Exposure

"Boom!"

Something seemed to shatter, and Shen Miaoyin's cultivation rapidly surged. Her entire aura grew even more cold and aloof, like an iceberg.

Staring intently at the giant python before her, she gave a cold snort and waved her sleeve. Five azure flying swords shot out from her cuff.

Each sword was only a foot long, cloaked in a thin layer of frost. The moment they appeared, the temperature in the air dropped sharply.

Sword light crisscrossed as the flying swords darted about, weaving through the air like five swimming fish.

A denser chill radiated outward, carried by the swords as they shot straight toward the giant python.

The next second, the cold met the flames.

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle..."

A sound like electric current rang out as cold and fire consumed each other, sending up clouds of steam.

Through the mist, the five swords sliced cleanly down onto the python's body.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

A series of metallic clashes erupted, sparks flying everywhere.

But those razor-sharp flying swords, striking the python's body, could not even break its skin.

"Hiss~"

The python flicked its tongue, looking thoroughly annoyed.

With a sudden whip of its tail, it knocked all five swords away. Then it lunged forward, launching its body into the air.

Glaring down at Shen Miaoyin, the python opened its massive maw once more. In an instant, its entire body seemed to catch fire, turning a blazing red, and from its mouth, an even more terrifying torrent of flames erupted.

A towering wave of fire surged straight at Shen Miaoyin.

"Perfect timing!"

"Frost Sword Array!"

Shen Miaoyin gritted her teeth. The backlash from the ancient restriction was putting immense pressure on her.

But seeing the Fire Cloud Python use this move, her heart steadied.

She formed hand seals, and the five flying swords that had been knocked away swiftly returned like fish, hovering above the python.

As Shen Miaoyin chanted and worked her seals, the five swords trembled in unison, shooting out five streams of frost into the sky.

The frost converged midair, forming a rolling mass of icy mist.

From within the mist, a massive sword shadow descended from the heavens.

"Thud!"

A dull sound rang out as the sword shadow pierced straight through the python's body.

In an instant, blood rained down.

The python writhed in midair, its half-formed attack interrupted.

Enraged by the pain, the python opened its mouth and sucked in, swallowing all five flying swords in one gulp. Then, with eyes like copper bells, it lunged at Shen Miaoyin with venomous intent, ready to devour her.

Its gaping maw seemed capable of swallowing anything, devouring everything.

From within the boulder, Su Shi'er's heart tightened, and he couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat for her.

"Courting death!" Seeing this, Shen Miaoyin's gaze turned icy, and her hand seal shifted again.

Suddenly, the python, mid-charge, froze, its face twisting in agony.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

With a series of muffled sounds, the five flying swords pierced through the python's body from the inside out, flying back to Shen Miaoyin.

Mortally wounded, the python's body went rigid, and with a heavy thud, it crashed to the ground.

It was clearly on its last breath.

"Is this her true strength? This... this is terrifying!"

"That python was already incredibly powerful, yet under her hands, it couldn't last three moves? Who is this woman?"

Su Shi'er lay on the rock, the scene before him sending a chill down his spine.

In that moment, his desire to grow stronger burned even fiercer.

"But she seems badly injured too. Could it be because of the restriction zone's formation?"

Su Shi'er began to speculate silently.

As for Shen Miaoyin, having finished all this, her delicate frame trembled violently, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of her lips.

Her face turned as pale as snow in that instant.

With her cultivation at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, dealing with a beast like this was no difficult task. However, being in the Ancient Forbidden Zone, the moment her cultivation was unsealed, the backlash from the restriction inflicted severe injuries on her.

"The restriction here is truly terrifying! Fortunately, I managed to finish this creature off in time; if I had delayed any longer, I would have perished here!"

Glancing at the giant python, she hurriedly formed another hand seal and swiftly sealed her own cultivation once more.

After doing this, she picked up her sword and walked toward the giant python, intending to finish it off completely and then pick the Cinnabar Fruits from the tree.

But just then, a sudden change occurred.

The dying python abruptly reared up, lifted its head, and opened its mouth to bite at the Cinnabar Fruit tree.

"No! You dare, beast?!"

Shen Miaoyin's expression shifted, and she erupted in fury. As her voice rang out, she angrily channeled her true essence, raised her hand, and slashed a sword light toward the giant python.

"Boom!"

The sword light struck the python's wound, causing its body to sway again.

But the python's closed jaws still bit down and swallowed three Cinnabar Fruits. As the fruits entered its stomach, the python's body was instantly enveloped in a red glow.

Under the red glow, the wounds on the python's body were visibly healing. The python, which had been on the verge of death, was now clearly regaining its vitality.

"Hiss~"

Within the red glow, the python flicked its tongue, its venomous gaze locked firmly onto Shen Miaoyin.

With a twist of its body, its massive frame lashed out like a whip, sweeping toward Shen Miaoyin again.

A second-tier beast already possessed simple intelligence, and it could clearly sense that Shen Miaoyin's aura had weakened.

"Not good!"

Caught off guard, Shen Miaoyin could only instinctively raise her sword to block.

"Boom!"

With a dull thud, her body was sent flying backward. The moment she landed, a mouthful of bright red blood sprayed out.

"This is trouble! That python swallowed the Cinnabar Fruits; even if it can't fully recover in a short time, its strength now surpasses mine!"

Seeing the python's vitality continuously restoring, and after missing its strike, it was now slithering toward her again with its tongue flicking, Shen Miaoyin inwardly cursed her bad luck.

At this moment, she dared not unseal her cultivation. Once her cultivation aura leaked out, the terrifying backlash from the restriction would crush her to dust in an instant.

But with her cultivation at Qi Refining Stage Six and already injured, facing this python, she had the will but not the strength.

Her peripheral vision swept over the location of the Stone Orchid Flowers not far away.

Without a moment's hesitation, Shen Miaoyin leaped and hurriedly ran toward the pile of giant rocks. She planned to use these rocks to shake off the python pursuing her.

Though unwilling, she knew clearly that if she didn't leave quickly, once the python recovered more from its injuries, even she would inevitably die.

At the same time, Su Shi'er, who had been hiding among the giant rocks and waiting for a chance to escape, was dumbfounded, his soul nearly fleeing in terror.

He was just a small fry at Qi Refining Stage Four; he didn't think he could get involved in a battle of this level.

"Damn it, why is it coming toward me?!"

"No, I can't stay hidden anymore. I have to run!"

Making up his mind, Su Shi'er stopped concealing himself.

He rushed out from the gap between the giant rocks, stepping on the wind, and swiftly dashed toward the edge of the Spiritual Plant Garden.

"What? There was another person hiding here?!"

Seeing a figure suddenly dart out from the pile of rocks, Shen Miaoyin's gaze turned cold, and a chill ran down her spine.

Then, catching sight of Su Shi'er, she quickly realized.

"It's him! That kid from Luofu Peak? What's his background? With cultivation at Qi Refining Stage Four, how did he manage to enter this place and even evade my detection?"

Surprised as she was, Shen Miaoyin's mind turned, and she quickly formed an idea.