Proving God begins with the principle that no effort is wasted.

Chapter 86 Evil

First came a fishy stench, so strong it was like a bucket of rotten meat had been poured over it.

Immediately following, the water surface exploded with a roar, and a giant, jet-black python burst through the water and soared into the air. Its head was as big as a fist, and its menacing fangs gleamed with a cold blue light. Its ferocious aura instantly filled the entire pool area.

Everyone was shocked and was about to retreat, but their eyes all fell on the roots of the dead tree where the giant python was coiled.

A warm, jade-like light pierced through the poisonous fog!

It is a nine-leaf jade lingzhi.

With all nine leaves complete and radiating spiritual light, it is a rare and precious natural treasure that can cleanse the meridians, dispel evil influences, and help cultivators break through their cultivation realms.

In an instant, all the fear in everyone's hearts was crushed by greed.

Deacon Li's eyes burned, and his breathing became rapid. Zhou Heng, Xu Ling, and the others stared intently at the Ganoderma lucidum.

No one fears the poison of the pool anymore, and no one dreads the ferocious python.

An extraordinary opportunity is right before one's eyes, enough to make one take risks and be fearless of death.

The entire arena was in a frenzy, everyone was restless, and all they wanted was to work together to slay the demonic beast and seize the elixir.

Jiang Lan, however, stood at the very edge of the crowd, her mind sinking to the bottom.

Its power far exceeds the limits that it can cope with.

Jiang Lan quietly took three steps back, silently pressing her left hand against the hidden weapon pouch. Her eyes were cold and deep, and she remained on guard the entire time, not daring to relax for a moment.

With a swipe of its tail, the person closest to it was sent flying before they could even scream, crashing into a dead tree.

"Back off! Get out of the way!" Deacon Li's voice changed.

Jiang Lan had already retreated. The moment the venomous python emerged from the water, he took three steps back and pressed his left hand against his hidden weapon pouch.

Zhou Heng drew his sword and stepped forward. With a flash of light, the sword struck the python's body, leaving only a white mark without breaking any scales.

The venomous python turned its head in pain and spat out a mouthful of venom. Zhou Heng dodged quickly, and the venom splashed onto the rock behind him, hissing and smoking.

Deacon Li took a deep breath, his palms turning yellow as he unleashed his full power from the initial stage of Qi Condensation, striking the side of the python's head with one palm.

The python's head was jolted to the side, and then its tail swept across. Deacon Li had no time to dodge and was struck in the side, letting out a muffled groan as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"Don't fight head-on! Shoot him in the eye!"

Xu Ling flanked from the side, her short knife aimed straight at the python's eye. The venomous python turned its head, the blade slicing across its scales, sparks flying.

Xu Ling used the momentum to flip backward and landed on the water's edge.

Jiang Lan stood on the outer edge, two bone-piercing needles between her fingers. The venomous python was large with thick scales, so the bone-piercing needles were useless against its body; they could only be used to target its eyes and vital spot.

The python twisted, and the scales at its seven-inch mark were briefly revealed as it churned. Jiang Lan flicked his wrist, and two needles shot out simultaneously.

The first needle struck a scale seven inches below the skin and bounced off. The second needle pierced through a gap in the scale and went three inches into the flesh.

The venomous python, in pain, suddenly raised its head, exposing its vital spot!

Zhou Heng seized the opportunity, thrusting his longsword seven inches deep, all the way to the hilt. The venomous python struggled a few times before crashing into the water, splashing water a meter high.

Deacon Li, clutching his aching back, his lips pale, asked, "Dead?"

Zhou Heng drew his sword; the blood was black. He nodded.

Jiang Lan didn't look at the python's carcass; his gaze swept across the reeds. The water was calm, showing no signs of anything amiss. But just before the venomous python emerged from the water, he had heard a faint sound coming from the reeds.

"A miraculous medicine!" Xu Ling rushed towards the roots of the dead tree. The nine-leaf jade lingzhi was still there, its leaves glowing slightly, its roots embedded in the dead tree, like a flowing jade.

Deacon Li followed, taking a jade shovel from his backpack. Just as he bent down—

"laugh."

A streak of dark light shot out from the reeds and embedded itself in the mud three inches in front of Deacon Li's feet. It was an iron arrow, its fletching still trembling.

"Who?!" Zhou Heng's sword was already drawn.

The reeds parted, and seven people emerged. The leader was a towering man with a scar across his face running from his left forehead to his right cheek; his nose was split in two, the stitches resembling a centipede crawling across his face.

Youzhanglou, the leader of the Seven Fiends, Tu Kui, mid-stage of Condensing Strength.

The six people behind him all possessed the aura of the early stage of Qi Condensation, and their eyes were cold.

The seventh brother, Wu Shi, walked at the back, carrying a pair of Fen Shui Emei daggers.

