Fishing in Troubled Waters

That day, a Crimson Eagle swept swiftly across the sky above the Liu Family, scattering flecks of Yuan Power in its wake.

Lin Yiqing stood on a street corner, gazing up at the Yuan Power Giant Eagle. A figure was faintly visible atop it: none other than the Liu Family Patriarch, Liu Tiansheng, a powerful cultivator at Lesser Perfection of the Form-Shaping Realm!

The Liu Family cultivators seemed to have made their preparations. They had mobilized most of their core forces, and now followed the figure in the sky as they set off in a grand procession for the Tianyan Mountain Range.

At the same time, a gigantic Yuan Power spear shot up from the nearby City Lord's Mansion. It was none other than the City Lord of Qingping City, Qiu Xuanxiao, another powerful cultivator at Lesser Perfection of the Form-Shaping Realm.

The appearance of these two legendary figures sent shock waves through Qingping City. At the same time, it put a damper on many people's plans to fish in troubled waters.

Ordinary people couldn't afford the consequences of offending a powerful cultivator at Lesser Perfection of the Form-Shaping Realm.

After observing from afar for a while, Lin Yiqing knew the time had come. He followed behind the Liu Family cultivators, keeping his distance as he leisurely made his way into the mountain range.

Since both the Liu Family and the City Lord's Mansion had joined the fray, they would undoubtedly clear out the cultivators near the mountain hollow by force, preventing anyone from seizing the prize first.

So rushing forward in a panic would be unwise. An excellent hunter needed exceptional patience.

Even so, treasures stirred people's hearts, and quite a few figures still slipped in along different routes.

Faced with this, the two forces showed no mercy. Anyone they caught was executed on the spot.

Before long, the bloody stench of the slaughtered rogue cultivators drew the attention of the Storm Fierce Tiger at the mountain hollow.

Then, under the horrified gazes of the cultivators, the ferocious Monster Tiger pounced out in an instant.

"Roar!"

Its deafening roar shook the skies. Its pair of broad black bone wings beat out blades of wind, sweeping over the cultivators in an instant. Wherever they passed, some died and others were wounded.

"Beast!"

Seeing this, Liu Tiansheng glared furiously. Yuan Power surged around him, and a gigantic palm of Yuan Power, dozens of zhang wide, slammed down at the Storm Fierce Tiger.

"Roar!"

The Storm Fierce Tiger refused to back down. Blood-red Yuan Power gathered in its mouth, and it spat out a huge ball of energy that crashed into the palm in midair.

"Boom!"

The shock waves from the clash between Form-Shaping Realm experts instantly destroyed every tree nearby. Cultivators in the dense forest fled in all directions; this was a battlefield far beyond their ability to take part in.

"Brother Liu, I'll help you!"

Qiu Xuanxiao tapped the ground with his foot. The enormous silver phantom of a spear shot forward, but the Storm Fierce Tiger turned and swung its massive claw, smashing it to pieces in midair.

"Luo Heaven Fist!"

Seizing the opportunity, Liu Tiansheng flashed behind the Storm Fierce Tiger and drove a gigantic fist of Yuan Power at its head.

"Bang!"

Caught between attacks from the front and back, the Storm Fierce Tiger was struck by Liu Tiansheng's punch before it could react. It crashed heavily into the ground.

"Form the array, now!"

Seeing the Monster Tiger hit the ground, Qiu Xuanxiao shouted. The cultivators from the two forces scattered at once, taking their positions according to the array formation.

As Yuan Power surged and resonated, countless chains of Yuan Power shot out, winding around the Storm Fierce Tiger.

"Clatter!"

Though the chains were made of Yuan Power, they seemed to ring like metal.

The Storm Fierce Tiger was enormous, and Liu Tiansheng and Qiu Xuanxiao had joined forces to suppress it. In the blink of an eye, the chains of Yuan Power bound it fast, leaving it unable to move.

Clearly, the two forces had secretly rehearsed the array in preparation for this day.

"Roar!"

The sudden restraints enraged the Storm Fierce Tiger. Blades of wind burst out around its wings, snapping quite a few chains on the spot.

"Sky-Splitting Slash!"

Qiu Xuanxiao sprang into action. A gigantic spear blade of Yuan Power, dozens of zhang long, came crashing down, severing one of the Storm Fierce Tiger's wings.

At that moment, hearing the miserable beastly roars outside its lair, another Storm Fierce Tiger charged out of the cave, its eyes filled with a savage fury.

"Boom!"

A blood-red pillar of Yuan Power arrived in an instant, enveloping Liu Tiansheng and Qiu Xuanxiao before they could react.

A Form-Shaping Realm demon beast was as intelligent as an ordinary person. It naturally knew that the two figures hovering in the air were the key to the battle!

"What?!"

"There's another one!"

Liu Tiansheng looked aghast. He immediately threw a punch, unleashing a massive surge of Yuan Power that exploded before him and blasted him away. He crashed heavily among the rocks.

