Long in the Making

The waterfall at Water-Curtain Cave flowed down from the summit of Qiu Li Mountain.

Dense Water-Green Vines covered the cave entrance.

Without Lady Zhuo pointing it out, they would never have discovered the cavern hidden behind those green vines.

Fu Shaoping lay concealed in a Heaven-Supporting Tree a hundred paces from Water-Curtain Cave, its leaves hiding his entire body.

According to their plan.

Lady Zhuo and her husband would enter the cave and lure the Stable-Horse Beast out.

He would intercept it!

Sister Pan'er would act when the opportunity arose and kill it with one strike.

Lady Zhuo signaled to Fu Shaoping in the tree. Light as a swallow, she tapped her toes across the water and crossed the pool in a few breaths, landing before Water-Curtain Cave. Chen Shichao followed close behind. Both were using the Water-Walking Lightness Skill, without stirring so much as a splash. Clearly, they had cultivated it to full mastery.

The Water-Green Vines were lifted aside.

A hazy green glow shone from within.

It was the light radiating from the ripe Hawthorn Fruits.

Delight flashed in Fu Shaoping's eyes.

He took the Hou Yi Bow off his back, nocked a Darklight Arrow, and drew it fully. He remained as motionless as a mountain, like a leopard waiting for its prey to appear.

Soon.

A furious roar rang out from Water-Curtain Cave.

Immediately afterward.

A rumbling tremor shook the ground.

Rocks tumbled down both sides of Water-Curtain Cave, sending up countless splashes.

The next instant.

Two figures dashed out of Water-Curtain Cave at tremendous speed.

Dust billowed.

A ferocious beast nearly a hundred feet tall charged out of the cave. Its head was naturally split into two halves, and a pair of black wings grew from its back. A Stable-Horse Beast only developed wings after advancing to late first tier!

"Roar!"

The Stable-Horse Beast saw the two-legged creatures that had invaded its territory fleeing across the pool.

It immediately beat its black wings!

A buzzing filled the air.

As its black wings, thin as cicada wings, beat, its enormous body instantly took flight.

"Now!"

Fu Shaoping seized his chance!

The instant the Stable-Horse Beast flew over the center of the pool, he released the Darklight Arrow.

Thrum!

A sharp whistle pierced the air.

The Darklight Arrow became a blur, streaking straight toward the Stable-Horse Beast's heart as fast as lightning.

If it pierced through.

The Stable-Horse Beast would surely die!

However.

Something unexpected happened.

At the critical moment, the Stable-Horse Beast let out an enraged roar. Specks of green light instantly emerged across its body, swiftly gathering over its heart to form a shield.

Clang!

The Darklight Arrow struck the shield.

Then it fell limply into the pool!

Damn!

This Stable-Horse Beast actually knew how to project demon essence outside its body!

For martial artists.

Projecting Origin Energy became possible after breaking through to the eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm.

Clearly.

The late-first-tier demon beast before them could do the same.

This would be a hard fight!

Without hesitation, Fu Shaoping immediately drew his bow and fired.

Two Darklight Arrows whistled out, one to the left and one to the right, streaking toward the Stable-Horse Beast's two heads as fast as lightning.

Fu Shaoping had already reached minor mastery in Heavenstone Archery, allowing him to loose arrows almost at a thought. He was too fast. Before the Stable-Horse Beast had finished blocking another attack, two more Darklight Arrows followed close behind. In its haste, it could only gather demon essence to shield its left head.

"Roar!"

A pained cry rang out.

Its right head was pierced straight through.

Delight flashed in Fu Shaoping's eyes.

Before setting out.

Inspired by Zhou Pan'er's Blood Flying Needles, he had deliberately coated the tips of his Darklight Arrows with Heavenly Snake Venom.

Once the Stable-Horse Beast came into contact with it.

Even if the poison did not kill it, it would lose its ability to fight.

"Huh?"

However.

Contrary to his expectations.

