Old Plum Tree's "slap" not only sent the Literary Cultivator flying, but also swept the several boulders, each taller than a person, rolling more than a dozen zhang away.
The two Martial Cultivators wedged between the rocks were badly injured too. They spat blood and tumbled out, their bodies covered in gashes, as if dozens of blades had carved them up.
Those wounds had been inflicted by Old Plum Tree's branches.
Hidden inside the hollow trunk, Xu Yuan suddenly felt the earth shake and the heavens reel. Then he saw Old Plum Tree unleash its might!
Xu Yuan was startled too. Was Old Plum Tree a supernatural creature as well?
How had I never noticed before?
But it didn't take long for Xu Yuan to figure it out. Old Plum Tree was the Water Ghost Sister Flowers' lair, and they had refined it into a treasure they could control.
As Old Plum Tree swept the boulders aside, a voice suddenly sounded in Xu Yuan's ear. "Why haven't you made your move yet? What are you waiting for?!"
The hollow's exit suddenly appeared before Xu Yuan's eyes!
Xu Yuan curled up into a ball and shot out with a whoosh.
The Martial Cultivator with the short spear was still spitting blood when a pellet came hurtling straight at his head. He dodged, but didn't notice the branch stabbing at his back. With a wet squelch, it pierced through his chest!
The Martial Cultivator froze on the spot. The branch retracted, and all the strength drained from his body. He slumped limply to the ground, his eyes wide open, dying with utter unwillingness.
Xu Yuan used an Outer Pill to distract the short-spear Martial Cultivator, while he himself pounced on the Martial Cultivator with the shield and single-edged saber.
Xu Yuan stomped down. The Martial Cultivator raised his shield, hiding his whole body behind it.
Thud!
The Martial Cultivator sank heavily into the ground, his feet driven an inch below the surface.
But he immediately swung his saber out from behind the shield—only to be met by a fire dragon blasting toward him!
The Martial Cultivator cursed and hurriedly ducked back behind his shield.
The Literary Cultivator had been swept away, crashing onto the rocky shore several zhang away. He staggered to his feet, dazed and looking around to figure out what was happening, when a gray-blue pellet suddenly rose before him, giving off a peculiar "medicinal fragrance."
The Literary Cultivator instinctively breathed it in. His vision went black, and he crumpled to the ground.
A poison pill!
Still spewing Inner Fire, Xu Yuan pressed forward step by step. At the same time, he beckoned with his fingers from a distance, guiding the Gold Pellet on a wide arc to ambush the Martial Cultivator from behind.
Smack!
Another pellet shot through the air and collided with Xu Yuan's Outer Pill. Xu Yuan staggered, and the flames in his mouth were cut off.
The Pill Cultivator rushed over at full speed. His cultivation was higher, and his Outer Pill was as large as a fist, glimmering with silver light.
After knocking Xu Yuan's Outer Pill away, it continued to circle around him.
The Martial Cultivator seized his chance. He lowered his shield and sent his single-edged saber whirling up and down, turning it into a gleaming wheel of blades that rolled toward Xu Yuan.
The Pill Cultivator pointed, sending his silver Outer Pill straight at Xu Yuan.
Caught between attacks on both sides, Xu Yuan retreated rapidly. But the Pill Cultivator was confident this kid couldn't get away!
He'd injure him badly, capture him alive, and deliver him to Saint Aunt. If Saint Aunt ate him, it would have the same effect as eating June Bug.
Xu Yuan suddenly pulled out two calligraphy slips and slapped them onto his legs. His speed doubled, and with a whoosh, he left a trail of afterimages as he escaped the Pill Cultivator and Martial Cultivator's pincer attack!
"Hm?" The Pill Cultivator was surprised.
The "Soaring Cloud" and "Riding Wind" calligraphy slips Xu Yuan had swiped from Master Qiao greatly increased his speed when stuck to his legs.
The Pill Cultivator shook his head. Looks like I can't hold back anymore. Better to kill him than let him get away.
The medicine would work just the same either way.
But Xu Yuan was a sly one. He quickly retreated to Old Plum Tree's side!
The Martial Cultivator gave chase, only to be met by more than a dozen branches stabbing toward him like spears.
