Splash!
An octopus spirit beast leaped out of the water, its massive body resembling a mountain. Its eight tentacles came crashing down like giant pillars toward Luoxuan.
The vault of heaven trembled, and gigantic waves rolled.
Although this octopus spirit beast lacked intelligence and divine powers, falling far short of a true Daluo expert, its terrifying attacks were no less powerful than those of a Daluo Golden Immortal.
Therefore, it could be called a pseudo-Daluo.
With a single strike that shook the heavens and the earth, it was definitely an opponent no ordinary Taiyi Golden Immortal could match.
Yet,
faced with the terrifying strike of the octopus spirit beast, Luoxuan's expression remained calm.
As if he had anticipated it long ago.
The truth was,
Luoxuan knew Dingguangxian's personality all too well; he was vindictive to the core. Since Luoxuan had severely offended him last time, Dingguangxian would certainly not let the matter rest.
He was bound to plot and scheme behind the scenes.
Consequently,
right from the very beginning,
Luoxuan had secretly dispatched a Fire Crow to keep an eye on Dingguangxian from the shadows.
Sure enough,
Dingguangxian thought his actions were flawless, never expecting that every single move he made fell squarely into Luoxuan's sight.
With a turn of his thoughts, a plan hatched in Luoxuan's mind.
Immediately,
he waved his large sleeve,
and a cloud-like Spiritual Treasure flew out from thin air. It was none of the other than the inferior innate spiritual treasure: Ten Thousand Miles of Rising Clouds and Smoke.
The Ten Thousand Miles of Rising Clouds and Smoke burst into brilliant light,
and instantly,
countless mists and clouds spread across the sky.
The myriad mists converged to form a barrier of clouds and mist, protecting Luoxuan within.
Boom!
The tentacles of the octopus spirit beast came crashing down.
The blow, capable of destroying a mountain, struck the Ten Thousand Miles of Rising Clouds and Smoke, feeling as though it had punched into a ball of cotton, finding no purchase anywhere.
Seizing the right moment,
Luoxuan flicked his sleeves and drew two crimson longswords.
The sword bodies were slender and their sharpness gleamed piercingly.
An inferior innate spiritual treasure,
the Flying Smoke Sword!
"Clang!"
With a crisp ring of steel, Luoxuan swung his swords and slashed forward.
"Vile creature, prepare to die!"
In an instant,
two massive fiery sword qi soared into the sky, hacking toward the octopus spirit beast.
Boom!
The sharp sword qi cleaved into the octopus spirit beast, leaving only two white marks without inflicting the slightest bit of damage.
The body of a spirit beast was impervious to blades and spears.
Luoxuan's attack failed to work; instead, it only provoked the beast's fury.
Roar!
The octopus spirit beast bounded into the air, using its massive body to smash right through the Ten Thousand Miles of Rising Clouds and Smoke, and then lashed out with its thick tentacles toward Luoxuan.
"Oh no!"
Luoxuan cried out in alarm.
Across his handsome face, shock and disbelief flashed in succession, followed by anger, and finally sheer terror. Such a rich array of expressions and such superb acting skills were comparable to those of an Oscar-winning actor.
With a sweeping strike of the tentacles,
Luoxuan was sent flying backward through the air.
From the ambush by the octopus spirit beast to Luoxuan's fierce battle with it, what seemed like a long time had actually transpired in the span of a mere moment.
By the time everyone reacted, Luoxuan was already "coughing up blood."
"Junior Brother Luoxuan!"
Seeing Luoxuan in mortal peril, Zhao Gongming's expression turned anxious as he hurriedly moved to help.
The others were also filled with worry.
Dingguangxian put on an anxious expression as well, though inside he was overjoyed.
His eyes were filled with malicious glee.
"Brat,"
"Daring to offend me, this is what you get!"
At this moment,
everyone's attention was fixed on Luoxuan, and not a single person noticed a Fire Crow quietly slip into the sea, swimming toward Dingguangxian's position.
The Fire Crow held a Crimson Sun Date in its beak.
Unnoticed and in complete silence,
the Fire Crow reached the waters beneath Dingguangxian, opened its beak, and released the aura of the Crimson Sun Date.
Right then,
the sea was filled with blood and the corpses of spirit beasts.
