Chapter 19: Break through the mid-term dragon scales
At this moment, Xu Hei's physical body was undergoing a transformation, gradually growing taller. Finally, his length increased from two meters to two and a half meters. His bones trembled incessantly, producing crackling sounds.
An old layer of snake skin shed from his body, blending into the soil, while the black-gold scales on Xu Hei's tail underwent another change.
Surpassing the extreme number of nine, it reached ten scales!
The difference between ten and nine was not just an addition of one; it represented a qualitative change in the entire system. The scales could now connect seamlessly, making control more effortless and increasing their power significantly.
Inside Xu Hei's body, within the Demon God Cauldron, the Spiritual Qi mist had disappeared, replaced by droplets of Spiritual Qi. Each droplet was equivalent to the entire mist from before.
And now, there were three droplets.
The current Xu Hei had undergone a transformation in both his external physical body and internal Spiritual Qi, becoming several times stronger than before.
He had reached the fourth layer of the Spirit Communion Stage, officially stepping into the mid-stage.
"Not bad, you've even broken through. Now this is more like it!"
Mu Yun sneered, touching his storage bag and taking out an item.This item was a golden ring called the Beast Control Ring, a top-grade Spiritual Treasure.
Once the Beast Control Ring was unleashed, not to mention mid-stage Spirit Communion beasts, even late-stage demonic beasts could only surrender to its power.
He initially thought the opponent was at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, but it turned out he had just broken through, even weaker than he had expected.
"Go!"
Mu Yun approached within thirty meters, raised his hand, and cast a spell. The Beast Control Ring flew out.
The golden ring gradually enlarged, aiming to encircle Xu Hei's neck, emitting an irresistible pressure.
Xu Hei abruptly opened his eyes.
At this moment, he felt his Divine Sense growing like ocean waves, extending infinitely, seemingly able to cover a radius of a hundred meters.
Such Divine Sense had far exceeded the mid-stage range.
With one glance, he locked onto the incoming Beast Control Ring.
"Human, I didn't want to fight you, but you've pushed me to the brink!"
A trace of madness appeared in Xu Hei's eyes.
He didn't revel in his breakthrough; he wanted to kill the person before him to eliminate future troubles!
"So, I can only kill you. You must die!"
Xu Hei's eyes were filled with madness. He suddenly swung his tail, striking the Beast Control Ring. The ring trembled slightly, paused for a moment, and then continued towards Xu Hei.
"Hmph! You can't escape!"
Mu Yun sneered inwardly. No beast locked by the Beast Control Ring had ever escaped.
But at this moment, he suddenly felt a vast and boundless Divine Sense drilling into the Beast Control Ring, seemingly trying to erase his Divine Sense within it.
"What's going on?"
Mu Yun was incredulous. This was a top-grade Spiritual Treasure, already refined by him, with an unbreakable Divine Sense. Only a Foundation Establishment cultivator could forcibly erase it.
Xu Hei certainly couldn't do that, but he managed to make the Beast Control Ring pause.
But that was enough.
Xu Hei opened his mouth wide and swallowed the Beast Control Ring.
Since he couldn't erase the Divine Sense, he would use his physical body to forcibly imprison it. He didn't believe the ring could escape!
After swallowing the Beast Control Ring, Xu Hei turned and ran, burrowing deep into the soil.
"Bastard! Stop right there!"
Mu Yun was shocked, then enraged. He activated the Earth Escape Technique, closely following behind.
He tried to activate the Beast Control Ring but found it stuck, unable to come out unless he made a hole in Xu Hei.
"Cunning beast!"
Mu Yun's eyes grew colder, and his speed increased.
Xu Hei knew that the best way for a demonic beast to deal with a human cultivator was close combat. Human bodies were fragile; one hit could be fatal or crippling!
But the opponent excelled in the Earth Escape Technique. Even if they left the soil, they could use the Swift Wind Talisman to move quickly. The opponent knew this too and wouldn't let him get close easily.
Therefore, Xu Hei had to wait for an opportunity.
He knew Mu Yun's True Qi wasn't infinite. Each time he used the Earth Escape Technique for a while, he would have to stop to recover his True Qi.
This was his best chance to counterattack!
