Gateway of Immortality

Chapter 291: Complete Annihilation

In the abyss, two "elderly" Hook Snakes were in a dormant state. However, as they were drawn by the scent of blood, they immediately awoke and blocked the group's path.

These two Hook Snakes were even larger than the ones in the red mist, their bodies stretching several dozen zhang in length. Their scales were as black as ink, and each one was exceptionally thick, radiating a strange glow that flickered between them, resembling a Jiao.

The snake heads emerged from the abyss, and their four huge crimson eyes fixed on Luo Xingnan and the others. A large portion of their bodies remained hidden in the yin qi, and their tails stirred the qi, creating powerful winds and waves.

Seeing these two obstacles, Luo Xingnan and the others' hearts sank, and their expressions changed.

Middle stage of the Demonic Spirit Realm!

Previously, while being chased by the Hook Snakes, the group wasn’t too panicked. Even if they couldn’t fight back, escaping wouldn’t be difficult. As long as they reached the cave, they could use the terrain to their advantage, and with the help of Luo Xingnan and Sheng Yuanzi, there was a good chance they could turn the tables and slay the Hook Snakes.

But now, none of them dared entertain such thoughts. A group of frenzied Hook Snakes, with at least two of them being powerful demons at the middle stage of the Demonic Spirit Realm, had surpassed their strength.

"Run!"

Someone cried out loudly.

The group dared not delay, attempting to break through the encirclement.

But the Hook Snakes were faster.

Hiss...

The two enormous snake mouths simultaneously opened, releasing two clouds of deep crimson mist, even tinged with black, from their throats. The mist rapidly spread, forming a massive red wall that charged at them with astonishing speed.

At the same time, two shadows suddenly flashed from within the abyss. The snakes' tails, incredibly agile, sprang out of the abyss like whips, slashing toward them with immense force.

The powerful winds struck their faces.

Fortunately, Luo Xingnan and Sheng Yuanzi maintained absolute control over their subordinates, and the array remained intact. Upon seeing the incoming attack, they immediately commanded everyone to form a defensive stance.

"Form the array!"

With Luo Xingnan's commanding shout, the group's spiritual power surged, creating a massive light shield that blocked the incoming mist.

As a result, their speed of retreat slowed, but this was an inevitable compromise.

The Hook Snakes at the middle stage of the Demonic Spirit Realm were on par with Luo Xingnan and Sheng Yuanzi in strength. These two Hook Snakes had incredibly powerful demonic bodies, and their tail hooks were surely poisonous.

They didn’t dare to rely on their physical bodies to withstand the snake tails.

The red mist charged forward, and the light shield emitted a chilling hissing sound, as the mist began to corrode the shield. This demonstrated the ferocity of the venom, but fortunately, the light shield was sturdy enough to keep it out.

However, the incoming snake tails were not as easy to block.

Due to the way they attacked, four snake tails came at them almost simultaneously, each striking fiercely against the light shield.

Boom!

The light shield trembled violently, and the group’s faces turned slightly pale, stunned by the immense power of the Hook Snakes.

The hooks on the snake tails glowed with a terrifying cold light, nearly piercing through the shield. Thankfully, the light shield was strong enough to withstand the blow, but the tails were so close that the two people at the front of the formation were drenched in cold sweat from the near miss.

"Constrain!"

The group, still shaken, heard Luo Xingnan and Sheng Yuanzi shout in unison. They quickly infused more spiritual power, and the light shield in front dissolved into countless light tendrils, which coiled around the Hook Snakes' tails like tentacles.

These light tendrils were extremely tough, firmly binding the snake tails. The Hook Snakes thrashed violently, breaking many of the tendrils, but for a moment, they couldn’t free themselves.

Roar!

The Hook Snakes howled in fury, abandoning their tails and lunging forward to strike with their heads.

However, compared to their tails, the snake heads were much less agile. While the red mist was deadly, it would take some time to corrode and break through the protective spiritual power of the group.

"Run!" Sheng Yuanzi shouted loudly.

The opportunity was fleeting.

Without Sheng Yuanzi's reminder, everyone understood the urgency of the situation. The Hook Snakes behind them had also gone mad, their tails in pursuit, now so close that they could almost touch. If they didn’t escape the encirclement quickly, they would be doomed.

In this critical moment, the group immediately summoned their artifacts, each employing their own means, with evasion light flashing like lightning.

Yu Kong, who had been hiding in the shadows, subtly shifted.

At the same time, Qin Sang heard Yu Kong’s transmission, but before he could respond, he heard Yu Kong urgently whisper a command that contradicted the previous one.

"Don’t move!"

Before the words even finished, loud shouts of anger and shock came from the distant battlefield.

Soon after, Qin Sang saw it.

Within the sea of red mist, a Hook Snake suddenly broke through the crowd. Its size was no less than that of the two that had been resting in the abyss!

As it charged out of the mist, everyone finally noticed its presence.

In addition to the two Hook Snakes dormant in the abyss, there was another young Hook Snake in the low hills, also at the middle stage of the Demonic Spirit Realm.

Three Hook Snakes at the middle stage of the Demonic Spirit Realm!

Whoosh!

The long snake tails whipped up a hurricane, closing in from all sides, their dark shadows blotting out the sky.

The fastest to flee, Luo Xingnan and Sheng Yuanzi, became the primary targets. They were forcibly driven back by the sudden assault from the Hook Snake, leaving them in a sorry state. As for the others, it was even worse. The situation descended into chaos.

Before the group could regain their footing, the other two Hook Snakes broke free from the light tendrils. The three powerful demonic beasts stretched their long bodies across the sky, forming an impenetrable encirclement, eyeing the group below with malicious intent.

The chance to escape was fleeting, and it was clear they hadn’t seized it.

In the next moment, the red mist surged forward.

Boom!

The battle exploded in an instant. The red mist swirled, and the snake shadows writhed, nearly obscuring the figures of the cultivators.

The roar of the cultivators and the hissing of the Hook Snakes mixed together, indistinguishable in the chaos.

Soon, one cultivator fought his way to the edge of the red mist, but was then pierced through the chest by a tail hook from behind. With a horrific scream, he was torn apart. One by one, the severed limbs and torsos were pulled back by the tail hooks.

There were three Hook Snakes at the middle stage of the Demonic Spirit Realm, and countless others at the early stage. On the cultivator’s side, only Luo Xingnan and Sheng Yuanzi were middle-stage Foundation Building cultivators.

What was even more terrifying was that, driven by the scent of blood, the Hook Snakes had gone completely mad and became fearless in battle.

Whenever a cultivator died, the Hook Snakes would tear them apart. It was impossible to count how many had already perished.

There were still Hook Snakes killed by the cultivators in retaliation. Every so often, another Hook Snake corpse would fall from the sky, equally disfigured. In their madness, the Hook Snakes even spared their own kind.

By now, the scent of blood was overwhelming, and the Hook Snakes' ferocity had only increased.

The red mist spread, obscuring the battlefield, and yet no one had managed to break through the encirclement. The air was filled with screams, sending chills down one's spine.

At this rate, would everyone die here?

Watching from a distance, Yu Kong and the others were also horrified.

Yu Kong hadn’t anticipated that so many Hook Snakes at the middle stage of the Demonic Spirit Realm were hidden here. After a moment of contemplation, he quietly rose from his hiding place.

"Go!"

After hearing Yu Kong’s transmission, Qin Sang gently stood up. He followed Yu Kong, taking a wide detour to avoid the center of the battle, and, while the Hook Snakes were distracted by Luo Xingnan and the others, they quietly made their way toward the opposite side of the abyss.