Guarding Origin Formation

Those two leeches actually clung to him and refused to let go. Lu Xiaotian was furious. He ran for more than ten miles along mountain paths, avoiding other adventuring parties along the way. At one point, he nearly ran headlong into a second-rank snake demon beast, giving him quite a fright. Otherwise, with demon beasts ahead and pursuers behind, he truly would have died without even a burial place.

"That damned Fan Qing. If I run into him again, I'll definitely make him pay." As he fled, Lu Xiaotian hated Fan Qing to the bone. If that fellow had not fled at the critical moment, they might not have been without a chance to fight. Yet Fan Qing had also taught Lu Xiaotian another lesson. Having experienced the black-robed old man's possession attempt, he had learned how cruel the world of cultivation was and became a little more wary of other cultivators. Still, he had thought that as long as he guarded against Hunchback He in secret, he could avert the team's crisis. With their team's strength, they had been more than capable of contending with other teams.

But Lu Xiaotian had never expected that Fan Qing, who had seemed so capable of shouldering responsibility when they set out, would flee at the final moment. Perhaps Fan Qing's strength had been severely damaged and he felt he had no chance of victory. Or perhaps Fan Qing had already obtained what the sect mission required and no longer needed to fight tooth and nail alongside them.

"People's hearts can change, which is why Fan Qing ran. In the cultivation world, amid treacherous hearts and tangled knots of profit and interest, the only thing that never changes and can always be relied upon is one's own strength." Lu Xiaotian thought this to himself. Once he got through this ordeal, he would have to be even more careful in the future.

Yet the hurdle before him was far from easy to cross. Altogether, he had cultivated for only three or four years, and had spent even less time learning spells. The Big Forehead Freak and the brocade-robed man pursuing him had cultivated for nearly twenty years. They were ruthless Rogue Cultivators with at least several lives on their hands. Their mastery of spells was in no way comparable to Lu Xiaotian, a newcomer to the cultivation world.

Even though both sides used the same Wind-Riding Art and Lightness Art, the distance between them continued to shrink. If he had not brought several spirit talismans specifically meant for escape, the two behind him would have caught him long ago. Seeing them draw ever closer, Lu Xiaotian slapped another Divine Speed Talisman onto himself. His speed abruptly rose by another notch.

"Brat, you can't escape. Hand over the spirit items in your storage bag obediently, and Grandpa Zou will decide to spare your life!"

Zou Xin was chasing behind him so furiously that he was practically hopping mad. His cultivation was slightly lower than the Big Forehead Freak's, and his magic power was not as deep. He could only keep taking Spirit Stones from his storage bag to replenish his energy, lest excessive depletion during the coming battle create unforeseen complications. Not only had he gained no advantage at all, he had even used up several Spirit Stones. Naturally, Zou Xin's heart ached terribly.

The Big Forehead Freak sneered. "Fellow Daoist Zou, no need to hurry. This man is meticulous, and he even carries so many spirit talismans specifically for escaping. It is clear that he is indeed well-off. As long as we take him down, why fear that we cannot make up for the loss of a few Spirit Stones?"

"That's true. Once his Divine Speed Talismans and Gale Talismans are used up, where else can he run? He made me waste several Spirit Stones. Once I catch this fellow, I'll skin him and pull out his tendons to vent the hatred in my heart!" Zou Xin said through gritted teeth.

The sounds of battle rang out ahead. Lu Xiaotian had already been driven into a corner with no road to heaven and no gate into the earth, yet fighting had broken out in front of him as well. When he drew closer, he saw Wang Ping, wielding a Black-Iron Staff, locked in an inseparable battle with another Fourth Layer of Qi Refining cultivator wielding a spirit saber.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, help me!"

Wang Ping's cultivation was lower than his opponent's. After his fierce battle with the Silver-Winged Centipede, he had yet to recover his energy and was now being suppressed by his opponent. The moment he saw Lu Xiaotian racing over, he hurriedly cried out in delighted surprise. But when he saw the Big Forehead Freak and the brocade-robed Zou Xin chasing after Lu Xiaotian, Wang Ping immediately shut his mouth, misery flooding his heart. He had thought a savior had arrived, only for that savior to turn into a bringer of disaster in the blink of an eye.

He could scarcely protect himself, so how could he have time to care about Wang Ping? Too lazy to bother with another fellow who had also run away, Lu Xiaotian lowered his head and continued fleeing.

"Ah!" A miserable scream rang out. Wang Ping had been distracted when he saw Lu Xiaotian and the Big Forehead Freak, and his chest was slashed open. Blood poured out as flesh curled back on both sides, exposing the stark white bone within.

"Die!" The saber-wielding man pressed forward in delight. Wang Ping raised his Black-Iron Staff and desperately blocked several strikes, but severely wounded as he was, he could no longer sustain the fight. His Black-Iron Staff was cleaved apart by a single slash.

The saber-wielding man grinned savagely and took the chance to chop off Wang Ping's head. The bloody head rolled several times across the ground.

