As the foremost prodigy of the previous generation, Bing Wushuang was a true genius through and through, and naturally looked down on a cut-rate champion like Xue Jianming. Still, he had not expected that this fellow actually had some real skill to him.

Treading Snow Without a Trace—that was one of the Snow Sword Sect's most supreme movement techniques. Within the entire sect, those who could master it were few and far between; it was no easy feat.

The direction in which Xue Jianming fled was precisely where Bing Wushuang stood. Now that the Primeval Giant Lizard had gone berserk, its speed defied all common sense, and even with Treading Snow Without a Trace he might not be able to shake it off. Better, then, to do as Bing Wushuang had done a moment ago and redirect the disaster onto someone else.

When two men are chased by a tiger, survival does not require outrunning the tiger—only outrunning the other man. Everyone knows this bit of common sense.

The two were both consummate Golden Core cultivators, and both hailed from the Snow Sword Sect, each knowing the other inside and out. In this regard, Xue Jianming, with Treading Snow Without a Trace as his safety net, clearly held the advantage—unless Bing Wushuang could use that same technique.

Unfortunately, Bing Wushuang had never put in the hard work on that front. Even with his talent, mastering Treading Snow Without a Trace was no simple matter, and the technique's compatibility with him was hardly high. To put it plainly, it did not suit his temperament; forcing himself to cultivate it would yield half the result for twice the effort. A rational, pragmatic man like Bing Wushuang would never do such a thing.

Now, however, Bing Wushuang was somewhat regretting it. Had he known, he should have spent twice the time to practice it; then at least he would not have landed in such an awkward position. In but a brief moment, Xue Jianming had left him behind with Treading Snow Without a Trace, and the brainlessly raging Primeval Giant Lizard had spontaneously shifted its hatred to him, the nearest target.

"Heh heh. I'll be on my way first—you keep it company!" Xue Jianming laughed triumphantly and vanished into the distance. It was not that he did not wish to stay and savor Bing Wushuang's predicament; he knew all too well how terrifying Bing Wushuang could be. He was keenly aware that if he lingered in his gloating, Bing Wushuang would have a hundred ways to drag him back into the fight. So, to be safe, he had best leave first.

"Hmph! Think you can escape?" Bing Wushuang had no choice but to face the Primeval Giant Lizard head-on, while casting a glance toward the direction Xue Jianming had gone, a strange gleam flickering in his eyes. And had anyone with perception as sharp as Wei Zhao's been present, they would have noticed a faint, barely perceptible thread of ice at his fingertip, stretching all the way toward the direction Xue Jianming had fled.

Meanwhile, on another front, Wei Zhao and his companions were racing toward where Leng Leng and the others were. Yet halfway there, the Water Lily clone guiding Wei Zhao suddenly came to a halt.

"Why have you stopped?" Wei Zhao frowned. He was in a hurry to rendezvous with Leng Leng and the rest; he had no time to waste bickering with this creature.

"The group you're looking for has split up," the Water Lily clone said.

"They ran into that spirit beast you mentioned?" Wei Zhao asked at once.

"Yes. One of the women stayed behind to stall it, and the rest withdrew safely," the Water Lily clone nodded. Then it added, "But their trouble isn't the spirit beast I mentioned—it's another human expert. His strength looks far from simple."

"A human expert?" Wei Zhao's eyelid twitched. For something with the Water Lily Guardian's breadth of vision to praise someone as having no simple strength, that person had to be a Golden Core expert. And the only Golden Core experts who had entered this time were Bing Wushuang and Xue Jianming. Bing Wushuang was one of their own—so the one making trouble for Leng Leng and the others could only be Xue Jianming.

"Oh my, that expert chased the woman into the Primeval Giant Lizard's territory. There I'm afraid I'm powerless to help," the Water Lily clone said, spreading its hands in feigned helplessness.

"What do you mean? Why are you powerless in the Primeval Giant Lizard's territory?" Wei Zhao shot it a glance. This creature's true body was trapped in the jade pendant's space; taking its life was no more than a thought away. He had no fear of any tricks it might play.

"Do you know how I came to learn all this?" the Water Lily clone asked instead of answering.

"Not through those flowers and plants?" Wei Zhao frowned.

"Indeed—I commune with them through my primal spirit, and that is how I learn these things. Basically, wherever there is vegetation, I can grasp every stir, great and small. Only the Primeval Giant Lizard's territory lies beyond my reach," the Water Lily clone said, shaking its head.

"Why?" Duanmu Yu asked on his behalf.

"Because wherever the Primeval Giant Lizard passes, it leaves saliva behind. Even a slight evaporation of it can snuff out the sentience of all plants and trees. Such vegetation, even if alive, is useless—without sentience, there can be no communication. Naturally, it falls outside my domain," the Water Lily clone said, its expression earnest, with not the slightest sign of deceit.

"Plants and trees have sentience too?" Fei Yangnian edged closer, curious.

"Of course they do. Any plant or tree of even modest maturity develops sentience, and the spirit herbs you people prize are the finest among them. Otherwise, how could they gather so much heaven-and-earth spiritual energy to nourish themselves for no reason at all?" the Water Lily clone countered.

"Uh…" At the mention of spirit herbs, Fei Yangnian's face fell at once. The two sacks of spirit herbs he had painstakingly gathered underground had been abandoned the moment they encountered the kappa. Now he had emerged from the mountain of treasures empty-handed, and the very thought of it made his flesh ache.

The main reason was that Wei Zhao was worried about Leng Leng and the others and simply could not be bothered to accompany him back down, while Fei Yangnian dared not descend alone. He could only silently bleed in his heart.

"What do you plan to do?" Duanmu Yu looked at Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao pondered for a moment. He was certain that the one holding off Xue Jianming had to be Leng Leng. After a moment's thought he asked, "Apart from that woman, are the others in any danger now?"

"None at all. Barring the unexpected, they should reach the River of Divine Consciousness safely," the Water Lily clone said with a meaningful smile.

"In that case, take me to the Primeval Giant Lizard's territory now," Wei Zhao decided on the spot. Since Qiu Lingshan and the others were in no immediate danger, there was nothing to worry about; the pressing matter was to rescue Leng Leng as quickly as possible.

"Hey, hey, hey—do you even know what kind of existence the Primeval Giant Lizard is? Its territory is forbidden ground to the vast majority of spirit beasts; even that Brain-Eating Worm wouldn't dare wander in casually. Are you sure you want to go?" the Water Lily clone said, astonished. (To be continued.)