Chapter 256: Chapter 203: Fifth Transition Overreaching, Fourth Transition Certain Victory

Thief of... Thief... House... Thief’s House...

Pharmacist’s Wish’s muddled brain was ceaselessly connecting thoughts about the Thief’s House, yet she couldn’t gather any coherent idea, all tokens were completely sealed, her muscles were devoid of strength, and her Spiritual Power was immovable.

Every ’resistance’ gesture was ruthlessly extinguished in the planning stage. Only after abandoning resistance and accepting reality did she barely regain some thinking ability.

I’m not dead yet.

The memory of Pharmacist’s Wish remained fixed at the moment when she employed the Secret Technique to swiftly retreat and deceive Prajna, then the memory halted, suggesting Prajna indeed hit her. She was already aware of this; Prajna in the storm had nearly attained Foundation Establishment Level, and no one present could resist. She couldn’t possibly expect Blood Phase to sacrifice itself to trigger Prajna’s storm... so it had to be her, only her.

Being the one with two lives, the one who mastered the circulation, she was the sole candidate to deceive Prajna.

A slight move of her back caused her entire body to convulse from pain, feeling as if her spine was about to break. Pharmacist’s Wish was mentally prepared for her shattered state but sensed her entire body, surprisingly finding no defects or disabilities, not even ruptured internal organs.

The Life-Saving Pill had already been triggered, she thought.

After consuming the Life-Saving Pill, Pharmacist’s Wish constantly experienced an inexplicable sensation. If she had to describe it, it was akin to riding horse with her father during childhood, knowing that no matter how recklessly she played on horseback, her father would surely ensure her safety in danger... Now, that feeling was gone.

No one would shield her anymore, nor was there a second life. She must face this cruel world alone.

Once her vision cleared, Pharmacist’s Wish saw Rabbit Heroine lying beside her.

"Sister..." She instinctively recalled but the Golden Lock had drained all her strength, she could only slowly slither over, her hair disheveled, looking utterly miserable, "Little Rabbit, Little Rabbit..."

Rabbit Heroine was tightly restrained by the Golden Lock too. She lay on the ground, her petite body appeared as if savaged by a beast, most of her right chest had vanished, leaving a horrifying blood hole with dark purple internal organs, murky blood, and pale bone spikes exposed. Blood continuously surged from her mouth, her face as thin as golden paper.

Were it not for the flourishing Qi Blood of the Third-Turn Messenger, she would have long fallen into unconsciousness and death. Nevertheless, each breath now was like a tug-of-war with death.

She slowly turned her head, her lips curled up, exposing a ghastly smile: "Sister, you’re okay."

"I’ll save you now, I’ll save you now!" Pharmacist’s Wish crawled next to Rabbit Heroine, attempting to break free from the Golden Lock to retrieve the Blood Replenishing Pill, but regardless of her exertion, the Golden Lock would absorb all her strength.

Her eyes grew red with determination to contend against the Golden Lock, regardless of the spine-splitting pain she didn’t care, unconsciously tears blurred her vision, at this time a soft touch came from her face, Rabbit Heroine pressed her cheek against hers... After bathing, she would often look for her sister to snuggle but her sister always disdainfully avoided.

Before coming to Shu Dao Mountain, Pharmacist’s Wish had already anticipated the perilous unpredictability of this journey, mentally prepared for the possibility of the three master-servants perishing here. To restore the Ba River Pharmacist and achieve Foundation Establishment, she was willing to pay any price, even if it meant dying on the way... but Rabbit Heroine’s appearance changed everything, Pharmacist’s Wish never imagined she would once again have family... this was a price she could never afford!

Break free, give me freedom, even if I have to sever my hand!

Pharmacist’s Wish let out a beast-like roar, so piercing as if her soul was being ripped out, resembling both a desperate lone wolf and a bawling girl.

"Stop shouting, neither of you will die, the Immortal Binding Rope is healing you, stay still and don’t move."

What?

