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Join the ServerLian Yueying’s escape technique was decent, though its concealment was decidedly average.
A powerful surge of spiritual energy unmistakably pursued her in her direction.
‘This fluctuation pales in comparison to the oppressive force I felt when that old beast pursued me, and it’s certainly not on par with Zhou Zhongchen’s power.
It shouldn’t be a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but given its formidable strength, it’s likely a peak Qi Condensation cultivator!’
As it turned out, Lian Yueying’s estimation was accurate; her pursuer swiftly caught up to her.
With a few simple wooden vines, they managed to block her path.
Fortunately, the trap was merely ten zhang (TL Note: A traditional Chinese unit of length, approximately 3.33 meters or 11 feet) away.
Turning her head, she saw a man who appeared to be only twenty-four or twenty-five.
Yet, scattered strands of white hair peppered his head, and prominent dark circles hung beneath his eyes.
His lips were somewhat pale, giving him the sickly complexion of a debauched young master suffering from kidney deficiency (TL Note: A traditional Chinese medicine concept referring to a deficiency in kidney essence, often associated with overindulgence or poor health).
However, she recognized this individual.
‘Wang Zhi.’
Half a year prior, upon returning from a treasure hunt, the Mount Toppling Sect and the Greenwood Sect had clashed significantly at the gathering point.
Lian Yueying vividly remembered the contents of the ‘recording orb’ (TL Note: A magical item used to capture and play back visual and auditory events) that Zhou Zhongchen had thrown, and a segment featuring Wang Zhi was among them.
“Fellow Daoist, what is the meaning of this?”
“Why are you pursuing me and even making a move?”
“Don’t play innocent, little lady; you certainly possess some skill, killing my two dogs.”
Wang Zhi wore a lecherous grin, utterly devoid of any semblance of a cultivator.
He lewdly scrutinized Lian Yueying, then licked his lips and sneered, “Dogs are easy enough to find, but a beautiful young lady like you is a rare gem.
Even if your Yin energy isn’t pure, you’ll still bring me pleasure.”
‘It seems he doesn’t recognize me.
This Wang Zhi clearly belongs to the Greenwood Sect, yet he’s prattling on about Yin energy.
Could he be practicing ‘Yin Harvesting to Supplement Yang’ (TL Note: A cultivation technique, often considered heterodox, where one absorbs the Yin essence of others to boost their own Yang energy)?
But the Greenwood Sect is supposedly one of the thousand orthodox sects.’
“Fellow Daoist, your vulgar words are truly unbecoming.
I see your foundation is quite good; you absolutely must not stray onto a crooked path.”
“Heh heh, little lady, since you care about me so much, why don’t you come and have some fun with me?
Your big brother here will surely make you feel like you’re soaring to the heavens and plunging to hell.”
Mid-sentence, Wang Zhi inhaled deeply with a look of rapture.
The depravity in his eyes clearly indicated that the scenes playing out in his mind were utterly unbroadcastable.
“As expected, a virgin.
The last one I found was three months ago.
This time, I’m truly blessed.”
Wang Zhi’s words made it sound as if Lian Yueying were already his captive.
An ordinary woman would likely be disgusted by him and easily overcome with fear, but Lian Yueying was not one to fall for such tactics.
‘Wang Zhi suffered severe injuries half a year ago, barely escaping Junior Uncle Zhou’s grasp.
He must have paid a considerable price, as he has not only fallen to the ninth level of Qi Condensation but his aura is also extremely unstable.
I am not without a chance to escape.’
As she pondered, Wang Zhi lunged forward.
Even having fallen to the ninth level, he was by no means someone Lian Yueying could easily contend with.
A few simple Five-Element spells forced her to deploy her Mount Toppling Shield.
“A Mount Toppling Shield? Hahaha!
And a little lady from the Mount Toppling Sect at that!
Now, this old man absolutely must have a good taste of you.”
Wang Zhi’s words were laced with a hint of ruthlessness, his emotions growing increasingly volatile.
Though he had initially held back, not wanting to harm Lian Yueying, he now unleashed a brilliant azure light around him, consecutively casting three Azure Edge Shuttles.
‘I seem to have successfully provoked him…
Wang Zhi is most likely a core disciple.
The cultivation technique he’s using isn’t the New Wood Art, but the Azure Edge Shuttles don’t appear to be enhanced by his technique.’
Cultivation techniques like the Mount Toppling Art, which enhance spells, were rare, serving as a testament to the Mount Toppling Sect’s profound heritage; the Greenwood Sect might not possess such a technique.
Nevertheless, Lian Yueying dared not be careless.
Even if his cultivation technique didn’t specifically augment spells, simply the disparity in their cultivation levels was significant.
The Mount Toppling Shield rose, a formidable barrier personally conjured by Lian Yueying, capable of deflecting the Azure Edge Shuttles.
