The Unexpected Evolution

The young woman’s words clearly startled the masked Moon-Masking Sect disciples. Based on their experience over the past two days, once an apex beast was trapped by the Patriarch’s ring, it would take at least an hour to break free. How had this Ink Flood Dragon escaped so quickly?

Though filled with doubt, they dared not ignore the young woman’s warning. Their vigilance sharpened instantly, and the crimson and azure beams they fired grew even fiercer. In the blink of an eye, a dozen new bloody holes appeared on the Flood Dragon’s body, staining a vast swath of the swamp below with fresh blood.

This, of course, only enraged the beast further. It opened its mouth and let out a shrill, continuous cry that echoed through the entire underground world, leaving everyone present dizzy and disoriented.

A strange tearing sound ripped through the air.

When the group regained their senses and looked closely, their faces turned ashen.

The ring hovered motionless in the air, but the Ink Flood Dragon trapped within had vanished without a trace. All that remained was a tattered, black scaled skin draped over the ring, swaying gently. The beast had shed its skin and escaped!

Even the young woman was stunned by this development.

She had shouted her warning earlier not because she had anticipated the molting, but because the Flood Dragon’s struggle had grown too powerful, and her magic power was insufficient to hold it any longer. The beast should have realized from the weakening of the Vermillion Bird Ring’s restrictions. Why would it resort to such a costly move? Unless…

A horrible thought struck her. Her face turned instantly pale as she urgently scanned the area for the Flood Dragon, seeking to confirm her grim suspicion.

“There!”

A sharp-eyed disciple spotted the beast, now gliding along the ceiling of the underground cavern. It had transformed completely.

Its pitch-black body was now a pure, scaleless white. Its length had grown from ten meters to nearly twenty, and its girth had expanded. Only faint scars remained where its wounds had been. But most shocking of all, a short, jet-black horn had grown from its triangular serpentine head, faint light gleaming from its surface. A pair of white, razor-sharp claws had also sprouted from its belly. The serpent had shed its snake form and taken on the appearance of a true dragon—an Ink Flood Dragon evolved into a flood dragon proper.

The Moon-Masking Sect disciples stared in disbelief. Before they could act, the young woman at the front, her expression grim, issued a command that stunned them.

“Everyone, retreat immediately! The Flood Dragon has evolved to the second tier! Its strength now rivals a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator. None of us together can match it. Leave at once. I can hold it off for a short time.”

With solemn finality, she raised her hand, summoning the Vermillion Bird Ring back before her in a full defensive stance.

The disciples behind her hesitated. True, the beast had shed its skin and changed form, but they had just wounded it severely. It was hard to believe its strength could have grown so drastically in an instant.

That moment of hesitation cost some of them their lives.

The white Flood Dragon lunged, crossing the distance in a flash. It hovered above the Moon-Masking Sect disciples, opened its maw wide, and expelled a torrent of purple liquid.

“Dodge! Do not block it!”

The young woman shouted, panic flashing across her face. She expanded the Vermillion Bird Ring several times over, throwing it up to shield against the bulk of the purple liquid.

Some of the quicker disciples heeded the warning, either diving back into the stone passage or stepping forward to shelter beneath the ring. But five or six others, confident in their powerful magic tools, raised gleaming artifacts above their heads, intending to weather the assault.

“Fools!”

A flash of azure light crossed the young woman’s face as fury flickered. Bound by her limited magic power, she could not expand the ring’s coverage further. They were left to their fate.

What followed confirmed her words. The purple liquid that slipped past the ring crashed down upon the disciples’ heads. Their tools, clearly not ordinary items, flashed once or twice before emitting streams of black smoke and dissolving completely under the liquid’s onslaught.

The disciples themselves barely had time to scream before they vanished from existence. All that remained where they had stood was a gaping hole, several meters deep, carved by the purple liquid. The surviving Moon-Masking Sect members turned deathly pale.

The Flood Dragon, its fury somewhat abated by the kill, ceased its vomiting and fixed its gaze on the young woman with cold, calculating eyes. It seemed to recognize her as the true threat.

“What are you waiting for? Get out! The beast has just evolved—its dan-liquid should be nearly depleted. It won’t spray again so easily,” the young woman ordered coldly, ignoring the beast’s glare.

Then, she muttered bitterly to herself: “A second-tier fledgling snake, daring to act so arrogantly before me. If I had my original magic power, I would have captured you long ago and set you to guard my cave!”

While the young woman fumed, the other disciples, having witnessed the gruesome deaths of their companions, needed no further urging. They scrambled into the passage and fled outward.

Soon, the sounds of the beast’s roars, the young woman’s bell-like shouts, and the thunderous clash of battle echoed from behind. The disciples scrambled up the stone steps, their hearts pounding with terror.

Their Patriarch had made it clear: she could only hold the beast for a short time. If they were caught by the Flood Dragon in this narrow passage, with no room to dodge that terrible purple liquid, their deaths would be a miserable waste.

