He glanced quickly at Yuan Changwu, then deliberately put away the Dharma banner and said:
" Branch Master Chen, quickly lead me to investigate. As for Yuan Changwu, you can do as you please!"
After speaking, the two immediately transformed into two streaks of light and disappeared, leaving Yuan Changwu standing there in the air, stunned.
Yuan Changwu glanced at the auspicious celestial Celestial Phenomenon above the City Lord's Manor, then at the direction of the Wubi Treasure Vault. His expression twisted, and his eyes were filled with complex emotions.
He knew he couldn't go to the City Lord's Manor to argue now, and if he encountered that newly promoted Earth Immortal, he wouldn't dare to question him. He could only wait for the three Earth Immortal to return to the city before making a decision.
After a moment's consideration of the pros and cons, Yuan Changwu glared hatefully at the sky above the City Lord's Manor, then turned his head and headed toward the treasure vault of the fortified village with a sinister look in his eyes.
Inside the treasure vault of the fortress, Xu Long had already gone through several rounds with the Human Python. Now that the other cultivators were no longer holding him back, Xu Long was hesitant to attack the Human Python.
The main problem was that the space inside the dock was cramped, with the Human Python occupying most of the space. Its upright forelimbs practically blotted out the sky inside the dock, making it very difficult for Xu Long's sword light to maneuver.
After devouring more than ten cultivators, the Human Python's rage subsided slightly, and it stopped moving within the wall of the dock.
Looking at the cultivators who were scattering and fleeing, a strong disdain flashed in her green eyes. Then, as if sensing something, she straightened up and shrank back into the interior of the dock.
Having narrowly escaped death on the outer perimeter, Xu Long's eyes flashed with a glint of light. He left his sword light on the wall of the dock. There was another reason why he hadn't attacked the Higher Mist Beast earlier: he felt that the appearance of this Human Python was somewhat strange.
There should never have been any Mist Beast in Phoenix City; the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram at the city gate alone would have been enough to give them a hard time.
According to the veterans, once the eight gates are closed, no matter how many Mist Beast hordes you send, it will be in vain.
But now a horde of Mist Beast has appeared in the North Division Dao Field, and there is even a Higher Mist Beast in the treasure vault. This completely overturns the old hands' long-held beliefs!
He didn't have much faith in Phoenix City's strength. After his experience in Blackwater City, Xu Long knew that even the most powerful city would collapse under the onslaught of Mist Beast and the Heaven Patroler.
But the appearance of the Human Python at this moment did indeed catch his attention!
When the Human Python first appeared, Xu Long was startled and didn't pay much attention to its movements. It wasn't until after several battles that he could see it clearly.
The Human Python only had its forelimbs protruding from the dock wall; its body from the waist down remained tucked inside. Even when the sword light launched several attacks, the Human Python did not use its full strength.
Why did it shrink its waist and body inside the dock? Why didn't it use all its strength to instantly stabilize the situation instead of struggling so hard against the cultivators?
Xu Long hid in a corner, his eyes fixed on the darkness, several thoughts flashing through his mind. He was already shocked by the appearance of the Mist Beast in the city, but its strange behavior only added to his suspicions.
As his doubts deepened, he could no longer ponder the situation within the dock. His Heavenly Eye swept through the darkness inside, and Xu Long suddenly saw a pair of emerald green pupils in the gloom within the dock.
Those emerald eyes seemed to have known all along that Xu Long was spying on them. When his Heavenly Eye swept over them, their gazes met in mid-air. At that moment, Xu Long's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself: Have I been discovered?
Before he could figure it out, just a moment later, a pair of pupils reappeared in the darkness.
The eerie green light instantly connected with the Heavenly Eye, creating a strange atmosphere within the dock walls.
Xu Long's pupils contracted sharply, his heart suddenly stopped beating, and his expression kept changing. He almost couldn't help but scream out loud in the corner.
There were four emerald-eyed eyes in the darkness!
There were actually two Higher Mist Beast inside the treasure vault of the fortress!
