Battle

"Nascent Soul? Ancient Method!"

After sobering up and hearing Wang Qi's explanation, the girl's expression changed drastically. "We actually ran into remnants of the Ancient Method Cultivators!"

Ever since Lord of Yuanli's generation emerged, the Modern Dharma system and the framework of the immortal path had been fully established. Modern Dharma Cultivators began to overwhelm Ancient Method Cultivators. Afterward, the immortal path gradually eradicated the Ancient Method that stole from Heaven and Earth to nourish itself. By the era of Taiyi Tianzun and the Unforgiving Taoist, the Ancient Method had nearly vanished from the Divine Land.

Of course, "nearly" meant there were always a few left.

The surviving Ancient Method Cultivators were either old monsters who had already reached Nascent Soul cultivation before the Modern Dharma rose to prominence and could no longer change paths, or people of poor comprehension who could not grasp the natural cultivation of the Modern Dharma, yet happened to possess physiques suited to the Ancient Method. Unlike Modern Dharma Cultivators, who nearly required no external things, Ancient Method Cultivators had extremely high demands for spiritual energy and resources. To become immortal, they had always plundered Heaven and Earth without regard for anything else. Naturally, this behavior was hated by Modern Dharma Cultivators, who cultivated by borrowing from Heaven and Earth. Thus, Ancient Method Cultivators now lived like rats crossing the street.

Likewise, Ancient Method Cultivators bore deep hatred for Modern Dharma Cultivators.

"Damn it..." Xiang Qi bit her lower lip, frantic. "There's no time..."

"What—aaah!"

Several orange streaks of light came flying from afar. Wang Qi had no idea what spell this was, but he could clearly sense the chilling killing intent within it!

Those people... want to kill...

The terrifying pressure carried by the spell crushed Wang Qi until he could barely think. Xiang Qi gave a sharp cry, spread both hands, and traced an arc through the air. Several silver sword discs flew out like butterflies, circling in midair.

Burning Gold Valley's True Disciple sword art—Heavenly Order Sword Disc!

Xiang Qi's sword momentum enclosed Wang Qi, shielding him from the enemy's oppressive aura. Then, more than ten sword discs whirled wildly, transforming into several white arcs. The instant Sword Light met the spells, Xiang Qi's body swayed. Then the sword discs formed an array and diverted this wave of attacks!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the blink of an eye, several pillars of fire shot into the sky within Dabai Village! The spells Xiang Qi had diverted swept through the entire village.

How could the spells of a Nascent Soul Cultivator be taken lightly? That single wave of attacks flattened more than half of Dabai Village's houses, and the wind was filled with the wails of survivors.

Wang Qi stared blankly at the sea of flames around him.

The first hometown he had acknowledged since transmigrating—was it gone just like that?

"What the hell was this..."

"This is reality!" Zhen Chanzi calmly cut off Wang Qi's cry. "This is the cruelest side of the road to immortality."

Xiang Qi stared at the enemies rushing in from afar and said through clenched teeth, "Sorry."

"Damn it..." Rage surged into Wang Qi's heart. "Weren't things fine when you came to arrest Old Man Hai yesterday? Why did this happen!"

The finger signs in Xiang Qi's hands changed without pause as she controlled the sword discs. "Ancient Method Cultivators have never cared about anything outside themselves—except resources."

"This..."

"If we had known earlier, perhaps I could have taken you and escaped. I was careless. I never expected Ancient Method Cultivators to be here."

Zhen Chanzi offered an excuse. "This old man is only a remnant soul now. The range covered by my spiritual sense is no longer as great as before."

Wang Qi asked anxiously, "Then what do we do now?"

Xiang Qi bit her lip. "Nascent Soul... My flight technique is mediocre. There is an eighty to ninety percent chance we cannot escape. Fighting back may offer a sliver of life."

Wang Qi panicked. "Big sister, don't say something so foolish! Even if the Modern Dharma is inherently stronger than the Ancient Method, as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, at best you can fight a Golden Core Cultivator, right? Crossing ranks to fight a Nascent Soul Cultivator is far too brutal!"

