Even though the Winged Snake was watching intensely, looking as if it would not rest until it had finished its mission, it was clear that the creature was extremely wary of the Water-Fire Lotus and didn't dare to attack rashly once more.

The Water-Fire Lotus, carrying Wang Xiaoqiang and Zhao Feiyan, flew out of the pool.

The Winged Snake also flew out of the pool. Upon seeing the Winged Snake bolt out, the onlookers released their Immortal Sword Treasures, launching a combined assault towards the Winged Snake.

Unfazed, the Winged Snake swept its long tail, sending dozens of Sword Treasures flying back in retreat.

At that moment, fierce light surged in its sinister red eyes. With a roar, it lunged at the cultivators.

The cultivators, seeing the situation, all changed color and scattered to escape.

The Winged Snake was far too powerful, far beyond what the cultivators could contend with. Wang Xiaoqiang also feared that it might harm everyone, so with a thought, the Patterned Beast roared, positioning itself before the crowd and again spewed out a jet of flame towards the Winged Snake.

That flame was astonishingly of a blue-purple color, almost tangible.

The Winged Snake's movement slowed. It used the Water Control Technique, and from its mouth, it spouted a water pillar,

The water pillar collided with the blue-purple flame, the two countering each other before collapsing with a resounding roar.

Spinning, the Water-Fire Lotus rose to a stop in midair, and Zhao Feiyan called out, "Water-Fire Lotus, open!"

Suddenly, the red flower bud, big as a room, instantly unfolded, its petals stretching out and floating in the night sky, appearing like a blooming giant lotus. On the lotus, Wang Xiaoqiang and Zhao Feiyan were tightly pressed against each other.

If this scene of the two drenched and pressed together were seen by the male cultivators below, it would surely evoke immense envy!

Within the Water-Fire Lotus, their soaked bodies were already half dried, but the charming vision from when they were drenched still seemed to be before them. Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang still holding her tightly, Zhao Feiyan couldn't help but scold, "Let go of me now!"

Wang Xiaoqiang quickly released her delicate body and, noticing the battle between the Winged Snake and the Patterned Beast below, saw that the beast was clearly struggling. If not for its flame technique being fatally effective against the Winged Snake, it might have already been devoured. Seeing this, Wang Xiaoqiang urgently said, "Feiyan, you take control of the Water-Fire Lotus, I will use my spell technique to get rid of this Winged Snake."

"Alright!" Zhao Feiyan nodded vigorously. Then she concentrated on steadying the Water-Fire Lotus.

Wang Xiaoqiang stood up, standing tall on the Water-Fire Lotus, bow in hand, he assumed the posture for drawing the bow and shooting an arrow. As he pulled the Sun-Shooting Bow, he also cleared his mind of any stray thoughts, calmed his spirit, and began visualization, imagining himself as a celestial constellation in the starry sky.

A tremendous force descended from the heavens, piercing down. Wang Xiaoqiang's clothes burst into pieces, turning to ash.

Each movement he made was filled with immense strength, carrying the heat of a wild stampede, the sound of thundering hooves, and the anticipation of an erupting volcano.

When he drew the imaginary bowstring of the Sun-Shooting Bow to full crescent, a massive, unrivaled bolt of lightning appeared in his clenched right hand.

The entire world, as if commanded by celestial gods, seemed to sing in unison at that moment!

An indescribable sense of awe shook all those below, and the spirit beasts within several miles cried out low, their voices filled with dismay.

The electrifying arrow above was aimed directly at the head of the Winged Snake below...

Taking a deep breath, Wang Xiaoqiang completed the final action of releasing the string...

Boom!

The bolt of lightning, with earth-shattering momentum, tore through the night sky, breaking through the air, and hurtled towards the Winged Snake.

Then, in the next instant,

Under the moonlight, that bolt of lightning struck the head of the Winged Snake.

Boom!

The head of the Winged Snake was obliterated in an instant, reduced to dust and ashes.

The thick, barrel-sized body of the snake twitched a few times before coming to a complete halt!

The battle was over, and silence ensued.

All was still as if time itself had frozen!

Everyone stared blankly at the exploded head of the snake, dumbfounded, while Zhao Feiyan was so shocked that she was rendered speechless.

This was simply unbelievable!

Wang Xiaoqiang had actually used a bow and arrow to shoot a bolt of lightning!

What kind of spell technique was this?!

And this lightning was so powerful that it completely destroyed the head of the formidable Winged Snake!

For a long while, the crowd's gaze finally lifted from the body of the Winged Snake and turned to look up at Wang Xiaoqiang on the Water-Fire Lotus, their faces filled with awe.

Zhao Feiyan also turned around, her beautiful eyes fixing on Wang Xiaoqiang.

But upon seeing Wang Xiaoqiang bare-chested, her pretty face flushed with embarrassment, quickly turning away as she timidly said, "You, you better put some clothes on quickly!"

Wang Xiaoqiang took out a set of robes from his Storage Ring and put them on, then said to Zhao Feiyan, "Alright, I'll go down first; you change into some clothes and come down after me."

With that, Wang Xiaoqiang leapt down from the Water-Fire Lotus.

Zhao Feiyan shouted loudly, "Water-Fire Lotus, combine!"

Instantly, the Water-Fire Lotus closed up again, and the red bud turned into a small red house. Zhao Feiyan changed into a set of clean clothes inside the bud before she opened the Water-Fire Lotus and flew down to the ground.

At this time, Wang Xiaoqiang had become a hero in everyone's eyes, surrounded by the crowd who kept showering him with compliments.

"Elder Brother Wang, your courage is unmatched; I truly admire you!"

