More than two hours later, Wang Daoyuan's divine sense and spiritual power had fully recovered. When he stepped out of his cave dwelling, he discovered it was already deep into the night. The shop's Defensive Formation had been fully activated, its protective barrier covering the entire shop.
Just as he turned to return to the cave dwelling, a black shadow sprang from a corner. Before he could react, a kick sent him flying into the cave dwelling. Wang Daoyuan let out a miserable cry, yet not a sound escaped the cave dwelling. It was already shrouded by a Sound Insulation Formation.
Wang Daoyuan inwardly cursed. That kick had left him seriously injured. Faced with an assassin far stronger than himself, he stood no chance at all.
He did not know that a Sound Insulation Formation had been set up around the cave dwelling. His only hope of survival was to stall the assassin until Ninth Great-Uncle came to his rescue.
The assassin closed the cave dwelling's door, walked over to Wang Daoyuan, lifted him with one hand, and pressed a black dagger to his throat. "Kid, hand over the Clear River Carp, and I'll spare your life. Otherwise, I'll show you what it means to beg for life but be unable to live, to beg for death but be unable to die."
This assassin was clearly a professional. That single kick had nearly shaken Wang Daoyuan's entire body apart, making movement difficult, yet it had not affected his speech. The dagger in the assassin's hand reflected not a trace of light; if not for the faint illumination inside the cave dwelling, it would have been impossible to see it.
Against an assassin whose cultivation far surpassed his own, Wang Daoyuan would not have been a match even in perfect condition. Much less now, when he had been badly injured in a sneak attack and had no power to fight back.
As he considered a way out, he stalled for time. "If I hand over the Clear River Carp, can you guarantee that you'll spare my life?"
The assassin sneered. "Do you think you're in any position to bargain now?"
As he spoke, the assassin pressed the dagger harder against Wang Daoyuan's neck. The blade had already pierced his skin.
Wang Daoyuan's mind raced as he searched for a solution. He recalled using a Rain Transformation Talisman in the Spirit Pearl Space. Since the Rain Transformation Talisman could be used within the Spirit Pearl Space, then the Illusory Cloud Talisman should work as well.
There was no time to think through a plan any further. He could only gamble. With his divine sense, he detonated two high-grade first-order Illusory Cloud Talismans within the Spirit Pearl Space. Before the clouds could even take shape, he transferred them out with the power of his divine sense.
Wang Daoyuan split his attention in two, distracting the assassin as he said fearfully, "Don't kill me. I'll tell you where the Clear River Carp is."
Just as the assassin leaned closer to hear where Wang Daoyuan would reveal the Clear River Carp to be, an enormous mass of clouds and mist suddenly appeared out of thin air, instantly engulfing him.
Wang Daoyuan had been prepared. Since he had detonated the Talismans himself, he could use his divine sense to direct their power elsewhere, so he was not caught in their effects.
The assassin's cultivation was higher than Wang Daoyuan's, and he could not accurately determine it. Still, the pressure the man gave him was no weaker than Ninth Great-Uncle's. He deduced that the assassin was at least at Qi Refining Layer Nine.
How long the Illusory Cloud Talismans could trap the assassin in an illusion remained unknown. The assassin could awaken at any moment.
He could no longer spare any thought for his injuries. He took out a Low-grade Second-order Golden Blade Talisman from the Spirit Pearl Space.
He did not dare release this kind of offensive Talisman in the Spirit Pearl Space and then transfer it out. If things went wrong, it would split his own head open. He had originally wanted to use a high-grade first-order Golden Sword Talisman, but he did not know the assassin's true strength. If the strike failed, he would undoubtedly die. For the sake of his own little life, he could only grit his teeth and use a Second-order Talisman.
He detonated the Talisman, and a three-inch-long golden blade shot forth, aimed directly at the assassin's brow.
This assassin had spent his life licking blood from the edge of a blade, and his vigilance was exceptionally high. The instant Wang Daoyuan detonated the Golden Blade Talisman, the assassin sensed the threat of death and awoke from the illusion.
Under normal circumstances, Wang Daoyuan's sneak attack would have had very little chance of success. But the assassin was only an arm's length away from him, and had only just awakened from the illusion. Before he could react, the golden blade pierced through his brow.