Xu Hei didn't flee at full speed but maintained a slightly slower pace, gradually closing the distance between them.
Giving the opponent a glimmer of hope to catch up.
"Unfortunately, I just broke through and haven't learned the Five Elements Escape Technique. Otherwise, with my speed and the escape technique, I wouldn't need any strategy and could easily get close!" Xu Hei sighed inwardly.
Mu Yun continued to chase, the distance between them slowly closing.
When they were within fifteen meters, Mu Yun took out a talisman and cast it into the air.
"Wind!" Mu Yun chanted a spell.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
The talisman immediately dispersed, transforming into three wind blades, cutting through the soil towards Xu Hei.
A mid-grade Wind Blade Talisman could easily slice through the body of any mid-stage Spirit Communion beast in one strike!
He saw that Xu Hei had swallowed the Beast Control Ring and wanted to cut open Xu Hei's skin to retrieve it. Otherwise, it would be difficult to capture Xu Hei alive.
With his strength, he could easily kill Xu Hei, but capturing him alive was challenging and required the Beast Control Ring's power.
"Great opportunity!"
Xu Hei's eyes lit up. This was the moment he had been waiting for.
The opponent had been chasing for so long, consuming most of his True Qi. Now, activating the Wind Blade Talisman had reached a critical point.
Although the opponent had reserved some True Qi for self-preservation, Xu Hei was not afraid.
Facing the Wind Blade Talisman, Xu Hei swung his tail, and the ten black-gold scales instantly expanded, smashing into the wind blades.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Three crisp sounds echoed as the wind blades, capable of killing any mid-stage Spirit Communion beast, didn't even scratch Xu Hei's scales. He was unharmed.
"What?"
Mu Yun was dumbfounded.
Everything happened too quickly. In the next second, after the wind blades were deflected, Xu Hei charged towards Mu Yun's face.
"Escape!"
Mu Yun reacted swiftly, shooting upwards towards the soil surface.
His remaining True Qi was insufficient to sustain the Earth Escape Technique for long; he had to leave the underground and return to the surface.
Xu Hei had already anticipated his plan, charging upwards ahead of him, intercepting him faster than tracking.
"What are those scales? Why can't the Wind Blade Talisman harm them?"
"Not good!"
As Mu Yun's thoughts raced, his Divine Sense detected Xu Hei intercepting him. Unless he immediately turned back and sank down, he would definitely collide!
"Cunning beast, do you think I'm afraid of you?"
Mu Yun didn't retreat; instead, he accelerated upwards.
But now, he had a snake-shaped longsword in his hand.
The Snake-Slaying Sword!
This sword had accompanied him for twenty years, slaying no less than a thousand snakes in his career as a Snake Catcher, including nearly a hundred Snake Demons!
Later, after being refined, the sword had the potential to become a Flying Sword. He had sealed it away, rarely unsheathing it, even for Snake Demons.
But now, this Snake Demon had piqued his interest.
"To die by this sword is an honor!"
Mu Yun accelerated upwards. As Xu Hei approached, he shook the Snake-Slaying Sword and slashed towards Xu Hei.
At such close range, Xu Hei didn't retreat. For the first time, he chose to face it head-on!
"Your sword isn't worthy of cutting my scales!"
Xu Hei roared angrily, his tail scales transforming into steel blades, slashing towards the Snake-Slaying Sword.
"Clang!!"
The scales and the longsword clashed, producing a clear sound that echoed through the soil, spreading far and wide.
Mu Yun's Snake-Slaying Sword shattered into countless fragments under the impact of the scales!
Mu Yun was struck as if by lightning.
But there was no time for shock. After shattering his sword, Xu Hei's momentum continued, slashing at his arm and hitting his leg.
"Slash!!"
"Ah!!!"
A scream echoed.
In the next second, the soil burst open, and a blood-soaked figure flew into the air.
This person had two Swift Wind Talismans on his leg, his right arm was empty, and his right leg was missing a section. His hair was disheveled, and he was covered in blood, looking like a madman.
Zhao Wenzhuo and Song Shiyu, who had been watching the situation closely, were shocked at the sight.
The disheveled person was none other than their senior brother, Mu Yun.