"Well, what else can you do? Although you may have more mana than someone in the late stage of Qi Cultivation using the Ancient Method, without spells or a magic artifact at your side, you can't beat anyone! Kid, seeking a carefree life is fine, but without combat power to protect yourself, this pleasure will never last long. That's just how the world works!"
Wang Qi roared in his spiritual sense, "Old man, if you're going to preach, at least choose the right moment! We're not out of danger yet!"
Damn it...
Wang Qi clenched his fists.
"The three of them have gone a bit farther away; now's the chance, move through the bushes and grass."
"Which way?"
"As far away from the battle between that Nascent Soul Cultivator and Miss Xiang as possible."
Because he was afraid of being discovered by those three Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Wang Qi only dared to inch forward, using the strength of his elbows and abdomen, rendering the movement technique he had practiced for years utterly useless. The mountainous terrain was littered with rocks and brambles, quickly wearing through his clothes and slicing open several cuts on his hands.
"This won't do, I'm afraid I'll wear the skin off my hands and stomach before I even get away!"
Wang Qi was extremely anxious. As a Modern Cultivator, he was acutely aware that blood loss and severe pain could affect the spirit and distract one's attention. In a situation where the enemy was strong and he was weak, this was fatal. However, given the circumstances, he had no choice but to continue with this desperate solution.
"Ahhh, damn it all!"
Angrily frustrated shouts came from overhead. Then, countless sword qi stabbed downward towards the ground. Wang Qi watched as the sword qi landed, his face filled with horror, and he hastily pulled out a silver talisman.
Zhen Chan said, "Don't panic! That person's swordsmanship is designed for close combat. From such a long distance and striking from the air, there are huge gaps between the sword qi, it won't hit you!"
Gritting his teeth, Wang Qi forcefully suppressed the urge to activate the talisman. The sword qi ravaged the woods, constantly cutting branches, shattering rocks, and plowing up the soil. A few of the strikes landed not far from Wang Qi, causing him to break out in cold sweat.
After a while, the sword qi attacks finally ceased.
Zhen Chan assessed, "By our standards as Ancient Method Practitioners, that kid must have expended nearly half his mana—But that swordsmanship seems somewhat familiar."
"You've seen plenty of sword techniques—kind of wish we could give them a fierce reply. Old man, would an offensive talisman be of use?"
"I am not familiar with these talismans. Judging by the mana sealed within, it's more than enough to kill a Foundation Establishment beginner without a spell to protect them. However, it is unclear whether this talisman needs to be activated at close range or can strike from afar, and whether it requires precise aiming or it can be controlled after activation. If you use it now, you're gambling with your life!"
With a smirk, Wang Qi said, "Close range activation or able to strike from afar, needs aiming or can be controlled... To get out of this dire situation, we need this talisman to both strike from afar and be control, the odds are about one in four."
"Are you going to bet?"
"Bet my ass! Unless it's a situation where not taking the risk means certain death, any life-risking act with less than a 90% chance of success is just hooliganism."
"So what do you plan to do?"
Wang Qi gritted his teeth, "Wait. Now that the sword qi has carved out an open space ahead, moving would make it very easy to be spotted."
Zhen Chan advised, "It's best not to place your hopes on that girl. She can't hold on much longer."
"What!?"
"If there's no turning point, she can only hold out for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea."
——————————————————————————
Xiang Qi indeed could no longer hold on.
Among the many sword techniques of the Modern method, the Heavenly Order Sword Disc is known as the "number one in variation," but it matures late. The technique is divided into seven Circulations, and only after the first three—considered merely an entrance to the art—does the fourth Circulation begin to reveal various miraculous changes and potent offensive techniques!
And Xiang Qi's grasp of the third Circulation was not yet perfect.
The silver Sword Disk revolved around Xiang Qi, continually deflecting attacks from her opponent's spell, but this could not last for long. At first, the young girl could still find opportunities to attack while defending, but now, amidst the torrential storm of relentless assault, she could only tighten her Sword Array.
"Can't hold on anymore, can you, Miss?"
The Ancient Method Practitioner mocked her with schadenfreude. He had seen through the strength of the young girl in front of him. At mid-stage Foundation Establishment, if it was an Ancient Method Practitioner, even someone at the late stage of Golden Core might not be a match.
But he was an early-stage Nascent Soul Ancient Method Practitioner!
A cruel smile appeared on his face. From a young age, he had been discovered to have cultivation talent and an excellent foundation. However, due to woefully poor comprehension, he couldn't even break through as a Nourishing Life Master, ending up a laughingstock to everyone, and had to seek refuge with Ancient Method Practitioners in desperation. Because of this, he hated every cultivator capable of practicing the Modern method, especially those with exceptional comprehension like Xiang Qi. Tormenting them, watching them die with pained expressions brought him a perverse pleasure.
"Those with more talent than me deserve to die!"
With that thought, he hastened his offensive by several notches.
Miss Xiang's defense was on the brink of collapse, every strike from the Nascent Soul Cultivator shook her Magic Foundation as if heavy punches were landing on her organs. A trickle of blood spilled from the corner of Miss Xiang's mouth, a sight that was shockingly alarming. She was very aware that she couldn't hold on much longer.
It was at this moment that a shocking Sword Intent flew swiftly from afar!
"The tide has turned," Zhen Chan muttered as he sensed that particular Sword Intent.
"What?" Wang Qi didn't understand. Among those present, his power was the weakest, and he was the most obtuse to these matters. Even the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators who were pursuing him had stopped their actions and were staring blankly into the distance.
"That Li fella has come back... No, there's an Ancient Method Practitioner with him, at Nascent Soul Peak! That cultivator is blocking Li's reinforcement!"
"Will he make it in time?" Wang Qi asked.
