Chapter 1433: Do Not Linger in Battle

Qu Shunhua stood upon the broad back of the mechanical Garuda,feeling the wind of the Mountain and Sea Realm rushing towards her face.Mystery, splendor, ancientness—these were the realm's unique charms.Clouds, jade seas, floating mountains, all receded at immense speed.She loved this romantic freedom.Those she wished to hate, she would hate. Those she should love, she would love without reservation.Long or short, life was but one lifetime.How to live it, she asked only herself how to be happy.Among all the female powerhouses in the world, she most admired Qi Xiao.Qi Xiao never smiled, and a smile from her surely meant killing.And there was no one in the world who could not be killed by her.She lived her life as she pleased, never caring what others said.From the very hands of the Qi family, she wrested control of the Summer Corpse Army,garrisoned Jue Ming Island for years, and struck terror into the near seas."No one has ever been able to restrain Qi Xiao; Qi Xiao is only loyal to herself."She could not be Qi Xiao.The Qu family was too ancient, too powerful.But she too wanted the greatest possible freedom within limits.She liked Zuo Guangshu, so she was open and forthright, building him the See Me Tower,climbing into his window at midnight, drilling into his carriage on the road,holding his hand and walking everywhere, unaconcerned that anyone in the world knew.After Zuo Guanglie's death, she was especially determined to do so,regardless of any dissenting voices within the Qu family.The Mountain and Sea Realm was a place that utterly fascinated her.All the rules of the mundane world seemed to cease to hold sway here.And all magnificent imaginings surprisingly manifested into reality."Master Yue!" she shouted in the gale, "If you could, would you be willing to stay here forever?""I would not." Yue Tiannu said calmly, "My path does not lie here."A bit of a damper, but that was Yue Tiannu... Qu Shunhua thought.In a certain instant, a fierce burst of lightning appeared.It was a colossal lightning bolt connecting heaven and sea,blazing with blinding radiance, expanding at an incredibly terrifying speed—so fast that it was impossible to evade.The heavens and earth were vast and boundless, a roaring in her ears, as if falling into a realm of death.Qu Shunhua still spread her arms, as if embracing the lightning.In such a dreadful moment, she surprisingly made no movement at all,leaving everything to her companions to handle.What kind of trust was this?And Master Yue did indeed not disappoint this trust.Under such extreme circumstances, she still reacted at the very first moment,as if she had never experienced the calamity of ear and eye that Qu Shunhua suffered.In fact, at the very instant the thunder began, she had already stepped forward,shielding Qu Shunhua behind her.At that time, lightning tore across the sky, the blinding light like blades,seemingly slicing the sky into countless pieces.But the real threat was the expanding curtain of lightning,it swept away everything, covering everything between heaven and sea.Who knew what madness had possessed that Kui Bull, this was practically aimed at annihilating this entire sea region!The mechanical Garuda sharply ascended into the high sky,its golden wings quickly folded together and blocked in front of it,like layers upon layers of swift blades, resolved to cut away the lightning.The fleshy knob-like Ruyi Bead on its head emitted a brilliant golden light.The power of light formed a golden arc shield in front, covering half a circle.It just happened to block the lightning curtain that had spread to this point.Sizzle!The golden arc shield failed to last even a breath and shattered on the spot,the golden wings of the mechanical Garuda also fragmented piece by pieceamidst sounds of agonizing struggle.Beneath the crumbling formation patterns, the material that was neither gold nor wood was revealed...Destruction was imminent.And Qu Shunhua also recovered her sight and hearing at this moment.She saw the fierce lightning raging in all directions,and heard the thunder roaring like heavenly drums.But she still did nothing, only stood silently on the back of the mechanical Garuda,silently gazing at the lightning curtain close before her eyes.Closer, closer...It was at this moment that Master Yue extended a hand.Her robe sleeve fell, and her hand was also a very standard woman's hand,only with a bronze luster.Her five fingers were tapping something frantically at a steady and high speed.There was a very strange feeling—as if she were communicating with this expanse of lightning.Following closely...Her hand continued forward, directly pressing into the terrifying lightning curtain.Sizzle, sizzle.The entire wrist section of this hand instantly vanished into the lightning!No flesh and blood were seen, no white bones were seen.It was almost completely annihilated.However, at the same time, that violent lightning suddenly calmed down considerably,even possessing a feeling of docility.Amidst the fierceness of the lightning, a trace of warmth and holiness appeared.The