The lightning serpent, its scales thick as iron, tore through layers of rock, its ferocious maw gaping open to spew forth terrifying bolts of lightning.
"Use fire magic!"
Xu Mu shouted, suppressing the numbness in his body. He summoned the Bagua array disk and shifted the lightning serpent's position to the Xun (Wind/Wood) sector, while his own position became Li (Fire).
In the principle of elemental generation and restraint, fire magic counteracted wood. Furthermore, the combination of wind and fire would unleash even greater power, which was why Xu Mu chose fire magic.
"Boom!!"
Zuo Mingqiu formed a circle with his thumb and index finger, placed it by his mouth, and then exhaled a long stream of purple inferno, descending like a cascading waterfall.
Upon contact with the lightning serpent's body, the flames erupted with ferocity. Wind and fire merged, reaching towards the heavens. The wood acted as fuel, igniting its scales and spreading along the lightning throughout its body.
"This is the Pre-Heaven Bagua!"
Zuo Mingqiu gazed at the lightning serpent, momentarily repelled by his attack, and his heart trembled.
Although he had previously envisioned his combat power soaring after learning the Lian Shan Yi Shu, confident he could defeat Xu Mu, experiencing the true might of the Pre-Heaven Bagua firsthand still felt almost unbelievable.
"This is merely by borrowing your hand," Zuo Mingqiu turned to look at Xu Mu, whose face was etched with shock as he manipulated the array disk. His gaze then gradually firmed.
"How long have you been practicing the Lian Shan Yi Shu?"
"About ten years," Xu Mu replied truthfully.
Zuo Mingqiu raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"Did you begin your cultivation from a young age?"
"No, you obtained your inheritance from the depths of the Western Mountain in the Domain of the Eerie Night, only after the Dark Palace appeared. Where would you have had ten years to cultivate?"
As Xu Mu was about to explain, a series of explosions suddenly rang out in his ears. Immediately after, all the underground rock layers within ten thousand meters of their sight ruptured.
The cause of this devastation was none other than the lightning great serpent, transformed from a lightning vein. It wrenched its entire body from the ground, its scales expanding outwards by several meters, churning the earth with all its might. Terrifying lightning spread indiscriminately, turning the solid rock into powder.
"This snake is furious!" Xu Mu's eyes widened. He quickly activated the Pre-Heaven Bagua technique, while Zuo Mingqiu also gathered a fire spell. The temperature of the entire space plummeted, and invisible steam distorted the surrounding earth.
However, both Xu Mu and Zuo Mingqiu knew in their hearts that they could not gain any advantage in this confrontation. The lightning serpent was at the peak of the fourth stage, while they were only at the third.
Even with the advantage of time and terrain, they would be blasted into dust by its terrifying lightning. Their only objective was to resist being pulverized and to reach the surface, drawing the attention of the Thunder Pool's guardian, only then could they be saved.
The terrifying lightning arrived, seemingly capable of destroying everything. Zuo Mingqiu's fire also shot out, creating a vast expanse of purple flame around them.
Within the sea of fire, an arrow shot forth.
Its surface was inscribed with the character 'Gen', imbued with the power of the rules of the Great Dao of wind and fire in space. It flew directly towards the lightning serpent's eyes.
As if sensing the threat, the lightning serpent's attack halted abruptly. It roared and unleashed a bolt of lightning, colliding with the Great Dao arrow.
"Boom crack!"
Wind, fire, and lightning flashed underground, blasting countless ores into powder and sending Xu Mu and Zuo Mingqiu flying for kilometers. The 'Gen' formation dissolved, and both were simultaneously trapped within the underground rock layers, their mouths and noses buried in soil.
"Ptooey!"
Xu Mu finally absorbed the excess lightning element and regained his mobility. He stepped on the 'Gen' formation again, grabbed Zuo Mingqiu, and continued to flee upwards.
Behind them, the great serpent was still in pursuit.
Xu Mu's speed underground was considerably faster than Zuo Mingqiu's, but he still couldn't outrun the serpent, merely managing to evade its attacks.
Soon, they were only a thousand meters from the surface.
Just moments before, the great serpent's tongue had snatched away Zuo Mingqiu's shoe. If he hadn't retracted his leg, he would have been swallowed whole!
"Faster!!!" Zuo Mingqiu roared, his face ashen. He continuously unleashed wind and fire spells, but the lightning serpent seemed immune, unable to deter it.