At this moment, he was alone, staring into the eyes of two emerald pupils. In those deep gazes, Xu Long felt endless indifference, and even a hint of mockery.
That's a two-headed Human Python!
Xu Long felt his body suddenly stiffen, as if he were being stared at by something. When he came to his senses, he almost ran away, but at that moment the two Human Python withdrew their gazes from each other.
At this moment, Xu Long's heart began to beat again. He slowly exhaled, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He glanced around the wall of the dock and found no one in sight. The power of the Human Python was truly terrifying; he could feel an extremely cold killing intent in those two gazes.
After the Human Python withdrew its gaze, Xu Long tried to escape, but the Spirit Stone resources within the canyon walls...
A hissing sound came from the darkness, followed by a rustling sound a breath later.
These strange sounds were coming from inside the dock walls. Xu Long was certain they were coming from the Human Python. What were they doing?
As he was pondering the idea, Xu Long suddenly sensed a strong odor emanating from within the walls of the dock.
The smell was indescribable, and after Xu Long took a few breaths, he felt a burning sensation all over his body.
Then, my throat and mouth felt inexplicably dry, and an uncontrollable discomfort coursed through my body.
The more scents he inhaled, the more an uncontrollable excitement welled up inside him. Xu Long subconsciously wanted to relax and immerse himself completely in this excitement.
The desires he had suppressed deep inside him now surfaced silently.
Saliva dripped from Xu Long's lips. He was somewhat immersed in the hallucinations in his mind, and his whole body was like a walking corpse, without any of his original liveliness. He was about to completely turn into a puppet.
At this moment, his Dao Heart trembled, and his Indestructible Will flashed in his mind. Suddenly, a Wisdom Sword rose from his Sea of Consciousness, bringing with it bursts of angry Wisdom Sword energy, and slashed fiercely at those illusions of desire.
A thunderous sound echoed in Xu Long's mind. As the Wisdom Sword swept up and slashed down, a flash of inspiration struck Xu Long, and the entire world instantly returned to normal.
Once he recovered, he immediately closed his eyes and nose to prevent the strong smells from being inhaled again, and then immediately stabilized his Dao Heart.
After calming his mind, he continuously summoned the Wisdom Sword in his mind to cut away all the illusions of desire that had just appeared.
After this series of actions, the uncontrollable restlessness in his body finally subsided, and Xu Long secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He had inexplicably fallen into a demonic state, and it was only because his Dao Heart was strong enough that he was able to awaken himself from the illusion.
Then one will be directly immersed in the illusion, one's soul will be forever drowning in the Sea of Suffering and Calamity, becoming a living dead, and finally being used as a furnace by the Mist Beast.
This smell seems unusual; we mustn't inhale it rashly. What exactly happened in that dim light?
After regaining his senses, Xu Long became increasingly wary. He was now hesitant about whether to flee, as he felt that the two Human Python were far too eerie.
Feeling the faint glow of the sky above, Xu Long gritted his teeth and gathered all his Magic Power to prepare for battle. Then, he used his Heavenly Eye to examine the scene in the darkness from a corner.
The hissing sound was incessant, and several eerie glints of light flashed in the darkness. Then the rustling sound grew louder and louder, as if something large was churning.
At this moment, Xu Long's left eye reflected a shocking scene: two figures appeared in the darkness.
Two figures embraced each other tightly, twisting their bodies as they held each other close in mid-air.
As the two figures drew closer, their bodies gradually became intertwined.
The strange smell was particularly strong at this moment, and the two human figures within it were deeply immersed in it, each caressing the other's body as if they loved each other very much.
This scene felt both absurd and surreal, yet also strangely solemn.
This kind of uncivilized erotic worship seems to have been passed down from barbaric times. In those dark times, some tribes used this absurd behavior to solemnly ensure the continuation of their lineage.
Therefore, this ancient and backward behavior is both a manifestation of uncivilization and a nostalgia for a barbaric era.
Xu Long watched this scene with a troubled expression, finally realizing what that strange smell had been.
Thankfully, I woke up in time. If I had really fallen into the illusion, I would have become a mindless puppet.
