Chapter 273: Song Abao
Lü Rufeng didn’t hesitate to fight this time.
He immediately brought out his signature Snake Shadow Flying Wheel.
It was the same weapon he’d used against Song Jiulai before.
The sight of it was enough to give Song Jiulai a bout of PTSD.
If not for her good luck last time—breaking through right after their fight—she would have fallen to Lü Rufeng and Yi Tianhe in that Secret Realm.
In the Cultivation World, the saying went: if others don’t harm me, I won’t harm them.
These two had come for her life from the very beginning, so Song Jiulai had no reason to be polite.
The Snow Spirit Leopard they were fighting was an extremely agile opponent. It wasn’t at a disadvantage at all, even against two Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
The icy aura emanating from its body was highly suppressive to Cultivators. Frost continuously condensed in the air, and amidst the snow and ice, Lü Rufeng and Yi Tianhe were affected, their movements slowing slightly.
’Still, the strength of these two...’
Song Jiulai assessed them. Their Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation was real, and they fought with practiced ease. Their power was several times greater than before.
Their coordination was also far more seamless than what she had seen in the Secret Realm.
’They must have suppressed their cultivation too heavily last time and weren’t accustomed to it.’
After all, Song Jiulai had known they were suppressing their cultivation ever since the Black Demon Seal had appeared. Otherwise, no matter how heaven-defying their talent, it would be impossible to jump from the Qi Refinement Realm to Late-stage Foundation Establishment in just two months.
’Someone with that kind of advancement speed would still be wasting their time at the Supreme Mysterious Sect?!’
This time, however, the two were fighting at full strength. They had already summoned more than one Magic Treasure.
Lü Rufeng switched between two Magic Treasures in an instant, and his Snake Shadow Flying Wheel was even an Earth Grade item. It proved the two of them were extraordinarily wealthy.
Song Jiulai had no plans to intervene just yet. With the Prosperous Scenery Tower, the Black Demon Seal, and a near-endless supply of Elixir Pills, she wasn’t afraid of them in the slightest.
However, it would be best to go for a one-hit kill.
With the Snow Spirit Leopard still in the fight, Song Jiulai wasn’t in a hurry to act.
Even working together, Lü Rufeng and Yi Tianhe were surprisingly unable to gain the upper hand against the Snow Spirit Leopard.
It was fast and incredibly agile, and its icy aura continued to intensify, affecting Lü Rufeng and Yi Tianhe’s movements.
Even their evasive actions were slower than before.
Yi Tianhe switched to a fan-shaped Magic Treasure. As she opened it, formless streams of light emerged, surging toward the Snow Spirit Leopard. They seemed to transform into invisible ropes, briefly ensnaring the beast.
But the Snow Spirit Leopard’s immediate and violent struggles caused beads of sweat to form on Yi Tianhe’s forehead, a clear sign that she was under immense strain.
"Senior Brother, the icy aura is growing stronger! We’ll be affected if we stay here."
Neither of them had ever encountered a Snow Spirit Leopard before; they had only read descriptions of it and had no experience fighting one.
They never expected its combat strength to be this high.
Any secret desire they might have harbored to capture the Snow Spirit Leopard vanished completely.
Lü Rufeng gritted his teeth and glanced around. Their only option was to fight while retreating, to get out of the frost’s area of effect.
But if they retreated too far, the Feiling Fruit was right there, practically beckoning. What if someone else snatched it?
In a way, Lü Rufeng’s worries were justified.
After all, Song Jiulai was the oriole, just waiting for them to crash and burn.
But the Snow Spirit Leopard gave them no chance to hesitate. It let out a series of roars, and this time, instead of icy breath, invisible ripples of energy spread out from the sound.
The scenery changed in an instant.
It began to snow.
Even Song Jiulai, standing a great distance away, could clearly feel the change in the climate.
The cold made her shiver involuntarily.
She was a little shocked. ’A Fourth-rank Spiritual Beast is this strong?’
’It’s not like I’ve never seen a Fourth Rank before. I even fought a Fourth-rank Demon Beast, the Yin Sha Deer, and it didn’t have this kind of range or destructive power.’