The assassin wore an expression of utter disbelief, yet he could not summon even a shred of strength. He could only fall unwillingly. Wang Daoyuan, whom the assassin had been holding up, also collapsed to the ground after losing that support.
With great difficulty, he took out a Rejuvenation Pill and swallowed it. After roughly a quarter of an hour, Wang Daoyuan finally recovered the ability to move normally.
After storing the assassin's corpse in the Spirit Pearl Space and cleaning up the traces, Wang Daoyuan left the cave dwelling. Only then did he see that it had been covered by a Sound Insulation Formation. He could not use any spiritual power at all now, so he could only detonate a high-grade first-order Golden Sword Talisman with his divine sense to break the formation.
The Sound Insulation Formation's defensive power was nothing special. Under the Golden Sword, it did not last even a breath.
After breaking the formation, Wang Daoyuan no longer had the strength to go find anyone. He merely shouted, "Ninth Great-Uncle, save me!"
The Pill Talisman Pavilion back courtyard, where Wang Daoyuan's cave dwelling was located, was separated from the general store by only a single wall. Upon hearing Wang Daoyuan's cry for help, Wang Zhide hurried over.
He supported Wang Daoyuan with one hand and asked, "Daoyuan, how are you now?"
Wang Daoyuan replied, "I was ambushed by an assassin. I can't use spiritual power right now, but it's nothing too serious."
Wang Zhide checked Wang Daoyuan's pulse. Only after confirming his condition did he relax, then ask in astonishment, "How is that possible? The protective grand formation showed no sign of disturbance. How did the assassin sneak in? Where is the assassin now?"
"Perhaps he had snuck in beforehand. He came prepared, too, and even set up a Sound Insulation Formation around my cave dwelling." Wang Daoyuan said between breaths, "I drove the assassin back with a Talisman. The Sound Insulation Formation was also broken during the fight. After I called for help, he fled."
Wang Zhide's eyes casually swept over the Spirit Beast Bag at Wang Daoyuan's waist. "The item is still there, right?"
Wang Daoyuan also instinctively touched the Spirit Beast Bag at his waist. "It's still here. After the assassin ambushed and injured me, he tried to force me to reveal where it was. I caught him off guard with a Talisman and drove him back. Once I shouted for help, he fled in a panic and had no chance to take it."
Wang Zhide nodded and was about to help Wang Daoyuan to his own cave dwelling. Wang Daoyuan's cave dwelling had no dedicated Defensive Formation, so it was unsafe to remain there.
Suddenly, the shop's protective barrier shook violently. Someone was clearly attacking the formation, and their strength was formidable. The shop's Defensive Formation was no ordinary thing. Even when running at full power, attacks from Qi Refining cultivators would create only a few ripples.
Such a huge disturbance most likely meant that a Foundation Establishment Cultivator had made a move.
Wang Daoyuan immediately used all the high-grade first-order Defense Talismans Ninth Great-Uncle had given him. Two layers of golden-yellow armor phantoms and one layer of earth-yellow armor phantom covered his body—the effects of the Golden Armor Talismans and Earth Armor Talisman.
The moment he finished using the Talismans, he hurried toward Ninth Great-Uncle's cave dwelling. At that moment, the second attack struck the shop's Defensive Formation. After the formation barrier swayed violently, a gap was torn open in it.
A black shadow, standing upon a Flying Sword, flew in through the gap.
Wang Daoyuan inwardly cursed. It really was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. With his and Ninth Great-Uncle's strength, they had little to fear from cultivators below Foundation Establishment. But the difference between Foundation Establishment Cultivators and Qi Refining cultivators was as vast as heaven and abyss.
Foundation Establishment Cultivators could cultivate the Sword Control Technique, command Flying Swords, and kill enemies from a hundred paces away. They could also use Sword Flight. A Foundation Establishment Cultivator proficient in the Sword Control Technique would utterly crush Qi Refining cultivators. Qi Refining cultivators had no possibility of killing one in return.
A silver-white Sword Light shot from the black shadow, aimed straight at Wang Daoyuan and Wang Zhide. The defensive spells on both men were instantly shattered, and Wang Daoyuan was sent flying more than twenty feet.
The black shadow charged straight toward Wang Daoyuan. Before Wang Daoyuan even hit the ground, the shadow had caught up, snatched the Spirit Beast Bag from his waist, and departed on a Flying Sword.
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