Masked by the malevolent aura and the stench of blood, the members of Jiejiao—including Dingguangxian, who was closest—failed to notice the spiritual fruit hidden in the water.
But the sea beasts were a different story.
Not only did they live in the ocean year-round, but they also possessed exceptionally sharp senses of smell.
Amidst the endless sea of blood and malevolence, the aura of the Crimson Sun Date shone as brightly as the sun, instantly perceived by the keen senses of the beasts.
All the spirit beasts went berserk.
Innate spiritual fruits held an irresistible attraction for them.
On the sea surface,
Luoxuan's face was pale and he coughed blood incessantly, putting on the appearance of someone severely injured.
The octopus spirit beast wore a ferocious look, about to launch another attack.
Suddenly,
it sensed the aura of the Crimson Sun Date.
After struggling for a moment,
the temptation of the innate spiritual fruit ultimately prevailed over everything else. Abandoning Luoxuan, the octopus spirit beast lunged furiously in the direction of the Crimson Sun Date.
And right there
was also where Dingguangxian happened to be standing.
Not only the octopus spirit beast, but all the other sea beasts as well went completely mad, swarming desperately toward Dingguangxian.
Everyone was stunned, utterly baffled by what was happening.
Dingguangxian panicked!
He had no idea these spirit beasts were after the Crimson Sun Date, assuming instead that they were coming straight for him.
"Damn it!"
"What on earth is going on?"
Looking at the spirit beasts swarming in from all directions, Dingguangxian was furious. He waved his hand, unleashing the Shangqing Divine Thunder to blast toward the beasts.
Boom!
The spirit beasts had originally been aiming for the spiritual fruit.
Seeing Dingguangxian actually attack them, they immediately assumed he was trying to snatch their fruit away.
Every single beast was enraged!
They opened their blood-red jaws wide and rushed at Dingguangxian to tear him apart.
In a one-on-one fight, relying on Dingguangxian's cultivation in the late Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, even that octopus spirit beast might not have been a match for him.
But two fists could not beat four hands.
Faced with the joint siege of numerous spirit beasts, Dingguangxian was stretched thin and unable to cope.
The octopus spirit beast whipped its tentacles, and catching Dingguangxian off guard, lashed out viciously.
Bang!
With a loud crash,
Dingguangxian was sent flying backward, spewing a mouthful of blood.
"Damn vile beasts!"
Watching the spirit beasts pursue him relentlessly, Dingguangxian's face turned ashen, and he felt like he was losing his mind.
Dammit!
He had clearly charmed this octopus spirit beast and made it attack Luoxuan, so why had it run back to attack him instead?
Before he could ponder further, the beasts closed in for the kill once more.
A moment later,
Dingguangxian's crown was knocked off, his robes were tattered, his face was pale, and he was covered from head to toe in blood.
His entire body was covered in wounds of all kinds.
He truly looked utterly miserable!
"Senior Brother, save me!"
Terrified at last, Dingguangxian hurriedly cried out for help to Duobao and the others.
As the senior brother of Jiejiao, Duobao naturally could not stand by and watch Dingguangxian get killed by the beasts, so he hurriedly stepped in to assist.
However, there were simply too many spirit beasts; they were endless.
Duobao's expression grew anxious.
Suddenly remembering how Luoxuan had previously cut down spirit beasts as easily as vegetables, Duobao hurriedly turned to him and said,
"Junior Brother Luoxuan,
can you step in to slay those spirit beasts and rescue Dingguangxian?"
Yet,
what Duobao did not know was that the beasts hunting down Dingguangxian were entirely orchestrated by Luoxuan; how could he possibly step in to help?
Once again displaying his Oscar-worthy acting skills,
Luoxuan coughed up a couple of drops of blood,
his face as pale as paper, his breath as faint as a gossamer thread, and said in a very weak voice,
"I'm sorry, Senior Brother.
I am heavily injured right now, and I'm afraid I am powerless to help."
Looking at the "weak" Luoxuan, Duobao was instantly overcome with guilt. He must have lost his mind—Junior Brother Luoxuan was already injured this badly, how could he possibly ask him to fight?
He hurriedly apologized to Luoxuan.
"Senior Brother, save me!"
Dingguangxian's miserable cries rang out once more, the wretched and pathetic sight of him making Luoxuan want to laugh out loud.
Still, he managed to hold it in.