Li Tianjue held the soft jade and warm fragrance in his embrace, but had no mind to think further. He severed the attacking roots while asking Su Luo, "Have you seen enough? Is there anything else to note about this willow spirit?"
Su Luo answered honestly, "Nothing for now."
The next moment, Li Tianjue leaped back, setting Su Luo down thirty zhang away from the willow spirit, then rushed forward again, officially engaging it in battle.
Lu Jixing's pressure immediately lessened, and his movements became even faster.
Su Luo remained stunned for a long while before coming to her senses. She had actually been looked down upon!
‘Insufficient cultivation, yet you still try to show off, utterly fearless, only dragging others down!’ Su Luo could almost imagine Li Tianjue thinking this internally.
If it were her past life, how could she have just watched without being able to help!
Su Luo knew that with her current cultivation of Xuan Tian Master First Tier, she was indeed no match for the Thousand Poison Granny possessing the willow. However, she had cultivated quite rapidly, considering it had only been less than half a year. If it were anyone else, they would probably still be struggling in the Xuan Master cultivation realm.
To deal with the Thousand Poison Granny, she naturally had other methods.
Su Luo walked to a safe distance, waiting patiently.
The Thousand Poison Granny attacked with full force. The willow's branches were already scorched and nearly bare. The roots filling the sky danced like demons, the wind whistling. She had used her ultimate moves; otherwise, she might have been killed by Li Tianjue and Lu Jixing in the next moment.
The entire cliff face was a mess. The small thatched hut had long since collapsed.
Roots as thick as human bodies continuously arched up, kicking up soil and splashing it everywhere. They lashed out like whips, then transformed into sharp thorns, fiercely piercing towards the two.
Li Tianjue’s long sword was exceptionally sharp. With a flash of white light, even the thickest roots were easily severed. The Thousand Poison Granny trembled with pain, roaring incessantly, her shrieks seeming to pierce the heavens.
Lu Jixing no longer used poison pills or powders. With serious attacks, his methods were not much weaker than Li Tianjue’s.
With one sword strike, thunder flickered. If the Thousand Poison Granny had not quickly blocked with her roots, her face might have been blown away.
"So Senior Brother Three is also this formidable," Su Luo exclaimed in surprise.
With profound cultivation and excellent techniques, why did he spend his days tinkering with such unorthodox poison arts?
Su Luo decided that she must have a good talk with Senior Brother Three to 'return to the right path' when she had the chance.
Li Tianjue and Lu Jixing’s battle became smoother. They had already stripped the great willow bare, and the severed roots were piled high on the ground.
The Thousand Poison Granny also knew her life was at stake. With a high-pitched shriek, the entire body of the great willow began to shake, throwing up a large amount of soil from underground. Along with dozens of zhang of roots, it completely emerged from the earth.
A faint spiritual light illuminated the massive trunk. A surge of immense energy passed through the bark, making the entire willow glow.
The Thousand Poison Granny, with the willow she possessed, had all her root systems detached from the ground. She shrieked maniacally, as if foreshadowing something. Her bark-like face contorted and changed, ugly and terrifying.
On the trunk, Chu Tianshu’s face also showed a pained expression.
Disaster! This old demoness was accelerating the refinement of Second Brother!
It had come to a desperate moment. Even the Thousand Poison Granny had not initially expected to attract a powerful enemy like Li Tianjue. To survive, she spared no expense of her vital blood, wanting to immediately refine the powerful cultivator within her.
Su Luo’s eyes sharpened. She could not delay any longer.
Feng Shen Jue!
To save Chu Tianshu, she did not hesitate to expend half a month of her lifespan, unleashing her strongest trump card.
The next moment, the rampaging roots in the sky froze.
As if time had stopped, they all remained suspended in mid-air, unmoving. Even the Thousand Poison Granny’s shriek abruptly ceased. Her old face was still in a twisted, open-mouthed pose, and her yellow, rotten teeth were visible, stunning Lu Jixing.
What was happening?
"Senior Brother, quickly!" Su Luo urged, enduring the emptiness of her spiritual power being drained.
Li Tianjue instantly reacted. She had used that move again.
Supernatural, leaving no trace.
After a moment of stunned silence, Li Tianjue acted without hesitation.
A sliver of crescent moonlight illuminated from his sword, cool as frost, radiating killing intent.
The thick roots were cleanly severed. The sword's aura transformed into flowing light, turning them into dust that scattered on the ground. In the end, only a bare trunk stood there, its cut as smooth as a mirror.
If Chu Tianshu were not still inside, Li Tianjue’s move would have destroyed the trunk as well.
Li Tianjue, holding his sword, unleashed his full aura, with killing intent permeating the air, as he walked to the willow trunk. He looked at the Thousand Poison Granny’s face, which had recovered, and understood that Su Luo had withdrawn her secret technique.
With such terrifying power, it could render any strong expert helpless in an instant. How had Su Luo achieved this?
Li Tianjue did not know, but he raised his Cold Light White Feather Sword.
"Kill or not?" he asked.
Huh?
What was Senior Brother saying?
Lu Jixing, standing beside him, thought Li Tianjue was asking him and nodded subconsciously, "Kill, of course, we kill."
A weak voice came from behind, "Stab her between the eyebrows."
Su Luo slowly walked over. Her already limited spiritual energy had been completely depleted after using Feng Shen Jue. If not for her concern for Chu Tianshu's safety, she would have loved to lie on the ground and sleep immediately.
"Be careful not to let your sword energy leak. This old demoness and the willow are in a possessed state. Inside her are Second Brother and several other cultivators she has harmed," Su Luo explained, then sat down on a large root to catch her breath.
Lu Jixing then realized that Senior Brother was speaking to Junior Sister.
And Junior Sister actually knew more than he did!
Li Tianjue nodded, pointing the tip of the Cold Light White Feather Sword at the Thousand Poison Granny's bark-like brow.
She cried out in terror, "You dare! I am one of the Eight Envoys of the Dark Demon Ridge..."
*Chih!*
Before she could finish, Li Tianjue had already pierced her brow with his sword.
Blood splattered out.
The Thousand Poison Granny’s eyes widened, dying with unfulfilled grievances.
Li Tianjue indifferently drew his long sword. The blade remained unstained by blood, flowing smoothly to the ground.
Su Luo said again, "Peel away the bark carefully, and you can rescue Second Brother." She was so tired. Finally, feeling a little better, she quickly took out a spirit recovery pill and let its medicinal effects slowly unfold.
Li Tianjue said indifferently, "Jixing, do it."
Lu Jixing was stunned, then reacted, quickly raising his long sword and, like chopping firewood, carefully peeled open the thick trunk bit by bit. Throughout the process, he was extremely cautious, afraid of harming Chu Tianshu inside.
Half an hour later, he rescued the unconscious Chu Tianshu from the belly of the great willow.
The Thousand Poison Granny, with a pierced brow, was dead. She was a hunched, old woman with grey hair and wrinkled skin. Also present were three cultivators who had died earlier, all outer disciples of Qingxu Heaven.