The night forest was profoundly serene. Unlike the lifeless silence of the Fallen Immortal Realm, though equally tranquil here, the fireflies striving to glow in the darkness and the insects singing their symphonies infused the surroundings with vitality.
For Li Tan, finding a beast, preferably a second-grade one that wasn’t too strong or too weak, was ideal. He could hold back his strength conservatively to test the power of martial techniques while ensuring his own safety.
However, near the Tianlang Sect, the possibility of high-grade beasts was extremely low. The previous encounters with Scale-armored Snake and Fang-toothed Leopard were unexpected surprises.
At least now, after searching for a long time, Li Tan could only find first-grade beasts. These creatures could be killed with a single punch. Using them to test martial techniques was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, and it was impossible to demonstrate the techniques’ effectiveness.
Since a regular punch or sword strike could easily kill them, using martial techniques would make it impossible to compare the differences in damage. It would only result in ridicule and wasted effort.
Wandering in the forest, Li Tan was troubled by the lack of options and was considering using a large rock as a substitute when suddenly he felt someone watching him from behind. Could it be the black-robed man had found him?
His spiritual sense instantly shot out. After identifying the source of the gaze behind him, Li Tan felt slightly disappointed, but this development seemed reasonable.
“Master Zheng, coming all the way here in the middle of the night, do you have some unfinished business to attend to?” Li Tan turned around and mocked.
A grinding sound echoed from the darkness a hundred zhang away. As the moon emerged from the clouds, silver light flooded the area, dispelling the darkness and revealing a somewhat gaunt figure. Dressed in the Tianlang Sect elder’s robe, his hair was loose and unbound, making him look somewhat disheveled, as if he had just suffered a defeat. Without even seeing his face, it was clear that it was Zheng Kaishan.
Zheng Kaishan glared at Li Tan with a sinister gaze, tightly gripping the sword in his hand. “Do you think no one dares to touch you just because you’re protected by the Upper Left Elder? Naive! For the future of the Tianlang Sect, even if I die, I will take your life!”
“You think you can act all sanctimonious here? Do you really think I don’t know about your little schemes?” Li Tan looked at him like a clown. “It’s nothing more than fear of failing your mission and being abandoned by your organization.”
How could he know about the organization?
Zheng Kaishan’s face paled. “Are you a traitor of the organization? That’s why…” Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted.
“I have nothing to do with your organization. Also, you coming here by yourself in the middle of the night really saves me a lot of trouble. Should I thank you?” Li Tan’s face bore a smile, his eyes filled with mockery.
“Haha, you’re indeed a genius with every right to be proud. If it were the old me, I would indeed be wary of you. But now it’s different. The gap between a Zongshi and a Xiantian is infinitely larger than that between Xiantian and Houtian. Taking your life is as easy as picking something from my pocket. I return your words: coming to such a place in the middle of the night really saves me a lot of trouble. No matter how loud you scream, no one will come to save you. Haha, tomorrow, the news of your departure will reach Zhang Zhi and the others!”
Zheng Kaishan laughed maniacally.
A Zongshi, and likely connected to those black-robed men. His Qi should have undergone mutations, making him extremely difficult to deal with. However, he knew nothing about Li Tan. As long as the timing of that move was appropriate, the battle could end immediately.
Li Tan drew his rusty sword and assumed a starting stance. “Who can’t brag? If you have the ability, come and try.”
“Still so confident, not even a bit of fear.”
“If it were someone else, I might be afraid. After all, they’re a Zongshi. But you…” Zheng Kaishan’s face immediately darkened. That bastard Li Tan dared to look down on him! “Remember these words. I will soon let you know what cruelty is!”
Zheng Kaishan’s figure flickered, soaring into the air, blocking half the moonlight, and then sweeping his sword sideways. A terrifying arc-shaped black sword Qi rapidly flew toward Li Tan.
The biggest difference between a Zongshi and a Xiantian was the ability to release Qi over long distances without losing power. This sword Qi was probably just an ordinary martial technique, but combined with the strange black Qi of the black-robed men, it would be extremely difficult to handle. Taking it head-on would mean immediate defeat.
