Chapter 198 : Ambush in the Shadowed Woods

Seeing Eldrin Chen targeted by three Violet Sanctum Demonic Beast simultaneously, Elara Lin's eyes narrowed sharply. She immediately summoned her Frost Soul Coldlight Sword and surged forward to engage.

She was a Violet Sanctum 5th Tier cultivator, backed by Exquisite Jiang's support and wielding two Third Rank Superior Grade magical treasures [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators].

With such formidable combat prowess, she ranked among the elite even within the Violet Sanctum Mid Stage. In an instant, she soared into the air, intent on forcibly intercepting one of the Violet Sanctum Demonic Beast.

"Hiss—"

Yet, in that very moment, a streak of profound black light shot from the darkness, aiming directly for the distant Tea Rose Su.

Tea Rose Su was currently embroiled in a chaotic melee against a horde of demonic beasts, just about to disengage and reinforce Eldrin Chen.

Caught by the sudden ambush, she first activated her Lifebound Magical Treasure, the Verdant Wood Divine Flame Shroud, releasing its Verdant Wood divine flames to block the attack. She then hastily summoned a Third Rank Medium Grade defensive magical treasure.

But in a flash, her Verdant Wood divine flames were extinguished, and even her defensive magical treasure was pierced. The terrifying black light, its momentum barely checked, shattered her protective spiritual energy and began corroding her meridians [the energy channels within a cultivator's body].

"This is bad!"

The assault was too sudden. Seeing Tea Rose Su grievously wounded, the nearby Eternal Profound Chen immediately unfurled the Three Treasures Crimson Gold Flags. He enveloped Tea Rose Su within their protective aura, shielding her from further harm. Enjoyed this chapter? Read more at site: audio-novel.com.

From the very onset of the great battle, two cultivators at the Violet Sanctum Early Stage [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a Violet Palace within their dantian] were wounded in quick succession, casting a shadow of foreboding over the hearts of the assembled group.

It was only then that everyone noticed, deep within the lake waters, a profound black serpentine demon coiling its way towards them. This demonic serpent possessed a shocking cultivation base, reaching the Violet Sanctum 7th Tier [the seventh level within the Violet Sanctum realm].

Even more startling was the faint, dark horn beginning to protrude from its head and the glint of Slaughter [a divine ability or intent focused on pure destruction and killing] flickering deep within its pupils.

"This is bad. This serpent's bloodline is undergoing a reversion to its ancestral origins. It is likely on the verge of transforming into a flood dragon,"

exclaimed Path Abyss Xu. A serpent nearing such a transformation would likely be thirty percent more powerful than an ordinary Violet Sanctum 7th Tier demon beast.

In that moment, the group finally understood. During the Beast Tide [a massive, coordinated assault by demonic beasts], the Purple Blood Heavenly Python [a powerful serpent demon king] responsible for guarding its lair had ventured to the front lines. The reason was now clear: the Heavenly Python Demon King had secretly nurtured another Violet Sanctum Late Stage [the advanced stage of the Violet Sanctum realm] powerhouse to guard the Heavenly Python Lake.

Facing a surprise attack from such a Violet Sanctum Late Stage entity, Tea Rose Su was at a severe disadvantage. She had only broken through to the Violet Sanctum [the Violet Palace realm] a mere thirty-some years prior and was currently only at the Violet Sanctum 2nd Tier [the second level of the Violet Sanctum realm]. Furthermore, as her primary focus was alchemy, her combat prowess was not particularly formidable. It was no wonder she had been wounded at the very beginning of the ambush.

In that critical instant, Eldrin Chen swept his gaze across the battlefield. He saw that Yuanhe Yang was seriously injured, and Tea Rose Su had lost half of her fighting capacity.

Those who still possessed the strength to fight and could potentially hold back this Black Horned Python were now limited to Elara Lin and Path Abyss Xu, along with Cyrus Yang, who dared not unleash his full power.

Thinking this, he called out loudly to the three of them, "That fiend's bloodline has reverted. I fear it may be even more troublesome to deal with than the Purple Blood Heavenly Python itself."

"Leave these three abominations to me. You two, go and intercept the Black Horned Python."

Elara Lin, Path Abyss Xu, and Cyrus Yang exchanged a glance. They understood they could not allow the Violet Sanctum Late Stage Black Horned Python to act freely. Thus, the three of them joined forces and surged forward to meet it.

Eldrin Chen faced three alone, engaging in battle with two Violet Sanctum Early Stage and one Violet Sanctum Mid Stage demonic pythons.

"*Clang!*"

Meanwhile, the more than sixty Foundation Establishment cultivators from the two treasure ships finally unleashed their collective might. They formed a defensive line at the outer edge of the inner lake, holding back the tide of lower-tier Demon Beasts.

At the same time, Old Patriarch, while protecting the two whose combat strength was severely diminished, activated his magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators] and began battling the final Violet Sanctum Demonic Beast.

Yuanhe Yang and Tea Rose Su were gravely wounded. They hastily consumed medicinal pills to recover from their injuries. Tea Rose Su in particular had been struck by the Black Horned Python's Divine Ability [a powerful supernatural technique]. Until she suppressed the chaotic energy raging within her meridians, it would be difficult for her to fight again.

