Fierce Battle

"That kid can't have gone far. Let's search the surroundings for a bit, and if we don't find him, we'll forget about it."

The Golden Robe Youth calmed his anger. Miao Zhi Tang had considerable influence in the county town, and they quickly found out who took the Purple Spirit Grass. He was only at the Qi Refining Second Layer, and the Purple Spirit Grass was very useful to him as well.

The reason he didn't let the twenty first-rate martial artists follow and abandoned the carriage was out of concern that too much commotion would alert the other party. He hadn't expected to lose track of them after chasing them all the way out here.

This person's methods were so ruthless; it seemed he was not to be trifled with. On a raised mound in the dense forest, Lu Xiaotian crouched in the bushes, watching the man in the straw hat frozen into an ice sculpture. He didn't feel much emotion.

"Brother Situ, there's no need to get angry. If this person hasn't gone far, I believe we can still catch up," the Red Skirt Girl said, patting a small brocade pouch at her waist.

A flash of white light, and a furry, gray rat appeared on the ground.

"Scent Yao Rat! I didn't expect you to have such a Spirit Beast," the Golden Robe Youth exclaimed in delight.

"Although it's not much help in combat, it can be useful occasionally, so I kept one. As long as this person is within five li, it can find him," the Red Skirt Girl said with a charming laugh.

The Scent Yao Rat, slightly larger than an ordinary wild cat, was very fast. It squeaked and darted towards a patch of grass, disappearing in a flash of movement more than thirty feet away.

"This person is quite bold, hiding nearby and watching us." Seeing the gray rat's reaction, the Red Skirt Girl glanced towards the bushes not far away and then broke into a smile.

Damn it! I've been discovered. Lu Xiaotian's heart leaped. He hadn't expected this large gray rat to have such a keen nose, finding his location as soon as it was released. He should have hidden further away.

"Truly, 'the mountains and rivers have ended, and one doubts there is a path ahead,' yet here is another village hidden in the shade of willows.' If you don't want me to invite you, then come out yourself," the Golden Robe Youth said, relieved. He had thought things would be troublesome, but they were resolved in an instant.

"What business do you two have with me?" Lu Xiaotian stepped out of the bushes, steeling himself. The gray rat stopped approaching when it was still dozens of feet away, seeming not very strong. He felt a little relieved. After all, there were already two of them, and if there was also a Spirit Beast, the situation would have been truly dire.

Upon seeing Lu Xiaotian's weak spiritual energy fluctuations, the Golden Robe Youth completely relaxed. The slight politeness he had shown moments ago vanished. He laughed heartily, "I was wondering which Rogue Immortal was walking so freely in Liangzhou. Don't you know this is the territory of our Situ Family? I'm in a good mood today, so hand over those three Purple Spirit Grasses and scram out of Liangzhou."

Lu Xiaotian's expression turned grim. "Spiritual Materials without an owner belong to those who are fated to find them. If I don't hand them over, are you going to rob me?"

"Heh heh." The Red Skirt Girl acted as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world, taking a while to recover.

"Since you're ungrateful, don't blame me for being ruthless," the Golden Robe Youth said dismissively, too lazy to waste more words on Lu Xiaotian. He began chanting an incantation, and five or six Ice Thorns appeared one after another.

The Red Skirt Girl crossed her arms and retreated to the side, looking like she was watching a show.

"Roar!" A deep roar echoed, and a powerful-looking Leopard charged out of the jungle with lightning speed.

The Golden Robe Youth and the Red Skirt Girl were both startled. They hadn't expected a Yao Beast to be hiding here. It shouldn't be called a Yao Beast; a Yao Beast wouldn't coincidentally attack them and ignore the weaker Lu Xiaotian.

The Golden Robe Youth quickly controlled the Ice Thorns to shoot at the Leopard.

Boom, boom.

The Leopard dodged the Ice Thorns as it ran, and several trees nearby were blasted into ice shards.

As the Golden Robe Youth stopped attacking him, Lu Xiaotian felt a sense of relief. The moment those Ice Thorns appeared, he had felt closer to death than ever before. If it had been an ordinary martial artist's attack, he would have been confident in dodging, but facing those Ice Thorns, he felt a sense of inability to evade. Fortunately, there was a Spirit Beast, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"This beast is truly fast!" Seeing the Leopard dodge the Ice Thorns one after another, the Golden Robe Youth's expression changed. He raised his left hand, flicked out a Spirit Talisman, which transformed into several small Fireballs that flew towards the Leopard in a triangular formation.

At the same time, he shouted to the Red Skirt Girl, "This Leopard is quite fierce. Aren't you going to help? I'll hold off this beast, and you go kill that kid."

Roar! The Leopard cried out in pain, dodging two of the small Fireballs, but one of the remaining ones exploded, leaving it with bloody wounds and a large patch of burnt fur on its back. The Golden Robe Youth grinned sinisterly and took out another Spirit Talisman. Fortunately, he had Spirit Talismans on him, otherwise facing this Leopard would have been truly dangerous. Casting spells took time to prepare, but Spirit Talismans could be unleashed with a wave of the hand. Even if they were just elementary spells with limited lethality, they were enough to injure this Leopard.

"Alright!" The Red Skirt Girl nodded and was about to cast a spell when she suddenly felt her leg go numb. This numbness was spreading throughout her body. The Red Skirt Girl looked down and saw two green ants crawling on her leg.

Simultaneously, more than a dozen Little Green Ants flew out from the grass and leaves, pouncing towards the Golden Robe Youth.