"I don't know. Talking about momentum, this Ancient Method Practitioner would definitely be an elite among elites in our time." Having witnessed Miss Xiang holding her ground against an Early-Stage Nascent Soul with her Late-Stage Foundation Establishment abilities, he wasn't too surprised that Li Ziye, at Mid-Stage Golden Core, was entangled with an Ancient Method Late-Stage Nascent Soul: "The cultivation technique that Nascent Soul Cultivator is practicing... Wait, what is this?"
Zhen Chan's voice suddenly carried a hint of panic.
———————————————————————————————
Damn it! Something has gone wrong, just as I feared!
When Li Ziye saw the flames in the direction of Dabai Village, he felt a sense of foreboding.
Dabai Village was located in the southeast heartland of Shenzhou and should have been the area with the fewest Ancient Method Practitioners. He couldn't understand his misfortune of encountering a Late-Stage Nascent Soul as soon as he did. Only when disaster struck in the direction of Dabai Village did he vaguely sense that he might have fallen into a conspiracy laid out long ago.
"Don't run! Take this move!"
The one battling with Li Ziye was a white-robed young man who looked no older than thirty, bearing a cold visage and wielding a Heavy Sword. With a thunderous shout, he swung his Heavy Sword, transforming it into countless heavy sword shadows attacking Li Ziye.
This move was a sword technique derived from the supreme technique of Ancient Inheritance—"Emperor's Extreme Heaven Splitting Dao," overpowering and ferociously unstoppable! Li Ziye didn't dare to be careless; his Spiritual Sense gushed out like water, enveloping the battlefield. The Wanfa Sect's mental method "Yao Ding Calculating Scripture" operated at full force, calculating the opponent's Sword Moves, then he activated his Heavenly Sword, thrusting it towards the sword shadows.
Ding! The light and agile thrust of the Heavenly Sword struck precisely at the moment the opponent's old strength had waned and new strength had not yet emerged, exploiting the flaw in the Sword Momentum! The might of the Heavenly Sword erupted at the same time, exerting a great force. The young man in white took the blow and felt as if he was about to lose grip of his Magic Artifact, the Heavy Sword.
So strong!
Such praise actually came from a Nascent Soul Cultivator addressing a Golden Core Cultivator. This seemed inconceivable in the era of Ancient Methods, but now, Modern Cultivators could almost all overcome Ancient Method Practitioners in combat. And even an elite Ancient Method Practitioner like this cold-faced young man could hardly defeat a Modern Cultivator of the same rank!
Li Ziye's Heavenly Sword stabbed consecutively, instantly breaking through the young man's Sword Momentum. How could this cold-faced young man dare to use his body to bluntly receive the Heavenly Sword, known as the strongest weapon of the Modern Cultivators? He hastily retreated.
However, repelling the enemy did not bring Li Ziye any peace of mind because the enemy's interference had also delayed his Escape Skill. And he could already clearly sense that Miss Xiang's situation was critically perilous!
The Ancient Method Practitioner fighting against Miss Xiang seemed to understand that so long as he could kill Miss Xiang before Li Ziye's arrival, it would equate to victory for him. And should he join forces with that cold-faced young man, along with laying an Array with those three subordinates, killing Li Ziye might not be impossible either!
Miss Xiang also spotted the key moment, mustering her energy to prepare a secret technique that would overspend her potential.
With a piercing howl, Li Ziye merged with his Heavenly Sword, transforming into a beam of Sword Light that streaked towards the Early-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator!
Wang Qi's Concealing Breath Skill might not fool him but was precisely the method to deal with Ancient Method Practitioners; it appeared he could withstand it a while longer. However, the life and death of Miss Xiang and that Early-Stage Nascent Soul were pivotal to the outcome of the entire battle.
The cold-faced young man was certainly not willing to let Li Ziye assist Miss Xiang; brandishing his sword, he charged to intercept this formidable foe. Suddenly, he hesitated, slowing his movement, and brushed past Li Ziye. Li Ziye, not suffering the anticipated interception, was surprised but had no time to ponder and rushed towards Miss Xiang's position. The Early-Stage Nascent Soul's Ancient Method Practitioner was absolutely horrified because the cold-faced young man's actions were undoubtedly selling him out to Li Ziye.
At that instant, Wang Qi felt the black Jade Ring on his hand grow warm slightly. Almost in the same moment, Zhen Chan yelled in his mind, "Run! Run quickly towards Li Ziye! He is a disciple of the Emperor's Extreme Heaven Splitting Dao! Emperor's Extreme Heaven Splitting Dao!"
Li Ziye, unaware of Zhen Chan's abnormal state, quickly brought the Early-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator within his attack range, then slashed down with all his might with the Heavenly Sword! A golden Sword Qi roared as it tore through the air, pouncing towards that Early-Stage Nascent Soul's Ancient Method Practitioner.
The man, fully concentrated on attacking Miss Xiang, had no time to defend. The Protective Spirit Light around him dissipated like bubbles upon contact with the Sword Qi, and the brutal Sword Qi tore his Physical Body to shreds instantaneously. Seizing the opportunity, Miss Xiang sprayed a mouthful of Primordial Qi onto three Sword Disks, which shot out electrifyingly and with three puffs went through the opponent's chest.
Seeing this scene, Miss Xiang could no longer hold on, spewing a mouthful of blood and collapsing weakly.
Li Ziye breathed a sigh of relief, turned, and prepared to have a thorough showdown with the cold-faced young man. However, he was met with a sight that made him explode with fury—
The cold-faced young man was charging directly towards Wang Qi!
Wang Qi's expression was filled with rage. Seeing that there was no way to evade pursuit from the Late-Stage Nascent Soul, he shouted, "Bastard! I should have realized you're nothing but trouble!"
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