Venerated Venomous Consort

The setting for the green camouflage was very physically draining. As soon as they arrived at the intersection point, Gu Xijiu was already a little exhausted. She leaned on Di Fuyi’s chest and said, “Can you take over from here and break the wizardry barrier? I am a little exhausted.”

Di Fuyi saw her pale face and knew exactly how tired she was. She worked the most throughout the entire journey, as she was the one who broke a fresh path for the team. If he were to work the same amount as she did, he would be tired as well. Moreover, her spiritual level had just attained level ten.

He held one of her hands. “Let us take a rest here. Come, I will massage you to help dredge your channels and collaterals.” He pulled her over and made her sit. Slowly, he then massaged her back and her limbs.

The rest of them were tired as well. The land on the eighth peak was different from anywhere else. The gravity was stronger by a few folds. Hence, their movements were limited, as lifting their limbs simply felt like weightlifting every time they moved. If their spiritual level were any lower, they would be easily crushed by their own body weight under the gravitational pull.

Under the current circumstance, running a 10-mile distance was even more tiring than a normal run of 100 miles. The energy that they had put in the run for the past hour had been much more than they usually did for 10 hours straight.

They were merely running in the middle of the line, between Gu Xijiu and Di Fuyi, so they hardly needed to do anything. However, they were already sweating profusely even just by running. Their muscles started to ache from the run. Gu Xijiu would be even more tired, given that she was the one who took the lead.

They finally realized how dangerous it was to be on the eighth peak. If they broke the wizardry barrier before by themselves, they still would not make it out alive from the hill. They would have, most probably, died the moment they broke through the barrier.

Along the way, it was Gu Xijiu who decided on the path and guided them on how to build their formation. She even told them how to mask their own scents.

Gu Xijiu did almost everything from planning to execution. As for Di Fuyi, he was more like her follower and stayed close by her side. He would only help her with some massages to make her feel better and stay out of the rest of the affairs.

He had always been this way for the past eight years, so the people were used to having Gu Xijiu as the leader. They only listened to her orders, as their admiration for her grew each day. As for Di Fuyi, who had been wildly unpredictable, they chose to pay no attention to him, as long as they did not offend him in any way.

Right now, everyone started looking for a spot to sit down and take as much rest as they possibly could. Every second counted. Gu Xijiu had said it before that the wizardry barrier on the eighth peak should never be damaged. At most, they could only open up a passage for immediate exit. Opening the passage was a difficult task. Hence, everyone was required in making an effort, together.

Di Fuyi was very experienced in massaging. Also, he transferred some of his spiritual power to Gu Xijiu along the process so that she could recover her strength better.

She pulled herself into his arms and directed an audio to him. “Is this a trial for me to endure?”

Di Fuyi responded with a smile. “I thought you did not wish to be protected under my wings. Instead, you wanted to fly the heights with me, side by side. You have to be really strong to stand by my side.”

Gu Xijiu pinched her lips. “But… But, I will still be tired when the path gets rough. I need a shoulder to lean on.”

Di Fuyi pulled her closer into his arms. “Hmm, am I not letting you lean on me right now?”

Gu Xijiu did not know what to answer.

The mussel could no longer hold his frustration. “Celestial Master Zuo, please allow me to get this straight. You let my master do everything and wait comfortably to enjoy the outcome. You are even more capable than her, but you let her take the lead instead and make her risk the danger. Take a look at other couples. The men will always take the lead and protect their women. It is what true men do, unlike you. Humph, I can no longer keep quiet about it.”

Di Fuyi took a look at the mussel and responded with disdain, “If you cannot keep it to yourself, I suggest you keep your shells shut.”

The mussel was speechless.

Gu Xijiu clearly knew that Di Fuyi was trying to train her. All he truly wanted was to make her stronger, so she could advance with him shoulder to shoulder as his wife. She was only whining about it because she was too exhausted. She did not really mind what he made her do.

Furthermore, it was Di Fuyi who told her everything before the journey started, including the route and the formation. What he did was to keep up her prestige.

She took another look at the mussel. “You are not allowed to comment on him in such a way. If you talk any more nonsense, I will smash your shells!”

The mussel was shocked. It was clearly hurt by her words. It was true when people said that outsiders should stay out of a couple’s business. The mussel closed its shells and went into another corner to reflect quietly.

Gu Xijiu was reminded of something. “By the way, you should be the one who teaches our children in the future.”

