Chapter 223: Bloody Road
The purple light came too fast and too suddenly. Most people from the Purple Mist Sect had no time to react.
Qing Jianzi reacted far beyond everyone else. The moment the purple light appeared, he drew his sword. Just as the purple light was about to rush into a Pill Sect disciple’s face, Qing Jianzi swiftly cut it down.
When the purple light broke into two and fell to the ground, everyone could finally see what it was.
A purple snake, nine inches long, had been severed in the middle. Its broken body was still twisting on the ground, with its head raised high, coldly staring at the people of the Purple Mist Sect.
The body of the purple snake was covered with purple scales, and there was an eerie green vertical eye on its head.
“So, it’s a Three-eyed Purple Scale Snake, no wonder it’s so fast,” Qing Jianzi muttered, then he slashed his sword again, pinning the snake’s head to the ground with one blow.
For snakes, especially demon beasts like these, even if their bodies are crushed, they can still bite if their heads are still intact. Only by killing the head, can one be completely safe.
This Three-eyed Purple Scale Snake, with its third eye, is particularly strange. It can see through a martial artist’s gaps and find the perfect opportunity to launch a surprise attack.
If Qing Jianzi hadn’t reacted so quickly, a disciple from the Pill Sect would have already suffered a grim fate under the snake’s fangs.
Members of the Li Family all showed disappointment. Why hadn’t it bitten one of the members of the Purple Mist Sect to death?
However, after this scare, everyone was on high alert. This was just the beginning of the Endless Dungeon and they had already encountered a sneak attack from a Three-eyed Purple Scale Snake, which shows how dangerous this dungeon really is.
Quietly, Fang Lin pulled a jade vial from his Nine Palace Bag and held it in his hand, unnoticed by anyone.
The surroundings were pitch black; they could barely see ten steps ahead. Uneven dark red stones filled the space below and above them, making it very difficult to walk. One misstep could result in a fall.
What was most frightening, though, were the lurking dangers. No one knew if any other terrifying demon beasts would suddenly jump out from the shadows.
Suddenly, the Fourth Prince, Prince Yang Qianjun, who was leading the royal family group, took out a golden jade slip. As he crushed it, a golden light curtain rose, covering the royal members underneath it.
This golden light illuminated the surroundings, making everyone’s vision suddenly clearer.
Li Tongtian, who was leading the Li Family, held a bizarre oil lamp in his hand. It was broken and ancient, but the wick inside emitted a faint glow.
Though the glow seemed faint, it dissipated a terrifying aura that permeated the area.
“What is this…” Fang Lin squinted his eyes and looked at the ancient oil lamp in Li Tongtian’s hand, a trace of desire visible in his eyes.
“Such a precious treasure. I must find an opportunity to seize it,” Fang Lin muttered to himself, his eyes frequently drifting towards the oil lamp.
Li Tongtian seemed to have noticed Fang Lin’s continual attention to the treasure in his hand. He gave Fang Lin a cold glance, his lips curling in disdain.
Fang Lin didn’t care, simply allowing him his moment of arrogance.
The royal family and the Li Family had both made preparations, protecting all their family members from potential sneak attacks by the demon beasts, ensuring their safety.
Naturally, the Purple Mist Sect had also come prepared. Qing Jianzi had no less than seven swords slung on his back this time, providing an intimidating sight.
Currently, Qing Jianzi took the shortest sword from his collection, unsheathed it, and held it in front of him.
The moment Qing Jianzi unsheathed the sword in his hand, Prince Yang Qianjun’s face changed drastically. Li Tongtian’s eyes also narrowed, the light from his oil lamp flickered, almost extinguishing.
The sword in Qing Jianzi’s hand wasn’t intact; it was a broken, rusty sword. It looked like a piece of scrap metal. No one would probably give it a second look if it was discarded on the ground.
But this ordinary looking broken sword released a terrifying pressure that even the most unsophisticated people could feel. It felt as if something were pressing down on their bodies.
Even Li Tongtian’s oil lamp was affected by this broken sword, which shows the extraordinary nature of Qing Jianzi’s sword.
Fang Lin stared at the broken sword in Qing Jianzi’s hand, salivating. He even reached out to touch it.
“Don’t touch it. No one else can touch this sword,” warned Qing Jianzi.
Fang Lin glanced at Qing Jianzi and said lazily, “I just want to touch it. I’m not trying to steal it from you.”
Qing Jianzi rolled his eyes at him, “It’s not that I’m stingy. It’s just that besides me, no one else can touch this sword without being injured by its Sword Qi.”
Fang Lin blinked upon hearing this, and immediately withdrew his hand.
“What’s the origin of this sword? It looks so powerful.” Fang Lin asked curiously.
Qing Jianzi grinned, “I fished it out from the bottom of the Sinking Sword Lake last year. It should be called the Wandering Dragon Sword.”
“Wandering Dragon? What a great name!” Fang Lin marveled. Even though the sword was broken, it still showed a formidable power. If it were a complete sword, how terrifying would it be?
At the moment, Qing Jianzi wielded the Wandering Dragon Sword. The terrifying pressure it emitted deterred any lurking demon beasts from attempting a surprise attack.
Fang Lin could see that the Wandering Dragon Sword probably contained the aura of a True Dragon. True Dragons stand at the pinnacle of the pyramid of living creatures, commanding all life. Even a strand of their residual aura could send these demon beasts running in fear.
All three groups had their ways to keep their people safe from attacks by unseen demon beasts. As a result, they managed to traverse the outermost part of the dungeon relatively smoothly.
This part of the dungeon wasn’t particularly long, but nor was it short. Many people had lost their lives here in the past. As the three groups journeyed, they saw remains of many deceased, with only fragmented bones left.
Once someone dies in this dungeon, their corpses do not remain intact for long; they are devoured by the demon beasts hidden in the shadows.
Following the three main forces were secondary forces. But unlike the smooth journey of the three main groups, these later groups experienced grim circumstances.
Cries of despair rang out constantly. People died every second, leaving behind corpses that were brutally devoured by grotesque demon beasts.
The scene was simply hellish. But the people in the three main groups did not see it. They merely heard the screams from behind, which sent a chill down their spines.
Now, a problem appeared ahead of the three groups.
A three-way forked road lay in front of them, each path leading to a radically different route. Perhaps wealth and opportunity lay ahead on one route, while danger and treachery on another.
“This isn’t right. According to those who survived and returned ten years ago, there should be a stone door at this point, not a three-way fork,” Qing Jianzi said, frowning.
The royal family and the Li Family seemed to have the same confusion. The current situation did not match the accounts of the survivors from ten years ago at all.
“Well, we can only choose one path and continue,” said Fang Lin.