Chapter 436

I don't know when, but Hu Sanmei also manifested her true form.

This is the first time I have seen Hu Sanmei's true form so completely.

It was a pure white snow fox, its fur twice as long as an ordinary fox's, fluffy yet smooth, with two pointed ears poking out from the long fur, constantly twitching.

What I didn't expect was that Hu Sanmei actually had only one tail!

That tail was large and long, its fur fanned out like a velvet fan held by a noble consort, covering the hole above the ornamental well.

Strangely, after the hole was blocked, the dragon head not only did not resist, but grew fainter and fainter.

At that moment, silver needles and flesh spikes crisscrossed, shooting toward the dragon head.

It was Bai Shulan and Fu Wan working together.

Meanwhile, Hui Moqiong and Huang Fan also recovered; after a few summons, I heard a rustling sound from the roof.

Next, dozens of large rats and yellow-skinned creatures burrowed in from above, biting at the flock of birds.

That's how spell duels work.

Having seized the initiative, our side found it hard to attack from outside.

Once we tore open a breach, the situation would undergo a drastic change, and the enemy's defeat would begin to show.

The Qiankun YuanYang Hook grew ever redder, as if tempered in extreme heat; I stopped being distracted, they could hold out, and I had no further worries.

Today, I must not let this Qiankun YuanYang Hook fly out of the pawnshop and return to Ti Luan's hands!

I formed seals with both hands, mobilizing all my true qi, pouring it entirely into the Cangwu Mingyin.

The patterns on the Cangwu Mingyin, especially the reddening ones, became even more vivid at this moment.

With a bang, the Qiankun YuanYang Hook, as if overheated, actually emitted an explosive sound from within.

Immediately, I saw its surface covered in dense cracks.

Those rootlets seized the chance, seeping into the cracks, then another explosive sound rang out—the Qiankun YuanYang Hook... shattered!

The rootlets swiftly retracted into the Cangwu Mingyin, landing in my hand.

I gently caressed it like a treasure; what a fine treasure it is.

From a initial lump of black, to gradually gaining patterns, yet limited by the external environment and unable to exert its full power—now... I increasingly feel that the trip to Yin Dang Hang was more than worth it.

If I hadn't reclaimed part of the Cangwu Mingyin's mana from Yin Dang Hang, today even if I could control the Qiankun YuanYang Hook, I could absolutely not have destroyed it!

I couldn't help wondering how many portions Feng Wu Jiu had originally divided the Cangwu Mingyin's mana into to give to Yin Dang Hang.

If one day I reclaimed all this mana, how formidable would the Cangwu Mingyin become?

I suddenly came to somewhat understand the circumstances under which Feng Wu Jiu and Yin Dang Hang reached that deal back then.

At that time, Feng Wu Jiu might already have been unable to safeguard the Cangwu Mingyin, while Yin Dang Hang needed someone to help retrieve the main body of the cinnabar spirit bone, and the two parties hit it off immediately.

The cinnabar spirit bone was fragmented, and the Cangwu Mingyin's mana had been broken up into corresponding shares.

Mana is such that unity brings strength, division brings weakness.

The weaker it is, the easier it is to conceal.

This was the only way Feng Wu Jiu could think of at the time to preserve the Cangwu Mingyin.

My thoughts flashed only in the split second when the Qiankun YuanYang Hook shattered.

The next moment, Li Qingying's startled cry rang out alongside a tremendous dragon roar: "Xiao Jiu, be careful!"

Li Qingying shoved me; I looked up, and the several near‑transparent dragon heads turned with my deviation, lunging straight at me.

Countless silver needles and white spikes pierced the dragon head.

That dragon head dissipated just as it was about to touch my head...

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

But before we could even crack a smile, a vast black mass of birds swooped down.

The bird flock had already been half destroyed by the yellow‑skinned creatures and the large rats.

Yet the remaining half suddenly, without warning, lunged at me.

The change happened too fast; by the time anyone reacted, it was already too late.

I stood rooted, gripping the Cangwu Mingyin tightly; at that moment my mind held only one thought... It's over!

The image of a goshawk swooping for food kept flashing in my mind.

Saying I wasn't afraid would be impossible.

I once personally witnessed the little monk and that lion‑not‑lion, mastiff‑not‑mastiff monstrous beast turn into two piles of white bones in just a few minutes.

Merely watching it, I could already imagine a pain akin to death by a thousand cuts, making my scalp go numb right now.

At first I could still hear everyone's exclamations and the voices calling my name.

Soon I could hear nothing at all.

Because there were too many birds, they surged forward—not at my flesh, but at the Cangwu Mingyin in my hand.

Bird after bird hurled itself forward; each one, before even touching the Cangwu Mingyin, fell to the ground with a soft thud.

Soon a large pile of bird carcasses stacked up beneath my feet, while I slowly retreated backward.

I was stunned by the scene before me; at the same time, behind my shoulder blades, my two concealed flesh wings seemed to stir again.

They felt a little itchy, a little hot.

Even my brow and eyes felt burning hot.

But by now my heart had finally calmed down.

It turned out that once those birds were no longer under the enemy's control, they unanimously, at the final moment, voluntarily sacrificed themselves to the Cangwu Mingyin.

"Don't just stand there—Liu Laoer must be nearby; we can't let him get away!"

That was Hui Moqiong's voice.

He has been stationed beside Liu Junyan, directing troops for so long that his mind works lightning fast and his execution is strong.

When the corpse of the last bird that had voluntarily sacrificed itself fell to the ground, I heard a faint voice from outside: "Sure enough, it didn't get far, it's right here—I've caught it!"

Title: Second Master Liu was actually caught just like that?

That's right.

The one who laid the formation must cast spells nearby afterward to effectively test the Formation Array's effect and admire the masterpiece's outcome.

It's a pity he didn't expect that we would actually break his scheme.

The one who caught Title: Second Master Liu was Huang Fan.

I put away the Cangwu Dark Seal and ran out; following the sound, when I found them, Title: Second Master Liu was being stepped on by Hui Moqiong, curled up all over, his face indistinct from behind.

I saw Hui Moqiong kick him in the foot, angrily saying, "What the hell is this thing, why is it a bit sinister?"

I hurried over to Hui Moqiong's side and looked down at Title: Second Master Liu on the ground.

Seeing that, I was also startled badly.

Title: Second Master Liu is still alive, but his condition is very poor.

He lowered his head, curled his body, and a long, deep gash tore open at his right shoulder, revealing flesh beneath packed layer upon layer with copper coins.

When we first saw the copper coins inside Title: Second Master Liu's body, they were shiny gold, but now what we see is an antiquated copper-green, some parts even blackened, with wafts of incense smell emanating from within……