Overwhelming in a Certain Sense

Qi Refining Stage cultivators found it difficult to sustain the expenditure of aerial combat with their magic power. Moreover, their spiritual senses were weak, and with both sides far apart and moving swiftly in the air, attacks were difficult to land. Thus, aerial battles generally did not occur.

Now that they had decided to fight, Luo Hong and Yu Ying landed on a stony beach along a riverbank. The two Evil Cultivators pursuing them landed shortly afterward, a hundred meters away.

"Junior Brother Luo, come closer. This Diamond Bell of mine is a top-grade defensive magic artifact. It will surely keep you safe during the battle."

Yu Ying produced a small golden bell and tossed it over his head. In an instant, it transformed into a gigantic bell large enough to enclose a person completely. Judging by its Spiritual Qi and appearance, its defensive power was indeed astonishing.

"No need, Senior Brother Yu. I have the Spirit Turtle Shield, so protecting myself for a Short Period of Time will not be a problem. I only hope Senior Brother Yu can kill the Evil Cultivators quickly. Otherwise, Junior Brother's magic power may not hold out."

Luo Hong instinctively felt that moving closer would be extremely unwise. After producing the Spirit Turtle Shield, he urged Yu Ying to attack first.

On the Other Side, the two Evil Cultivators were also discussing how to deal with Luo Hong and Yu Ying.

"Big Brother, the kid on the left is at Level 10 Qi Refining, and the magic artifact he summoned looks incredibly powerful. It seems to be a top-grade magic artifact."

"He Had Some trouble. Although my cultivation is one level higher than his, the Bloodthirsty Shuttle has yet to be blood-sacrificed to completion. I fear I will not be able to take him down anytime soon."

"In that case, let this little brother kill that Level Seven Qi Refining trash first. Then I will join Big Brother in dealing with this man."

"Good. End this quickly. Otherwise, once Third Brother arrives, it will be difficult to divide their Storage Bags!"

"Hmph, this little brother is at Level 10 Qi Refining. Killing a Level Seven piece of trash will take only a moment. Big Brother, just watch!"

Seeing the two Evil Cultivators charge at them together, Yu Ying also surged forward with his magic power. Luo Hong, however, remained where he was.

He would have loved for Yu Ying to draw all the firepower, allowing him to deal damage safely from the rear.

Unfortunately, Yu Ying had no idea how to talk trash and failed utterly at provoking them. The slightly weaker Evil Cultivator went directly around him and rushed straight toward Luo Hong.

"It seems they have chosen me as their point of breakthrough. Then let me show you my improved Illusory Image Projection."

Luo Hong believed in planning before acting. While fleeing, he had already considered the possibility of being intercepted. Illusory Image Projection had proven its usefulness in actual combat, so it was naturally something he focused on improving.

To be honest, using a transparent wall of water created by the Water Control Technique for projection had enormous flaws.

First, the appearance of the water wall would make the Water Spiritual Qi around Luo Hong seem abnormal. Although the Water Shield Talisman concealed it somewhat, it was still not reliable enough.

Second, at the edges of the water wall, the bending of light made objects appear extremely unnatural, making it easy for perceptive people to spot the flaw.

After giving it considerable thought, Luo Hong now secretly used the Water Control Technique while applying the Water Shield Talisman, condensing countless transparent droplets of water, nearly invisible to the naked eye, within a radius of half a zhang around himself.

This way, because their shapes were similar, the Water Spiritual Qi would merely seem somewhat denser rather than abnormal. At most, his opponent would think Luo Hong had used some High-grade Talisman.

Furthermore, by shaping it into a hemisphere, it could affect enemies from all three hundred and sixty degrees, unlike a water wall, which only worked against enemies directly in front.

The unnatural appearance of objects at the edges could also be reduced through a gradual change in the density of the droplets.

"Hehe, the blood essence of a Qi Refining Mid-stage Cultivator will be enough to give my Bloodthirsty Shuttle a hearty meal. Kid, say your last words quickly. You will die very soon."

