122: Slug Evolution

Upon hearing this, the Qingyun Sect Cultivator's face drained of color. He laughed in anger, "Good, good, what a Heavenly Star Palace. To collude with the Yao Race to this extent!"

He slapped his chest, spitting out a mouthful of vital essence blood. His Escaping Light once again surged, burning his cultivation without hesitation, attempting one last desperate struggle.

A hint of mockery flashed in the Golden-Winged Cloud Peng's eyes. With a flap of its giant wings, countless golden feather arrows poured down, instantly engulfing that airspace. Light burst forth, and roars echoed endlessly.

Lin Feng didn't dare to look again, pressing his body tightly against the cold rock. He even completely retracted his Divine Sense, fearing to attract even the slightest attention from that terrifying existence. A Mid-Core Formation Stage Cultivator was so powerless before a seventh-tier Yao Beast.

The distant roars and light continued for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, eventually subsiding. Silence returned to the world, with only the tireless waves crashing against the reefs.

Lin Feng remained motionless for a long time. Only after confirming that the world-destroying pressure had completely departed did he slowly exhale.

Yao Beasts colluding with Human Race Cultivators? This reminded him of the strange Dragon Hunt Assembly at the Four Seas Association. He dared not linger and quickly retreated to his Immortal Cave.

On this day, a thin mist floated on the sea, and moonlight barely pierced through the clouds, casting fragmented light spots on the water. Lin Feng lay in ambush behind a reef half-submerged in the sea, targeting a fourth-tier "Azure-Armored Poisonous Toad" that was spawning in the shallows. He calculated the tides and wind direction, and a wisp of icy coldness had already condensed on his fingertips.

Just as he was about to strike, the reef beneath his feet suddenly vibrated abnormally. With a loud splash, the seawater next to the reef where he was hiding arched upwards, and a colossal creature burst out of the water!

This beast resembled a giant scorpion but had a thick, lobster-like carapace and a pair of massive pincers. Its tail was raised high, ending in a sharp venomous stinger glowing with a faint blue light. It was a fifth-tier Yao Beast, the "Profound Ice Poisonous Abalone." It was clearly attracted by the scent of the Azure-Armored Poisonous Toad's spawning, and Lin Feng had just happened to step into its hunting path.

Lin Feng's heart sank by half; a fifth-tier Yao Beast was not something he could easily hunt. He hurriedly urged his wine immortal gourd to fly backward, while simultaneously forming hand seals.

In an instant, fine snowflakes began to drift in the air above the sea, centered around him, and the temperature plummeted. Each snowflake refracted a dazzling light under the moonlight, and countless "Lin Feng" figures appeared in the snow curtain, each lifelike, with even their auras perfectly replicated. His true body was completely integrated into this ice and snow illusion.

The Poisonous Abalone's tail stinger thrust out rapidly, but it pierced through several illusions consecutively. The "Lin Fengs" that were struck shattered like reflections in a mirror, turning into more ice crystals and snowflakes. The Poisonous Abalone roared in anger, its giant pincers flailing wildly, but it could never grasp the true body's location.

However, the perception of a fifth-tier Yao Beast was indeed terrifying. Although it couldn't see through the illusion, the extreme cold Yao power attached to the poisonous stinger erupted when it pierced through the illusions, and the cold air spread. Although Lin Feng's true body was hidden within the illusions, he was still grazed by the edge of this cold air.

"Ugh!" He groaned, his left half instantly stiff, and the circulation of his spiritual power momentarily stagnated.

The Poisonous Abalone's other giant pincer seized this opportunity, tearing through the snow curtain, and solidly struck his chest, which he was too stiff to dodge.

"Crack!"

With a sound of bones cracking, Lin Feng spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Using the force of the impact, he flew backward, barely managing to activate his wine immortal gourd, transforming into a streak of light and escaping towards the small island. Behind him, the Poisonous Abalone's angry roar made the sea surface tremble.

As soon as he rushed into the Immortal Cave and set up the Restriction, Lin Feng could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground. His chest had a sunken area, and every breath brought tearing pain. Even more terrifying, the virulent poison had already spread throughout his body, half of his body was covered with a thin layer of white frost, and his consciousness began to blur.

He tremblingly took out a Medicinal Pill for healing and swallowed it. The medicinal power dissolved but was like a mud ox entering the sea, only barely protecting his heart Meridians. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, a faint light flashed at the mouth of his spirit beast pouch, and the Slug slowly crawled out.

It seemed to sense its master's danger and anxiously wriggled to Lin Feng's chest wound, pressing its body tightly against it. A pure life force slowly infused him, barely stabilizing his crumbling mind and pulling him back from the brink of unconsciousness.

However, while this life force could sustain his life, it couldn't resolve the strange poison.

Just then, the Slug suddenly raised its head and slowly crawled towards a dark, damp corner inside the Immortal Cave. A small clump of inconspicuous vines grew there, with dark red leaves and a vine body covered in fine silver spots, almost imperceptible in the darkness.

Lin Feng endured the intense pain and cold, concentrating his last shred of clear Divine Sense to activate the heaven-stealing vine to investigate, but he couldn't discern anything special about this vine.

But the Slug seemed very persistent. It crawled to the base of the vine and began to nibble at the silver-spotted root with its small mouth. With each bite, a faint silver line seemed to flow within its transparent body. After nibbling about half of the root, the Slug stopped, curled its body, and a sheen appeared on its surface as it slowly fell asleep.

Inside the Immortal Cave, time seemed to freeze. Lin Feng leaned against the cold stone wall, each breath pulling at the sharp pain in his chest. He could only circulate the Nine Profound Sword Heart Art again and again, barely protecting his heart Meridians with pure spiritual power, delaying the erosion of the poison. His consciousness wavered between clarity and blur.

Most of his gaze was fixed on the sleeping white shadow in the corner of the cave. His heart was filled with questions: What exactly was that dark red, silver-spotted vine? Why did the Slug fall into such a deep sleep after nibbling it?

Inside the cave, day and night were indistinguishable. Who knew how long had passed, perhaps three to five days, or even longer.

Suddenly, the silent white shadow moved slightly.

Lin Feng immediately sensed it and forced himself to look. He saw the gelatinous membrane encasing the Slug being pushed open from within, and a noticeably larger "head" emerged. Immediately after, its entire body slowly unfurled. The evolved Slug's size had grown enough to easily occupy a good portion of the cave corner. Its whole body was still as crystal clear as jade, but its color was more warm and full, as if a faint precious light flowed within.

The Slug awoke, its two eyes first darting around in confusion. Then, it sensed its master's critical state and let out a series of urgent "hissing" sounds, beginning to crawl rapidly towards Lin Feng.

The Slug crawled to Lin Feng's side, hesitated slightly as if confirming something, and then its entire soft and cool body slowly and carefully enveloped Lin Feng's upper body, which was in a meditative posture.

In an instant, Lin Feng felt as if he had been plunged into a warm body of water. The Slug's body surface, with its strangely glowing mucus, adhered to his skin, and a powerful yet gentle healing force continuously poured into his Meridians through his pores.

This power was distinctly different from the pure life force before. It seemed to have a natural restraint over the strange poison. Wherever it passed, the poison began to dissolve, disintegrate, and was neutralized and purified by this gentle force. A tingling sensation came from the broken bone in his chest, a sign that the bone was rapidly healing under the impetus of the powerful life force.

This process lasted for about an hour. When the Slug slowly released its body, Lin Feng opened his eyes and let out a long, turbid breath. He looked down at his chest; the indentation had already flattened, leaving only a faint red mark. His internal Meridians were clear, and the strange poison that had tormented him for so long was completely gone.