Chapter 687 - 672: Demon Beast Sneak Attack

Hearing Tang Yiyi compare him to Mo Ge, Shen Lang spoke without turning his head, "Comparisons like that are meaningless. You and he are completely different types of people. There’s no basis for comparison."

"When you dealt with Tang Wenqing, you ultimately showed dauntless courage, the resolve to make a painful sacrifice. But Mo Ge doesn’t need any of that. When you or I fight, we calculate every step and all possible outcomes. Mo Ge doesn’t need that either..."

Tang Yiyi was taken aback. "What do you mean by that?"

Shen Lang said, "Mo Ge... is someone who grew up amidst slaughter. He doesn’t need so-called courage. His every battle is like a Wild Beast instinctively facing a crisis—he goes all out, a fight to the death."

"Most of the time, he views life and death with indifference, putting them completely out of his mind. His entire being is focused solely on the battle."

"At the same time, in battle, he doesn’t much like to use strategy like you or I do. Instead, he acts purely on instinct."

A look of shock appeared on Tang Yiyi’s face. "How can someone like that exist? My impression of him was just that he was always quiet and withdrawn, that he didn’t like to socialize. I had no idea he had such a personality... But that alone can’t explain why he’s so powerful, can it?"

Scenes from Mo Ge’s dreamscape within the Reincarnation Array flashed through Shen Lang’s mind. He said quietly, "So-called strength is actually inner strength. For now, his power isn’t much greater than other Martial Artists of the Same Tier."

"But for someone with such innate, transcendent combat talent, someone baptized in blood and fire from a young age, his future potential will be limitless as long as he receives the proper guidance and pointers."

"Compared to him—talent aside—you’re like a hothouse flower, while he’s a snow lotus blooming on an icy mountain."

"..." Hearing Shen Lang call her a hothouse flower, Tang Yiyi’s elegant brow twitched, and a look of humiliation and anger flashed in her eyes, but ultimately, she remained silent.

At this moment, Shen Lang spoke again. "I was just making a comparison, not belittling you. Everyone walks a different path. Everyone has their own life... Talent, opportunities, and effort all vary. Until you reach the very end, no one can say for sure how much greater their achievements in Martial Arts will be than anyone else’s."

"Mm." Tang Yiyi nodded lightly. She agreed with that statement.

After a pause, Tang Yiyi said in a cold, sharp voice, "What you said makes a lot of sense, but could you please stop acting so preachy and pretentious? That attitude is really irritating."

"Preachy? Pretentious?" Shen Lang chuckled, nonplussed. "If that’s the impression I gave you, then I can only apologize."

Shen Lang seemed to have no intention of continuing the conversation on this topic.

After saying this, his gaze shifted to the distance, as if he were observing something.

Seeing him fall silent after that sentence, Tang Yiyi was choked with frustration. "Someone calls you preachy and pretentious, and you don’t even want to explain yourself?"

Shen Lang smiled faintly. "What is there to explain? I have no interest in changing how others see me. I’ve always believed that those who are meant to understand me will, and for those who don’t, no amount of words will make a difference."

"You!" Tang Yiyi was so choked by his words she felt utterly exasperated.

Oblivious, Shen Lang continued, "I stick to my own principles and path, stay true to my heart, and act freely and spontaneously. That’s just how it is."

Just then, with a flick of his wrist, Shen Lang produced a disc about six inches in diameter.

On the disc, one red dot and two blue dots were constantly flashing, emitting a faint glow.

One of the blue dots was right behind the red one, almost overlapping with it.

The other blue dot was in the upper-right corner of the disc. A rough estimate placed it over a hundred miles away.

The red dot was, of course, Shen Lang himself, and the blue dot behind him was Tang Yiyi.

This disc was crafted by the renowned Celestial Star Pavilion and was a Magical Artifact commonly used in all sorts of team operations.

As long as one held this disc and infused it with a wisp of Divine Thought, the Array would activate, revealing any teammates within a 170-mile radius who also carried such a disc.

This allowed every member of the team to know the others’ locations at all times.

However, these discs were not cheap. A single one capable of detecting a 170-mile radius cost over a thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones.

A price like that could buy an extremely powerful Spiritual Artifact.

Furthermore, the disc consumed an enormous amount of Spirit Stones to operate, requiring one Low Grade Spirit Stone every five hours.

Otherwise, once the Spirit Stone was depleted, it would stop working, and it would no longer be possible to track the others’ positions.

If it weren’t for the extreme danger within the Yumu Cave Blessed Land and the immense allure of the Spirit-Building Flowers and Spirit Base Grass, an ordinary Profound Iron Level Sect wouldn’t be very willing to use such a gadget... they might be able to afford it, but not necessarily the upkeep.

According to the decision from the upper echelons of the Five Great Sects, all disciples from the Five Sects entering the Yumu Cave Blessed Land this time were to follow Chu Qingcheng’s lead. His dot on the disc would be a unique purple.