"I've been waiting for this elixir to mature for three months," he said, his voice low and sharp, like a stone grinding against another stone. "I was planning to come back in a few more days to collect it, but you've cleared the place out for me."

Deacon Li's face turned deathly pale, and he took a step back. "You Youlan Tower... how dare you enter our Daishan Sect's territory?"

Tu Kui did not answer; he took a step forward. Just one step, and he was in front of Deacon Li.

His right fist, enveloped in black energy, was unleashed with a powerful punch!

Deacon Li crossed his palms to block. Fist and palm collided, and the sound of bones cracking rang out. Deacon Li was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing through three dead trees and landing in the muddy water, blood gushing from his mouth and nose. He struggled for a moment but couldn't get up.

Zhou Heng gritted his teeth and thrust his longsword toward Tu Kui's back. Tu Kui didn't even turn his head; he grabbed the blade with his left hand and twisted it. The sword broke, and Zhou Heng was thrown away, crashing to Xu Ling's feet, his right arm broken, his face deathly pale.

Xu Ling's lips trembled. She glanced at Zhou Heng on the ground, then at Deacon Li in the distance, and finally looked at Jiang Lan.

"Let's go!" she shouted, turning and running away first.

Jiang Lan was already running. He was retreating when the venomous python died, and by the time Tu Kui appeared, he had already retreated to the water's edge. When Xu Ling shouted "Retreat!", he had already stepped into the water.

Xu Ling brushed past him, muttering, "You sure run fast!"

"Chase them! Don't let a single one escape!" Tu Kui ordered.

The second, third, and fourth brothers pounced on Xu Ling and Zhou Heng. The fifth and sixth brothers pounced on Steward Li. The seventh brother, Wu Shi, glanced around, then set his sights on Jiang Lan, and chased after them with his Emei dagger in hand.

Xu Ling's right arm was struck by the second brother's palm, and with a crack, the bone broke. She groaned, and with her left hand, she pulled a yellow talisman from her bosom and slapped it at the second brother's face. The second brother instinctively closed his eyes, the talisman exploded, and a ball of fire forced him back. Xu Ling took the opportunity to burrow deeper into the swamp, her figure disappearing into the reeds.

The fifth and sixth brothers surrounded Deacon Li. Deacon Li tried to resist, but the fifth brother sliced ​​off two of his fingers with a knife, and the sixth brother struck him on the back. Deacon Li fell to the ground and lay motionless.

Jiang Lan didn't turn around. He heard footsteps behind him, getting closer and closer. Wu Shi's lightness skill was not bad; he chased after him, walking on the water, his Emei dagger gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

Jiang Lan took a deep breath and sank into the water. She disappeared completely into the murky water, leaving only a ripple in her wake.

Wu Shi chased after him to the water's edge and stopped. He peered into the water, but the surface was murky and he couldn't see the bottom. He hesitated for a moment—just that one moment.

Underwater, Jiang Lan opened his eyes. He held his breath, and through the murky water, he could see Wu Shi's blurry reflection. He pulled out a piercing needle, held it between his fingers, and aimed it at Wu Shi's feet. Then his hand emerged from the water, and his wrist flicked.

The needle flashed like lightning, silent and stealthy. It pierced through the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of Wu Shi's foot, penetrating the sole and emerging from the instep. Wu Shi screamed in agony, collapsing to one knee, the Emei dagger slipping from her grasp and falling into the water.

He looked down at his feet; there was a tiny needle hole on the sole of his shoe, from which blood was gushing uncontrollably. His entire leg, from his feet to his knees, was numb, as if someone had removed the bones.

Jiang Lan leaped out of the water, soaking wet and covered in mud. His right fist clenched, he slammed it into Wu Shi's chest. A muffled cracking sound echoed as Wu Shi's eyes bulged, he spat out a mouthful of black blood, and his body flew through the air, landing on the water's edge. He twitched twice and then lay still.

Jiang Lan fell back into the water and swam towards the reef area.

"Seventh Brother!" came the Second Brother's startled cry from afar.

Tu Kui turned around and saw Wu Shi's corpse, the scar on his face twisted in agony. "You little bastard!" He chased after him, stepping on the water and causing it to explode beneath his feet. He moved with incredible speed, each step leaving a dent in the water's surface. Black energy condensed in his palm, and with a single strike, a black palm print pressed down on Jiang Lan.

Jiang Lan sank down, the palm print grazing his head before slamming into the water and creating a water column ten feet high. The reef area was approaching; he slipped into a crevice in the rocks, like a fish sliding into a hole.

Tu Kui chased the enemy to the rocky area, smashing a rock with a single palm strike, sending fragments flying. Just as he was about to search again, his second brother caught up, panting, "Big brother! The elixir...the elixir has vanished!"

"What?!"

"That Ganoderma lucidum has a spirit; it sensed your demonic aura and shrank into the mud. We dug half a zhang deep, but couldn't find it."