At this rate, the next time the lightning serpent opened its maw and lunged, they would surely be devoured.
"We can't go any faster!" Xu Mu gritted his teeth, his expression grim. He had exerted his full speed. When Zuo Mingqiu attacked, he would shift his position to Li (Fire) to launch an attack, and immediately switch back to Xun (Wind/Wood) to accelerate after the attack, yet he still couldn't escape the pursuit of the lightning serpent.
"There's no other way. You go up first. Remember to find help quickly."
Xu Mu gritted his teeth, stepped on a rock, and threw Zuo Mingqiu forcefully upwards, while he himself drew his hunting knife and swung it directly at the oncoming serpent's maw.
"Boom crack!"
With a single strike, the lightning serpent cried out in pain. Its entire body trembled as if struck by true divine retribution. Its scorched black scales fell like rain, its aura becoming extremely weak as it sank back underground.
Xu Mu froze. Zuo Mingqiu also froze.
He knew Xu Mu's knife was powerful, but he never imagined it could be this strong. A single strike had finished the lightning serpent, so why had they been running for their lives?
"It wasn't me."
Xu Mu came to his senses, then swayed the knife in his hand, and explained to Zuo Mingqiu with a wry smile, "I didn't even hit it just now."
"Or rather, before I could even hit it, it had already become like this."
Zuo Mingqiu also suddenly came to his senses and carefully sensed the surroundings. His eyes widened in shock as he said, "It's a formation."
"This underground area has a formation that targets only it, isolating its aura and preventing it from breaking through the earth to the outside world!"
"It was indeed being raised by someone!"
Zuo Mingqiu exclaimed in shock. This place was a hidden sanctuary he had painstakingly found and where he had set up a spatial array.
Yet, he never expected another formation to exist here, one that extended for thousands of meters. No matter where the great serpent emerged from the earth, it would be intercepted.
Such a terrifying sealing array, undetected by anyone, what would be the realm of the person who set it up?
Having survived the ordeal, both Xu Mu and Zuo Mingqiu spoke little. They slowly ascended to the surface and then sat down on a leeward slope to rest for a while.
"I need to go back into seclusion,"
Zuo Mingqiu said as he stood up.
"I came to the Thunder Pool specifically to find you. Now I must leave as well," Xu Mu said. He used the water mirror to meticulously erase all traces of the battle on his person, and after confirming his disguise was flawless, he nodded with relief.
"Then let's go our separate ways."
Zuo Mingqiu looked at Xu Mu with a complex gaze. He knew that from this moment on, Xu Mu would revert to being "Xu Mu," just like the alias "Mu Xu" he used at the All Races Assembly, unable to be recognized.
And he, perhaps, was the only one on the entire Heavenly Master Mountain who knew Xu Mu's true identity. If this information were to spread, no matter how much of a prodigy Xu Mu was, he would likely meet his end, for all factions in the world were after him.
Xu Mu's death would mean a significant step closer to becoming the number one person in the world.
But Zuo Mingqiu clearly would not do such a thing.
"Farewell."
Zuo Mingqiu turned his back and departed on the wind. Considering Xu Mu's restricted speed due to his identity, he deliberately chose a longer route back to the Thunder Pool entrance.
Xu Mu also concealed his aura and then began his "rapid" journey.
Two more hours later.
Xu Mu arrived at the Thunder Pool entrance.
He had not encountered anyone on the way.
"There were quite a few people when I came. Is it because of the storm today? Did everyone leave?"
Xu Mu stepped out of the Thunder Pool with a puzzled expression.
Then, he saw a large crowd gathered about a hundred meters away. Faces, both young and old, looked at him with smiles.
"Has my identity been exposed?"
This was Xu Mu's first reaction. He was startled and almost fled, but he quickly calmed down.
On the entire Heavenly Master Mountain, only Zuo Mingqiu knew his identity, and the latter would never betray him.
Because he was the successor chosen by Fuxi.
"Reporting to Senior Sister, the last one is out. We can begin now," Lan Yu said to Zhao Qingdong, standing beside her. He glanced sideways at Xu Mu with a sly smile and respectfully stated.
"Mm."
Zhao Qingdong looked ahead at the eleven people she had blocked at the Thunder Pool entrance. Her expression was somewhat grim as she said,
"Come out on your own."
"I know you are inside."
...