bookbashuk Chapter 11 Hunting Demons on the Panlong River
Chapter 11 Hunting Demons on the Panlong River
Over the next two weeks, Su Mixin and Lu Xin toured the Yue Kingdom clockwise, visiting markets near the seven major sects.
To be honest, in Su Mixin's eyes, apart from the markets of the Hidden Moon Sect and the Spirit Beast Mountain, which were quite large, the markets of the other five sects were simple and insignificant.
The market town on the northeast side of Huangfeng Valley is just a short street, and it is much inferior to the market town of Tianxing Sect.
No wonder Han Laomo only visited Huangfeng Valley Market once during his Qi Refining stage, but after reaching Foundation Establishment, he came to Tianxing Sect Market.
During her trip to Yue, Su Mixin also met with several intelligence liaisons sent by the Thousand Illusions Sect.
Major events like the invasion of demonic forces are certainly not decided on a whim over a few short years.
Some of the preparations made by the Thousand Illusions Sect began long before Su Mixin was even born.
The cultivation world of Yue Kingdom and several surrounding countries had long been filled with spies from various demonic sects of Tianluo Kingdom.
Su Mixin obtained some local intelligence information from these people, and inadvertently collected information on the distribution of spirit stone mines of various factions throughout the Yue Kingdom.
Based on the conditions described in the original work—the heartland of Yue Kingdom, far from the front line of Jingu Plain, located in a desolate canyon, long-established and with many abandoned mines—Su Mixin and Feng Hou analyzed the intelligence and concluded that two spirit stone mines were more likely to fit the description.
The rest was relatively simple. After the monster-hunting training in Panlong River ended, Su Mixin returned to her sect, getting rid of the trouble of being followed all the time.
Then, find some excuse to go into seclusion, use your Hearthstone to teleport to Yue Kingdom, take a stroll around these two spirit stone mines, and see if the Marauder's Map can detect level four Blood Jade Spiders.
As long as we act before the demonic invasion, we will definitely be able to intercept the opportunity of this teleportation array before Old Demon Han.
Su Mixin felt relieved and left a Hearthstone teleportation point marker when she passed by the vicinity of the Hidden Moon Sect.
Not long after Su Mixin returned to Tianxing Sect Market, Li Chongyue arrived with Su Yunluo's reply.
In his reply, besides reminding him to be careful, Su Yunluo mainly mentioned two things: First, Ye Xinlian had recently begun her seclusion.
Secondly, regarding the arrangements for Xin Ruyin and the others, after they entered the sect, they all had their spiritual root aptitude tested. Xin Ruyin and her maid were both found to have dual spiritual roots, while Qi Yunxiao only had three spiritual roots.
Xin Ruyin has already been accepted as a nominal disciple by Su Yunluo on behalf of her Daoist partner, and will be formally accepted into the main sect by Ye Xinlian after she emerges from seclusion.
His innate yang energy was also suppressed by Su Yunluo, allowing him to cultivate peacefully within the sect.
Xiao Mei and Qi Yunxiao were also accepted as inner disciples and their names were recorded in the sect's register.
"Qi Yunxiao is probably in for a tough time from now on!"
Su Mixin sighed, not only because Qi Yunxiao and Xin Ruyin would have vastly different statuses within the sect in the future.
The key point is that after Xin Ruyin, most of the conservative ones will become Golden Core cultivators, and there is hope for Nascent Soul. Qi Yunxiao, on the other hand, will have difficulty even in the Foundation Establishment stage, and forming a Core is even more difficult and dangerous.
Although there are many high-level cultivators with maids and male concubines in the cultivation world, most Daoist couples are able to work together and support each other.
If the difference in cultivation level is too great, the difference in lifespan alone will be difficult to overcome.
The next day, Su Mixin and her group headed to the Panlong River basin to begin their demon-hunting training.
Panlong River is located in the northern part of Yuanwu Kingdom, near the border with Dongyu Kingdom, and flows from the northeast to the southwest.
After its main channel leaves the territory of Yuanwu Kingdom, it splits into two: one branch flows to the west to the Zhengdao Alliance region of Fengdu Kingdom, and the other flows to the southwest to the territory of the Nine Kingdoms Alliance.