The Black Horned Python's Divine Ability, 'Black Miasma Divine Light', was insidiously vicious. The baleful black energy had invaded Tea Rose Su's meridians [the channels through which spiritual energy flows in the body]. If she were to exert herself in battle before fully suppressing it, she would risk fatal consequences.

In the past, the Violet Sanctum Demonic Roc slain by the Chen Clan had fallen to a similar Divine Ability. That Thunderclap Great Roc, wounded by the Golden Lion Mastiff's Western Pole Metallic Gold Flame, had perished precisely because it forced itself to channel spiritual energy and battle the Chen Clan members, unable to contain its injuries.

Amidst the chaotic melee, Eldrin Chen stood alone against three Violet Sanctum Demonic Beast. From the very first clash, the battle descended into a tense and desperate stalemate.

"Cleave—!"

In that instant, Eldrin Chen activated the Luofu Vajra Seal above his head and channeled the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword along with several other Divine Ability [supernatural techniques] to confront the three Violet Sanctum Demonic Beast [demonic beasts at the Violet Sanctum realm]. Yet, he found the battle unexpectedly thorny.

Among the three Violet Sanctum Demonic Beast, one Crimson Flame Python and one Frost Python posed little threat, their cultivation merely at the Violet Sanctum Early Stage.

The true challenge was the Azure Blood Demon Python, a creature at the Violet Sanctum 5th Tier. As a water and wood attribute demonic serpent, its combat prowess within the lake was astonishing.

Furthermore, it wielded three Third-Rank Magical Treasure [enchanted artifacts of the third rank]. One of them, named the 'Heavenly Lake Treasure Pearl', was a mid-grade third-rank defensive magical treasure [enchanted artifact]. It could project a shield of aqueous spiritual energy, boasting formidable defensive power.

Within these lake waters, this Azure Blood Heavenly Python could unleash one hundred and twenty percent of its strength, momentarily stalemating even Eldrin Chen. This novel is serialized on audio-novel .c om. Visit for updates.

The two Violet Sanctum Early Stage serpents lurked behind the Azure Blood Heavenly Python, harrying him with their Divine Ability and magical treasure, making him feel constrained and unable to fight freely.

In the open sky, he would fear no such tactics. But here, submerged, his mobility was severely hampered, making it difficult to find an opening to eliminate the two lesser serpents.

"This cannot be a protracted battle!"

Eldrin Chen's heart grew heavy, understanding the precarious nature of the stalemate.

Within Heavenly Python Lake were only Demon Race [demonic beings]. The longer they delayed, the more Demon Race reinforcements would arrive.

Only by completely routing the Violet Sanctum Demonic Beast [demonic beasts at the Violet Sanctum realm], thereby robbing the lower-tier Demon Race of their leadership, could they secure victory in this single battle.

In but an instant, Eldrin Chen resolved to commit his full strength to force open a decisive path.

He instantly channeled all his spiritual power into his Lifebound Immortal Sword [a sword bound to its wielder's life force], unleashing the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword [a sword technique imbued with solar fire energy] to cleave towards the Azure Blood Demon Python.

With Eldrin Chen's current spiritual power, the might of this sword strike was nearly equivalent to a full-force attack from a Violet Sanctum Late Stage [a high-level cultivator] cultivator. If it landed, even the Azure Blood Demon Python's Heavenly Lake Treasure Pearl [a defensive pearl treasure] likely could not withstand more than a few such blows.

"Hiss!"

Hearing the sword's keen cry, the three-headed demonic python's pupils contracted sharply, and it immediately formulated a countermeasure.

The Azure Blood Demon Python struck first, instantly activating its Third-Rank Magical Treasure [a powerful enchanted artifact], the Verdant Edge Blade, to intercept the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword. However, the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword's power now approached that of a Third Rank Superior Grade [top-tier] treasure; how could it possibly be blocked?

In a mere instant, the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword sent the Verdant Edge Blade flying and continued its relentless arc towards the Azure Blood Demon Python.

The demonic python's pupils narrowed once more as it sent a second magical treasure [enchanted artifact] slashing forth—this one named the Celestial Azure Spell Sword.

A Spell Sword [a sword designed to channel and unleash specific magical arts] differs from an Immortal Sword [a sword cultivated to be an extension of the wielder's own spiritual essence]. The Immortal Sword focuses on the physical blade and sword energy attacks, emphasizing the unity of sword and energy. In contrast, the body of a Spell Sword is comparatively fragile, but it is inscribed with Divine Ability [a powerful supernatural technique] formation patterns, enabling it to unleash Divine Ability attacks against an opponent.

This Celestial Azure Spell Sword contains a Divine Ability named 'Celestial Azure Sword Dragon' [a divine technique that manifests as an azure dragon of sword energy]. This Divine Ability possesses formidable power, but after each use, it requires several years of careful nurturing within the sword before it can be invoked again.

Now, as it was activated, it transformed into a cyan dragon that surged forth to meet the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword, seeking to block its path. Your portal to cultivation novels: audio-novel.com.