Chapter 641
"Fellow Daoist, cooperate with me!" Lu Zhao shouted, and the sword's momentum suddenly changed, transforming into dozens of phantoms, forcing the Shadow Scale Beast back several steps.
Fu Shaoping understood, turned the blade, infused the blade with spiritual power, and suddenly slashed out an arc-shaped air wave -
"Boom!" The Shadow Scale Beast was hit by the air wave, its scales shattered, and it let out a shrill howl. In its rage, the scales all over its body stood up, and it actually shot out countless poisonous needles as thin as cow hair!
Lu Zhao quickly formed a seal, and a yellowish-brown barrier appeared out of thin air, blocking most of the poison needles. Fu Shaoping took the opportunity to get behind the shadow-scale beast, and with a flash of his knife, he went straight for its spine.
"Puchi!" The dragon bone knife pierced through the monster's body, and blood splattered. The shadow scale beast twitched a few times and finally fell to the ground and died.
Lu Zhao let out a long sigh and wiped his sweat: "This thing is more difficult than the rumors say..."
Before the two of them could catch their breath, a slight "crack" sound suddenly came from the rock wall under their feet.
Fu Shaoping's expression suddenly changed: "Retreat!"
However, it was too late - the spiritual power shock from the fierce battle just now caused the already fragile rocks to collapse! In an instant, the ground under their feet collapsed, and the two were caught off guard and fell into the abyss along with the rubble!
"Friend Fu——!" Lu Zhao's exclamation was drowned out by the whistling wind.
Fu Shaoping tried his best to adjust his body in mid-air and tried to grab the protrusion on the rock wall, but the momentum of falling was too strong and several attempts failed. In desperation, he suddenly inserted the dragon bone knife into the rock wall. The blade rubbed against the rock, emitting dazzling sparks, and finally slowed down the speed of falling.
"Lu Zhao!" he shouted harshly.
There was a muffled sound from below, followed by Lu Zhao's cry of pain: "Hiss... My leg is broken!"
Fu Shaoping used the force to jump down and landed on a protruding platform. Lu Zhao was slumped in the corner, his right leg twisted unnaturally, his face pale.
The platform is narrow, surrounded by cliffs on three sides, with only a narrow crack in the rock wall at the back, through which a faint light can be seen.
Lu Zhao gritted his teeth and endured the pain, pointing at the crack: "We can only go inside..."
Fu Shaoping squatted down, checked his injuries, and said in a deep voice: "The bones are broken and need to be fixed."
After he said that, he quickly tore off the cloth strips from his clothes, broke off two pieces of hardwood, and bandaged Lu Zhao. Lu Zhao grimaced in pain, but he still teased: "Friend Fu, your technique... is quite skilled?"
Fu Shaoping didn't answer, but helped him up and put him on his shoulders: "Let's go."
The crack was deep and damp, and the stone walls were covered with fluorescent mosses, barely illuminating the way ahead. Walking deeper, the space suddenly became clear.
It turned out to be a natural cave!
There were crystal stalagmites hanging from the top of the cave, and the ground was covered with soft silver sand. In the center was a clear pool with a faint blue glow. The most shocking thing was that in the cracks of the rocks beside the pool, there was a white magical grass with feather-like leaves and golden halos flowing in its veins.
Lu Zhao's eyes widened: "Spiritual Grass?!"
Fu Shaoping's eyes narrowed, and he whispered, "...more than that."
Following his line of sight, in the shadows on the other side of the lake, there was an even larger black shadow lurking—
Another purple mansion monster was staring at them coldly.
The dark blue water of the pond reflected the true appearance of the black shadow on the other side - a huge purple mansion monster, shaped like a giant lizard, but with six legs, with sharp bone spurs all over its back, and dark purple scales with a metallic luster. It slowly raised its head, its pair of scarlet vertical pupils locked onto the two of them, and a low hissing sound came from deep in its throat.
Lu Zhao's face turned pale, and he gritted his teeth and said, "It's the 'Six-legged Dark Lizard'... It's even more difficult to deal with than the thing just now!"
