Chapter 198 Bloodbath at Celestial Python Lake (Location)

Seeing Eldrin targeted by 3 Zi Palace beasts simultaneously, Elara’s eyes narrowed slightly as she summoned the Frostgleam Sword and charged forward.

She was a cultivator at the fifth level of the Purple Mansion, backed by the support of Lyra (Person Name), and wielded 2 superior-grade, third-tier magic treasures.

With such formidable combat prowess, she was likely among the top ranks even within Purple Palace, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm). In an instant, she soared into the air, intent on forcibly intercepting a Purple Palace realm demonic beast.

"Hiss—"

But in that very instant, a profound black light shot through the darkness, aiming directly at Su Mingwei in the distance.

Su Mingwei was currently embroiled in a chaotic battle against a horde of demons, preparing to disengage and reinforce Eldrin (Person Name).

Faced with the sudden ambush, she first activated her life-bound treasure, the Verdant Flame Canopy, unleashing emerald spiritual fire to block the attack. Immediately after, she summoned a mid-grade, third-tier defensive magical artifact.

Yet in but an instant, her Verdant Wood Divine Flame was extinguished, and even her defensive magical treasure was pierced through. The terrifying pitch-black radiance, its momentum undiminished, shattered her protective aura and corroded into her meridians.

The incident struck with sudden fury. Witnessing Su Mingwei abruptly suffer a grievous blow, Chen Changxun swiftly unfurled the Crimson-Gold Banner of the 3 Treasures (Magic Treasure) beside her, shielding the wounded cultivator within its radiant protection.

The battle had just begun when 2 Purple Palace, Early Stage (Cultivation Realm) cultivators were wounded in quick succession, casting a shadow of unease over the assembled crowd.

It was only then that the crowd noticed a profound black serpentine demon coiling through the depths of the lake. Its cultivation base was astonishingly high, having reached the seventh level of the Purple Mansion.

Even more astonishingly, a small black horn had begun to subtly emerge upon its head, while a faint glimmer of slaughter flashed within its pupils.

"Damn, this serpent demon's bloodline is regressing to its ancestors—it's about to metamorphose into a flood dragon."

Xu Daoyuan exclaimed in astonishment, "A demonic serpent on the verge of transforming into a flood dragon—its power likely surpasses that of an ordinary seventh-level Purple Mansion cultivator by 30 percent!"

At this moment, everyone finally understood why the Violet Blood Heavenly Python, who was supposed to guard their stronghold during the beast tide, had appeared at the front lines. It turned out the Celestial Python Demon King had secretly nurtured a Purple Palace, Late Stage guardian for the Celestial Python Lake.

Faced with a surprise attack from a Purple Palace, Late Stage expert, Su Mingwei—who had only broken through to the Eldrin Realm a mere 30-some years ago and was currently at the second level of Eldrin cultivation—stood at a severe disadvantage. As an alchemy-focused cultivator, her combat prowess was far from formidable. It was no wonder she had been wounded the moment the ambush struck.

In that instant, Eldrin scanned his surroundings and noticed Yang Yuanhe was gravely wounded, while Su Mingwei had lost fully half of her combat strength.

At present, only Elara (Person Name), Xu Daoyuan, and Yang Zhengyuan—who dared not unleash his full combat prowess—remained capable of intercepting the Black Horned Python.

At this thought, he declared to the 3 in a resonant voice, "That fiend has undergone bloodline reversion—it may prove even more troublesome than the Violetblooded Heavenly Python." He added, "Leave these 3 abominations to me. You go and hold off the Black-Horned Python."

Elara exchanged a glance with Xu Daoyuan and Yang Zhengyuan, realizing they couldn't allow the Black-Horned Python of Purple Palace, Late Stage to act unchecked. The 3 immediately joined forces to confront it.

Eldrin faced 3 adversaries at once, battling 2 Purple Palace, Early Stage and 1 Purple Palace, Mid Stage demonic pythons.

"Clang—"

On the other side, over 60 Foundation Establishment cultivators from the 2 treasure ships joined forces, finally unleashing their combat prowess as they sealed the outer perimeter of the inner lake, blocking countless low-level demonic beasts.

At that moment, the old clan leader stood guard over the 2 severely weakened combatants while simultaneously activating his magical treasure to engage the final Purple Mansion beast in battle.

Yang Yuanhe and Su Mingwei were now gravely wounded, having hastily consumed elixirs to restore their internal injuries. Particularly Su Mingwei, who had been struck by the Black-Horned Python's divine ability, would find it difficult to take action until she suppressed the chaotic energy raging within her body.

