Chapter 205

After giving orders to her disciples, the girl turned back to gaze at the marsh before her and murmured softly, "It must be inside this box! All those previous searches were wasted—only trash found!"

Her voice was too faint to be heard by anyone but herself; the other disciples, still buzzing with excitement over the coming battle, heard nothing.

Upon receiving the girl's command, the male and female disciples of the Concealing Moon Sect immediately stood shoulder to shoulder with their cultivation partners and, with practiced ease, reached out to clasp each other's hands.

Instantly, the overlapping palms emitted strange blue and red lights, which spread along their arms and engulfed their entire bodies, leaving the six pairs of Concealing Moon Sect cultivators—men bathed in red light, women radiating blue—creating a bizarre interweaving pattern. Only three remaining disciples—one man and two women—had lost their partners and could only retrieve a few magic artifacts for ordinary preparations.

Han Li, crouched atop the earth mound, had not heard the girl's murmured words, but he had clearly caught the disciples' address of her as "Master Ancestor"—a revelation that startled him so deeply he nearly bit his tongue.

"Master Ancestor of the Concealing Moon Sect"? What did that mean? Han Li was no novice to the cultivation world—he knew full well what it implied. That was a Golden Core cultivator, on par with his own sect's Master Li! To encounter such a high-level cultivator in this forbidden zone, where even Foundation Establishment cultivators were barred, left Han Li's mind in utter chaos.

Seeing her disciples now fully prepared, the young girl nodded in satisfaction and moved.

She parted her lips slightly and spat out her magic treasure—the Vermilion Bird Ring. The moment it left her mouth, it soared into the air above the marsh, spinning rapidly until it swelled to the size of a house.

Then, with a hand seal beneath, she pointed upward, and a streak of red light shot from her palm into the ring. Instantly, the ring's color shifted violently—from pink to blazing crimson. Within its inner rim, tiny sparks appeared, multiplying and brightening until, within moments, hundreds of fist-sized high-temperature fireballs formed inside the ring, raising the temperature of the underground world several degrees more.

Han Li, atop the mound, stared in stunned silence. Such grandeur, such power—no way this wasn't a magic treasure. He'd never believe otherwise.

If this young girl could command a magic treasure, she was undoubtedly a Golden Core cultivator. But how had she slipped into this forbidden zone? And why did her spiritual power feel only at the peak of Qi Refining? These questions churned through Han Li's mind repeatedly, yet remained unanswered.

Before the girl could act further, the marsh below began to stir. At a central point, the muddy flow churned violently, expanding outward, rising higher and higher, gradually forming a towering mound—its presence terrifyingly imposing.

Seeing this, the girl's face flickered with confusion. In her memory, the Black-Scaled Python had never displayed such an aura.

Yet with the beast about to emerge, she dared not hesitate. She formed the Orchid Seal with both hands, and the enormous Vermilion Bird Ring linked to her spirit began to spin rapidly in midair, blurring into a motionless haze. Within moments, the hundreds of fireballs inside merged into a single, blazing sea of flame.

"Go."

The girl's hand seal froze, and she spoke the word.

Instantly, the ring's rotation halted. The sea of fire within erupted into a colossal, spiraling pillar of flame, roaring downward with ferocious force, striking straight at the rising mound.

But before the fire column reached the marsh, a loud "puff" echoed as a jet of ink-black water, as thick as a bowl's mouth, shot up from the mud and met the flames head-on.

A hissing "sizzle-sizzle" erupted between them. Vast clouds of steam instantly billowed forth, turning the surrounding area into a thick, blinding fog.

"This isn't the Black-Scaled Python!"

Upon seeing the pitch-black water jet, the girl's earlier confusion vanished—her face turned pale as she cried out.

As if in response, a piercing, unearthly shriek tore through the white mist—"Aaaoo!"—followed by a violent gust of wind that swept the fog clean, revealing the beast's true form.