The entire river stretches for millions of miles, majestically traversing the land, its imposing momentum resembling a celestial river.
The middle and upper reaches of the river within the territory of Yuanwu Kingdom are particularly magnificent, with a vast and boundless river surface. At its widest point, it stretches for hundreds of miles, and the opposite bank cannot be seen at a glance.
The Panlong River is rich in aquatic plants and spiritual veins, making it a natural breeding ground for many low-level aquatic monsters. Its underwater currents are intertwined, nurturing and hiding many scaled aquatic monsters.
The thriving aquatic life also attracted a large number of land monsters to linger along the riverbank, where they stayed year-round, feeding on the aquatic creatures in the river and relying on the ecology of the Panlong River to reproduce and thrive.
Of course, these monster resources are incomparable to those of the cultivation world in the Chaotic Star Sea.
According to the intelligence, Su Mixin knew that level one monsters were relatively common in the Panlong River basin, level two and above were relatively rare, and level five and above were even rarer.
The three of them built a temporary cave dwelling on a small hill not far from the riverbank. During the day, Su Mixin would go out to hunt monsters, while Lu and Li would follow behind to protect her. At night, they would return to the cave dwelling to rest and meditate, so as not to delay their cultivation.
For a full two weeks, Su Mixin gained nothing. He encountered several monsters, but they were only at the first level, so he didn't bother to fight them.
Even though they communicated with Feng Hou telepathically and secretly accessed the liveness map, they found nothing.
The resources of monsters in Tiannan are indeed extremely scarce.
That afternoon, thin clouds hung heavy, obscuring the afterglow of the setting sun, and a soft twilight enveloped the river.
Su Mixin was patrolling the river surface on her disc-shaped flying magical artifact.
Suddenly, Feng Hou's voice came: "Master, there is a crocodile monster thirty miles to the left front, its level has reached level three."
Su Mixin's eyes lit up immediately, and she flew towards the target location without hesitation.
A quarter of an hour later, Feng Hou's divine sense transmitted a message: "The target is located 500 meters directly ahead."
Su Mixin slowed down her flight speed and scanned the river surface and underwater with her divine sense, but found nothing.
It is obvious that this monster possesses a certain ability to conceal its presence.
Su Mixin took a deep breath, patted the storage bag at her waist, and the next moment, two talismans were found in her right hand hidden in her sleeve.
These are the Flying Talisman and the Vajra Talisman. The Flying Talisman is a basic-level high-grade talisman, belonging to the wind element, and can accelerate flight.
The Vajra Talisman is a basic to intermediate-level defensive talisman.
As dusk settled over the river, the surging waves suddenly burst open into a curtain of water.
A gigantic, gray-black crocodile monster burst from the water. Its gray-black scales gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the twilight. Its spines were like menacing icicles, and its massive jaws, full of sharp teeth, opened, sending three shimmering white water arrows hurtling through the air towards Su Mixin.
"Greyscale Hidden Abyss Crocodile!"
Su Mixin instantly recognized the identity of this kind of demonic beast.
According to the intelligence he obtained, this kind of monster is very rare in the Panlong River Basin. Adults generally have the strength of a level three or even a level four monster. They are good at stealth and ambush, know water-based attack spells, and are also powerful in melee combat. Their strength is unmatched among their peers.
In an instant, Su Mixin decisively activated the two talismans on her right hand, and the disc-shaped magic artifact under her feet was instantly stored in her world ring.
Su Mixin's cultivation level is currently only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and the number of magical artifacts she can control with her divine sense is limited.
Three crisp clangs rang out in succession as the water arrow struck the golden barrier that had just formed in front of Su Mixin, exploding into a sky full of water mist. The golden barrier also shattered instantly, turning into countless points of light.
Under the influence of the Flying Talisman, Su Mixin stepped into the void and retreated rapidly backward and upward, trying to create distance.
The next moment, seeing that the water arrows had failed, the gray crocodile slammed its massive tail against the river surface, creating a towering wall of waves. At the same time, it lowered its head and fired several more water arrows, their tips carrying tiny ice shards.