The Black-Horned Python's supernatural ability, 'Black Fiend Divine Light', was excessively insidious. The black fiend energy had invaded Su Mingwei's meridians. If she were to take action without first suppressing it, she would likely face the peril of losing her life.

In the past, the Purple Palace Demon Roc (Demon Beast) slain by the Chen family had fallen victim to a similar supernatural power. That Thunder Roc, struck by the Golden Lion Mastiff’s West Pole Gengjin Fire, had perished due to forcibly channeling its magic power to battle the Chen clan members, ultimately failing to suppress its injuries.

Amidst the chaotic battle, Eldrin single-handedly confronted 3 Purple Mansion beasts, the fierce combat reaching a deadlock from the very beginning.

"Slay—"

In an instant, Eldrin summoned the Luofu Vajra Seal above his head and channeled the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss along with several divine abilities to confront the 3 Zi Mansion beasts. Yet he soon realized the battle was proving more challenging than anticipated.

Among the 3 Purple Palace beasts, neither the Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) Python nor the Ice Serpent posed any real threat, their cultivation merely at the Purple Palace, Early Stage (Cultivation Realm).

Only that single Cyan-Blooded Demon Python had reached the fifth level of the Purple Mansion. As a water-wood dual attribute demon python, the Cyan-Blooded Demon Python could unleash astonishing combat prowess in aquatic environments.

Moreover, it possessed 3 Grade-3 magical treasures, 1 of which was named the 'Sky Lake Pearl'(Magic Treasure). This treasure was a mid-grade Grade-3 defensive artifact capable of deploying an aqueous elemental barrier to protect its user, boasting remarkably formidable defensive capabilities.

Within these lake waters, the Cyan-Blooded Heavenly Python could unleash 1 100 and 20 percent of its combat prowess, leaving even Eldrin momentarily unable to subdue it.

Meanwhile, the 2 Purple Palace, Early Stage (Cultivation Realm) demonic pythons hid behind the Cyan-Blooded Heavenly Python, relentlessly engaging him with mystical arts and magical treasures. This forced him into an increasingly constrained position, leaving little room to maneuver.

If they were in the sky, he would have no fear of such tactics. But in the water, his speed was drastically reduced, making it unexpectedly difficult to find an opportunity to eliminate those 2 Purple Palace, Early Stage (Cultivation Realm) demonic pythons.

"This cannot be a protracted battle!"

Eldrin's heart grew heavy, knowing the battle before him was fiercely contested.

The Celestial Python Lake (Location) was filled entirely with demons. The longer they delayed, the more demon reinforcements would arrive.

Only by completely defeating all the Violet Mansion Demonic Beasts, leaving those low-level demon clans without their backbone, could victory be secured in a single decisive battle.

In the span of a mere instant, Eldrin resolved to stake everything on a desperate fight, determined to force an opening through sheer will.

In an instant, he channeled all his spiritual power into his lifebound immortal sword, unleashing the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) in a decisive strike toward the Cyan-Blooded Demon Python.

With Eldrin's current level of magical power, the might of this sword was nearly equivalent to a full-force strike from a Purple Palace, Late Stage cultivator. If it were to land true, even the Celestial Pearl of the Cyanblood Venom Python likely couldn't withstand more than a few blows.

"Hymn!"

Upon hearing the sword's hum, the 3-headed serpent demon's pupils contracted instantly as it swiftly formulated a countermeasure.

The Verdant-Blood Demon Serpent was the first to strike. In an instant, it activated the third-tier artifact Cyan Radiance Blade, slashing toward the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure). Yet, the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) now possessed power approaching the upper-third-tier grade—how could it possibly be withstood by such a feeble assault?

In the blink of an eye, the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) sent the Cyan Light Blade flying before continuing its slash toward the Cyan-Blooded Demon Python.

The demonic serpent's pupils contracted slightly as it unleashed a second magical treasure—the Celestial Azure Sword.

Dharma swords differ from immortal swords. Immortal swords focus on blade and sword aura attacks, emphasizing the unity of sword and energy. In contrast, Dharma swords possess relatively fragile blades but are engraved with divine ability array patterns, enabling them to unleash supernatural attacks against enemies.

This Celestial Azure Law Sword contained a divine ability known as 'Celestial Azure Sword Python'. This technique possessed formidable power, but after each use, it required nurturing for several years before it could be unleashed again.

At this moment, as it was activated, it unexpectedly transformed into a cyan-scaled dragon that surged forth to intercept the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure).