After being waylaid by the Leopard Spirit last time, Li Yi realized he really was missing a defensive treasure. He touched the Green Lotus Ancient Sword—he didn't need another offensive treasure.
In truth, Li Yi had realized this long ago. But most of his opponents had been Mystic Immortals, and he'd wanted to hone his swordsmanship amid life-and-death struggles, so he hadn't been in a hurry to find a defensive treasure.
Now things were different. It was already difficult for Li Yi to find opponents at the Mystic Immortal level. The next people he faced might well be Golden Immortals. After all, he still hadn't broken through to Golden Immortal. The gap of an entire major realm would be hard to overcome, no matter how powerful his Sword Art was. He wanted to hone his skills, but not at the cost of his life. A defensive treasure was crucial now.
With the speed of his Sword Light Flying Wings, as long as he wasn't taken down in a single blow, Li Yi had a good chance of escaping a Golden Immortal's pursuit.
Of course, Li Yi could also ask his Main Body for help. But he had his pride. Though they came from the same source, they were independent of each other. Unless he faced mortal danger with no way out, Li Yi would never ask his Main Body for help. If he could handle something himself, he would.
In fact, Li Yi had quite a few defensive treasures in his storage space. They were spoils he'd collected on the battlefield. Unfortunately, most were ordinary Houtian Spiritual Treasures, and some were badly damaged. They were of little use to him.
Since he probably wouldn't break through to Golden Immortal anytime soon, Li Yi decided to steel himself: he would search high and low until he found a defensive treasure that suited him.
It was a classic case of trouble finding you at home. Just as Li Yi was wondering where to look for a treasure, four streaks of light—one red, one blue, and two green—appeared before him.
The blue figure and the two green ones were clearly on the same side, surrounding the red figure. Li Yi knew there was some kind of dispute among the four, and a fight was sure to break out soon.
At a glance, Li Yi could tell all four were Golden Immortals. The red-robed elder was a late-stage Golden Immortal, while the blue-robed youth was at mid-stage. The two men in green robes had dark features and a single horn atop each head. They looked like middle-aged men who had transformed from strange beasts, and both were late-stage Golden Immortals. They also seemed to take orders from the youth.
Li Yi knew he couldn't make a move. If he did, he would be their first target. He stayed where he was, quietly waiting to see how things unfolded.
Sure enough, the blue-robed youth glanced at him. Seeing Li Yi knew his place, he turned his attention back to the red-robed elder.
"Huo Yunzi, don't blame me for being heartless. You have two choices." The blue-robed youth spoke arrogantly. "First, hand over the supreme-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Thunder Cloud Pagoda, and I'll let you go. Second, submit to my Heaven and Earth Sacred Dynasty and let me hold the treasure for now. I'll return it to you once we reach the dynasty."
At the mention of the Thunder Cloud Pagoda, a flicker of greed passed through the blue-robed youth's eyes. The two one-horned men behind him looked just as greedy. They glanced at the youth, a vicious glint buried deep in their eyes. They were late-stage Golden Immortals, both descended from strange beasts, yet their souls had been controlled by the youth's ancestor, and they'd been made to serve as bodyguards. Damn it.
Li Yi was shocked to hear the treasure was a supreme-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. Many Grand Unity Golden Immortals in the Primordial World used only ordinary Innate Spiritual Treasures. Only the major powers and the more influential Grand Unity Golden Immortals possessed such treasures.
If word of this got out, countless people would go mad for it. Li Yi suddenly realized that to keep the news from spreading, the youth would never let him go. His face darkened, but he didn't act rashly. He waited for an opportunity.
"Hmph. I, Hong Yunzi, have cultivated for over a million years. What kind of underhanded trick haven't I seen?" Hong Yunzi sneered. "You'd take the Thunder Cloud Pagoda from me, then kill me as soon as you had it."
Hong Yunzi could only sigh at his bad luck. The treasure had appeared near his cave, and he'd been overjoyed to obtain it. To keep the news from leaking, he'd slaughtered every cultivator in the area, then immediately moved away. He'd thought he'd covered his tracks perfectly, but before he'd even finished refining the treasure, someone had come looking for him. There was no keeping anything secret in this world.
"Hahaha!" The youth burst into laughter, entirely unembarrassed at being called out. "Hong Yunzi, I admit I want the Thunder Cloud Pagoda. So what? Blame your bad luck—or blame yourself for getting something you never should have had."
