Chapter 281: Countdown

"Look, here he comes."

Luo De smiled.

He knew the Dark Elf still had a trick up her sleeve.

Sharon glanced toward the ethereal energy cloud with surprise, her eyes filled with longing.

"If I could get inside that cloud, my understanding of ether would increase dramatically."

"That won't satisfy you."

"I was just saying it, not asking you to help."

"From what I know about girls, these casual remarks usually mean their core desire."

"I'm not like ordinary girls—I'm straightforward."

The dog-girl lifted her chin, proud and satisfied with her personality.

Luo De, being his usual meddling self, reached to scratch her chin—but got slapped away.

"Don't touch me. Don't you know what time it is?" the girl scolded.

"That's exactly when I like to grab something."

"Let me give you a warning, Luo De—too much lust will kill you in bed. How long are you going to keep touching?"

She slapped his hand again.

Her shorts had been pushed up.

His palm was sliding back and forth along the boundary between her right thigh's fur and bare skin.

The fur covered nearly three-quarters of her thigh, and beneath the rounded curve of her peach-like buttocks, the visual effect was quite striking.

"Are you really that fond of this leg? I think it's ugly—it's why I can't even wear skirts."

"I love it so much I want to hold it in my arms and kiss it properly."

Luo De answered bluntly.

A pose of thrusting while holding her leg flashed through his mind.

Hearing this, Sharon had never heard anyone say they liked this about her—her heart fluttered.

She swallowed hard, barely resisting the urge to lean in and lick his face.

As they spoke,

a violent blue flash erupted from the distant ethereal cloud—a massive spider limb emerged, covered in fine hairs.

The Grand Cultivator, on guard, halted his assault on the swarm.

He raised his pruning shears, facing the giant spider leg charging straight at him.

"This is the moment!"

Luo De rose and headed toward the botanical garden.

Sharon quickly cast two 【Stealth Spells】 and followed close behind.

Taking advantage of the fierce battle ahead, the two didn't dawdle—they moved as fast as possible while staying hidden.

Not long after,

they tore through the eagerly welcoming blood-marrow tree vines.

They successfully set up the ritual array.

And no one noticed.

"How long will the hundred-and-second circle take?"

Luo De scanned the surroundings. Unlike the chaotic front line, the botanical garden was empty, carrying an eerie desolation.

"About three minutes."

"That long?"

"Do you think a ritual of this level is simple to run?" Sharon shot back. "We'd better guard here for two minutes, then leave the spell range in the final minute."

Luo De nodded, offering no objection.

Sharon's ritual was indeed powerful, but not advanced—hence this awkward situation.

It had to do with her rank; if she advanced, she could buy simpler, faster, and cheaper ritual arrays.

This complex, inconvenient setup exists only to serve low-rank mages.

Thirty seconds passed.

Luo De silently counted the seconds.

His gaze remained fixed on the distant clash between the giant limb and the Grand Cultivator.

It felt as if time itself had slowed.

One minute.

Sharon sneered: "One minute feels long, no wonder men can't wait."

"Where did you learn that?" Luo De laughed.

"Back in Bahadur, I used to hide under the covers with Dimeya reading porn novels. She loved them—she even secretly wrote her own and submitted them to newspapers. Too bad they never got published. I wonder if she still writes."

She's still writing.

And she's quite famous now—the protagonist is a flower spirit with both male and female organs, extremely explicit.

Her recent magical Shikong might even be linked to those novels.

But since the witch Dimeya herself never told Sharon, Luo De wouldn't expose it.

One minute thirty seconds.

"Get ready to withdraw."

Sharon said.

Luo De saw the battle raging ahead and exhaled in relief.

Though the Grand Cultivator was slightly losing ground, victory wouldn't come quickly.

"Are you leaving right away?"

"After I give the Rotting Moon Seed to Dimeya."

"Won't you stay in the forest for two days? I'm already missing you."

"Your sweet talk doesn't work on me, heh."

Two minutes.

BOOM!!!

As expected—it was unexpected.

A massive crash echoed from afar.

Luo De saw the Grand Cultivator pierced through the chest by the limb, then flung like trash toward the botanical garden.

Right toward where the two stood.

SPLAT!

The Grand Cultivator's body shattered the sound barrier midair and slammed into the ground near the botanical garden like a cannonball.

With a thunderous crash, it carved a crater into the earth like a meteor impact.

A torrent of blood sprayed upward.

WHOOSH—

"Damn it!"

Luo De cursed aloud.

Sharon frowned: "What do we do? The array still has a minute left—it's already showing clear fluctuations. He'll notice."

"Forget it—fight him!"

"Fight who?"

"The Grand Cultivator. You leave the spell range first. It's only a minute—we'll hold him off."

To his surprise, Sharon smiled—wild and unrestrained.

"Leave you behind? That's an insult I won't accept."

She leaned in and smacked a kiss on Luo De's lips.

Just a quick peck—but she stuck out her tongue.

Luo De was speechless.

Was it because she was a dog-tribe? Why did this girl love licking people so much?

Clear the thoughts.

If she won't leave, then fine.

Luo De wasted no time—he cast 【Painful Whipping】 on both of them.

Then 【Dragon Scale Technique】.

A dense layer of translucent dragon scales crawled across their skin.

【Lament That Shakes Heaven】.

A Fen purple aura of Yuan fire erupted around them, instantly encasing their bodies in thick, monstrous armor shaped like a Yuan lion.

Dark yellow spines and arm-blades grew on the faceplate and inner arms.

Two sharp, menacing spikes jutted from their shoulders.

Even 【Sword of Devotion】 changed form.

From a delicate one-handed sword, it became a massive, jagged greatsword.

The golden blade was covered in interlocking serrations.

It radiated raw power.

When the transformation finished.

The rain curtain on that side had also fully cleared.

The battered, ragged High Cultivator did not look at Luo De; his massive single eye rolled once, spotting the Operation Staff in the botanical garden.

He muttered a few curses.

Luo De did not grasp 【Shaking Soul Blade】, nor did he understand what the man was saying.

But the High Cultivator's current state was truly dire.

A basin-sized hole gaped in his chest, his lower body pierced densely by giant spider vibrissae, his right arm twisted into a knot.

Though all were regenerating, the speed was clearly much slower than before.

His only usable limb was his left hand.

The left hand gripping the Large Pruning Shears.

(End of Chapter)