’And that’s not even mentioning that demon beasts are supposed to be stronger than spiritual beasts of the same rank.’
’Is it a difference in species? A difference in innate talent?’
Yi Tianhe’s expression changed. She raised her arm, and with another wave of her fan, streams of light and shadow shot out to bind the Snow Spirit Leopard.
But the beast struggled so violently that the restraints could only hold it for a moment.
Yi Tianhe frowned.
Neither of them had expected the Feiling Fruit to be this difficult to obtain. Lü Rufeng remembered that this was the key spirit material he needed to save himself. He couldn’t give up. The thought only made him more agitated. "Damn beast! Damn it all!!"
The more agitated he became, the more turbulent his Spiritual Energy grew.
Yi Tianhe cried out in alarm, "Senior Brother!"
Lü Rufeng raised a hand, finally unleashing his strongest technique.
He began manipulating the formula, and in an instant, hundreds of transparent Flying Swords materialized behind him.
Yi Tianhe was shocked. "Senior Brother, your injuries haven’t healed! If you force yourself to use this Sword technique—"
Gritting his teeth, Lü Rufeng tossed a Fourth-rank Qi Replenishing Pill into his mouth. A surge of Spiritual Energy replenished what he had consumed. His voice was laced with fury. "I can’t worry about that now!"
The aura from the hundreds of Flying Swords was immense. Even Song Jiulai was impressed. ’Damn, the Major Sects are really on another level. Their resources are incredible. I’ve never seen this Sword technique before.’
’It looks way more badass than Palm Thunder!’
’What kind of Cultivation Technique is this?!’
The Snow Spirit Leopard seemed to realize the lethality of this attack.
While still bound by Yi Tianhe, it instantly recalled all its power.
It transformed the invisible ripples into a transparent barrier in front of itself.
With a great roar, Lü Rufeng sent the sky full of sword shadows raining down, each one stabbing toward the Snow Spirit Leopard.
After withstanding more than a dozen Flying Swords, the ripple barrier finally emitted a crisp, cracking sound.
A trace of panic finally appeared in the Snow Spirit Leopard’s eyes.
’And was Song Jiulai just going to stand by and watch?’
’It would be bad if she waited for them to kill the Snow Spirit Leopard, recover, and then take the Feiling Fruit.’
Of course not. It was time to strike while the enemy was vulnerable and go for the kill!
Just as Lü Rufeng was locked in place channeling his ultimate move, Song Jiulai wiped her face, executed the Lotus Birth Kill, and charged toward him at her maximum speed.
A true sneak attack had to be silent, giving the enemy absolutely no chance to react.
As Song Jiulai charged, she deliberately avoided using the Black Demon Seal, not wanting to accidentally trigger the Forbidden Curse within Lü Rufeng’s body.
As she drew near, the two Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators finally sensed that something was wrong.
Yi Tianhe spun around instantly. Without even getting a clear look at the attacker, she began to play her Jade Flute.
Her reaction was fast, but Song Jiulai’s was faster. She unleashed the Prosperous Scenery Tower.
The grand tower materialized instantly above their heads.
Yi Tianhe shrieked, "Senior Brother!"
The Prosperous Scenery Tower was aimed primarily at Lü Rufeng. When Yi Tianhe sensed the danger and tried to block for him, Song Jiulai unleashed a dozen Palm Thunders without the slightest hesitation.
’At a time like this, even a second of hesitation would be a fatal mistake!’
Lü Rufeng was stuck, his Sword technique only half-released. The Flying Swords had yet to fully descend, but the Prosperous Scenery Tower was already falling upon him.
Repeatedly struck by Palm Thunder, Yi Tianhe failed to intercept the tower. However, her reflexes were incredibly fast, and she instantly dodged out of its effective range.
All she could do was watch helplessly as Lü Rufeng was trapped inside.
And that face... Yi Tianhe would never forget it for as long as she lived.
Her scream was ear-piercing, a cry of pure anguish!
"SONG ABAO!!!"