"Fine. Even if I die, I won't let you get away with this." Hong Yunzi's face twisted with malice.
"Attack, Tian Jiao, Di Jiao," the blue-robed youth ordered the two men in green.
Tian Jiao made a Hand Seal toward the ground, then clawed downward with both hands. In an instant, the earth churned like waves. Hundreds of earthen dragons, each a hundred meters long, surged up, their scales sharply defined as they raised their heads and roared. More than a hundred of them coiled behind Tian Jiao, glaring down at Hong Yunzi.
"Hundred Dragons Soar—go!" Tian Jiao pointed at Hong Yunzi. "Roar!" Hundreds of earthen dragons let out earth-shaking roars and charged at him.
"Hmph. What can a few little earthworms do to me?" Despite his words, Hong Yunzi looked grave. "Heavenly Flames Scorch the Plains!" A stream of fire poured from his mouth. The flames gathered and condensed, finally forming a red firebird. "Screech!" It spread its hundred-meter wings and flew toward the earthen dragons.
For a moment, the roars of dragons and cries of birds shook heaven and earth.
Seeing that the two sides were evenly matched, the blue-robed youth and Di Jiao joined the fight.
The blue-robed youth reached into his storage space, and a gleaming blue spear appeared before him. He rapidly formed Hand Seals. Rippling waves spread around the spear as blue-green water vapor streamed in from all around, forming a vast vortex in the air. A series of terrifying waves of pressure radiated from it.
While under attack from Tian Jiao and Di Jiao, Hong Yunzi suddenly felt his heart tighten. He looked up and saw a vortex circling in the sky. His heart lurched. Gritting his teeth, he summoned the Thunder Cloud Pagoda, which he had refined only a third of the way.
Thin strands of lightning coiled around the Thunder Cloud Pagoda. The moment it appeared, winds rose and clouds gathered, and black clouds filled the sky. This was because Hong Yunzi hadn't finished refining it. Otherwise, he could have controlled it with a Hand Seal, and it wouldn't have drawn in thunderclouds on its own.
The Thunder Cloud Pagoda shuddered, arcs of electricity flashing around it, as if it might slip out of control. Hong Yunzi's veins bulged, and sweat trickled down his cheeks as he struggled to control it.
Seeing that the youth had fully activated his Magic Treasure, Hong Yunzi steeled himself and struck his chest. A mouthful of Essence Blood splashed onto the Thunder Cloud Pagoda, and at last it steadied.
This was his lifeblood essence. He had no idea how long it would take to recover. A fierce glint flashed in Hong Yunzi's eyes as he raised the Thunder Cloud Pagoda. "Rumble, rumble, rumble!" Strands of lightning curled toward it, forming a pillar of thunder.
"Die!" The blue-robed youth finished his final Hand Seal, then flung the enormous, gleaming blue vortex toward Hong Yunzi with both hands.
"Kill!" Hong Yunzi pointed at the blue-robed youth with his right hand. The Thunder Cloud Pagoda transformed into a giant arrow wreathed in a terrifying thunder dragon and shot toward him.
Seeing the terrifying power of the two Innate Spiritual Treasures, Tian Jiao and Di Jiao hurriedly layered defensive seals over themselves.
"Boom, boom, boom..." The enormous vortex collided with the thunder arrow. In an instant, the entire sky seemed to cave in. The terrifying shockwaves leveled several nearby mountains, each a thousand meters tall, leaving a huge crater a hundred meters deep.
Gradually, the world came back into focus. Hong Yunzi was covered in blood, a trace of blood trickled from the corner of the blue-robed youth's mouth, and Tian Jiao and Di Jiao were in a sorry state.
"I'll have my revenge!" Hong Yunzi glared at the youth, burned his Essence Blood, and turned into a streak of red light that carried the Thunder Cloud Pagoda away.
A glint flashed in Li Yi's eyes. A pair of dazzling silver wings appeared on his back, and he flew off in the opposite direction from Hong Yunzi.
"Damn it! You think you can get away?" The youth's face turned livid. "Di Jiao, go kill that brat. Tian Jiao, come with me and kill Hong Yunzi."
Watching the green streak of light pursuing him, Li Yi sneered inwardly. You think you can beat me in a race? Just wait and see. Still, the pursuer would make an excellent whetstone for his sword. If he couldn't win, he could always run. With that thought, Li Yi gradually slowed down.
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