Then, no one knew where Xiāo Yìfēng’s thin body got its strength from, as he actually lifted the giant snake and threw it forcefully backward.
He then spread his arms, shielding Sū Miàoqíng in front of him, like a mother hen protecting her chicks. He was gasping heavily from the exertion, his eyes glaring ferociously at the spot where the giant snake landed.
“Senior Sister, hurry and leave. I’ll hold it off. Go back quickly and get reinforcements.”
He could be heard panting heavily as he instructed Sū Miàoqíng without looking back.
Sū Miàoqíng froze for a moment. As if remembering something, she laboriously took out a token from her storage ring. She only had time to activate it and cry out, “Mother…” before she fainted onto the ground.
Xiāo Yìfēng heard the commotion and turned back to see. He rushed to Sū Miàoqíng’s side and picked her up. Seeing that her lips were only dark and she had fainted, he finally felt relieved.
He marveled inwardly at how potent the Demonic Beast’s poison was. However, he currently had no storage items and no pills on him. He also had to guard against the giant snake.
Without time to think further, he saw the giant snake that Xiāo Yìfēng had thrown. It was clearly furious. It got up and let out a mighty roar, launching a sonic attack.
Xiāo Yìfēng struggled to withstand the immense sound, blood slowly seeping from his ears. He placed Sū Miàoqíng on the grass.
Slowly standing up, Xiāo Yìfēng realized that although his cultivation progress had been poor over the years, both the Demonic Sect and Buddhism placed importance on body refinement. Coupled with the benefit of relying on Sū Miàoqíng all these years and daily medicinal baths with spiritual medicine, his physique was exceptionally strong. Xiāo Yìfēng estimated his body had the strength of a Demonic Beast at the Qi Condensation seventh layer.
Now that his Senior Sister was behind him, if he abandoned her, he might be able to escape the giant snake’s clutches with his secret techniques and speed, especially since the giant snake’s primary target wasn't him. But how could he do that and still be worthy of his Master and Martial Aunt/Master’s Wife?
Sū Miàoqíng had treated him exceptionally well. If nothing else, he had to protect her completely, especially now that he was under the Boundless Hall’s jurisdiction.
Seeing that Sū Miàoqíng had activated the token, he figured reinforcements would arrive if he could just stall for some more time.
After a quick mental calculation, Xiāo Yìfēng couldn’t afford to hesitate. He fully activated the cultivation methods of both the Demonic Sect and Buddhism within his body, even employing the Demonic Sect’s Blood Burning Secret Technique.
Xiāo Yìfēng’s muscles bulged, and his entire body seemed to swell by a significant size. A mist of steam emanated from him. With a fierce shout, he charged toward the Demonic Beast, determined to hold it off for as long as possible.
Seeing Xiāo Yìfēng charge at it, the giant snake became enraged and lunged forward. Although Xiāo Yìfēng’s body, using the secret technique, now possessed the strength of a Qi Condensation eighth-layer Demonic Beast, it was no match for a native creature of this kind.
As the Demonic Beast lunged, Xiāo Yìfēng did not confront it head-on. As it approached, he ducked low, narrowly sliding past the giant snake. Relying on his agility, he weaved left and right, occasionally forming hand seals to summon fireballs and ice cones, hurling them at the Demonic Beast and landing a punch.
Though it didn't hurt much, it greatly annoyed the Demonic Beast, making it even more furious.
However, Xiāo Yìfēng was extremely agile, and the giant snake, with its massive size, couldn't catch him. Xiāo Yìfēng even resorted to his old trick several times, grabbing the giant snake’s massive tail and throwing it.
Although the giant snake couldn't do much to Xiāo Yìfēng, he was not unharmed either. His muscles bulged, he gasped like an ox, and he looked like a giant demon.
The giant snake lunged at Xiāo Yìfēng once more. Xiāo Yìfēng held his breath and calmed his mind, waiting for the moment it came close before leaping away. He dodged a bite, but as he passed the attack, a massive snake tail appeared before him, striking him heavily.
Xiāo Yìfēng only had time to cross his arms in front of his face before he was violently flung away, crashing through an unknown number of trees. The giant snake gave him no chance to breathe, spitting a poisonous gas projectile toward where Xiāo Yìfēng had landed.
