Chapter 229: Shelter (Seeking Monthly Votes)
Chapter 229: Shelter (Seeking Monthly Votes)
Deep within the jungle, tree shades were dense, and fragrant grasses grew in abundance.
Birds and beasts took flight and scurried away, swiftly fleeing the area, perhaps sensing the cultivators' murderous intent.
"Gentlemen. . . could you perhaps spare this young lady's life?"
Zhong Hong Yu hid behind a verdant rock, her voice carrying far.
"Hmph. . . This is a struggle for the Dao; it's either your death or my life!"
Senior Brother Li, rich in combat experience, first conjured a black iron shield. The shield shone with dazzling spiritual light, its front carved with a massive, grotesque face. It was a top-grade defensive artifact, releasing a black light barrier that firmly protected him. Only then did he give a subtle glance to his junior brother in blue, signaling him to advance and probe.
The junior brother in blue inwardly complained bitterly. Why didn't Senior Brother Li know to say some appeasing words first, to lull the enemy into complacency?
To speak of a struggle for the Dao—wasn't this forcing the opponent to fight to the death?
As one of the five great Foundation Establishment sects in Yue Kingdom, the Spirit Sword Sect still needed to save some face.
'Sigh. . . who made Senior Brother Li a direct descendant of Elder Li? '
The junior brother in blue, lamenting his fate, slapped a 'Vajra Talisman' onto his body, letting golden spiritual light envelop him, while also drawing a pitch-black long saber artifact to scout the path ahead.
Whoosh!
Not long after, a pink ray of light shot out from behind the verdant rock, revealing a pink spherical pearl within. It emitted a shimmering radiance; it was a high-grade artifact.
Bang!
The pink spherical pearl released a hazy glow, unexpectedly immobilizing the pitch-black long saber artifact.
Immediately, a jade-green talisman flew out.
In mid-air, verdant wood qi gathered, transforming into a wooden blade that slashed onto the Vajra Talisman, causing the golden light to flicker unsteadily.
First-order superior-grade — Wood-Blade Talisman!
"Senior Brother Li, save me!"
The junior disciple in blue hastily cried for help. He was only at the late Qi Refinement stage and no match for the woman who had achieved Qi Refinement Perfected.
"Hmph, trash!"
Senior Brother Li gazed at Zhong Hong Yu, who held the advantageous terrain, a pained expression flashing across his face as he took out a crimson talisman.
Just by holding it, waves of heat radiated outwards: "Vile woman. . . behold my second-order 'Heavenfire Talisman'! I'll turn you and this entire forest to cinders!"
Before his words fully fell, a figure flickered from behind the verdant rock; it was Zhong Hong Yu, charging straight out.
"Hahaha, you fell into my trap."
Senior Brother Li smirked, gently flicking his finger.
Upon the ground, streaks of flying blade artifacts emerged, having been secretly laid as a trap at some unknown point. They assailed Zhong Hong Yu from all directions!
He had taken out the Heavenfire Talisman specifically to force Zhong Hong Yu out and trigger his trap.
This set of 'Earth Blade Array' artifacts was bestowed upon him by his ancestor only after he had pleaded for a long time. It was a set of high-grade artifacts, immensely powerful, enough to subjugate that woman. . .
The next instant, Senior Brother Li watched in stunned disbelief as the woman completely disregarded the flying blade artifacts and charged towards him.
The distance between them rapidly closed, to only a dozen meters!
Just as the flying blade artifacts were about to strike!
Whoosh!
A figure flickered, and Zhong Hong Yu had vanished.
The flying blade artifacts from all directions all struck empty air.
Even more terrifyingly, Senior Brother Li's vision blurred, and he saw Zhong Hong Yu somehow slip into his spiritual light defensive barrier, even giving him a radiant smile.
The two were practically face-to-face, and that incredibly strong ghost-faced shield was, astonishingly, still behind Zhong Hong Yu!
—Blinking Art!
Zhong Hong Yu's figure didn't stop, darting past Senior Brother Li and shooting far away.
Behind her, Senior Brother Li's expression was blank, as a line of blood suddenly appeared on his neck.