Di Fuyi was excellent at training his disciples. Gu Xijiu was really impressed. Without a doubt, their children’s potential could be greatly cultivated under his guide.

His hand froze at her waist, as her words obviously struck him. He answered with a smile. “We should only talk about it when we have one.”

Gu Xijiu was thrilled at the thought of it. “We cannot have children in the core array, but we will definitely make babies when we are out. On the other hand, do you prefer a boy or a girl?” He could see the hopes in her eyes, as she was already picturing their family of three or four having fun together.

Di Fuyi was stunned. He then broke into a smile. “We shall not rush into having children. You are still a child, too. I shall take good care of you first.”

Gu Xijiu did not know what to answer.

She was agitated. “I am not a child!” She was already 25 years old, according to how they measured someone’s age.

Di Fuyi planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Hmm, you have outgrown the age of a child. However, you are still a child in my eyes.”

Gu Xijiu was speechless. What he said was true, as he was already a few thousand years old. As compared to him, she was still very young and tender.

She threw him a harsh look. “Is there anyone who is not a child to you?” He could be anyone’s ancestor with his age.

Di Fuyi smiled and whispered in her ear, “I do not see Gu Xietian as a child.”

Gu Xijiu was astonished.

With a wry sense of humor, she teased him, “Looks like you have to call him your father.”

Di Fuyi sighed. “That is why I do not wish to see him.”

Gu Xijiu could not hold back her amusement. She stopped teasing him. He did not seem to be very interested in having children. However, he seemed to be very interested in the means of having children.

She decided to stop discussing the topic, as she would easily get pregnant when they were out of here. She was certain that he would cherish his own child when they had one. She could almost picture their children crawling around him and giving him a headache. She smiled at the happy thought of her imagination. Her expression immediately brightened up.

Di Fuyi sat with her in his embrace. He seemed carefree, but his eyes were always watching their surroundings. It was not his first time to be on the eighth peak. Others were unaware, but only he knew clearly that the evil energy had increased tremendously as compared to eight years ago. The evil energy had accumulated to the point where it could attain its corporeal likeness anytime. The number of the beasts had also increased, and they became even more ferocious.

The eighth peak was a place to accumulate all the evil energy in the world and purify them. When the evil energy increased, so would the number of the beasts. The auspicious power that the eighth peak had was to purify the evil energy that it had accumulated so that both energies could reach an equilibrium. When the world was at peace, the evil energy would not be extensive, hence it would be easier to be purified. However, the amount of even energy that he was sensing now was clearly too much. What had happened outside?

He tried to foresee the situation by making a prediction on his fingers. He sighed, a few moments later, as he could barely tell anything. He then observed the tips of his fingers. All of them were supple and pink. There seemed to be nothing odd.

For eight years, he had been taking his days off from the outside world. Without his guard, something big must have happened. Was it Long Fan who was back for his evil business?

It should not be Mo Zhao, as it would take him a few decades to recover from the last injury. However, from what he could sense from the level of evil energy, Mo Zhao should be able to recover better under its influence. He would probably require less time than was earlier predicted.

There was a sense of concern in his eyes. Mo Zhao was his opponent, so he had to make sure to eradicate him from existence to spare all future trouble.

They were still on the eighth peak and dangers were everywhere, so Gu Xijiu dared not waste any more time. She stood up after taking a 15-minute break. “Let us begin! We shall take better rest when we finally leave this place.”

The rest of them stood in approval. They did according to what Gu Xijiu had told them to and formed a formation.

Di Fuyi stood watching as they proceeded. He did not intend to help.

Gu Xijiu was very anxious about it. As Di Fuyi had once told her, the opening of the wizardry barrier would trigger the beasts on the eighth peak. For one full minute, all of them would be completely exposed in front of the beasts. Therefore, they should all be prepared for a hard battle. If they could make it past the first three minutes, only then they could they call it a successful evacuation.

Under Gu Xijiu’s guide, all colors of light could be seen flickering through the air. Slowly, the seemingly impeccable wizardry barrier broke and formed a foggy door.

Everything was as what Di Fuyi had predicted. As soon as the opening started forming, they could hear the beasts bellowing with rage from the depths of the hill. The ground started shaking accompanied with the howling of strong wind. Soon, four ferocious beasts emerged before their eyes.

Gu Xijiu’s expression changed. Di Fuyi once told her that they would only trigger one or two beasts. However, the number was double now.