lightning curtain advanced without any pause.It passed through Master Yue's forearm, then her shoulder, her whole person...but caused no further damage.It lightly floated and passed through the massive mechanical Garuda.Qu Shunhua, standing behind Master Yue, felt only an extremely subtle sensation...softer than a gentle breeze brushing her face.And this lightning curtain connecting heaven and sea,outside the area where it touched them, was clearly still raging uncontrollably,lightning snakes danced chaotically, and the impulse of destruction still surged within it.As if only this specific area had been gently tamed.How astonishing!The rumbling thunder quickly receded along with the lightning curtain.The wingless mechanical Garuda floated in the air, appearing particularly clumsy and pathetic.Master Yue, however, leisurely took out a palm from her storage boxand very calmly placed it on the place where her hand had been severed.After a subtle surge of Dao Yuan, she removed her left hand,but her right hand had already completely returned to normal,and靈動ly formed several Dao seals.Then, she took out another storage box, opened it,and with a casual pull, saws, planes, axes, hammers, ink lines...a bewildering array of various tools and materialsfloated densely and orderly in the air.All stopped at the positions most convenient for her.It seemed she intended to repair this mechanical Garuda on the spot.Despite being a high-ranking disciple of the Washing Moon Temple, a clear-cut Buddhist cultivator,she was so proficient in the arts of the Mohists, which was truly somewhat perplexing.But Qu Shunhua and Master Yue's familiarity was evidently unusual,and at this moment, she showed no surprise at all, merely looked ahead for a moment,and suddenly said, "Someone is coming!"Master Yue casually waved her hand, gathering the motley collection of tools and materials,and closed the storage box.She stood on the back of this levitating mechanical Garuda,looking forward with Qu Shunhua—Dusty-faced Zhongli Yan was flying over at high speed with Fan Wushu.Zhongli Yan's martial attire was clearly newly changed, and the quality was visibly poor,under the lightning that occasionally surged, there was a feeling that it could disintegrate at any moment.Perhaps "dusty-faced" wasn't quite appropriate to describe Zhongli Yan,as his face was obviously specially cleaned, with no traces of dirt.But his whole body, from head to foot, was constantly emitting electricity.The terrifying lightning damage just now... he probably didn't avoid any of it.And the Fan Wushu beside him was much more graceful,his clothes neat and tidy, still lightly fanning himself with a folding fan,only some frost on his temples remained unmelted.The moment Qu Shunhua saw them, they also noticed the damaged mechanical Garudaand the two people on it.Originally intimidated by the might of the Kui Bull, and having accepted reality and prepared to leave,Zhongli Yan immediately gripped his hands holding his heavy sword:"Little Sister Shunhua, leave 《Cherishing the Past》 behind, and I, your elder brother, will spare you this time.Otherwise, you shall leave the field now!"The poem inscribed on the Nine Chapters Jade Token in Qu Shunhua's hand was precisely 《Cherishing the Past》.Without the Nine Chapters Jade Token, anything acquired in the Mountain and Sea Realm could not be taken away.Losing the Nine Chapters Jade Token at this time meant losing the possibility of obtaining gains in the Mountain and Sea Realm.But if Zhongli Yan did not intend to kill, then she still had the possibility of plundering others' Jade Tokens.If she were killed at this moment, she would directly leave the field,losing 30% of her soul origin, and gaining nothing.According to Zhongli Yan's logic, he was indeed "sparing her a turn."However, Qu Shunhua clearly did not agree."A toad yawning, what a big mouth you have!"Qu Shunhua not only did not back away, but instead directly leapt off the mechanical Garuda,her splendid robes flowing in the wind, actively charging towards Zhongli Yan:"I will first cleave you, then take your 《Crossing the River》!"Master Yue followed behind her without a word.On this side, Fan Wushu also immediately formed hand seals, assisting Zhongli Yan.Zhongli Yan's condition of residual lightning on his body could not be concealed from others, and he did not intend to conceal it.For his opponent, this moment was indeed the best opportunity.He was indeed greatly weakened, not in perfect condition,and needed to constantly expel the lightning within his body.He acknowledged that Qu Shunhua's timing was determined and she was very brave.But the gap in cultivation between his twenty levels of martial dao and the Inner Mansion Realmwas not something that could be erased by these things.Terrifying power surged within his body, like a volcano suddenly erupting,instantly suppressing the invading electric light, retaining it at the edges of his muscles,awaiting processing after the battle.Blood flowed like rivers, roaring and surging.Pieces of muscle collided with each other, like rumbling mountains.At this