Chapter 438 - 277: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole (2)

"Are you sure I don’t have to take off my clothes?"

"No need!"

While Qin Fengwu breathed a sigh of relief, she also felt a faint sense of disappointment.

’She had just steeled herself for the coming storm, but now that it was suddenly called off, she felt an odd sense of emptiness instead.’

With their plan settled, the two quickly returned to the Snake People’s nest they had previously cleared.

In reality, it was just a series of huge, interconnected stone caves.

"Alright, Junior Sister Qin, go on. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re safe," Zou Feng said.

Qin Fengwu nodded, but after taking just two steps forward, she turned back. "Brother Zou, what you said earlier... do you really think I’m attractive?"

Zou Feng replied impatiently, "My opinion doesn’t matter. The King-level Snake-man has to find you acceptable!"

This time, Qin Fengwu went off happily, all her previous reluctance gone.

She soon entered the caves. Although Zou Feng had just swept through, a deeply unsettling, cold aura still lingered.

This alone suggested that a King-level specimen was very likely still hidden here.

The Snake People were far more adept at the art of Concealment than the Frogmen.

They could even enter a state of suspended animation, merging so completely with their surroundings that they became impossible to detect.

Qin Fengwu found the spot where the cold aura was densest, sat cross-legged, and began to circulate the Cloud-and-Rainbow Phoenix-Luring Art.

’To be honest, acting as bait wasn’t as frightening as she had imagined.’

Zou Feng’s dominant performance when he killed the other members of the Alien Race had indeed given her a great deal of confidence.

’He’d only been in the Immortal Sect for a month and didn’t even have a Spirit Body, yet he possessed such terrifying strength. Honestly, Qin Fengwu couldn’t make sense of it.’

’As long as this man doesn’t fall prematurely, he’s destined for greatness...’

The thoughts had barely formed in her mind when a cool, foul-smelling wind swept past.

Qin Fengwu’s hair stood on end. She felt something appear behind her, its focus locked entirely on her.

’It’s out!?’

’Brother Zou, save me...!’

She didn’t dare force herself to stay put. She could almost feel the creature’s Snake Tongue about to touch the back of her neck.

With a scream, Qin Fengwu shot to her feet and bolted.

Although Qin Fengwu’s combat abilities were nothing special, her lightness Skill was another story. She fled with incredible speed.

As a wily veteran of the Outer Sect and a sixty-year-old virgin, she wouldn’t have survived this long if she couldn’t even run for her life.

In just three breaths, Qin Fengwu was out of the caves.

The foul, cold wind at her back grew stronger, its stench so overpowering she nearly gagged.

There was no doubt about it: the creature tailing her had to be the King-level Snake-man that had been hiding here.

The instant Qin Fengwu fled the caves, Zou Feng—who had been Gathering Strength and waiting—dove from the sky. He unleashed a Palm Skill that descended from above, striking out with waves of Brahma Sound.

The King-level Snake-man, wreathed in black winds, had just emerged from the caves when it was frozen in place.

It struggled to lift its head, the powerful gale distorting and twisting its serpentine face.

At the same time, it let out a terrified shriek.

BOOM—

After the tremendous crash, a clear, palm-shaped crater was left in the ground.

The King-level Snake-man was smashed into the bottom of the crater, its body nearly flattened.

Though it was a one-hit takedown, Zou Feng hadn’t attacked carelessly. This was a Big Move he had been preparing for a long time; he had no intention of underestimating his foe.

But the Snake-man’s Life Force was truly tenacious. It hadn’t died instantly and was still struggling to rise and flee.

Seeing this, Zou Feng was about to deliver the finishing blow when a figure flashed like a phantom in front of Qin Fengwu.

"A King-level Snake-man? What a rare sight..."

This uninvited guest, who had appeared out of nowhere, wore a tall crown and ostentatiously gorgeous robes, dripping with jewels.

He looked less like a Cultivator and more like some nouveau riche from the Mortal Realm.

The moment this male Cultivator appeared, the smile on Qin Fengwu’s face—who had just started to celebrate their victory—froze.

"You... you’re... Guang Tianhua, ranked four hundred and fourth on the Potential List, Senior Brother Guang!?"

