Chapter 20

As they stood in front of the entrance, Rong Yuhang waved his new fan in front view with the words 'See but Cannot Touch'.

Elder Ji saluted in front of Rong Yuhang with a polite gesture as if expecting his presence. "It is a pleasant surprise to see your royal highness the seventh prince to come to this occasion."

The group of people in the same group as Rong Yuhang, heard elder Ji's words, had their mouth gaped wide in horror and shock, backing away several steps, building a boundary between them.

Luo Mingli lips curved but was brought down just as quickly, amusement in his eyes at their reactions. Rong Yuhang smiled meaninglessly at Elder Ji and asked, "Elder Ji has been sent by the emperor this time?"

Elder Ji's expression remained unchanged. "I have been chosen to be in charge for this year's opening."

"So all of our safety is rest assured on Elder Ji's shoulders." A flicker passed like the wind through Rong Yuhang's eyes as they narrowed into a blossoming flower.

Elder Ji couldn't decipher the meanings behind his words and could only reply."Yes. Your highness."

As he said that, Rong Yuhang looked at Luo Mingli with a faint expression. "Let's see how long you can last."

Luo Mingli deigned not to speak, only waiting for Rong Yuhang to move. Rong Yuhang chuckled at his behaviour and walked to the barrier, bringing out a silver plaque and walked inside with Luo Mingli.

... ...

When they arrived, Rong Yuhang didn't even have to open his eyes as his senses had already alerted him of an incoming attack. Holding Luo Mingli with his other hand, Rong Yuhang waved his right hand out and parried the strike with his palms, a clash of strength sent the entire air rumbling.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a large slithering creature about a hundred metres tall.

The creature raised its head, revealing two, long, sharp fangs at the front; drops of venom splattered to the ground, a sizzling sound with smoke flying into the air. A spine shivering "hiss" sounded, echoing through the walls and back.

Rong Yuhang parried the snake's tail, flying a few feet back at the malicious onslaught, with not even a moment to adapt to his new circumstances, Rong Yuhang could only passively defend.

Luo Mingli was held tightly, some lingering dizziness at the transition between the realms, now furthered by the rapid movements, leaving him no chance to get an understanding of the current events.

The damp, dark cave spanned a few miles. The ceiling was relatively high, but the darkness looming over the space was like a cloak for the large snake who's long figure blended in seamlessly.

Rong Yuhang finally adjusted to the darkness but was still at a disadvantage. Each strike was ruthless and the jagged spikes on the tail were sharp and vicious. In just a few moments, Rong Yuhang's sleeve had been grazed into a ragged piece of cloth. Another hiss sounded as Rong Yuhang distanced himself.

In that instant, a myriad of hisses reverberated throughout the cave, increasing in volume, as if mixing together to create a symphony.

"The walls are moving." Luo Mingli spoke.

Rong Yuhang had to split his consciousness between defending and surverying. He dodged the spit of venom, fanning a breath of wind.

Luo Mingli's vision blurred but he remained calm, examining the walls very carefully before shouting, "Turn left."

Rong Yuhang decisively turned, his right foot pressed down, cracking the ground before lifting off. In that moment, both of them witnessed a mass of snakes launch themselves in the same position they had previously been in, and the venom which he had been dodging had covered the entire area, like a spray, the entire pile of snakes hissed in pain before melting into a pile of mush.

Regulating his spiritual energy, Rong Yuhang used his qinggong and stepped on the ground for a split second before dashing through the air like a waltz in the clouds, slowly yet quickly making his way to the large snake.

His moves were very fluid, even while carrying baggage, the gracefulness couldn't be concealed. Taking the fan from his sleeves, he waved it with steady motion.

The giant snake wasn't idle, its large body slithered, small tremors visible from the falling dust on the ceiling. Its head charged at Rong Yuhang, mouth agape, ready to swallow them both whole.

The entire mouth was soaked in venomous secretions. A single drop would burn the flesh down to the bones until they melted.

They clashed in a storm of violent wind, their spiritual energy colliding frantically, trying to overtake the other.

Rong Yuhang dodged with meticulous yet unpredictable movements, his steps had no wasted movements as he brandished his fan down.

He aimed at the snake's softer flesh as its black scales were too hard, a simple attack wouldn't be able to graze it at all. He took a moment to step back and dropped Luo Mingli down.

"You're going to have to protect yourself." Rong Yuhang didn't even wait for any words to be spoken before he shoved a bracelet in Luo Mingli's hand and jumped back into action.

The consistent hissings rang in his mind, but Luo Mingli remained calm. He put the bracelet on and took a small punch out from his lapel before sprinkling it into the air.

