Chapter 686 - 402: A Fight to the Death

The pillar of light Zou Feng had unleashed changed its form, remaining condensed and refusing to scatter.

It was like a glowing staff reaching for the heavens, pressed against the mouth of the clamshell.

In order to pry the shell open, Zou Feng’s hand gesture changed.

He was no longer using the initial one-fingered posture to attack. Instead, he brought the middle finger of his other hand to join the first.

Then, amidst a strange ripple of energy, his two middle fingers slowly began to spread apart.

The staff formed by the Poison-Magnetic Beam mirrored his fingers’ movement, splitting in two to pry the clamshell open by sheer force.

Seeing this, Jiang Wanzhao didn’t just stand by idly. She clasped her palms together, raised them high over her head, and began to spin at high speed.

In that moment, Jiang Wanzhao effectively became a human drill.

She then coordinated with Zou Feng’s "prying" motion, frantically drilling into the seam where the clamshell was sealed shut.

A tense struggle to pry open the clamshell had just reached its fever pitch.

Yu Qing’s absolute defense was truly formidable. Even with Zou Feng and Jiang Wanzhao giving their all, they couldn’t break through it right away.

But after only three breaths, a tiny crack was finally pried open in the shell’s seam.

It couldn’t be helped. The so-called "strongest defense" was always just a relative term.

According to Yu Qing’s initial estimate, even though Zou Feng’s and Jiang Wanzhao’s attacks were both powerful, she figured she would have no problem holding on for about fifteen minutes in this defensive state.

’As long as I can stall for a bit, other Tribulation Cultivators nearby will surely be drawn by the commotion, and my crisis will be over.’

However, no matter how she calculated and estimated, she could never have predicted that Zou Feng would hit her with a Critical Strike of side effects.

The transferred side effects actually gave her an impulse to just open the clamshell and willingly welcome Zou Feng’s pillar of light...

And with Jiang Wanzhao’s frantic "drilling," she felt a strange tingling sensation, which also made her feel like... opening up.

In short, while Yu Qing appeared to be suffering from two attacks, she was actually under a triple assault.

At the same time, seeing a crack finally appear in the shell’s seam, Zou Feng let out a great roar and unleashed his full power.

"Break... open!!"

Following his roar, Zou Feng’s two fingers yanked viciously apart!

With a loud CRACK, the clamshell was brutally pried open, revealing Yu Qing’s horrified face.

Jiang Wanzhao seized the opportunity to "drill" her way inside.

After breaking the shell, Zou Feng didn’t end his assault. His two fingers merged again, and he thrust them through the air toward Yu Qing.

The Poison-Magnetic Beam naturally merged back into one, transforming into a lethal poison arrow.

"AHHHH—"

Amidst her screams, Zou Feng’s and Jiang Wanzhao’s killing blows landed on Yu Qing simultaneously, finally putting an end to her itching and tingling.

With her clamshell defense broken, Yu Qing had no way to use any other defensive measures for a short while.

Casting her "absolute defense" was not without its costs; it had already consumed an immense amount of her energy.

Not to mention that the moment the shell was pried open, Yu Qing suffered damage equivalent to her own body being torn apart.

A moment later, having suffered one devastating blow after another, Yu Qing plummeted like a kite with a broken string.

With quick reflexes, Jiang Wanzhao shot forward and seized Yu Qing, then flew back to regroup with Zou Feng without a moment’s delay.

As for Zou Feng, he was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.

Forcibly changing the form of his Poison-Magnetic Beam just now had taken an incredible toll on him.

Fortunately, he had plenty of External Pills. He quickly swallowed two to replenish some of his energy.

When Jiang Wanzhao regrouped with Zou Feng, Yu Qing in her grasp, no words were needed. With perfect understanding, the group immediately fled.

But Su Qingyu’s leg was broken again, severely slowing them down, so Zou Feng simply hoisted her onto his shoulder.

As for Xiaolv, it was also completely exhausted and could no longer fly, so it had no choice but to cling to Zou Feng.

At that moment, Zou Feng felt a surge of gratitude. ’Thank goodness the Gun Holster is so reliable,’ he thought. ’Not only can it move on its own, but it can even help carry things.’

As soon as they fled, the Xuanwu Poison Domain could no longer be maintained and quickly dissipated on its own.

Yu Qing’s subordinates, the "Great Medicines" who had been dancing wildly, all snapped back to their senses. They finally stopped their rave-like dancing and, their eyes wide with fury, charged after Zou Feng.

Every last one of them was in a frenzy, determined to take a chunk of flesh from Zou Feng even if they knew they were no match for him.

Their pursuers weren’t limited to the Great Medicines. As expected, the commotion had also attracted nearby Tribulation Cultivators.

Several exceptionally powerful auras were rapidly closing in on them.

If they had been delayed for even a moment longer, Zou Feng and the others would have been trapped.

But this was no time for celebration. Whether they could ultimately make a clean getaway was still uncertain.

All things considered, ambushing Yu Qing had been an enormous win.

Capturing this demon alive was a huge step forward in Jiang Wanzhao’s plan to atone for her past transgressions through meritorious service.

After all, Yu Qing’s power surpassed even Luo Gang’s. By capturing this renegade demon, the disciples who were on good terms with Jiang Wanzhao would now have the leverage to plead her case.

Of course, that was all contingent on them making it back alive...

A brutal chase ensued, lasting the entire night without conclusion.

When the light of a new day finally fell upon the land, Zou Feng and his companions were all in a wretched state, severely wounded.

They had long since lost the ability to fly, forced to rely on their own two feet to keep running.

But even so, between their injuries and the immense drain on their energy, everyone, including Jiang Wanzhao, was utterly spent.