Chapter 471 471: 380

The water in the lake was already churning tumultuously, with all sorts of fish and shrimp scattering in panic. Li Yuanjiao looked at the verdant Array Plate before him, unable to suppress a slight envy:

"It really is the Three Sects and Seven Doors, to produce an Array Plate of the Foundation Establishment level with such ease."

He slowly approached, and as the formation continued to shake unceasingly, Li Yuanjiao mused to himself:

"This woman probably won't conspire with the demon to kill me... With the Dharma Mirror, I'm also not afraid."

He then released water mist from the Mysterious Pattern Bottle to cover his tracks and sneaked into the Great Formation. He saw the filthy water boiling everywhere as a snake, thick as two cauldrons, emerged. Its scales shone brightly, each the size of a palm.

This Hooked Snake's voice trembled without pause, pleadingly said:

"I have cultivated for many years, and by fortune, I consumed numerous Spiritual Beasts to achieve my current Taoist Foundation. I came to Salty Lake merely for the Spiritual Objects and meant no offense. Madam, could you perhaps see the difficulty of my cultivation and spare my life? I will depart immediately and never return to Salty Lake."

Kong Tingyun knew Li Yuanjiao had entered the Great Formation. Without uttering a word, she put all her effort into maintaining it, while Li Yuanjiao silently moved closer. The Hooked Snake saw it could not persuade her and spoke fiercely again:

"You little lady are so arrogant, wishing to execute me with a formation! I might as well devour you and flee to the depths of the East Sea. Could Chang Xi really come thousands of miles to seek revenge?"

In the midst of this conversation, Li Yuanjiao had already gotten within one zhang of the giant snake. Fearing to startle the monster any further, he then poised his sword, gathering strength, waiting for the moment the creature raised its head high, bringing forth an arc of the sword.

"Ao..."

The sword light flashed in the water for an instant, suddenly a burst of blood bloomed, slashing a huge wound at the seven-inch section of the Hooked Snake, causing Kong Tingyun to freeze briefly before sighing:

"What a dazzling display of swordsmanship."

The black Flood Dragon coiled up, entwining with the Hooked Snake into a ball. The Hooked Snake no longer had time to hate its opponent's deviousness, as Kong Tingyun's spells and Li Yuanjiao's Sword Qi struck it repeatedly, tossing it about.

The nature of the Hooked Snake's Immortal Foundation was unknown, as it spat out two green lights. The twin Poison Hooks on its forked tail also sprang into the action. Kong Tingyun chuckled lightly and said:

"Waiting just for you to borrow this treasure!"

Then a small pale-gold bead flew out from her sleeve, wobbling over, releasing bursts of golden light that stopped the Serpent Demon's tail in its tracks. The other two green lights were blocked by her shield-shaped Magic Artifact. Kong Tingyun said:

"I'll leave the rest to Brother Jiao!"

Kong Tingyun used her Magic Artifact to immobilize the monster's most threatening tails and counter its attack. Li Yuanjiao then drew his sword again and approached, pushing the Serpent Demon into dire straits. It opened its mouth wide, spitting out a bead.

The bead spun around, leaking a stream of lustrous cold air, freezing the surrounding area with a layer of broken ice. However, Li Yuanjiao's expression became slightly peculiar.

With a flick of his finger, "Cultivating Qi Devouring Spirit" was activated, and instantly a good portion of the cold air collided into his hand. Li Yuanjiao laughed heartily:

"Excellent Serpent Bead, pity you don't understand spells and only know how to use cold air to fight, which is laughable."

With his hands coming together, the cold air continuously poured into his hands. The white bead could no longer move and was drawn toward Li Yuanjiao, the cold air storming into his hand, leaving a narrow ice column in the water.

'Descendants of the Immortal Sect truly have no shortage of Immortal Law...'

The Hooked Snake was filled with despair, having lost its Serpent Bead. Kong Tingyun threw out a golden mountain from her hand, suppressing it. The Hooked Snake grew weaker, desperately saying:

"There's only one share of 'Virgin Yuanzhen Water' under the mountain—how are you two going to split it?"

As these words were spoken, Kong Tingyun's face suddenly changed, a touch of annoyance flashing across it. She formed hand seals, and the golden mountain suddenly shone brightly, causing the Hooked Snake to vomit blood. The female cultivator scolded:

"Don't spout such nonsense!"

Li Yuanjiao, seeing her expression, immediately understood. He took several steps forward, seizing the Serpent Bead and cutting off their connection, then put it into his Storage Bag. He said gravely:

"Fellow Daoist, quickly release the formation."

As soon as his words fell, he was already in front of Kong Tingyun, one hand on his sword, his face full of vigilance. Kong Tingyun pursed her lips as she dissolved the Great Formation. Li Yuanjiao unapologetically took the Array Plate in hand, then let out a slight sigh of relief.

'She must have been blinded by greed, considering trapping me here. Although this woman is certainly no match for me, offending Xuan Yue would be a serious mistake.'

Li Yuanjiao hurried to the front of the mountain and sealed the Serpent Demon's Taoist Foundation. Then he turned around, his voice heavy:

"Aren't you going to explain?"

Kong Tingyun put away the bead and the golden mountain, and with an apologetic tone, she said:

"Tingyun indeed deceived you, Fellow Daoist. Although the two Poison Hooks on the tail of the Hooked Snake are also treasures that Tingyun requires, the true object of desire is this 'Virgin Yuanzhen Water'."

