"Hehe, Patriarch, when I first entered the sect, my master told us that our Corpse Herding Hall is the most protective of its own.
As a disciple, I didn't understand at the time and asked my master in detail. When my master was young, it seems he was even more bothersome to all you Patriarchs than I am now."
Hearing these words from FourEyes, Patriarch Qinghe's eyes immediately turned dim and gloomy. Indeed, their master and disciple were birds of a feather.
"Alright, you brat, stop arguing. My Patriarch Tablet has been blessed by divine intent for hundreds of years, although during this time it was wasted by both you and your master.
However, stopping the group of Red-banded Snakes in front of us is still not a problem...
You two little fellows had better pray, pray that the slumbering Crimson Viper General hasn't awakened.
Otherwise, facing a demon general comparable to the Foundation Establishment realm, this sliver of divine intent on my tablet won't last long."
Upon hearing this, FourEyes, who had previously been all smiles, instantly turned solemn.
"Patriarch, can't you slay it?"
Hearing this, Patriarch Qinghe fell silent.
"I cannot..."
Seeming to think of something, he continued: "What your master once asked me to come out and face were ghosts, and the Patriarch could apprehend them on behalf of the Underworld.
But what you are facing now are demons!
The Patriarch cannot break the rules; using the power of a sliver of divine intent to protect you is already the limit."
Listening from the side, Zhong Bai probably understood why Patriarch Qinghe of the Corpse Herding Hall could only manage to protect them from the snake swarm, and even better understood why Patriarch Qinghe could not make a move to slay them.
The Law Enforcement Hall also had Patriarchs serving in the netherworld, and once in the Underworld, even Mount Mao disciples could not ignore certain rules.
For Patriarch Qinghe to do this much was probably indeed the limit...
If one could really attack with zero scruples, then Mount Mao disciples wouldn't need to practice bitterly at all in the future.
Just carry the Patriarch Tablet when going out; wouldn't that be much more effective and convenient?
"Qian He, a disciple of the Law Enforcement Hall, pays respects to Patriarch Qinghe!"
At this very moment, Zhong Bai formally saluted and greeted Patriarch Qinghe.
No matter what, everyone came from Mount Mao. Even if Patriarch Qinghe belonged to the Corpse Herding Hall and Zhong Bai to the Law Enforcement Hall, they were still juniors encountering a senior.
The proper courtesy could not be skipped!
"Tsk tsk tsk, no need for formalities. The luck of the Law Enforcement Hall seems to be very good every generation. Your master is that brat Qian Yuan, right?"
Saying this, Patriarch Qinghe swept a scrutinizing gaze up and down Zhong Bai before continuing: "You're even younger than FourEyes, and what you practice is actually not the Lightning Thunder Fist, but the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Art of the Divine Firmament Sect!
Hiss!
The cultivation of the mid-fifth layer of Qi Refinement?"
The corners of Patriarch Qinghe's mouth twitched slightly, struggling to maintain his composure. No, the disciples over at the Law Enforcement Hall were already at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, while the ones in their Corpse Herding Hall were only at the third layer.
The crucial point was that he also looked younger than FourEyes...
"What!"
FourEyes was startled.
"Junior Brother Qian He, you are at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement?"
Looking at FourEyes with his eyes wide open and an incredulous expression, Zhong Bai felt a bit awkward.
"Ahem, Senior Brother FourEyes, this junior merely got lucky... Also, this junior didn't deliberately hide his cultivation; it's just that you, Senior Brother, never asked this junior from start to finish."
"No wonder... No wonder Junior Brother, you were able to single-handedly slay the Six-winged Centipede at the demon soldier realm, and even force that Red-banded Snake Demon to fall into the abyss with heavy injuries.
The fifth layer of Qi Refinement!"
There was no concealing the envy in FourEyes' gaze. Being stared at by those glowing eyes of FourEyes, Zhong Bai felt as though his entire body was uncomfortable all over.
"Hmph hmph, FourEyes!
Look at Qian He from the Law Enforcement Hall, and then look at yourself. You're still the senior brother; it's one thing to be inferior in skill, but what is with jumping in surprise?
Truly disgraceful..."
What Patriarch Qinghe said was somewhat stern; in all things, the worst fear was being brought out for comparison.
After being reprimanded by his own Patriarch, the gaze FourEyes cast toward Zhong Bai also turned from envy to resentment.
At this very moment, surrounding Zhong Bai and FourEyes, a barrier formed by this sliver of Patriarch Qinghe's divine intent blocked the snake swarm completely—no matter how hard the snakes tried with all their might, they could not advance even a fraction of an inch!