Fine trickles of blood seeped out. He tried to utter something, but his head fell off instead.
The set of flying blade artifacts and the ghost-faced shield, deprived of their master's magic power, both lost their luster, turning into ordinary objects that fell onto the thick layer of withered leaves.
"Y-you. . . you actually killed Senior Brother Li? Do you know that Senior Brother Li's elder is the Grand Elder of the Spirit Sword Sect, a cultivator at the late Foundation Establishment stage. . . You. . . you're doomed!"
Upon seeing this, the junior disciple in blue screamed in terror as he frantically fled.
"If I kill you all, then no one will know, right?"
Zhong Hong Yu sneered, raising her hand to release three more 'Wood-Blade Talismans'!
The verdant wooden blades struck one after another, severing the Vajra Talisman's defense and slaying the despairing junior disciple in blue.
Zhong Hong Yu exhaled slowly. After over a decade spent venturing outside, struggling in the Myriad Beast Mountain Range, being betrayed by friends, hunted down, and forced to kill. . . By now, her Dao Heart had long since turned cold as iron. After a brief period of adjustment, she collected the spoils of war, then incinerated the bodies and swiftly departed.
...
Dragon Fish Island.
Fang Xi, who had been cultivating in seclusion, opened his eyes. "Didn't I tell them not to disturb me unless it's important?"
He stepped out of his cultivation chamber and saw Yan Hong Xiu and Xiahou Ying waiting outside. Upon seeing him emerge, joy appeared on their faces, but mixed with a hint of worry.
"What happened?"
Fang Xi couldn't help but ask.
"It's Zhong Hong Yu; she has returned. . . but. . . " Yan Hong Xiu, after failing her breakthrough and a dozen more years passing, now appeared middle-aged, with a hint of mature charm still remaining. She bowed and replied, "It seems she has some unspeakable difficulty and will only speak to the Island Master. . ."
"Oh? I'll go see her!"
Fang Xi's interest was piqued.
Top floor of the Evergreen Pavilion.
Zhong Hong Yu was staring blankly at the familiar arrangement and furnishings when she suddenly heard footsteps. Turning around, she saw a young man in green robes approaching. Gazing at his face, which hadn't changed at all, and perhaps even seemed younger, Zhong Hong Yu was momentarily dazed, but she still bowed. "Greetings, Island Master!"
"Hong Yu, you've finally returned. After more than a decade apart, you've now reached Qi Refinement Perfected. Do you have confidence in achieving Foundation Establishment?"
Fang Xi asked with a smile.
"I exhausted all my savings, along with the spirit stones given by the Island Master, and at a black market exchange, I acquired a low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. . ."
Zhong Hong Yu recounted the entire sequence of events, including how she was hunted down and how she slew her powerful enemies.
"Oh? I wondered why you had 'Blood Soul Threads' on you?"
Fang Xi's powerful Divine Consciousness swept over her, having already detected something amiss with Zhong Hong Yu. Upon hearing her words, he suddenly understood.
"What? !"
Zhong Hong Yu's face instantly turned pale with fright.
"This is a Foundation Establishment technique. Since you don't possess Divine Consciousness, it's naturally difficult for you to detect. . ."
Fang Xi smiled and, with a wave of his right hand, a verdant magic power hand grabbed at Zhong Hong Yu, pulling out a wisp of eerie red thread.
As soon as this red thread appeared, it struggled and twisted, attempting to return to Zhong Hong Yu's body, but it was directly incinerated into nothingness by a ball of verdant True Fire of Wood Spirit.
"This secret art can only be cast by a late Foundation Establishment cultivator. They leave a thread of blood on a close relative. If you kill that relative, this wisp of 'Blood Soul Thread' will attach itself to you, and no matter how far you flee—even a thousand li—you will be discovered and tracked. . . Casting this art consumes quite a bit of vital energy, so it seems this person held a high position in the heart of that late Foundation Establishment cultivator."
Fang Xi explained with a smile, while Zhong Hong Yu's expression changed repeatedly. She immediately knelt down: "Hong Yu is useless; I have implicated the Island Master. . ."
"Never mind, it's not your fault."
