Chapter 20: United Against a Common Enemy

Although Song Junyu appeared battered and bruised, her internal injuries had been mostly mended by the power of the Profound Gate. With a nimble flip, she dodged the incoming attack.

She stood up quietly and turned her gaze toward the intruder. If Wang Xinglong, whom she had met earlier, was somewhat arrogant and debauched, he was merely a minor annoyance compared to the man before her.

The man exuded an overbearing aura, his chin held high, his nose arched, and his eyes rimmed with a faint, dark bruise. At a single glance, he appeared malicious and petty, even looking down at people through his nostrils. In his hand, he gripped a massive axe, upon which a lifelike serpent-beast was coiled.

Song Junyu narrowed her eyes, her body tensing as she prepared to engage.

"Hey, are you deaf? Can't you hear me talking to you?"

"Whoosh—" Before he could receive a response, he was sent flying by a silver spear that suddenly pierced the air.

Song Junyu turned her head in surprise to see Lu Ling standing not far away with a cold expression.

"Zhao Sui, every word out of your mouth is utter filth. It’s a pity for your brother, who is actually known as a man of integrity."

"Lu Ling? You bitch, you're here too?"

Song Junyu, already harboring cold intent due to the man's arrogance, felt a flash of killing intent at such insulting words. Her hands moved in an instant. Golden lightning transformed into a long, powerful arrow, tearing through the air and heading straight for Zhao Sui’s throat.

The latter, never expecting such a sudden attack, scrambled to dodge but still suffered a deep gash on his forearm. Blood poured out instantly.

Lu Ling looked over, her eyes filled not just with surprise, but with delight. She had not expected that the teammate she had chosen on a whim would be so decisive and ruthless.

Zhao Sui was a genuine lowlife. Everyone who had offended him and been marked by him had ended up crippled, missing limbs. Very well, perhaps the two of them could deal with this piece of filth after all!

Song Junyu lowered her eyes, her voice chillingly cold. "Clean up your mouth."

"Otherwise..." She lifted her face slightly, her narrow eyes gleaming with unmasked murderous intent. "Even if it violates the sect's rules, I will ensure your bones rot into the soil right here."

Zhao Sui was no good man. Relying on his cultivation at the eighth level of Qi Refining, he had already committed countless underhanded, evil deeds. Within the outer sect, any female disciple who had recently arrived and lacked the protection of senior brothers or sisters had inevitably fallen victim to him. Backed by powerful connections, he acted with complete impunity. Now, being threatened by the very prey he had targeted, his rage and resentment surged uncontrollably.

Zhao Sui’s eyes glinted with cruelty. His gaunt face took on a serpentine coldness as he stared at Song Junyu. After a moment, he smiled eerily. "Very well. Today, I’ll use you as a meal to feed my treasure."

Song Junyu sneered. "Is that so?"

Before he knew it, over a dozen needles formed from golden lightning had appeared behind Zhao Sui, hovering just inches from his hair. A single movement would be enough to pierce his skull!

In the crisis, Zhao Sui bellowed, "Mantuo!"

The axe in his hand began to swell in size. The snake head on the weapon suddenly opened two amber eyes and detached itself from the axe in an instant!

In the next moment, Song Junyu’s sky-full of golden lightning needles were scattered by the strange beast.

Song Junyu was not overly surprised. After all, someone who could cultivate to this level shouldn't be so easily finished in one move. However, the beast did possess considerable power. It was likely that a spirit beast capable of fusing with a weapon was no simple matter.

As the beast landed on the ground, it was revealed to be a strange creature with a snake's head and a bull's body.

Lu Ling gasped.

"It seems we've truly provoked this bastard," Lu Ling said in a low, rapid voice. "This serpent-beast is powerful and highly toxic. Its full-force attack is comparable to the Foundation Establishment stage. We must split up and be extremely careful."

Song Junyu’s expression turned colder, and she nodded. A Foundation Establishment practitioner, combined with an eighth-level Qi Refiner, was indeed a tricky situation. But though she kept a low profile, it did not mean she would let such human refuse provoke her!

The air grew heavy and cold. The Mantuo serpent-beast let out a strange, bovine-like cry. Zhao Sui scanned the two women with a viscous, disgusting gaze.

"Looking at your delicate skin and tender flesh, I suppose you don't know the rules of the outer sect."

"How about this: if you bow your heads and call me 'brother,' and serve me as my handmaidens afterward, perhaps I can spare you."

"What do you say?"

Lu Ling, already burning with rage, lunged forward with her spear at such insults and snapped, "If a piece of trash like you can live in this world, you should be thanking the heavens for letting you keep your dog's life!"

Zhao Sui’s face twisted with venomous fury at the insult. He waved his arm, shrieking, "Mantuo, tear them apart!"

The power of a Foundation Establishment practitioner was not to be underestimated. A single strike from the Mantuo serpent-beast cracked the ground between them.

Song Junyu and Lu Ling quickly dodged, pressing their backs together.

"Lu Ling, please provide cover," Song Junyu whispered.

"Understood."

Having reached an agreement, Song Junyu broke away without hesitation and retreated. Lu Ling remained alone, facing Zhao Sui as he swung his axe with the serpent-beast, the overwhelming force crushing down.

He looked down at her from above, his eyes full of the amusement of someone playing with prey. "Oh, your dear sister has run away."

Lu Ling was not shaken in the slightest. Her eyes were clear and spirited. She gathered her strength to block the most lethal attack, letting the scattered force slice her cheek and draw thin, dense lines of blood. She looked up and retorted, "What do you know, you skinny stick?"

"I haven't bothered to talk to you because I didn't want to vomit up my meals. It would be a waste of the money I spent on food these past few days!"

Zhao Sui was further enraged, his eyes bloodshot. His twisted, venomous face contorted in anger as he pressed down with his arm, unleashing a fierce blow.

"Die! I will grind you into paste!"

The crushing force shattered the air, making it feel almost impossible to breathe.

Lu Ling lifted her face. She might not be able to withstand this blow. But she could not leave her sister’s vengeance unavenged. If she backed down now, she would never be able to face her sister again! Even if it meant death, she would burn her soul to drag him down to hell—

"Heh."

A calm, mocking laugh pierced the scorched air in that very instant.

"A rat from the gutter using a snake-headed beast, and you think you're the king of the mountain?"