Chapter 61

The scene before Gu Xuyao was somewhat perplexing. The salamander water, which had taken on a human form, was indeed emitting an extremely powerful aura, but it did not follow the commands of the Poison Sand Sect cultivator. Instead, it stood still, motionless.

"Damn it, why is it not responding at this critical moment? No, Master's creation can't be so unreliable. Could it be that I made a mistake in the incantation..." The Poison Sand Sect cultivator broke out in a sweat, took out a hexagonal stone, and began to review its contents.

"Senior Brother, what's wrong with the salamander water? Why is it just staring at you..."

The salamander water had no facial features, and its pale face was like a blank sheet of paper. In this situation, the lack of features was more terrifying than any grotesque expression.

"Shut up! Do you think I want this? Hey, Gu Xuyao, don't even think about running. I will definitely kill you today..."

The cultivator put away the hexagonal stone and began chanting the incantation again. After a while, he pointed at Gu Xuyao once more.

"Attack! Attack! Kill him!"

Unfortunately, no matter how many times he chanted, the salamander water did not obey his commands. Gradually, it began to look around, as if everything around it was new and interesting.

"It's over, Junior Brother. We need to run. The salamander water is about to break free from the spell. This place is no longer safe. Let's go!"

"Breaking free from the spell" is a common term in the Daoist cultivation world. There are cultivators who are particularly fond of puppets and shikigami, which are created through the use of primordial energy or auxiliary materials. These cultivators are known as spirit masters. They can create their own shikigami and puppets, but sometimes these creations do not fully obey their commands, leading to the situation of breaking free from the spell.

Once a puppet breaks free from the spell, it quickly begins to develop its own consciousness and will continue to pursue a certain obsession endlessly. The nature of that obsession depends on the materials used to summon the puppet or shikigami.

The salamander water is an extremely toxic creature, so one can imagine what kind of obsession it might have.

Thinking of this, the two Poison Sand Sect cultivators no longer cared about Gu Xuyao. They tried to flee, but unfortunately, the salamander water remained motionless as long as they did not move. As soon as they started to run, the salamander water also moved.

It swiftly extended its hands and grabbed the necks of the two cultivators. Their faces immediately filled with terror, and they tried to speak but could not. Before they could utter a word, the toxins entered their bodies.

Their skin rapidly lost moisture, turned yellow, and blisters began to form. Soon, the blisters burst, leaving behind a foul-smelling pus. Eventually, they turned into a pool of pus.

The pus flowed down and was absorbed by the salamander water, which raised its head as if roaring, clearly enjoying the new addition of the pus.

Gu Xuyao swallowed hard. The salamander water was a formidable opponent. Not only was it powerful, but its toxicity alone was enough to give any physical cultivator a headache.

After dealing with its former masters, the salamander water turned its head toward Gu Xuyao. Gu Xuyao raised his spear defensively in front of his chest and slowly backed away.

But the salamander water would not let Gu Xuyao escape so easily. It vanished from its spot and reappeared with a gust of wind, enveloping Gu Xuyao in a foul odor.

The salamander water was extremely toxic, and Gu Xuyao knew better than to confront it directly. He adjusted his muscles to their peak state and rolled to the side, causing the salamander water's lethal attack to hit the ground.

The ground sizzled as if being seared by hot oil, clearly unable to resist the salamander water's toxicity. In this situation, Gu Xuyao had no choice but to flee.

Fortunately, the salamander water's reaction was not quick. Gu Xuyao leaped onto a large tree in the wet forest and fled into the distance.

Seeing Gu Xuyao escape, the salamander water did not pursue him. It raised its head, as if sensing the ancient wet forest, and then slowly moved in a certain direction.

Having narrowly escaped death, Gu Xuyao felt a great weight lifted from his heart when the salamander water did not chase him. However, he had not gone far when he encountered another problem.

Below, two cultivators were fighting. One of them was on the verge of death, covered in injuries, but he did not give up. He carried a bright silver shield on his back, which was cracked.

"Senior Brother Tian Li!" Gu Xuyao shouted in surprise and jumped down from the tree, slashing at the cultivator attacking Tian Li.

"Clang!" The man deflected Gu Xuyao's attack but stopped his assault due to Gu Xuyao's intervention.

"Who are you!" The cultivator attacking Tian Li was masked, his voice low and rough. "Hmm? It's you, boy. Don't get in my way. I don't have time to waste on you."