She softly explained:

"Xuan Yue possesses a Secret Technique. Tingyun noticed the changes in the Water Veins many years ago, predicting that a Spiritual Water would emerge here. Fearing it would be taken by others, I secretly concealed the Water Veins, intending to return soon to claim it."

"Little did I expect this place to be later occupied by this Hooked Snake. Tingyun merely wanted to find an ally to eliminate this demon, so I could retrieve the Spiritual Water..."

Having ventured out for so long, Li Yuanjiao himself had quite a few tricks for deceiving others. They were all relying on their own abilities, after all, so he wasn't too upset, nodding and saying:

"In fact, Taoist Fellow, you have never crossed hands with that hook snake, and you already knew it was right here. All those tricks earlier were just to disguise this desolate mountain..."

"As for not involving your fellow sect members, you're probably afraid that they might see through your art of concealing water veins?"

Kong Tingyun nodded with a smile and replied:

"Indeed, it never crossed my mind that this serpent demon would also discover it, wasting all my effort."

The two exchanged glances, and Kong Tingyun said in a deep voice:

"The 'Tail Hook' and the 'Young Yuanzhen Water' are items that Tingyun must obtain! I would ask that my Taoist Fellow make a concession..."

Li Yuanjiao narrowed his eyes slightly, lifted the languid snake from the bottom of the lake, and answered:

"I want the hook snake and the serpent bead, plus another portion of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Water as a replenishment for myself."

Kong Tingyun shook her head and said:

"Taoist Fellow is asking for too much. Tingyun does not have Heaven and Earth Spiritual Water, please consider changing the condition..."

Li Yuanjiao pondered for a moment and then answered:

"Does your sect have people who can cultivate fire veins? Please help cultivate a fire vein for the Li Family on my behalf."

Kong Tingyun replied with a slight smile:

"Naturally, there are such people. My senior brother has already left, and when he returns after a while, he can make a trip to your noble family... to cultivate a fire vein for your noble family... It's just..."

"Why do you think I would go back on my word?"

Kong Tingyun smiled slightly playfully, her eyes twinkling as she stared at him. Li Yuanjiao shook his head and took out a green Array Plate from his Storage Bag, saying firmly:

"Tingyun's Foundation Establishment Great Formation is still with me, which is surely worth much more than a fire vein."

Kong Tingyun was startled, not expecting that he had anticipated the next three steps from his first move. She bit her lip, glared at him for a moment, then broke out laughing, saying:

"Li Yuanjiao, you're the most cunning man I've ever met."

Li Yuanjiao put away the Array Plate, his mind already calculating how to maximize the benefits of using this Great Formation for free for a while. He replied:

"Taoist Fellow flatters me. Under the rule of Green Pond, all those who were not cunning and vicious have long since died off completely."

Kong Tingyun smiled faintly, formed a spell with her hands, and began silently searching for a stream of spiritual water. Seizing the opportunity, Li Yuanjiao asked:

"May I know what sort of treasure this 'Young Yuanzhen Water' is?"

Kong Tingyun appeared in a good mood, humming a tune, and laughed as she said:

"Brother Yuanjiao, this 'Young Yuanzhen Water' is a fine example of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Waters. You're cunning and decisive; I'm actually afraid that if I tell you its uses and value, you would turn around and fight me for it, especially with the Great Formation in your possession. That would be very frightening for a young lady like me."

Li Yuanjiao was suddenly at a loss and backed off grudgingly, while Kong Tingyun glanced at Li Yuanjiao and softly said:

"Does your clan have any Foundation Establishment members similar to you? Ones who are not allied with the Xiao Family through marriage?"

Li Yuanjiao heard this with a mix of confusion and concern, and frowned as he said:

"None."

Kong Tingyun sighed softly, her eyebrows lowered as she started to complain:

"I spent every year in seclusion since I was young, and in the blink of an eye, more than forty years have passed. Yet it's hard to find someone understanding within our sect; the male cultivators at Foundation Establishment level are all tough to talk about..."

Li Yuanjiao suddenly understood and consoled her:

"The matter of a Dao companion should indeed be handled with utmost care. It's better to wait a bit more. The grand path is fraught with dangers; if one chooses an idiot, it could bring calamity upon three generations, extending misfortune for a hundred years, which won't be a pretty sight."

"Isn't that the truth?"

Kong Tingyun bit her teeth and replied in a subdued tone:

"In ancient times, far and unreachable, losses were untraceable. Even in more recent times, there have been those whose Taoist Foundation was harmed by their own Dao companions. It's not something that we minor cultivators can speak clearly of... It's actually safer to remain single."

Li Yuanjiao fell silent, leaving Kong Tingyun to worry on her own, holding the Jade Bottle in midair without a word, casting spells, until light blue spiritual water emerged from the ground, which finally brought some joy to her.

Li Yuanjiao helped her erase all traces in the lake, then took his leave and rode the wind away. Kong Tingyun saw him off out of the Immortal Sect boundary, watching as he took the massive hook snake and disappeared into the horizon.

"Ah! What was I thinking!"

Kong Tingyun patted her forehead, rode the wind back, and braced herself to face the endless disputes within her sect alone.