Pharmacist’s Wish blinked several times to dry her tears, turning her head over, only to see a white-haired girl with blood-colored antlers standing in the open space of the mountain fort. She was wearing striking red eyeshadow, draped in a white long robe with only a red chest binding underneath, not caring to expose her snowy skin. Beneath she wore white shorts and wooden sandals, her toenails painted red, appearing like a lady appreciating flowers in her garden.

Blood-colored antlers, white-haired girl?

An old memory surfaced in Pharmacist’s Wish’s mind.

When she was around four to six years old, she would be sent to a mountain temple to live with other kids for three to four months each year. Children were akin to beasts in a way, the group always had a hierarchy like kings, the sole logic was violence. Hence, Pharmacist’s Wish always emerged undefeated among toddlers, every year being the little tyrant of the temple.

At six, she was provoked by other kids into sneaking into the temple’s prohibited rooms for adults, discovering a wine bottle, feeling thirsty, she indulged heartily. Her memories afterwards were murky, only vaguely recalling encountering a woman with antlers, yelling ’What a big deer, watch me shoot it dead’, the next day when she awoke, she had returned to Chang’an, and her bottom was painfully split.

She never revisited the mountain temple afterward. When she asked her father, her father simply replied, ’You offended someone’. Many years later, Pharmacist’s Wish discovered whom she had encountered in the temple.

"Locking Dragon Bodhisattva?" Due to her overwhelming shock, Pharmacist’s Wish forgot to speak respectfully: "How are you here!?"

The ancestor of the Yao Family, Zhou Taizu’s niece, the Sea-Overarching Purple Gold Beam and Heaven-Supporting White Jade Pillar of the Yao Royal Family, revered as Locking Dragon Bodhisattva by the Yao Family, the Foundation Establishment Messenger, Yao Shi Yue!

"I remember you, the snot-nosed little girl," True Man of Locking Dragon said indifferently: "You haven’t changed, still so rude after all these years, deserve a beating."

With a flick of her left hand, a Golden Lock zipped through the air and landed a fierce blow on Pharmacist’s Wish’s buttocks, producing a crisp sound.

Pharmacist’s Wish felt both pain and shame, but she couldn’t worry about these now. She turned to carefully observe the wounds of the Rabbit Heroine, and indeed saw that the bleeding had stopped. The flesh was regenerating at a speed visible to the naked eye. Tears of joy streamed down her face as she choked up, "Thank you, Bodhisattva, for your great mercy! Thank you, thank you!"

The Rabbit Heroine’s lips twitched, and with breath as faint as a whisper, she said, "We are still tied up by her, what are we thanking her for?"

Pharmacist’s Wish shook her head, unable to utter a word, with only large tears falling on the Rabbit Heroine’s face. She understood her situation, but survival meant everything. As long as she lived, there was a long life ahead for recovery.

"Don’t be too quick to thank," True Man of Locking Dragon said, "I only said she wouldn’t die but never promised to save her."

"But what if I intend to kill?"

Winter Hunting Zhenren stood on the crown of a pine tree at the cliff’s edge, his expression icy cold. The Withered Wood Bow in his hand began to transform with his words, eventually growing into a Blackwood Giant Bow as tall as a person: "Since I’m here at Shu Dao Mountain, I must not return empty-handed. They are my prey, Yao Shi Yue. Did you think you could just take them with a word? Maybe I would consider three points of Yao Family if Pharmacist Changqiu were still alive, but now that he’s dead, Yao Family is unfit to command the Pillar of the Country!"

"You dare treat members of Yao Family as prey?" From True Man of Locking Dragon’s sleeve, numerous Golden Lock Chains extended: "Pharmacist Changqiu is dead, but to teach a lesson to a brat like you doesn’t require two Foundation Establishments; it’s more than enough for me alone, your aunt."

"You’re not in a position to act superior based on age before me!"

