Demons and monsters wreak havoc: gain one new confidante every day.

In an instant, everyone was scattered by the surging snake demon.

There are more snake demons here than expected; almost everyone faces attacks from three or four snake demons and is caught in a fierce battle.

"This must be the work of a sorcerer who discovered our arrival and sent this demonic snake to stop us!"

Liu Gongbai shouted, "Hold on! I'll go and kill that demon, and the snake demon will disperse!"

After he finished speaking, lightning-like light emanated from his sword, and a phantom image of a roc appeared on his body. He shot forward like a roc spreading its wings, cutting the snake demons along the way in two.

"What kind of move is that?" Shen You exclaimed in surprise.

Hong Xiugu replied from the side, "This is the Liu family's 'Heavenly Roc Technique,' which transforms the body into a roc and wields thunder. Senior Brother Liu has already reached the third rank of cultivation, and when he unleashes the 'Heavenly Roc Great Force,' no demon of the same level can withstand it!"

"This is the 'Great Strength'!" Shen You's eyes lit up. He felt that the roc phantom on Liu Gongbai's body was extraordinary, giving people a feeling of covering the sky and the sun. It was indeed incomparable to ordinary strength.

"He must be practicing the 'Great Roc Whole Force'," Shen You thought to himself. "I wonder if I could match him if I mastered the 'Five Poisons Fusion Force'?"

"How do you know about 'Great Strength'?" Hong Xiugu looked at her suspiciously. "Why would Elder Huang teach you these things? What rank are you, exactly?"

Hong Xiugu had hoped that she could casually mention the term "Tianpeng Great Strength" and impress Shen You, but Shen You acted as if he already knew the term, which was inconsistent with his strength as a first-grade martial artist.

Without exceptional abilities or a connection to a pharmacist, Shen You would hardly possess the knowledge required for those at the third rank.

What exactly is Shen You's strength?

Hong Xiugu's doubts deepened.

Shen You smiled mysteriously at her: "Guess."

"You..." Hong Xiugu's fist hardened again.

Shen You, however, had already brandished his broadsword and chased after Liu Gongbai.

Whether encountering a first-grade or second-grade demonic snake on the road, Shen You would cut it in two with a single stroke. Shen You's prowess was immediately apparent, but no one could definitively say what his true strength was.

Hong Xiugu followed behind, and seeing Tian Yi'er also closely following Shen You like herself, she asked Tian Yi'er curiously, "Just what kind of strength does your Brother Shen possess?"

Tian Yi'er smiled wryly: "Miss Hong, you should ask Brother Shen yourself..."

Hong Xiugu frowned: "Is he better than me?"

"This..." Tian Yi'er's expression became even more conflicted.

Although he didn't finish speaking, Hong Xiugu already knew the answer.

Hong Xiugu frowned, glaring fiercely at Shen You in front of her, a sense of resentment rising in her heart.

"I'll see just how strong you really are!" she thought to herself. "You can't possibly... already be at the second rank, can you?"

Hong Xiugu suddenly remembered something, turned her head to look around, and frowned again: "Where did that Junior Brother Han go again?"

She was devoted to following Shen You, but accidentally lost Han Shu, who was also a disciple of Hong Yaoshi. However, she wasn't particularly close to Han Shu; she just muttered a few words about him and then rarely bothered to care about him anymore.

At this moment, everyone was scattered by the attack of the demon snake. Only Hong Xiugu and Tian Yier were still closely following behind Shen You. The others could no longer be seen.

Shen You's goal was clear: to follow Liu Gongbai deeper into the snake's lair. But precisely because of this, Liu Gongbai had already cleared out all the demonic snakes on the road ahead, and with Shen You's considerable strength, the three of them moved with surprising ease.

Before long, the attacking serpents were no longer around the three of them.

The area ahead was pitch black, while the sounds of the green-robed apprentices fighting the demonic snake could be heard from afar behind them.

