255: Chapter 255 Slaying! Deterrence!

Chapter 253: Decapitation! Deterrence!

In the heart of Biling Island, the night mist was thin, and the stars and moon provided no light. Only the monotonous sound of distant waves crashing against the reefs accentuated the deathly stillness of this deserted island.

The burly, grayish-green man transformed from the Winged Rock Dragon Lizard was shrouded in a faint black-silver halo emitted by the 'hidden star bead.' His form and Aura blended almost perfectly into the surrounding jagged rocks and deep night.

He moved like an incorporeal ghost, traversing the desolate and silent core of the island with a lightness that completely contradicted his massive build.

Beneath his feet was dry, hard, grayish-white rock, cold to the touch.

His cold vertical pupils flickered with sharp and greedy light in the darkness, like a venomous snake searching for prey, carefully scanning every suspicious inch of ground and rock wall.

The night wind swept past with the briny scent of the sea, blowing several strands of his hair that were as hard as iron wire across his forehead.

His nostrils flared slightly as he tried to capture more information from the barren air.

Besides the inherent saltiness of the sea breeze and the dusty smell of the rocks, there seemed to be... a faint trace of Spiritual Qi, so pure it made even his Yao core throb slightly?

The feeling was elusive, as if it were an illusion, yet it caused the flame of suspicion in his heart to burn even brighter.

"Earth Fiend Yin Vein? Hmph, nothing but lies."

He sneered in his heart again, the muscles on his face, which were covered in a fine layer of keratin, twitching slightly.

These past few days of seemingly 'harmonious' discussions on the Dao and observations had not dispelled his doubts. Instead, it was like water dripping into a pan of hot oil, causing his suspicions to crackle and intensify.

The Black Water Poison Python's explanation seemed reasonable, and its words were polite enough. However, the instinctive caution that occasionally flashed in those narrow snake eyes and the overly 'standard' answers—as if prepared in advance—all felt unnatural.

More importantly, this island was too 'clean'!

As for the so-called 'Earth Fiend Yin Vein' suitable for a special Cultivation Technique, he had used his Innate earth-attribute perception to search thoroughly, yet he couldn't detect much active Yin Fiend Qi. Instead, there was another more obscure and pure fluctuation of spiritual power, like an undercurrent buried deep underground. Though suppressed with great effort, a trace of an Aura that made even his Bloodline restless still leaked out.

Just now, under the guise of admiring the moonlight, he had secretly activated a 'Ley Line Perception' secret technique obtained from the remains of an ancient lizard-type Yao Beast.

His Divine Sense probed underground like slender roots. Although it was immediately interfered with and distorted by a flexible and powerful invisible force field, making his perception blurry and chaotic, he had indeed caught it in that fleeting moment!

From the depths of the highest and steepest stone peak, which pierced the night sky like a sword of a Heavenly God, came a pulsation of spiritual power—heavily restricted, yet so pure and condensed that it made him tremble!

That was absolutely not a fluctuation that an 'Earth Fiend Yin Vein' could produce. That feeling... was more like... a treasure emitting vigorous spiritual power.

"There must be a great treasure here!" The Winged Rock Dragon Lizard's heart leaped, and a heatwave mixed with ecstasy, greed, and urgency instantly surged through his body.

If that were true, then it made perfect sense why those three strange Great Yao were entrenched here!

What quiet cultivation? What 'technique requirements'? It was all bullshit!

They wanted to monopolize this immense Opportunity without anyone knowing!

Perhaps they had already obtained some of the benefits!

This thought made his breathing grow heavy, and his keratin-covered chest rose and fell slightly. He forcibly suppressed the urge to immediately summon his subordinate Yao Beasts or even contact familiar Great Yao to come and take a share.

No, he couldn't rush.

The opponents were three of the same rank with unknown strength. Especially that Blood Dragon; although its Aura was only at the beginning of the Eighth Rank, the pressure from its Dragon Bloodline made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

It was unwise to use force. If he startled them and they fled with the treasure, or if they attracted more troublesome existences, the losses would outweigh the gains.

"First, I'll probe their true strength, find a flaw in the Formation, or... create some Chaos to see their reaction." A flash of cunning and ruthlessness appeared in the Winged Rock Dragon Lizard's eyes.

He activated the 'hidden star bead' more carefully. The black-silver halo seemed to thicken, pushing his synchronization with the environment to the extreme, as if he himself were a moving shadow.

At the same time, his right hand brushed his waist, and an ancient bronze compass appeared in his palm. It was palm-sized, with heavily worn edges and covered in strange bird-and-insect seal script.