Not only did the Stable-Horse Beast show no signs of poisoning, it seemed completely unaffected. With a beat of its black wings, its body flashed forward, instantly appearing behind Chen Shichao, who had just reached the bank. It raised its enormous forepaw, wreathed in surging demon essence, and smashed it toward the center of his back.

Chen Shichao seemed to have eyes in the back of his head.

With astonishing speed, he suddenly grabbed Lady Zhuo, who was half a step ahead of him, and pulled her behind him.

Bang!

A tremendous crash rang out!

Lady Zhuo was much shorter than Chen Shichao.

Her head now collided squarely with the Stable-Horse Beast's forepaw!

There was no doubt about the outcome.

Brain matter splattered everywhere.

Lady Zhuo's head was smashed to pieces like a watermelon!

Yet Chen Shichao did not even look back. Without slowing in the slightest, he pushed his lightness skill to its limit and narrowly avoided another attack from the Stable-Horse Beast, roaring at the same time:

"Fu Shaoping, what are you standing there for? If you don't attack, we'll all die here!"

The Stable-Horse Beast protected its body with demon essence.

It was even harder to deal with than they had imagined.

Chen Shichao veered aside and leaped upward, actually leading the Stable-Horse Beast toward the Heaven-Supporting Tree where Fu Shaoping was hiding.

Scum!

Fu Shaoping cursed inwardly.

He had never imagined that Chen Shichao, who normally served Lady Zhuo tea and water with such meek care, would use her as a shield at a critical moment.

By now.

The Stable-Horse Beast had spotted Fu Shaoping.

It actually abandoned Chen Shichao as its target.

Its wings beat.

The mouth on its right head suddenly opened wide:

"Roar!!"

A mass of dark-green slime shot toward Fu Shaoping as fast as lightning.

A few drops landed on the leaves.

The leaves immediately hissed as they were corroded to ash.

Damn it!

Fu Shaoping finally understood why the Stable-Horse Beast was unaffected by the poison on his Darklight Arrows.

The creature itself was a living poison sac!

In his haste.

Fu Shaoping loosed the arrow in his hand.

Then he swiftly used Ethereal Steps, dodging the venom at a bizarre angle. At the same time, he kicked off the Heaven-Supporting Tree, dropped swiftly from its branches, and darted into the dense grass nearby.

The Darklight Arrow he had fired.

Was blocked by a shield the Stable-Horse Beast had formed from Origin Energy!

"Roar!"

The Stable-Horse Beast now recognized Fu Shaoping as the one who had shot through its left head. Beating its wings, it pursued him relentlessly. Meanwhile, Chen Shichao, who had been hiding in the Heaven-Supporting Tree, sneered. As long as the other three died here today, he would still be Junior Banner Zhuo's son-in-law.

Moreover.

The four Hawthorn Fruits in Water-Curtain Cave would belong to him as well.

He had had enough of that bitch's temper. She really thought she was a princess, making him bring her foot-washing water, then wash her feet and massage her back himself.

In front of others, anyone who did not know better might have thought he was some brothel lackey. And then there was Junior Banner Zhuo, who had never shown him a pleasant face in all these years.

Heaven did not disappoint those who persevered.

At last, he had found the perfect place to kill with a borrowed blade!

He had spent the strength of nine oxen and two tigers coaxing that bitch into coming here.

Who would have thought.

Fu Shaoping and that shameless woman would barge in halfway through.

But.

It did not matter.

The Stable-Horse Beast would help him kill them and silence every witness!

Imagining Junior Banner Zhuo weeping bitterly over that bitch's corpse filled Chen Shichao with satisfaction. Back then, to marry into the Zhuo Household, he had been forced to endure the agony of killing the woman he loved. Now, at last, he had avenged that hatred and vented his bitterness!

If he had not coveted Junior Banner Zhuo's wealth.

Who would have wanted to be that bitch's husband!

Seeing that the Stable-Horse Beast had chased Fu Shaoping far into the distance, Chen Shichao immediately used Water-Walking Lightness Skill and entered Water-Curtain Cave again. He had to harvest the Hawthorn Fruits before the Stable-Horse Beast returned.