Fu Shaoping's eyes were cold. He gently placed Lu Zhao on a raised rock and whispered, "Don't move."
Lu Zhao grabbed his wrist and said, "Are you crazy?! It's at least at the peak of Purple Palace. Now the two of us——"
"If you delay, you will die." Fu Shaoping interrupted him, and the dragon bone knife had quietly been unsheathed. "Your leg injury has not healed yet, wait for the opportunity to act."
Before he finished speaking, the six-legged Hades Lizard suddenly jumped up! Its huge body was as agile as lightning, and it pounced in front of Fu Shaoping in an instant, slashing down on his head with its sharp claws wrapped in a fishy wind!
Fu Shaoping dodged sideways, and the blade slashed horizontally, colliding with the claws of the Hades Lizard! Amid the sound of metal clashing, he was knocked back several steps, his knuckles burst, and blood dripped down the handle of the knife. The Hades Lizard roared, and its long tail swept across. Fu Shaoping leaped up, and the blade flashed like a waterfall, going straight for the monster's eyes!
The head of the Hades Lizard tilted, and the blade only scratched the corner of its eye, but it completely enraged it. It kicked the ground with its six legs, and the scales all over its body suddenly stood up, shooting out like a rain of arrows!
"Be careful!" Lu Zhao endured the severe pain and threw the iron sword fiercely. The sword body turned into a barrier in the air, blocking some scales, but several scales still penetrated the defense and stabbed deeply into Fu Shaoping's shoulders.
His robes were stained with blood, but Fu Shaoping seemed unaware. He took advantage of the gap between the attack of the Dark Lizard and suddenly changed his tactics - the knife force changed from hard to soft, and it wrapped around the Dark Lizard's forelimbs like a gossamer, and twisted it violently!
"Crack!" The sound of bone fractures could be clearly heard. The Dark Lizard staggered back with a howl of pain, and Fu Shaoping took the opportunity to rush forward and pierce its throat with the blade!
However, the Dark Lizard was extremely cunning, and at the last moment it turned its head and bit the blade, with its fangs rubbing against the dragon bone, making a harsh sound. During the stalemate, a figure suddenly pounced from the side -
"Die for me!" Lu Zhao jumped up with his injured leg at some point, poured all his spiritual power into the iron sword in his hand, and stabbed it fiercely into the left eye of the Hades Lizard!
The monster struggled frantically, and Fu Shaoping took the opportunity to exert his strength. The dragon bone knife finally broke through the shackles and pierced through its head!
The Dark Lizard fell to the ground with a thud, and Lu Zhao also collapsed. The wound on his right leg completely burst open, blood soaked through his trouser legs, and his face was as pale as paper.
Fu Shaoping quickly sealed several of his major acupoints to stop the bleeding, and after checking his pulse, his brows furrowed - the scales of the Hades Lizard were poisonous, and Lu Zhao's spiritual power had begun to dissipate.
He looked up at the soul-enriching grass by the pond and picked it without hesitation. The grass leaves were soft and smooth to the touch, with a golden halo flowing around them. It was a rare and rare treasure.
"You are lucky..." Fu Shaoping whispered to himself, and took out a palm-sized bronze furnace from his arms. This was the "Nine-aperture exquisite furnace" that he had taken from Lao Tao's medicine shop before leaving Jinsha City. Although it was not as exquisite as Nangong Wan's alchemy furnace, it was enough for emergencies.
####**【Dan Fire Extends Life】**
Fu Shaoping lit the furnace fire with his spiritual power, put the main stem of the soul-enriching grass into the furnace, and added a few medicinal herbs he brought with him. His alchemy technique was not fancy, but extremely precise, and every degree of heat was just right.
The cave was filled with the aroma of medicine, and a white pill gradually condensed in the furnace, with golden patterns on the surface. The moment the pill was formed, Fu Shaoping raised his fingertips and the pill flew into Lu Zhao's mouth.
As the drug took effect, Lu Zhao's pale face gradually regained color. Fu Shaoping tore open his trouser legs again, crushed the remaining herbs and applied them to the wound, and finally sewed it up with golden thread.
