The situation before them was utterly bizarre!
For a moment, Hu Bansian was frozen in shock. Then, as his surprise turned into dread, he swiftly reached into his storage pouch, and with a flash of spiritual light, a horsetail whisk appeared in his hand.
*Whoosh!*
With a fierce flick of the whisk, a cold gust of wind materialized and swept toward Yang Fan, who had his back turned. Having delivered this lightning-fast strike, Hu Bansian didn't even glance back at Li Fatty; instead, he spun around and made a dash for it.
"What a cunning old fox!" Yang Fan dodged the attack with ease, but he hadn't expected Hu Bansian to flee rather than engage him in battle. In terms of cultivation, Hu Bansian had a slight edge over Yang Fan. His experience and skill, honed over decades, were vastly superior. Yet, at this critical moment, his first instinct was to run.
*Whoosh!*
The remnants of the whisk's cold wind swept through the room, stripping away the red wooden planks, leaving the walls riddled with holes—a testament to the power of that single strike.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Yang Fan smirked with a mocking glint in his eyes as he chased after Hu Bansian at a leisurely pace. Inside the room, Li Fatty and the grotesque woman, seemingly afflicted by some bizarre aphrodisiac, were still entangled in their passionate battle. Their actions grew ever more frantic, wave after wave, oblivious to anything happening outside.
Within mere breaths, Hu Bansian had darted a dozen meters ahead. His speed surged dramatically, his feet flashing with spiritual light, clearly burning his spiritual energy to increase his pace.
But Yang Fan wouldn't allow him to escape so easily. His speed increased in turn, matching Hu Bansian stride for stride.
"Go!"
As Hu Bansian ran, he leapt into the air, his hand swiftly pulling out several talismans. A chilling, icy aura spread through the air.
*Swish! Swish! Swish!*
Three talismans shot through the air, exploding mid-flight into a misty white fog, which enveloped an area of about ten meters. As Yang Fan approached the fog, he felt an intense cold seep into his body, causing his blood to flow sluggishly.
Hu Bansian clearly intended to use the ice talismans to stall him for a few precious moments.
But instead of charging through, Yang Fan came to a halt. His aura flared suddenly, surging rapidly. From an early Foundation Establishment level, it shot straight to the peak of the mid-level!
When Hu Bansian caught a glimpse of this from the corner of his eye, he was both terrified and astonished. In just a few short months, his opponent had advanced to the mid-level Foundation Establishment stage—a feat that had taken him nearly sixty years.
Was this the difference between talent and hard work?
A flicker of bitterness and malice sprouted in Hu Bansian's heart. He had fought tooth and nail for decades, yet this young man had surpassed him in mere months.
As the killing intent in Yang Fan's eyes intensified, his resolve hardened. The moment he revealed his true strength, it was clear: no matter the cost, Hu Bansian had to die.
Strangely enough, after showing his full power, Yang Fan remained stationary, as though waiting for something. A cold, oppressive aura began to weigh heavily on Hu Bansian's mind. Most of his focus remained on Yang Fan as he pressed forward, his steps cautious yet swift, keeping his body low.
Ahead loomed the courtyard wall!
Suddenly, a sense of unease crept over Hu Bansian. Something wasn't right. He leaped into the air, preparing to vault over the Liu family estate's wall.
As long as he could make it over, the vast open space beyond would be his escape route. Even if two or three cultivators of similar rank chased after him, he was confident he could flee unscathed.
*Hum!*
A deep bell tone rang out, causing Hu Bansian's heart to skip a beat. On the other side of the courtyard wall, a plain-looking young man appeared, wielding an ancient bronze bell that resonated with a deep, soul-stirring hum. The sound rattled Hu Bansian's very core, sending his qi into turmoil and disturbing his mind.
Thankfully, he had been on high alert. His body trembled slightly as he steadied himself on the wall, barely maintaining his balance.
"Take this!"
Lin Zhong shouted as a fiery red glow shot from his hand—a crimson sword streaked toward Hu Bansian.
Having just stabilized himself, Hu Bansian was met with the searing heat of the flying sword, its tip glowing red-hot like molten steel. Clearly, Lin Zhong had been preparing for this strike.