He had obtained this in an ancient Cultivator's Immortal Cave in his early years. It was extremely sensitive to the spiritual power fluctuations of Formations and had helped him avoid dangerous places many times.

He channeled a thread of Yao power into the central depression of the compass.

The dim seal scripts on the compass surface lit up one by one with a faint glow. The central pointer, made of a material that was neither metal nor jade, began to vibrate uneasily. As if pulled by an invisible force, it trembled and pointed toward several specific directions—precisely the areas around the main peak where the spiritual power field was abnormally active.

"There really is a Formation! And the coverage is quite large. Its grade..."

The Winged Rock Dragon Lizard carefully sensed the vibration amplitude and spiritual power feedback of the compass pointer, his expression becoming increasingly solemn. "...is extremely high! The person who set up this Formation must have extraordinary attainments in Formations."

This caused both the greed and the wariness in his heart to grow.

To be guarded by such a massive Formation, the value of the contents must be staggering.

But similarly, an existence capable of setting up such a Formation was definitely not to be trifled with.

Like a patient hunter, he followed the guidance of the compass, slowly moving between the jagged rocks and deep shadows.

The closer he got to the main peak, the more obvious the sense of abnormality became.

The flow of the night wind became rigid, as if guided by invisible walls. In the cold touch of the rocks beneath his feet, there seemed to be a very subtle, rhythmic pulsation of spiritual power.

When he tried to carefully probe the pitch-black mountain body of the main peak with his Divine Sense like tentacles, the Divine Sense was not bounced back. Instead, it was like falling into an invisible swamp, quietly wrapped, decomposed, and deflected by a soft yet incredibly tough force. Ultimately, no substantial information was fed back, leaving only a heart-pounding 'emptiness'.

"What a clever combined illusion and Defensive Formation!" The Winged Rock Dragon Lizard felt a chill in his heart.

This Formation could not only distort perception and hide traces but also seemed to neutralize and mislead Divine Sense probes. If he didn't have this ancient compass, he might have walked right up to it and felt that the place was 'completely empty,' thus overlooking it.

This further confirmed his judgment. The hidden item inside must have a value beyond imagination! It might be a secret Immortal Cave left by an ancient Cultivator, or an Innate spiritual item born from heaven and earth!

Finally, when the vibration of the ancient compass reached a certain peak, he stopped before an unremarkable grayish-white giant rock.

This rock was no different from the others, but in the 'vision' of the compass, this place was a relatively active 'node' within the invisible spiritual power field.

In the gap where the bottom of the rock met the ground, there seemed to be an extremely faint flow of rune light, slightly different from the spiritual power of the surrounding rocks. it flashed and vanished, so fast that one might think it was an illusion.

"This is it... an outer auxiliary node, or a small hub for the flow of the Formation's spiritual power." A fierce light flashed in the Winged Rock Dragon Lizard's eyes. Destroying or interfering with such a node usually wouldn't cause the entire Formation to collapse immediately, but it was enough to cause fluctuations in the Formation and create Chaos. Perhaps it would force the hidden things to reveal some clues and test the reactions and bottom line of those inside.

Holding his breath, he retracted his Yao power to the absolute limit. Only at his right fingertip did a thread of condensed, solid, heavy earth-yellow Yao power slowly gather. His fingertip trembled slightly, emitting a low hum like the pulse of the earth.

He intended to break the surface from a single point, using the purest earth-attribute Yao power to strike this node and attempt to trigger a disturbance in the Formation.

His entire focus was concentrated on the thread of Yao power at his fingertip and the rock node before him. The ancient compass was temporarily placed at his feet.

With his mind highly focused, his perception of the surroundings subconsciously relied on the perfect concealment of the 'hidden star bead.'

He was certain that unless a Ninth Rank old monster arrived in person, it would be impossible to see through his current state.

However, just as the Yao power at his fingertip was about to touch the rock surface, at the moment when his mind was most concentrated and 'ethereal'—

A sudden change occurred!

Without warning, without any precursor of spiritual power fluctuations, it was as if the crisis itself was born from this Void Realm!

Buzz—!

It wasn't a sound, but a sharp, tooth-aching vibration acting directly on the level of the Soul!

Eight invisible and intangible Spirit Shocking Thorns, yet so condensed and sharp they seemed capable of piercing through the world, burst forth as if from the deepest part of the Nine Serenities and the cracks of space-time!

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They ignored the perfect optical and spiritual concealment created by the "hidden star bead," ignored the thick layer of Innate bone armor on the Winged Rock Dragon Lizard's body, and even seemed to ignore spatial distance, piercing violently into the Sea of Consciousness between his brows the very instant he sensed an anomaly!