The strongest beasts could easily impose a raging momentum on their surroundings. Trees were split and crushed as they approached. Their hearts jerked at what they saw.

Without enough courage, one would not stand a chance in fighting the beasts. Instead, they would completely lose their stand under the beasts’ violent rage and fall to their knees as they trembled with fear.

Fortunately, all the men present had their spiritual power at level nine and above, so they could still hold their ground together. However, some of them were shivering a little, as fear slowly radiated through their bodies. If Gu Xijiu had not told them about it before, they would have run away frantically.

Di Fuyi used to be quite at ease. However, the change of situation had obviously concerned him, as he frowned and became suddenly wary. Quietly, he performed a spell under his sleeves and quickly found his way back to Gu Xijiu’s side.

Gu Xijiu was scared but was not at all lost. She had clearly displayed her excellent mentality by assigning the men to different positions to guard their ground. The mussel and Lu Wu were both prepared to meet the battle.

As for Feng Zhao, even though its spiritual level had attained level seven, its true quality was merely a level-five beast. It would still tremble in fear at the sight of the level eight beasts. All four of its feet started shivering. It could feel a prickle of fear sweeping through its body. In fact, it was considered as courageous, at least it was still standing. If there were other level five beasts, they would already be cowering in terror.

The four beasts were all different. There were Tao Wu, Redshank, Chaos and Rhinoceros. Anyone of the beasts could easily tear all nine of them apart in a swift. Now, there were four of them.

Gu Xijiu did not let her anxiety show, but her hands started trembling with cold sweats.

Di Fuyi encouraged her. “Hold yourself together. You can do this.”

Gu Xijiu took a breath before she continued bravely, “Everyone, it is time for a challenge! There is only one choice in this fight; we either win or die! Don’t worry, do as I say, I am 90 percent hopeful about the fight!”

Her words were surely encouraging, as their hearts were instantly set afire.

“It is right; we have to fight to survive!”

“Don’t worry, Xijiu. Tell us what to do, and we shall do it!”

“Death is the last resort. There is nothing else to be fearful of!”

The four beasts came lunging at them violently.

It was a tough fight.

Apparently, the formation that Gu Xijiu had come up with was efficient in fighting the beasts. All the beasts were massive. As a comparison, all nine of them were like small Ping-Pong balls fighting against four giant basketballs. However, their formation had successfully created a unique aura, restraining the beasts from intruding their zone.

The beasts broke into thundering howls, as the men fought them furiously with their weapons. All forms of light flickered across the battlefield.

Their shadows fluttered in the air. Gu Xijiu’s leadership skill was truly amazing, as she was able to alter their tactics according to the situation. She instructed them to change their formation from time to time to tackle the beasts. She was not too loud, but loud enough to be heard across the field. Her command was the backbone of the team, as they did according to her every instruction. They did as told regardless of the dangers that lied ahead, even when Gu Xijiu’s instruction was to fight the beasts straight on.

During the difficult fight, some of them were clearly in danger. Luckily, before they were completely endangered during their close encounters with the beasts, Gu Xijiu would always emerge out of thin air and bring them back to safety by teleportation.

Three minutes was usually a short time, like a flash. However, under their current situation, even a minute felt like an eternity.

A minute passed. Some of them were lightly injured.

Two minutes passed. Some of them were severely injured.

Regardless of their injuries, they still fought with great determination. None of them fell back.

When it was almost three minutes, the door was finally open. Gu Xijiu commanded them to escape through the door one by one.

Gu Xijiu and Di Fuyi would be the last two to leave.

They lunged and sprang through the door one by one. The lesser the people, the more pressure Gu Xijiu and Di Fuyi would have to bear.

When the mussel and Lu Wu escaped, the pressure that both of them faced was beyond comparison. They held their breaths, as every second was a fight for their lives.

“Xijiu, get out now!” Di Fuyi commanded.

It was their initial plan. Di Fuyi would be the last one to stay behind.

When Di Fuyi told Gu Xijiu about the plan, she agreed to it, as she thought that nothing would come in his way. Nothing could harm him. He would still escape safely even he was the last one to leave.

However, now that he had to face all four beasts on his own, Gu Xijiu finally realized how dangerous it would be for him to face them alone.

Even with her fighting alongside with him, the beasts were still able to harm him. There was already blood at the corners of his mouth. If she escaped and left him alone, the consequences would be very terrible.

He would probably not make it.

“You and I will leave together!” Gu Xijiu changed her mind suddenly.