Seeing Luo Hong produce a shield-shaped magic artifact and assume a stance of defending to the death, the second Evil Cultivator tried to disrupt his mind with trash talk and bait him into revealing an opening.

That might have worked on a newly initiated Cultivator, but if trash talking had levels, Luo Hong would definitely have been at the Nascent Soul level.

After the second Evil Cultivator prattled on for a while, not only was Luo Hong not afraid, he almost wanted to laugh.

Hehe, it was impolite not to return the favor.

Luo Hong extended the index finger of his right hand, wore a disdainful expression, and shouted:

"Come at me!"

"Courting death!"

The second Evil Cultivator immediately flew into a rage. The Bloodthirsty Shuttle circled around him once, then streaked toward Luo Hong, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.

You're already angry? Your trash talk is, at best, Qi Refining Stage.

Facing the bloody High-grade Magic Artifact, the Bloodthirsty Shuttle, Luo Hong was not the least bit flustered, because it was aimed directly at the illusory image.

Still, in case his opponent was putting on an act, Luo Hong readied the Turtle Spirit Shield to guard against a sneak attack.

No surprise occurred. The Bloodthirsty Shuttle struck the illusory image head-on and passed straight through its body.

Luo Hong had also played a trick here. He deliberately adjusted the Spirit Turtle Shield's position so that the illusory Luo Hong's Spirit Turtle Shield lay in the Bloodthirsty Shuttle's attack path. This way, his opponent could only see slight ripples appear across the Spirit Turtle Shield's surface and could not see the changes in the illusory Luo Hong.

The second Evil Cultivator was instantly dumbfounded. It was not really his fault; after all, everyone was like this when experiencing something for the first time.

"What happened? Could it be an illusion technique? No, probably not. That kid's aura is clearly right there, so why did my Bloodthirsty Shuttle pass through as if it had hit nothing?"

Oh? He looks like he is calmly thinking this through. This Evil Cultivator has some brains. Then let me add more fuel to the fire.

"Hey, your magic artifact is pretty weak."

"You sharp-tongued brat!" The second Evil Cultivator decided to try again from behind.

The Bloodthirsty Shuttle flew back and shot toward the back of the illusory Luo Hong's heart.

Luo Hong surged his magic power, enlarging the Spirit Turtle Shield and positioning it horizontally. Using the curve of its turtle shell, he covered both his back and chest.

No matter how many times the illusory image was attacked, the result would be the same.

Seeing the Bloodthirsty Shuttle return without achieving anything once more, the second Evil Cultivator began to panic.

"Heh, is that all?"

Luo Hong's mockery made rage burn in his heart. Those who lost their reason were easily convinced by what they saw with their own eyes.

The sight of the Bloodthirsty Shuttle entering one side of the Spirit Turtle Shield and emerging from the other made the second Evil Cultivator conclude that Luo Hong had relied on that miraculous defensive magic artifact to remain completely unharmed beneath the Bloodthirsty Shuttle's attacks.

"Aah!!! Let's see how much magic power you have to keep acting so arrogant!"

The more powerful a magic artifact was, the more magic power it required to wield. The second Evil Cultivator Completely Abandoned thought and prepared to grind Luo Hong to death with magic power far exceeding his own.

For a time, the Bloodthirsty Shuttle darted up and down around Luo Hong's illusory image, launching futile yet frenzied attacks.

Luo Hong put on a show by taking out a Spirit Stone and holding it in his hand, making his opponent think his magic power was about to run dry. In truth, maintaining a minor spell like the Water Control Technique and keeping the Spirit Turtle Shield afloat consumed almost nothing.

He secretly glanced toward Yu Ying and saw that, relying on the might of the Diamond Bell, Yu Ying had already gained the upper hand. If Not For the Evil Cultivator's leader repeatedly resorting to mutually destructive attacks that forced Yu Ying's Diamond Bell to Return to Reinforce him, he would likely have already been defeated.

"The two Evil Cultivators will probably change tactics soon. I need to prepare some countermeasures as well."

Luo Hong held an ordinary Water Bullet Talisman between two fingers and began chanting an incantation that even he himself Could Not Understand.