Fang Xi still wanted to observe Zhong Hong Yu's Foundation Establishment breakthrough, so he didn't care at all about the Spirit Sword Sect's Grand Elder.
Moreover, half of the blame for this matter lay with him.
If he hadn't made Zhong Hong Yu swear to return to Dragon Fish Island to achieve Foundation Establishment, perhaps she would have simply used the Foundation Establishment Pill outside, and none of this trouble would have occurred.
But in Zhong Hong Yu's eyes, the Island Master was only at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, while the Spirit Sword Sect's Grand Elder, in terms of both strength and influence, far surpassed the Island Master.
The thought that her momentary lapse had implicated the Island Master and his family made her heart twist in agony.
"Sigh. . . with your current state of mind, attempting to break through to Foundation Establishment in seclusion would surely end in failure. You should wait. . . wait until the Spirit Sword Sect comes seeking revenge, then try to achieve Foundation Establishment."
Fang Xi glanced at Zhong Hong Yu, speaking indifferently.
...
A few days later.
A streak of escape light landed outside Dragon Fish Island, gazing at the Profound Wood Grand Array, but not entering.
The escape light dissipated, revealing an old man clad in a pitch-black robe, with a head full of white hair and a long sword on his back.
He stared at Dragon Fish Island, a flicker of fierce light in his eyes, and loudly shouted, "Where is Fang Xi, the Island Master of Dragon Fish Island? !"
"Roar! Roar!"
Following the fish-dragon's roar, the mist dispersed, revealing a passage.
Fang Xi, stepping onto his Green Horned Fish Dragon, came to the edge of the grand array. "May I ask who this fellow Daoist is?"
"I am Li Ru Jian, the Grand Elder of the Spirit Sword Sect! Why haven't you quickly handed over that demoness who coveted my great-grandson's Foundation Establishment Pill and committed murder to seize treasure?"
Li Ru Jian snorted coldly, his powerful magic power aura, belonging to a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, radiating outwards.
'This is. . . turning the tables? And he's still coveting that Foundation Establishment Pill? '
Fang Xi chuckled, rendered speechless.
He shook his head. "Why did Hong Yu tell me that it was your great-grandson and another disciple who committed murder and seized treasure first?"
"Hmph, this old man is willing to guarantee it with the Spirit Sword Sect's century-long reputation. Fellow Daoist, do not be misled by the words of a villain, and it would be best if you don't confuse right and wrong."
A hint of impatience flashed across Li Ru Jian's face.
If it weren't for this Dragon Fish Island Master being at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, possessing a second-order grand array as his trump card, and being on good terms with several other Foundation Establishment cultivators, he wouldn't bother saying so much.
"Alright. . . regardless of Zhong Hong Yu's actions, I will tell fellow Daoist one thing: my Dragon Fish Island has a rule."
Fang Xi said with a faint smile, "That is. . . once you enter the island, all grievances are resolved! Nothing from the past can be brought up again; you are under my protection! So, fellow Daoist, please go back. . ."
Li Ru Jian slightly narrowed his eyes. The Dragon Fish Island Master's intent to shield her was now unconcealed. He sneered, "What grand words! To dare claim 'all grievances are resolved'! Are you perhaps the Sect Master of the Black Heaven Sect?"
"I knew it. . . if logic were useful, why would we cultivate magic arts?"
Fang Xi sighed, then declared loudly, "Li Ru Jian, do you dare to come to the island for a battle?"
"You merely rely on a second-order array. My Spirit Sword Sect has been passed down for many years; do you think we wouldn't have second-order array-breaking talismans as reserves?"
Li Ru Jian scoffed, but he wasn't truly provoked into entering the array.
He wasn't foolish. If he were to step onto the island and the opponent truly hardened their heart, closing the gate to trap him like a dog, or even ambushed him with a few Foundation Establishment friends to gang up, even he, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, would be finished.
"Very well. . . I will not rely on the power of the array. I invite fellow Daoist to come to the island for a battle. If fellow Daoist wins, Zhong Hong Yu will be at your disposal. If I win, then this matter will be dropped, how about that?"
Fang Xi looked at Li Ru Jian, putting forth a proposal that greatly tempted him.
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