Chapter 69

**Boom!**

A malevolent aura suddenly burst forth from a dark and eerie stone cave like a flood breaking through a dam.

This was a large snake, covered in green scales, as thick as a bucket, with a flat, triangular head and inverted, icy-cold vertical pupils.

It was called the Green-Winged Demon Snake because on its back, there was a pair of transparent, cicada-wing-like flesh wings. Once unfurled, these wings allowed the Green-Winged Demon Snake to ride the wind and glide through the air for a considerable distance.

Sensing the surging, terrifying aura behind him, Luo Xiu knew that the Green-Winged Demon Snake had appeared.

This Green-Winged Demon Snake had been nesting here to guard the Fire Yang Fruit. The medicinal power contained in the fruit could enhance its strength, and it usually wouldn't even dare to swallow it.

But now, someone was actually trying to take the Fire Yang Fruit. The Green-Winged Demon Snake let out an angry hiss, opened its blood-red mouth, and lunged at Luo Xiu to tear him apart.

The Green-Winged Demon Snake's attack was very fast, its head darting out like a bolt of green lightning.

Luo Xiu didn't turn around, but he could feel the fierce wind rushing towards him. He remained calm, instantly shifting his body sideways, leaving a residual image behind.

**Boom!**

The Green-Winged Demon Snake's bite missed, crushing some rocks in the process. Its ten-zhang-long body completely emerged from the stone cave.

For Luo Xiu, the distance of several meters was covered in an instant. Avoiding the Green-Winged Demon Snake's bite, he suddenly accelerated, reaching out to pluck the four fruits from the Fire Yang Tree.

**Hiss!...**

The Green-Winged Demon Snake was enraged, raising its head and spewing a black, foul-smelling toxic mist towards Luo Xiu.

This toxic mist was extremely potent, corroding the air and making a crackling sound. If Luo Xiu were to be enveloped by this deadly poison, he doubted that the detoxifying pill would be effective.

Moreover, he suspected that Zhang Haifei had tampered with the detoxifying pill.

True Qi condensed, and a dark flame, the Netherworld Death Flame, rose from Luo Xiu's body. The moment the black flame touched the black toxic mist, it hissed loudly.

Despite holding his breath, Luo Xiu still felt dizzy and disoriented, indicating how powerful the Green-Winged Demon Snake's toxic mist was.

At the same time, Luo Xiu didn't dare to linger, pushing his body movement to the limit and quickly rushing towards where Zhang Haifei and the others were.

The Fire Yang Fruit was snatched away, and the Green-Winged Demon Snake pursued relentlessly. One man and one snake, one large and one small, both moved at incredible speeds, getting closer to the area where the formation was set up.

"That kid actually managed to escape back?" Tian Guangyou widened his eyes. In that situation, he would have been dead for sure.

"He must have taken the detoxifying pill. Although he wasn't killed by the demon snake's poison, still..." Zhang Haifei said with a cold laugh.

"He's here, everyone, get ready!"

At that moment, Luo Xiu had already rushed into the formation's range, and the Green-Winged Demon Snake had unfurled its green, transparent flesh wings, its massive body gliding through the air like a bolt of lightning.

**Buzz!**

A white light suddenly brightened, forming a large inverted bowl that trapped the Green-Winged Demon Snake in a confined space.

Zhang Haifei had activated the trapping formation he had set up in advance.

At this moment, Zhang Haifei, Tian Guangyou, Miao Feifei, and Lu Mengyao were all outside the trapping formation.

However, when Zhang Haifei activated the trapping formation, he trapped both Luo Xiu and the Green-Winged Demon Snake inside!

"Luo Xiu is still inside!"

Lu Mengyao's face changed drastically, shouting at Zhang Haifei, who was controlling the formation, "Quickly let Luo Xiu out!"

"Shut up!"

Tian Guangyou unsheathed his battle knife with a clang, pointing the tip at Lu Mengyao, "Don't interfere with the big brother controlling the formation, or I'll cut you down!"

Miao Feifei, the woman, also had a blank expression, taking out a short knife and staring coldly at Lu Mengyao.

