Chapter 256: Greener Than the Lake Water
It seemed like a long time had passed, but in reality, it was only an instant.
Chen Changsheng and Zheshou burst out of the lake water, staring at the woman who had just emerged from bathing and was now combing her hair on the rock in the middle of the lake. They looked somewhat dazed.
But from that woman's perspective, suddenly seeing two heads pop up on the lake's surface was an utterly terrifying scene.
With a sharp scream, the woman panicked, fell from the rock into the water, choked on the lake water, and bobbed up and down, her seductive face filled with terror.
The thin clothes clinging to her body in the lake water faintly revealed the jade-like color of her skin beneath.
Chen Changsheng, without overthinking, waved his arms and swam toward where she had fallen.
Zheshou said nothing and followed behind him.
Swimming to where the woman had fallen, Chen Changsheng dove underwater. Naturally, he couldn't close his eyes now. In the clear lake water, the woman's clothes drifted lightly. As she struggled incessantly, her clothes became quite disheveled, revealing the pale whiteness of her neck and even faintly hinting at more alluring places.
Chen Changsheng showed no reaction. He reached out and grabbed her.
The woman, suddenly encountering rescue, instinctively clung to him like a little bear hugging a tree, holding him tightly.
Chen Changsheng clearly felt his face buried in a soft, plush place, while his waist was clamped by two extremely firm thighs.
This posture was very suggestive, even in such an urgent moment.
If it were an ordinary person, they probably wouldn't be able to save anyone and would sink down themselves.
Chen Changsheng wouldn't. His right fist was already clenched, ready to strike at any moment—whether to knock out this panicked woman or to do something else, he wasn't sure.
He carried the woman as he swam toward the surface. The woman regained some clarity, her fear subsiding slightly, and she realized Chen Changsheng meant no harm and was there to save her. Out of shyness, she adjusted her posture.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and turned her face to the side.
Thus, their faces were pressed together.
Even in the cool lake water, Chen Changsheng could feel the warm breath from her lips and the heat radiating from her body.
Zheshou swam behind Chen Changsheng, staring expressionlessly at the woman. The moment they emerged from the lake, he had noticed the insignia on her belt—it should belong to a disciple of some hidden Eastern sect.
But that didn't prove anything. He stared into her eyes, unsure of what exactly he was looking for.
Finally, they left the lake and reached the surface. The woman, holding onto Chen Changsheng's neck, looked back at Zheshou. Her eyes were no longer panicked, nor did they show any unusual expression.
That calmness itself was the problem.
Then, deep in her eyes, Zheshou caught a glimmer of a smile.
Young lady, why are you smiling?
Zheshou wanted to ask her, but he didn't, and there was no time.
The woman's arms were wrapped around Chen Changsheng's neck, and her fingers naturally pressed against the spot below his earlobe.
There lay the most important blood vessels and the meridians leading directly to the sea of consciousness.
If that spot were severed, even if the Pope himself arrived in person, he couldn't save him.
Silently and imperceptibly, a bewitching green glow emerged from the woman's fingertips.
Even the greenish-blue lake water couldn't hide that green.
The green forest on the lakeshore instantly lost all color in the presence of that green.
The woman's fingertips gently pierced inward.
...
...
Nothing happened.
The green glow at the woman's fingertips failed to pierce Chen Changsheng's neck.
Chen Changsheng seemed completely unaware, swimming toward the rock in the middle of the lake as if preparing to climb up.
The woman's eyes flickered with a hint of surprise and shock. She pressed her fingers harder and stabbed again.
...Still, nothing happened.
A wave of shock surged through the woman's heart. She couldn't understand what was going on.
The green glow hidden at her fingertips was one of the sharpest magical artifacts in the world. Even a cultivator who had achieved perfect marrow cleansing, unless they had successfully gathered stars, would have their skin broken by a single stab.
And that green glow itself contained the most terrifying poison in the world. Even the most powerful demonic beasts, once infected with this poison, couldn't hold out for long.
But... how could it not pierce Chen Changsheng's skin?
Just then, Chen Changsheng finally turned his head.
He was extremely close to the woman, close enough to smell each other's breath and see their own reflections in each other's eyes.
His eyes were very bright.
So bright they made one's heart flutter.
The woman looked into his eyes, into those bright, mirror-like eyes, and saw her own slightly pale face reflected in them. For the first time in a long while, her heart fluttered.
In the Snow Old City, she had toyed with countless demon generals in the palm of her hand, never flustered no matter the upheaval.
But now, she was flustered.
Chen Changsheng's gaze was very calm, without any mockery.
Yet she felt he was mocking her, that his eyes were full of ridicule.
She grew angry, unwilling to accept it, so her eyes shifted, instantly becoming pitiful and endearing.
Her beautiful face, aggrieved expression, soft and mature body, combined with her innate seductive demonic arts, created an overwhelmingly powerful temptation.
Even the most iron-hearted man would likely feel some pity, at least not immediately strike to kill—especially not a fifteen-year-old youth.
As long as she could buy a moment to turn things around, there would still be a chance. That was what she thought.
Unfortunately, things never go as one wishes, nor as demons wish.