"Good! Hurry and help me cut off that brat!" Zou Xin was overjoyed. He had long since grown impatient with the chase. Now that he had another helper, even if he had to share some of the spoils, it was still more acceptable than this tedious pursuit.

"Coming right up!" The saber-wielding man picked up Wang Ping's storage bag and pressed toward Lu Xiaotian from the left front.

Lu Xiaotian snorted coldly and threw out several Luo Yan Fruits. Several plumes of black smoke rose. While the others' vision was obscured, he slapped a Soil-Escape Talisman onto himself and burrowed underground.

"Where did he go?" Zou Xin said with an ugly expression.

"It is only a Soil-Escape Talisman. He cannot have gone far. Search the surroundings." The Big Forehead Freak said with a dark face.

The three immediately split up to search. Before long, the Big Forehead Freak discovered Lu Xiaotian's trail.

Lu Xiaotian glanced back. The appearance of the saber-wielding man made him abandon the idea of simply continuing to flee. He was unfamiliar with the surrounding mountain paths, and perhaps he would encounter the same situation again later. The Soil-Escape Talismans had allowed him to temporarily escape, but spirit talismans would eventually run out. He had to find a suitable place to deal with that damned Big Forehead Freak and the brocade-robed man. Of course, the premise was that he first had to shake off the saber-wielding man, whose cultivation was the weakest. Facing two enemies alone still required careful planning; facing three meant only a dead end. He did not want to die.

After replacing the Spirit Stone in his hand, whose spiritual energy had already been depleted, Lu Xiaotian sprinted away again. He used several Soil-Escape Talismans and Wood-Escape Talismans in succession, shaking off the slightly weaker saber-wielding man. Only the other two barely managed to keep up.

After running nearly another twenty miles, Lu Xiaotian slipped into a small grove. Birds took flight behind him. There was no need to say it—the Big Forehead Freak had caught up.

A fierce glint flashed through Lu Xiaotian's eyes. Those two were biting down and refusing to release him. They were forcing him to fight back with his life on the line.

Lu Xiaotian swept his gaze around and stopped at a relatively level patch of grass. He took several formation flags from his storage bag and planted them around the area.

Feeling his opponent's aura draw near, Lu Xiaotian slapped another Wood-Escape Talisman onto himself and merged into the trunk of a nearby tree as thick as two men standing side by side.

Whether it was a Soil-Escape Talisman, Wood-Escape Talisman, or Water-Escape Talisman, remaining still consumed comparatively little spiritual energy and allowed it to last longer. Once one moved, however, it could not be maintained for long. Moreover, such low-grade spirit talismans could not completely conceal a person's aura. Thus, after the Big Forehead Freak and Zou Xin entered the grove, they sensed that something was amiss.

"What is going on? That fellow stopped running?" Zou Xin searched all around with his pair of eyes and spoke in a low voice.

"Yes, I can sense that he is nearby. Perhaps his talismans are about to run out, and he knows we will catch him sooner or later, so he wants to hide in this grove. Nine times out of ten, he has used a spirit talisman. But the talisman's spiritual energy will not hold for long. I would like to see what tricks he can pull." The Big Forehead Freak was full of confidence. He sighed in relief and said, "Once we find that fellow, it will be his day of death."

"Exactly. He made this Daoist chase him for so long. Let's see how he dies in a moment." Zou Xin grinned viciously. One in front and one behind, the two carefully searched for Lu Xiaotian's possible hiding place. Soon, following the faint aura leaking from the talisman, they arrived at the level grassland not far from Lu Xiaotian.

Lu Xiaotian secretly assessed the two as they drew closer. The brocade-robed man was walking in front, while the Big Forehead Freak trailed behind. This differed somewhat from his plan. Originally, Lu Xiaotian had intended to use the Guarding Origin Formation to trap the more powerful Big Forehead Freak. But the spiritual power of the Wood-Escape Talisman would not last much longer, so he could not worry about that now. Seeing the brocade-robed man enter the range of the formation flags, Lu Xiaotian murmured softly, "Guarding Origin Formation, rise!"

Buzz! The several formation flags that had been hidden underground suddenly emerged. The small flags fluttered without wind, snapping loudly. Four formation flags stood in the four directions. Red, yellow, blue, and green light flickered respectively at the tips of their poles.

"Not good, it's an ambush!" The Big Forehead Freak and Zou Xin cried out at the same time. Their bodies shot backward. The Big Forehead Freak flew back several yards without encountering any obstruction, and his heart eased slightly. But Zou Xin crashed into a cyan light barrier, crying out in pain from the violent impact. At that moment, four light barriers descended and rotated between the four formation flags, forming a mixed four-colored barrier that trapped Zou Xin within a radius of two or three yards.

"You think this little toy can trap me? Dream on!"

First, he had been plotted against by his prey and fallen into the other side's trap. Then, he had crashed into the barrier and been left battered and bruised. Zou Xin's fury blazed to the heavens. He took a wolf-toothed club from his storage bag, then slapped his Spirit Beast Bag. The huge Black Ape appeared once more. He would break this barrier as quickly as possible, then charge out and smash that scheming bastard flat with one blow!

