The trunk shook even more violently, and even this incredible towering tree seemed to be trembling under the massive body of the Black Water Divine Snake.

  It seems to be an ancient evil beast, the Black Water Mystic Snake wrapped its massive body around the tree trunk, leaving a trail of withered and shattered branches and vines in its wake. As it moved forward, shaking its head and tail, the humans in front of it were like ants, not even worth mentioning.

  Lu Xueqi's face turned slightly pale, took a step forward, her eyes still fixed on the increasingly close ancient giant beast, and whispered to Zeng Shushu beside her: "What's going on?"

  Zeng Shu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Just now when we were downstairs, we suddenly encountered this terrifying beast. With our limited skills, we could only run for our lives. However, at that time it seemed to be ignoring us, just searching for something, and left quickly. I didn't expect it would actually climb up here."

  Everyone looked at each other in dismay, although the people present were all accomplished cultivators, far beyond ordinary mortals.

  As the Black Water Mystic Snake drew closer, Jin Bao'er suddenly said: "This beast is probably also here for something in the Heavenly Emperor's Treasure Vault."

  Everyone's expression changed at once.

  Gui Li's eyebrows furrowed slightly, his face expressionless, but in his heart he suddenly thought of when he had just entered the Dead Marsh and encountered a wall of miasma. In the midst of the miasma, he had unexpectedly come across an enormous beast that was too huge to comprehend, but due to the miasma, he hadn't been able to see it clearly. From then on, however, he had felt a faint sense of familiarity with the peculiar fishy smell in the air around him. Now it seemed that the creature he had encountered back then was actually this Black Water Mystic Snake.

  Watching the black water mysterious snake continuously advancing, its huge black body pressed against the tree trunk, making it tremble with fear, almost worrying that the tree trunk would be crushed by it. In mid-air, the massive snake head, under the sharp fangs, the bright red forked tongue constantly stretched and retracted in the air, facing the direction of the distant Heavenly Emperor's treasure trove, letting out a low hiss, as if extremely excited.

  At this moment, everyone has already seen that the purpose of this giant beast is indeed what's behind them, in the Tian Di treasure vault.

  The ghost turned its head and looked towards the Heavenly Emperor's Treasure Vault, only to see that the thick stone door was still motionless, the sunlight that had previously shone on the sea of flowers in front of the stone door had now moved onto the door. The four ancient seal characters "Heavenly Emperor's Treasure Vault" sparkled under the sunlight.

  Fa Xiang's eyes watched as the massive snake body approached, resembling a small mountain. He let out a light sigh and quickly turned around to say to the others: "This Black Water Mystic Snake is an ancient magical beast, not something that can be defeated by human strength. We are absolutely no match for it, so let's not try to force it. Let's leave quickly."

  Everyone knew this, and Zeng Shu, Lin Xing, and others nodded in agreement. On the other side, Jin Ping'er hummed a sound, obviously also unwilling to part with her master, but looking at her expression, she was still preparing to leave.

  The people in the field all rose up with their magical treasures, preparing to scatter and run away. The ghostly figure's hand also slowly lit up with a mysterious blue-green light. He turned his head to call out to Xiao Hui who was still hiding near the stone gate, when suddenly, from above the stone gate of the Heavenly Emperor's Treasure Vault, came a dull rumbling sound.

  At this moment, it is the sunlight at the horizon that shines on the top horizontal stroke of the character "Tian" in the four ancient seal characters "Tian Di Bao Ku".

  "Roar!"

  Almost at the same time, the Black Water Mystic Snake suddenly accelerated its speed, hissing loudly as it quickly climbed up. Everyone was shocked for a moment, and Jin Ping'er, Zeng Shu Shu, Lin Jing Yu, Fa Xiang and others flew up first.

  A pungent smell fills the air, and a fierce gust of wind blows in from who-knows-where, cutting like a knife across one's face.

  The demon suddenly turned around and flew towards the Heavenly Emperor's treasure vault, at this moment, all the Dharma bodies in mid-air were shocked, looking back again, only to see the Black Water Mystic Snake seemingly furious, its huge eyes wide open, and its mouth seemed to be spewing out threads of black air, its massive snake body constantly twisting and turning, in the blink of an eye it was already in front of the Heavenly Emperor's treasure vault.

  In front of humans, the gigantic stone gate of Tian Di's treasure trove now seemed to be only as big as the head of Hei Shui Xuan Snake.

  The ghostly figure was in mid-air, and he suddenly felt a darkness behind him. The dark mass, like a mountain range, surged forward like a tsunami, and without turning his head, he knew that the massive body of the Black Water Mystic Snake was right behind him.

  He transformed into a green light and flew swiftly in front of the giant beast towards the stone gate.