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Zhao's eyelashes trembled slightly and he finally opened his eyes.
What came into view was Fu Shaoping's tired face - the wounds on his shoulders were hastily bandaged, and his robes were stained with blood, but he was still guarding the alchemy furnace, adding a wisp of spiritual power from time to time to maintain the furnace temperature.
"I... am not dead?" Lu Zhao's voice was hoarse.
Fu Shaoping glanced at him and said, "The poison of the Dark Lizard has been cleared. The leg injury needs to be healed for another three days."
Lu Zhao was stunned for a moment, then suddenly smiled bitterly: "You saved me with the Soul-Enriching Grass?" He remembered the appearance of that soul-enriching grass, "You went through so much trouble to find this..."
Fu Shaoping said calmly: "I've used half of it, it's enough."
Lu Zhao was silent for a moment, then he sat up and clasped his fists solemnly: "Friend Fu, I will remember your kindness in my heart. If you need me to do something for you in the future, I will never refuse, no matter how hard it takes!"
Fu Shaoping shook his head: "No need." He paused, and explained, "If you hadn't stabbed the eyes of the Hades Lizard, I would have died under its claws."
Lu Zhao laughed loudly, and grimaced in pain as his wound moved: "We have a life-long friendship, right? Hey, I should have brought a pot of wine earlier, so I can have a drink with you now..."
Fu Shaoping raised the corners of his lips imperceptibly, took out a small jade bottle from his sleeve and threw it to him: "There's not much plum wine left."
Lu Zhao's eyes lit up, he raised his head and took a sip, smacking his lips in satisfaction: "It's great! When we get out of this damn place, I'll treat you to the 'Thousand Years of Drunk' that my master has hidden!" The dusk outside the cave gradually deepened, and the pool water was shimmering with fragmented blue light. Two fruits of the soul-enriching grass lay quietly in Fu Shaoping's palm, one for Nangong Wan to keep her pregnant, and one for Lu Zhao to save his master.
——This risky journey is worth it after all.
The soul-enriching grass was as white as jade, its leaves stretched out like feathers, and a faint golden light flowed between its veins. Fu Shaoping touched the grass stem with his fingertips and felt a warm vitality. It was the best soul material needed for alchemy.
He took out the cold jade box he carried with him, carefully divided the soul-enhancing grass into two, sealed one half in the box, and handed the other half to Lu Zhao.
"You only need half of Nangong Wan's pregnancy-preserving medicine, and you can take the rest."
Lu Zhao took the spiritual herb with a complicated look on his face: "Friend Fu, this..."
Fu Shaoping said calmly: "Your master's injury cannot be delayed."
Lu Zhao took a deep breath and accepted it solemnly: "I don't need to thank you for your kindness."
He sealed the spiritual herbs into his black iron box, which had runes engraved on the surface to lock in the medicinal power. The two looked at each other and nodded in tacit agreement - it was time to leave.
The cave is deep and the way here has been blocked by collapsed rocks. There is only a narrow crack on the rock wall on the other side, through which a faint light can be seen.
Fu Shaoping was in front holding a knife, and Lu Zhao followed closely behind, dragging his injured leg that had not yet healed. The crack was slippery and narrow, and the stone wall was covered with moss. Occasionally, water dripped down, making a crisp sound in the silence.
Halfway through the journey, Lu Zhao suddenly whispered, "Friend Fu, do you smell... the fragrance of flowers?"
Fu Shaoping paused, his nose twitched slightly—**There is indeed a fragrance. **
It's not the natural freshness of plants, but a fragrance that is so sweet that it's almost eerie, like the smell of ripe fruit that is about to rot.
Not right.
He pressed Lu Zhao's shoulders hard: "Retreat!"
"Giggle..."
A charming laugh came from deep within the crack, accompanied by the rustling sound of branches and leaves rubbing against each other.
The next moment, countless vines sprang out from the cracks in the rocks like poisonous snakes, and instantly entangled the two of them! Fu Shaoping swung his knife and cut off the vines that were close to him, but the broken branches regenerated quickly and attacked even more fiercely.
