quietly arrived.
"Nineteenth Brother, make your move!"
Yang Tianxue called out, and the Chi-Li Twin Swords moved as nimbly as swimming dragons, surging toward the white-robed elder amid an unbroken blaze of fire.
At the same time, Yang Tianyou activated a Golden Sword Talisman without the slightest hesitation. A golden longsword descended from the heavens and struck with an incomparable, awe-inspiring force, its target none other than the pagoda-bearing young man.