"Elder Brother Wang, your wit and spell technique are unparalleled; you should take the lead!"

"Yes, we are all willing to be your followers and help you seize the armor!"

...

The crowd expressed their loyalty one after another.

Now, it was clear to everyone that even though Zhao Feiyan had the highest cultivation base, the strongest among them was still Wang Xiaoqiang,

who had blown up the head of the mighty Third-Level Spirit Beast, the Winged Snake, in one fell swoop, let alone the cultivators,

so at this time, everyone felt inferior and knew that the Armor Number 4 was meant for Wang Xiaoqiang,

since seizing the armor seemed hopeless, they expressed loyalty in hopes of his protection. Just surviving and leaving the perilous Yan Mountain would be enough.

Seeing that everyone was sincere this time, Wang Xiaoqiang said, "Alright, since everyone looks up to me so much, I will take the lead!"

Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang willing to take the lead, everyone cheered joyfully around him. Zhao Feiyan, who had changed into new clothes, felt a wave of relief at this scene, and when she looked at Wang Xiaoqiang, her gaze carried a tinge of passion and gratitude...

If not for Wang Xiaoqiang, how could she have harvested the Water-Fire Lingzhi Mushroom!

How could she have cultivated the Water-Fire Lotus Curse in such a short period!

But whenever she thought of their close encounter in the Water-Fire Lotus, their wet bodies pressed against each other, she couldn't help feeling a wave of shyness,

and she was curious at this moment. If it had been any other man, she might have been disgusted, but with Wang Xiaoqiang, she only felt shyness and a bit of sweetness.

Just as she looked at Wang Xiaoqiang, he also looked back at her.

Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang's gaze, Zhao Feiyan's face flushed, and she quickly lowered her head.

Wang Xiaoqiang smiled slightly and, with a thought, commanded the Patterned Beast to clean up the area.

The Patterned Beast pounced on the Winged Snake's body, devouring it bit by bit.

The crowd watched the Patterned Beast with surprised eyes, not understanding whether it was a demon beast or a spirit beast. How had it become Wang Xiaoqiang's Pet Beast?

Moreover, its demeanor of disregarding danger and loyally protecting its master won their admiration,

and everyone began to hold some affection and covetousness for the Patterned Beast, thinking how nice it would be to have such a pet beast of their own!

The Patterned Beast devoured the snake's body bit by bit, leaving only one Spirit Marrow uneaten.

Wang Xiaoqiang picked up the Spirit Marrow from the ground and raised his hand to the crowd, "This Spirit Marrow is for everyone, and Zhao Feiyan will hold onto it for now."

With that, Wang Xiaoqiang handed the Spirit Marrow over to Zhao Feiyan and then instructed everyone to continue on their way.

Now, as the leader, everyone naturally followed Wang Xiaoqiang's directions.

Not just the male cultivators, but also the six female cultivators walked close to him, so much so that Zhao Feiyan, who wanted to walk alongside Wang Xiaoqiang, couldn't find a way to get close enough.

Luckily, they didn't encounter any more spirit beasts during the latter half of the night, and by dawn, they had reached the heart of the mountain range.

As day and night shifted, a time when spirit beasts roamed frequently, to avoid a collision with powerful spirit beasts, Wang Xiaoqiang ordered everyone to sit down and rest,

Seeing everyone seated, Wang Xiaoqiang began to speak earnestly, "My friends, if we go forward, we will be in the heart of the mountain range, a place even more perilous. If anyone is unwilling to enter, I won't force you. You can leave Yan Mountain and save yourself. However, those willing to enter with me to seize the armor, I will protect you to the best of my ability. Once we find the armor, everyone will have a fair chance to compete..."

Upon hearing this, the crowd fell silent. Now, no one held much hope for seizing the armor, and retreating seemed the wise choice at this moment. However, because Zhao Feiyan had five Spirit Marrows that kept everyone's hopes up, nobody wanted to leave. Besides, exiting now, alone and vulnerable, would make it difficult to navigate through the dangers of Yan Mountain,

so, not a single person chose to leave.

Seeing that no one wanted to back out, Wang Xiaoqiang said, "Good, since everyone is willing to follow me into the heart of the mountain range, I will do everything within my power to ensure everyone's safety. Now, let's all sit in a circle and start absorbing the Spirit Marrow!"

The crowd joyfully sat down in a circle, preparing to refine and transform the Spirit Marrow.

Zhao Feiyan took out all five Spirit Marrows and placed them on the ground in the middle for everyone to absorb.

However, Wang Xiaoqiang didn't immediately release the Spiritual Spring to absorb it. With 400,000 Spirit Springs still outside his body, absorbing them would total one million Spirit Springs, which was already the limit that his meridians could withstand. If he were to further divide the Spiritual Springs, with his current physical strength, he would not be able to endure the violent Spiritual Power.

If he wanted to absorb more Spirit Marrow, he had to raise his Flesh Body Realm one more level. So, as everyone else was refining the Spirit Marrow, Wang Xiaoqiang took out the last Divine Power Pill from the Sumeru Ring, tossed it into his mouth, and swallowed it.

As soon as the Divine Power Pill entered his body, it dissolved, and the power began to spread.

Threads of the pill's power, hot as flames, traveled along his meridians, flowing throughout his entire body,

Wang Xiaoqiang felt the power within continually nourishing all his flesh and blood,

and as his blood interacted with the power of the Divine Power Pill, it reacted chemically, as if bursting into flames, roaring and surging through his blood vessels, hammering against them with such force that his heart throbbed violently, as if he were a heart disease patient experiencing an episode. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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