Your Magical Artifact Is Pretty Good

A fight to the death?

Everyone present looked surprised when they heard those words.

Lu Li was a little surprised too.

Then he let out a cold laugh and said disdainfully, "I'm only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and you're at the peak. A fight to the death? What kind of idiot came up with that stupid idea?"

"You—you—you!"

The man in blue exploded with rage. His eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out of their sockets, and two streams of white smoke puffed from his nostrils. "Brat, I'll suppress my cultivation and use only the magic power of the fourth level of Qi Refining. Do you dare accept my challenge?"

"Sorry, I don't."

Lu Li rejected him without the slightest hesitation.

What a joke. There was nothing to gain from winning, and losing meant death.

Only a fool would accept a bet like that.

Besides, to be honest, this guy seemed to have quite a background. He probably had plenty of treasures on him, and if they really fought, the outcome might be hard to predict.

What if he got careless and suffered an unexpected defeat...

"Shameless coward! You've got quite a mouth on you, but your guts are tiny. Did your mother forget to give you any courage when you were born and give you only that foul mouth?"

The man in blue gritted his teeth.

"Trying to provoke me won't work. Besides, I, Lu Li, am already an orphan in this world. My parents have probably been reincarnated by now. You can't insult them."

Lu Li's face remained expressionless.

Damn it!

The man in blue was so furious that smoke began pouring from all seven orifices.

Before he could say anything, Li Jing spoke up from beside him, his face dark. "Brat, you insulted my parents. This isn't over! If you accept the challenge, I'll immediately give you a hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. I can also swear to our patriarch that I'll let this matter go. But if you refuse, I'll make trouble for you every day and ensure you can't find peace in the Ghost Sect!"

"That's right! Brat, you can hide from us today, but not forever! If you won't fight me now, you won't be able to take a single step in the Ghost Sect from now on! Even Ghost Demon True Person won't be able to protect you!"

The man in blue spoke with a voice full of sinister menace.

Hmm? They were threatening him outright now?

Lu Li furrowed his brow.

He hadn't expected things to escalate this far, leaving him caught between a rock and a hard place.

There was no way he could back down now.

If he did, that reputation-conscious Ghost Demon True Person would definitely abandon him, and he'd die even sooner.

But if he accepted the challenge...

"System."

Lu Li silently called out, bringing up the system panel.

Host: Lu Li.

Cultivation: Fourth level of Qi Refining.

Great Might Heavenly Dragon Dharma Incantation: First Layer (98%).

Great Strength Vajra Dharma Incantation: First Layer (98%).

Indestructible Vajra Divine Art: Third Layer (99%).

Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art: Fourth Layer (14%).

Great Mercy and Great Compassion Palm: Seventh Layer (8%).

Spirit Ghost Phantom Step: Sixth Layer (5%).

His greatest asset was the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art.

The third layer of the Vajra Art could withstand attacks from ordinary high-grade magical artifacts.

The Indestructible Vajra Divine Art had evolved from the Vajra Art, and its defense was even stronger. It could definitely block attacks from any magical artifact wielded by a Qi Refining cultivator.

With the seventh layer of the Great Mercy Palm and the sixth layer of the Spirit Ghost Phantom Step, he should be invincible below Foundation Establishment.

His only worry was that the man might have some bizarre, unpredictable demonic secret art or some evil object.

"Little fellow, let me tell you something quietly. The Li brothers are extremely petty."

A seductive voice suddenly whispered in his ear.

It was the charming, beautiful woman.

In other words, whether he accepted or refused, Li Jing and his brother would come after him afterward.

In that case...

Lu Li's expression turned cold. He nodded. "Fine! I accept your challenge! We'll fight to the death and settle this grudge!"

A commotion broke out all around them.

Without realizing it, a crowd of Ghost Sect disciples had gathered in the Stone Forest after hearing the commotion. Now the place was buzzing with excitement.

They didn't know what had happened at first, but now a fight was about to break out!

"Hmph, this brat really doesn't know what's good for him. He actually dares to challenge Senior Brother Li Fei? Doesn't he know that Senior Brother Li Fei cultivates the Yellow Springs True Scripture? His magic power is several times greater than that of others at the same level!"

Someone sneered.

Many people immediately chimed in:

"Is this brat the new Core Disciple Ghost Demon True Person just took in? He looks so weak. Why is he still wearing a low-grade robe, and why is his storage ring the cheapest kind?"

"He actually accepted? Is he trying to die faster?"

"Senior Brother Li Fei is at the peak of Qi Refining. Even if he suppresses his magic power to the fourth level, his combat strength is at least ten thousand. This brat's physical blood and energy are decent, but his combat strength is at most three thousand. No need to watch—he's as good as dead!"

The red-haired burly man frowned and asked Lu Li to confirm, "Are you really accepting this challenge?"

"That's right."