The young woman herself was now flying through the air, drenched in sweat, locked in a desperate aerial dance with the Flood Dragon. The Vermillion Bird Ring moved with uncanny precision, provoking the beast into endless roars. For the moment, her agile movements kept her safe.

But she was not going all out. One hand controlled the ring, while the other clutched a red Fire Spirit Stone, absorbing its qi to replenish her depleted magic power.

After what she judged to be sufficient time, she stashed the stone and produced a gleaming golden talisman. Without a word, as the Flood Dragon’s attention was fixed on the ring, she flicked her wrist. The talisman transformed into a streak of golden light, shooting toward the beast. Upon reaching it, the light split into countless fine golden threads, binding the beast securely in place. The Flood Dragon roared in fury.

A flicker of mocking satisfaction crossed the young woman’s face. She cast a reluctant glance at the golden chest suspended within the white jade pavilion, then steeled herself and flew toward the passage entrance. She knew this mid-grade Golden Silk Talisman would not hold the beast for long. It was best to leave now and plan another way to retrieve the treasure later.

As she landed and raised her foot to step into the azure stone passage, a thunderous roar erupted from within. The sound grew louder, closer, filling the air with a palpable vibration. The young woman hesitated, her delicate foot hovering uncertainly.

A blinding azure divine light surged through the passage like a tidal wave. Wherever it passed, the azure stone walls seemed to come alive, squeezing inward with tremendous force. In the blink of an eye, the passage—several meters high—was sealed completely, not a single crack remaining.

The young woman recoiled as if she had seen a ghost, stumbling backward several steps. “Small Five Elements Binding Formation!” she cried.

Her face turned deathly pale as she stared at the vanished passage, her confident demeanor shattered in an instant.

Behind her, the golden threads binding the Flood Dragon began to snap, one by one. The beast would soon break free. Turning to see this, the young woman’s heart sank like a stone into an abyss.

In the stone hall outside the passage, a dozen Moon-Masking Sect disciples stared rigidly at a white-clad woman. It was the willful girl who called herself one of the “Moon-Masking Twin Beauties.” Now, her face was pale, and she looked utterly lost.

“Junior Sister Zhao, what have you done? You threw some strange talisman in there, and now the passage has disappeared! Are you trying to murder Patriarch Nan Gong?” the disciples demanded, panic and anger in their voices.

This was no joke. If the Patriarch was truly trapped, they would all suffer. At best, they would have their cultivation crippled and be expelled from the sect. At worst, they would be executed or forced to undergo the torment of soul dissolution. They all knew what the loss of a Core Formation cultivator meant to a sect, and their fear was palpable.

“I didn’t mean to! It was just a low mid-grade ‘Small Five Elements Talisman.’ I stuck it at the entrance, planning to activate it when the beast chased us, to give it some trouble!” the white-clad girl stammered, her hands trembling.

She understood clearly that even the strongest backing would not save her from a catastrophe like this. The thought of the Patriarch never emerging made her feel cold all over.

“Enough talk! Let’s see if we can dig through and rescue Patriarch Nan Gong!” a senior male disciple said impatiently.

Those words snapped the others into action. They summoned a dazzling array of multicolored magic tools and began pounding on the spot where the passage had been, trying to break through the restrictions and rescue the young woman.

Hours passed.

Deep underground, dozens of meters below the surface, the young woman stared wide-eyed at the unexpected figure who had suddenly appeared before her. One hand controlled seven golden blades that struck at the Ink Flood Dragon, while the other raised a black iron shield, blocking an attack from the beast.

It was that Yellow Maple Valley boy—the one she had found mildly amusing when she met him earlier. Now, he had emerged from nowhere in the final moments when her magic power was nearly spent, saving her from certain doom.

Han Li struggled to parry the Flood Dragon’s assault, casting a wry smile at the astonished young woman.

He had been watching the Moon-Masking Sect’s battle with the Flood Dragon from his hiding spot, perfectly at ease. Even when the beast evolved to a second-tier form, he was shocked but not panicked. But when the young woman tried to retreat and the passage entrance vanished, Han Li knew he could no longer sit idly.

If the passage was gone, it meant he was trapped down here regardless of who won—the woman or the beast. That realization sent a chill through him.

Now freed, the Flood Dragon had resumed its attack on the young woman, who was clearly on the defensive. Even as she drove the ring relentlessly at the beast, its newly shed skin granted it incredible defense. Whether the ring blasted it with fire or struck it directly, the damage was minimal—a scorched patch here, a bruise there. This only enraged the Flood Dragon further, driving it to chase the young woman with increasing frenzy. Several times, it had cornered her.

Han Li was astonished by the sheer number of mid-grade talismans the young woman carried. She unleashed a stream of rare talismans: Earth Escape Talismans, Water Prison Talismans, Fire Bird Talismans—a parade of techniques he had only ever heard of.

