This cave entrance was not large, and it should have been buried under red soil. But this time, the blood lake kept churning up towering waves, causing the red soil on the surrounding walls to erode and collapse, sinking into the lake water. Therefore, the entrance was revealed.
Regardless, this entrance seemed like hope. Fang Yuan immediately changed direction and swam toward it.
Boom Another violent explosion came from midair. A huge blast wave hit the surroundings, shoving Fang Yuan forward hard.
"Damn it!" he cursed.
A large amount of red soil collapsed and buried the entrance again.
Iron Hand Grasp Gu In midair, Tie Xue Leng took a deep breath, spotted the timing, and slowly extended his right hand. In front of him, the air suddenly rippled, and a giant black iron hand appeared, seemingly slow but actually fast, pressing down on the tail of the Blood River Python. The python struggled fiercely, its scales wet and slippery. The iron hand couldn't hold it, slipping over the scales and letting it escape, causing a burst of golden‑red sparks. But Tie Xue Leng, rich in battle experience, was not discouraged. He suddenly leaned back slightly, puffed up his cheeks, and blew fiercely at the Blood River Python.
Whoosh A stream of pitch‑black oil, like a waterfall, poured down. In midair, it transformed into a dragon shape, roaring and writhing as it wrapped around the Blood River Python. Oil Dragon Gu The Blood River Python was enraged, roaring and biting. The black oil dragon was not inferior in size to the python, but after all, it was only fourth‑rank and not a physical entity. Soon, it was torn apart by the python.
Tie Xue Leng, instead, smiled. "Beasts are beasts. If a Gu Master were personally controlling it, they'd see this classic and simple tactic. But the Blood River Python, after all, was only refined; though it carries a Gu Master's will, it lacks human intelligence."
The oil dragon was destroyed, and the Oil Dragon Gu in his aperture suffered backlash.
Tie Xue Leng didn't care. He stopped activating the Oil Dragon Gu and began activating the Fire Dragon Gu.
He let out a fierce shout, his powerful body vibrating, and from his aperture shot a Gu that was like a flame. It quickly formed into a fire snake, coiling around him. The fire snake flew out, growing bigger and bigger. In the blink of an eye, it grew scales, extended eagle talons, deer antlers, a horse face, and sharp fangs. It became a giant fire dragon.
This Fire Dragon Gu was also only fourth‑rank, but when it fought the Blood River Python, it caused the python to roar in pain. This was because the previous oil dragon had been destroyed, leaving a large amount of black oil on the python's body. Now, when it tangled with the fire dragon, the python's body caught fire, roasting the python. Besides the python's body, the black oil also floated on the lake surface. Now ignited, the scarlet blood lake erupted into a towering sea of fire, rapidly raising the air temperature.
The fire dragon was no match for the Blood River Python, suffering repeated heavy damage, its body growing smaller. But whenever this happened, it would roll in the sea of fire, and its body would regain some of its strength. In this sea of fire, the fire dragon had a territorial advantage.
The Blood River Python and the fire dragon fought for a while, the python's body being continuously burned, the smell of charred flesh in the air.
The Blood River Python was by nature violent; once pressured, it would unleash a powerful counterattack. But now, it had to choose to retreat. Abandoning the fire dragon, it plunged deep into the blood sea.
Humans are the spiritual essence of all things, possessing the wisdom to innovate. With Tie Xue Leng's tactics, two fourth‑rank Gu forced back the fifth‑rank Blood River Python.
But Gu are the essence of heaven and earth, containing the secrets and fragments of the laws. The Blood River Python's ability was its super‑strong self‑regeneration.
It sank to the bottom of the lake, the blood water continuously nourishing it, rapidly healing its wounds. The Fire Dragon Gu had a terrain advantage, but the python had an even greater one. As long as this blood lake existed, it was an unkillable cockroach.
Fang Yuan's situation was even more dangerous.
The flames floating on the surface of the blood lake spread, burning fiercely, the tongues of fire licking and scorching him.
The pressure on the Canopy Gu increased. But the most critical point was that Fang Yuan's breathing grew more difficult.
The fire consumed a lot of air, and this underground space was semi‑enclosed, with air hard to replenish. Fang Yuan gradually felt suffocated.
"The Oil Dragon Gu and Fire Dragon Gu, despite cooperating, can force back the Blood River Python. But it's temporary. With plenty of blood water, the python's recovery is terrifying. Once it charges again, back to peak condition, the Fire Dragon Gu might not be able to handle it. No, that's too simple. Tie Xue Leng couldn't not know that. So what is he…"
Fang Yuan bobbed in the burning lake water, his mind racing.
Thinking this, his heart tightened.
If his guess was right, Tie Xue Leng had already achieved his tactical intent by forcing back the Blood River Python.
Tie Xue Leng wanted to buy enough time. There was often a situation that required this: the next killing move needed to be prepared.
Indeed, in the next moment.
Tie Xue Leng hovered in the air, suddenly spreading his arms and letting out a deep roar from his mouth.
The righteous aura that originally dominated all directions was withdrawn, and he focused entirely on pouring his fifth‑rank true essence into the bronze mask.
The bronze mask gradually brightened, at first only a faint glow, but within a few breaths, it emitted a blinding green light, like fragments of the sun.
The green light illuminated the surroundings, as if a ruler overlooking heaven and earth. For a moment, the red soil, the blood lake, and the sea of fire were all colored with a layer of ancient green.
Within the green light was contained a strange force.
Under the pull of this force, the rocks began to tremble and collapse.
At the top of the cave, boulders fell one after another, flying toward the bronze mask. The surrounding red walls also had large amounts of soil and stone ascending slowly from below.