Chapter 29: The husband is incompetent!
Wang Hong’s gaunt face twisted into a wide, ecstatic grin, rivaling even the crooked-mouthed dragon king.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the shimmering, seven-colored Azure Dragon Fruit—
“Hiss—!!!”
A foul wind, reeking of rot, surged without warning from the depths of the nearby forest.
Accompanied by a familiar hiss, the massive snake returned.
Its enormous head reared high, its gaping maw terrifying, venomous fangs glinting as it lunged at Wang Hong, who was closest, and Xie Qiyang, a step behind.
Its speed was several times faster than when it chased Wang Ling’er and the others.
Its cold, vertical pupils showed no trace of the earlier enraged madness—only a chilling, cat-playing-with-mouse calm.
It hadn’t been lured far at all. It had seen through their clumsy diversion from the start.
“Damn it! This beast’s too clever!” Wang Hong cursed furiously.
Xie Qiyang’s instincts screamed as her Lunar Sacred Body kicked in. In the same instant the foul wind hit, she pushed off the ground, her body a streaking silver shadow, retreating swiftly.
“Rip!” The foul wind grazed her clothing. A close call!
But Wang Hong, in the direct line of attack, wasn’t so lucky. At such close range, even his Divine Treasury Realm cultivation couldn’t muster a proper defense!
“You dare, beast!” Wang Hong’s eyes bulged with rage and shock.
His withered arm somehow drew a massive black sword, wide as a door, erupting with blinding dark light. With mountain-splitting force, he slashed at the snake’s head.
Clang—!!!
A deafening metallic clash echoed through the forest. The sword struck the snake’s hard scales, sparking brightly.
The vibrant scales were tougher than steel. Not only did the sword fail to pierce, but a tremendous force rebounded, splitting Wang Hong’s grip and churning his blood!
The strike failed, and the venomous mist arrived.
Seeing its prey resist fiercely, the snake opened its maw, spewing thick, sickly green poison mist that engulfed Wang Hong.
The mist sizzled against his skin, his protective aura flickering wildly, on the verge of collapse!
“Ah—!” Wang Hong let out a bloodcurdling scream, his gaunt face turning blackish-green from the poison.
“Damn it?! You think you can outsmart me, beast? You won’t get off easy!”
Resolve flashed in his eyes. Instead of defending or fleeing, he ignited all his remaining spiritual energy, blood essence, and even his soul!
“Explode—!!!”
His withered frame erupted in blinding light, like a human sun. Instead of retreating, he charged straight into the snake’s gaping maw!
BOOM—!!!
A muffled, earth-shattering explosion, like the planet’s heart being crushed, roared from within the snake.
The self-destruction of a Divine Treasury Realm cultivator—how terrifying was its power? Even a beast’s physique, far stronger than a human’s of the same realm, couldn’t withstand it.
The snake’s raised head froze, its cold pupils filling with bloodshot veins, radiating disbelief and agony.
Its pillar-thick body, once towering, crashed to the ground.
Its impenetrable scales cracked inch by inch, blood spraying like fountains from the fissures.
Writhing in pain, it crushed surrounding trees and stones, its deafening roars shaking the earth.
“He really blew himself up?!” Xie Qiyang, perched on a branch, stared in shock.
This old man… was ruthless! She’d thought he was a scheming creep, inviting her to join to set up some “fairy’s trial.”
But he self-destructed! Such grit—sacrificing himself for righteousness? No, sacrificing himself to hand her this opportunity! A true hero, she was moved to tears.
No time to waste!
Seeing the writhing, weakened snake and the still-glowing Azure Dragon Fruit, Xie Qiyang’s eyes gleamed!
No risk, no reward. Go for it!
She transformed into a faint silver streak, blending into the surroundings, silently approaching the fruit.
The snake sensed her, lifting its bloodied head mid-thrash, its pupils locking onto the silver light, letting out a furious yet weakened hiss.
But would Xie Qiyang hesitate? She deliberately paused just before grabbing the fruit, smirking provocatively at the snake’s enraged, feeble eyes.
Like a powerless husband, the terrifying snake could only watch as the silver-haired girl easily took the fruit it had guarded for years.
It could do nothing (sad).
In front of the snake, her pale fingers steadily plucked the radiant, spirit-infused Azure Dragon Fruit.
Cool and smooth to the touch, its exotic fragrance instantly dispelled the surrounding stench.
“Thanks, Uncle Wang. I’ll take the fruit.” She silently thanked him, offering a few mental condolences, then, without lingering, pushed her movement technique to the limit and fled in the opposite direction of the snake’s thrashing.
She ran for over half an hour, hearing only the wind from her sprint, no more of the snake’s hisses.
Heh, jackpot scored.
Xie Qiyang leaned against a giant tree, panting heavily, heart still racing, but her eyes gleamed with the thrill of survival.
Holding the shimmering Azure Dragon Fruit, her thoughts wandered further.
That snake looked badly hurt, scales blasted off… If she’d been bold enough to double back, could she have gotten its gall or bones…?
Hiss, no, no, no. A lean camel’s still bigger than a horse. Better not court death.
She suppressed the tempting greed, ready to study the fruit—
BOOM!!!
The ground shook violently without warning, like an earthquake!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
In the distance, toward the forest, ancient trees dozens of meters tall snapped like potato chips, collapsing in waves with ear-splitting cracks, dust billowing into the sky.
Then, a ferocious roar tore through the air, like a demonic hymn from hell.
The sound was more terrifying than ever before.
“Damn it! Not dead yet?! Still this lively?!” Xie Qiyang’s face paled, cold sweat soaking her back.
Daring not cling to any hope, ignoring her exhaustion, she summoned every ounce of strength and fled deeper into the forest.
After an unknown time, the earth-shaking chaos finally faded.
Xie Qiyang stopped, collapsing onto the ground, heedless of the dirt, gasping for breath.