Two human figures were engaged in a lewd ritual in the darkness, their human bodies entwined together.
This is the body of a python!
Xu Long knew that the Human Python could change its form at any time. The winged blue python was its true form, while the human form was the appearance it took after seizing the corpses of cultivators.
At this moment, two figures appeared in the darkness, looking as if two figures had grown out of the body of a python!
Xu Long's left eye was completely white. He focused intently in the darkness and saw that one of the figures was the white-robed cultivator, Pavilion Master Xu Long, whom he had seen before, while the other figure was...
Chen Yuping!
That's right! The other figure was none other than Chen Yuping, the Branch Master Chen of the Rogue Cultivators Association!
This was utterly shocking. Xu Long was greatly shaken: Why had Pavilion Master Xu transformed into the form of Mist Beast?
Why did even Branch Master Chen turn into Mist Beast? How could they be Wuji affection within the dock walls? Where did all those Lower Mist Beast in that bay of clear water come from?
Xu Long was filled with countless questions. Looking at this absurd and fantastical scene within the canyon walls, his heart felt like it was about to burst. The bizarre behavior of these Mist Beast had completely disrupted his concentration.
Pavilion Master Xu, the Mist Beast...
Xu Long stared at the Mist Beast's body, muttering those words over and over. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, as if he had remembered something.
Looking at the two figures, a chill inexplicably rose in his heart.
Pavilion Master Xu Long on the outskirts of Phoenix City. At that time, everyone was surrounded by the tide of Mist Beast. It was Pavilion Master Xu, dressed in white, who took the lead in breaking through the encirclement, allowing everyone to forcefully create a passage through the tide of Mist Beast.
As they approached Phoenix City, a bronze chariot from the City Lord's Manor came to meet them. By then, everyone was safe. However, before the bronze chariot arrived, Xu Long knew that there were Higher Mist Beast hiding in the Eternity Ice Mist.
Meanwhile, the Higher Mist Beast unleashed a Poison Curse Poison Curse aimed directly at Pavilion Master Xu. In desperation, Pavilion Master Xu had no choice but to grit his teeth and take the Poison Curse.
Xu Long had been Poison Curse by the Daoist Human Python in Blackwater City, so he naturally knew the power of the Poison Curse. It was something that even Divine Punishment Lightning Tribulation could not remove; it was energy carrying the power of cause and effect.
Since the Poison Curse entered his body, Xu Long had been using the Heaven-Burning Sacred Fire to suppress Poison Curse spread in his arm. After a fierce battle with the Daoist Human Python, the Poison Curse finally disappeared from his arm after he had completely killed her.
The Poison Curse that afflicted Pavilion Master Xu did not manifest any unusual symptoms at the time, but now it seems that the Poison Curse was dormant and had been lurking within him for a long time, waiting to erupt and cause a major upheaval in Phoenix City.
Considering that the three Earth Immortal have already left the city, and Phoenix City is currently in a power vacuum, what kind of fatal blow would a Higher Mist Beast creature carrying Mist Beast horde launch an attack on Phoenix City?
Xu Long suddenly thought of those emerald eyes hidden in the Eternity Ice Mist. Those anthropomorphic, intelligent eyes would never be forgotten in his heart. They belonged to a seasoned hunter, but did its opponent truly have the strength to fight against it?
If that Higher Mist Beast had planted Poison Curse on Pavilion Master Xu earlier, the Poison Curse would have slowly taken effect after Pavilion Master Xu entered the city.
Perhaps there were countless guardian cultivators in this treasure vault, but under Pavilion Master Xu's hands after the Poison Curse took effect, they were all turned into cauldrons.
Could those Lower Mist Beast in the azure waters be their predecessors?
The Higher Mist Beast did not enter the city in person; it merely used a Poison Curse to cause an imbalance of power within Phoenix City.
After Pavilion Master Xu's Poison Curse took effect, it urged the Mist Beast tide to deliberately surround the city, causing all passing cultivators to fall victim to the Eternity Ice Mist, thus attracting the city lord's attention.