Fierce Battle

He could not be certain that Chen Xiong would leave from here, so he had formulated two plans.

"What is Chen Xiong's background? He isn't a force backed by the Chen, Han, or Li clans, is he?"

Ye Yutang continued to ask.

"Of course not. If that were the case, we would have been dead long ago. He is a rogue cultivator just like me, making a living by hunting spirit beasts. During a dispute over prey, I killed his dao companion. The last time we encountered them while hunting, we were nearly wiped out by them."

Xu Lei said.

"That's right, Madam Liu was killed by them. This is a great opportunity to wipe them out."

Qin Qing chimed in.

Ye Yutang looked toward Shen Long, and Shen Long nodded in agreement.

"Fine, then we will take action to eliminate them. If you encounter your enemies again in the future, we will not intervene. We are cooperating with you to hunt spirit beasts, not to help you settle personal vendettas."

Ye Yutang said.

She was worried about being used as a pawn by Xu Lei, so she had to clarify the situation and state her bottom line clearly.

Shen Long nodded inwardly. Ye Yutang was thorough in her considerations; it was no wonder Ye Yuqing followed her instructions in everything.

Xu Lei nodded and said, "That goes without saying. Chen Xiong is my only enemy; I have no others."

"That's fine then. Yuqing, set up the formation!"

Ye Yutang ordered.

Ye Yuqing acknowledged the command and took out the formation flags and formation disk to set up the array.

She placed the formation at the exit of the valley; if Chen Xiong and his group passed through, they would certainly enter the formation.

After setting up the formation, they gathered in a corner.

Ye Yuqing took out a command flag flickering with green light and gave it a gentle wave. A surge of green mist emerged, obscuring their bodies.

A breeze blew past, the green mist dissipated, and they vanished as well.

After a while, the booming sounds ceased.

"They have killed the Fire Cloud Toad. I hope they return through the valley."

Xu Lei said in a low voice.

They waited quietly. Half a quarter of an hour later, a flying boat flickering with green light rose into the air and flew toward the distance.

Chen Xiong and the other eight qi refining cultivators stood on the green flying boat, their faces filled with joy.

While hunting spirit beasts in the mountains this time, they had been tracking a Spirit-Swallowing Rat when they accidentally discovered two late-stage first-rank Fire Cloud Toads, and there were spirit herbs inside their nest.

The nine of them joined forces and easily wiped out the two Fire Cloud Toads, harvesting the spirit herbs and making a huge profit.

A sound of air being torn apart rang out. Dozens of green wind blades, each a foot long, shot out from the ground, heading straight for them. At the same time, eight magical artifacts flickering with spiritual light surged toward them.

A Li Fire Falcon rose from the ground and pounced on them.

"Not good, ambush!"

Chen Xiong frowned. He pinched a spell seal, and the green flying boat quickly descended toward the ground.

Li Yue summoned a shield flickering with red light, blocking the incoming green wind blades.

The Li Fire Falcon flapped its wings gently, and over a dozen bowl-sized crimson fireballs shot out, which were also blocked by the red shield.

The green flying boat landed on the ground. Chen Xiong and the other nine disembarked, each taking action to defend against the eight incoming magical artifacts.

Shen Long and the other seven revealed themselves and attacked Chen Xiong's group.

Ye Yuqing also released the Green Wind Tiger, while the Li Fire Falcon circled high in the sky.

"Xu Lei, it's you!"

Chen Xiong said with a frown, a flash of wariness in his eyes.

"This time next year will be your death anniversary. Kill them, make it quick!"

Xu Lei said. He took out a green feather fan and gave it a light wave, sending over a dozen foot-long green wind blades flying straight toward Chen Xiong and his group.

Shen Long and the other seven all took action, attacking Chen Xiong and his men.

"Let's see how you handle a Heavenly Thunder Bead."

Chen Xiong sneered. He flicked his sleeve, and a green orb shot out, heading straight for Xu Lei and the others.

Hearing the words "Heavenly Thunder Bead," the expressions of Shen Long and the other seven changed. A Heavenly Thunder Bead was equivalent to a strike from a foundation establishment cultivator; it was not something they could withstand.

Shen Long hurriedly summoned the Black Tortoise Shield to block in front of him, while a water-blue light screen simultaneously appeared.

Ye Yutang reacted quickly, summoning an Earth Wall Talisman that transformed into a yellow earthen wall over ten zhang high and a zhang thick to block in front of her. Xu Lei and the other six were not idle either, each casting defensive measures on themselves.

The green orb exploded, turning into a massive sheet of green flames that engulfed their figures.

Not long after, the green flames dissipated. Xu Lei and the other eight were unharmed, and the yellow earthen wall had vanished.

"We've been played!"

Sun Yang said with a gloomy face.

Chen Xiong and his eight companions scattered to flee, but because of the presence of the Li Fire Falcon, they were forced to escape along the ground.

"Chase them! Don't let them get away!"

Chen Xiong summoned the Azure Cloud Boat and stepped onto it.

Shen Long took out a Flight Talisman and slapped it onto his body. With a flash of cyan light, a pair of cyan feathered wings sprouted from his back. With a gentle flap of these wings, he soared into the air and gave chase to a short, stout man in a red shirt.

The red-shirted man had cyan light flickering beneath his feet, and his speed was quite fast.

As he pursued, Shen Long unleashed crimson fireballs to attack the red-shirted man.

A crimson fireball the size of a water vat descended from the sky. The cyan light beneath the red-shirted man's feet flared, and he transformed into a blur, reappearing several feet away. The fireball slammed into the ground, instantly creating a massive crater several feet wide.

With a thunderous roar, Shen Long unleashed one crimson fireball after another, but all of them were dodged by the red-shirted man.

"Wind Control Technique at the Great Perfection stage!"

Shen Long frowned.

He raised his right hand, and a streak of cyan light flew out, sinking into the ground.

A cyan vine as thick as an adult's arm burst from the soil and coiled around the red-shirted man's right leg.

The red-shirted man hurriedly summoned a red flying blade to sever the cyan vine, but soon after, another cyan vine burst from the ground and coiled around his left leg, while simultaneously, a crimson fireball descended from the sky, slamming toward him.

The red-shirted man hastily summoned a red shield to block in front of him, while a thick yellow light barrier manifested out of thin air to protect his entire body.

The crimson fireball slammed into the red shield and instantly exploded, turning into rolling flames that engulfed the shield.

A deafening rumble of thunder echoed from high above. A thundercloud over ten feet wide appeared in the sky, and a silver bolt of lightning as thick as an infant's arm tore through the void, striking the red shield. The shield wobbled, its spiritual light dimming.

"Lightning Attraction Talisman!"

The red-shirted man was shocked. Just as he was about to use the Wind Control Technique to dodge, another cyan vine burst from the ground and coiled around his right leg.

The red flying blade severed the vine, but a second silver bolt of lightning struck down, landing on the red shield, causing its spiritual light to dim even further.

At the same time, a crimson fireball shot over and slammed into the yellow light barrier, with rolling flames engulfing it.

A third silver bolt of lightning struck down, and several tiny cracks appeared on the surface of the red shield.

The Mystic Water Blade shot over and slashed against the yellow light barrier, emitting a muffled thud.

The red-shirted man frowned tightly. With a flick of his sleeve, a yellow earth spike two feet long flew out, heading straight for Shen Long.

"Earth Spike Technique at the Great Perfection stage!"

Shen Long was somewhat surprised; this man had actually cultivated two first-tier spells to the Great Perfection stage.