The spell was newly learned by Luo Ci and had almost no offensive power. It was merely a smokescreen.
The truly formidable move was the palm strike that followed.
The struck driver was sent tumbling straight to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
He could not help crying out, "You're actually cultivators?!"
Jealousy flashed in the Grey-robed Daoist's eyes. "Only Fourth Stage Qi Refining. Nothing to fear!"
Though the other three were not cultivators, they were no fools.
"He's already at Fourth Stage Qi Refining at his age. He must be a genius from some great Lineage. Shouldn't we..."
"Shouldn't we what? Precisely because he may be a genius from a great Lineage, we need to deal with him early. Otherwise, once he returns to his Lineage and brings people to kill us, which one of you will be able to escape?" the Grey-robed Daoist said darkly.
Even so, the other three still hesitated.
Senior Sister Yuan Xi sat in the carriage with a smile. "Little Qi, Luo Ci, weren't you clamoring for real combat? The opportunity has delivered itself to your doorstep. Don't let it slip away."
The moment Luo Ci heard this, he immediately seized his sword and ran out excitedly.
Lin Qi tilted her head and glanced at her Senior Sister, suddenly realizing that she was somewhat similar to True Monarch Qingyun.
With a flick of his Fly Whisk, the Grey-robed Daoist raised two rows of blazing flames from the ground, sending them rushing toward Luo Ci.
"I'd like to see just how impressive you geniuses from great Lineages truly are!"
Luo Ci had only learned one offensive spell, the Wind Sweeps Clouds Technique. After using it, more than half his spiritual energy was depleted, leaving him no choice but to slash horizontally with his sword.
The wooden sword was wrapped in spiritual energy. When it struck the flames, sparks scattered in all directions, and the two sides fell into a deadlock.
Luo Ci gritted his teeth and exerted all his strength, paying no heed to how much spiritual energy remained in his dantian as he cleaved through the flames in one breath.
The Grey-robed Daoist did not grow angry when he saw this. Instead, he laughed. "Fool!"
Then bulges appeared one after another in the ground. A field of earthen spikes instantly erupted beneath Luo Ci's feet, while four or five vines drilled out of the earth and tightly coiled around his legs.
Even with Luo Ci's decent movement technique, it was difficult for him to break free now.
Lin Qi watched from the side with helplessness written all over her face. Her fingers swiftly formed hand seals, and as she leaped into the air, the Minor Lightning Descent Technique answered her call.
A thundercloud gathered above the Grey-robed Daoist's head. Finger-length bolts of lightning flickered within it, concealing a terrifying, dangerous aura.
Sensing that danger, he could not even spare a thought for Luo Ci. He thrust both hands upward, and a layer of golden light enveloped his body.
Crackling lightning bolts fell in succession, smashing against the golden barrier without causing the Grey-robed Daoist the slightest injury.
When the attack ended, the Grey-robed Daoist withdrew the golden barrier and stared at Lin Qi with a grim expression.
"I was blind indeed. I never expected there to be a Fifth Stage Qi Refining cultivator hidden among you!"
"F-Fifth Stage Qi Refining?!" The driver was already starting to panic. Seeing that the group was all children, he had thought he could fill his belly.
Who would have thought that such a simple group would be hiding several cultivators?
He had assumed the Grey-robed Daoist was speaking of Yuan Xi.
But the next moment, the Grey-robed Daoist said, "It took this old man several decades just to barely reach Fifth Stage Qi Refining. I wasted my whole life and suffered countless hardships, yet a little child like you, simply because of the words 'natural talent,' can surpass an entire lifetime of mine with only one or two years of cultivation. Heaven is truly unfair!"
The driver and the other burly men immediately turned their gazes toward Lin Qi.
They spoke in disbelief. "Sh-She's Fifth Stage Qi Refining?!"
Without another thought, the driver blurted out, "Old Grey, I'm done! These two children were definitely carefully raised by some great Lineage. If anything happens to them in our hands, my entire household will have to be buried with them!"
After saying that, he turned and ran off with the burly men.
Luo Ci's eyes reddened with anger. Gripping the Small Wooden Sword, he chased after them. "Where do you think you're running? Stop right there!"
Watching him like that, Lin Qi truly felt her fingers itching.
I've really been busy after getting home. I've been squeezing in time to write whenever I can, so I'm posting these thousand words first as an explanation. The update probably won't come until tonight at the earliest, but I'll make up all the chapters I owe! Still five thousand words short!
Before you continue