Qin Fengwu knew the members of the Potential List like the back of her hand. After all, one of the cardinal rules for a wily veteran’s survival was to remember the faces of those you must not provoke.

She had deliberately announced Guang Tianhua’s name and rank with such shock primarily to warn Zou Feng: this was someone they couldn’t afford to cross.

Because the most likely thing to happen next was that he would steal the final blow on the King-level Snake-man.

A King-level specimen was worth around three hundred points. Someone like Guang Tianhua, who was vying for a top-ten spot in the Forest Sea’s monthly assessment, would have no reason to pass it up.

And Guang Tianhua did indeed intend to do just that. He acted before the words had even faded.

With a Sword Pointing gesture, a glint of chilling Sword Qi shot straight toward the King-level Snake-man’s brow.

Zou Feng had been on high alert ever since the man appeared. His Void-Grasping Poison Palm struck second but landed first, intercepting Guang Tianhua’s Sword Qi.

"Hm?"

Guang Tianhua seemed completely surprised. He clearly hadn’t expected Zou Feng to still dare to make a move after hearing his name.

Lifting his head, he stared at Zou Feng with amusement. "You... are you sure you want to compete with me for this?"

Zou Feng found this laughable. "Are you fucking crazy? You’re the one trying to steal my kill!"

"Good. Very good." Guang Tianhua turned to glare at Qin Fengwu. "Then I’ll kill your woman first!"

Caught in the crossfire, Qin Fengwu was stunned. She quickly cried out, "I’m not his woman! How can you slander an innocent person like that!?"

But even as she explained, Qin Fengwu didn’t forget to make a run for it, bolting faster than a rabbit.

Unfortunately, Guang Tianhua was too close. With a grasping motion through the air, he pulled her toward him, his right hand clamping tightly around her neck.

"Cough, cough... I’m not... just listen to me... I’m really not..."

Guang Tianhua didn’t snap her neck immediately. Instead, he waited leisurely, wanting to see how Zou Feng would react.

He was quickly disappointed. Judging by Zou Feng’s completely unfazed reaction, the woman truly held no special significance to him.

But it didn’t matter. Since he’d already grabbed her, he might as well make an example of her.

The next moment, Guang Tianhua applied force with his right hand, intending to crush her neck.

However, just as he was about to exert his strength, he felt an unusual Power erupt from Qin Fengwu’s body.

Guang Tianhua’s instincts screamed that something was wrong, and he immediately tried to fling her away.

But it was too late.

BANG—

The Power that had erupted from Qin Fengwu’s body exploded violently, releasing a cloud of pitch-black smoke that was clearly toxic on sight.

Even for a prodigy from the Potential List like Guang Tianhua, the unexpected blast sent him staggering back five steps before he could regain his footing.

He looked down at his right palm; it had already turned pitch-black, a clear sign of severe poisoning.

Worse, the poison was spreading rapidly up his arm.

Guang Tianhua’s face drained of color. He quickly jabbed several points on his right arm with his left hand, then hastily fished out and swallowed a few Elixirs.

Meanwhile, Qin Fengwu, who had only been knocked down by the aftershock despite the explosion originating from her, was utterly dumbfounded.

’What just happened?!’

’How did I explode?’

’And that obviously toxic smoke from the explosion...’

’Having seen Zou Feng in action several times, Qin Fengwu immediately put the pieces together. The reason I exploded must be because Zou Feng secretly infused me with a surge of Poison Force.’

’That time before, when Zou Feng put his hand on my shoulder, supposedly to check if I practiced dual Cultivation... now that I think about it, that must have been when he did it.’

’He probably did it as a habitual insurance policy, to prevent me from betraying him. But by a strange twist of fate, Guang Tianhua ended up taking the fall.’

’Does that mean... he really intends to take on Guang Tianhua?’

She glanced back at where Zou Feng had been standing, but he was already gone.

Meanwhile, Guang Tianhua, who had just barely managed to suppress the poison in his body, found his expression growing even uglier.

To make it onto the Potential List, Guang Tianhua’s strength was unquestionable.

However, getting blindsided by a sneak attack had thrown him into disarray. One wrong move led to another.

Now, he couldn’t even detect where Zou Feng was hiding. It would be a miracle if he wasn’t panicking.