45: Another monster, a giant lizard!

Deep inside the valley, the golden bell on Yang Kai’s waist swayed slightly, its crisp sound echoing through the valley.

These members of the Wang family had nothing valuable on them; besides dozens of spirit stones, hundreds of qi gathering pills, and six points, only this golden bell, with its detection capabilities, caught Yang Kai’s eye.

This Magic Treasure didn’t require refinement like Azure Dragon or Zhan Lu; it could be used simply by continuously activating it with magic power. While convenient, such a Magic Treasure was convenient for anyone. Once it fell into Yang Kai’s hands, he activated it to scout the surroundings.

The detection ability of this Magic Treasure was extremely limited. Any living entity, human or Yao Beast, that the user couldn't see would trigger the bell. The valley was dense with vegetation, harboring countless creatures, so the bell rang non-stop along the way, almost losing its use for detection and instead exposing Yang Kai's position.

Despite this, Yang Kai did not put away the Magic Treasure but kept it activated, knowing that this place was not safe. Not only were there Yao Beasts guarding it, but also a member of the Wang family of unknown strength. Putting away the bell might seem to conceal his tracks, but he couldn't guarantee that others didn't have other detection Magic Treasures. In that case, he would become deaf and blind, falling into a trap without even knowing it.

From Zi Ning’s words, the person in the valley held a high status in the Wang family, so Yang Kai still assumed he possessed a more Advanced detection Magic Treasure. Currently, Yang Kai could only use this Magic Treasure for scouting, striving to discover the opponent at the first opportunity to avoid being overly passive.

Suddenly, the bell on Yang Kai’s waist trembled violently. Yang Kai’s heart instantly tensed, and he focused all his attention, vigilantly observing his surroundings, carefully guarding against any possible sneak attacks.

Just as Yang Kai was meticulously examining every inch of ground and every tree in front of him, trying to spot anything amiss, a thick tree trunk in front of him suddenly shot out a purple fleshy column. Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly dodged the sudden attack heading straight for his face.

The purple fleshy column grazed Yang Kai’s shoulder, splashing some foul-smelling liquid. Yang Kai’s Dao robe was instantly corroded with holes of varying sizes. At this moment, the purple fleshy column retracted with lightning speed. Yang Kai’s gaze followed closely, and he finally found the source of the surprise attack.

On a giant tree diagonally in front of Yang Kai, a huge lizard, perfectly blended with the tree trunk and leaves, lay sprawled. And that purple fleshy column was precisely the tongue of this giant lizard.

After being discovered by Yang Kai, the scales on the giant lizard’s body rippled, and a moment later, a giant, dark yellow lizard appeared before Yang Kai.

After confirming the enemy, the haze covering Yang Kai’s heart dissipated somewhat. He still kept some of his mind alert, wary of the Wang family member who might appear at any time. He took a defensive stance on the spot, ready to adapt to any situation.

Just as Yang Kai thought that this chameleon lizard’s ability to blend with its surroundings was its greatest threat, the lizard suddenly unfurled a pair of wings, leaped from the tree trunk, and soared through the air!

Yang Kai dared not be careless and immediately gripped Azure Dragon in his hand. The feeling this Yao Beast gave him was no less than that of the giant python he had encountered earlier. This meant his Qi Refining cultivation was of little use at this moment, and the Moves recorded in the Nine Revolutions Primordial Body Refining Art would leave him without the strength to fight again after being used. With danger all around, Yang Kai could not allow himself to be in a weakened state, so he could only rely on his powerful Physical Body and the sharpness of Azure Dragon to fight!

“Clang!”

Yang Kai held the sword in his right hand, his left hand pressed against the tip of the ancient sword, using its hard blade to block the fierce attack. The Yao Beast’s body was also very hard, and their collision even sparked a series of flames.

The giant lizard spread its wings and flew above the treetop again. Yang Kai looked up, staring intently, predicting where the next attack would land.

“Ding-a-ling-ling-ling!!!”

The bell on Yang Kai’s waist trembled violently again, and a sense of urgent unease simultaneously rose in Yang Kai’s heart. He held his sword in his right hand and outlined a crescent moon in the air, slashing it behind him, then twisted his body to see the scene behind him clearly.

It turned out that the giant lizard had repeated its trick, pretending to fly high into the sky, intending to attack with the force of its descent, but instead, it changed its form again, quietly circling behind Yang Kai, its thick, powerful fangs snapping at Yang Kai.

If not for the Magic Treasure on Yang Kai’s waist and the sword he had unleashed following an inner tremor, he would have suffered a severe injury from this attack.

Cold sweat beaded on Yang Kai’s brow. He gripped the sword hilt with both hands, wrestling with the Yao Beast. When the Yao Beast saw its attack miss, it flapped its wings, fanning Yang Kai’s figure back, then rushed into the treetop again and disappeared.

“This isn’t good,” Yang Kai thought, almost ninety percent of his mind focused on observing his surroundings, while simultaneously sifting through Cultivation Techniques and profound arts in his mind, searching for a way to break the deadlock.

“I’ve got it! Here is a set of Six Demon Subduing Forms, also a profound art left behind by an Elder of the Flowing Cloud Sect. This person was also a Body Refiner, who loved swords like his life. After Cultivating for three hundred years and reaching Major Achievement in his cultivation, he left the mountains to slay Yao Beasts and subdue demons, earning the title ‘Demon Subduing Venerable.’ On his deathbed, he fused his life’s learning into six killing Moves, also known as the Six Demon Subduing Forms. The Cultivation threshold is extremely high, requiring the Cultivator to have exceptional talent in the Dao of the sword, as well as profound Body Refining cultivation. With my current strength, I can barely activate the first Form.”

Memories related to the Six Demon Subduing Forms flowed through Yang Kai’s mind. Yang Kai, holding Azure Dragon, began to brandish it, and an inexplicable Aura emanated from him.

Yang Kai’s Aura continuously accumulated, and the sword in his hand danced with increasing Perfection and smoothness. The giant lizard nearby naturally wouldn’t allow Yang Kai to continue, and from its hiding place, it once again extended its tongue-like tendril to attack Yang Kai.

At this moment, as Yang Kai wielded Azure Dragon with his sword Move, the sword began to release a unique power inherent to the Magic Treasure itself, augmenting his attack. A sword glow, moving rapidly along the ground, carved a huge gully into the earth.

“Roar!!!”

The giant lizard misjudged the power of Yang Kai’s sword. The previous clashes had led the Yao Beast to believe that Yang Kai’s attack power was insufficient to break its defense, and since it was attacking from a distance, there was no danger. However, Yang Kai’s sword strike, like thunder igniting an earthly fire, possessed even greater power than his previous ‘First Revolution of Heaven and Earth’ Move. The giant lizard tried to evade, but it was too late. Its massive lizard head slid through the air a few times before crashing heavily to the ground.

The bell on Yang Kai’s waist finally fell silent. Yang Kai coughed violently, as if this attack had come at a great cost to him. He pressed one hand to his chest, the other leaning on Azure Dragon, his figure somewhat hunched.

“Hmph! You have some skill, but to dare to kill a member of my Wang family and steal the precious bell is a grave sin for which even death cannot atone. Die!”

A sinister voice reached Yang Kai’s ears. Yang Kai quickly looked up to find the source, but a sword glow was already slashing down at Yang Kai’s head.