Any disciple from the Five Great Sects who discovered Chu Qingcheng’s location was to move toward him and gather.

Those who couldn’t find Chu Qingcheng were to gather with the others at a ruined altar in the Yumu Cave Blessed Land’s Dragon Bone Wilderness.

Originally, it was Shen Lang, not Chu Qingcheng, who was supposed to handle these matters.

But now, it basically had nothing to do with Shen Lang anymore.

Tang Yiyi watched Shen Lang stare silently at the Magical Artifact in his hand. She held back for a long while before she finally couldn’t take it anymore. "Since the Rules of the Yumu Cave Blessed Land no longer apply to you, you’ve basically become a transcendent existence here. Don’t tell me you still plan on being a babysitter?"

At the word "babysitter," Tang Yiyi couldn’t help but blush.

After all, if Shen Lang was playing babysitter, then right now, he was essentially babysitting *her*...

Shen Lang grinned. "Isn’t Old Chu the babysitter now? I’ll pass. Based on my observations, the forces that snuck in here will come into major conflict in about six or seven days. I’ll just head over after they’ve beaten each other half to death."

"For the next six days, I’ll just wander around and have a look."

"So, if you run into danger, don’t expect me to step in. Me, a babysitter, taking you all on a tour of a place like this... that’s incredibly boring in itself."

Tang Yiyi fell silent, her thoughts unreadable.

Shen Lang paused, slightly taken aback. "Did you hear what I said?"

"I heard you!" Tang Yiyi said coldly.

Shen Lang sighed and pointed behind her. "Then why aren’t you making a move? Are you waiting for me to do it?"

Tang Yiyi froze, spun around, and her face instantly turned pale with fear!

Just behind her, a strange, thread-like Demon Beast had stealthily appeared less than thirty feet away, and she hadn’t sensed a thing!

"Why didn’t you say something sooner!" Tang Yiyi yelled, both furious and panicked.

At the same time, with a single thought, she immediately summoned her Magic Shield, which was crafted from a Four-winged Green Python Scale.

The instant Tang Yiyi summoned her Magic Shield, the strange Demon Beast beat its wings, crossing the distance between them in the blink of an eye and lunging forward like a black bolt of lightning!

CRACK!

The strange Demon Beast instantly slammed into the Magic Shield, causing the Light Shield it projected to ripple violently.

’So fast! What in the world is this thing?’

Unsure of the Demon Beast’s origins and feeling the force of the impact on her Magic Shield, Tang Yiyi’s expression changed as she slashed forward with her Longsword!

She didn’t care whether the strike would hit the Demon Beast; as the Sword Qi erupted, she had already darted away at an angle.

Without turning his head, Shen Lang said, "In a place like this, whether in the sky or on the ground, one must remain vigilant at all times. Anyone who needs a reminder to spot danger isn’t suited for this place."

"You!" Furious, Tang Yiyi shot Shen Lang a venomous glare. Holding her Longsword horizontally before her chest, she began to size up the Demon Beast that had ambushed her.

Only then did Tang Yiyi get a clear look at it. The Demon Beast was about seven feet long, very slender, with four thin wings on its back. It looked a bit like a mutated dragonfly. Its body was iridescent, and its pupils were faintly purple.

But its head sported a massive, sharp spike that seemed to be hollow, like a straw, and glinted with a sinister light.

SKREEE!

The Demon Beast seemed to possess high Spiritual Wisdom. Seeing Tang Yiyi dodge, it didn’t press the attack. Instead, it turned its gaze to Shen Lang.

At this moment, Shen Lang had restrained his aura, appearing exactly like someone who had never practiced Martial Arts.

In the Demon Beast’s perception, this creature posed no threat and was optimal prey.

After a brief pause, the Demon Beast targeted Shen Lang, its massive spike shooting toward his forehead!

The Demon Beast’s speed was unbelievable, and it flew without a sound, making it incredibly bizarre and impossible to defend against.

But in Shen Lang’s eyes, this speed was no different from a baby’s movements.

"Get lost."

Shen Lang swatted with the back of his left hand, sending the Demon Beast tumbling through the air.

But the direction it flew was right toward Tang Yiyi!

Tang Yiyi was in the middle of focusing her mind and gathering her energy, pondering how to deal with the incredibly fast Demon Beast, when she was startled to see Shen Lang swat it directly at her!

"Damn you!"

Tang Yiyi shot Shen Lang a hateful glare. Before she could finish gathering her power, her Longsword spun furiously, striking the Demon Beast’s head in a slash imbued with Wind Thunder Power!

CLANG!

The sound of metal on metal rang out as sparks flew everywhere!

’What a tough shell!’

Startled, Tang Yiyi dodged to her left and, in the same motion, struck the Demon Beast with her left palm.

A surge of Ice Power rolled out, and the Demon Beast was immediately encased in a thick layer of ice crystals.