The masked cultivator was bare-chested, with bulging muscles, and had a spiky haircut. It was unclear why he was masked.

"Gu Xuyao, be careful. This guy is not easy to deal with," Tian Li said, clutching his chest, his breathing ragged. Clearly, he was severely injured. "If I were at my peak, I wouldn't have been ambushed by this guy..."

Tian Li panted heavily. As a core disciple of the Speed Academy, his strength was unquestionable, but he lacked some magical treasures. The Mountain Collapse Sect provided each cultivator entering the ancient wet forest with a weapon, but the Taiheng Sect could not offer anything.

"Get out of the way if you know what's good for you. Otherwise, both of you will die!" The cultivator pulled out a bright silver dagger from his back, clearly a magical treasure from the ancient wet forest.

Gu Xuyao's left eye narrowed slightly, and he shook his spear, showing no fear.

"If you want to fight, then come on. We cannot ignore the bond of fellow disciples. Today, either you will be a corpse, or both of us will be!"

Tian Li was deeply moved by these words and took the shield from his back, handing it to Gu Xuyao.

Two magical treasures against one, even though Gu Xuyao's side had damaged treasures, the other side might not dare to risk a mutual destruction.

In the end, the cultivator was afraid and began to retreat. Gu Xuyao watched him, not daring to relax, and Tian Li was the same.

The distance widened, but the cultivator eventually stopped about ten feet away, maintaining a standoff.

"What are you doing? Are you going to wait it out? The hunters will find us soon, and you might not be able to escape then." Tian Li was impatient and disliked such standoffs.

The man did not respond. The situation was strange. Gu Xuyao watched the man's expression closely. Suddenly, he sensed something amiss. The man's eyes glanced upward.

Danger from above!

Gu Xuyao did not hesitate, pulling Tian Li to the side. The cultivator hiding above launched an attack as Gu Xuyao moved.

A long sword pierced the spot where Gu Xuyao had been standing, cutting his arm.

At the same time, the cultivator facing them also attacked. He roared and lunged at Gu Xuyao with the bright silver dagger.

Gu Xuyao roared in response, raising his spear and shield to meet the attack.

But his movement was interrupted by Tian Li, who pulled Gu Xuyao back and stepped forward himself.

"Run! Both of us can't fight them at full strength. Don't hesitate. Leave here before I die!" As he spoke, Tian Li engaged the two cultivators, his speed incredibly fast due to the high-level Speed Academy techniques he practiced. His desperate struggle kept the two at bay for a moment.

Gu Xuyao could not bear to leave. He gritted his teeth and was about to charge forward when a heavy thud echoed.

"Boom!"

The trees parted, and a black-armored puppet entered the battle!

The two cultivators exchanged glances and quickly retreated. Tian Li, who had lunged forward, was now exposed. The long-haired cultivator who had attacked from above seized this opportunity and launched a projectile, hitting Tian Li in the chest.

Tian Li fell to the ground, his breath faint.

"Senior Brother Tian Li!" Gu Xuyao shouted, but the black-armored puppet was already in front of him. With no choice, he activated a talisman, using up one of his chances to save himself.

The two cultivators did not lag behind and also used their talismans. Tian Li, however, did not have the strength to use his talisman. The projectile pierced his chest, and he struggled to breathe, his body numb, death imminent.

"Boom!" The black-armored puppet ignored the cultivators who had used talismans and walked straight to Tian Li, lowering its head to look at the dying man. After a moment, it raised its foot without hesitation.

"Boom!"

The ground sank, and a trickle of blood seeped into the soil.

"Senior Brother Tian Li!" Although Tian Li had once knocked him out, in Gu Xuyao's eyes, he was always a just and righteous cultivator, far better than the two shameless men before him.

"Ah!" A painful roar echoed through the wet forest, drowning out the sounds of fighting and screams.

Gu Xuyao had forgotten about the black-armored puppet. After a furious roar, his mind was filled with the image of Tian Li's tragic death, so helpless and desolate.

Without hesitation, he threw his spear at the masked cultivator!

The talisman could hide from the hunters' senses, but it could not be used while moving. As soon as Gu Xuyao moved, the talisman's effect was canceled, and the black-armored puppet turned to look at him.

Gu Xuyao was determined to fight to the death. The bright silver spear was a magical treasure from the wet forest, and if not blocked, it would be fatal!

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