Before them stood a massive, serpentine creature, entirely black and covered in enormous scales.

Though the beast was not large—only three or four zhang long—it was shrouded in a faint veil of black mist, radiating an eerie aura. Externally, it resembled an ordinary black python from head to tail, save for its gleaming, obsidian scales.

"Ink Dragon!"

The moment the girl recognized the beast, she gasped aloud, her expression a mix of dread and delight.

Behind her, the dozen or so disciples were baffled. Wasn't this the "Black-Scaled Python"? How had it become an "Ink Dragon"?

The girl had no time to explain. The beast, floating several zhang above ground, had already identified the source of its disturbance. Its green eyes flashed with malice, its mouth opened, and another jet of black water shot straight toward the Concealing Moon Sect disciples.

"Beast! You seek death!"

The girl knew the Ink Dragon's power well. Though it appeared young, she dared not underestimate it. She instantly pointed at the Vermilion Bird Ring in midair. The ring blazed with red light, flashing before her to block the attack, then spewed a barrage of fireballs that intercepted the black water mid-flight.

"Seize. Swift. Bind. Restrain. Lock!"

The girl cupped her hands into a full moon shape, her expression solemn as she uttered the five-character incantation.

The moment the words left her lips, the massive Vermilion Bird Ring trembled violently in midair, emitted a low hum, and vanished into thin air—leaving the newly awakened Ink Dragon blinking its small eyes in confusion.

The next instant, the ring reappeared with a buzzing sound directly above the beast's head. Before it could react, it plunged downward, shrinking rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the Vermilion Bird Ring had clamped tightly around the Ink Dragon's midsection, and flames erupted along its surface, engulfing half the beast's body in roaring fire.

"Quick! Attack! I can't hold the Ink Dragon much longer!"

Though the ring held the beast firmly, the girl showed no relief—only urgency as she shouted behind her.

The Concealing Moon Sect disciples, though baffled by the sudden change from "Black-Scaled Python" to "Ink Dragon," had long been ready to strike.

"Attack!"

Led by an older white-robed woman, a dozen crimson-and-blue light columns shot forth from the disciples with terrifying "hiss-hiss" sounds, striking the immobilized beast with perfect precision.

A series of thunderous "boom-boom" explosions followed as the light columns struck the beast's body—only to be blocked by its faint black mist, which shattered violently under the impact.

"Keep attacking! The Ink Dragon's protective mist won't last!" the girl cried sharply, while simultaneously intensifying the red flame technique on the Vermilion Bird Ring, making the fire around the beast blaze even fiercer.

Under the girl's relentless commands, the Concealing Moon Sect disciples continuously launched wave after wave of crimson-and-blue light columns into the air, striking the beast. Though they had not yet pierced the black mist, the assault had driven the creature into a frenzy—it writhed and snapped its jaws, thrashing its head and tail, desperately trying to break free. But to no avail. Under the girl's full power, the ring remained utterly motionless in midair, locking the beast's body in place.

Han Li watched, heart pounding. He had never seen such a scene—so many cultivators attacking together, magic treasures in play, facing a beast of considerable strength—it opened his eyes wider than ever.

Yet Han Li had made his decision: whether the beast won or the Concealing Moon Sect prevailed, he would slip away only after the battle ended. Now was not the time to reveal himself.

"Uuuuh…"

As Han Li was lost in thought, the Ink Dragon let out a prolonged, agonized cry—ten times louder than before.

Han Li startled, and fixed his gaze.

The beast's black mist had vanished entirely. Its scaled body now bore a bowl-sized blood hole—clearly inflicted by the crimson-and-blue light columns. The pain drove it into even wilder convulsions.

"It seems the Concealing Moon Sect holds the upper hand," Han Li thought.

"No good! Watch out! I can't hold the Ink Dragon anymore!"

Just then, the girl's voice rang out—startling Han Li. So the outcome was still uncertain.

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