Two Formations Form Intersecting Circles

Yuan Ming seized the chance to escape the poisonous mist, pulled a celadon medicine bottle from his Storage Bag, and hastily swallowed two Detoxification Pills.

Meanwhile, Xiao Liuwan also dispelled her Form-Concealing Art, her figure slowly appearing above the cave.

Looking at these two sneaky old schemers, Yuan Ming was so furious his brows nearly knotted together. "A timely rescue? Hmph! The moment I received your distress message, I rushed here at full speed, only to be ambushed by this Snake Demon along the way. I nearly died!"

Fuck you!

After cursing, Yuan Ming spat on the ground in front of Yang Yiliu.

"And what did you two do? You stood there watching me fight that monster, waiting until I'd seriously wounded the beast before pretending to help. What exactly are you plotting? Did you deliberately lure me here to die?"

As he finished, his flying sword flashed blue, its tip pointing straight at Yang Yiliu.

At those words, the atmosphere in the cave abruptly froze.

All three stood rigidly in place, and for a moment, no one spoke.

Yang Yiliu planted her hands on her hips and retorted without a shred of courtesy, "My, Fellow Daoist Yuan, that's rather unpleasant to hear. We sisters saved your life, after all. It's one thing not to be grateful, but to spit such vicious accusations at us? The world really has changed. Rescue someone from fire and flood, and they turn around and bite you."

"Isn't that amusing?"

Enduring the pain of his wounds, Yuan Ming sneered. "You both know perfectly well why I was ambushed here. Must I spell it out to your faces?"

Seeing this, Xiao Liuwan gently interrupted their argument. "All right, all right. Why ruin our friendship over this? Your injuries aren't light, Fellow Daoist Yuan. Why not let me examine you?"

Xiao Liuwan stepped forward and extended her fair hand.

"No need!" Yuan Ming slapped the ground and sprang to his feet, the tip of his flying sword slowly shifting between Xiao Liuwan and Yang Yiliu. "These minor injuries aren't worth troubling you two over."

Xiao Liuwan withdrew her hand and merely smiled sweetly. "Since you're not seriously hurt, Fellow Daoist Yuan, come with us to meet Fellow Daoist Shen. He just sent word that he's found something up ahead."

"I'll go first! In case certain people try any more tricks!"

Yang Yiliu gestured ahead. "By all means!"

Yuan Ming activated the Wind-Riding Technique and staggered into the depths of the passage.

Once his figure had vanished completely into the darkness, Xiao Liuwan and Yang Yiliu exchanged a look, then both covered their mouths and let out light laughter like silver bells.

"That fatty really is amusing."

The amusement had yet to fade from Yang Yiliu's eyes, but a cold glint flashed through them. "Death is breathing down his neck... and he's still so arrogant."

Xiao Liuwan took a pale yellow talisman from her robes, gathered spiritual power at her fingertip, and lightly tapped it before bringing it to her lips to transmit a quiet message.

"Brother Shen, how are your preparations coming? That fatty is on his way. He's wounded, but we should still be careful. Also, there's a boy in the cave on the right. Once we've dealt with Yuan Ming, the three of us can take him down together."

Before long, the talisman glimmered, and Shen Lekang's steady voice emerged from it. "Don't worry. The trapping formation is ready. I paid a hefty sum specifically for this Thousand-Thread Binding Formation. I guarantee he'll come in and never leave. Hurry over, then we'll find a way to lure that boy here."

The two women exchanged nods, then flickered into two streaks of light and swept ahead.

After confirming that both women had left, Mo Chen slowly revealed himself behind a large boulder.

Holy shit, that was fucking close!

Though Mo Chen was quite confident in his Form-Concealing Art, anyone would have broken into a cold sweat facing these meticulous cultivators who were constantly scheming against one another.

Mo Chen knitted his brows, rapidly weighing things up.

Those two sneaky old schemers were clearly using a Paired Sound Transmission Talisman to communicate.

But Yuan Ming said those talismans were how the three members of their alliance kept in touch. Why did Shen Lekang have one too?

Wouldn't Yuan Ming also have received their messages when they used the Voice Transmission Talisman to plot just now?

What medicine were those two hiding in their gourds?

Wait!

Mo Chen suddenly realized something.

Could it be... that all four of them had been working together to set this trap from the start?

And I'm the one who fucking walked into it?

At that thought, Mo Chen couldn't help silently shaking his head.

