Li Ling

Xing Wanxing turned his head and spotted the silhouette of a young girl on the distant eaves. He recognized her as Li Ling. His eyes turned sharp as he mobilized the surging mana from the six springs within his body. He stomped his foot heavily, his sole sinking into the earth, sending out a circular ripple of energy.

Countless shards of rock flew up from the ground.

"Swish! Swish! Swish..."

He thrust out a palm, and the levitating debris shot out like arrows, their sharp whistling sound seeming to tear through the night sky.

Li Ling left the eaves, moving through the air on a blue mist of light traces. Her movement was incredibly agile, dodging all the flying stones.

She landed on the street in the center, her voice clear and pleasant, "Why do I feel like you guys aren't quite the Buddha's Crossing Bandits?"

Xing Wanxing narrowed his eyes, killing intent flashing within them. "Is that so? The Buddha will chant a sutra for you later, or perhaps you can chant one for the Buddha."

His six springs erupted, and his mana surged so powerfully it overflowed onto his skin, forming a protective layer of gray mist. The Chi Fire Ladybugs that drew near were all repelled and fell to the ground by the force of his mana.

Xing Wanxing knew clearly that Li Ling was not a Martial Cultivator, but a Mind Master who walked the path of spirit and soul. She wasn't skilled in close combat, and her physical body was relatively fragile.

Therefore, the moment his foot pushed off the ground, he shot forward several yards, closing the distance.

"Opening six springs, and you dare to confront me head-on? Who gave you such courage?"

As Li Ling slowly retreated, she formed a hand seal. The center of her brow lit up in a peculiar way, as if a world of light was hidden beneath her forehead.

"Whoosh--"

Seven bright light traces flew from her brow, extending nearly ten yards into the night sky.

The surrounding air temperature noticeably increased.

The seven light traces danced wildly on the streets of Immortal Burial Town. A wooden pillar supporting a house was grazed and instantly severed. The severed ends were scorched.

More than twenty soldiers from the Earth Wolf King Army, who had been searching the town, converged, weapons in hand, charging forward. However, four or five fell instantly, with broken arms, waists, and heads, blood spilling onto the ground.

"It's a Mind Master, such a terrifying Light Trace Whip-Sword."

"Retreat, quickly retreat."

All the soldiers retreated in panic.

In Martial Path cultivation, even a single realm difference caused a massive gap in combat power.

They had clearly seen that even the esteemed Master Xing, who had opened six springs, was in grave danger facing the young girl, struggling to cope.

Li Weiyi, peering through a cracked window frame, watched the clash of the two top experts on the street, inwardly astonished. Li Ling looked frail and delicate, like a well-behaved little sister next door, yet her combat power was so formidable. The leader of the Earth Wolf King Army was no match for her.

Killing other Spring Realm Martial Cultivators was like slicing through vegetables.

How old was she?

This must be a cultivator who surpassed top-tier talent!

Silently leaping down from the roof beam, Li Weiyi prepared to seize the opportunity to slip away.

On the street, a sudden change occurred.

Among the branches of the Thousand-Year Apricot Tree above the ancient well, a graceful figure with a tail appeared. She waved her hand, and countless needle-like hairs flew out.

These flying needles were refined from the fur of Fiend Monkey, light as nothing. Thus, when thrown with a special technique, they made almost no sound, allowing them to be silent and catch people off guard.

Of course, to be able to throw these hair-like needles with enough force to kill demonstrated the caster's powerful mana.

Even with Li Ling's perception as a Mind Master, she only sensed danger when nearly a hundred hair-like needles entered her ten-yard radius. Unable to pinpoint the source of the danger, she instinctively retreated rapidly, then crashed through the door of a dilapidated house to hide inside.

"Chik chik!"

The flying needles struck the street, earthen walls, and pillars.

The stone slabs of the street cracked, the earthen walls collapsed, and the pillars were riddled with countless holes.

Li Weiyi, having just descended from the beam and not yet had a chance to move, heard a bang as the door shattered and a young girl's figure rushed in. For a moment, their eyes met, and neither spoke.

Li Weiyi wanted to escape through the backyard.

Xing Wanxing's obese and short figure moved with surprising speed. He had already leaped over the earthen wall and landed with a crash in the center of the backyard, holding a short knife about a foot long.

Footsteps echoed from all directions.

The thirty-odd surviving Spring Realm Martial Cultivators of the Earth Wolf King Army surrounded the dilapidated house.

Fearing the seven light trace whip-swords from Li Ling's brow, no one dared to enter rashly.

This was the fearsome reputation she had carved out!

"Whoosh!"

Yan Qingqing flew out from the dense branches of the towering apricot tree. Mana flowed around her, and she drifted like a leaf onto the wide and quiet street of Immortal Burial Town, moving forward step by step.

She had a full and voluptuous figure, and her fiery red tail swayed with the movement of her slender legs. Her two canine ears added a touch of playful cuteness to her sexy and charming face.

"Cangli's sister, the Netherlight Guide Envoy of the Jiu Li Tribe... Eh, my Stone Monkey Flying Needles seem to have hit you!" Yan Qingqing's voice was always coquettish, and a smile played on her lips.

She waved her hand, gathering strands of mana, and found one needle missing.

One was enough!

Standing in the backyard, Xing Wanxing said, "Why all the nonsense? Let's attack together and hack her to death. We need to leave this place as soon as possible."

Yan Qingqing was Shi Jiuzhai's eighth disciple, a peak expert in the Spring Realm who had opened seven springs. However, Xing Wanxing did not address her as Senior Sister, nor did he show much respect.