As if to confirm this thought, Zheng Kaishan launched five or six sword Qi attacks in a few breaths.
Without hesitation, Li Tan used the Moye Step, advancing, retreating, sidestepping, and jumping, skillfully dodging all the sword Qi with the simplest movements. The ground around him exploded with loud noises, leaving several large craters with black electric arcs jumping within.
He couldn’t keep getting worn down like this; he had to close the distance.
Deciding immediately, Li Tan dodged while advancing.
Zheng Kaishan was wary of his strange steps and dared not underestimate him. He quickly retreated, increasing the distance between them while continuously using sword Qi to interfere.
If it were those people from Linjiang, Li Tan would have already closed in and found an opportunity to strike.
The combat experience was simply not on the same level. Zheng Kaishan knew how to utilize his advantage as a Zongshi, making it exponentially harder for someone from a lower realm to kill him.
Li Tan discarded his arrogance and calmly dodged while continuing to pursue.
Being a Zongshi yet chased like a beaten dog by a Xiantian cultivator made Zheng Kaishan very frustrated. He shook his sword and roared, “Take this move!”
As the words fell, a heart-pounding ripple appeared. Zheng Kaishan held his sword horizontally in front of him, pointing directly at Li Tan with his hand. The Qi around him condensed into chains, rushing toward Li Tan from all directions.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Every time the Qi chains touched the ground, terrifying explosions occurred, showing the terrifying power.
But Zheng Kaishan was furious to the point of death because every time it seemed like he would hit, Li Tan always managed to dodge just in time.
“Just a mere Xiantian! I’ll see how long you can last!”
Zheng Kaishan increased his Qi output, launching another five or six Qi chains. His Qi chains crisscrossed, almost completely trapping Li Tan inside.
However, this was only in appearance.
Li Tan’s face, which had been calm, finally showed a hint of triumph. Then with a leap and a mid-air sidestep, he quickly closed the distance with Zheng Kaishan.
“You guessed it right, old man. You have some trump card that can only be used when you’re close. But you’ll never get to use it! This was just a deliberate flaw I left for you. You actually thought it was an opportunity! Hahahahaha!”
Without any foothold in the air, no matter how strange his steps were, he was just a sitting duck. Zheng Kaishan laughed wildly. With a wave of his hand, a Qi chain suddenly shot out from a tree.
“Didn’t expect that, did you? I kept a trick up my sleeve!”
Li Tan’s lips curled slightly. “Master Zheng deliberately left an opening. I had to accept it nervously, otherwise, I would be wasting your good intentions, wouldn’t I?”
“Still being stubborn? Die for me!”
The chain’s speed increased, instantly nearing Li Tan.
But just at that moment, Li Tan, mid-air and facing downward, casually uttered a few words: “Tian Shu Luo Heng.”
With a crisp sword resonance, a blinding white light erupted from Li Tan, spreading a terrifying aura into the air. In the first second, Zheng Kaishan’s Qi chains within ten zhang of Li Tan instantly vanished. In the second second, the blinding white light began to fade, but the Qi started to surge wildly. Within a ten-zhang radius centered on Li Tan, thousands of illusory sword lights formed and then rained down on the ground like a storm.
Zheng Kaishan didn’t have time to react. Not even a scream escaped his lips before he was instantly obliterated, as if he had been subjected to a barrage of arrows from an army, dying beyond any hope of survival.
Li Tan fell from the air, gasping for breath.
“It has already been weakened multiple times. I didn’t expect the Qi consumption to still be this terrifying. If a real fight breaks out, in my current state, I can only use it once.” Li Tan struggled to stand up, used Dan Fire to destroy the corpse, and then walked toward the Tianlang Sect.
He felt slightly disappointed but also somewhat helpless. Under these circumstances, it was completely unrealistic to capture Zheng Kaishan for interrogation. If he had delayed a bit longer, it might not have been him who died.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage