A figure stood there, muttering to himself, “No! He’s not targeting me, I’ve been tricked. He must be unsure if someone’s following him, so he’s using this to test it.”
After a long silence, the figure suddenly snorted coldly, “So what if he knows he’s being followed? I’ve been scheming for years, reaping benefits from every pagoda trial. I can’t give up just because this kid’s caught on!”
With that, he pursued again.
…
Hmm?
Ling Xiao, who was moving forward, suddenly frowned.
“A Celestial Realm expert! How is that possible!”
Ling Xiao was stunned. His soul force revealed the answer: the one following them was a Celestial Realm expert, and this person carried the aura of a Moonlight Sect martial artist.
Yet, he wasn’t one of the disciples in this pagoda trial. Could he be someone who remained in the Moonlight Pagoda from a previous trial?
Impossible!
According to Moon Lady, once the pagoda trial ends, everyone is sent out of the Moonlight Pagoda unless an accident occurs, trapping their soul inside.
Could it be that missing Moonlight Sect disciple?
Shaking his head, Ling Xiao stopped dwelling on it. There was no point in overthinking; the person hadn’t attacked them directly but was trailing behind, suggesting some caution.
For now, staying vigilant should suffice.
His focus should remain on the trial!
The path was long, and though Ling Xiao was confident they could defeat the monster at the end, they still needed to be cautious along the way.
He didn’t want to capsize in a ditch.
Along the journey, they mostly encountered venomous snakes, but with Dai Yuling present, they handled them with ease.
After about half an hour, Ling Xiao felt his cultivation faintly showing signs of a breakthrough.
Indeed, danger and opportunity coexisted. From the first stage to the second, just over a day had passed, and he was already on the verge of a breakthrough.
It was likely due to absorbing the essence of numerous spirit herbs in the medicine garden.
“You two, sit and rest for a bit. I’ll study these snake galls.”
He had used his sword-control technique to kill five golden snakes, obtaining five golden snake galls.
“These galls can strengthen martial veins and boost cultivation, interesting.”
Ling Xiao swallowed all five galls at once.
Then he sat cross-legged to cultivate.
After Leng Hao and Dai Yuling recovered their strength, they stood guard, one in front, one behind, protecting Ling Xiao. Though the nearby monsters had been cleared and no danger should arise soon, they stayed cautious.
About ten minutes later, the five galls were fully digested. Ling Xiao’s martial veins strengthened slightly, and his cultivation finally broke through, reaching the mid-sixth level of the Mortal Realm.
The pagoda trial hadn’t delayed his cultivation; it had even helped, bringing a smile to his face.
Choosing to participate in this trial was indeed the right call.
Now, should he test the strength of the person trailing them?
Though his soul force indicated the pursuer was at least Celestial Realm, something felt off.
“You two, come here!”
Ling Xiao called Dai Yuling and Leng Hao aside, drawing on the ground while transmitting his voice to them, “…That’s the plan, can you do it?”
“No worries, we’ll do our best,” Dai Yuling and Leng Hao nodded.
“Good, let’s move.”
After their discussion, Leng Hao gathered the unconscious venomous snakes, piling them together.
Dai Yuling prepared a special powder, while Ling Xiao began setting up a mid-sized formation nearby.
The formation stone in his hand glowed; it was pre-crafted. The formation he was setting up was a fusion of the Fire Snake Formation, Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Refining Formation, and Plague Bone-Dissolving Formation.
Ling Xiao named it the “Thousand Poisons, Ten Thousand Snakes Formation.”
This formation required a large number of live venomous snakes, and the environment provided the perfect opportunity.
A few minutes later, everything was ready.
The group hid in the shadows, waiting.
Ling Xiao helped Dai Yuling and Leng Hao conceal their auras, making them as still as stones.
“What’s that!”
Suddenly, a figure darted out from the darkness, a hint of panic on his face.
Tens of thousands of venomous snakes nearly surrounded him.
The plague toxin combined with Dai Yuling’s secret sedative powder.
Coupled with tenfold potent snake venom, even this composed figure struggled to cope.
He was bitten in over a hundred places, and though most snakes turned to ash upon touching him, some toxin and sedative powder still entered his system, leaving him unsteady.
Dai Yuling and Leng Hao were shocked.
They’d thought Ling Xiao was being paranoid, but someone was indeed following them, and this person was incredibly strong. Without the snakes’ help, the three of them wouldn’t stand a chance.
“It’s you!”
As the strange mist around the figure dissipated, his true face was revealed: the missing disciple.
Yet, Ling Xiao sensed another’s aura.
“You’re Demon Flame Celestial!”
“What!”
Dai Yuling and Leng Hao’s eyes widened, confused by Ling Xiao’s words.
“No, you’re not Demon Flame Celestial!”
Ling Xiao shook his head, “You’re just his puppet clone. No wonder, Demon Flame Celestial used the soul and body of a fellow sect member to craft this puppet. That explains why he gains so much from every pagoda trial.”
Before entering the trial, Ling Xiao had heard from Yang Danlin that Demon Flame Celestial always seemed to advance in cultivation after each trial and obtained strange treasures, with no clear source.
Though Demon Flame Celestial claimed they came from external missions, Yang Danlin didn’t believe it.
Now, it seemed the truth was out.
“Damn you, you dare scheme against me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?” the puppet clone asked coldly.
“Afraid, of course I’m afraid! But with Demon Flame Celestial’s nature, if you could kill us, you’d have done it already. There’s a reason you haven’t, right?”
Ling Xiao smiled faintly, “If I’m not mistaken, you can’t easily act against us. And if you unleashed your full strength, even as a puppet clone, the Moonlight Pagoda would expel you.”
The puppet clone was inwardly shocked; Ling Xiao had guessed correctly.
If not for that, he’d have attacked long ago instead of just following.
Yet his face remained calm.