However, when the shuttles exploded, the shield was shattered by the impact, and the lingering shockwaves were barely contained by a talismans-empowered Mount Toppling Shield.
‘This person’s displayed strength is comparable to the ninth-level Greenwood Sect cultivator who pursued me in the valley.
However, he might still be holding back.
For now, I should be able to tangle with him for a while, aiming to uncover his true capabilities.’
Having made up her mind, Lian Yueying looked up to see Wang Zhi lunging with his sword.
She activated her escape technique to its fullest, sidestepping the attack while simultaneously retaliating with a talismans-empowered Azure Edge Shuttle.
“Azure Edge Shuttle.”
Wang Zhi showed no surprise, casually conjuring an Azure Edge Shuttle to dispel hers.
After a brief moment of thought, he formed a hand seal and unleashed a Great Momentum Blade, thrusting it towards Lian Yueying, who parried it with her own Great Momentum Blade.
“Before, I only suspected, but now it’s clear you’re indeed from the Mount Toppling Sect.
Tsk tsk, that little slut from the Mount Toppling Sect tried to kill herself several times before, but this old man stopped her every time, until her last breath was spent beneath me.
Little lady, don’t you dare disappoint me.”
Lian Yueying had no idea when Wang Zhi’s twisted tale had taken place.
At this moment, her heart remained remarkably serene, refusing to be intimidated by such vile words.
“How truly repulsive!
You look even worse than a pig feeding on husks; drowning in a latrine would be a more fitting end for you!”
“Damn it, just wait until this old man catches you; I’ll rip out your tongue!”
Wang Zhi’s eyes gleamed with malice as azure light pulsed around his sword.
With his left hand, he conjured three more Azure Edge Shuttles, unleashing them simultaneously upon Lian Yueying.
‘Excellent, keep revealing your hand.’
Lian Yueying retreated, simultaneously blocking with talismans-empowered Five-Element spells and deploying her Mount Toppling Shield.
Of course, the Mount Toppling Shield was, as expected, pierced by the sword’s azure glow.
Lian Yueying, well aware of the technique’s power, activated a ‘true talisman’ (TL Note: A more potent and effective talisman) amidst the dust cloud created by the exploding Mount Toppling Shield.
Four Azure Edge Shuttles barely managed to intercept his three.
Only then did Lian Yueying manage to create some distance, using her escape technique to move sideways.
‘I didn’t have time to replenish my true talismans earlier; now I only have eight left.
It’s almost time to lure him into the trap.’
“Fellow Daoist, you snarl like a dog, only daring to vent your anger on a weak woman like me.
If you’re truly a man, why don’t you try sparring with Zhou Zhongchen?”
Upon hearing Zhou Zhongchen’s name, Wang Zhi’s body visibly trembled.
He scanned his surroundings, failing to spot Zhou Zhongchen, before glaring furiously at Lian Yueying.
Seeing her fleeing into the distance, his face instantly contorted into a hideous sneer.
“This old man has changed his mind!
I’ll chop off your limbs and make you watch as wild dogs gnaw at your flesh!”
As his words fell, a brilliant azure light erupted around Wang Zhi, tinged with a faint earthy yellow hue, and his speed soared.
‘He’s even using an escape technique now.
How much more does he have hidden?’
However, Lian Yueying could no longer stall.
Wang Zhi’s speed far surpassed hers, and within two breaths, he had caught up, once again employing his murderous technique with surging killing intent.
‘Three Azure Edge Shuttles?
Why do they all use three?
Is there some specific reason?’
Pondering this, Lian Yueying also blocked with her Mount Toppling Shield, adding two more layers with talismans.
Then, she cast an Azure Edge Shuttle herself, but found she couldn’t conjure three simultaneously.
‘That’s right, that’s right.
It makes no sense to be unable to control two but able to control three.
However, disciples of the Greenwood Sect should know the principle.’
Her thoughts lasted only an instant.
Facing Wang Zhi, Lian Yueying dared not show the slightest carelessness.
Knowing that her Mount Toppling Shield couldn’t possibly block him, she immediately activated a true talisman, sending three Azure Edge Shuttles forward, then turned and fled.
She felt no concern that the Azure Edge Shuttles would collide with her Mount Toppling Shield, for in the very moment she turned, Wang Zhi had already breached the three layers of the great shield, directly confronting the incoming shuttles.
“Little lady, you certainly wield talismans skillfully.
It seems I’ll be able to extract quite a few secrets before I’m done playing with you!”
‘Here it is!’
Behind Lian Yueying’s right hand, a light blue command talisman (TL Note: A talisman used to issue commands or activate specific arrays/effects) formed and dispersed in the blink of an eye.