"Shadow Ants!" The Golden Robe Youth's face contorted in horror. While the individual killing power of Shadow Ants was not great, their paralyzing effect was very strong. Even someone at the Mid Qi Refining Stage would have their Origin Energy circulation disrupted after a few bites, making it difficult to cast spells. As for those at the Late Qi Refining Stage, facing a dozen or so was not a significant threat, but facing a swarm of over a hundred Shadow Ants, without powerful means, they could only flee in disarray. As for him, a cultivator at the Qi Refining Second Layer, he could only keep his distance from such creatures, not daring to let them touch him.

However, more than a dozen Little Green Ants were flying from all directions, making evasion impossible. The Golden Robe Youth hurriedly unleashed all the Fireball Talismans he had. Fireball Talismans were the cheapest and relatively easy to produce. However, he didn't have many on him. The Situ Family had no talisman masters, and after leaving Moon Gazing City, he had fewer and fewer. His father, fearing he would misuse them, had only given him a few.

Boom.

The Shadow Ants in the air were blown to death one by one by the scorching Fireballs. Lu Xiaotian's face paled slightly. Controlling these Shadow Ants required Spiritual Sense, and as they were killed, his Spiritual Sense was affected. Fortunately, the Leopard had extremely high intelligence and only needed commands, otherwise he would have been exhausted to death by his enemies before being killed himself.

However, a few Fireball Talismans were not enough to kill all the Shadow Ants. The Red Skirt Girl was accidentally bitten. Under the dual threat of the Shadow Ants and the Leopard, the Golden Robe Youth had no time to cast spells. He drew a green sword from his body and fled in disarray, abandoning the Red Skirt Girl to her fate.

From his previous battle with the Black Robe Old Man, Lu Xiaotian understood a principle: enemies must be completely eliminated, otherwise they would pose endless trouble. The Golden Robe Youth, who had threatened his life, was not a good person to begin with. Lu Xiaotian's expression turned cold, and he commanded the remaining five Shadow Ants to continue harassing the Golden Robe Youth. The Leopard fiercely engaged him.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Lu Xiaotian seized an opportunity. As the Golden Robe Youth parried a Shadow Ant with his sword, the Leopard, seeing an opening, bit off the Golden Robe Youth's sword-wielding right arm.

"Spare, spare my life." The Golden Robe Youth screamed and collapsed to the ground, curling up and retreating backward. Blood stained the ground a deep red.

"Roar!" The Leopard bit off his throat, and the Golden Robe Youth's voice abruptly ceased.

Lu Xiaotian roughly searched the Golden Robe Youth's belongings. The green sword looked good, much sharper than the short iron sword at his waist. Besides the green sword, there was also a Storage Bag.

Opening the bag, Lu Xiaotian was overjoyed. Inside was a bottle containing five Qi Gathering Pills, and also a copy of the "Compendium of Elementary Spells." Flipping through a few pages, he saw spells of the Metal Element, Wood Element, and other Five Elements. The Black Robe Old Man had always refused to teach him spells, but he had unexpectedly obtained them from this Golden Robe Youth. With this ancient text, he could now learn spells on his own. It was a pleasant surprise, making this fierce battle worthwhile.

Inside the Storage Bag was also a bottle of medicine, its purpose unknown. He put everything away and looked at the Red Skirt Girl.

"Don't, don't kill me!" The Red Skirt Girl had been bitten several times by the Little Green Ants and had not yet recovered from the paralysis. She could move her body a little but was temporarily incapacitated. However, her Spiritual Sense was still clear. Seeing the Golden Robe Youth dead, the Red Skirt Girl turned ashen with fear. She never expected that this young man, who was only at the Qi Refining First Layer, would possess such a powerful Leopard Spirit Beast and so many Shadow Ants. Moreover, he had positioned the Shadow Ants around the area beforehand, preparing an ambush. With her Qi Refining Second Layer cultivation, she could only control that Scent Yao Rat.

She didn't know if he had other companions. His Spiritual Sense was damaged, and the Leopard was also not lightly injured. If more enemies appeared, his situation would be quite dangerous. This place was not suitable for lingering; he should find a safe place to rest first. The gray rat had been scared away and was nowhere to be seen. This woman could still be useful. Lu Xiaotian found a green vine and tied up the Red Skirt Girl. He then commanded a few Little Green Ants to rest on her body, ensuring he could subdue her at any time. Only then did he confidently pick up the Red Skirt Girl and enter the forest, heading to the hidden cave he had found earlier, blocking the entrance with rocks.

Bang! Lu Xiaotian threw the Red Skirt Girl to the ground. She cried out in pain from the fall.

"Couldn't you have been gentler?" the Red Skirt Girl asked pitifully.

"Don't play coy with me, or don't blame me for being impolite. What's your name, who was that Golden Robe Youth I killed, how did you find me? And what about that gray rat?"

Lu Xiaotian had no intention of showing mercy. Not to mention her revealing attire, which was not his type, he had suffered greatly at the hands of the Black Robe Old Man and would not be swayed by such a woman's charm.

"My name is Lu Bifeng. That Golden Robe Youth was Situ Jing. He's from the Situ Family. That gray rat is my Spirit Beast, the Scent Yao Rat. It has no combat power, but its sense of smell is extremely keen. Within a certain range, it can find a person based on their scent."

Seeing that Lu Xiaotian was unmoved by her beauty, Lu Bifeng could only answer honestly.

"Scent Yao Rat!" Lu Xiaotian gasped. His knowledge of the Cultivation World was practically blank. If he had known about the existence of Scent Yao Rats, he would never have given them the chance.

"What kind of family is the Situ Family? How many people do they have?"

"I can tell you everything I know, but after you get the answers you want, you have to let me live," Lu Bifeng said, trying to bargain.