At last, he escaped the Flower Cage with the Precious Lotus; storms gathered over Jade City, and the upheaval had begun.

Li Xian plotted a route south. After roughly a quarter of an hour, he darted out of the iron-fir forest, where the green vines among the trees began to thin. Jin Feng and the others followed closely in formation. Seeing him leave the green woods with no more cover ahead, they all rejoiced. Qi Siyuan, the Fire Altar Master, shouted, "You little thief! Surrender at once! You cannot escape!" At last able to make out Li Xian's movements clearly, he picked up a pebble along the way and hurled it at him.

The pebble whistled through the air-a martial technique called Flying Locust Stone. As an altar master, Qi Siyuan certainly possessed exquisite martial methods. Using Wind Listening, Position Sensing, Li Xian dodged it. The disciples followed suit, picking up stones and throwing them, but their arms lacked strength and their throwing techniques lacked finesse. Their stones fell short.

More and more elders emerged from the iron-fir forest, shouting curses. Li Xian paid them no heed and raced south. Jin Feng's lightness skill was superb. After several leaps, she gradually closed the distance, leaving the Husband-Hound Formation behind. Pursuing alone, she reached his back and clawed at the center of it.

Perfect! Li Xian thought, unleashing an exquisite reverse spear thrust. Though Jin Feng was formidable, his spear technique had reached Peak Mastery and possessed an indescribable grace. Not daring to underestimate it, she grabbed for the spearhead instead, clamping five fingers around the shaft to snap its head off. Li Xian applied Intent Infusion. The resilient shaft remained intact. With a turn of his wrist, he unleashed Vengeful Dragon Form. A Vengeful Dragon's roar suddenly shook the spear, accompanied by metallic ringing. Starting at its butt, dark green dragon scales sprang up one after another, sheathing the shaft.

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