“Patron Li, are you perhaps puzzled as to why this humble Daoist allowed that man to leave?” The middle-aged Daoist fell silent for a moment before suddenly speaking.
“Hehe, just a little. That youngster’s magical artifact is quite impressive—even I felt a bit tempted!” The old man did not conceal his thoughts and spoke bluntly.
“Patron, it would be best to abandon such thoughts early. That man cannot be killed!” The Daoist frowned slightly, his tone carrying a hint of warning.
Upon hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed the face of the old man in the blue robe, but he did not ask further. He knew that since the Daoist had brought it up, he would surely explain himself given his character.
Sure enough, the Daoist continued expressionlessly, “That man has close ties to Ma Yunlong of Tianque Fort. It would be unwise to provoke him lightly.”
The old man was visibly moved and exclaimed in astonishment, “Ma Yunlong? The one from Tianque Fort who is considered the most promising to reach the Core Formation stage in over a hundred years?”
The Daoist let out a bitter laugh and sighed, “Who else could it be? I have met him a few times. The Falling Dust Pearl in that young man’s hand is Ma Yunlong’s renowned magical artifact—there’s no mistaking it! So, that young man must be closely connected to Ma Yunlong. It’s best not to lay a finger on him.”
“Indeed, thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist! Otherwise, I might have made a grave mistake. Let’s gather the spiritual herbs quickly and leave before any uninvited guests arrive!” The old man quickly regained his composure and suggested.
The Daoist naturally agreed. After each took a Purple Monkey Flower, they immediately went their separate ways.
Similar scenes were unfolding in several other locations, though their conflicts were far less peaceful, erupting into intense confrontations.
Beside a stone house on a ridge of the crater, four people were divided into two factions, driving various magical artifacts in combat.
Among them, a man and a woman dressed in yellow were disciples of Huangfeng Valley.
The man, who appeared to be in his forties with a scholarly demeanor, wielded a gleaming silver giant brush and a golden book. With every sweep and unfurling, silver talismans and golden light filled the sky, overwhelming his two opponents until they were drenched in sweat and pale-faced.
The beautiful young woman, though also commanding two flying swords—one blue and one yellow—to assist, was clearly far weaker than her companion. Even compared to the two opponents, her strength was negligible, offering little restraint. Instead, she frequently required rescue by her immensely powerful companion.
Their opponents were not from the same sect.
One was an ugly man enveloped in a green halo, commanding a bowl-thick flying snake and a swarm of giant yellow bees, desperately blocking the Huangfeng Valley man’s onslaught of golden light. This was none other than Zhong Wu from Lingshou Mountain, who had previously exchanged information with Han Li.
The other was a handsome but effeminate young man dressed in blue, likely a disciple of Huadao Wu.
The two red flying daggers swirling before him radiated brilliance, clearly exceptional magical artifacts. Though meant for offense, the daggers now formed two wheel-sized shields in front of him, struggling to block the countless silver talismans.
“Stop! We surrender! Chen, you win—the spiritual herbs in the stone house are yours!” The Huadao Wu youth, unable to hold on any longer, finally conceded.
Zhong Wu, standing beside him, showed a hint of reluctance but did not object, recalling his flying snake and bee swarm.
“Hmph! You think you can just surrender that easily?” The weakest of the Huangfeng Valley disciples, the young woman, pushed back the hair on her forehead and spoke discontentedly. Having been ignored throughout the fight, she was filled with pent-up frustration.
“What do you want? To wipe us out? I doubt you have the ability!” The Huadao Wu man retorted sharply, his voice shrill like a startled woman, sending shivers down the spines of the other three.
“Of course not. My seventh sister is just venting. You may leave—I, Chen, will not stand in your way.” The middle-aged man from Huangfeng Valley frowned slightly, stopping the woman with a look before speaking calmly to Zhong Wu and the others.
“Hehe! Brother Chen, as expected of the eldest son of the Chen family, your magnanimity is far beyond that of some young girl. We take our leave!” The Huadao Wu youth suddenly calmed down, his voice returning to a normal masculine tone, transforming him into a graceful young master. The change was startling.
With those words, the youth and Zhong Wu cast one last reluctant glance at the stone house before leaving in dismay, disappearing behind the mountain rocks.
“Big Brother, why didn’t you kill them? With a little more effort, we could have finished them off!” the beautiful woman asked, turning to the middle-aged man after watching the two leave.
“Seventh Sister, I’ve noticed you’ve become somewhat extreme since that incident. You’re always so quick to take lives. Do you know who those two are? Their families are prominent, though not as powerful as our Yan or Chen superfamilies, they are still forces to be reckoned with. It’s best not to make enemies lightly.”
“Besides, even if we tried to kill them, we likely wouldn’t succeed. Although my golden book and silver brush seem to have them cornered, that’s only because they haven’t tried to flee. If we were to go all out, they’d surely run. No matter how powerful my artifacts are, I couldn’t stop them both. It would only earn us enemies needlessly.”
The middle-aged man first gently chided the young woman with affection, then carefully explained his reasons for not pursuing the kill. The woman suddenly understood.
“By the way, Seventh Sister, that Lu family brat hasn’t been seen since he tried to harm you. It seems he was killed by whoever saved you. If that’s the case, he got off easy—otherwise, I’d have made him wish he were dead, to show him the consequences of targeting our Chen family. But the identity of your savior is quite intriguing. I’ve spent considerable effort investigating which disciples were away from the valley during that time, but none seemed capable of posing a threat to that Lu brat. Though his magical power was negligible, his Green Flood Dragon Banner was a top-tier artifact. For someone to save you from him suggests considerable strength. Could it have been a passing cultivator from outside our sect?” The woman’s brother suddenly adopted a tone of affection as he spoke to his “Seventh Sister.”
It turned out this “Seventh Sister” was the now frosty “Junior Sister Chen.” But in front of her elder brother, she had regained some of her original nature. Upon hearing this, she blushed and said coquettishly, “Ugh! Why bring that guy up? So he saved me, but then he left me alone in the wilderness and ran off with my Foundation Establishment Pill! I’d say there’s a ninety percent chance he’s no good either!”
Junior Sister Chen’s tone was full of resentment.
In truth, what embarrassed and angered her most was not this but the memory of that shameful night when she was delirious, feverish, and naked.
The rough hands that had roamed freely over her body and the strong masculine scent of the other person were still etched in her mind.
Though she tried to bury these memories deep within, her brother’s mention of it brought everything rushing back. Lost in thought, her face alternated between red and pale.
When Junior Sister Chen finally snapped out of her daze, she found her brother gazing at her with a knowing, amused look, as if he had seen right through her. This made her blush even more deeply.
Overwhelmed with embarrassment, she stamped her foot and said, “I’m going to gather the herbs!” before darting toward the stone house to hide her flustered emotions.
The middle-aged man watched the retreating figure of his beloved younger sister and smiled faintly, already forming a plan in his mind.
Then, he followed her.
…
In a dense forest elsewhere, a young girl in green gritted her teeth as she commanded a small white eagle in a difficult battle against a two-headed snake. The fight seemed evenly matched for the moment. Behind the snake stood a fiery-red tree with several fist-sized red fruits on its branches.
…
In a narrow underground cave, a group of fifteen or sixteen men and women in white walked silently. They were all the surviving disciples of Many Moon Sect within the forbidden area. Leading them was the fairy-like young woman who had once glimpsed Han Li from afar.
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