“Purple Mansion Flower Demon!” Lu Zhao’s face suddenly changed, “Why is this damn place full of Purple Mansion Demonic Beasts?!”
Amid the intertwining vines, a graceful figure slowly emerged——
It was a female-like monster, with skin as white as snow and long hair like a waterfall, but it was made up of countless tiny white filaments. Her pupils were a strange purple-red, her lips were as bright as blood, and thorny vines were wrapped around her body. Every time she took a step, a field of monster flowers bloomed under her feet.
"What a handsome young man..." The flower fairy chuckled, her voice was so charming, "Since you are here, why don't you stay and accompany me?"
Fu Shaoping looked cold and said nothing, but the dragon bone knife was already emitting a cold light.
Lu Zhaoze grinned and said frivolously, "I appreciate your kindness, young lady. Unfortunately, we have something important to attend to. Can we talk some other day?"
The flower demon smiled softly with her lips covered: "Some other day? But I can't wait..."
Before she finished her words, she waved her sleeves and flower petals flew towards her like sharp blades!
Fu Shaoping's sword was as powerful as a rainbow, chopping the attacking petals into pieces. However, after each petal shattered, it turned into even smaller needles that could penetrate every hole!
"Be careful, the petals are poisonous!" Lu Zhao shouted softly, and swept the iron sword across. The sword energy formed a barrier, temporarily blocking the rain of flowers.
The flower demon's figure was elusive, sometimes hiding in the vines, sometimes flashing behind the two of them. With a light touch of her fingertips, poisonous pollen would spread.
Fu Shaoping's eyes turned cold and he suddenly changed his tactics - he no longer chased the flower demon's body, but suddenly slashed at the ground!
"Bang!" The sword energy penetrated the rock layer, shattering a large area of vine roots. The flower demon's body froze, and a trace of ferocity finally appeared on her charming face: "You are looking for death!"
She screamed and all the vines came at her madly, and the cave was instantly flooded with evil flowers!
Lu Zhao took the opportunity to bite his fingertips, drew a talisman with blood, and shouted, "Burn!"
The rune ignited a red flame which spread along the vines. The flower demon screamed miserably and its body was burned to black marks.
Fu Shaoping seized the opportunity, leaped up, and slashed the flower demon's forehead with the blade——
"puff!"
The dragon bone knife pierced the flower demon's head. She widened her eyes and looked down at the blade on her chest in disbelief. Her charming face quickly withered and eventually turned into a pool of rotten flower mud.
As soon as the flower demon died, the vines quickly withered and the strange fragrance in the cave dissipated.
Lu Zhao let out a long sigh and wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Finally solved..."
Fu Shaoping sheathed his knife and glanced towards the end of the crack - a ray of daylight was visible from there.
"Let's go. The exit is ahead."
The two stepped out of the crack and finally saw the sun again. The sunset on Qianlong Mountain was like blood, dyeing the clouds golden red. The mountain breeze blew by, bringing a long-lost freshness.
Lu Zhao stretched himself and said with a smile, "Those who survive a great disaster will surely have good fortune in the future! Daoist Fu, where are we going next?"
Fu Shaoping looked into the distance and said calmly:
"The place to come back to."
At the foot of Qianlong Mountain, dusk is gradually falling.
Lu Zhao's leg injury had healed to about 70%. He stood at the fork in the mountain road, leaning on a green bamboo stick he had picked up. He turned his head and looked at Fu Shaoping, grinning: "Friend Fu, you really don't plan to tell me where you are going?"
Fu Shaoping looked calm and said calmly, "Sheltered cultivation."
Lu Zhao raised his eyebrows and deliberately dragged out his tone: "Oh - are you afraid that I will disturb the peace of you and Nangong Daoist?"
Fu Shaoping glanced at him and didn't say anything, but his eyes showed his agreement.
Lu Zhao laughed loudly, but was not annoyed. Instead, he took out an ancient bronze token from his arms and threw it to Fu Shaoping.
“Here.”
Fu Shaoping took it and looked down - the token was engraved with the word "Zhao Ran" and on the back was a complex rune with faint spiritual power flowing. (End of this chapter)