C13 The Distance Between You and Me Is as far as the Heavens

Standing on the damp grass before the expansive waters of Giant Tree Lake, Su Mo and her companions were poised for discovery. Sunn Cheng's gaze was fixed on the seemingly endless forest of giant trees before them, the eerily quiet and densely intertwined vines that had grown for millennia sending a shiver of dread through him.

The surface of the lake remained tranquil, disturbed only by the occasional insect skimming the surface, creating gentle ripples. The silence in such a vast forest was unnerving; not a single bird call could be heard. Sunn Cheng sensed that something was amiss.

"We must be in the right place," Su Mo said, her voice tinged with a mix of nervousness and excitement. "The spiritual energy here is fluctuating wildly, and there's an oppressive aura that I can't quite place... The Divine Guard Army's secret must be hidden here."

Qianfeng nodded his agreement, his own cultivation not quite on par with Su Mo's, and though his spiritual perception was less acute, he too could feel an unusual presence.

Guishou, who had been as silent as a mute up until now, rustled his wide sleeves, revealing his pale, skeletal hands. His voice, sharp as scraping metal, cut through the air, "This place is very dangerous..."

Thud!

A muffled sound rose from the depths of the lake, sending ripples far and wide, each one a heavy blow to the chest of the onlookers.

Thud!

The sound came again, this time closer and more forceful, the ripples on the water's surface growing increasingly intense.

Sunn Cheng, with his keen eyes, suddenly saw a massive black shadow emerge on the water's surface deep within Giant Tree Lake, moving towards the shore at an unfathomable speed.

Years of hunting had honed Sunn Cheng's instincts for danger. Without a second thought, he spun around and bellowed, "Retreat!"

In unison, Su Mo, Qianfeng, and Guishou all fell back, following Sunn Cheng's lead, while the slower Su family guards lagged behind.

A colossal figure burst forth from the water with a thunderous crash, casting a shadow as vast as the sky itself. A curtain of water cascaded down like a waterfall.

Before them was a creature unlike any Sunn Cheng had ever encountered—a Barbarian Beast, or more accurately, a Demonic Beast.

Three heads, each larger than a hill, swayed from side to side, while its body, thicker than a Giant Tree, rose up tall and straight. The sunlight was swallowed by darkness beneath its massive form, as three bright red tongues flicked out in unison.

"This is... an adult low-level Spirit Beast, the Three-Headed Thunder Snake! Is this the secret the Divine Guard Army has been hiding?" Su Mo's eyes flickered with surprise before she quickly regained her composure, her heart filling with deep suspicion.

Though the Three-Headed Thunder Snake wasn't the weakest among Spirit Beasts, it was still just a low-level one, hardly justifying the Divine Guard Army's extensive scheming.

The Thunder Snake lowered its massive heads to gaze at the people on the grass, its six eyes betraying a hint of confusion. True to a Barbarian Beast born from a Spirit Vein, the higher its cultivation, the greater its wisdom. This Three-Headed Thunder Snake was highly cultivated, as one could tell from its contemplative gaze.

Sunn Cheng was no stranger to Demonic Beasts, but this was his first encounter with one so formidable and immense. He craned his neck to look at the glistening scales, their hardness left to the imagination.

The Su family guards, trailing behind, dared not move beyond a single step. They were drenched in cold sweat, even feeling the breath of the Thunder Snake looming overhead.

A guard bravely took a few steps forward, immediately drawing the attention of the Thunder Snake. Hostility gleamed in its eyes, and its half-submerged body in the Giant Tree Lake stirred. The snake's ten-meter-long tail swept across with ferocious speed, and a cry of agony filled the air. All twelve guards were caught by the tail and flung skyward, only to be dashed back down in a spray of blood.

"Young Master! What should we do? Please decide quickly!" Qianfeng, gripping his long blade, called out urgently.

Su Mo's eyebrows arched as she grasped at the air with her right hand, summoning a long sword that shimmered with a deep blue hue, like the ocean. The sword's light shone as bright as a clear sky. She spoke with icy resolve, "Whether or not this creature is the Divine Guard Army's ace in the hole, we three shall band together and eliminate it first!"