The snakes didn't know what he was doing but since there was such a weak and easy pray, it wasn't going to let it go. They charged at Luo Mingli, revealing their fangs in preparation to sink them into his skin.

Not a ripple fluctuated in Luo Mingli's eyes, his gaze deep and calculative. By the time the snake arrived, he took one step forward, seemingly inviting himself into the predator's den, further exciting the creature as they clamped down with its jaws.

"Ri-p!"

Stunned, the snake didn't feel any of the soft, meaty sensation it had expected. Their head curved to see Luo Mingli standing just a few centimetres away.

There was only a ripped piece of fabric in its mouth, slowly melting due to the acidic venom while Luo Mingli stood there unaffected, his white, slender arm was left in the open. The snake spat the fabric out and brandished its fangs once again, lunging in an attempt to succeed but was deftly avoided again.

However, it wasn't the only one who wanted a bite of flesh. Luo Mingli had been surrounded by a flurry of hungry snakes, slithering around his body in a suspenseful yet predatory gaze.

Luo Mingli's concentration continued, even increasing in focus, taking single steps and shifting his body and limbs between intervals with extreme precision, allowing for no mistakes.

He breathlessly maneuvered past the snakes' attacks, taking into each account and even pitting them against each other, watching as they aim their own fangs in a vain attempt to rip his body apart and devour him.

Within a few minutes, Luo Mingli was already breathing heavily. However, it didn't stop the smile forming on his face. He raised his arm and from his palm, a small glowing rock was dropped in front of him and landed on the floor with a 'patta' sound.

Then, he flexed his fingers in a fluid and smooth motion with extreme familiarity and speed into a set of signs. Suddenly, the ground below the snakes glowed and a stream of light connected to each other where other rocks were present, slowly revealing a formation.

As if stunned in place, the snakes which wanted to go after Luo Mingli no longer moved, remaining in awkward positions. Then, a surging pain seemed to crawl into their body as wailings and painful hisses echoed through the cave.

The seemingly steel-like scales began to chip, scratched apart and unhinged, blood trickled down the scales and one by one, the long reptiles fell to the ground in a spasming manner.

No matter how much they moved, they couldn't resist the intangible force binding them and slowly entered an eternal slumber. The surrounding snakes saw this and no longer approached reecklessly, staying outside the boundary yet their gazes never once left the weak figure in the middle.

Luo Mingli sighed and sat on the ground, he looked to Rong Yuhang's direction and waited for his battle to end, closing his eyes to rest.

… ...

Clashes resounded.

Rong Yuhang continuously formed wind blades, aiming them under the scales one after another while the snake's razor-like tail thrashed Rong Yuhang in a violent manner.

During the time Luo Mingli was fighting, the two had already clashed over a hundred times within a span of ten minutes.

Cuts and injuries formed on the scales of the snake while Rong Yuhang remained spotless and clean. It was evident on who had the advantage now.

As Rong Yuhang got closer, the giant snake began frantic attacks in an attempt to push the distance, using its long body to its advantage, Rong Yuhang had to constantly dodge both the slamming force and the venom it would discharge from time to time.

The fan was waved numerous times, swerving the attacks while propelling Rong Yuhang forwards. Using the large size of the beast, he stepped on its body, reaching closer and closer to its head.

The snake seemed to be aggravated at being used and rushed at Rong Yuhang with his fangs dripping in venom, creating a spectacle of a dragon and a human dance.

Rong Yuhang was not impatient, steadily and lightly twisting his body as he backflipped in the air, his body above the top of the snake's head and with a rush of spiritual energy, Rong Yuhang headed straight to the snake's mouth.

The fan in his hand had been thrown away, replaced with a long, thin sword. He grasped it tightly while thrusting it forwards. A violent surge of spiritual energies sent the entire cave into a shaking tremor, the area shook uncontrollably.

Suddenly, a piercingly shrill hiss sent the entire cave into a collapse. The smaller snakes with lower cultivation backed away in fright.

The large snake howled in frenzied pain. Rong Yuhang was calm in the heart. Gripping the sword tighter, the force behind it was equivalent to a mountain and the sword was shoved deeper between the eyes.

His eyes gleamed with ruthlessness for a moment as an arrogant smile fitted across his face. At that moment, Rong Yuhang's body emitted a purplish spark in the air and swirled around his arms before plunging straight into the sword, a flash of sparks flying.

