The moment the old man finished speaking, small strands of current started to accumulate beside the Scarlet Marsh Thunder Snake. The currents rounded its thick body, growing in size as it flowed till they became as thick as a thumb.
The old manâs expression loosened a little as he swiftly stripped off his cloak and wound it around his hand. A white light immediately began to shine from within the ash coloured cloak as it unfurled itself and flew towards the Scarlet Marsh Thunder Snake.
When the cloak covered the Scarlet Marsh Thunder Snakeâs head, the electricity running through its body was immediately doused.
The old man turned to Shen Jingbin and shouted, "Have you gotten enough Shadow Snaring Water yet?!"
The sudden change in circumstances left Shen Jingbin feeling anxious. However, the water was dripping out of the dragonâs tooth a lot more slowly than sheâd expected. Thus far sheâd only managed to collect two drops of water, and Pure Crane needed five portions, which meant they required five drops of Shadow Snaring Water. To top it off, she needed to gather some for the old man as well; she was far from done.
Seeing the rest of the party falling into a stalemate, Pure Crane turned back to Morning Glory Chime and said, "Stay here and donât run off. Find somewhere to hide if things take a turn for the worse; Iâm going to help them," And with that, he left.
Morning Glory Chime tugged at him. "Brother Pure Crane, Iâm scared! Arenât they doing fine on their own? Stay here with me! I might not be able to escape if the snake lunges at me."
The look of kindness that Pure Crane always had on his face fell away, and he glared at Morning Glory Chime. "Morning Glory Chime, keep your petty tricks to yourself. Just because I havenât exposed you doesnât mean Iâm not sick of it. Nowâs not the time for you to scheme and act like a spoiled brat. Did you think Iâd let you have your way just because youâre the Lead Disciple of the Nymphs? Honestly, my forbearance only extends to me not exposing you. Itâs not at the point to where we have to endure your diva tantrums."
Pure Craneâs cutting words left Morning Glory Chime in shock, and she wasnât able to respond.
Was this still the same warm and cultured Pure Crane that she knew?!
Pure Crane slowed his speech when he saw her flabbergasted expression. "Iâm not expecting you to help or anything, just donât drag us down, okay?"
Morning Glory Chime nodded her head dumbly.
Pure Crane gave a nod of satisfaction in return before he reverted to his previous gentle and cultured self. He then drew his weapon and dashed towards the battlefield.
Going back to the battle with the Scarlet Marsh Thunder Snake.
Its vision was obscured when its head was covered by the old manâs cloak, making the already irritable snake fly into a frenzy. Thunder and lightning exploded all around, further amplified by the water surrounding it, and turning the cloak that covered its head to dust in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, Pure Crane leapt up with sword in hand and pointed it straight at the Scarlet Marsh Thunder Snakeâs head... no, its eyes to be precise.
Pure Crane mustered all the strength in his body and plunged his sword into the Scarlet Marsh Thunder Snakeâs eyes.
Unlike how Shen Jingbin had obtained many destructive skills when she joined White Cloud Temple and became its Lead Disciple, Quiet And Steadfast, Pure Crane, and Morning Glory Chime only managed to become the Lead Disciples after joining their respective sects and completing hidden quests. As such, their main skills werenât very different from normal players. The advantage they held as Lead Disciples was the fact that they could change two of their sectâs skills into that of a Lead Discipleâs.
At first glance, having only two special skills seemed rather pathetic, but in truth, just these two skills were enough.
One of the weaknesses of a Swordmaster was that they lacked strength, and it just so happened that one of the skills Pure Crane received after becoming a Lead Disciple was a skill that increased his strength.
The moment his sword pierced the Scarlet Marsh Thunder Snake, Pure Crane activated his strength-enhancing skill, causing a surge of energy to well up in his core. Using his wrist to exert all of his might with his newfound strength, his sword immediately penetrated the layer of protection around the Scarlet Marsh Thunder Snakeâs eyes that was akin to an impenetrable defence and dug deeply into it.
The Scarlet Marsh Thunder Snake gave an anguished snarl, and its entire body began to thrash wildly. The crazed snake swung its tail about in all directions, smashing the houses around it to smithereens.
Although its eye was hurt and it was continuously attacked by the old man, Quiet And Steadfast, and Pure Crane, the Scarlet Marsh Thunder Snakeâs gaze was still locked on Shen Jingbin who was collecting the Shadow Snaring Water.