  In front of them, Little Gray the monkey suddenly let out a sharp cry!

  A dark shadow came crashing down, the massive gust of wind was so sharp that before it even hit his body, it had already blown Gui Li's figure off balance.

  The demon was shocked in his heart, but he is no longer the young man who was under the Dead Spirit Abyss years ago. In an instant, his mind moved with his thoughts, as if he had grown eyes on his back, and he dodged the black water snake's body that was smashed down by the Soul Devourer, barely avoiding it.

  At this moment, the voice on the stone gate of Tian Di's treasure house gradually rose, accompanied by a loud roar. Under the sunlight, the originally intact giant stone gate suddenly cracked open from the middle, and then slowly moved to the side.

  A golden, dazzling light burst forth from that gap, even in the daytime it was so resplendent that it could not be looked at directly, and the sun rising slowly on the horizon seemed to have lost its luster.

  It seems as if something is raging in the Heavenly Emperor's treasury, thundering amidst the golden light!

  The entire gigantic body of the Black Water Mystic Snake suddenly stiffened, letting out a heaven-shaking and earth-shattering hiss. Ignoring everything else, its massive snake head charged straight at the stone gate of the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury.

  And between it and the Stone Gate, that streak of cyan light seemed to be one step ahead, about to enter the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury...

  If it weren't for that one bright and clear Autumn Water Heaven's Sword.

  A blue light screen, unexpectedly arrived at Gui Li's head, condensed into a huge light sword and chopped down. Gui Li's eyes were filled with red light, the stone gate was right in front of him, but if he didn't resist this dazzling sword light, he might be cut in two on the spot. Forced to do so, the green light reversed, rose to meet the sky, blue-green light clashed violently with the black shadow that rushed up from behind, and a shapeless air wave flew out in all directions, even the people flying in mid-air like Jin Pingzi couldn't help but change color.

  Despite the enormous momentum, it had no effect on the mysterious golden light in the Heavenly Emperor's Treasure and the Black Water Mystic Snake. The golden light was still dazzling, growing more intense, and the Black Water Mystic Snake charged forward as well. This man and woman, amidst the perilous and turbulent environment that was changing dramatically on both sides, still stubbornly held their ground, neither willing to yield even slightly.

  Until, the light of each other's magic treasures had overshadowed their own bodies, and both of their faces were becoming increasingly pale. But most importantly, in this fleeting moment, a huge black shadow rushed forward.

  The human cultivation treasure, unleashing its own power, was dispersed in an instant under the stimulation of Heishui Xuan Snake's force.

  Lu Xueqi and Gui Lie flew forward at the same time, Gui Lie only felt his chest surging with blood, his mind buzzing, his entire body's meridians were shaken by the powerful force of Heishui Xuanshe, almost completely overturning, a mouthful of fresh blood stuck in his chest. If it weren't for the "Mahavairocana" of Tianyin Temple protecting his heart meridian at this moment, rapidly rotating to dispel the external force layer by layer, he might have spat out blood on the spot.

  But despite this, he still felt severe pain all over his body, with an unknown number of broken bones. As he floated in mid-air, he suddenly turned his head forcefully and looked towards Lu Xueqi.

  That icy woman, at this moment, seemed even more miserable. She was dressed in a snow-white garment with bloodstains on her chest. Her pale face had fresh blood constantly flowing from the corners of her lips, apparently having coughed up blood on the spot.

  The Qingyunmen Dao Fa is indeed mysterious and unparalleled, but in terms of firming the heart and protecting oneself, the Buddhist Mahayana Prajna is still one step ahead.

  Everyone present was stunned, this happened in an instant, before they could react, Lu Xueqi had already blocked Gui Li, a moment later the two were simultaneously knocked flying by Hei Shui Xuan She, looking at their figures, they probably both suffered heavy injuries.

  Lu Xueqi was a disciple of Qingyun, so it goes without saying that Gui Li was the original Zhang Xiaofan. The people present had a deep connection with him. As the righteous path reacted to this sudden change, they immediately flew down one after another. Although they couldn't stop the ancient demon beast Heishui Xuanshe, they still hoped to lend a helping hand to the two of them.

  At the same time, Jinpinger also quietly flew down from the other side, but under the shadow of Heishui Xuanshe, her pair of wonderful eyes were staring at the brilliant golden light inside the Tian Emperor's treasure house stone gate, and her bright eyes sparkled.

  In the distance, the newly born sun rose higher again.

  Under the sunlight, from the Tian Di treasure house, that "Tian" character's first stroke moved up a bit again.

  Suddenly, the stone gate that had opened about three feet wide stopped moving and began to close instead. The golden light inside also gradually dimmed.