"Urgh—!!!"

The Winged Rock Dragon Lizard's body shook violently, as if struck in the skull by an invisible giant hammer!

A short, distorted, inhuman shriek was forced out of his throat, only to stop abruptly.

He only felt an indescribable, terrifying pain coming from the depths of his Soul, as if a red-hot steel rod were frantically churning in his brain matter, and as if thousands of poison needles were piercing his Divine Soul simultaneously!

His vision was instantly engulfed by endless darkness and bursting golden stars, and his ears were filled with an extremely sharp ringing, as if his entire head were about to explode!

His consciousness was instantly torn to shreds, his ability to think vanished, leaving only the most instinctive pain and Chaos.

The Demonic Qi at his fingertips, ready to be unleashed, suddenly dissipated, turning into specks of yellow light and vanishing.

The ancient compass beneath his feet fell to the ground with a "clang," bounced once on the rock, and lost all its spiritual light.

The perfect black-silver concealment halo around his body cracked inch by inch like a shattered mirror, then dissipated completely with a "poof," exposing his rigid form, the frozen expression of terror and pain on his face, and the dark red blood slowly seeping from his seven orifices to the cold moonlight.

The Winged Rock Dragon Lizard hadn't even been able to finish his scream, let alone mobilize his Demonic Qi to defend or escape.

This sudden Divine Sense attack was not only terrifying in power, but the timing was also extremely tricky and ruthless, striking exactly when his old strength was exhausted, new strength had yet to arise, his mind was entirely focused on one point, and his defenses were at their weakest!

"Now!"

Having long received clear instructions from Lu Qiu via Divine Soul communication, the Black Water Poison Python and Lu Jiaoer, who had been lurking like two shadows behind nearby giant rocks, burst forth without the slightest hesitation!

The two figures, shrouded in vastly different yet equally ferocious Demonic Qi, were like fatal lightning tearing through the night, pouncing from left and right toward the motionless figure!

"Nether Python Poison Bite—Soul Erosion!"

The sinister man transformed from the Black Water Poison Python seemed to blur as he lunged, as if merging with the night, and in the next instant, he appeared behind the Winged Rock Dragon Lizard like a ghost.

He was expressionless, his narrow snake eyes filled only with cold killing intent.

As he reached out his right hand, his five fingers suddenly elongated and deformed, covered in shiny, pitch-black, sharp-edged fine scales, his fingertips ink-black, wreathed in visible, thick, toxic mist that emitted a pungent, fishy-sweet odor!

This claw strike was silent, yet ruthless and tricky to the extreme, aiming straight for the Winged Rock Dragon Lizard's vital heart!

Where the poisonous claw passed, the air emitted a slight "hissing" sound of corrosion, and even the moonlight seemed to be swallowed by that dark, toxic mist.

"Blood Flood Dragon Rips the Sky—Space Fracture!"

On the other side, Lu Jiaoer's fiery figure charged over, her dark red long hair leaving an eerie trail behind her.

Blood-red light surged in her scarlet vertical pupils, and the pair of exquisite dark golden dragon horns on her forehead suddenly lit up with a blinding blood-red radiance!

Amidst her sharp cry, the muscles on her right arm bulged, instantly covered in layers of dense, solid blood-colored dragon scales, her five fingers forming claws, her nails growing to over half a foot long, curved like hooks, with heart-stopping blood-red light flickering at the tips, carrying a savage, violent, terrifying momentum that sought to tear the firmament apart as she struck directly at the Winged Rock Dragon Lizard's unprotected throat!

This claw strike was terrifying in its momentum, the wind from the claw shrill, actually carving five long-lasting pale red air trails in the air, as if even space itself were about to be sliced open by its sharpness!

The Winged Rock Dragon Lizard's Divine Soul had suffered devastating damage, his consciousness sinking into boundless pain and darkness, his body completely beyond his control.

Facing this fatal joint attack from behind and from the side, his remaining Yao Beast instinct, at the critical moment, barely managed to mobilize the Demonic Qi within his body, which was in complete disarray because its master had been wounded.

The thick, blue-gray bone armor on his body lit up in response, glowing with a hastily condensed, slightly thin, earthy-yellow halo, attempting a final struggle.

However, how could this hasty, passive defense withstand a fatal blow that two Great Yao of the same stage had planned for a long time and executed with full force?

Moreover, his Divine Soul had been severely damaged, and his Demonic Qi circulation was sluggish, so the power of this protective halo was less than one-tenth of its original strength!

"Puchi—!"

