The thunderbolt was the middle-aged daoist's killing move. Although it was not unleashed at full strength, merely tearing off a thunderbolt, it was unmistakably the means of a Nepenthe cultivator. Forget about blocking it, even withstanding it would likely be beyond the ability of the average cultivator. Yet now, this extraordinarily beautiful girl lifted her hand and stopped it.
No matter how the thunder roared and howled endlessly, the young girl did not seem to really mind, but lowered her head to look at Chen Chao.
Chen Chao was currently hanging by a thread, teetering on the brink of death.
The girl furrowed her brows slightly, seemingly recollecting something. Without retracting her outstretched hand, she beckoned slightly with her other hand. The immortal medicine in Chen Chao's bosom slowly floated out. With a single thought from the girl, the glass bottle shattered, but the immortal medicine that emitted an afterglow did not leave or make any sound; it simply floated serenely in front of her.
"A single stalk of immortal medicine, that's barely enough for use. Consider it that I owe you my life, I'll repay you in the future."
The young girl reached her hand out and plucked a leaf from the immortal medicine. She slowly let it fall, and it landed precisely on the wound on Chen Chao's glabella.
In an instant, the leaf transformed into a green light and poured into his glabella. A boundless vitality instantly entered Chen Chao's body and started repairing his meridians and vitality.
The girl exhaled a breath of mist that slowly descended and seeped into Chen Chao's body.
The life force of the immortal medicine was too vigorous, even a single leaf was more than Chen Chao's current cultivation realm could absorb. Moreover, his body was currently in such dire condition that the meridians in his entire body were on the brink of shattering, and his acupoints had already reached the brink of collapse. The vitality within the leaf contained a limitless life force, it naturally had the power to restore Chen Chao's body. But at the same time, the vitality was too aggressive, if there was no one to guide the vitality, Chen Chao's body would instantly burst apart from the life force and die.
In other words, without this girl, even if Chen Chao had to use the immortal medicine, it would be difficult to survive.
Thus, the girl taking his immortal medicine and giving him a leaf was taking, but also giving at the same time.
If one were to speak of the encounter between the two several years ago, according to Buddhist doctrine, it was karma — each act, each encounter, was predestined.
The mist completely controlled the abundant vitality, releasing it bit by bit. The wound on Chen Chao's glabella gradually closed, and the meridians and acupoints within his body also began to repair.
After confirming that he was fine, the girl turned her attention to the immortal medicine in front of her and said calmly, "Self-sealing method, vitality enduring for thousands of years. However, seeking eternal life with this is also laughable. Oh well, having this immortal medicine is also my destined fate. In the end, everything comes down to fate."
With her words, the immortal medicine gradually transformed into streams of green light that flowed into her body.
The girl remained calm, showing no emotional changes or signs of pain.
It was as if the vitality of this immortal medicine was nothing special to her.
As she absorbed the vitality, the girl looked upward at the same time, her gaze penetrating through the dense white mist, meeting the gaze of the middle-aged daoist standing in mid-air.
Some emotions appeared in the girl's clear eyes.
Sensing someone looking at him, the middle-aged daoist could not help but lower his head and look into the white mist.
However, he still could not see anything.
He could not see through that white mist.
But, he felt that something was amiss.
The lightning in front of him had begun to dissipate.
After hesitating for a moment, the middle-aged daoist summoned another thunderbolt and let it fall.
The girl's expression changed slightly as she looked at Chen Chao in front of her. By now, his injuries were almost healed. His eyes were open all this while, and at this moment, he finally opened his mouth to ask, "Who are you?!"
The girl continued to hold back the thunderbolt. Upon hearing Chen Chao's question, she did not answer directly but rather mumbled to herself, "That daoist isn't considered strong, but you're too weak. Given your cultivation realm, you're just an ant in his eyes."
Chen Chao nodded and asked, "You can't stop him either?"
The girl had previously mentioned that taking his immortal medicine meant owing him her life, Chen Chao felt that it was reasonable to bring this up now.
He vaguely understood that the girl had a major secret, but he did not ask at this moment because it would be completely meaningless.
The girl indeed had no intention of paying attention to him. She continued to talk to herself, "Taking your immortal medicine is considered owing you a life. However, I can't pay you back now, so I'll give you some interest first."
After saying this, a white mist that carried golden threads, similar to Chen Chao, emerged from her mouth and nose. The mist slowly seeped out and drifted toward Chen Chao's mouth and nose. The girl looked at this scene and said rather weakly, "You only have the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn."
Chen Chao was taken aback but instantly understood what the so-called "time for an incense stick to burn" meant.
After the white mist entered through his mouth and nose, it entered his body and transformed into surging qi, hiding in various acupoints.
Chen Chao took a deep breath. At this moment, when he looked at that thunderbolt again, he felt that there was nothing to be scared of anymore.
He understood what the girl meant. During the time it took for an incense stick to burn, he had the ability to battle the middle-aged daoist.