Winter Hunting Zhenren instantly pulled the Blackwood Longbow to its fullest, producing three large arrows in his hands. The arrowheads glimmered with black light from Black Steel — a rare metal produced only in the Foundation Establishment Secret Realm. A Black Steel Arrow mounted on a Divine Arm Crossbow Vehicle could pierce through walls ten feet thick, and a Foundation Establishment defensive barrier in front of it is no different from paper!

The reason he didn’t use such a weapon against the Rabbit Heroine was fear that one arrow might destroy the token entirely, leaving no spoils to collect. But now that Yao Shi Yue has captured both, Winter Hunting Zhenren had no concerns. Even if he couldn’t obtain them, he would not let the Yao Family seize them!

But Yao Shi Yue’s attack was faster, as nine Golden Locks surged forward like a swarm of serpents, shooting towards Winter Hunting Zhenren from nine different directions! Yet, Winter Hunting Zhenren remained unflustered, as he stepped into the air, forming an invisible barrier that blocked all the Golden Locks below!

Drawing Dungeon · Moon Stepping Step!

His Life Divine Techniques were not adept at assault; their impact in attack was meager. But in terms of entrapping and obstructing, they held unparalleled advantages. Added to the Array of the Grand Moon and Celestial Cover, even Foundation Establishments struggled to break through, enhancing the Moon Stepping Step meant that each step created a Drawing Dungeon, keeping all attacks at bay!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

With the sound of three bowstrings, Winter Hunting Zhenren shot nine arrows from different directions in a few breaths; only three were aimed at Yao Shi Yue, while the other six targeted the Rabbit Heroine and Pharmacist’s Wish, and each arrow was imbued with ’Extinction’ power, capable of piercings even Shu Dao Mountain!

With the destructive impact of the Extinction Arrows, Yao Shi Yue absolutely could not easily withstand them. She struggled to protect herself, let alone the two girls!

A fierce battle between Foundation Establishments could be hard to discern, but when a Foundation Establishment wants to kill mortals, other Foundation Establishments can’t possibly stop it! Even a Third-Turn Messenger is but an ant easily extinguished by Foundation Establishment, in this world, only Foundation Establishments truly possess the qualification to be called human!

"Is this all, brother Helan Shou?"

With Yao Shi Yue’s mocking voice, Winter Hunting Zhenren’s pupils shrank abruptly.

A massive circle formed by Golden Locks stood before Yao Shi Yue and the two girls, with the nine Extinction Arrows shot by Winter Hunting Zhenren suspended in its center, as though an unseen barrier within the circle held the Extinction Arrows solid!

"Returning them to you!"

With a flick of Yao Shi Yue’s Golden Lock Chain, the Extinction Arrows abruptly changed direction, returning from suspension to reality, transforming into nine streaks of black light aimed at Winter Hunting Zhenren!

Boom!

An explosion occurred high above Shu Dao Mountain, with the violent winds like a tsunami swallowing the fortress, the wind of extinction leveled fences and trees alike, blowing away the collapsing Demon Slaying Hall, and enveloping the fortress in an apocalyptic embrace! Beiyou was blown aside, the defense screen gradually shattered as his flesh was torn open by the fierce wind, nearly stripping him to his bones, and had he not clung tightly to the ground, he might have been hurled off the cliff directly.

Had Yao Shi Yue not shielded Pharmacist’s Wish and the Rabbit Heroine, the mere burst of wind would have critically injured them!

Even the aftermath of a Foundation Establishment battle is a catastrophe unbearable for ordinary people!

Winter Hunting Zhenren landed on another boulder, his expression uncertain and suspicious: "A second divine technique? You’re already at Fifth Transition!?"

Fifth Transition!

Pharmacist’s Wish felt uplifted upon hearing the news, with vast differences between each transition for mortals, surpassing it would certainly be even greater. If True Man of Locking Dragon is already at Fifth Transition, Winter Hunting Zhenren would surely be aware of his defeat and retreat voluntarily—

"You’ve reached Fifth Transition and still dare to challenge my Fourth Transformation Perfection?" Winter Hunting Zhenren roared to the sky, "How truly overconfident!"