"Could this crocodile be a mutated monster?" This thought flashed through Su Mi's mind, but she didn't have time to delve into it further.
She suddenly formed a hand seal, and in the next moment, a blue round shield appeared, along with a barrier of azure spiritual light, blocking her way.
"Clang clang clang..." Several water arrows suddenly struck the Blue Ocean Shield, shattering ice shards and sending water waves flying, but they failed to shake this top-grade magic weapon in the slightest.
While holding off the water arrow attack, Su Mixin's right hand had already switched to a sword finger. With a surge of spiritual power, a flying shuttle transformed into a streak of light and shot fiercely toward the giant crocodile's head.
The giant crocodile roared, its voice shaking the heavens.
Its short, thick forelimbs slammed down on the flying shuttle, sparks flying as its claws collided with the magical artifact.
At the same time, the giant maw gathered its power again, and a water arrow as thick as a water column shot straight towards Su Mixin in mid-air.
However, since she was distracted in defending against the flying shuttle attack, Su Mixin moved nimbly to the side with the help of the flying talisman, and the water arrow actually missed its target and shot towards the distant horizon.
At that moment, Su Mixin decisively changed her sword finger and flew back to her side.
He slapped his storage bag with his left hand, and three talismans flew out, transforming into three firebirds that shot towards the giant crocodile's gaping maw.
This is the Firebird Talisman, a high-level, basic fire-type attack talisman. Its power is immense, comparable to a full-force attack from a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Bang bang bang!"
The giant crocodile managed to close its massive jaws in time, but the firebird struck its beak, and the explosion still caused scales to shatter and blood to fly everywhere.
The giant crocodile, in pain, roared again, causing waves to surge and its blood to stain a small patch of the river red.
Its eyes were bloodshot, and its fierce aura filled the sky.
The next moment, the giant crocodile bent its back, its head turned downwards and wrapped around its body. A breath later, the giant crocodile's huge tail slammed into the water, and a huge wave rose up.
In an instant, the giant crocodile leaped towards Su Mixin, who was dozens of meters away in mid-air.
Clearly, this crocodile demon, enraged, had abandoned its feint and was preparing for a close-quarters, desperate fight.
At this moment, Lu Xin and Li Chongyue, who were far away, changed their expressions drastically and transformed into streaks of light, rapidly approaching the battlefield. They realized that the situation was extremely dangerous.
Su Mixin didn't have time to dodge; she only retreated a few meters before the giant crocodile was already in front of her.
The next instant, the crocodile demon's massive jaws snapped down.
"clang!"
The Blue Nether Shield lived up to its name as a top-tier defensive magic weapon, successfully blocking the attack.
The wound on the crocodile's mouth was clearly also causing it considerable pain due to the recoil.
"roar!"
With another roar, the giant crocodile once again adopted the posture it used when leaping out of the river.
Crouching and rolling, the giant crocodile swung its tail, its massive tail slamming violently into the blue shield and the blue light barrier it formed.
In an instant, Su Mixin felt a sweet taste in her throat, her spiritual energy surged throughout her body, and her internal organs seemed to shift under the impact.
The crocodile's eyes showed surprise.
The blue round shield still firmly guarded Su Mixin's body.
Su Mixin suppressed her discomfort and kept her mind clear.
The next moment, a white mirror appeared in Su Mixin's left palm.
The replica of the Miro Illusion Mirror emitted a radiating, cone-shaped beam of light that enveloped the Gray Scale Hidden Abyss Crocodile.
In an instant, the giant crocodile stood frozen in mid-air, its eyes glazed over, before plummeting into the river.
Su Mixin didn't let this opportunity pass, and her right hand, sword-finger, unleashed a torrent of spiritual energy.
The Nine Mystic Sword Shuttle beside him separated into nine flying swords, which shot towards the giant crocodile's eyes.
"Pfft!" The first flying sword successfully pierced the left eye.
In an instant, the giant crocodile, in pain, successfully broke free from the control of the illusionary artifact and suddenly rolled its body.
The subsequent sword strikes all landed on the thick scales, failing to achieve their intended purpose.
However, a sword piercing deep into the eye socket was enough.