"You... you..." Lu Mengyao's face was filled with anger.

"No one can save him. The detoxifying pill itself contains a deadly poison. Without that kid as bait, how easy would it be to kill the Green-Winged Demon Snake?" Tian Guangyou said with a cold laugh.

Everything had gone according to their plan, and at this point, Tian Guangyou had no reason to hide anything anymore.

Hearing this, Lu Mengyao instantly turned pale. She clearly understood what Tian Guangyou meant. They had planned for Luo Xiu to lure the snake out of its den, and the detoxifying pill he took contained a deadly poison. If Luo Xiu were to be swallowed by the Green-Winged Demon Snake, the snake would also die from the poison.

If the poison could kill the Green-Winged Demon Snake, even if Luo Xiu wasn't swallowed, he would still die for sure.

If Luo Xiu were to die, Lu Mengyao also knew that if she fell into the hands of these treacherous people, she wouldn't have a good outcome either.

Thinking of this, Lu Mengyao immediately took out a sword from her storage ring and directly stabbed at Zhang Haifei, who was controlling the formation.

She would rather fight to the death with these people than fall into their hands.

"You ungrateful wench!"

Tian Guangyou coldly snorted, his battle knife flashing with a light, and with a clang, he pushed Lu Mengyao back.

At the same time, inside the trapping formation, Luo Xiu was indeed in a dangerous situation.

He hadn't taken the detoxifying pill, but within the limited space of the trapping formation, the Green-Winged Demon Snake's attacks were like a storm, putting him in peril multiple times.

**Boom! Boom! Boom!...**

The Green-Winged Demon Snake's attacks also continuously struck the trapping formation, causing the white light barrier to shake violently.

Luo Xiu didn't draw his sword to fight the Green-Winged Demon Snake. Instead, he focused entirely on the Ten Directions Residual Image technique, dodging all of the Green-Winged Demon Snake's attacks.

The Netherworld Death Flame could block most of the black toxic mist, but some toxins still seeped into his body, causing his face to turn a strange green color.

Suddenly, a powerful killing intent spread, and blood-red killing beams appeared out of nowhere, like arrows, striking the Green-Winged Demon Snake's massive body.

The trapping formation alone couldn't kill the Green-Winged Demon Snake, and it wouldn't take long for the snake to break free. So, Zhang Haifei quickly activated a third-level killing formation.

The killing beams formed by the third-level killing formation were comparable to the attacks of a先天武师 (先天武师 translates to "innate martial artist," but for clarity, I'll use "innate martial master" here), and even with the Green-Winged Demon Snake's tough scales, it struggled to withstand the continuous attacks of the third-level killing formation.

**Hiss!**

The demon snake let out an angry hiss, abandoning its attack on Luo Xiu and using its steel-like tail to repeatedly strike the white light barrier of the trapping formation.

After a moment, with a series of cracking sounds, the light barrier of the trapping formation shattered, dissipating into a shower of light points.

The Green-Winged Demon Snake broke free, its scales damaged and its body covered in blood.

Its blood-red vertical pupils were filled with killing intent. After breaking free from the trapping formation, it raised its head and spewed a large cloud of black toxic mist towards Zhang Haifei and the others.

"Bad! Retreat quickly!"

Zhang Haifei's expression changed drastically, his face pale. Controlling the formation had almost drained his True Qi, but the Green-Winged Demon Snake was only injured, not dead.

At the same time, he noticed Luo Xiu, who had broken free from the trapping formation along with the Green-Winged Demon Snake. How had he not been swallowed by the demon snake while trapped inside the formation?

Moreover, the poison from the detoxifying pill should have taken effect. Why was he still alive?

Could it be... he didn't take the detoxifying pill at all?

Zhang Haifei couldn't figure out how Luo Xiu had managed to survive without the detoxifying pill. How did he resist the demon snake's toxic mist? How could a 气海五重 (气海五重 translates to "Fifth Level Qi Sea," but for clarity, I'll use "Fifth Level Qi Sea" here) individual survive a prolonged battle with the demon snake without dying?

