Chapter 256: Chapter 169: Leaving After the Deed Is Done
In an instant, Lü Zhong’s Qingyang Mirror shot out beams of Mirror Light. They reached the old Daoist’s position in the blink of an eye, forcing him to use the Seven-Star Step Technique to dodge. He left behind a trail of afterimages, narrowly avoiding being immobilized.
Lian Zhen, a Daoist of Huayi Temple.
He was not one of the Seven Sons of Huayi, but his strength was highly respected within the temple. It was common knowledge that he was second only to the Seven Sons, which was why he had been entrusted with the crucial mission of gathering Spiritual Objects at the Long-toothed Burrow.
The old Daoist Lian Zhen dodged the beams of Mirror Light. When he saw that Lian Dong and Lian Yin were trapped by the combined assault of the Spirit Puppet, the Insect Swarm, and the horde of corpses, unable to break away, he stomped his foot and reluctantly produced a Yellow Talisman.
A small red sword was drawn on the Yellow Talisman, but it lacked a Talisman Head, Talisman Core, and talisman foot, which were replaced by crude lines.
This was the Junling Sword Talisman, a Secret Talisman unique to the Summoning Spirit Lineage of Huayi Temple. It was, in essence, a type of Talisman that could only be used by someone who had practiced Talisman Skills. It was a protective art of the Talisman Cultivator lineage, combining the strengths and weaknesses of both Talismans and Magic Skills.
The old Daoist Lian Zhen jabbed the Yellow Talisman with his finger, formed a hand seal, and roared:
"Junling Sword, strike!"
Following his roar, the Junling Sword Talisman vibrated violently and condensed a ten-foot-long giant sword out of thin air. With a single horizontal sweep, it shattered the incoming Mirror Light. Then, the blade flared with Spiritual Light and shot forward, aiming straight for the vital point of Lü Zhong’s Dantian.
BOOM! A visible shockwave rippled through the air as the Junling Sword was brought to a dead stop by a Dragon and Tiger Spiritual Barrier.
Seeing this, Lian Zhen’s face fell. ’Another Spiritual Artifact!’
First, there was that Demon Artifact, the Bone Fork, then an Eight Trigrams Treasure Mirror, and now a Green Banner.
The number of Spiritual Artifacts Lü Zhong possessed was something not even the leader of the Seven Sons of Huayi could match.
Behind the Spiritual Barrier, Lü Zhong stood as immovable as a mountain and pointed his Magic Finger forward.
The roars of a dragon and tiger echoed as a Cloud Dragon and a Wind Tiger materialized. In an instant, the world seemed to shift as wind howled, sending sand and stones flying. From above, the Cloud Dragon dove, its head shaking and tail lashing. From below, the winged Wind Tiger roared and pounced. Both charged straight for the old Daoist.
Seeing this, Lian Zhen’s expression changed drastically.
He tossed aside his scorched and damaged Seven-Star Treasure Sword, pulled out a stack of Yellow Talismans from his Talisman Bag, and desperately defended against the dragon and tiger’s assault.
While defending, he suddenly twisted, just barely dodging an incoming Wind Spear.
He gasped in shock. ’Yet another Spiritual Artifact!’
In the distance, the thin Daoist Lian Dong took advantage of the sudden gale. With a sweep of the Duster in his hand, he temporarily forced back the Spirit Puppet and the Insect Swarm.
He watched as the old Daoist was entangled by the Cloud Dragon and Wind Tiger. At the same time, the Demon Cultivator, acting as a Spirit Binder, unleashed beams of Mirror Light from his Spirit Mirror and launched Wind Spears from treacherous angles. Lian Zhen had lost all his usual composure and was now, incredibly, at a disadvantage, sent tumbling back after only a few blows.
"Senior Brother Lian Zhen!" he cried, shocked and furious, but also deeply ashamed.
’If I hadn’t revealed an opening, the situation wouldn’t have deteriorated to this point.’
With a flip of his hand, a small pearl wreathed in lightning appeared.
This was none other than the famously formidable Celestial Thunder Pearl of the Cultivation Realm.
Even a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator would be killed instantly if they took a direct hit from a Celestial Thunder Pearl.
Lian Dong had intended to use it for a sneak attack on Lü Zhong, but the Spirit Puppet and Insect Swarm were charging him again. Terrified of being overwhelmed and torn to pieces, he hesitated. He didn’t dare risk his life by launching the Celestial Thunder Pearl at his distant foe. After batting away a volley of insect stingers and acid with his Duster, he instead flicked the pearl in his hand straight ahead.
An almost inaudible low-frequency HUM echoed out.
With the launched Celestial Thunder Pearl at its center, a ten-foot-wide, dark blue Thunder Ball suddenly expanded into existence.
The Insect Swarm was the first to be caught in it.
They were silently vaporized by the lightning before they could even react.
Next was the Spirit Puppet.
Its clothes disintegrated in an instant, revealing a face with its features wiped clean. Snakes of lightning coursed over its body, and its limbs convulsed uncontrollably. The Shuo Jin Sword in its hand exploded into fragments.
The Thunder Ball appeared quickly, and vanished even faster.
When the lightning subsided, a pool of lava had gathered in a bowl-shaped crater. In the middle of it lay the snow-white body of the Spirit Puppet.
Lian Dong felt a wave of relief. He thought, ’At last, that incredibly tough Spirit Puppet has been neutralized.’ He immediately leaped into the air and sped off to help Senior Brother Lian Zhen.
Just as he looked up, he witnessed a shocking scene.
Using four treasures—the Dragon and Tiger Banner, the Qingyang Mirror, the Jade Nether Fire Fork, and the Qianfeng Ring—Lü Zhong was forcefully suppressing the old Daoist Lian Zhen, a man whose cultivation was a Small Realm higher than his own. By unleashing a frenzied assault and burning through his Magical Power, Lü Zhong had successfully cornered his opponent.
’So what if his cultivation is a Small Realm higher?’
’As long as I’m fast enough and strong enough, you’ll be powerless to retaliate!’
At that moment, he closed the distance. First, he shot out a Qianfeng Spear, instantly shattering a Spiritual Shield on the old Daoist’s body.
Then, Spirit Swords condensed on his left and right.
This wasn’t the Late Sun Sword Skill, but a more powerful Magic Sword Skill.
Lü Zhong had already seen that the Gang Qi condensed by the old Daoist was no ordinary defense. Runes flowed across its surface, and he surmised it was some secret Gang Qi of a Talisman Cultivator, not much weaker than his own Star Yang Gang. It would not be easy to break through it casually.
The two swords slashed out in a crisscross pattern, instantly shattering the Spiritual Shield the old Daoist had formed by crushing a Spirit Talisman.
The immense force of the blow sent him flying.
Lü Zhong stomped on the ground, and spiderweb cracks spread out beneath his feet.
’Sect cultivators are extremely difficult to deal with. I have to finish this in one go, before he has time to react. Otherwise, who knows what other tricks this Talisman Cultivator will pull out. The memory of almost being ambushed by those two strange Spirit Bodies is still fresh in my mind.’
Star Shifting Step. He strode through the air.
Condensing a Late Sun Magic Sword in each hand, he unleashed a furious barrage of slashes at the old Daoist.
Lian Zhen was experienced in combat and naturally saw through Lü Zhong’s plan. He was not one to sit back and await his doom. He fought back the intense pain wracking his body and the sweet taste of blood rising in his throat.
