At that moment, Qi Hengtian had not yet realized the gravity of the situation. He didn't even choose to dodge. Instead, he opened his arms wide, preparing to block the arrow with his own body.
This scene was, for Lin Yun, quite a shock. His original goal had merely been to divert the disaster, to lead the water eastward. He never imagined Qi Hengtian would dare to be so reckless.
But just as Qi Hengtian thought he could withstand the blow, the arrow flying towards him seemed to come to life. It made a sharp turn and slipped right past his grasp.
Both Qi Hengtian and Huang Zelin froze on the spot. It was the first time they had ever seen an arrow that could turn corners.
In an instant, however, Qi Hengtian understood his opponent's true objective. He subconsciously lunged forward, trying to stop it, unleashing his full power without any regard for the cost. But even so, he was too late.
The arrow flew past him and slammed directly into the body of the Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python.
The python, which had been in a deep slumber, erupted with a terrifying hiss the next moment. The originally silent Delusional Words Forest was instantly thrown into an uproar.
"Which reckless fool dares to strike me?!" the python demanded in a furious roar. Its blood-red eyes quickly locked onto Qi Hengtian, who was currently charging towards it with his power fully unleashed.
Man and beast, their four eyes met.
Qi Hengtian's figure froze in place. "If I said I was trying to block that attack for you, would you believe me?" he asked, his voice strained.
Looking at the enraged python, he felt a wave of profound awkwardness. He did not want to fight this creature, so for now, he could only be humble.
Who would have thought that a great python like this would have such a strikingly human-like expression on its face? It simply looked Qi Hengtian up and down, as if assessing whether he was even capable of such a feat.
But soon, the python's patience ran out. Without hesitation, it whipped its massive tail. The few Crimson Ghost Sect disciples standing at the very front had no time to defend themselves and were instantly smashed into meat paste.
Just how terrifying was a completely enraged Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python? No one knew. Even Lin Yun, who had thought that an expert at the Yin-Yang Realm might not be able to win with absolute confidence but at least wouldn't be at a disadvantage, now felt that he had been thinking too simply.
When the python truly went berserk, the few subordinates with Qi Hengtian and Huang Zelin couldn't even last a few rounds before being killed. The remaining two, Huang Zelin and Qi Hengtian, could barely hold it off, but their situation was far from good. Facing the python's relentless assault, their positions were now precarious.
Both men knew that the situation was dire and what they were seeing was just a taste of what was to come, yet they had no good solution.
When Lin Yun saw this scene, he finally let out a sigh of relief. It seemed the python was more than capable of suppressing Qi Hengtian and Huang Zelin. This would save him a lot of trouble. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he could now properly observe just how formidable these Yin-Yang Realm masters truly were.
"A battle between experts of this level is exceedingly rare, even on the entire Hidden Dragon Continent," Zhou Damao said with a laugh from the side. "And now you, boy, get to witness it all. This can also be considered a form of improvement for you."
This time, they had truly benefited greatly, and had even successfully landed their enemies in deep trouble. Watching the python furiously beat down Qi Hengtian and Huang Zelin, they felt a wave of satisfaction.
At that moment, the two on the battlefield were feeling thoroughly miserable. Qi Hengtian was still holding on; his strength was considerable, and he still had some room to maneuver against the python. But Huang Zelin was clearly not so lucky. Although his own strength was not weak, he had not, in the end, broken through the Myriad Law Realm. Thus, facing the python's attacks, he was in an extremely sorry state. A single moment of carelessness could cost him his life. If Qi Hengtian weren't there helping him deal with some of the pressure, he would have died long ago.
"We cannot continue to fight this creature here," Qi Hengtian's voice was cold. "And it's not listening to a word we say." The python's power was undeniable. Even if he went all out, he couldn't possibly kill it. The best option now was to leave this place of conflict as soon as possible.
"If you don't want any more trouble, we need to leave this damned place now!" Qi Hengtian was desperate to escape. If the python weren't clinging to him so tightly, he would have left long ago. As for the person hiding behind the scenes who had caused this disaster, his hatred for them now penetrated his very bones. Not only had that boy stolen so many of his treasures, but now he was even trying to use this method to kill him. How could Qi Hengtian possibly allow that to happen? If he managed to escape this place, he would hunt that boy to the ends of the earth.
Meanwhile, after watching for a while, Lin Yun knew that this battle would not end anytime soon.
"Senior Brother Zhou, there's no point for us to stay here either. That man has no intention of fighting the python to the death." Lin Yun had already seen through Qi Hengtian's thoughts. The man was just stalling for time, looking for a chance to escape.
This wasn't good news for Lin Yun. He couldn't afford to be delayed here either; he needed to leave, and quickly.
Zhou Damao nodded, understanding Lin Yun's meaning. The group quickly departed at top speed.
On the battlefield they left behind, the battle between Qi Hengtian and the python was still locked in a stalemate. It was unlikely a victor would be decided in the short term.
The reason Lin Yun was in such a hurry to leave was because he knew Qi Hengtian would not die. The python was powerful, but no matter how Lin Yun had tried to push the situation, the final outcome would only be that Qi Hengtian would be injured. For an expert of his level, a simple injury was of no consequence. Therefore, Lin Yun couldn't be bothered to waste any more time here.
Once the python was finished with them, it wouldn't be good for Lin Yun if it turned its attention his way. Leaving now was clearly the smartest choice.
However, after the earlier commotion, the python would be too busy to bother them for some time. The three of them had stumbled into the Delusional Words Forest and still hadn't found their way out. But after the python's great roar, the ten thousand beasts of the forest were now in a stampede.