Xiang Qi took out a handful of talismans and stuffed them into Wang Qi's hand. "Red ones explode, silver ones protect, green ones heal, orange ones stimulate potential. Take care of yourself later—there's no way I can look after you in this battle."

With that, Xiang Qi turned into a streak of light and charged into the sky. "What demon is causing trouble here?"

Just then, another fleeing light arrived and hovered not far away. A sinister voice shrieked, "An Immortal Alliance Safety Officer? Heh, what a grand tone!"

The newly arrived Ancient Method Cultivator used his mana to carry his voice, shaking Wang Qi until his ears rang and his vision swam. Zhen Chanzi shouted, "Quickly pour mana into the silver talisman that girl gave you!" Wang Qi hurriedly followed Zhen Chanzi's instructions and activated a silver talisman. It burst in his hand into a cloud of silver mist, protecting his entire body.

Talismans were tools that sealed mana into talisman paper, using the talismanic inscriptions on the paper to activate spells. Because mana had been stored in advance, only a tiny amount of mana was needed to trigger a powerful spell.

"A Nascent Soul Cultivator is actually this terrifying..." Wang Qi gritted his teeth. "Old man, how is the situation now? Does that woman have any chance of winning?"

Zhen Chanzi sighed. "That burst of sound just now could probably have shaken every mortal here to death. That Nascent Soul Cultivator has only just entered the Nascent Soul Realm, and his aura is mixed and impure—he is merely bargain-bin trash. The Modern Dharma surpasses the Ancient Method in mana recovery and total mana at the same level. That girl's Foundation Base is extraordinary, and she has excellent swordsmanship, so she should be able to hold out for a while. But for now, you should worry about yourself!"

"What do we do now?"

"Run! Don't care about anything else! That fellow brought three Foundation Establishment subordinates. That girl can at most hold back the Nascent Soul Cultivator himself. Run, quickly!"

As Zhen Chanzi told Wang Qi the enemy's numbers, the battle in the sky did not remain idle. Crimson fleeing light wrapped around the attacker, preventing Xiang Qi from seeing her opponent's face. But the pressure of a Nascent Soul Cultivator told her that this would surely be a bitter battle!

Xiang Qi no longer showed the anxiety she had displayed while handing over the talismans. Instead, she wore a mocking smile. "There are still Ancient Method Cultivators who dare show their faces? Is something wrong with your brain?"

"Hehe, little girl, you have quite the mouth. I investigated this long ago. There are only two cultivators here now! I came specifically to kill you, Burning Gold Valley True Disciple Xiang Qi!"

Seeing that her opponent had actually exposed her identity, Xiang Qi was slightly startled. "How did you know?"

"That Myriad Dharma Sect True Disciple will be handled by someone else. Ha, there is also a Qi Refining cultivator there. Hehe, since he cultivates your Demon Method, he must die as well! A Da, A Er, A San! Kill him!"

"Yes!"

Three figures split from the fleeing light and plunged toward the ground. They were clearly three Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivators. Xiang Qi shouted, "Don't even think about it!" With a guiding sword gesture, she sent two sword discs to strike at the three of them. The Modern Dharma was far stronger than the Ancient Method, and Xiang Qi was among the best of the Modern Dharma Cultivators. Under normal circumstances, Ancient Method Foundation Establishment Cultivators of this caliber could be slain with ease.

But there was still a Nascent Soul Cultivator watching her like a tiger eyeing its prey!

The Nascent Soul Cultivator let out a strange howl, and several crimson lights shot toward her. Left with no choice, Xiang Qi recalled the sword discs and formed the "Heavenly Order Sword Array" to block the enemy's attack.

"A Foundation Establishment Cultivator resisting a Nascent Soul Cultivator..." Zhen Chanzi watched the fierce battle in the sky and marveled. "The laws of the current age are truly wondrous."

Wang Qi activated an orange talisman and accelerated as he fled outward. "We can study it after we survive this disaster, old man!"

"There's a small gully behind the village. The terrain is complicated—go there." Drawing on his rich combat experience, Zhen Chanzi directed Wang Qi.