Su Mixin made a hand seal, and the flying sword that had pierced the crocodile's eye quickly swirled, plunging deeper into the crocodile's eye before being pulled out suddenly. Together with the other eight flying swords, they gathered in mid-air to form a shuttle, flying back to his side.
The massive body of the Grayscale Hidden Abyss Crocodile crashed onto the river surface, creating waves tens of meters high.
Demon blood gushed from the left eye socket, and the wound in the crocodile's mouth was also slowly bleeding, staining a patch of the river red.
The giant crocodile was in excruciating pain, constantly emitting mournful growls as its massive body writhed in the river.
"Their vitality is truly amazing!"
Seeing this, Su Mixin, who was in mid-air, sighed inwardly.
Calmly retrieve all the magical artifacts.
After more than twenty breaths, the river finally quieted down, and the huge corpse of the Grayscale Hidden Abyss Crocodile floated on the surface of the water.
At this moment, Lu Xin and Li Chongyue had already arrived beside Su Mixin.
Lu Xin said with admiration, "Young Master's combat talent is truly amazing. He was able to defeat this demonic beast, whose combat power is no less than that of an ordinary late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, on his first encounter with it."
Li Chongyue nodded repeatedly, praising, "When Elder Lu and I saw the situation was dangerous, we couldn't help but want to take action, but we didn't expect that the young master would turn the tide so easily in an instant."
Su Mixin slowly shook her head and said, "It's just because the magic weapon is powerful."
He knew in his heart that his performance in this battle was full of flaws and was truly ugly.
Li Chongyue's smile was somewhat awkward, as if his attempt to flatter had backfired.
Lu Xin, however, remained calm.
Su Mixin flew towards the corpse of the Gray Scale Hidden Abyss Crocodile, and after a few breaths, she stood suspended in mid-air above the river.
Then the body was carefully placed into a storage bag.
With Lu and Li nearby, it was really inappropriate to use the World Ring.
It was getting late, and the sun was about to set completely.
The three chose to return directly to their temporary cave dwelling.
At night, Su Mixin sat cross-legged on a futon in her quiet room.
Feng Hou was showing Su Mixin the footage she had scanned and filmed with her divine sense during the day of the battle between Su Mixin and the Gray Scale Hidden Abyss Crocodile.
"Feng Hou, what's your assessment of this battle?"
A cool, clear voice echoed in the quiet room: "Master, there are many areas for improvement in this battle."
"The Grayscale Hidden Abyss Crocodile is enormous. Its body is covered in scales, making it extremely sturdy and powerful in close combat."
"The long-range water arrows it spits out should not be underestimated."
"Its main weakness lies in the reduced agility and slow movement caused by its massive size."
"It is recommended to control the situation first, and then launch a full-scale attack on the eyes, the inside of the crocodile's mouth, and the lower abdomen in order to achieve victory in a short period of time."
Su Mixin nodded slowly. There were too many areas where he needed to improve in this battle.
Firstly, in the initial encounter, he decisively defended against the sneak attack and created distance by moving upwards, which was a very correct choice.
However, his subsequent counterattack was completely misguided. Whether it was the Nine Mystic Sword Shuttle attacking the scales or the Firebird Talisman attacking the crocodile's mouth, it was all in vain.
Although the Firebird Talisman inflicted some damage, it only fueled the opponent's ferocity, causing them to recklessly charge forward and fight to the death.
He was able to block the attack and seize the opportunity to counterattack entirely because of the advantage of his magical artifact.
If it weren't for the fact that the Blue Nether Shield was crafted with the specifications of a magic weapon, its power would be extraordinary.
An ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator would have been destroyed and killed long ago by the giant crocodile's two close-range attacks.
His correct choice would have been to create distance and then unleash an ice-attribute area-of-effect attack talisman to further restrict the giant crocodile's movements.
Then, the Miro Mirror artifact seized the opportunity to control the crocodile, and launched a fierce attack on its weak points, such as its eyes and the inside of its mouth, thus taking the crocodile's life.
"Although this battle was dangerous, I also gained a lot!"
Su Mixin was quite satisfied with this. Only by accumulating more combat experience could she grow steadily and make up for her shortcomings.