Elsewhere.
Ling Pengyun was exceedingly cautious on his journey home after leaving Cloud Mist Market.
The previous day, he had merely spent a fortune buying spirit items at his own clan's shop, and no one knew of it.
But he had stayed at Lingxiao Rice Hall the previous night. Any cultivator who had observed carefully would have seen it and thus guessed that Ling Pengyun had close ties to the Ling Clan.
In this day and age, anyone connected to a lineage or sect cultivator could basically be called a fat sheep.
As long as they could be killed, one would surely strike it rich.
Thus, Ling Pengyun had been filled with worry throughout his journey back, afraid that some cultivator, blinded by wealth, would ambush and kill him.
With such unease in his heart, Ling Pengyun traveled for several hours before finally leaving Peaceful An County of the Cloud Mist Wen Clan and entering An Yang County.
Returning to his clan's territory put Ling Pengyun much more at ease.
Yet before he could rejoice that no cultivator had intercepted him, as he passed through a dense forest that lay along the only route, a green blur suddenly shot out from the bushes beside him and pounced.
Ling Pengyun's vision blurred. By instinct, he activated the Water Shield Talisman clutched tightly in his palm, which he had prepared against a cultivator's ambush. It formed a Water Shield before him and blocked the incoming green figure.
With a crisp bang!, ripples surged across the Water Shield, keeping a small green snake the length of an arm and as thick as an index finger at bay.
Yet the green snake's two venomous fangs had bitten into the Water Shield, and two drops of venom seeped from them, scorching the shield.
The venom was like fire as it burned against the Water Shield with a sizzling sound.
The shield's flickering spiritual light rapidly dimmed under the corrosion of those mere two drops of venom.
When Ling Pengyun got a clear look at the attacking snake, he broke out in a cold sweat.
"Damn it, how did I run into this damned thing?!"
This little green snake was rather well-known in the Cultivation World. It was called the Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake.
Ink Cloud Poisonous Snakes had poor potential and could generally only advance to the Qi Training Middle Stage. Judging by cultivation alone, they were indeed not worth mentioning, but they carried an intense poison.
Even a Qi Training Late Stage cultivator, if bitten by an Early-Stage Qi Training Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake, would certainly die within ten breaths unless they took a First Rank High Grade Antidote Pill.
Besides their venom, Ink Cloud Poisonous Snakes possessed two other strengths: speed and concealment of their aura. They specialized in hiding in the shadows and launching sneak attacks.
That was the usual trick of most venomous snakes, but Ink Cloud Poisonous Snakes excelled at it.
And the small snake before him was an Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake at the Qi Training Middle Stage. If it bit Ling Pengyun, he feared he would succumb to the poison and die in less than five breaths.
Deep in danger, Ling Pengyun did not dare be careless. He steadied his mind and quickly came to his senses, patting the Storage Bag at his waist and summoning the Black Iron Sword within. He sent it flying at the Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake blocked by the Water Shield.
It had to be said that the Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake was truly fast. Seeing itself blocked by the Water Shield and a flying sword coming at it, it pushed off the shield and darted back into the dense weeds nearby.
After that, the Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake vanished from Ling Pengyun's sight without leaving the slightest trace.
The Water Shield it had used as a foothold also had no strength left and turned into spiritual light before disappearing.
Seeing this, Ling Pengyun's brow furrowed even more deeply.
Snake-type demon beasts were extremely vengeful and possessed exceptionally keen senses of smell. Ling Pengyun had heard of snake-type demon beasts tracking down enemies across several miles to exact revenge.
If I do not kill this snake, I can forget about leaving this forest safely! Ling Pengyun thought helplessly.
The feeling of having an enemy hidden in the dark while being unable to do anything about it truly made Ling Pengyun feel as though icy awns were stabbing into his back.
"Judging by the aura that Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake left behind just now, it should have only recently entered the Qi Training Middle Stage!"
"That is good news for me!"
Since there was no peaceful way to settle this, Ling Pengyun naturally intended to go all out.
He patted the Storage Bag at his waist and took out a black shield along with two Water Shield Talismans.
He gripped the black shield tightly in his left hand and pinched the two Water Shield Talismans in his right, ready to activate them at any moment. His Divine Sense spread through the surroundings as well, watching for a sneak attack from the Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake.
As for the Black Iron Sword, it hovered at his side.
The black shield was called the Black Iron Shield. Though it was only First Rank Low Grade, it was among the finest of its rank.
This item had likewise been a gift from his parents.
Ling Pengyun did not stop moving out of the forest, though he slowed down considerably.
Within this weed-choked forest, it was the Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake's domain, where it could conceal itself at will.
If he could leave this forest and reach open ground before the Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake attacked again, that would become Ling Pengyun's advantage. The snake would have nowhere to hide, and Ling Pengyun could cut it down with a single sword strike.
Whether Ink Cloud Poisonous Snakes or other venomous snakes, they all had one weakness: their bodies were far weaker than those of other demon beasts, and their close-combat abilities were extremely poor. That was why they played to their strengths and avoided their weaknesses, favoring sneak attacks.
For the next dozen or so breaths, the surroundings remained silent, without the slightest movement.
Just as a light breeze swept through the forest and dead leaves fell from the towering trees around him, the Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake hiding in the shadows seized the opportunity. It fell with the leaves from a tree close to Ling Pengyun, striking directly at his head.
But Ling Pengyun was prepared this time, and his Divine Sense had already spread through the surroundings in vigilance. The Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake could conceal its aura while hiding in the dark, but once it attacked, its aura leaked out, naturally exposing its body to Ling Pengyun's Divine Sense.
"Finally, you came!"
Ling Pengyun waved his hand and activated the two Water Shield Talismans in his grasp, summoning two Water Shields above his head. At the same time, he sent out the Black Iron Sword to kill the descending Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake.
Even so, Ling Pengyun still did not feel safe enough. He silently chanted.
"Thorns!"
"Armor Transformation!"
In an instant, the finger-length Thorn Wood Vine attached to Ling Pengyun's chest split into countless branches, even bursting through his Linen Daoist Robe.
The Thorn Wood Vines wrapped around Ling Pengyun's entire body, covering him tightly like a layer of Wood Armor, leaving only his eyes exposed.
The barbs on the vines all retracted, not harming Ling Pengyun, their Master, in the slightest.
Though the Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake fell swiftly through the air, the Black Iron Sword was faster. Before the snake could land, the Black Iron Sword struck its body solidly and cleaved it into two.
Ling Pengyun was overjoyed at the sight.
But who would have thought that at that very moment, another, smaller Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake at the Early-Stage Qi Training suddenly shot out from the grass by Ling Pengyun's feet and bit into the Wood Vine protecting his right foot.
That attack truly gave Ling Pengyun a fright.
"There is actually a second Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake!"
He hurriedly waved his hand, instantly summoning a Water Spike that nailed the Ink Cloud Poisonous Snake biting the Wood Vine around his right foot to the ground. Then he swung the Black Iron Sword and severed its head with one stroke.
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