The Black Water Poison Python's pitch-black poisonous claw arrived first despite starting later!

That thin, earthy-yellow halo collapsed at the slightest touch, like a soap bubble.

The scale-covered sharp claw pierced deeply into the Winged Rock Dragon Lizard's heart without any resistance!

What the fingertips touched was not soft flesh, but a Yao body as tough as leather, yet in the face of the poison claw's terrifying penetrating power and the deadly poison attached to it, this formidable Physical Body defense also appeared pale.

With a slight sound of "crack," the bone fractured, and the poisonous claw broke into his body!

The pitch-black, foul-smelling deadly poison, like a living creature, surged madly along the opened wound, instantly invading his heart meridians, organs, and Yao Core!

The Winged Rock Dragon Lizard's brawny body shuddered violently, and his complexion turned black and purple at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Almost at the same instant!

"Crack—!"

Lu Jiaoer's dragon claw, wreathed in blood-red sharp light, also tore fiercely into the Winged Rock Dragon Lizard's neck!

The bone armor covering his neck groaned under the terrifying tearing force of the dragon claw, unable to bear it, and then shattered!

The dragon claw embedded itself deep into his flesh, and the wild, domineering dragon power erupted with a roar!

The harsh sound of the throat bone shattering was clearly audible, the thick carotid artery was torn directly apart, and the burning dark red Yao blood spurted out like a fountain, splashing onto Lu Jiaoer's arm, looking exceptionally gruesome under the moonlight.

"Haa... haa-haa..." The Winged Rock Dragon Lizard's eyes bulged, his pupils dilated, filled with endless terror, confusion, pain, and a trace of disbelief.

He wanted to turn his head, to see the existence that had unleashed the terrifying Divine Sense attack, wanted to trigger his Yao Core to self-destruct and perish together, wanted to escape with his Yao Soul...

But the excruciating pain of his Divine Soul was like shackles, the severe damage to his Physical Body had drained all his strength, and the deadly poison invading his body was rapidly paralyzing his nerves and Demonic Qi.

Dark red blood, mixed with the foul-smelling black water produced by the corrosion of the poison, gushed madly from his wide-open mouth, his torn neck, and the wound on his back, staining the gray-white rock beneath him red.

His remaining vision blurred as he cast his gaze toward the main peak; under the moonlight, that stone peak still stood silently, pitch-black like ink, as if the fatal Divine Sense attack from just a moment ago had nothing to do with it.

Until he died, he never saw clearly what kind of existence it was that had taken his life.

"Bang!"

With a dull, loud thud, the Winged Rock Dragon Lizard's mountain-like, sturdy body collapsed like a golden mountain falling, shaking the ground slightly and splashing up a cloud of dust and blood foam.

The remaining, chaotic Demonic Qi around his body was like a candle in the wind, flickering violently a few times before completely vanishing, leaving no signs of life.

That pair of once-cold, greedy vertical pupils had completely lost all luster, leaving only a deathly gray-white.

A Level 8 Middle Stage Great Yao, the Winged Rock Dragon Lizard, who had dominated a region of the sea for hundreds of years and was known for his formidable defense and terrifying strength, had been annihilated in Soul and fallen on the spot within three breaths under Lu Qiu's precise calculations, powerful Divine Sense sneak attack, and the tacit, fatal joint attack of his two Spirit Pets, without even seeing his opponents' faces!

From extreme greed and excitement to boundless pain and darkness, the end of life had come so abruptly and thoroughly.

The battle was breathtakingly fast from start to finish.

Except for the Winged Rock Dragon Lizard's half-shriek, the light sound of the compass falling, and the final dull thud of his body hitting the ground, it had caused almost no major spiritual power storm, and the noise had been largely dissipated by the sound-insulating Restriction that Lu Qiu had cleverly set up in advance.

The night remained dense, the sea breeze continued to moan, as if nothing had ever happened.

The Black Water Poison Python and Lu Jiaoer quickly exchanged a glance, both seeing a trace of awe and reverence for their master's methods in each other's eyes.

They did not delay; the Black Water Poison Python stepped forward, carefully examined the Winged Rock Dragon Lizard's corpse, confirmed that his Yao Soul had also completely dissipated under that terrifying Divine Sense attack and that there was absolutely no possibility of resurrection, and then nodded slightly to Lu Jiaoer.

Lu Jiaoer vigilantly scanned the surroundings, her scarlet vertical pupils like two ghost fires in the night, her powerful Divine Sense combined with the Innate pressure of the dragon race, carefully sensing the nearby sea area to confirm that no other living beings had been disturbed by the brief fluctuation just now.