Reacting, the snake's body convulsed and screeched at a decimal detrimental to the ears, ramming its head into the walls of the cave. Rong Yuhang didn't let go and instead, plunged the blade deeper and using it like an extended part of his limbs, he exploded his spiritual energy inside, a loud crackling sounded before he let go of the sword and backed away several metres, landing on the ground with light steps.

The howling ceased and the large body that looked like it would never stop moving suddenly froze, before flopping to the ground limply.

Rong Yuhang didn't even give it another glance, knowing it was dead already as he expanded his spiritual consciousness and pinpointed Luo Mingli's location. When he came over, he pressured the straggling snakes with his cultivation, making them flee and lit a spark in his palm. There, he saw the teenager's appearance who appeared even more fragile than the first time they had met.

Luo Mingli's face was pale and bloodless, appearing even whiter than a sheet of paper; the sweat on his forehead rolled down his jawline with his body drenched in sweat looking like he would fall from a single blow of the wind. The trembling through his lips could be faintly seen as he tried to steady his breathing.

When he felt Rong Yuhang's presence, he opened his eyes slowly and moved the spiritual stone half a step away from its original position, disabling the array. "Your highness is finished?"

"Does it look like I would take forever to kill some reptile?" It only took him around 15 minutes. He took a glance at the carcasses around the floor and kicked them out of the way. "It seems you're not as useless as the rumours tell."

Luo Mingli stood up and walked to the direction of the large snake while asking, "What is your highness planning to do with the corpse?"

"You want it?" He asked back.

Luo Mingli didn't refute. "The corpse of a demonic beast is very useful. "

Rong Yuhang looked at the corpse and took a Qiankun pouch out and threw it at Luo Mingli while walking away with careless yet graceful steps. "Take what you want. It's a grade 5, soul condensation realm beast so it should be worth something."

"Your highness is quite unlucky to come across a grade 5 demonic beast as soon as we entered the secret realm." While Luo Mingli was talking, he was also stuffing the corpse into the pouch before making his way over to Rong Yuhang.

"Who said I'm unlucky? Counting you along, isn't it more likely for you to bring me such terrible luck?" Rong Yuhang retorted.

"Then we can count this as both of us having terrible luck." In the end, Luo Mingli compromised and gave a small smile.

But a certain prince didn't want to compromise and arrogantly claimed, "No, it's thanks to my luck that it had just reached the fifth grade and its foundation was still unstable so it was much easier to kill."

Rong Yuhang was also at the early condensation realm but his base was solid and there wasn't much trouble dealing with anything on the same realm as him as he was more experienced and knowledgeable than his previous life.

" Then your highness has luck reaching the heavens to bestow us a condensation realm demonic beast which hadn't yet consolidated its realm." Luo Mingli sang his praise with no emotion.

Since there was such a powerful beast living here, that must mean some valuable herbs or treasure may be around.

Rong Yuhang didn't even need to lift a finger as he swept his spiritual consciousness, locating any unusual spiritual energy in the area. Using his spiritual energy, he dug around the herbs, taking a block of dirt with it in front of Luo Mingli. It was quick, crude and simple.

Examining it, Luo Mingli identified them based on the descriptions in the novel. There were two types of herbs, the first was the yellow flower with purple tips that pointed outwards and its effects were detoxifying poison while it's roots were poisonous so if the flower was damaged while handling, it would turn the entire flower poisonous.

The other was a muddy green moss that was highly toxic and had no uses other than to poison others in bad taste. Luo Mingli was satisfied with the haul and put them inside the qiankun pouch.

As they walked through the tunnels, Rong Yuhang blinked his eyes, yawning and looked at Luo Mingli inquisitively. "To be able to kill so many snakes when your body is nothing but a waste, you are quite talented. Why don't you tell me your secret to relieve my boredom?"

Although he hadn't looked properly, he had sharp eyesight and saw the spiritual stones placed in specific areas, forming an array. He wasn't a master at arrays and formations but he had seen and dealt with some before so he could tell Luo Mingli had created an array.

"What array is that?" He continued asking, tone lithed with teasing and casual.

"Answering to your highness, it is merely an offensive array used to attack enemies with spiritual energy condensed into sword strikes." As for how the snakes had been frozen stiff, they had been paralysed from the poison Luo Mingli had sprinkled into the air at the very beginning, but he wasn't going to tell Rong Yuhang that.

" An array doesn't need to have the user to have a cultivation base as there are other alternatives for providing spiritual energy." Luo Mingli explained, giving him a plain smile.

Rong Yuhang laughed, opening his fan in front of his face. " It's a pity you can't cultivate. Come, I'll keep you and hold you like a treasure by my side."

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