Lu Li nodded without hesitation.

At his words, the man in blue, six zhang away, curled his lips into a vicious grin.

Li Jing's eyes were just as cold as he watched Lu Li like he was already a dead man.

"Very well. Since you've agreed to fight to the death, as your witness, I must ensure the match is fair and impartial. So I'll place a restriction on you. Is that all right?"

The red-haired burly man pondered briefly, then turned to the man in blue.

"Please."

The man in blue cupped his hands, still glaring at Lu Li with undisguised murderous intent.

The next moment, the red-haired burly man flicked a finger and sent out a streak of yellow light. It struck the man in blue, sank into him, and disappeared.

"I've now placed a restriction on you. If you use magic power beyond the fourth level of Qi Refining, your magic power will go out of control and your whole body will stiffen."

As he spoke, the red-haired burly man swept his hand through the air again.

Whoosh.

A gale suddenly swept up, carrying away every loose stone in the Stone Forest and clearing a vast open space.

"Everyone else, leave the arena."

The red-haired burly man looked toward Li Jing, the man in gold.

"Little brother, take this." Li Jing flicked his sleeve, and a purple-black banner appeared in his hand, radiating waves of sinister ghostly energy.

He handed the purple-black banner to the man in blue, then floated out of the Stone Forest.

In an instant, only Lu Li and the man in blue remained in the clearing.

Holding the purple-black banner, the man in blue stared at Lu Li with a sinister expression.

"The Ten Thousand Ghost Banner?! That's an ancient magical artifact True Lord Yellow Spring found in an ancient ruin! It can raise an army of ten thousand ghosts! Unmatched! Its power is on par with a Mid-Grade Spiritual Artifact! That's a little unfair!"

Outside the arena, the all-knowing spectators immediately began explaining.

A chorus of gasps rang out.

Once the army of fierce ghosts in the Ten Thousand Ghost Banner was released, wouldn't Lu Li be doomed?

Lu Li looked solemn, his gaze cold. No one knew what he was thinking.

His left hand was already gripping the Ghost Raising Tower tightly.

With his right hand, he casually tossed the Low-grade Spirit Ghost to the edge of the Stone Forest.

Clearly, he was afraid the weak little ghost might be shaken to death in the fight.

"Brat, have you thought of your last words?"

The man in blue glanced at the Spirit Ghost and asked with a sinister smile.

Magic power began pouring from his body into the purple-black banner in his hand.

One after another, evil and terrifying auras seeped from the banner.

From within came the faint, horrifying howls of ten thousand ghosts.

It was as though, in the next moment, thousands upon thousands of fierce ghosts would crawl out of hell and ravage the mortal world.

Boom!

Just then, the earth trembled.

The stone slabs beneath Lu Li's feet cracked and flew up. His blood and energy erupted, and he shot forward like a cannonball, charging with unstoppable force.

"Know your place!"

The man in blue sneered disdainfully and flicked his other hand.

Whoosh!

A silver Cold Needle shot forward with a howl, transforming into a streak of snowy-white light that pierced straight toward Lu Li's brow.

At the same time, billowing black qi burst from beneath his blue robes, shrouding everything within ten zhang and concealing his figure in an instant.

The black qi also gave off a foul stench that made people dizzy and nauseous. It was the Yellow Springs Nether Qi cultivated from the Yellow Springs True Scripture—extremely poisonous!

It was over.

Lu Li was dead for sure.

Once the army of fierce ghosts emerged from the Ten Thousand Ghost Banner, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would die.

The crowd could already picture Lu Li being torn apart by ten thousand ghosts.

Just then, with a crisp ding, Lu Li took the oncoming Cold Needle straight to the face. Without slowing down in the slightest, he charged up to the black qi and flung out a ball of golden light.

It was the Ghost Raising Tower!

The little black tower now radiated dazzling, brilliant light.

An immense burst of energy swelled within it, along with a terrifying heat.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion split the sky.

The Ghost Raising Tower had self-destructed. Its blazing golden light expanded rapidly, swelling like an inflated balloon until it was the size of a house, then swept outward.

The black qi was like morning mist beneath the blazing sun. It melted away in the blink of an eye.

The man in blue was revealed at once. His face was frozen in shock and terror as he stared at Lu Li charging toward him and reaching out with one enormous palm.

His five fingers were as thick as carrots, growing rapidly larger in his pupils.

Great Strength Vajra Dharma Incantation!

Great Mercy and Great Compassion Palm!

Bang.

A head burst apart like a cow pat blasted by firecrackers, spraying filth everywhere!

Then a strong gust kicked up by Lu Li swept the headless corpse to the ground with a muffled thud.

Lu Li reached out and seized the Ten Thousand Ghost Banner. He glanced at the corpse on the ground and said expressionlessly,

"Your magical artifact is pretty good, but... it belongs to me now!"