Chapter 57: Cursing the Snake (Fourth Update, Seeking Collection and Rewards)

  But where did that snake go?

  Shen Du couldn't understand it, and even the villagers were puzzled, wondering why the snake would appear in a place like this.

  "Now that we've confirmed this is the entrance to the Extreme Path, let's not hesitate any longer. Let's hurry in." Bi Lian was still a bit tense after all; she had been stuck in the Desire Realm for nearly ten years, and it was unknown when she would be able to successfully reach the seventh layer of the Ice Prison.

  "No!" Yan Muo said calmly: "Everyone, don't be in a hurry. I think everything in the future is an unknown number. The higher we go, the harder it will be to pass through. Since that's the case, why not take some time to cultivate here and make sufficient preparations before we set off again? What do you all think?"

  Bi Luo didn't understand what Yan Muo was thinking for a moment, so she asked: "What trick are you going to play again?"

  When Bi Lian heard this icy tone, Yan Muo was once again furious.

  "What's with the tricks? We're all here because of you. Now we're in a dilemma, whether to advance or retreat. If we don't make sufficient preparations, do you think we can just enter and stay in that space forever?"

  Shen Du also thought that what Yan Mo said made sense, so he chimed in: "I think we should make some preparations too. At least we should figure out why the cursed snake would appear in a place like this, right?"

  The question was directed at Yan Mu, but Shen Du's gaze remained fixed on Bi Lian's icy face.

  "Since you all say so, what can I say? Bi Luo has not lost heart, having stayed in the Desire Realm for nearly ten years. If she were to stay another decade or two within the Extreme Dao Gate, even if she arrived at the Ice Prison's seventh layer on time, her family would have long been killed by the Snow Demon."

  The three people reached an agreement, and next they needed to find a place to settle down.

  The mountain peak is surrounded by towering pines and cedars, it's not difficult to build a wooden house.

  Three people shuttled back and forth in the mountains for most of the day, finally finding a mountain stream with excellent scenery behind the mountain.

  The water in the mountain stream is deep and bottomless, with a misty surface that has a bluish-green color, making the world in the water even more mysterious.

  Just as they were absorbed in the view, a long snake with black fish-like spots poked its head out of the water, seemingly noticing Shen Du and the other two's presence, and immediately withdrew its head into the water.

  "Look, there it is, that cursed snake." Shen pointed at the water surface where the snake had appeared.

  Biluo wasn't looking at the water in the first place, so she didn't see it. She said calmly: "I didn't notice, I was just thinking, how long will we be staying here."

  "Hehe." Yan Mu lightly chuckled and said: "The most important thing is to see how much of a breakthrough Shen Du's swordsmanship can achieve."

  Mentioning swordsmanship, Shen Du suddenly thought that he had obtained the second half of Shenmen's Fifteen Swords for over a decade, yet he had never had the chance to practice it properly. Suddenly inspired, he swung his long sword and a red sword aura burst out, cutting down dozens of tall and straight pine trees in an orderly manner.

  "Alas, it seems this fine sword will have to be used as a chopping knife." Shen let out a sigh and began carefully pruning the branches of the pine tree.

  With both eyes inconvenient, I couldn't help, and could only sit quietly on the side, waiting for Shen Du's labor results.

  Biluo glanced at Xianmo sitting on the lawn and somewhat understood her situation.

  "Shendu, I'm here to help." Beryl walked up to Shendu's side with a smile on her face, seemingly happy, and asked: "What can I do to help you?"

  Shen Du raised those mature and determined eyes, playfully sizing up Bi Luo who was standing beside him like a child, and smiled: "If you want to help, you should put down that bag of yours first."

  Biluo seemed to attach great importance to that bag, and even at this time, she was reluctant to put it down.

  "But..."

  "Don't be like that." Seeing Bi Luo still looked hesitant, Shen Dou got up and helped Bi Luo take off the big bag, casually throwing it aside, with a relaxed face: "Won't this make things much easier?"

  Bailuo, who had just put down her heavy luggage, was originally wearing extremely thin clothes. The alluring curves of her body were faintly visible through the transparent silk-like garments, presenting themselves in front of Shendu, causing his thoughts to become momentarily disordered and his eyes to be unable to rest naturally, unsure of where they should settle.

  "Cough, cough!" He could only cough twice to cover up his inner awkwardness.

  "What's wrong with you." Bi Luo seemed inexperienced and didn't understand Shen Du's inner thoughts.

  Shen was taken aback by this question and became even more unnatural, at a loss for what to do with his hands and feet, and even forgot that he was in the process of building a small house.

  "It's probably because you're too good-looking." The innocent tone of Yan Muo, who was sitting beside him, somehow filled the forest with a sour taste.

  "Uh..." Bi Luo's face turned bright red with embarrassment, "What are you talking about?" Pretending not to know, she snatched Shen Dou's treasured sword and began to trim the branches of a nearby pine tree.

  Shen Du saw the situation and his thoughts finally returned to normal. Unexpectedly, his heart was racing and he was sweating profusely with nervousness.

  "I'll just cut down the trees first." Shen Du's sword was taken away by Bi Luo, he could only use the third move of the Shenmen Fifteen Swords, the Empty and Solid Sword Technique, transforming his energy into a sword, also extremely fast, cutting down nearly a hundred pines.

  After all, he was a strong swordsman, and his hand speed was much faster than that of ordinary people.

  From cutting down trees to building a house, it was completed in just one afternoon.

  A brand new wooden house, with three open rooms, the roof covered with wooden boards of cypress and cedar, and topped with thick leaves, looks not only unique but also has a homey flavor.

  "Haha, finally a great success!" Looking at the results of his busy afternoon, Shen Dou was as happy as a child, but with his long beard on his chin, he didn't look like a kid at all.

  Yan finally stood up, pinched his slightly numb knee with his hand, and said softly: "Shen Du, take me in to feel it for a bit."

  Shen Du heard this and was just about to go forward to support her, but Bi Luo rushed ahead of him.

  "Ah, men and women are different, I'll come instead."

  Seeing Bi Luo being so enthusiastic, Shen Du also didn't want to fight over it, and smiled saying: "Then you all wait here first, I'll go practice my sword."

  Although busy all day, Shen Dou's spirit was still full.

  He drew his sword by the mountain stream and found an empty space, then pulled out Shen Men's Fifteen Swords from his bosom. Originally, he had only practiced the first two moves of this sword manual, but in the virtual world set up by Yang Shen, he took some time to practice the third move, the Unreal Sword.

  This false-real sword is also a sword move in the second half, compared with the sword moves in the first half, it is more exquisite.

  But the shortcoming of the latter half is that it doesn't tell practitioners to cultivate their inner energy first and then practice swordsmanship.

  But Shen Dou was not worried at all, and he had already memorized the first half of the incantation.

  Sitting cross-legged on the lawn, a long sword placed beside him, his hands clasped together, he silently recited an incantation.

  "With spirit commanding the sword, the spirit precedes the sword, when the spirit moves the sword stops, when the sword moves the spirit remains..."

  He kept muttering to himself repeatedly, and his body gradually emitted a golden light. His beard under his chin was waving automatically in the windless air, but he had a peaceful expression on his face.

  But at this moment, the snake in the distant mountain stream poked its head out again, constantly spitting out snake letters. Two black eyeballs stared coldly at Shen Dou, as if filled with hatred towards him.