Chen Changsheng showed no reaction at all, as if he hadn't seen her face and was completely unaffected by her demonic arts.
His arms tightened around her, as firm as iron bars.
The woman's expression shifted slightly. A sharp shriek burst from her red lips, and the clothes on her body tore apart like a spiderweb. An extremely powerful aura suddenly erupted!
If compared to the realm of human cultivators, the aura she released was at least at the upper level of Penetrating Darkness! The same as Chen Changsheng, but her true essence was more than ten times richer!
Chen Changsheng's body trembled violently, but he didn't let go.
He held her tightly, burst out of the lake, and leaped into the azure sky!
That leap was several dozen zhang high!
Then he fell toward the rock in the middle of the lake.
In that extremely brief process, he used a movement technique from the Yashi Steps to make his descent even more rapid!
He held her, like a stone, crashing into that rock!
With a thunderous boom!
The hard rock in the middle of the lake suddenly cracked, with at least a third of its surface collapsing and falling into the water.
With such immense force, Chen Changsheng could no longer keep his grip locked. He was sent flying back into the lake water.
The woman fared even worse. Her nearly perfect demonic body, under the terrifying impact, suffered several broken bones. Her face was pale, and two streams of blood trickled from the corners of her lips.
Just then, another shadow rushed in.
It was Zheshou.
With several sharp whooshes, a few flashes of light burst in the air above the rock in the middle of the lake.
Then came a cry filled with rage and pain.
No matter how high the woman's realm or how strong her true essence, after being smashed by Chen Changsheng and having her sea of consciousness shaken, she was caught off guard and couldn't block Zheshou's attack.
Those flashes of light came from between Zheshou's fingers.
At the tips of his fingers, extremely sharp, metallic-colored claws extended, leaving several deep, bloody gashes on the woman's naked body.
As Zheshou roamed the world hunting demons, he never needed weapons. His weapons were his hands. He knew better than anyone where the weakest points of a demonic body's defense lay.
On the rock in the middle of the lake, energy splashed everywhere. The woman let out a furious roar, flipped her left hand out, and forced Zheshou off the rock. But in that instant, the tip of her pinky finger was severed by Zheshou's claw!
At that moment, Chen Changsheng came again!
The greenish lake water suddenly turned fiery red, as if the setting sun had descended upon this place.
Evening clouds shrouded the rock in the middle of the lake.
The Wenshui Three Swords: Sunset Hanging!
Borrowing the momentum of his sword, Chen Changsheng instantly swept from the lake water onto the rock. His feet landed, his sword stance solidified, and with a clang, the short sword at his waist left its sheath!
This was the first time the short sword at his waist had truly been drawn!
With a crisp sound!
The evening glow filled the sky, and the rock in the middle of the lake was bathed in warm red light.
The woman activated her demonic arts, but her right hand, half a foot from Chen Changsheng's throat, could advance no further.
Because her right hand was severed, flying toward the sky!
The woman let out a miserable cry. Her form suddenly turned insubstantial, and she stepped on the water, retreating rapidly. After a few ups and downs, she reached the sandy shore.
Who would have thought that Zheshou had already arrived on the water's surface ahead of her?
With a splash of water, Zheshou swung his arm. A flash of light appeared, and a line of blood appeared on the woman's ankle. She fell onto the sandy ground.
Chen Changsheng's sword shot through the air. The woman barely managed to twist aside to avoid it, but Zheshou flipped over and straddled her.
Zheshou's fingertip pressed against her throat, the sharp claw tip already piercing a small, hard-to-find cartilage in her neck.
With just a little more force, her throat would be pierced.
The woman's pupils contracted, and she dared not move.
Only then did her severed hand fall into the lake.
The trail of blood she had left while retreating also fell into the lake.
The clear lake water, stained by blood, became even deeper and greener.
The spots of blood on the sandy shore looked like moss.
Her blood was green.
...
...
Chen Changsheng walked up from the lake, picked up his short sword, and came to their side.
The woman, completely naked, was straddled by Zheshou. It might have seemed alluring, but it wasn't, because Zheshou's fingertip was still embedded in her throat.
Seeing the green blood flowing from the woman's severed wrist, Chen Changsheng was momentarily stunned. He didn't remember what color the blood of that Yashi tribesman he had seen in the National Academy was.
This wasn't his first battle, but it was the first time he had witnessed such a brutal, life-and-death struggle.
He had seen blood before, but rarely such a bloody scene.
Most importantly, this battle was his, and these scenes were partly his doing.
After all, he was still a youth. Seeing this scene, he felt a bit uncomfortable, so he remained silent.
Zheshou was very accustomed to it, so he was very calm.
The woman's face was very pale, her expression weak. Combined with her seductive features, she was quite pitiable.
But Zheshou's face showed no expression at all.
The woman confirmed that these two human youths could not be seduced by her. She finally gave up, gazing at the azure sky. Her chest rose and fell slightly, her beautiful cheeks pale.
The evening glow on the lake had long since disappeared. The sun was still high in the sky. A lake breeze blew, carrying a slight chill. The trees on the shore swayed gently, creating countless waves.