Guishou let out a sinister chuckle and shrugged off his cloak, revealing a ghastly pale face marked with several scars. In a piercing voice, he declared, "A bright silver core is a treasure indeed. Battling this creature is bound to be exhilarating!"

Sunn Cheng, overlooked by the trio during their battle with the Thunder Snake, breathed a sigh of relief. Given his meager third-level Body Tempering cultivation, he figured he'd be less appealing to the Thunder Snake than a Barbarian Beast.

Sunn Cheng took cover behind a boulder, peeking out to watch the divine clash unfolding in the distance. Su Mo, with her treasured sword in hand, was a sight to behold. With each swing, her Spiritual Force surged, severing a Giant Tree in an instant!

Touching his neck, Sunn Cheng felt a wave of gratitude for not having irked Su Mo too much during their journey. The prowess of those listed on the Human Hero Ranking was truly as legendary as their fame.

The daunting task of cultivating Spirit Reflection, an obstacle that had stymied countless gifted aspirants on the path of cultivation, seemed effortlessly surmounted by this eighteen-year-old girl. Her abilities were indeed a testament to the Human Hero Ranking's assessment of her exceptional talent.

Qianfeng and Guishou were formidable in their own right. Though their bursts of Spiritual Force didn't match Su Mo's overwhelming power, they were close contenders, likely at the pinnacle of the Soul Union Stage or its Late Period.

Qianfeng's long blade whirled with grace, his mastery of an esoteric blade technique leaving a trail of gashes on the Thunder Snake.

Guishou, with his iron claws, targeted the vulnerable spots on the Thunder Snake's head and belly, his movements elusive.

Sunn Cheng watched the battle, utterly captivated. This was the true clash of titans.

The Thunder Snake, riddled with wounds and its rugged scales proving formidable, was no match for Su Mo's extraordinary sword. Even Qianfeng's blade inflicted considerable harm.

With a thunderous bellow that echoed through the land, Su Mo's sword slashed across one of the Thunder Snake's heads, blinding an eye and eliciting a skyward scream of agony.

Enraged, the Thunder Snake seemed on the brink of madness. A golden glow emanated from its underbelly, hinting at the brewing of a formidable counterattack.

"This is bad! A golden inner core! It has already achieved a golden inner core, powerful enough to rival a human cultivator at the Spirit Reflection Middle Period!" Qianfeng exclaimed, startled by the sudden burst of golden light. He had only expected a bright silver inner core, akin to the peak of the Soul Union Stage, but this was a golden inner core!

The variation in the inner core's color signifies the level of a Demonic Beast's cultivation. A single step forward for them is akin to a human cultivator advancing an entire realm, with the power being utterly incomparable!

Su Mo's face grew tense. As a cultivator in the Spirit Reflection Early Period, she understood all too well the formidable power of someone in the Spirit Reflection Middle Period and the vast gap in Spiritual Force.

It wasn't just Su Mo and Qianfeng, who were less powerful than her; even if three Su Mos teamed up, they would stand no chance of victory without some special strategy.

Such is the nature of cultivation; the higher you climb, the more the subtle differences are amplified, let alone the gap of an entire minor stage.

The Thunder Snake's massive body writhed, its belly swelling as all three heads tilted back, then simultaneously unleashed three beams of lightning from their gaping maws.

Boom! The earth shattered under the ferocious lightning beams, and Qianfeng, caught in the blast, was sent flying, crashing to the ground and spewing blood.

The Thunder Snake, cunning as it was, focused its assault on the wounded. The left head fired another lightning bolt at Qianfeng, still sprawled on the ground!

Su Mo and Guishou, standing a bit farther away, were petrified by the scene, and Qianfeng's complexion turned deathly pale.

In the blink of an eye, a figure dashed in, grabbed Qianfeng by the leg, and dragged him away in a frenzied sprint!

It was Sunn Cheng! He had emerged from nowhere, rescuing Qianfeng just as the lightning was about to strike!

