Making a Move

"Everyone, you must be careful. Although these Plum Blossom Snakes are only peak first-tier demonic beasts, there are so many of them that it's quite tricky. I, your senior, would hate to see any of you lose your lives here by mistake!" The young man speaking was none other than the only "expert" present, a cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

The man stood with his hands behind his back, his face perpetually radiating an undisguisable arrogance. It was little wonder he was so haughty; at only twenty-three years old, he had already reached the seventh level of Qi Refining. This didn't just mean he was a cultivation genius with excellent aptitude; more importantly, it meant he could bask in the constant, reverent gazes of his fellow students at the academy. This honor was something the young man relished deeply.

Facing thirteen peak first-tier Plum Blossom Snakes, the man naturally had to strike the pose of an expert to further cement his impression upon these junior students.

"Senior, I actually find this rather strange. As far as I know, Plum Blossom Snakes are incredibly venomous and naturally bloodthirsty; they don't like to live in groups. Why would thirteen of them appear here at once?" A plain-looking woman frowned, asking the seventh-level leader with a look of confusion.

The woman didn't look old, perhaps twenty, but because her appearance was truly ordinary and her figure lacked any curves—nothing prominent where it should be—her words failed to garner the slightest attention from anyone present.

What she did receive was a faint sense of disdain and mockery.

"This is the Ten Thousand Snake Mountain Range. What is so strange about seeing a pack of demonic snakes?" The seventh-level man smoothed his bangs, his tone indifferent. Yet, anyone could hear the disdain hidden within his words.

"Senior Le Tian is right. You are overthinking it, Junior Sister. With Senior Le Tian here, we have no need to be timid or worry so much. We should just listen to Senior Le Tian. As long as we follow his arrangements, I believe we will return with a full harvest!" A man at the fourth level of Qi Refining first glanced at Le Tian, then turned to the others and spoke, his tone dripping with flattery that pleased Le Tian immensely.

Cultivators are human too, and they are just as unable to escape the ways of the secular world.

Seeing that no one took her warning to heart, the young woman simply sighed softly and said nothing more. Perhaps she, too, had come to accept what Le Tian said.

In the cultivation world, whoever has the biggest fist holds the truth. Since Le Tian had the highest cultivation at the seventh level of Qi Refining, everything he said was seen as correct in their eyes—even if it were wrong, it would still be right!

"Enough idle talk. Drawing our magical artifacts to deal with them is the priority! As long as we take them down in one go, this trip won't have been in vain!" Seeing the thirteen Plum Blossom Snakes baring their fangs and looking as if they were about to pounce, Le Tian spoke with a stern face.

When dealing with demonic beasts, it is better to strike first to avoid falling into disarray.

He slapped his storage bag, and a black-as-ink iron chain, as thick as a thumb, appeared in his hand. Le Tian chanted an incantation, and the spiritual energy in his dantian poured madly into the chain.

As the energy flowed in, the chain erupted with black light, growing increasingly dazzling. The chain itself grew larger and thicker, appearing incredibly eerie. The others watched in a daze, though two of them recognized what it was, and their expressions shifted slightly!

That was Le Tian's most prized magical artifact, the mid-grade "Black Iron Chain"! Le Tian came from a cultivation family with deep reserves, so it was no surprise he possessed a mid-grade artifact. However, to those present, a mid-grade artifact was still highly tempting.

Most of them were either Rogue Cultivators or from families with little power, lacking the means to equip themselves with such items. Knowing the power of a mid-grade artifact, they were naturally filled with envy when Le Tian brought it out.

Envy aside, their own movements did not slow in the slightest. They had prepared their own artifacts long ago, but without the leader's word, no one dared to act rashly. Now that Le Tian had spoken, they all began pouring spiritual energy into their own weapons.

In an instant, a kaleidoscope of colors flashed from their hands, dimming the sunlight falling from above.

"Let me trap them first, then you all kill these demonic snakes one by one as quickly as possible!" Le Tian said with a stern expression.

With those words, Le Tian swung the chain toward the snake pack. Enhanced by his spiritual energy, the chain was now the same size as the snakes, but its length far exceeded that of any single serpent.

