Enemies Meet

Ye Xin nodded. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Fellow Daoist Hu, do you have any spare talismans on you? Could you sell us some?"

Expectation filled her eyes. Talismans were convenient to use, and unleashing them in large quantities could produce significant power; just moments ago, Han Changming had used a barrage of talismans to ambush the five Qi Refining evil cultivators.

"I can, though I don't have many first-tier talismans left on me. I can sell you two hundred," Han Changming said after a moment of consideration.

He had over five hundred first-tier high-grade talismans in his storage bag, so selling two hundred to the Ye sisters was not a significant amount.

Ye Xin gave Ye Xue a look. Ye Xue quickly walked to the shore; since she didn't have enough spirit stones on her, she offered some monster beast souls to cover the cost.

As for the belongings on the five corpses, they didn't even glance at them. Since Han Changming had killed them all, the wealth on the five evil cultivators naturally belonged to him.

"Fellow Daoist Hu, your life-saving grace will never be forgotten. If we have the chance in the future, we will certainly repay you well. Farewell."

After saying this, Ye Xin and Ye Xue departed on their magic tools.

Han Changming did not leave immediately. He delivered a finishing blow to each of the five evil cultivators to ensure they were truly dead before walking forward to collect their belongings.

From the five storage bags, he found over three thousand spirit stones, sixteen first-tier magic tools—seven of which were high-grade, including two high-grade defensive tools—and over a dozen first-tier talismans. What delighted Han Changming most was finding one second-tier low-grade defensive Golden Armor Talisman and one second-tier low-grade Fire Rain Talisman.

Han Changming tossed out a few fireballs to incinerate the corpses, then headed toward the cave; he needed to craft another batch of talismans to replenish what he had just consumed.

Three days later, Han Changming walked out of the cave, released the Azure Wind Boat, and flew toward the high sky.

The sea breeze whistled past. Standing on the Azure Wind Boat, he could clearly see a large number of monster beasts moving in a certain direction.

Two hours later, he appeared over an endless stretch of sea where there wasn't a single island within a ten-mile radius.

Suddenly, a streak of azure light appeared ahead, flying rapidly toward Han Changming.

Han Changming frowned. With a pinch of his fingers, the Azure Wind Boat ascended rapidly; he had no intention of getting into a conflict with other cultivators.

The azure light was extremely fast, and before long, Han Changming could see it clearly.

The azure light was a massive green leaf, a first-tier mid-grade flying magic tool.

Two men and one woman stood upon the green leaf, one of whom was Zhao Ping, a rogue cultivator recruited by the Chen Clan.

Seeing Zhao Ping, Han Changming felt a sense of dread. He hurriedly steered the Azure Wind Boat to change direction and flew toward the distance.

"You brat, it's actually you! Chase him!"

A fierce glint flashed in Zhao Ping's eyes. The Monster Hunting Squad he belonged to had encountered several second-tier avian monsters and had been scattered; he hadn't expected to run into Han Changming.

Last time they had gone to cause trouble for the Han Clan, they had been soundly beaten by them. Since the two sides were already hostile, Zhao Ping certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity now that Han Changming was alone.

Two streaks of azure light streaked across the high sky at incredible speeds.

Zhao Ping was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and the other two were at the fifth level. Han Changming was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and facing three opponents put him under immense pressure.

Zhao Ping followed relentlessly, acting as if he had already secured his prey.

A flash of killing intent surged in Han Changming's eyes. He had to find a place to finish them off; if he dragged this out, running into other evil cultivators or second-tier avian monsters would be even more troublesome.

Two hours later, a V-shaped island appeared ahead. Han Changming quickly landed on a plain in the center of the island.

As soon as he touched the ground, he immediately unleashed a stack of Chain Fireball Talismans, which transformed into over a hundred crimson fireballs the size of fists, smashing toward Zhao Ping and his companions.

Zhao Ping had been prepared. He hurriedly produced a blue porcelain bowl, and a blue light flew out from it, forming a pale blue water curtain that shielded the three of them.

Rumble!

Blazing flames engulfed the three of them, but before long, the flames dissipated, and the green leaf descended rapidly, leaving them a hundred feet away from Han Changming.

As soon as they landed, another hundred crimson fireballs came crashing down with astonishing momentum.

Zhao Ping snorted coldly and took out a hazy blue short ruler. With a gentle shake, a pale blue water curtain suddenly emerged, shielding the three of them again.

It was a second-tier low-grade defensive magic tool with strong defensive capabilities.

The hundred crimson fireballs struck the blue water curtain one after another, but they were like mud sinking into the sea, producing not a single sound as they flickered and extinguished.

"I'll handle the defense; you two kill this brat," Zhao Ping said in a low voice. With his seventh-level Qi Refining cultivation, he could operate the second-tier low-grade defensive tool, though not for long. With the tool in hand, Han Changming wouldn't be able to break their defense in the short term. As time passed, even if it were just a war of attrition, he could wear Han Changming down to death.

The two exchanged a glance and each unleashed a stack of Chain Fireball Talismans, which transformed into over a hundred crimson fireballs that smashed toward Han Changming.

Han Changming hurriedly produced a white bead. With a flash of white light, a pale white screen of light suddenly emerged, covering his entire body, while a bone-chilling cold surged from the white bead.

Zhao Ping and his companions were well-coordinated, so Han Changming dared not be careless. He took out a golden talisman and slapped it onto his body.

It was the second-tier low-grade defensive Golden Armor Talisman.

Rumble!

The hundred crimson fireballs struck the white light screen, causing it to flicker wildly before they all extinguished.

At that moment, the two opponents unleashed two red-glowing flying knives and five golden flying swords, which slashed toward Han Changming with fierce momentum.

"A set of magic tools!" Han Changming's expression became even more solemn upon seeing the five golden flying swords.

Without a word, he hurriedly took out a thick stack of Chain Fireball Talismans and threw them toward the opposite side.

He had to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses; if it came to a contest of mana, he would certainly be at a disadvantage. As a talisman master, the one thing he didn't lack was talismans.

A series of explosions rang out, and a massive expanse of crimson flames erupted in mid-air, causing the surrounding temperature to soar as the fire scattered in all directions.

Rumble!

The sky suddenly darkened, and Han Changming looked up to see a blue cloud mass several hundred feet wide appearing overhead out of nowhere.

"A second-tier Ice Rain Talisman!" Han Changming's expression shifted.

The blue cloud churned, and white icicles radiating a bone-chilling cold plummeted down, smashing toward Han Changming like a torrential downpour.

Knowing the power of the Ice Rain Talisman, Han Changming hurriedly pulled out a thick stack of Chain Fireball Talismans and hurled them onto the ground all around him.

A series of explosions rang out as raging flames enveloped Han Changming, the temperature in the vicinity rising sharply while a white light barrier flickered incessantly.

Han Changming injected mana into the White Bead while simultaneously absorbing the spiritual energy from the Spirit Gathering Stone to replenish his mana.

Densely packed white icicles slammed against the white light barrier, emitting a series of muffled thuds before falling to the ground, where they rapidly melted under the high heat and turned into a mass of white mist.

Before long, a vast expanse of thick white fog shrouded Han Changming, making it impossible to see what he was doing.

Thanks to Ge Jiushi Name, boyvt, and Song for the tips.