Just when Zhong Bai and FourEyes thought they could breathe a sigh of relief, a Red-banded Snake Demon in the swarm, also at the late demon soldier stage, stopped its forward movement and instead turned to roar and hiss at the distant cliff face.
Seeing this, the remaining Red-banded Snake Demons followed suit, all hissing toward the distant cliff.
Upon seeing this, Zhong Bai and FourEyes didn't understand why, but Patriarch Qinghe understood that this group of Red-banded Snake Demons wanted to awaken their king, that Crimson Viper General!
"FourEyes, Qian He, you two quickly stop these snake demons from continuing to call out.
If that Crimson Viper General is really allowed to wake up, this old ancestor won't be able to protect you for long!"
Seeing that the situation was looking somewhat wrong, Zhong Bai once again produced a Heavenly Thunder Jade Talisman.
He blasted it toward the late-stage demon soldier Red-banded Snake Demon that was leading the hissing.
The Heavenly Thunder Jade Talisman transformed into a stream of light against the wind, enveloping the sky above the valley with a crisp crack.
A bolt of heavenly thunder tore through the clouds lingering over the valley, landing with pinpoint accuracy on the back of this snake demon!
The terrifying thunder instantly snapped its body into two sections.
Crimson blood poured out in torrents, and without struggling at all, this Red-banded Snake Demon died just like that.
"Tsk, a Heavenly Thunder Talisman drawn at the Foundation Establishment Peak, this is a good item!"
Patriarch Qinghe watched from the side. Although his words were urgent, that was merely because he didn't want FourEyes and Qian He to think that having him around meant things were foolproof—such a mindset could not be condoned.
He simply let FourEyes and Qian He try to stop the demon general's revival.
Never did he expect that Qian He would even be willing to use a Heavenly Thunder Talisman.
Another late-stage demon soldier Red-banded Snake Demon was slain, and that scent of same-species blood filled the valley. The already furious snake swarm now wished they could instantly swallow the two of them alive.
More furious roars rose and fell one after another. Facing this, FourEyes could only stare blankly.
Having previously cast the Spirit Summoning Technique, the True Essence within his body had long since been completely depleted, and being able to summon Patriarch Qinghe was entirely because Patriarch Qinghe himself was willing to come.
Right now, the only one left with combat capability was Zhong Bai alone.
Taking a deep breath, Zhong Bai felt the roughly half of his True Essence remaining within his body, a relieved smile hanging on the corners of his mouth.
"It is nothing more than a battle with all my strength!"
As his voice fell, Zhong Bai gripped the thunder and charged straight out, two bolts of thunder converging in his palms into a whip.
Accompanied by Zhong Bai lashing out again and again, the thunder landed within the snake swarm, almost every strike taking the life of an unranked snake demon.
Only the snake demons that reached the demon soldier realm could withstand a single whip, but even then, their skin and flesh were torn open.
Blood splattered everywhere, and the air was filled with the stench of blood and the aroma of charred flesh. In less than ten full minutes, the True Essence inside Zhong Bai's body was completely exhausted.
"Junior Brother Qian He, while there are green hills left..."
Just as FourEyes wanted to persuade Zhong Bai to fall back, he saw the thunder-formed whip in Zhong Bai's hand dissipate, replaced by a brass longsword no worse than his own!
The blood qi within his body surged upward, forming a Qi Aura protective barrier around his body. Ten thousand catties of force converged upon the longsword, making it truly capable of cleaving iron like mud.
However, human strength had its limits, not to mention compared to demons. Having just slain two small snakes, Zhong Bai was struck viciously on his front Qi Aura barrier by the tail of a mid-stage demon soldier snake demon.
The Qi Aura was instantly shattered, and Zhong Bai's entire body was sent flying backward for several tens of meters.
Such a prime opportunity was naturally not one the snake swarm would let slip; they successively accelerated and rushed toward Zhong Bai!
Seeing this, Patriarch Qinghe, who had previously been as untroubled as an ancient well, raised his hand slightly toward Zhong Bai.
Zhong Bai was pulled by a powerful suction force right beside Patriarch Qinghe's tablet.
Seeing this, the snake swarm could only hiss in unresigned frustration, yet they had no way to break through that formless barrier.
"Tsk tsk tsk, I must say, Qian He, you really suit this old ancestor's tastes. You dare to fight and charge, and the crucial part is that you were actually able to cultivate the Supreme Clarity Body Forging Art to perfection.
Blood qi forming aura, flawless and immaculate, ten thousand catties of force!"
As he spoke, the expression with which Patriarch Qinghe looked at Zhong Bai was filled with burning enthusiasm.
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