It was bad enough that the teahouse owner was secretly laying plans behind this supposed expedition for hidden treasures. Even this hastily assembled group of companions was scheming against one another.

The mantis stalked the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it.

But who stood behind the oriole?

The logic remained the same. If he left now, he would most likely run into the teahouse owner's backup trap at the cave residence's entrance. If the resulting commotion drew the attention of those four...

He would be the one to die!

So Mo Chen quickly gathered the valuable parts of the Snake Demon's remains, then activated the Wind-Riding Technique and silently followed the two women deeper inside.

After following them for roughly four or five li, the passage suddenly opened up.

Another spacious cavern!

Huh?

Something's wrong.

Why were those two women standing still again?

Mo Chen sped up to catch them and entered the cavern...

Yet the instant he saw the scene inside, he froze as well.

Xiao Liuwan and Yang Yiliu stood rooted to the spot, their beautiful eyes stretched so wide they almost bulged out of their sockets.

The stalactites overhead had been shattered by fierce Sword Qi. The fragments lay scattered among the broken boulders below, dark red blood spattered everywhere, and a sour, bloody stench of decay lingered in the air.

Yuan Ming lay collapsed on the ground, his entire body an eerie purplish black, his face shrouded in the pallor of death.

He was unconscious, his breathing exceedingly faint.

Even more chilling was Shen Lekang's corpse.

Or rather, "half a corpse"...

His body had been severed at the waist, with everything below it missing. The ragged wound looked as though something had forcibly torn him apart!

Just then, that half-corpse suddenly stirred.

Shen Lekang's lips actually moved slightly.

Holy shit, he's not dead yet!

Sensing through his divine sense that Shen Lekang was still moving, Mo Chen snapped out of his daze and turned his attention elsewhere.

Xiao Liuwan hurried forward to help Yuan Ming up, while Yang Yiliu examined Shen Lekang's injuries and used the Water-Riding Technique to temporarily stem his massive bleeding.

Seeing that Yuan Ming remained unresponsive, Xiao Liuwan hastily took a pill with a fresh, fragrant scent from her Storage Bag and carefully fed it into his mouth.

Yang Yiliu, meanwhile, held Shen Lekang and wept bitterly. Clearly, she had failed to save him.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, wake up!" Her voice trembled slightly. "What happened here?"

As the pill went down, Yuan Ming's Adam's apple bobbed several times. At last, he drew a breath and began speaking in broken fragments.

"Fellow Daoist Shen... a Snake Demon suddenly appeared... constricted him to death... and swallowed him. I tried to save him... but another Snake Demon ambushed me and bit me..."

Yuan Ming gasped several times before saying with difficulty, "Quick, help me sit up... I need to circulate my power and force out the poison..."

Xiao Liuwan's face turned deathly pale. Forcing herself to remain calm, she turned and asked, "Sister, do you have any antidote pills left? Get them out, quickly!"

Yang Yiliu fumbled through her Storage Bag, trembling uncontrollably.

"I... I'll look..." Her voice was thick with tears, and her rummaging grew ever more frantic.

Seeing this, Xiao Liuwan hurried toward her and reached out to steady her shoulder. "Don't panic. I remember you still had some Poison-Dispersing Pills..."

Overwhelmed by panic, Yang Yiliu turned to Xiao Liuwan and asked, "Sister, danger lurks everywhere in this cave. Shen Lekang is already dead. If anything happens to Yuan Ming too, our chances of getting out alive will be even slimmer."

"I know, so stop thinking about our original plans. We..."

Before she could finish, disaster struck.

Without warning, a giant python with ink-black scales and a body as thick as a barrel shot out of the darkness, wrapping tightly around Yang Yiliu's petite body at a speed almost too fast for the eye to follow.

The Snake Demon abruptly tightened its coils. Yang Yiliu let out an agonizing scream, her face instantly swelling purplish red.

"Ah!" Xiao Liuwan screamed, staggering several steps backward.

Hidden in the darkness, Mo Chen was equally shocked. He had kept his divine sense extended the entire time, yet had failed to detect a Snake Demon lurking beside Yang Yiliu.

This Snake Demon's Form-Concealing Art was far more accomplished than mine!

I have to retreat. Any slower, and I'll die here.

Mo Chen immediately dispelled his Form-Concealing Art, and just as he unleashed his Wind-Riding Technique at full power to fly toward the tunnel...

An even more unbelievable sight unfolded.

A dazzling radiance flared beneath Yuan Ming and beneath Mo Chen's feet!