moment, Zhongli Yan completely unleashed himself,his magnificent vital energy surging out of his heavenly spirit, rushing straight to the clouds!"Then don't blame me for being ruthless—"Splash!Right in front of them, a water dragon with long horns, thick scales, and four claws on its bellydirectly surged out of the sea surface, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws,撲with chilling killing intent towards him.The seawater also suddenly became violent, roaring furiously,water peaks rose up one after another, quickly surrounding them."Brother Jiang, slay him!" Zuo Guangshu's angry voice followed immediately.Zhongli Yan turned around without hesitation, his magnificent vital energy scattered like smoke,his figure like lightning, piercing the air and fleeing, only managing to leave behind a sentence:"Fan Wushu, do not linger in combat!"Facing Jiang Wang, Zuo Guangshu, or Qu Shunhua, Yue Tiannu individually, he was very confident.But no matter how confident he was, he would not feel that he could withstand the combined forces of these four people.The brief exchange earlier was enough to show that Jiang Wang alone was not someone who could be dealt with in a short time.Making a decisive decision, a strategic retreat, there was nothing shameful about it.It was true that Zhongli Yan was fond of fighting, but he wasn't a fool.There was no need to attempt a battle that was sure to be lost.He was only afraid that Fan Wushu's mind was slow and he wouldn't be able to turn things around immediately,taking his usual boasts seriously, hence he quickly reminded him.But when he looked up, who else but Fan Wushu, his sleeves fluttering, was in front?This fellow had already started running the moment he sensed that water dragon,running quickly and steadily, actually faster than him, a powerhouse of the twentieth level of martial dao..."You fellow, why are you running so fast!" Zhongli Yan questioned irritably while flying rapidly.Fan Wushu didn't even turn his head, stating matter-of-factly,"If I don't run faster, can I outrun you?"Zhongli Yan was annoyed, "What if I didn't run? What if I started fighting them?!""Then I'll burn you a stick of incense every New Year and festival."The two of them, one after the other, ran for hundreds of miles in one breath,only then confirming that they had shaken off the pursuers,their eyes met, and they both felt a sense of relief.However, thinking of what had just happened, Zhongli Yan inevitably felt the regret of having made careless friends.But before he could open his mouth to condemn, Fan Wushu had already started scolding first:"Why did they join forces without even a greeting? Truly despicable villains!""That Zuo Guangshu and Qu Shunhua were betrothed from childhood, they are already a group."Zhongli Yan rolled his eyes, and then frantically made excuses for himself:"Otherwise, why do you think I ran? I would have defeated them one by one long ago!It's mainly because they are childhood sweethearts, their tacit understanding has already formed,and my condition is not perfect..."Fan Wushu didn't know if he believed it, but he only said angrily,"Damn it, in a place like the Mountain and Sea Realm where everyone relies on their own abilities,they actually form gangs and enter with connections, truly shameless! Utterly shameless!"He then turned to look at Zhongli Yan: "Brother Zhongli, if you have any friends, you might as well contact them.Let's also join forces and go back and deal with them!We must let them know that they are not the only ones who have allies!"Zhongli Yan snorted coldly, and said with great momentum:"I, Zhongli Yan, a seven-chi man, do not believe in heaven, do not believe in fate,relying only on a pair of iron fists, and a sword!""..." Fan Wushu glanced at him and said faintly,"You don't have a single friend in the State of Chu, is that what you mean?"Zhongli Yan snorted again: "Not that I cannot, but that I disdain to!"Fan Wushu painfully pressed his forehead and turned to ask:"Then among those who entered the Mountain and Sea Realm this time,do you have any relationships that are a little more normal,with whom you can discuss cooperation?"Seeing Zhongli Yan remain silent for a long time, he couldn't help but ask:"Are you in conflict with everyone?"Zhongli Yan said angrily: "I knew it, I should have put you in front to block the lightning just now!"Indeed, when that terrifying lightning quickly spread out just now,it was Zhongli Yan who stood as a single man, blocking in front alone,withstanding all the damage.Fan Wushu was able to emerge unscathed by hiding behind him.At this moment, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, and proactively softened his tone:"Since we can't find anyone to join forces with, then tell me,what are your plans next?"Zhongli Yan had clearly considered it long ago, and said without hesitation:"First chop Dou Zhao, then chop Jiang Wang, then chop Wu Ling, then chop Zuo Guangshu,and then chop Xiang Bei...""Wait, wait, wait." Fan Wushu quickly stopped him,asking in a tone that was almost explicit:"I asked about your plans! That is, your plan! Do