Knowing her friend wouldn't heed the advice, Yan Ziji could only sigh inwardly. She had long urged Jiang Linglong to break through to the Golden Core realm and strengthen her cultivation before the impending Abyssal Cataclysm, ensuring her safety.
But Jiang Linglong, resolute in her Dao heart, was determined to pursue the elusive Supreme Golden Core, wasting over two centuries on this singular pursuit.
At that moment, Jiang Linglong lowered her gaze and said calmly, "Over two centuries ago, even peerless Dao Lords fell in the Abyss. You must understand—if you don't ascend to immortality, it all amounts to nothing in the end."
…
The next morning, Jiang Linglong led the group out of Tianxu Mountain and set off for Sky Python Lake.
Traveling lightly with only Foundation Establishment and higher cultivators, and aboard third-rank treasure ships, their journey was swift. Covering over twenty thousand miles a day, it took them just over ten days to cross four hundred thousand miles of demon-occupied territory and reach Sky Python Lake.
In a desolate mountain range ten thousand miles from the lake, Jiang Linglong activated concealment artifacts to hide their presence and distributed water-avoidance pearls to everyone.
"We'll be fighting underwater this time, so our combat effectiveness may decrease by twenty percent. It's imperative we catch them off guard," she instructed.
"I'll handle the Sky Python Demon King. The rest of you focus on swiftly eliminating his Foundation Establishment and Purple Mansion subordinates."
Elian accepted the water-avoidance pearl with a serious expression. Based on their reconnaissance, the Sky Python Demon King commanded six Purple Mansion demon beasts, not including his allied tribes.
Among these, only the Purple-Blood Python was at the late Purple Mansion stage. Two were at the mid-stage, and the remaining three were early-stage. On the human side, excluding Jiang Linglong, there were nine Purple Mansion cultivators, including mid-stage powerhouses such as Xu Qianyang, Xu Daoyuan, Pan Boyuan, and Elian.
Although Yang Zhengyuan's injuries hadn't fully healed, he could still unleash mid-stage Purple Mansion combat strength for a short period if he pushed himself.
With such forces, the humans held the advantage. The demons were outnumbered by three Purple Mansion cultivators, and though water gave the demons an edge, their combat strength was slightly inferior to their human counterparts, balancing the scales.
Xu Qianyang, accepting a water-avoidance pearl, pondered briefly before speaking.
"The Purple-Blood Python was severely injured last time. It likely hasn't fully recovered yet."
"Now that I've reached the sixth level of the Purple Mansion, I should be able to handle it with Pan Daoyou's help."
Pan Boyuan nodded in agreement. As a lightning-root cultivator, his abilities were well-suited to underwater combat. His clan also possessed a powerful third-rank treasure as their foundation, further bolstering their confidence.
With their most formidable foe accounted for, the group turned to Elian. Xu Qianyang addressed him gravely, "Elian, your combat talents are exceptional. We hope you'll take the lead in breaking through."
"Understood," Elian replied with equal gravity.
The lake was likely teeming with Foundation Establishment demon beasts. Although the two treasure ships carried sixty Foundation Establishment cultivators, holding back such numbers would be challenging. Quick victories over the Purple Mansion beasts were crucial for achieving a decisive outcome.
After a night of rest, Jiang Linglong distributed two Violet Essence Pills to each person to aid in restoring their spiritual energy.
Elian, however, with his mid-tier third-rank Pure Water Green Lotus Platform, had spiritual energy reserves triple those of his peers and didn't lack power.
He gave the Violet Essence Pills to the Patriarch, cautioning, "The lake is swarming with Foundation Establishment beasts—potentially hundreds. If the cultivators aboard the treasure ships can't hold them off, you may need to deploy the Crimson-Gold Three-Treasure Flags."
The Patriarch nodded, accepting the pills. The array formation created by the Crimson-Gold Three-Treasure Flags was excellent for dealing with large groups of enemies, though it consumed a great deal of energy. With the Violet Essence Pills, this burden would be alleviated.
The Patriarch smiled warmly.
"You've grown a lot over the years, Elian. You're thinking things through more thoroughly now."
Elian smiled faintly, recalling the time at Lingxing Mountain when the Patriarch's foresight in changing the formation had saved them from disaster.
…
That night, the group flew toward Sky Python Lake.
The lake spanned over ten thousand miles, an expansive body of water more akin to a sea. At its center lay a cluster of islands, where the Sky Python Demon King resided in the inner lake.
After flying ten thousand miles, they reached the lake's central islands and moved directly toward the inner lake.
As soon as they arrived, the Sky Python Demon King detected their presence and erupted from the water with a thunderous roar, launching an attack.
Seeing the demon king leave the water to engage them, the humans were delighted.
"Attack!" Jiang Linglong commanded, charging forward on her Sky Rupture Sword and striking the demon king.
The others followed eagerly, seizing the opportunity to unleash their treasures and techniques. Though formidable, the demon king was caught off guard and struggled to defend, losing more than ten percent of his spiritual energy within moments.
Realizing the disadvantage, the Sky Python Demon King retreated into the inner lake.
At this point, the Purple Mansion demon beasts arrived to support their leader, and a fierce battle broke out.
"Where do you think you're going?" Jiang Linglong's gaze turned cold, and she pursued the demon king, her sword flashing.
The others couldn't let her face the lake alone and worked to fend off the Purple Mansion beasts, then followed her into the water to surround the demon king.
The demon beasts were relentless, especially the Purple-Blood Python, which unleashed its full power underwater. It struck Yang Yuanhe, sending him flying with blood spraying.
Seeing this, Elian's eyes narrowed. He called out, "Stick to the plan! Finish this quickly!"
Xu Qianyang and Pan Boyuan moved to block the Purple-Blood Python, intending to hold off the late-stage demon.
As countless demon beasts surged forward, the scene turned chaotic. Elian, focusing on an early-stage Purple Mansion beast—the Crimson Flame Serpent—was quickly surrounded by two more demons who recognized his threat and sought to trap him.
"Watch out!" someone cried.
...
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D