  The ghostly energy was so intense that it seemed to tear his body apart, but he and Lu Xueqi managed to remain clear-headed. However, the force of the Black Water Mystic Snake's impact was too great, and in his haste, he couldn't control himself. He was about to crash into the thick, hard stone door at this speed, and even with the protection of the three true laws of Buddhism, Taoism, and Demonism, he feared that he would still be smashed to pieces.

  What's even more frightening is that the stone gate is slowly closing with a low, muffled sound...

  In the distance, as if in mid-air, came the cries of Lin Jingyu and others!

  A chill ran down his spine, and in that instant, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness: vaguely, as if there was a woman in a green dress, under the blue sky, smiling at him faintly. But her smile, somehow, seemed a bit blurry.

  Time, at this moment, seems to have suddenly slowed down.

  His body was flipping in the air, and he saw the dark water python with a ferocious face rushing towards him from behind. He also saw the hard stone gate slowly closing in front of him, and beside him, a woman in white clothes who had lost control just like him, drifting aimlessly in mid-air.

  He suddenly wanted to ask Lu Xueqi: what for, she was willing to risk her life to stop him?

  "Squeak, squeak!" It was as if the sudden shriek had sounded right next to his ear. The monkey Xiao Hui's voice startled him awake. Xiao Hui had somehow run to the gap in front of the stone gate and was jumping up and down frantically, shrieking loudly. At this moment, the distance between the gaps in the stone gate was less than two feet apart.

  Just as they were about to crash into the stone gate.

  Watching as I near the end of this life.

  The blue sky and white clouds seemed to be pressing down on me.

  If, give up...

  He gritted his teeth, using up the last bit of strength to twist his body a few times. In an instant, he caught sight of that slit in front of him with the corner of his eye.

  Maybe I can escape the Ghost Gate now?

  He let out a sigh of relief, his entire body as if on the verge of death, without a single ounce of strength.

  The wind was howling, but he suddenly felt that someone was staring at him.

  He raised his eyes.

  Lu Xueqi didn't know when she had woken up, and was now standing beside him, looking in the direction she was flying towards. She would definitely crash into the hard stone gate. But for some reason, there wasn't a hint of fear on this elegant woman's face.

  In this dizzying moment, at the critical juncture where life and death hung in the balance, she involuntarily flew towards death. Yet, on her face, there wasn't a hint of sorrow, nor a hint of fear.

  It was as if she had suddenly smiled in front of Zhang Xiaofan, amidst the shocked cries from afar, with her figure adorned with crimson blood, like a fleeting night-blooming flower.

  A pale smile with unprecedented gentleness, in the midst of such a biting wind, her lips lightly opened and closed, gazing at the person beside her.

  Four words, piercing through the wind, piercing through blood, and seemingly piercing through time, lightly wandering in a decade, then lingering around his ears, echoing in his deep heart.

  "Come back..."

  ※※※

  She closed her eyes, and her body seemed to sink suddenly, as if she was about to leave him, just like the last bit of strength also disappeared with those four words.

  Her black hair fluttered up, slightly covering one side of her pale face in the wind. The woman drifted with the wind, and yet, a faint smile seemed to remain at the corner of her mouth.

  But what is it that surges so fiercely in the depths of my heart? Like a torrential flood crashing down all obstacles, everything in the world may disappear, but at this moment, that white figure...

  How can I give up?

  How can you give up?

  His throat had a low, hoarse roar, in the inexplicable tears he struggled, in the fierce and biting wind he struggled, stretching out his hand, stretching out his hand, stretching out his hand...

  Hold on tight!

  It was as if ten years ago, beside the Dead Spirit Abyss, amidst countless falling rocks, that woman in white rushed towards him recklessly, grabbing his hand.

  Tightly, grasp...

  Before his last consciousness disappeared, he used all his strength to pull that woman towards himself.

  In front of me was only a one-foot gap in the stone gate, and the golden light in the stone gate had completely disappeared at this moment, leaving only darkness.

  There was a faint warmth in his palm.

  He closed his eyes, and the boundless darkness, just like ten years ago, overwhelmed him, swallowing them up.

  ※※※

  The stone gate closed with a loud bang, and in that last moment, Little Gray the monkey also followed its master inside.

  And then, this huge stone gate closed again with a loud noise, and the gap in the middle also disappeared inexplicably.

  "Boom!" The huge snake head of the Black Water Mystic Snake slammed into the stone gate, its massive force like a tsunami, causing the trunks of giant trees dozens of feet thick to violently tremble as if they were about to snap.

  The Black Water Mystic Snake was like a starving man who had seen food in front of him, and it flew into an uncontrollable rage, its massive snake head wildly slamming against the stone gate with such great force that even people far away in mid-air changed color.