The girl looked at Chen Chao and suddenly said, "I hope you can survive."
Chen Chao was taken aback. He looked at the girl and understood clearly that her words were not about surviving the middle-aged daoist's hands. Her words must have meant something else. But what did it mean to survive?
The young girl stopped talking and just retracted her hand.
Previously, she kept her hand raised the entire time to help Chen Chao block that thunderbolt. Now that she took that hand back, the thunderbolt naturally fell.
……
……
After summoning two thunderbolts, the middle-aged Daoist did not notice any reaction and felt somewhat puzzled too. Just as he was about to delve deeper into the white mist to investigate, he suddenly noticed a crack appearing in the thunderbolt he had sent down.
Following that, a dazzling saber light shot up into the sky, casting a radiance that could change the colors of heaven and earth.
The middle-aged daoist's robe billowed in the wind, and his face exhibited undulating fluctuations akin to waves. His eyes still remained calm, yet he was undoubtedly shaken as well.
A figure with black hair fluttering arrived after the saber light!
Raising his hand, the middle-aged daoist released several purple lightning bolts from his palm, as if going to tear the figure apart in an instant.
However, multiple saber lights appeared in the sky, colliding with the purple lightning.
Countless intense noises sounded out in the valley, and the air billows spread out, continuously crashing into the cliffs on both sides like waves.
The cliff on one side immediately showed cracks, and large boulders tumbled down.
Chen Chao's figure rushed out of the purple lightning and arrived in front of the middle-aged daoist in a second. With a slash, a boundless saber aura cleaved through heaven and earth, resembling a wave crashing against the shore.
Sword cultivators were often described as unparalleled among peers in the same realm, when martial artists reached a late stage of cultivation, they were also troublesome existences for cultivators.
The middle-aged daoist's expression remained unchanged as a qi barrier immediately appeared in front of him, wanting to block this raging saber strike.
But in the next moment, that qi barrier shattered with a crack. The remnant power of that strike closed in on the middle-aged daoist.
The middle-aged Daoist furrowed his brows slightly, his expression turning somewhat ugly. But at the same time, he still said in a cold voice, "Unorthodox means!"
He was perfectly clear that Chen Chao's cultivation was genuinely at the Bitter Sea Realm. But how could he possess the ability to fight him now?
The middle-aged daoist was well aware that this was an eccentric technique he was unfamiliar with. Although he had never seen it before, he could find no less than a hundred similar techniques among daoist magic spells. Therefore, he did not believe that such a technique could be sustained for long.
Chen Chao could not be bothered to waste words with the middle-aged daoist in front of him. He had always been like this. If he could have a good fight, he was not inclined to engage in conversation.
Now was no different. Since he could have a good fight, there was no need for idle chatter.
His figure had already closed in on the middle-aged daoist. As he slashed with his saber, he also smashed his fist down on top of his opponent's head.
The middle-aged daoist evaded the dangerous slash, but when faced with Chen Chao's subsequent punch, he could only extend his palm to resist.
However, moments later, the vast qi contained within Chen Chao's fist instantly forced him back several yards.
As a great daoist sage who had cultivated for many years, the quantity of qi within him was staggering. Yet, in the recent exchange, he found himself instantly falling to a disadvantage.
Before the middle-aged daoist could react, Chen Chao approached and smashed a punch onto his forehead, while his other hand slashed toward the middle-aged daoist's abdomen.
The middle-aged daoist's robe billowed, and as Chen Chao's fist smashed toward his forehead, he drifted a hundred feet away. Furthermore, Chen Chao's slash failed to touch his body at all.
However, he had underestimated Chen Chao's intentions. In the next second, Chen Chao rammed into him. That body that had been tempered for many years was now Chen Chao's most powerful weapon; exceptionally resilient.
The middle-aged daoist swapped out that white jade ruler to block in front of him.
But in the next second, with a snap, the white jade ruler shattered into two pieces.
While it was not the most amazing magic artifact the middle-aged daoist possessed, he had spent quite some time refining it. Seeing it break now, a strange emotion flickered in his eyes.
He could not dodge in time and was directly struck in the chest by Chen Chao.
In the next moment, he was sent crashing into the stone wall by Chen Chao. His back collided with the wall, causing it to shatter instantly, as if it were a giant spider web.
Only then, did Chen Chao raise his head to glance at the middle-aged Daoist.
The middle-aged daoist's eyes remained calm throughout.
Although he was currently being overpowered by Chen Chao, he seemed utterly unconcerned.
Chen Chao's fist struck his forehead once again, causing a bruise to appear, but there was no scene of his head being split open and bleeding as Chen Chao had anticipated.
The middle-aged daoist said calmly, "The qi of a Nepenthe cultivator permeates the whole body. As long as the qi isn't exhausted, the body will be incomparably resilient. How do you plan to kill me?"
Chen Chao remained silent. He just tightened his grip on the saber and thrust it forward.
Blood flowed profusely.