Wang Qi was, after all, a Qi Refining cultivator. Moreover, he had tempered his body through Ancient Method spirit-body cultivation, so his physical fitness far surpassed that of ordinary people. Empowered by the talisman, he sprinted toward the village entrance like a rabbit released from its cage, no slower than a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator charging with a magic artifact!

"Jump!"

Zhen Chanzi suddenly roared, and Wang Qi immediately leaped forward. Then he felt as though a blunt weapon had slammed heavily into his back. The mist around him shook violently, and the scenery before his eyes rapidly retreated.

He had been attacked!

Wang Qi reacted swiftly, adjusted his posture in midair, and used the force of the impact to run forward, while drawing another silver talisman.

"This talisman can still withstand two attacks, so don't waste it! That girl only gave you three in total. There's also only one healing talisman, three explosive ones, and one more to stimulate potential—jump!"

Wang Qi once again used the impact from his back to rush forward, barely reaching the village entrance. Then an angry shout came from behind him: "Where do you think you're running!" A small hammer wrapped in blue light circled in front of him and struck straight at his head!

"Mother of—!" Wang Qi hurriedly halted, then used his momentum to throw himself flat onto the ground. The small hammer grazed his scalp and missed, while also dispersing the remaining light mist around him. Wang Qi did not hesitate. He rolled across the ground toward the roadside. A strand of Sword Qi pierced into the dirt beside his arm. After avoiding the fatal blow, Wang Qi did not stop and continued rolling toward the roadside. Beside the road at the village entrance was a steep slope, and at the bottom lay a forest. Only by escaping into the forest would he have a sliver of life!

At last, Wang Qi felt the ground vanish beneath him, and his entire body fell downward!

"Old man! Help me activate the ring's Concealing Breath Technique!"

Wang Qi roared inwardly.

Zhen Chanzi was quite satisfied with this judgment. If Wang Qi entered the forest but continued using talismans that glowed silver and gave off obvious mana fluctuations, then fleeing here would have been completely pointless.

Although this kid acts strangely, he is definitely not stupid!

Though the grass and trees softened his fall, Wang Qi's vision still went black the instant he hit the ground, and he nearly spat blood! Without stopping to catch his breath, he tore off his white outer robe and hurled it viciously away, then fled in the opposite direction.

Several breaths later, several streaks of Sword Light shattered the robe Wang Qi had taken off into pieces.

At this moment, Wang Qi wore a hemp-colored shirt and crouched inside a patch of bushes, fully circulating the Concealing Breath Technique Zhen Chanzi had taught him.

Not knowing what they had just destroyed, the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators lowered their magic artifacts and descended to investigate.

One Foundation Establishment Cultivator angrily howled, "Damn it, that brat is crafty!"

"Second Brother, calm your heart and curb your impatience!" another cultivator said. "Something is wrong! My spiritual sense cannot detect that brat!"

"It should be a Concealing Breath Technique," the last person added.

This Concealing Breath Technique, which completely isolated its user from Heaven and Earth, could not fool any Modern Dharma Cultivator who merged with Heaven and Earth, yet it was precisely the bane of Ancient Method Cultivators.

The three searched the surrounding area, but Wang Qi was hidden extremely well, and they were unfamiliar with the terrain. They found no clues at all. In a fury, Second Brother flew into the air to search. Fearing Wang Qi might escape, First Brother and Third Brother did not linger either.

Wang Qi let out a breath of relief and asked through spiritual sense, "What do we do next?"

"Before the Golden Core Realm, the spiritual energy a cultivator can mobilize is limited. Without special spells or magic artifacts, they cannot destroy the forest on a large scale to force you out. Do not act rashly. Wait for that surnamed Li to return, or for Little Xiang and that Nascent Soul Cultivator to decide victory and defeat."

Wang Qi gritted his teeth. "So we can only wait?"

Zhen Chanzi sneered. "What else? Your mana may now surpass that of an Ancient Method late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, but without spells to defend yourself and without magic artifacts, you cannot defeat anyone! Kid, it is fine to seek freedom and happiness, but without combat strength to protect yourself, such happiness can never last. That is the way of the world!"