Then Kill

"It seemed you had anticipated that we would join forces."

As Qiu Qianhai spoke, his gaze casually swept over Crouching Tortoise Island behind Lousy Liu.

By now, he was also certain that Ji Yuan's guess had been correct.

Lousy Liu had known full well that he and Ji Yuan would join forces, yet he had still dared to sit here openly and wait. He most likely had something to rely on.

He had called for help as well.

"If you truly intended to make a move against Ji Yuan, why bring him here for me to deal with? He's merely at Early Qi Refining—you could have dealt with him on the road long ago."

"Since you dared to bring him openly to Crouching Tortoise Island, you were most likely planning to kill me, weren't you?"

The moment Lousy Liu finished speaking, three water balls shot out from behind Qiu Qianhai.

"Ha—"

They were already close, and Ji Yuan had launched a sneak attack. Lousy Liu had no time to cast a spell and could only crush a Talisman.

A watery blue turtle shell appeared before him.

The water balls struck the turtle shell.

With a bang, the three water balls exploded, sending droplets flying everywhere.

Qiu Qianhai hurriedly steered the Spirit Vessel back a short distance. He seemed to be wary of Lousy Liu's counterattack, but in truth, he was avoiding the splashing droplets.

Borrowing the recoil, Lousy Liu also retreated some distance. He wiped the water from his face and glared furiously at Ji Yuan.

"You sinister cur!"

"What kind of skill is sneaking up on people from the shadows?"

Only then did Ji Yuan rise from the Spirit Vessel. He ignored Lousy Liu and simply said to Qiu Qianhai, "Press forward. Two against one—kill him first."

Who cared whether Lousy Liu had called anyone? Since no one was in sight, that meant he had not!

Kill him first.

"Got it!"

Qiu Qianhai was decisive by nature. He immediately drove the Spirit Vessel forward, and in the blink of an eye, the two had reached the shore.

Lousy Liu retreated wildly as he shouted, "You bastard, don't tell me you mean to kill me too?!"

Only then did a middle-aged man in a straw raincoat emerge from the Reed Marsh on Crouching Tortoise Island. He was slightly hunched over, holding a bamboo pole as he chuckled.

"How could that be? If I killed you, the Qin Household would never let me go."

The instant he appeared, Qiu Qianhai's expression changed.

"Wu Laochuan. An old hand at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining. Leave him to me—you kill Lousy Liu."

Wu Laochuan... naturally, Ji Yuan had heard of him. Among the rogue cultivators of Zengtou City, Wu Laochuan had always been known for his ruthlessness.

He did not fish, nor did he often go ashore. He drifted through Cloud-Rain Marsh all year round.

Whenever he encountered a lone Early Qi Refining cultivator, or even someone at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining, he would strike without hesitation.

It was not as though no one had tried to kill him. Unfortunately, he knew Cloud-Rain Marsh inside out and could evade them every time.

In terms of strength alone, he was indeed far stronger than Lousy Liu had been while injured.

"Kill me?"

Hearing this, Lousy Liu did not relax his guard. Instead, he gave Ji Yuan an extremely grave look. "Middle Qi Refining Stage?!"

"Well, well. It looks like killing you really was the right choice."

Otherwise, once Ji Yuan's cultivation rose, he would probably come looking for revenge... After saying this, Lousy Liu beckoned with his right hand. A Blackgold short blade flew out from his waist, growing in the wind as it shot toward Ji Yuan in the blink of an eye.

Having just reached shore, Ji Yuan instinctively wanted to use the Golden Body Talisman, but he ultimately held himself back.

With a thought, spiritual energy began circulating through his Dantian.

Lousy Liu naturally assumed Ji Yuan had been scared witless. Yet unexpectedly, just as the Dharma Tool reached his face... Ji Yuan raised his hand and fired two streaks of spiritual light.

They struck the incoming Blackgold Blade.

One finger knocked it off course; the other sent it crashing to the ground.

"What?"

Lousy Liu was stunned. It was his first time seeing such a spell, and its offensive power was actually this strong. If it struck his body, would it not punch a hole through him with every jab?

Naturally, Lousy Liu had heard of the famed Water Drop Finger.