"Did Senior Brother Liu encounter that mastermind behind it all?" Shen You looked ahead. "Why is there no sound at all up ahead?"

"We probably haven't met yet," Hong Xiugu said. "Otherwise, given Senior Brother Liu's fighting style, a fight like that would be quite a spectacle."

"Oh, right." Shen You nodded, but glanced at Hong Xiugu. "Speaking of which, why are you following me around?"

"Who, who followed you!" Hong Xiugu's face flushed red. "I was just worried about Senior Brother Liu, and it just so happened that we were traveling the same way!"

"Oh, I see. I misunderstood!" Shen You said, feigning sudden realization. "I thought you had taken a liking to me and couldn't bear to leave me!"

"Go to hell!" Hong Xiugu didn't expect Shen You to speak so recklessly, directly exposing her secret. She was so angry that she drew the soft whip from her waist and lashed at Shen You.

"Ouch! Why are you hitting your own people!" Shen You parried and blocked with the scabbard, casually teasing Hong Xiugu, which he found quite amusing.

But how exactly can this affinity value be increased?

I've been stuck at 69 for a long time, why is it still not moving at all?

"Brother Shen..." Tian Yi'er suddenly spoke, her gaze fixed ahead, her expression somewhat uneasy.

"What's wrong?" Shen You's expression tightened upon seeing this. He knew that although his little follower was timid, his strength and talent were quite remarkable. His sudden outburst must mean he had discovered something crucial.

"I feel the airflow... it cut off ahead..." Tian Yi'er said, somewhat confused.

"The airflow... has stopped?" Shen You frowned, lost in thought.

Seeing this, Hong Xiugu, no longer caring about causing trouble for Shen You, hurriedly asked, "What did you find?"

"Shut up!" Shen You said irritably.

His mind raced. Tian Yi'er had recently begun practicing another part of the Five Animal Frolics, the "Cloud Crane Skill." The characteristic of the "Cloud Crane Skill" is that it is particularly sensitive to air movement. Although Tian Yi'er had not been practicing for long, he was as quick to understand the meaning of the "Cloud Crane Skill" as ever, so he could even sense the subtle changes in airflow.

But... what exactly does the disconnection of airflow mean?

"Senior Brother Liu was clearly leading the way, but the airflow suddenly stopped... Is something blocking the way there...?" Thinking of this, Shen You had a flash of inspiration.

"Senior Brother Liu is trapped!" he cried out.

"What did you say?" Hong Xiugu suddenly froze, her beautiful eyes fixed on Shen You.

Shen You smiled confidently, "Since there's something blocking the way, and Senior Brother Liu, who was supposed to clear the path, didn't break through it, there are only two possibilities. One is that Senior Brother Liu went to a side path, but we haven't seen any side paths along the way, so we can be sure that's not the case. The other is that Senior Brother Liu was blocked there by the thing blocking the way."

"But we can't hear Senior Brother Liu's voice!" Hong Xiugu said.

"That means the situation is extremely bad!" Shen You said decisively. "Senior Brother Liu is not only trapped, but he can't even make a sound!"

Shen You gripped the broadsword tightly and stepped forward.

"Oda, tell me carefully, how far away is the obstacle ahead? Where does it originate? What is it connected to, and where are the gaps it leaves?"

Following Shen You's instructions, Tian Yi'er closed her eyes and carefully sensed the surroundings. Suddenly, she spoke up, "It's about twenty meters away from us, extending from above, almost completely blocking the passage, leaving only a gap below!"

"Understood!"

Shen You assumed a fighting stance, took a slow, deep breath, and gathered all his energy.

Golden Snake Skill, sword aura, sword technique talent... all slowly coalesced into one.

"In other words, for a distance of twenty meters, you just need to cut it off right at the very top of the passage!"

Shen You, carrying a large sword, charged forward using the "Gecko Swimming Step," and with a sudden slash, his sword flashed with a crimson light, cleaving into the darkness ahead.

Chilianzhan!