First Spell Duel

Under Liu Jing's control, the Spirit Boat sped along like lightning. Luo Hong held the Soul Tablet, watching for changes in the soul flame within.

A soul flame could sense a Cultivator's life or death from an immense distance, but to detect their location, one had to be within ten li of them.

They had not searched for long when Luo Hong felt the Spirit Boat suddenly dip downward.

The soul flame had not changed. Had Liu Jing found something else?

Luo Hong used the Heavenly Eye Technique and looked ahead, only to see a patch of blood aura spreading rapidly through the human aura in the mountain forest three li away.

As they drew closer, Luo Hong sensed a bloody, sinister Mana aura. They had encountered an Evil Cultivator so soon!

When they arrived above the blood aura, they saw a village of mortal mountain folk below, currently being pillaged by bandits. Though most of the villagers were hardy and rose up to resist, they were still no match for the desperate bandits. The village was on the verge of being overrun.

Just as a human tragedy was about to unfold, two Silver Wheels descended from The Sky, effortlessly beheading every bandit locked in battle with the villagers.

Faced with such a Shocking Change, the bandits did not immediately scatter. Yet after several breaths, they seemed to have lost their leader and fled in all directions.

Although the Seven Great Sects forbade their disciples from interfering in mortal affairs, there would be no substantial punishment so long as they did not slaughter innocents or meddle in the affairs of mortal dynasties.

Thus, Liu Jing showed no mercy as he slaughtered the bandits. As the Silver Wheels danced, their lives were cut down like grass.

Even the rescued villagers trembled in terror at such a bloody scene, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing without pause.

There were many bandits. Even though Liu Jing killed swiftly, quite a few still slipped through the net.

Liu Jing did not persist in pursuing and killing them. Instead, he recalled the Silver Wheels and shot them toward an open patch of ground!

Bang!

A bedraggled figure in black burst out of the earth. He was the leader of the bandits. After sensing Luo Hong's aura from afar, he had hidden underground to observe.

Once the Silver Wheels appeared, he did not even dare show his head, doing his utmost to conceal his own aura.

The Evil Cultivator in black could not sense the aura of the Silver Wheels' wielder at all. He knew he had encountered a high-level Cultivator and could only pray that the other party would be careless enough to let him escape disaster.

But the Evil Cultivator in black was being somewhat too naive. Even Luo Hong could detect his faint aura, let alone Liu Jing, who was at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage.

After bursting from the ground, the Evil Cultivator in black did not close his eyes and await death. He swiftly hurled several poisonous smoke bombs, trying to use the opportunity to flee on a Magic Artifact.

"Nephew-disciple Luo, you can subdue him. I will cover you from the air."

Liu Jing could clearly have intercepted the Evil Cultivator in black with the Silver Wheels, yet he did not act. He wanted to use this opportunity to temper Luo Hong.

Luo Hong naturally would not refuse a sure-win situation. He also wanted to take the chance to gather some data on spell duels.

With his left hand, he slapped out a Wind Control Talisman and blew away the poisonous smoke. With his right, he sent out the Cold Moon Blade, slashing at the Evil Cultivator in black's back!

The Evil Cultivator in black had no choice but to abandon his escape, twisting aside to evade.

After that strike, Luo Hong did not press his attack. Instead, he observed the Evil Cultivator in black's methods.

Under normal circumstances, giving an enemy time to prepare would definitely be a grave mistake. But with Liu Jing watching from above, he naturally wanted to learn more about the methods of Evil Cultivators.

Liu Jing likely had the same thought. After all, though the chances of Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators appearing among Evil Cultivators were low, it was still possible.

Seeing that escape was hopeless, the Evil Cultivator in black looked up at Liu Jing in the sky, then saw Luo Hong attaching talismans to his shoulder in the distance. He immediately understood the situation.

He laughed heartily like a madman. Red Spirit Patterns lit up on his forehead, and his aura, which had originally been slightly weaker than Luo Hong's, instantly surged and surpassed it.

At the Same Time, he formed a Magic Art with his hands. Black qi roiled around him, and amid countless shrill ghostly cries, it condensed into a Ghost Claw that charged straight at Luo Hong.