But Zhang Haifei didn't have time to think about it. He quickly took out a detoxifying pill and swallowed it, retreating rapidly.

Tian Guangyou and Miao Feifei, who had restrained Lu Mengyao, also quickly retreated. Tian Guangyou didn't forget to grab Lu Mengyao and pull her back with him; he didn't want such a beautiful woman to die.

The Green-Winged Demon Snake vented its anger at Zhang Haifei and the others, and Luo Xiu, not far behind the demon snake, took out a low-grade Earth-class battle sword from his storage ring.

To deal with a powerful third-level demon beast like this, using a low-grade Earth-class battle sword would naturally cause effective damage.

True Qi infused, the low-grade Earth-class battle sword was enveloped in a layer of black Netherworld Death Flame. Luo Xiu's body left seven consecutive residual images, and the battle sword, like a bolt of black lightning, fiercely slashed the Green-Winged Demon Snake's body.

The hard snake scales were cut like paper, and the stench of blood splattered everywhere. The intense pain made the Green-Winged Demon Snake let out a furious hiss.

With a thud, Luo Xiu was thrown away by the Green-Winged Demon Snake, his body flipping in the air to dissipate the force, landing over ten meters away.

The Green-Winged Demon Snake's body curled up. Luo Xiu's previous strike not only injured its body but also burned its life force with the Netherworld Death Flame.

Luo Xiu took out the "detoxifying pill" and forcefully crushed it, smearing it on the battle sword.

Then, he swiftly rushed forward again, and the low-grade Earth-class battle sword plunged into the Green-Winged Demon Snake's body, leaving a large wound.

**Thud!**

Luo Xiu was hit by the snake's tail. Although he used the battle sword to block and neutralize most of the force, he was still thrown away, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

The Green-Winged Demon Snake, suffering consecutive heavy blows, quickly slithered towards the stone cave, trying to escape back to its lair.

But just as the Green-Winged Demon Snake reached the entrance of the stone cave, its massive body suddenly crashed to the ground, its life force rapidly dissipating.

In Luo Xiu's perception, the Green-Winged Demon Snake's life force was being continuously eroded, and a terrifying poison was spreading through its body.

Thinking of the "detoxifying pill" he had crushed and smeared on the battle sword, Luo Xiu's face turned grim, instantly understanding what had happened.

Looking around, Luo Xiu didn't see Zhang Haifei and the others. They had clearly retreated quickly after the Green-Winged Demon Snake broke free, realizing they couldn't kill it.

Luo Xiu didn't immediately go to the Green-Winged Demon Snake's corpse but found some disordered footprints and quickly followed them.

His life perception expanded, allowing him to sense the life force of all living beings within a one-kilometer radius.

In just a moment, Luo Xiu locked onto the life force of Zhang Haifei and the others within his perception range.

In a hidden thicket, Zhang Haifei and the others stopped to rest, realizing the Green-Winged Demon Snake hadn't pursued them.

"Damn it, we almost succeeded, but it all fell apart at the last moment!"

Zhang Haifei's expression was grim. Setting up two third-level formations had used a lot of materials, and he had gained nothing, almost losing his life. It was a losing proposition.

"Brother, how did that Luo kid survive?" Tian Guangyou asked, puzzled. Before they fled, when the trapping formation was broken, he had seen Luo Xiu still alive.

"I'm not sure, but he probably didn't take the 'detoxifying pill.' And the fact that he survived a prolonged battle with the Green-Winged Demon Snake suggests he's not an ordinary opponent," Zhang Haifei said, taking out a pill to restore his True Qi and swallowing it.

"He's just a Fifth Level Qi Sea, and he survived by luck. But he seems to have taken the Fire Yang Fruit. I and Feifei will find him and take it back," Tian Guangyou said, then glanced at the restrained Lu Mengyao, grinning, "Little beauty, I'll take good care of you when I get back."

"You don't need to look for me; I'll come to you voluntarily."

At that moment, a voice suddenly sounded, and Luo Xiu's figure emerged from the thicket.