Each time she was about to be overwhelmed, she would release one, creating a miraculous turnaround. But she clearly lacked a truly high-damage talisman, so she could only preserve her life, not harm the beast.

Watching her grow increasingly desperate, Han Li’s mind churned.

If the passage had still been intact, he would not have cared about the Moon-Masking Sect Patriarch’s fate. But now that the passage had vanished, trapping them all in this underground graveyard, his calculus had changed.

He had heard her shout the name “Small Five Elements Binding Formation.” She seemed to understand the restriction that had sealed the passage. If anyone could find a way out, it would be her. Han Li knew nothing about formations. This “senior” was now indispensable.

Still, he did not act rashly. He waited until she had exhausted her talismans, was utterly drained, and showed genuine signs of despair. Only then did he make his move.

The young woman was both overjoyed and irritated by his sudden appearance. She saw clearly that he had deliberately waited until she and the Flood Dragon had fought to the brink before intervening.

But the immediate threat came first. After a brief rest, she bit her tongue and drove her ring back into the fray.

Han Li’s clash with the Flood Dragon was a rude awakening. Watching it fight from the sidelines, he had not realized how terrifying it truly was. Now, facing it directly, he understood.

His Golden Cicada Blade Set was among the finest top-grade magic tools. But the golden blades flew at the Flood Dragon only for it to swat them away with a casual swipe of its claws or tail, sending them tumbling dozens of meters. He could hardly land a hit.

Even when one or two blades managed to strike, they left nothing but a faint white scratch. Han Li was speechless.

He dared not be careless when the Flood Dragon attacked. Not only must he avoid its claws and tail, but he also had to block every drop of black liquid it occasionally spat. He used his iron shield tirelessly.

Even so, the shield—which had saved his life many times—was now pitted and scarred from the corrosive liquid. He did not know how much longer it would hold.

If the black liquid was this terrifying, the purple liquid must be catastrophic. No wonder those Moon-Masking Sect disciples had died so quickly, their tools useless.

Han Li fought with growing unease. He relied almost entirely on his movement technique to evade the beast’s relentless attacks; his golden blades could not slow it down at all.

He now understood why the young woman had ordered her disciples to flee. Aside from those with exceptional mobility, he could not think of any Qi Condensation disciple who could survive a skirmish with this beast.

Just then, the young woman’s Vermillion Bird Ring rejoined the fray, easing the pressure on Han Li. The ring could at least cause the Flood Dragon some pain, forcing it to be cautious.

“Little fellow, you were hiding there all this time. Why didn’t you help sooner? If you had, I might have had a chance to seriously wound this pest!” the young woman demanded, her voice sharp with irritation as she directed the ring’s attacks.

“I was afraid you would kill me and take my treasure,” Han Li answered with complete honesty, leaving the young woman speechless for a long moment.

He understood perfectly. This woman might appear young, but her real age was easily old enough to be his grandmother. There was no point in playing games with her. Better to state his reasoning plainly, so they could cooperate without holding back.

As for her status as a Core Formation cultivator and the gap in their seniority, Han Li deliberately glossed over it. At this point, she could not harm him anyway. Now that her magic power was drained, Han Li had little to fear from her.

“So young, yet so full of schemes. Aren’t you afraid you won’t live long?” the young woman said, her voice filled with bitter frustration.

Han Li chuckled but did not argue. Silently, he thought, If I were any less careful, I would have died long ago. What future would there be to worry about?

Seeing that he was not going to argue, the young woman’s anger subsided slightly. She began to think of a strategy.

“Do you have any way to seriously wound this Flood Dragon? If so, speak up,” she said, after a moment of fighting alongside him with no progress. They were still being chased and had no room to counterattack.

“I do, but I need to keep it immobilized for a short time,” Han Li replied, dodging another spray of liquid with his shield while leaping to maintain distance.

“Good. I can burn the last of my magic power to trap it again for a moment. I hope that’s enough for you. But is your method reliable?” The young woman’s eyes lit up as she swung the ring, smashing it against the Flood Dragon’s head.

“I have a Talisman Treasure of great power. It will definitely break its defense,” Han Li said with full confidence. He refused to believe the beast could withstand a full-power strike from the Golden Light Brick.

“Talisman Treasure?” The young woman’s heart leaped. She had not expected this Yellow Maple Valley boy to possess something so rare. She herself had one or two, but they were not as powerful as her ring. Since he was so confident, it must be a pure destructive-force Talisman Treasure—an extremely rare find.

With the plan settled, the young woman halted midair, chanting the spell she had used before. The Vermillion Bird Ring once again trapped the Flood Dragon tightly, leaving it struggling in fury.

Seizing the opportunity, Han Li positioned his Flying Shield before him, pulled out the Golden Light Brick Talisman, and sat down cross-legged.