The spell-dueling methods of Evil Cultivators were entirely different from those of orthodox Cultivators who practiced the Five Elements Cultivation Method. Blood qi, ghost qi, and baleful qi churned together. The very sight of it was terrifying.

And once they chose to act, they left no room for retreat, without the slightest probing. The moment they met, they unleashed secret arts that clearly consumed a great deal of vital energy.

The Cold Moon Blade was merely a low-grade Magic Artifact issued by Yellow Maple Valley to every Qi Refining Stage disciple. It was completely unable to contend against the Ghost Claw condensed by the Evil Cultivator in black. The instant they collided, it was slapped flying, its spirituality suffering slight damage.

Without the Cold Moon Blade, the only protection Luo Hong had left was a thin membrane of spiritual light.

At that moment, the Ghost Claw's escape speed suddenly increased sharply, arriving above Luo Hong's head in an instant.

"Haha, your death will become my swan song! Ha!"

The Evil Cultivator in black shouted, and the Spirit Patterns on his forehead shone even brighter. His face visibly withered.

A trace of blood-red colored the Ghost Claw, which then slammed down!

The membrane of spiritual light was broken as if it did not exist. Luo Hong had no time to dodge and was struck directly on the Crown of the head!

Seeing This, the Evil Cultivator in black was overjoyed. The Ghost Claw he had cultivated through blood sacrifice possessed unmatched ferocity. Even ordinary defensive Magic Artifacts could not withstand it, much less a Cultivator's flesh and blood.

This brat is dead for sure!

Next Moment, his head will be completely smashed apart by my palm. Before I die, I will still crush his soul.

Having a disciple of a great sect perish in both body and soul to accompany me to the grave means This Life has been well worth it!

Yet when the Next Moment arrived, the Evil Cultivator in black stared wide-eyed as the Ghost Claw passed directly through Luo Hong's head, while Luo Hong merely swayed slightly.

"Are all Evil Cultivators such idiots?"

Luo Hong looked relaxed as he watched the Ghost Claw smash into the ground a zhang away, swiftly repairing the transparent wall of water before him.

It turned out that when Luo Hong activated the Water Shield Talisman, he had secretly used a simple Water Control Technique to create a curtain of water.

The Luo Hong the Evil Cultivator in black saw was merely an illusory image formed when light was refracted by the water curtain. Therefore, no matter how powerful his attack was, it could not harm Luo Hong in the slightest.

Now that his enemy had fallen into the trap, Luo Hong unleashed his killing move.

A red sword shadow flew above Luo Hong's head, spun around, then shot directly toward the still-shocked Evil Cultivator in black.

By then, the Evil Cultivator in black had completely lost his composure. If he could find Luo Hong's true body at that moment, he would still trade his life for Luo Hong's without hesitation. But he could not see through the mystery of Illusory Image Projection, so he could only order the Ghost Claw to return to reinforce him.

This Ghost Claw truly was formidable. Its escape speed far exceeded that of the Blazing Sun Sword, and despite lagging so far behind, it successfully caught up to the sword shadow.

But just as he breathed a sigh of relief, a piercing chill came from his back. Then he saw a blade tip protrude from his chest.

Under the intense pain, the Evil Cultivator in black could no longer maintain his Magic Art. The Ghost Claw abruptly dispersed, and the Spirit Patterns on his forehead dimmed as well.

"Not bad, truly not bad! Nephew-disciple Luo possesses such astonishing talent in spell duels. The trial I arranged was unnecessary after all."

After seeing the Spirit Patterns on the Evil Cultivator in black's forehead, Liu Jing had not believed Luo Hong could defeat him.

Yet he had not expected Luo Hong to defeat this Evil Cultivator, who had already resolved to die, using only the Cold Moon Blade and Blazing Sun Sword—two low-grade Magic Artifacts given to disciples upon entry—and a bit of ingenuity.

Knowing that I wanted to question him, he even deliberately avoided the Evil Cultivator's vital point at the back of his heart with the final strike!

Ah, what a pity this boy's spiritual roots are too poor. Otherwise, I would certainly take him as my disciple and spread my fame.

I have wanted to spin around like that for a long time. After holding it in for days, I finally feel satisfied.