Chapter 29: Black Cicada

Zhao Chun dodged to the side, finally seeing clearly what that thing was.

A black cicada the size of a fist!

Everything else was no different from an ordinary singing cicada, except for its sharp mouthparts, which shimmered with a mysterious light and sent a chill down one's spine.

"Ah!"

As she gripped her Red Bee Dagger, a scream rang out. The black cicada shot past; Tu Cunchan could not dodge in time, and his left hand was pierced by the mouthparts. Whatever poison it carried was incredibly potent, rapidly crawling from the wound on his palm up his arm!

Knowing when to make sacrifices, Tu Cunchan drew the sword at his waist and severed his entire arm to stop the strange poison from spreading through his body.

"Fellow Daoist, be careful! This monster is extremely fast and highly venomous. Do not let it get close to you!" He shouted to Zhao Chun while dodging, looking utterly disheveled.

Zhao Chun took out a flying dagger and threw it at the black cicada. It struck the shell with a metallic clanging sound.

*The shell is this thick?*

Her expression darkened. She stepped forward using a snake-like footwork, intending to launch a preemptive strike, but the black cicada was even swifter. It dodged with a flutter of wings, and a sharp, piercing cicada cry echoed in her ears, making her feel agitated.

She hadn't felt this during the previous battle; it must be because of this monster!

Zhao Chun changed her footwork, moving her steps in accordance with her blade—this was the sword style she had realized after achieving minor mastery in the "Swift Path Sword Technique"!

Back when she was practicing martial arts in the Zhao family, Instructor Zheng had praised her, saying she possessed extraordinary talent for the sword, though she was limited by her physical constitution and could never use the sword to enter the Martial Dao.

Now that she had embarked on the path of immortality, the shackles on her body had vanished. Zhao Chun felt that her former days of bitter training had now become an aid to her swordplay, allowing her to move like a fish in water, making all her various techniques clear and fluid.

This "Sword Swing Style" used her steps to drive the sword, condensing spiritual qi onto the blade to strike down enemies with sword light!

However, Zhao Chun still underestimated the hardness of the black cicada. The sharpness of her sword light startled even her, yet when it struck the cicada's shell, it left nothing but a white mark!

Even her strongest strike had failed to wound it!

Making a decisive move, Zhao Chun withdrew, refusing to engage it further.

"Clan Leader Tu! Help me distract the monster for a moment!"

After dropping those words, she ran a few steps toward the carcass of a demon moth nearby, swiftly decapitated it, and stowed it in a prepared lacquer box. She shouted, "This thing is not something the two of us can defeat! Stop fighting it and let's get out of here first!"

Tu Cunchan knew the gravity of the situation. He waved his small banner to drive the black cicada away, and the two prepared to flee toward the cave entrance.

Suddenly, a sudden change occurred. The black cicada let out a long cry—not the sharp, piercing sound from before, but a low, heavy resonance that caused even the ground to tremble.

*Not good!*

Zhao Chun grabbed Tu Cunchan, and the two stopped instantly. With a thunderous crash, the earthen wall collapsed, and large chunks of rock tumbled down, completely blocking their exit!

They were trapped. Zhao Chun turned to look at the black cicada. The creature was truly bizarre; its mouthparts bobbed up and down with its head, as if it were mocking them.

"Clan Leader Tu, would a slowing spell work on it?"

Tu Cunchan, left with only one arm and a pale face, heard her question and forced himself to reply, "It might help a little, but not much. It can only last for a single breath..."

Anything effective was good. Zhao Chun focused her mind and said, "Assist me in a moment. When I strike it, you cast your spell!"

Tu Cunchan nodded in agreement, gripping the small banner tightly in his hand. He also knew this was a life-and-death crisis and did not dare to relax for a second.

Zhao Chun knew that only her minor-mastery Swift Path Sword Technique could match the speed of the black cicada, but doing so was extremely taxing on her spiritual qi. She feared she might exhaust herself before she could defeat it.

*Finish this quickly!*

She unleashed a Sword Swing Style strike against the shell.

Unfortunately, it still only left a white mark!

*If strength alone cannot break it, I must find another way...*

A sudden idea struck Zhao Chun. She channeled her spiritual qi into her spiritual root, then induced it to transform into gold-fire qi, concentrating it onto her blade. She unleashed another Sword Swing Style strike against the shell!

The black cicada assumed she was using the same old method and did not dodge, meeting the strike with its body. Unexpectedly, it was scorched by the gold-fire qi, and it immediately began to fly erratically like a headless fly.

*It worked!*

Zhao Chun was overjoyed, but this method was extremely draining. With her current cultivation, she could only manage two more strikes!

*I must find a vital point!*

As she dodged, she observed the black cicada closely. Its shell was as smooth as jade, showing no visible joints and appearing as a single, seamless piece; it looked difficult to strike.

She then looked at its mouthparts, which protruded from its head—long and sharp. However, the connection point was slightly translucent and off-white, looking somewhat fleshy.

Looking further down, she could see rhomboid plates wrapping around a plump abdomen, which contracted slightly with every flap of its wings.

With a plan in mind, Zhao Chun split her gold-fire qi into two streams: one on the blade, and one condensed in her palm.

When the black cicada attacked her again, she let out a cold snort. Using the hand condensed with qi, she grabbed the mouthparts directly. Immediately, she heard the "hissing" sound of venom melting in her hand!

Although the poison was blocked by her spiritual qi and could not enter her body, the resulting toxic mist still caused Zhao Chun intense pain!

She did not dare stop. Gripping the mouthparts tightly, she swung the Red Bee Dagger from bottom to top, stabbing the black cicada through its abdomen!

With a shrill scream from the black cicada, purple-black fluids and insect eggs burst from its abdomen, splashing onto Zhao Chun's hands.

She did not move until the black cicada was completely dead. Only then did she toss the carcass aside. By now, the skin on her hands had been corroded, exposing raw, crimson flesh.

Tu Cunchan was utterly convinced by her. At such a young age, she possessed both keen insight and strength, and she was even ruthless toward herself. If she did not perish midway, she would surely achieve greatness on the Great Dao.

If the Tu family could form an alliance with such a prodigy, the clan would not fall into total ruin after his death.

Zhao Chun was unaware of these thoughts. The pain in her hands was not even half as much as the pain of having her spiritual root extracted, so she could naturally endure it. Gritting her teeth, she took out detoxification pills and gauze from her storage pouch.

She swallowed a pill, which eased the pain slightly, and then endured the agony to wrap her hands before tending to the heavily wounded Tu Cunchan, who lay to the side.