  Jin Ping'er sprang up in a huff, leaving the black water snake far behind. She silently cursed to herself, for earlier she had taken advantage of the orthodox sect's carelessness and secretly followed the black water snake's shadow to approach the Heavenly Emperor's treasure vault from another side, intending to sneak in. However, the situation suddenly took a drastic turn, and the Heavenly Emperor's treasure vault also mysteriously closed again.

  Jin Bier came a step late, greatly annoyed, but also unable to do anything about it. At this moment, the Black Water Mystic Snake was furious and its attention had already shifted to the people in the sky. As soon as Jin Bier saw this beast raise its head with an unusual movement, she hastily retreated dozens of feet back.

  Indeed, the Black Water Divine Snake suddenly opened its mouth wide and sprayed a stream of black toxic liquid into the air, emitting a foul odor that made one want to vomit. The Orthodox Daoists dodged in all directions, momentarily thrown into disarray. Jin Ping'er hid quickly and managed to remain calm. However, seeing the Black Water Divine Snake raging and screaming below, she realized that today they might not be able to gain any advantage after all. Waiting any longer would only lead to the Orthodox Daoists becoming hostile towards them, so it was better to leave.

  As she thought of this, Jin Bao'er quietly left the place and flew back along the way she came. However, not far from where she started, her body suddenly shook violently. Looking down at the path below, she saw that it was in disarray, as if something had recently passed through, leaving destruction in its wake. But strangely, amidst all this chaos, a patch of wisteria flowers remained perfectly intact. Within this patch of flowers, under the sunlight, a faint dark red glow seemed to be flickering quietly, arranged in a seemingly random yet mysterious pattern.

  Jin Ping'er's eyebrows slightly furrowed, she looked carefully for a moment, and suddenly a sharp glint flashed in her eyes, as if she had seen through something. She quickly glanced around, then coldly laughed and said in a low voice: "Even they have come!"

  She hesitated for a moment in mid-air, then finally shook her head and flew away without looking back.

  And before the Tian Di treasure house, the black water snake's furious attack did not stop, desperately colliding with the stone gate. The people of the Orthodox Sect in the sky originally wanted to sneak down and take a look to see if they could rescue Lu Xueqi and the others, but as soon as they approached, they would be attacked by the Black Water Snake, and several times they were almost injured by this giant beast.

  After several close calls, Fa gestured to the others to retreat further away, gathering together and whispering: "This won't do, we don't even know what's inside this treasure trove that makes this beast so infatuated. With it guarding here, there's no way for us to enter the treasury."

  Lin Jingyu's face was stern, staring intently at the black water snake below. Zeng Shu also had a look of anxiety on his face, but despite being clever and resourceful, he was currently unable to do anything.

  Just as everyone was anxious, the sky and earth seemed to have only the mad howling of the Black Water Mystic Snake. And just at this time, suddenly, the sky darkened.

  Zeng Shu and others all jumped down, just a moment ago, here was still sunny, how could the sky change instantly, couldn't help but look up.

  As they looked up, they were stunned to see a large expanse of orange-yellow color suddenly appear in the sky above, covering an area of several dozen square meters, blocking out even the sunlight.

  Then, a clear and melodious sound like the chirping of a phoenix seemed to come from the horizon.

  The black water snake that had just gone crazy suddenly stopped moving, its huge head raised and looked around, then seemed to make an angry gesture, opened its big mouth, revealing sharp teeth, and roared towards the clouds.

  That cloud fell down like a darkening sky, and although it didn't look as massive as the Black Water Python, it was not much different from it either.

  In the distance, the crowd saw clearly that it was a huge bird with orange-yellow feathers all over its body, flying with its wings spread, circling in the air, and facing the black water python coiled on the tree trunk, not only without fear, but also with an attacking intention.

  The black water snake faced the strange bird, and it also put away its arrogant attitude, coiled up its body, and hissed loudly, waiting in a tight array.

  "This is it! The legendary Ninth Heaven Divine Bird - the Yellow Bird!"

  Fǎ xiāng wàng zhe yuǎn chù nà liǎng zhī duì xí zhe de jù shòu, wōng wōng de dào.

  Translation:

  Fa Xiang gazed at the two giant beasts confronting each other in the distance and muttered to himself.

  ※※※

  Note 1: This allusion comes from "Shan Hai Jing · Da Huang Nan Jing · Wu Shan Huang Niao": There is a Wu Mountain, to the west of which there is a yellow bird. The emperor's medicine, eight fasts. The yellow bird is in Wu Mountain, governing this black snake.

  Another note: Emperor refers to Heavenly Emperor, medicine refers to immortal medicine, i.e. elixir of life. Black water snake refers to the black water mysterious snake.