you understand?What were your original intentions?"He meant to stop planning that way, and quickly change his thinking,considering the mystery of Huang Weizhen's God's Arrival.Unfortunately, Zhongli Yan failed to grasp the hidden meaning and said honestly:"First chop Dou Zhao, then chop Wu Ling, then chop Xiang Bei, then chop Zuo Guangshu,and then chop Qu Shunhua...""Wait, wait!"Fan Wushu's brows furrowed into a '川' shape.Did this person named Zhongli come to the Mountain and Sea Realm just to wantonly chop people?"I am quite curious." Fan Wushu was exasperated to the point of laughter,and instead gained a bit of calmness like an outsider observing the scene:"How did Jiang Wang's name suddenly rank so high on your chopping list?He didn't seem to have had time to make a move just now."Zhongli Yan said angrily: "If it weren't for that guy surnamed Jiang just now, would I have fled?"He's quite good at prioritizing!Fan Wushu covered his face with his hand, silent for a long time.Until...Zhongli Yan suddenly pulled him behind him.His heavy sword swung out, blocking an incoming sharp claw.At the moment of this sword-claw confrontation,Zhongli Yan and Fan Wushu were able to briefly see the appearance of the target.It was a strange bird shaped like a crow, with green eyes and a red beak.Its feathered wings just trembled, and it vanished from view again.Then came the clang, clang, clang, the sound of metal striking wildly,like the sudden strings of a pipa, resounding around Fan Wushu!"What kind of terrible luck do we have?"This thought flashed through Fan Wushu's mind,and he simply condensed ice around his body, instantly turning into an ice sculpture.To reduce the defensive pressure on Zhongli Yan.Outside the ice sculpture, he lowered frost again,to slow down the speed of that strange bird.Heavenly Fiend has a bird, named Shiboya, with green eyes and a red beak,swift and invisible, fond of eating human skulls. —《Shan Hai Yi Shou Zhi》In the sea area ravaged by lightning, the two sides' celestial talentswere at loggerheads, unyielding, and a great battle was imminent.Under such circumstances, the Little Duke of Da Chu appeared,clad in light blue smoke armor, his splendid robes billowing,riding the water and stepping on the waves,and from afar, he raised his hand, a majestic water dragon swaggered out of the sea,scaring Zhongli Yan and Fan Wushu into fleeing with their heads in their hands...Truly a hero! Possessing somewhat the heroic bearing of saving a beauty!The only thing that was a bit out of sync was...Qu Shunhua, the "beauty" being saved,not only did not wait there pitifully to cast admiring glances at the hero,but also chased Zhongli Yan in a rage for dozens of miles.Seeing that Zhongli Yan was running away like oil rubbed on his feet,and unable to catch up, she finally gave up in frustration.Zuo Guangshu suddenly felt that perhaps he had saved Zhongli Yan.On that side, Qu Shunhua turned back, deep blue smoke rising from her body,making her appear even more beautiful and graceful.She had also donned the Wu Yu Smoke Armor,and flew towards Zuo Guangshu and Jiang Wang.Of course, Zuo Guangshu had long ago shown off the creative Dao art of the Wu Yu Smoke Armor to Qu Shunhua.And naturally, the Duke of Yu's mansion would not lack Yuan stones.It was just that Qu Shunhua had other ways to resist the heavy mysterious environment,and did not need to constantly release the Wu Yu Smoke Armor,so she had hardly ever used it...Of course, now that Zuo Guangshu had appeared, the situation was naturally different again.The Wu Yu Smoke Armor was very useful and must be used at all times!"Brother Jiang, thank you for coming to our aid!"Qu Shunhua flew closer, her smile bright, her manners impeccable.Jiang Wang, following closely behind Zuo Guangshu,indeed felt the surging fighting spirit on this sister-in-law's body.He couldn't help but grow even more curious...what exactly was that divine ability that Zuo Guangshu said she had hidden?That made her confident in fighting Zhongli Yan head-oneven when the cultivation gap was so obvious?As for Master Yue next to Qu Shunhua,she was completely shrouded in a gray long robe,as silent as a statue,so it was impossible for anyone to discern any emotions from her."I think if we had come a little later, Zhongli Yan and the others might have already been finished!"Jiang Wang said with a smile.Of course, he was praising Qu Shunhua, but it might not be entirely untrue.If Zhongli Yan had really started fighting Qu Shunhua,it wouldn't have been so easy for him to escape now.By then, he and Zuo Guangshu would suddenly join the battle,and they would at least be able to keep one person behind—he had originally been leading the way,and later intentionally slowed down, precisely for this reason.Unfortunately, Zuo Guangshu was afraid that Qu Shunhua would get hurt,and before he even got close, he unleashed his Dao art,scaring away Zhongli Yan in advance."Brother Jiang is always so good at praising people!"Qu Shunhua laughed generously and introduced the two sides warmly:"This is Brother Jiang, this is Master Yue..."Jiang