Zou Xin swung his wolf-toothed club and smashed it against the light barrier.

Bang! The wolf-toothed club struck the barrier as though it had hit a wall of copper and iron, then bounced back.

Zou Xin's expression changed as both hands went numb from the shock. He had already used half his strength just now, yet the light barrier had not even trembled.

Refusing to believe it, Zou Xin exerted more force and swung twice more. The Black Ape also waved its palm-leaf-sized hands and struck at the barrier. When that failed, it rammed it with its body. After trying each method in turn, the man and beast were panting heavily, but the Guarding Origin Formation remained utterly unmoved.

Lu Xiaotian sneered. The Guarding Origin Formation could trap a Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator. The brocade-robed man was only at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining. Even with an extra black ape, he was no cause for concern.

The Big Forehead Freak was fully on guard, making a sneak attack impossible. Lu Xiaotian secretly placed a pill in his mouth and stepped out from the tree trunk where he had been hidden.

"I was wondering where you got such courage. So you had a formation set in your hand. But your formation has already been used. If you have no other methods, I think you can go die now."

The Big Forehead Freak gave a sinister smile. A Fifth Layer of Qi Refining cultivator—even an alchemist—had used so many spirit talismans one after another. He had plotted against Hunchback He, and now he had used a formation to trap Zou Xin. He did not believe that Lu Xiaotian could be his opponent in a fair fight. Even if the other party was an alchemist, aside from being somewhat wealthier, it would not have much effect in a spell battle. He had led teams in slaughtering dozens of cultivators and looting their storage bags. In terms of wealth, he was not weak either. That formation had actually trapped someone as strong as Zou Xin so easily. Once he killed Lu Xiaotian, the formation would be his.

At that thought, greed surfaced on the Big Forehead Freak's face. He pressed a hand to his waist and drew out a black Meteor Hairpin. At the same time, a large swarm of Shadow Ants buzzed out.

"You think these low-grade Shadow Ants can stop me? Dream on!" Lu Xiaotian looked disdainful. He activated a Diamond Talisman to protect himself, gripped his spirit sword, and charged wildly at the Big Forehead Freak.

"I'll let you know my power soon enough!"

The Big Forehead Freak sneered. What this brat relied on was merely the Vajra Barrier, perhaps along with other defensive spirit talismans. Once those talismans were used up as well, and the barrier was gone, he would see what methods the brat still had to block his ant swarm. If not for the limits of his cultivation and insufficient divine sense, he could only command seven groups of Shadow Ants. If he had three or four more groups, he would have confidence in fighting even a Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator. Sixty or seventy Shadow Ants were already more than enough to handle Lu Xiaotian, whose cultivation was a full layer lower than his own.

Led by seven Head Ants, the Shadow Ants divided into seven small groups and closed in on Lu Xiaotian from different directions.

Lu Xiaotian successively cast more than a dozen spells, including Wind Blade Technique, Fireball Technique, and Ice Arrow Technique. Several of them were blocked by the Head Ants. The Head Ants' defense was clearly somewhat stronger than that of ordinary Shadow Ants. Though struck by low-grade spells and wobbling through the air like drunkards, they were not fatally injured.

At that moment, the Big Forehead Freak snorted and deployed the other Shadow Ant groups to replace the groups led by injured Head Ants, maintaining the intensity of the assault on Lu Xiaotian.

Before long, one group of Shadow Ants seized a gap between Lu Xiaotian's attacks and clung to the Vajra Barrier, biting it furiously.

Lu Xiaotian's expression shifted slightly. He cast a Whirlwind Technique and swept away several ants, but another group of Shadow Ants immediately flew in from another direction and joined the army gnawing at the Vajra Barrier.

"Frost Technique!"

"Fire Arrow Technique!"

After a layer of frost formed, more than a dozen fire arrows shot out. Four or five Shadow Ants fell to the ground with a scorched smell.

"It's useless. As long as you cannot kill all the Shadow Ants, they can wear you to death." The Big Forehead Freak gave a strange, sinister laugh. At least three or four people had been worn to death by him in this way before. He was thoroughly familiar with this method.

"Impossible. I can definitely kill all these damned bugs." Under the bites of dozens of Shadow Ants, the Vajra Barrier began to shake, then shattered like glazed glass. Lu Xiaotian hurriedly activated another Diamond Talisman to shield himself before resuming his slaughter of the Shadow Ants.

But the Big Forehead Freak protected the Head Ants extremely tightly. Whenever one of them was injured, another immediately replaced it and filled the vacant position in the attack. As for the Shadow Ants that died, the Big Forehead Freak merely chuckled darkly, slapped the gourd at his waist, and released several more Shadow Ants.

Although Lu Xiaotian had killed nearly thirty of them in succession, the number of ants besieging him never decreased under the Big Forehead Freak's replenishment.

After the third Vajra Barrier was bitten apart by the Shadow Ants, Lu Xiaotian activated another spirit talisman. This time, however, it was an Earth-Spirit Barrier, whose defense was somewhat inferior to that of the Diamond Talisman.