Xiāo Yìfēng felt his right hand had broken, and he didn't know how many bones in his body were fractured. Even his Demonic Sect secret technique was interrupted. He rolled on the ground with great difficulty, narrowly dodging the attack as the dense poisonous gas exploded.
Xiāo Yìfēng started to run erratically, desperately guarding against the giant snake’s assault. To his surprise, the giant snake remained still, coiled in place, its eyes glinting with human-like cunning.
Xiāo Yìfēng inwardly cried out that it was bad. As expected, the giant snake seemed to remember something, turned around, and slithered towards Sū Miàoqíng.
Xiāo Yìfēng stumbled and chased after the giant snake with all his might. Enduring the excruciating pain, he formed hand seals and hurled Five Elements spells at the giant snake. He shouted curses, trying to draw the giant snake’s attention. But the giant snake, as if it knew Xiāo Yìfēng cared about Sū Miàoqíng, ignored him and lunged towards her.
Xiāo Yìfēng ran frantically. The broken bones in his body ached terribly from the violent movement, but he still stomped his right foot on the ground and leaped up with all his might.
At the moment of his leap, Xiāo Yìfēng heard his leg bone snap. Using the immense momentum, he caught up to the giant snake. In mid-air, using his only remaining intact left hand, he formed his fingers into a sword and thrust it with all his remaining strength towards the giant snake’s tail.
His hand, infused with all of Xiāo Yìfēng’s remaining spiritual energy, pierced the giant snake’s body like a divine weapon. Several of Xiāo Yìfēng’s fingers also broke, and his arm was cut open and bleeding by the sharp scales.
The giant snake let out a pained roar and forcefully flicked its tail, sending Xiāo Yìfēng flying. It then struck the airborne Xiāo Yìfēng again with its tail.
Xiāo Yìfēng was sent crashing nearby. He felt as if all his bones were broken, unable to move. Blood flowed from all seven orifices of his body. The giant snake, finally having successfully enraged Xiāo Yìfēng, turned and charged at him.
It opened its massive, blood-red maw, as if to swallow Xiāo Yìfēng whole.
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air as a white rainbow streaked forward like a bird in flight.
A clear, sweet voice echoed from the air, “Vile beast, perish!”
Before the person arrived, a dazzling sword light descended from the heavens, striking directly at the giant snake’s head. The giant snake didn’t even have time to roar before it was split into two. The sharp sword light also carved a deep gash into the ground.
The severed head and body of the giant snake slid forward a considerable distance due to inertia. The massive head landed not far from Xiāo Yìfēng, its life slowly fading from its eyes.
Lín Zǐyùn descended from the sky and landed before Xiāo Yìfēng. Anxiously, she picked him up and called out to him.
At this moment, Xiāo Yìfēng was covered in blood, his body contorted into an unnatural posture, blood flowing from all seven orifices. He was coughing up large amounts of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs, staining Lín Zǐyùn’s white palace attire red.
Lín Zǐyùn quickly pressed her hands to several critical acupoints on his body, sealing them. She then took out a bottle of pills and, as if they were limitless, poured them into Xiāo Yìfēng’s mouth.
Xiāo Yìfēng mumbled hazily, “Martial Aunt/Master’s Wife, Senior Sister…” He weakly raised his hand, but it had no strength.
Lín Zǐyùn’s eyes welled up with tears. “Don’t say it. Martial Aunt/Master’s Wife knows. Martial Aunt/Master’s Wife knows!”
Long before arriving, Lín Zǐyùn had already scanned the area with her powerful spiritual sense. She knew her daughter was not far away and her vital signs were relatively stable, while this young disciple was truly on the brink of death.
Seeing him still concerned about Sū Miàoqíng in this state, she felt an unbearable pang in her heart.
Finally, Xiāo Yìfēng couldn't hold on any longer and fainted. Lín Zǐyùn picked him up, shielding his heart, and with a wave of her hand, summoned the unconscious Sū Miàoqíng to her side and held her close.
Seeing her pale face and dark lips, Lín Zǐyùn didn’t have time to administer an antidote. She immediately scooped up both of them and transformed into a streak of white light, flying towards the palace.