Wang smiled politely and lowered his head, as if in greeting.Master Yue also nodded, considering them acquainted.Neither side seemed to have any intention of socializing...Qu Shunhua keenly sensed this and was about to say something to steer away.Master Yue had already casually put away the damaged mechanical Garuda,and said in her characteristic slow voice:"We should go ahead and see."Compared to the fleeing Zhongli Yan and Fan Wushu,what happened with the Kui Bull was clearly more appealing.If they went too late, perhaps even the traces would no longer exist.So Yue Tiannu didn't even bother to repair the mechanical Garuda,and was directly ready to set off.Qu Shunhua looked at Jiang Wang, and seeing him nod, she said:"Then we shall travel together."Jiang Wang turned his head to look, and Zuo Guangshu had already very naturally flown to Qu Shunhua's side,and he couldn't help but feel heartache and frustration.This unlucky child.He's already left the team so quickly, where is his competitive spirit?But Zuo Guangshu had no time to see his older brother's gaze,he had already started chatting with Qu Shunhua, one sentence after another,exchanging their experiences in the Mountain and Sea Realm—It's all mountains and seas everywhere, what's so different? What's there to talk about?!Jiang Wang was indignant, but still had to maintain a smile.In the area washed by lightning, the four of them flew togethertowards the center point where that terrifying lightning burst first erupted.An environment like the Mountain and Sea Realm is generally not easy to leave scars on.Not long after the lightning had rolled through,except for the occasional spiritual lightning snakes,it was no longer very evident what had happened here.With these four people together, there was indeed no need to worry about any other team in the current Mountain and Sea Realm,hence their speed was extremely fast.Before long, they had already arrived at the place where that sky-connecting lightning first erupted.There was still dissipated, violent power in the air,but the Kui Bull that actually created these powers was nowhere to be seen.Countless fish and shrimp carcasses floated on the surface of the water,faintly emitting a meaty fragrance.Jiang Wang even saw many yellow shells among them,as well as some creatures he couldn't name.All were completely dead.Why did the Kui Bull fight fiercely here?Jiang Wang tried to trace the Kui Bull's soul aura with the Retrospective Secret Technique,but the gap in strength was too great,and he failed at the step of simulating the soul aura.Zuo Guangshu and Qu Shunhua clearly didn't find any useful information either—more accurately, they weren't diligently searching for anything,they had been chatting, and from time to time they were obviously transmitting sound and whispering privately.They didn't know what they were talking about, and they didn't know how they had so much to talk about.Jiang Wang glanced at them and then withdrew his gaze.He silently grasped the Red Make-up Mirror, perceiving the details within a fifty-li radius.Young people were unreliable, the old elder brother had to take responsibility.Master Yue seemed to have the same feeling,flying back and forth, carefully inspecting the surroundings,seemingly completely tireless."How is it, have you found anything?"Qu Shunhua's chat was probably finally coming to an end,and she remembered this side, so she flew over.Master Yue glanced at her, probably understanding that she wanted to share informationand did not need to hide it from Zuo Guangshu and Jiang Wang, so she said:"He is here, and has exchanged blows with the Kui Bull.Or rather, that lightning bolt from the Kui Bull was meant to attack him.""He?" Zuo Guangshu curiously came closer."A strong individual who is very skilled at concealing traces.We initially suspect he is the owner of the lost Nine Chapters Jade Token.Earlier, the Kui Bull was chasing him." Qu Shunhua explained.Zuo Guangshu and Jiang Wang exchanged glances, both a little surprised.This time, there are more than seven groups of participants in the Mountain and Sea Realm?And this unknown strong individual actually has the strength to escape the Kui Bull's pursuit?At the very least, he survived within the core area of that sky-connecting lightning.This level of strength is difficult to measure."He seems to have discovered us," Master Yue said again."Why do you say that?" Qu Shunhua asked."Among the two of them, one person's traces were always very obvious.But right here, using the opportunity of the Kui Bull's lightning sweeping through,he instantly wiped them clean.His own aura also completely disappeared.It's very clear that my tracking touched something,allowing him to perceive it, and then choose to leave."Qu Shunhua looked surprised.Based on her understanding of Master Yue,Master Yue's ability to capture information should be unparalleledamong those who entered the Mountain and Sea Realm this time.That person could actually detect Master Yue's tracking,which must mean they possessed extraordinary means.Below God's Arrival, who could achieve such a feat?