With the yellow talismans and cold air clearing the path, Gu Zhendong and his daughter moved forward unimpeded.
The snakes surged towards them one after another, yet they could not harm them in the slightest.
Exiting the teaching building, the two arrived at the center of the sports field.
The snake swarm from inside the teaching building followed them and converged on the field.
Gu Zhendong shouted, "Liu Wuji, I know it's you. Since you're here, come out and show yourself. Playing these childish games with me is meaningless!"
After he finished speaking, the snake swarm indeed stopped.
Not only did they stop, but the snakes closest to the father and daughter retreated, clearing a space as large as a basketball court for them.
Immediately after, the ground began to tremble, as if an earthquake had struck.
"Tongtong, don't be afraid!"
Gu Zhendong said, holding his daughter's hand.
"Dad, I'm not afraid. It's you... why are your hands so cold?"
Gu Yutong asked softly.
Gu Zhendong: "..."
It was one thing to notice, but why mention it?
Weren't daughters supposed to be his dad's little padded jackets? Gu Zhendong felt his little padded jacket was a bit drafty!
Just then, the ground in front of them suddenly cracked open, revealing a massive black snake head!
The snake head shot up into the sky, half of its body emerging from the earth.
"Hiss—"
The giant snake was jet black and lustrous, its scales shimmering with a metallic sheen like armor.
The part of its body above ground was over three meters tall, and its body was as thick as a bucket.
"Hiss—"
The black snake flicked its blood-red tongue, letting out a strange cry, and a foul stench assailed them.
Gu Yutong frowned. She sensed an extremely dangerous aura from this black snake.
Gu Zhendong said impatiently, "Liu Wuji, what kind of skill is it to bring out another beast? If you have the guts, come and face me yourself!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a muffled voice suddenly came from within the giant snake's belly.
"Heh heh heh, Left Envoy Gu, long time no see!"
Hearing this voice, Gu Zhendong was greatly shocked and stared at the giant snake in disbelief, "Liu Wuji, you're inside this beast's belly?"
"Heh heh heh, Left Envoy Gu, I am who you see before you."
Liu Wuji's voice came again from the black snake's belly.
"You, you, you..."
Gu Zhendong pointed at the black snake, dumbfounded. "How did you become like this? Liu Wuji, what exactly are you?"
The giant snake, Liu Wuji, stared intently at Gu Zhendong with its triangular eyes. "Left Envoy Gu, think carefully. With your knowledge, you shouldn't be unable to figure it out."
Gu Zhendong pondered for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed, "I understand, you're a demon cultivator! You're a demon cultivator now!"
Gu Yutong asked confusedly, "Dad, what is a demon cultivator?"
"A demon cultivator is someone who occupies an animal's body to cultivate, making themselves neither human nor beast..."
Gu Zhendong explained concisely.
Gu Yutong said seriously, "Neither human nor beast, aren't you a hermaphrodite? Why would you make yourself a hermaphrodite when you could have been a good human?"
Gu Zhendong sneered, "Who knows what this ill-intentioned person is thinking!"
"Heh heh, little girl, I became a demon cultivator thanks to you!"
Liu Wuji's words made Gu Yutong feel bewildered, and she immediately retorted, "Nonsense! I don't even know you. What does me being a hermaphrodite have to do with you?"
Liu Wuji grunted, "If your father hadn't taken you, with your Nether Palace physique, away back then, why would I have had to make myself this neither-human-nor-beast appearance!"
"That was your own choice, Liu Wuji. Stop slandering me. My daughter was not born to be harmed by scum like you!"
Gu Zhendong shouted, "If you had cultivated properly, you could have achieved great things. It's a pity you have ill intentions and only seek crooked paths."
"You know nothing, Left Envoy Gu. I didn't expect that after so many years, you still know nothing."
Liu Wuji swayed its massive snake head and sighed, "We cultivators in the mortal world, without the blessings of the hidden sects, cannot break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Your daughter back then was a great opportunity for me, but you, a traitor, took her away."
"That's why I found another way and transformed into a demon cultivator. Half a year ago, when I heard news of you, it was the critical moment of my breakthrough, so I let you live for another half a year."
"Now, in this mortal world, I am invincible! Left Envoy Gu, are you ready to die!"
After speaking, its triangular eyes suddenly turned blood-red, exuding a seductive aura.
Under that gaze, Gu Zhendong felt a chill run through his body, and an irrepressible fear arose from the depths of his heart.
"Hmph, you hermaphrodite, with me here, you won't be able to harm my father one bit!"
Gu Yutong stood in front of her father, puffed out her chest, and shouted loudly.
"Heh heh heh, little girl, we should have had a good marriage, but unfortunately, you have an ungrateful father. It's not too late to regret it now. Although I can no longer use your Nether Palace physique, I am still willing to take you in!"
Liu Wuji said with a lecherous grin.
"Pah! You hermaphrodite, how shameless!"
Gu Yutong was filled with shame and indignation, her little face turning red with anger.
She raised her hand and struck, and an ice cone appeared in the air, piercing towards Liu Wuji.
*Crack—*
The ice cone struck Liu Wuji's metallic-sheened scales, not even creating a ripple.
This beast was thick-skinned and tough, impossible to pierce.
"Little girl, do you enjoy tickling me so much? Why not put a little more effort into it? You're making me itch all over..."
Liu Wuji continued to tease Gu Yutong.
"You bastard, I'll fight you to the death!"
Hearing his daughter being teased by Liu Wuji, Gu Zhendong's anger flared, and he charged furiously towards Liu Wuji.
Suddenly, Gu Zhendong's right arm began to swell, his muscles bulging and thickening by several times, his clothes instantly tearing.
Liu Wuji's eyes narrowed slightly, and it understood what was happening.
"Earth Fiend Spirit Python... As expected of Left Envoy Gu, you can actually subdue the Earth Fiend Spirit Python with mere Dao Entry cultivation. Truly gifted!"
A layer of solid-looking earth-yellow spiritual energy coiled around Gu Zhendong's right arm. It was the Earth Fiend Spirit Python that had been causing trouble in his body all along.
He had only recently been able to slightly control the power of this thing, but he could only unleash about twenty to thirty percent of it.
*Bang—*
Gu Zhendong's fist landed on Liu Wuji's black scales.
"Hiss—"
Liu Wuji let out a cry of pain.
Gu Zhendong's punch finally had an effect, but the effect was far from what Gu Zhendong had hoped for.
The power of this Earth Fiend Spirit Python could only be used once per battle.
Afterward, his body would suffer a backlash, rendering him unable to fight.
It would take at least two to three hours before he could return to normal.
At this moment, a pained expression had already appeared on his face.
This was his trump card, and he had thought it would have a miraculous effect, only to find that it only caused Liu Wuji a slight discomfort.
Thinking of this, Gu Zhendong felt even more pain...