In a panic, Hu Bansian thrust his horsetail whisk forward, pouring his remaining spiritual energy into it. A cold wind manifested into a barrier in front of him.
*Clang! Boom!*
The sword and whisk clashed violently. Sparks flew, and the whisk erupted into flames before it shattered with a deafening explosion.
Hu Bansian's fury and fear mingled as he hastily drew a more intricate talisman from his pouch. Injecting it with his remaining energy, a pale blue glow enveloped him, forming a protective shield.
*Bang! Bang!*
Lin Zhong's fiery sword continued its relentless assault on the shield.
"A second-tier talisman?"
Yang Fan was slightly surprised.
By now, he had closed in from behind, his own cyan sword shooting out, slicing through the air like lightning toward Hu Bansian. The sword radiated an overwhelming pressure, tearing through space.
*Boom!*
The cyan light clashed with the blue glow of the shield. Hu Bansian staggered, losing his balance, and tumbled from the wall. Though his protective barrier remained intact, it flickered like liquid, its strength clearly diminished. A second-tier talisman, capable of withstanding attacks from cultivators of the Foundation Establishment stage, wasn't something that could be easily broken.
Yet Yang Fan's strike, delivered with a spiritual weapon of such power, had halved the shield's effectiveness in an instant.
*Thud! Thud!*
As Hu Bansian hit the ground, Lin Zhong, now close enough, continued his barrage. But the weakened shield still held, preventing serious damage.
Yang Fan took to the air once more, his spiritual weapon whistling through the air toward Hu Bansian with ferocious speed. In a desperate bid for survival, Hu Bansian rolled across the ground, narrowly dodging the lethal strike. Leaping up with a burst of energy, he pulled out a slightly worn, green jade talisman and pressed it to his leg. His speed instantly surged, as though springs had been coiled beneath his feet.
"A Swift Talisman!"
Yang Fan's expression darkened. He hadn't anticipated Hu Bansian having such a rare item in his possession.
But Hu Bansian, a man who had cultivated for sixty long years, had his share of treasures and opportunities.
*Swish! Swish! Swish!*
With his newfound speed, Hu Bansian quickly widened the distance between himself and his pursuers.
For Foundation Establishment cultivators, the limit of their range when controlling spiritual weapons was already reached. Without forming a spiritual sense, their attacks couldn't extend much farther.
"Keep an eye on Li Fatty. Hu Bansian is running on fumes. Leave the rest to me," Yang Fan sent a telepathic message to Lin Zhong.
Yang Fan's speed increased once more, his movements fluid as he bounded across rooftops, walls, and tree branches. His unique cultivation method allowed him to merge with the vitality of his surroundings, drawing strength from everything around him, propelling him ever faster, never slowing.
In less than a mile, Yang Fan had caught up to Hu Bansian, utilizing the terrain to his advantage.
Narrowing his eyes, Yang Fan noticed the glow of the Swift Talisman on Hu Bansian's leg beginning to dim. As time passed, the talisman's power waned, and Hu Bansian's speed began to decrease.
Suddenly, the talisman's light flickered ominously, as if on the verge of collapse.
"Ha!"
With a fierce shout, Hu Bansian's aura flared violently. He turned on his heel, pouncing toward Yang Fan like a cornered wolf.
*Crack! Boom!*
At that very moment, the Swift Talisman exploded into a tangible shockwave, doubling Hu Bansian's speed as he lunged at Yang Fan. In a blink, he was upon him.
This was truly a last-ditch effort!
That strike, fueled by Hu Bansian's sixty years of cultivation, tore through the air with terrifying force. The sheer power of his palm strike made the atmosphere tremble.
Caught off guard, Yang Fan reacted just in time to raise his hand and meet the blow head-on.
*Boom!*
As their palms collided, Hu Bansian's desperate attack, amplified by the Swift Talisman's explosive acceleration, reached the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment strength. Yang Fan felt his hand split open, pain radiating through his arm as he staggered, nearly losing his footing.
"Die!"
Hu Bansian's face twisted with malice as he capitalized on his advantage, his hand slicing down toward Yang Fan's skull.