The Martial Cultivator yelped and hurriedly raised his shield. Then, with a thud, he was sent flying along with it.
The Pill Cultivator frowned, gave a cold snort, and strode forward.
His Outer Pill circled around him, guarding him. Then he opened his mouth and blasted out a rush of Inner Fire.
He was a veteran Eighth Stream cultivator, and his Inner Fire was several times stronger than Xu Yuan's!
The flames poured three zhang from his mouth, thick as a washbasin, like a gigantic fire dragon. Old Plum Tree's branches caught fire at the slightest touch. The dozen branches that had just sent the Martial Cultivator flying turned to ash in an instant.
Old Plum Tree creaked all over and retreated again and again as the Pill Cultivator pressed after it.
The Pill Cultivator knew very well that unless he dealt with the tree completely, he'd never be able to capture Xu Yuan.
Xu Yuan's thoughts stirred, and his Gold Pellet shot silently toward the Pill Cultivator.
Xu Yuan's Gold Pellet was only the size of a longan. Its surface was dark and dull, more like an iron bead. It couldn't compare to the Pill Cultivator's in appearance, let alone strength.
But the Martial Cultivator charged in with his shield raised.
Thud!
The Gold Pellet was knocked away. The Martial Cultivator staggered back three steps and spat out another mouthful of blood. A deep dent had appeared in his shield.
Xu Yuan was furious. He used Riding Wind to chase after the Martial Cultivator and attack.
The Pill Cultivator, meanwhile, unleashed his full might. He burned Old Plum Tree with Inner Fire while directing his Gold Pellet to harass Xu Yuan.
Relying on his speed, Xu Yuan dodged the Pill Cultivator's ambush. Then he opened his mouth and spat out another gray-blue Outer Pill.
The Martial Cultivator gripped his saber and braced his shield with both arms against the incoming Outer Pill.
Smack!
The Outer Pill struck the shield and shattered outright.
The Pill Cultivator sneered. An Outer Pill that hadn't even matured, and he was already using it? Looks like he's out of tricks.
But after the Outer Pill shattered, a cloud of green mist rose from it.
The Martial Cultivator accidentally breathed in a little. A layer of black qi immediately crept over his face, and he rolled his eyes back and fell to the ground with a thump.
The Pill Cultivator's face darkened. "Poison pill!"
This poison pill dissolved into water and could kill a hundred people!
Using it to ambush a single Martial Cultivator was a real waste, but Xu Yuan had no time to regret it. The Pill Cultivator's Outer Pill was already after him.
Xu Yuan fled at full speed.
But the Pill Cultivator was experienced, and far more skilled at controlling Outer Pills than Xu Yuan.
Several times, Xu Yuan had to use his own Gold Pellet to block the other one, only barely avoiding a fatal blow.
But after colliding several times, Xu Yuan's Gold Pellet was starting to give out.
The Pill Cultivator spewed Inner Fire, driving Old Plum Tree back step by step, though most of his attention was focused on Xu Yuan.
Seeing Xu Yuan grow more and more battered, the Pill Cultivator thought to himself, "The time is ripe. It's time to kill him with one strike!"
Xu Yuan's tattered clothes were soaked through with sweat, but his gaze only grew more resolute. He had to risk everything!
When Xu Yuan made that decision, he looked up. In the Pill Cultivator's otherwise green "fate," a streak of dark red suddenly appeared.
Xu Yuan's heart settled.
The Pill Cultivator had burned Old Plum Tree until only its bare trunk remained. He suddenly withdrew several steps, then controlled his Gold Pellet with both hands from a distance, making it spin rapidly around him. After seven or eight revolutions, the pellet had reached an inconceivable speed. Only a silver ring of light could be seen around the Pill Cultivator.
Old Plum Tree had retreated all the way to the edge of the pool and didn't dare approach the Pill Cultivator again.
The Water Ghost Sister Flowers were locked in a fierce struggle with Saint Aunt and her attendant, battling so intensely that neither side could gain the upper hand. They couldn't spare any attention for Xu Yuan, and could only think, Kid, you're on your own.
The sisters were already regretting agreeing to join Xu Yuan in this deal.
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