But he had never seen anyone use it. It was said that every use required enduring unbearable pain, yet Ji Yuan could actually withstand it.

"Good, good, good."

Lousy Liu once more controlled the short blade, but before he could act, Ji Yuan had already pointed a finger at his head.

The Water Drop Finger moved with astonishing speed, but Lousy Liu was also a veteran who had weathered countless brushes with death. With a wave of his hand, he summoned four or five Water Shields before himself.

The water drop shattered the shields.

Ji Yuan raised his hand again and pointed at the short blade in midair.

The water drop struck it, directly knocking it flying.

The two had exchanged blows for only a brief moment, yet Ji Yuan was already suppressing Lousy Liu.

Lousy Liu naturally realized this as well. Even as his face began itching, he grew increasingly cautious... Today, he absolutely had to kill this brat Ji Yuan.

Otherwise, anyone who could withstand the backlash of the Water Drop Finger was bound to become a great force in the future!

With a raised hand, he stopped controlling his Dharma Tool and instead took three Water Arrow Talismans from his Storage Bag. He crushed them at once, and three water arrows appeared around him.

"Hm?"

Ji Yuan held a spell in each hand and instantly formed two water arrows as well.

But compared to Lousy Liu's, they were still inferior.

"Go!"

With a wave of Lousy Liu's hand, three water arrows shot out. He himself had already summoned another three water arrows... Suddenly, he could not help reaching up to scratch his face. The itch was unbearable.

That alone would have been one thing, but just as Ji Yuan used water arrows to break water arrows, he suddenly discovered that the sand beneath his feet had turned exceptionally muddy. The moment he lifted a foot, he was directly tripped to the ground.

Across from him, the three water arrows Lousy Liu had summoned turned downward and shot straight at him.

"Not good!"

Panic rose in Ji Yuan's heart, and he used his only Middle-Grade protective Talisman—the Golden Body Talisman.

Golden light appeared, enveloping his entire body. The three water arrows were impossible to evade and struck him, but the Golden Body blocked them all.

Yet the enormous impact still blasted him several meters away. Pain lanced through his internal organs, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Damn it, good thing I practiced Body Refining. Otherwise, even with the Golden Body Talisman, that blow would have severely injured me... Ji Yuan wiped away the blood from his mouth. Seeing the short blade flying toward him, he hurriedly rolled aside and fired another two Water Drop Fingers, knocking away the troublesome blade.

Though it was a Dharma Tool, unfortunately for it, Ji Yuan's Water Drop Finger was exceptionally effective at restraining such things.

Had he not known this technique, Ji Yuan would likely have met his downfall here.

Across from him, Lousy Liu found the itch on his face unbearable. Otherwise, he believed that blow just now would have allowed him to use his Dharma Tool to break Ji Yuan's Golden Body Talisman.

He was cursing in his heart as well. Where had this bastard gotten so many Spirit Stones that he could afford a Middle-Grade Talisman?

He raised the short blade again, but the itch on his face had reached a point he could no longer endure. At last, he was certain.

Something was wrong. If there was ten percent chance something was wrong, then nine parts of it were wrong.

He recalled Ji Yuan's underhanded sneak attack at the beginning, then thought of the droplets that had splashed onto his face... It had to be then. Ji Yuan had poisoned him!

"You sneak-attacking wretch, you Demonic Dao bastard!"

Lousy Liu cursed loudly as he took a Detoxification Pill from his Storage Bag and swallowed it. At the same time, both hands kept clawing at his cheeks... Even his hands had started itching.

Crack—

In his daze, he suddenly heard a clap of thunder above his head.

Oh no! Before he could even dodge, a bolt of Purple Lightning slammed down on his head and blasted him more than ten meters away.

He lay flat on his back in the sand, motionless, with no breath left in him.

Qiu Qianhai and Wu Laochuan, who were fighting in the distance, could not help turning their heads at the same time. They saw only a mud-covered youth slowly rise to his feet.

Dim golden light enveloped his body as he raised both hands, and two water arrows appeared.

With their arrowheads pointed at Wu Laochuan, who held a green bamboo pole, Ji Yuan said in a low voice:

"Surrender or die. The choice is yours."