Both were knocked aside by the residual force of the blast. Had Qianfeng been struck by the lightning, it would have been the end for him right there.

"Cough, cough... I thought you'd taken off already!" Qianfeng spat out a mouthful of blood and wiped his mouth, managing a grin. "I didn't expect you to save me... Thanks!"

Sunn Cheng, covered in dirt and debris, brushed off the weeds and gravel from his head and gave Qianfeng a sideways look. "You should stop laughing; it looks even worse than your poker face!"

Choking from Sunn Cheng's remark, Qianfeng pointed at him, unable to speak, but his eyes brimmed with gratitude.

Su Mo watched the three Thunder Snakes with frustration. With Qianfeng injured, it was clear that the two of them stood no chance against the frenzied Demonic Beast.

"Is this the danger Kuan Feipeng warned us about? That even I can't handle? Indeed, this creature's strength is formidable!" Su Mo thought bitterly. Even if the three Thunder Snakes were the Divine Guard Army's hidden secret, she was powerless unless she could muster a stronger force to defeat them.

"We're leaving!" Su Mo commanded. In a few swift movements, she was beside Sunn Cheng. Before he could react, she grabbed him by the collar and hurried forward.

"Hey! What's the idea here? This is really uncomfortable!" Sunn Cheng protested vehemently, dismayed at being carried off like a chicken by a woman. What kind of image was that? And it was decidedly uncomfortable.

Qianfeng, a bit behind and comfortably cradled in Guishou's arms, seemed to have it much better. Sunn Cheng was about to suggest a change in position when Su Mo snapped, "Quiet! Can your cultivation level match our pace? Another word and I'll drop you!"

Feeling the wind whistle past his ears, Sunn Cheng realized this must be what it felt like to move with the wind, a feat barely achievable by someone at the Spirit Reflection Stage. Yet, he was thoroughly miserable. Su Mo had clearly misunderstood him. He had only wanted her to adjust her grip, not to challenge her by running on his own. But he decided against voicing his thoughts, fearing she might just let him go. So, Sunn Cheng continued to endure in silence.

An explosion erupted behind them, the forceful blast flipping the four fleeing figures and launching them into the air!

Glancing back, Sunn Cheng saw three Thunder Snakes swiftly approaching, their gaping maws alarmingly close.

"Star Compass!" Su Mo, having regained her balance, cried out. A compass adorned with celestial stars materialized before her. She seized one edge of the compass and yelled to Sunn Cheng, "Grab on, quick!"

Guishou, with Qianfeng in tow, also clutched a corner of the compass. As Sunn Cheng reached out to grasp it, something tumbled from Qianfeng's person—a small porcelain bottle, the very one containing the Spirit Pill!

"My Spirit Pill!" Sunn Cheng blurted out instinctively, opting to seize the bottle rather than the compass.

As the Thunder Snakes soared through the sky, their jaws wide open, Sunn Cheng snatched the porcelain bottle mid-air and spun around, lunging for Su Mo's outstretched hand.

"Grab my hand!" Su Mo, startled, stretched her hand toward Sunn Cheng, but the gap between them widened in the air, just out of reach.

"I can't get to you!" Desperation tore through Sunn Cheng as their hands nearly touched, yet without a foothold in the sky, they were inches apart but worlds away.

The Star Compass vibrated intensely, unleashing a burst of blinding white light. The glare enveloped Sunn Cheng's vision as space itself churned violently. In a flash, the compass vanished, whisking Su Mo and the others away in an instant.

This was the last image Sunn Cheng witnessed before darkness and agony engulfed him, the central Thunder Snake's cavernous jaws swallowing him whole.

The remaining Thunder Snakes, seemingly unsatisfied with just one prey, unleashed a torrent of lightning. The area around Giant Tree Lake and Soul Breaking Cliff was devastated by their fury.

Once their wrath subsided, the Thunder Snake retreated slowly back into the lake. Calmness settled over the land once more, yet the ravaged landscape bore silent testimony to the fierce battle that had just unfolded.