Two Sixth-Rank Beasts, Front and Back
Two mid Sixth-rank beasts—one in front, one behind—locked Lin Ye and Luo Gui in a deadly pincer.
Luo Gui tightened his grip on the spear.
"Should we retreat first?" he asked lowly.
Retreat wasn't a bad plan.
But Lin Ye quickly assessed the situation.
"No need. We break through from the turtle's side."
Escaping was easy, yes.
But if they didn't eliminate this problem, they'd face it again later.
And Lin Ye had already wasted too much time.
Just reaching the Thousand-Slaughter Riverlands had cost him almost four full days.
To Lin Ye, that wasn't travel time.
That was pure waste.
Four days—how many pills could he have refined?
Time was the most valuable resource of all.
"Fine!"
Luo Gui's spear tightened in his hands.
Lin Ye narrowed his eyes.
"Pull them closer together."
Clearly, the Earth-Rending Fire-Rock Turtle and the Four-Wing Blood Bat Python weren't allies.
The python wanted them dead.
But the turtle wouldn't necessarily allow a foreign beast to run wild in its territory.
If they played it right—
the beasts would naturally clash.
The Turtle Strikes First
The turtle stomped down.
BOOM!
The ground cracked and collapsed like an earthquake.
Boulders erupted and rolled toward them like crushing waves.
Luo Gui's spear flashed repeatedly, shattering the rocks midair.
Otherwise, just one impact could shatter bones.
Behind them, the Blood Bat Python surged forward as well.
Its body was absurdly tough—able to weave through the flying boulders without damage.
Even when struck, it didn't slow.
Its target was clear:
their lives.
A chaotic melee erupted.
Lin Ye and Luo Gui tried to circle past the turtle, but the turtle's earth qi surged nonstop.
Spikes erupted from the ground, forcing them back again and again.
Then—
the python spread its four wings.
A suffocating shadow dropped over them.
Luo Gui stabbed his spear into a boulder and swung it up as a shield.
BANGBANGBANG!
The boulder was instantly pulverized by the python's needle-spines.
The Killing Arrow
"I've got it," Lin Ye said coldly.
He raised Asura Blood Armor, blocking the remaining needle shockwaves.
Even if the beasts hated each other, they had one priority first:
kill the two intruders between them.
Afterward, the winner would deal with the other.
Lin Ye pulled out his Gale-Shattering Crossbow.
Then—without hesitation—he used a blade to slice a tiny section from the root of the Seven-Color Spiritblood Mushroom.
He attached that sliver onto the bolt.
His gaze locked onto the Four-Wing Blood Bat Python.
"Cover me."
"Leave it to me!"
Luo Gui immediately shifted away, charging the turtle and intercepting its rock waves.
He held the frontline.
Lin Ye steadied the crossbow, waiting for the perfect moment.
Wu Yao Watches
Not far away, Wu Yao sensed the disturbance.
Within several hundred meters, spiritual energy had turned chaotic.
"So strong… this is terrifying."
Her heart trembled.
But greed still won.
Wealth comes from danger.
She suppressed her aura and approached silently.
Finally, she caught sight of the battle.
"That young man…"
Wu Yao's eyes widened.
"He's moving… so smoothly."
Lin Ye's footwork was like drifting through blades—walking between death and survival.
She stared at his steps, almost forgetting to breathe.
"Too profound…"
"To train a movement technique to this level…"
"This person's talent is terrifying."
Wu Yao was considered a genius in Plum Blossom Sword Sect.
Yet even she felt pressure.
A Bolt Into the Mouth
Boulders slammed into Lin Ye's blood armor, sparking endless impact waves.
But Lin Ye didn't even blink.
His eyes remained fixed on the python.
The Four-Wing Blood Bat Python saw Lin Ye and instantly erupted in rage.
It opened its mouth wide to roar—a warning, a threat.
And in that exact instant—
Lin Ye fired.
WHOOSH!
The bolt shot straight into its throat.
Lin Ye immediately turned away, drawing his sword and charging the turtle.
Wu Yao froze, stunned.
"That's… insane!"
A crossbow bolt couldn't possibly kill a Sixth-rank beast.
For a moment, she thought Lin Ye had made a fatal mistake.
But the next second—
BOOM!
The Four-Wing Blood Bat Python crashed down like a mountain.
Its head smashed into the ground.
Blood erupted.
Its body spasmed violently as it convulsed.
Wu Yao's lips parted in shock.
"Poison…?"
But what kind of poison could drop a Sixth-rank beast this fast?!
That poison had to be terrifyingly high-grade.
Luo Gui also glanced at the fallen python, stunned.
He didn't even know what Lin Ye used—
but the result was undeniable.
The Final Combo
"Bloodslaughter Ninefold!"
Lin Ye released wave after wave of sword qi.
The turtle staggered backward under the barrage.
Then Lin Ye shouted:
"Finish it—together!"
His Nine-Turn Asura Art roared.
Blood-asura qi spiraled outward like a vortex of slaughter.
Luo Gui didn't hesitate either.
Moonwheel Second Realm aura erupted fully, condensing into his spear.
"Black Python Devours the Moon!"
He roared.
A massive black serpent—tens of meters long—formed from qi and charged.
At the same time—
Lin Ye brought both palms forward.
"Blood-Luo Heavenly Waterfall Palm!"
The blood-asura qi exploded into a crimson waterfall-dragon, slamming down like an ocean collapsing from the heavens.
BOOOOM!
The turtle was blasted into a deep crater.
Cracks spread across its nearly indestructible shell.
Internal injuries severe.
Still alive.
"Damn… it's tough."
Luo Gui wiped sweat.
It had been exhausting.
Lin Ye dropped into the crater—
and finished it with one Shatter Calamity Claw.
CRACK!
Its head shattered.
He pulled out the beast core.
Only then did Lin Ye truly exhale.
That battle hadn't used Wildblood Curse or Netherline Mode—
but the danger level was higher than anything before.
The required concentration was absolute.
His strength was still too weak.
If he were stronger—
he wouldn't need this level of effort.
"You Kids Have Guts."
Dust drifted in the air.
The python's corpse had gone stiff.
Seven-Color Spiritblood Mushroom poison was so vicious that even Seventh-rank beasts couldn't resist it.
No need to finish the kill.
Then—
Lin Ye and Luo Gui both looked forward at the same time.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Slow applause echoed.
"Well done. Truly impressive."
"Hard work, both of you."
"Now, hand over the beast cores."
"Plum Blossom Sword Sect has temporarily taken control of the Thousand-Slaughter Riverlands."
"So anything here… temporarily belongs to us."
Three figures appeared in front.
And two more stepped out on the flanks.
Five in total.
The leader wore black robes embroidered with plum blossoms.
A sword was strapped to his back.
Handsome face.
But eyes cold, snake-like.
A confident smile curved his lips.
Lin Ye and Luo Gui exchanged a glance.
Luo Gui shook his head.
"You kids really are bold."
In the distance—
Wu Yao sucked in a cold breath.
"Young Sect Master?! Why… how is he here?"