The Black Iron Chain struck out like a vicious black python, tearing through the air toward the group of snakes!

Whoosh, whoosh! The sound of the chain whipping through the air rang out, and in the blink of an eye, it was hovering above the thirteen snakes. Dark light radiated from the chain, coiling around the thirteen Plum Blossom Snakes.

Suddenly, the chain formed an inescapable cage, trapping every single one of the thirteen snakes inside! The black light pulsed, looking incredibly sinister.

The trapped snakes began to move, their small eyes filled with malice as they leaped up, their massive bodies slamming repeatedly against the chain.

Boom! Boom! Muffled thuds echoed out. Under the continuous assault of the thirteen snakes, the cage formed by the chain actually began to loosen, which shocked Le Tian, the artifact's owner! Every time a snake struck, the Black Iron Chain emitted a thick black mist to protect itself; had it not been for this mist, the cage would have collapsed long ago.

For thirteen peak first-tier Plum Blossom Snakes, breaking a cage formed by a mid-grade artifact was not a problem. However, while this Black Iron Chain was a mid-grade artifact, it was designed solely for trapping enemies and had no other functions. It was exceptionally convenient for containment, and being forged from black iron, it was incredibly sturdy, making it difficult for ordinary artifacts to destroy.

It would still take the thirteen snakes some time to destroy this chain!

"What are you standing there for! Hurry up and attack; my spiritual energy won't last long!" Seeing that the others had yet to move, Le Tian's expression darkened as he urged them on. Relying on a single mid-grade artifact to face thirteen peak first-tier snakes alone was indeed a stretch for a seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator.

There is a saying: one who cares too much about face will suffer for it. Le Tian was currently in that exact state.

Clang! Just as the others were about to strike, a Bronze Bell about a yard wide suddenly tore through the air and hung above their heads. Before they could react, the bell let out a deafening roar that made the ears of those below ache and their bodies sway unsteadily.

Except for Le Tian, who was at the seventh level, the others looked quite wretched. The man who had been flattering Le Tian earlier, being only at the fourth level, had been caught completely off guard; the sound caused his blood to churn so violently he nearly vomited.

They were not fools; they immediately understood what was happening. Another cultivator had discovered the snakes and was trying to snatch the prize right from under their noses.

In an instant, their faces turned grim. Le Tian, in particular, had to keep pouring energy into his chain while keeping a wary eye on the Bronze Bell above.

"Which fellow Daoist is here? Why hide your head and show your tail!" Le Tian shouted sternly.

The answer was another toll of the bell, but this time, it was significantly louder than the last. As the sound rang out, even the fourth-level cultivators turned pale.

Following this, a figure flashed by like a ghost from the distance. Despite the distance, the person appeared within their line of sight in the span of a few breaths.

The figure only showed their face for a moment before vanishing again. When they reappeared, they were already behind one of the women, and in their hands, two sharp, chilling daggers had appeared!

"Junior Sister, watch out!" Le Tian was worthy of being a seventh-level cultivator; his spiritual sense and reflexes were faster than the others. When the figure appeared behind the woman, he spotted the daggers in their hands. He could guess with his eyes closed that this person was ill-intentioned. Furthermore, the woman targeted was one of his favorite junior sisters—she was beautiful, had a great figure, and was very sweet-spoken, deeply pleasing to him. Thus, he couldn't help but call out a warning.

Hearing this, the woman was startled. Relying on her trust in Le Tian, she didn't even think; she raised her hand, and a yellow protective barrier appeared, wrapping her slender frame completely like an eggshell.

At the same time, she slapped her storage bag, and a golden light flashed, hovering above her head. As the light faded, it revealed a fist-sized Cyan Gourd!

After spinning around her head, the gourd suddenly grew in size. In the blink of an eye, it became a yard wide, spewing pale yellow flames that tightly shielded the woman within!

It all happened in the blink of an eye, completed in a single, fluid motion. It was clear the woman's reaction speed was not slow at all, though whether she could dodge the daggers in the man's hands remained to be seen!