The Legend of the Devil
Ch. 182 - The Power of Xiang Yi Bai

When they entered the middle of the Yellow Bamboo Forest the atmosphere began to become increasingly gloomy and the temperature dropped drastically making the air colder. The previously bright and bright sky became dim and dark due to the stretch of bamboo above which blocked the sunlight.

They began to feel alert as silence struck, preparing to face the sudden onslaught.

Xue Zhan started to feel exhausted from continuously fighting against the Purple Centipede since four hours ago. Each step was heavy and his breathing began to feel painful. He kept trying to stay upright and walked so that the journey would not be hampered, not intending to release his sword until they reached their destination.

On the other hand Hua Lian looked even weaker due to the large wound on her arm from the fierce fight a few hours ago. Blood flowed profusely, drenching his sleeves until it kept dripping down the ground. The man said he was still able to walk.

Meanwhile Xiang Yi Bai watched his surroundings closely. He noticed every step he took, was wary of the traps on the ground and heard every sound that rang out around him.

As they stepped deeper into the forest, there were strange sounds coming from behind the large and dense bamboo trees. The dim light made their shadows elongate, occasionally strange creatures that ran into the darkness before they could see it.

Hua Lian turned her attention to a small path hidden among the bamboo bushes. On the side of the small road, he saw a series of bright red bamboo, which extended as far as the eye could see. The red bamboo looks striking among the yellow color of the other bamboo shoots. Hua Lian came to a standstill because they had found the right clue.

"Stop, sec. This is the way to the enemy's cage. Those red bamboos are a sign we have reached our destination" Hua Lian said as she pointed towards the small path.

Xiang Yi Bai and Xue Zhan looked at the red bamboo in surprise. They had never seen such bamboo before.

"What does red bamboo mean?" asked Xue Zhan.

"That is a sign that we have approached the enemy's enclosure" Hua Lian replied confidently.

"But how are we going to find Yue Linghe among all of this?" sergeant Xue Zhan was confused.

"We need to find another clue. There may be traces or other signs that could help us find its place" Hua Lian said.

They then started walking on that small hidden path. The dense and lush bamboo forest accompanied by strange sounds from within the forest made them even more vigilant.

While walking, the state of Xue Zhan and Hua Lian who were starting to get exhausted slightly affected the movement. The two walked behind Xiang Yi Bai who had not expended a single dime of his strength since then and it made Hua Lian a little upset even though in the end he could not protest.

They continued their journey through the bamboo forest carefully stepping over the small path. The red color of the bamboos became clearer as they got closer to their destination. The three sped up the pace, knowing that every second wasted could mean missing the chance to find Yue Linghe who might have run away upon knowing their arrival.

While passing through the street filled with huge red bamboo, Xue Zhan suddenly heard the sound of an odd movement. Sure enough, the bamboos pulled out a thin poisonous clear weapon from behind the bamboo tree books. No enemy was in sight. The late Hua Lian realized not seeing a sharp thin object pointing towards her so quickly. He retreated and fell down by Xue Zhan who suddenly pulled him.

Unfortunately the sharp clear weapon pierced through Xue Zhan's shoulder, a green poison coursing along with the blood in his wound. Xiang Yi Bai who was looking from a distance half cursed, "Stupid! Why are you so careless?" snarl. Xue Zhan was trying to stay sober even though his gaze started to blur due to the effects of the poison.

His heart beat faster enduring the pain that began to burn every cell and skin. Xue Zhan's face was deathly pale filled with cold sweat. Hua Lian propping up the young man's body was still startled.

"W-what happened? You okay?"

"It's clear he's why! Get him out of this place immediately!" Xiang Yi Bai gave a stern order. He knew how dangerous the Purple Centipede poison was therefore he kept warning Xue Zhan to be careful.

Xue Zhan and Hua Lian moved cautiously towards a safe place, wary of any movements and sounds around them.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been negligent. You're gonna have to get hurt for protecting me."

Xue Zhan almost occasionally lost his breath, he pressed his finger on the chest trying to heal himself. Treating the poison continuously, he could have died if he missed one small thing. Occasionally a small groan was heard from his mouth because he could no longer endure the excruciating pain.

Xiang Yi Bai had been prepared to deal with any danger that might arise. They were startled by a clattering sound that suddenly sounded, like the sound of weapons colliding with each other.

“Be careful!” xue Zhan shouted to the others, while taking a position ready to fight. Hua Lian held him back. "Don't move! You are dying!"

"Let me overcome these little cockroaches." Xiang Yi Bai finally decided to intervene when he saw that his disciple was already unable to fight.

From behind the red bamboos, appeared a pair of fiery red eyes. Those eyes continued to look at them with anger. They realized that it was a purple centipede demon that was bigger and stronger than before.

“He came!” xue Zhan shouted, while pointing his index finger towards the demon.

Xiang Yi Bai already knew better and warned the incoming attacks. There was a red pattern around the Purple Centipede's stealth head. If Xiang Yi Bai guessed, he was sure that the demon was over tens of thousands of years old.

Just a matter of seconds since emerging, the demon instantly launched an attack with sharp thorns at its feet. He moved very quickly after Xiang Yi Bai.

Xiang Yi Bai quickly dodged the attack and set foot on a thin bamboo that was slightly slanted.

Meanwhile, Hua Lian was trying to heal Xue Zhan's quite severe injuries by sticking both of her hands on Xue Zhan's back. The channeled strength could not be spelled out much but it was enough to help Xue Zhan deal with the pain of the purple centipede poison which was likely one of the main ingredients of Yue Linghe's poison.

Forced Hua Lian could not take part in the fight because of having to take care of Xue Zhan, plus she was also injured and would only hinder Xiang Yi Bai's movements.

Xiang Yi Bai moved like a shadow, taking a position behind the centipede demon but the demon easily read the movement and swung its tail towards Xiang Yi Bai.

Xiang Yi Bai managed to dodge the tail attack and then launched an attack that actually looked ordinary.

But that second Hua Lian shuddered sinisterly when she first saw Xiang Yi Bai unleashing his power. Xue Zhan glared.

One ordinary slash was unleashed and directly aimed towards the biggest purple centipede demon standing in front of him.

The wind from the slash felt so strong that it was able to split the largest centipede demon body into two and pierce the ground up to several tens of meters away. An incredible force capable of crushing hundreds of bamboo in the surroundings and lifting the ground and stones into the air.

Now Hua Lian got an answer as to why Xiang Yi Bai was unfazed when her grandfather told her that it would be so great for Yue Linghe. In an instant he cleared a single giant demon by himself.

They could not immediately breathe a sigh of relief because just then there was the sound of laughter from behind the red bamboo.

"Finally ...! You finally came to me! I can still even recognize the scent of your body, Yi Bai."

A pair of glowing purple eyes lurked behind the dark bamboo forest.

"You miss me so much, huh?"