This was because her most outstanding trait had never been her cultivation or martial prowess, but rather her ability to make money, which Shi Jiuzhai valued most.

A flicker of displeasure flashed across Yan Qingqing's eyes before vanishing. She smiled and said, "Junior Brother, what's the rush? The flying needles are poisonous. Once her body gradually petrifies and stiffens, wouldn't it be easy to deal with her then? Besides, such an important person, such a delicate little beauty, why are you so heartless? Have you done something you regret and want to silence her?"

Xing Wanxing understood that Yan Qingqing's following him was definitely at Shi Jiuzhai's behest.

Fortunately, there were no treasures in the Silver Coffin; otherwise, he would have been the one hit by the Stone Monkey Flying Needles right now.

Xing Wanxing said, "It's not that I want to cruelly destroy this flower, Junior Brother, but this girl seems to have discovered our secret. How important this matter is, I don't need to tell you, right? If the news leaks and arouses the suspicion of the Jiu Li Tribe, neither you nor I will survive facing our Master."

The smile on Yan Qingqing's face stopped.

The act of impersonating the Buddha's Crossing Bandits to attack the Cangli Tribe was aimed at inciting chaos in Lizhou. Many important figures were involved behind the scenes. If anything went wrong, she couldn't imagine what fate awaited her and Xing Wanxing.

Inside the dilapidated house.

Li Ling stared at Li Weiyi and said coldly, "Did you hear that? All those who know will be silenced. Do you think you can be an exception?"

Li Weiyi had been startled when she suddenly broke in, but she was unusually calm.

This confirmed his earlier guess: Li Ling had indeed been tracking him to Immortal Burial Town and had known his hiding place all along.

Li Weiyi was speechless. In the lowest possible voice, he said, "You could have fled elsewhere. You came here deliberately to drag me down with you? I saved your Cangli Tribe. You're not repaying kindness with enmity like this."

"I had no other choice."

Li Ling sat down on the dusty, cobweb-covered earthen bed, completely unconcerned about the dirt and mess. She continued, "The woman outside is highly cultivated, having opened at least seven springs. Her flying needle attack is silent, difficult to predict and defend against. If I had tried to escape outside, she would have only needed to launch another wave of needles, and I would have been dead for sure."

Li Weiyi's entire body went numb. Two disciples of Shi Jiuzhai, one with six springs, and the other with seven. He, a mere mortal who had just entered the three springs realm, had stumbled into what kind of high-stakes game?

Even more terrifying was that the woman who had opened seven springs was a Deformed Race, her combat power higher than ordinary people of the same realm.

Li Weiyi said, "Escaping outside means one death. Hiding in here means two deaths."

Li Ling gazed into Li Weiyi's eyes and shook her head. "I am a Netherlight Guide Envoy, possessing a unique sense of fortune and misfortune. Therefore, I can lead the coffin-carrying team through the Departed Spirit Mist Domain and find the correct path. Here, with you, I sense a glimmer of hope."

"I think your excuse is too far-fetched." Li Weiyi didn't believe her mystical talk at all. He continued, "You followed me to Immortal Burial Town. You must not have had good intentions, right?"

Li Ling knew that no matter what she said now, he wouldn't believe her, so she stopped explaining. "Yes, I wanted to drag you down with me. But now, aren't we grasshoppers on the same boat? Only by finding a way to overcome the current crisis will you have a chance for revenge, won't you?"

She wasn't even pretending anymore?

Li Weiyi knew that the more than thirty Martial Cultivators outside were surrounding this place, blocking all escape routes. It was a desperate situation.

The two disciples of Shi Jiuzhai wouldn't care if he was innocent or not. No living creature would leave Immortal Burial Town tonight.

Li Ling worried that Li Weiyi would lose his mind and fight her to the death, so she explained again, "You underestimate the perception of a seven-spring Martial Arts Master. I could find your location, and she definitely can too. Besides, she's a Canine-like Mutant Race with a keen sense of smell. Do you think she doesn't know where you're hiding?"

"If I die, or if I escape, the first person she'll kill next will definitely be you."

"By escaping here, you actually have a glimmer of hope."

Li Weiyi didn't want to argue with her for now. This girl was precocious and more calm and rational than many adults. He asked, "Were you really hit by her Stone Monkey Flying Needles?"

Li Ling's delicate and cute face turned somber. "Fortunately, I was only hit by one needle."

Li Weiyi said, "Then, while your body hasn't petrified and stiffened yet, let's split up and fight our way out, seizing this sliver of hope."

Li Ling stared intently at Li Weiyi.

"What's wrong?"

"Cunning!"

"How am I cunning?" Li Weiyi asked.

Li Ling said, "If we fight our way out now, all the bandits will definitely attack me, and you can slip away."

Li Weiyi hadn't thought of it that way at all, but he had to admit... she was right. She had considered it very carefully.

"Either way, it's a dead end. If we act now, we still have a chance," Li Weiyi said.

Li Ling told him the truth. "The Stone Poison in one Stone Monkey Flying Needle is mild. I've taken a secret medicine that can temporarily suppress it. But the people outside don't know that. When they break in, catching them off guard will give us a greater chance of winning, won't it?"

Li Weiyi increasingly felt that this girl was calculating and that he would need to guard against her carefully in the future.

She said, "Once I go all out, the Stone Poison will spread rapidly. Before that happens, I will do everything I can to heavily injure or kill the two highest-cultivated Martial Arts Masters. The rest will be up to you. After we escape, my body will definitely petrify and stiffen. At that time, I will need you to take me back to the Cangli Tribe."

"Do you think I will?" Li Weiyi asked.

Li Ling said, "If you take me back, I will marry you."

What a promise...

Did she even believe it herself?