As it merged into the ground, the surrounding wood-element spiritual energy immediately erupted into a frenzy.
When he had uttered those words just now, Wang Zhi had clearly sobered up somewhat.
However, it was only when he saw the dense, overwhelming barrage of Azure Edge Shuttles hurtling towards him that he realized his carelessness.
Lian Yueying watched Wang Zhi’s eyes widen, yet she couldn’t relax.
In the very next second, Wang Zhi’s entire body was enveloped by a cocoon woven from countless vines.
Like the Azure Edge Shuttles, the vines spiraled and overlapped densely.
In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen Azure Edge Shuttles struck it, yet it remained completely unscathed.
Given this, Lian Yueying dared not be careless.
With a faint blue light radiating around her, she gritted her teeth and activated less than fifty percent of her spiritual energy, simultaneously casting Azure Edge Shuttles and empowering more with talismans.
However, even with Lian Yueying’s disregard for spiritual energy consumption, by the time all the traps had triggered without causing damage, she had only twenty percent of her spiritual energy remaining, and the vine wall merely showed a hint of instability.
‘This shouldn’t be happening.
What is the origin of that vine wall?
Still, I was careless; Wang Zhi, after all, fell from the Great Perfection stage, so his ‘Qi Sea’ (TL Note: The dantian, an energy center in the body where spiritual energy is stored and cultivated) is still equivalent to that stage.’
Just as this thought crossed her mind, and Lian Yueying was about to turn and leave, the vine wall exploded.
Wang Zhi roared, raising his sword, and lunged at her.
Crisis loomed, and in her panic, Lian Yueying used a full five true talismans.
Five Azure Edge Shuttles shot simultaneously towards Wang Zhi, yet he chopped down two of them, and the remaining three were broken through after only three breaths of resistance.
‘Calm down, Lian Yueying.
Even if that defensive spell is powerful, and even if Wang Zhi was once at the Great Perfection stage, it’s absolutely impossible for him to easily block over a hundred Azure Edge Shuttles.’
At this moment, whether from fear or tension, Lian Yueying trembled slightly, tossing out numerous talismans in quick succession.
The Azure Edge Shuttles formed the frontal assault, the Great Momentum Blade struck downwards, and wood and water element Five-Element spells followed behind the shuttles, while the rest attacked Wang Zhi from the sides.
This was Wang Zhi’s first time witnessing someone capable of activating so many talismans simultaneously.
However, brute strength always prevailed.
With a sneer, he blocked all the spells with the azure glow of his sword.
Seizing this opportunity, Lian Yueying did not panic and flee.
Instead, she retreated while carefully observing Wang Zhi, finally noticing that his spiritual energy was no longer as abundant as before.
‘His spiritual energy isn’t much either, but I’m almost completely depleted.
Could this be the day I…’
It seemed she had reached the end of her rope.
For the first time, Lian Yueying felt she might lose her life.
Yet, as this feeling arose, a fierce will to survive swiftly spread through her heart.
Watching Wang Zhi charge at her with his sword once more, a glint of savagery sparked in Lian Yueying’s beautiful eyes.
“Can’t escape now, can you?!
Making this old man suffer so much, I’ll never let you die easily.
I’m going to torture you! Torture you!”
With a burst of momentum, Wang Zhi closed in on Lian Yueying, his sword flashing with a brilliant azure light as he thrust it forward.
Lian Yueying, meanwhile, activated her last three true talismans.
Her raven-black hair, freed from its confines, even broke her hairpin, cascading down her back.
The true talismans transformed into spells and shot towards Wang Zhi.
Wang Zhi confidently prepared to block, but as they drew near, he realized that only one of the three Azure Edge Shuttles met his longsword; the others were heading straight for his face.
He instantly knew Lian Yueying was fighting for her life.
However, with the spells so close, it was inconvenient for him to defend properly.
In his frenzy, he chose to use his Golden Body Shield to block, maintaining his charge as the tip of his sword plunged directly into Lian Yueying’s abdomen.
In truth, using the Golden Body Shield to block the Azure Edge Shuttles was utterly irrational.
Wang Zhi barely managed to fend them off, his Qi Sea nearly depleted.
Yet, he noticed that when his sword pierced Lian Yueying’s abdomen, there was no Golden Body Shield whatsoever to obstruct it.
The longsword passed clean through her body.
Wang Zhi looked up, only to see Lian Yueying, astonishingly, conjuring an Azure Edge Shuttle and sending it directly towards his head.
“You…”
The word had barely left his lips when Wang Zhi’s disbelieving eyes widened, then slowly aligned with the Azure Edge Shuttle.
The shuttle pierced through his skull, leaving behind a blood-soaked hole two fingers wide, a stark declaration of his life’s end.
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read The Moon Reflected In The Water! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : The Moon Reflected In The Water
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