Lei Xiang furrowed his brow at once, about to argue, but Zhu Zhuqing's icy gaze stopped him cold.
Her tone was hard as iron, leaving no room for discussion.
"You should know what this mission means."
"If you want to live, cooperate."
"If you want to die, charge in right now. I won't stop you."
Lei Xiang's face turned first green, then white.
He might not have accepted Zhu Zhuqing, but he would never dare gamble his life and future.
At the Spirit Hall, disciples who failed their missions were no different from trash.
Zhu Zhuqing's heart was actually beating a little faster.
This was the first time she had issued orders in such a forceful tone. Usually, though cold and taciturn, she had never been so aggressive.
But she understood perfectly well now.
In a world where the weak were prey to the strong, mild discussion would never win people's wholehearted cooperation.
Only by laying life and death on the line could she make fools put aside their useless pride.
Li Moyue was startled at first, then quickly nodded.
Though her voice still stammered a little, she tried to speak clearly.
"M-my Martial Soul is Ghost Vine. It's a control-support type."
"My First Soul Skill, Ghost Vine Entanglement, can form a vine wall for defense or briefly bind an enemy."
"My Second Soul Skill, Parasite, lets my vines carry a numbing poison that can drain an enemy's Soul Power and transfer it to my teammates."
When she finished, she looked at Lei Xiang with wide, pleading eyes.
Lei Xiang gritted his teeth and spoke, clearly unwilling.
"My Martial Soul is Mad Shadow Wolf. It's an agility-attack type."
"My First Soul Skill, Violent Wind and Rain, is a series of rapid strikes."
"My Second Soul Skill, Berserk World, boosts all my attributes for ten breaths."
Zhu Zhuqing ignored his resentment and turned her gaze back to the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent circling in the valley.
Her mind raced, and she instantly devised a complete strategy.
The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent was blindingly fast, but its flying height was limited, and the soft scales on its belly were a fatal weakness.
The base of its crest was the core of its Soul Power. Severing it would make it lose most of its strength in an instant, but would also trigger a death frenzy.
Its multicolored poisonous mist covered a wide area, but spread slowly, so they could use the terrain to evade it.
Li Moyue's vine wall was just sturdy enough to withstand one of its charges.
The parasitic poison couldn't kill it, but it could greatly slow it down. The Soul Power it drained could also replenish their reserves.
Lei Xiang's Berserk World could temporarily give him the physique of a Power Attack System fighter, letting him withstand a head-on strike.
But they had to time the ten-breath limit precisely. Even one breath longer would bring a backlash.
That two-meter-wide cleft on the left was the key!
If they lured it inside, the narrow space would completely negate its advantage in flight and force it down to the ground.
As for the backup plan...
Zhu Zhuqing's fingers tightened slightly.
She pulled herself from her thoughts. Her orders came in short, forceful bursts, without a word wasted.
"Li Moyue, take the left flank and stand by. Use the vine wall to block its first charge, then wait for my signal to use Parasite on it."
"Lei Xiang, activate Berserk World and take its charge head-on."
"I'll lure it to the cleft on the left."
"Don't act until I give the signal."
Before her words had even finished, the First Soul Ring beneath Zhu Zhuqing's feet suddenly lit up. Her figure shot toward the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent in the valley like a streak of pale violet lightning.
"Hell Stab!"
The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent whipped around, its blood-red, slit-pupiled eyes locking onto the approaching figure.
It beat its wings, dodged the attack, and spewed a vast cloud of multicolored mist.
Wherever the mist passed, even the grass withered and blackened in an instant.
"Moyue!"
Zhu Zhuqing called out.
"First Soul Skill: Ghost Vine Entanglement!"
Li Moyue reacted at once. Several thick Ghost Vines burst from the ground and wove together in front of Zhu Zhuqing, forming an impenetrable green wall.
The multicolored mist slammed into the vine wall with a sizzling hiss. The vines blackened and withered at a visible rate.
At that moment, using the poisonous mist as cover, the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent swooped in low.
Its tail swept through the air with a sharp whistle, lashing toward Zhu Zhuqing.
"Berserk World!"
Lei Xiang growled. Gray-black wolf fur covered his body, and his frame swelled. He charged forward and crossed his arms to take the blow head-on.
"Thud!"
With a muffled boom, Lei Xiang's feet gouged two deep furrows in the ground.
Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, but he held his ground.
"Now! Parasite!"
Zhu Zhuqing shouted.
A Ghost Vine as fine as a strand of hair shot out without a sound and pierced the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent at its vulnerable seven-inch point.
Pale violet numbing poison spread rapidly. Combined with Parasite's Soul Power-draining effect, it slowed the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent by half a beat.
"Move!"
Zhu Zhuqing turned and dashed for the cleft on the left.
The agony of having its Soul Power drained by the parasitic poison instinctively made the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent fixate on Zhu Zhuqing, the first to attack and the one who posed the greatest threat.
It hissed, shook off Lei Xiang, and pursued without pause.
The narrow cleft did exactly what they'd expected: it restricted the serpent's flight.
It had no choice but to lower its altitude and glide along the ground in pursuit, leaving the soft scales on its belly completely exposed.
"Lei Xiang, use Violent Wind and Rain on its belly!"
Lei Xiang gritted his teeth and charged forward. His claws tore through the air as he frantically raked the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's belly.
Pale red blood sprayed out, and the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent writhed wildly in pain.
Its tail swept across, sending Lei Xiang flying hard into a boulder, where he spat out a large mouthful of blood.
"Second Soul Skill: Hell Hundred Claws!"
A cold glint flashed in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes as her Second Soul Ring lit up.
A dense rain of claw-shadows fell on the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's belly, tearing open a wound deep enough to expose bone.
The instant it froze from the pain, Zhu Zhuqing leapt into the air.
A sharp Soul Power claw coalesced in her hand, and she slashed at the base of the crest atop its head.
"Splurt!"
Bright red blood shot into the air, and its enormous crest fell to the ground.
The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent let out an unbearably shrill hiss, yet didn't die at once.
Just as the intelligence had said, it entered a frenzied state!
The poisonous mist it spewed from its mouth was several times darker.
The remaining Ghost Vines were instantly corroded into ash.
Li Moyue failed to dodge in time. The serpent's tail struck her arm, leaving a wound deep enough to expose bone.
"Zhuqing!"
Li Moyue screamed.
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes narrowed, but she pressed forward instead of retreating.
Using the stone wall to rebound, she traced a strange arc through the air.
She dodged the poisonous mist, gathered Soul Power into her claw again, and drove it hard into the torn wound on the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's belly, crushing its heart.
"Hiss! Hiss!"
The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent convulsed in agony a few times, then its enormous body crashed to the ground and lay completely still.
"We did it! We did it!"
Li Moyue cried out in delight, clutching her bleeding arm. She nearly burst into tears.
Lei Xiang slowly pushed himself up against the boulder.
Berserk World had worn off, leaving him utterly drained. His face was as pale as paper, and cold sweat covered his forehead.
He looked at the snake's corpse, then at Zhu Zhuqing standing in front of the cleft, his expression impossibly complicated.
If Zhu Zhuqing hadn't directed them so well, with the state he'd been in before, he would really have ended up as the snake's prey.
Zhu Zhuqing staggered as she landed.
The serpent's scales had torn a long gash in her left arm, and blood dripped from her fingertips onto the ground.
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