"Overlord Spear!"

A flash of light appeared as Qiu Xuanxiao gripped a green spear and thrust it at the Storm Fierce Tiger.

With the two powerful cultivators at Lesser Perfection of the Form-Shaping Realm no longer suppressing it, the Storm Fierce Tiger that had been bound earlier began to thrash violently.

"Form-Shaping Realm experts really are extraordinary. Every move they make carries immense power!"

Lin Yiqing stood atop the mountain across from them, watching the entire battle. Looking at the massive pillars of Yuan Power unleashed by both sides, he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

But this was no time to watch the show. While the two sides were fighting, a thief had already sneaked up toward the lair and was about to slip inside.

Looking at that plump figure, Lin Yiqing couldn't help but admire him. It was quite a feat to have made it all the way here.

After all, this kid had been severely wounded twice in a row. First Lin Yiqing had beaten him up and robbed him; then he'd run into the Storm Fierce Tiger returning to its lair. He'd survived by the skin of his teeth.

An ordinary person would either have been crippled or still be lying in a hospital bed. How could he be as lively as this kid, even trying to take advantage of the chaos and grab a bargain?

"Too bad, kid. You're about to do all the work for someone else again."

Lin Yiqing looked at the two figures following behind Little Fatty, his deep gaze turning icy.

"The people lurking in the background have shown themselves."

After spotting the two men, Lin Yiqing remained on the peak and surveyed the surroundings. He had already scouted the nearby woods and knew every suitable route out of the mountains by heart.

He suspected the other party was operating as a group, and sure enough, he soon spotted two unfamiliar cultivators at Lesser Origin Pellet Realm beside a small path.

He had seen most of the Liu Family and City Lord's Mansion's forces. These two were the only ones he didn't recognize, so they were most likely waiting here to help someone escape.

"I'll deal with them first, just in case."

At the thought, Lin Yiqing plunged down like a falcon. A few breaths later, he appeared right in front of the two men.

Before they could make out who he was, he flicked his sword fingers. A sword aura of Yuan Power, more than ten zhang long, instantly cut them to pieces.

To Lin Yiqing, cultivators of the same realm were no different from weeds!

After taking care of the two men, Lin Yiqing headed back. Little Fatty would likely end up fighting those two figures, while the Liu Family cultivators nearby had already begun advancing toward the mountain hollow.

So he had to get there before the Liu Family cultivators and make his escape as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, if anything changed on the Form-Shaping Realm battlefield, things could get very hard to handle.

Pulling down his hood to conceal his face, Lin Yiqing used his spiritual power to control the Azure Steel Sword. It raced toward the Storm Fierce Tiger's lair with lightning speed.

"Bang!"

The dim cave was already in disarray, with broken rocks flying everywhere.

"You two bastards! You actually ambushed me!"

As soon as Lin Yiqing entered the lair, he saw Little Fatty fighting two middle-aged men. Yuan Power flew in every direction, and every move was clearly intended to kill.

"That's... a Seventh-Grade Spirit Medicine, a Spirit Candle Fruit!"

Suddenly, Lin Yiqing's pupils contracted and his heart jolted. Deep inside the lair stood a jade-green sapling half a meter tall, bearing two scarlet fruits the size of longans.

From a distance, the fruits looked translucent, like red jade glazed with light. The Yuan Power of heaven and earth swirling around them was so thick it resembled white mist—truly miraculous.

Above the Spirit Candle Fruit was a narrow crack in the rock, through which sunlight shone down, making the spirit medicine look like a divine treasure.

"Thousand River Moon Reflection Sword!"

Lin Yiqing's eyes turned cold. He clenched his right hand, and the Qingli Ancient Sword appeared instantly. Without hesitation, he unleashed his martial skill, determined to kill with one strike.

"Whoosh!"

A white sword arc more than ten zhang long sliced across the entire lair, carrying an incomparably keen aura and cutting through everything in its path.

"There's someone else here!"

"Pfft!"

Before the two middle-aged men could react, the sword arc sliced them in half.

Little Fatty looked horrified, but he flipped over and threw himself to the ground at a speed barely visible to the naked eye. He narrowly dodged the sword arc at the very last moment.

"Don't kill me! I'll pay for my life!"

Before Lin Yiqing could get close, he shouted from the ground.

The moment he saw Lin Yiqing, he had recognized the terrifying fellow. So even after dodging the sword arc, he stayed sprawled on the ground, not daring to get up.

Hearing this, Lin Yiqing gave him a long look without saying a word. He shot toward the Spirit Candle Fruit and plucked it in one swift motion.

Then he lightly touched his toes against the rock and flew out through the narrow crevice like a white egret.

"Phew! What a menace!"

Little Fatty had just wiped the cold sweat from his forehead in relief when his expression fell. He stared in horror at the entrance to the lair.

Outside, the Liu Family cultivators had already arrived.