Battle

As Wen Qingxuan's spear thrust straight toward his face, a glint flashed through Yun Mo's eyes. His flexible sword quivered, becoming a spirit snake that coiled around the spear. Then he used the leverage to leap forward, braving the fierce wind as he lunged toward her.

Compared to a spear, a sword was ultimately at a disadvantage in reach. To gain the upper hand, his best option was to close the distance and fight at close quarters.

Wen Qingxuan snorted. With a sweep of her delicate hands, she abruptly spun and shook the spear, throwing off Yun Mo's flexible sword. Then she turned, moved alongside the spear, and gripped its shaft, driving it hard toward him.

Yun Mo remained calm. With a thought, he stored his flexible sword in his Storage Ring, ducked beneath the shaft, and slid to Wen Qingxuan's side. Bringing his palms together, he unleashed all the strength in his body and struck fiercely at her.

Now that he had gotten close, how could he possibly let this opportunity slip away?

But a fierce glint flashed through Wen Qingxuan's eyes as well. The instant her spear vanished, she gave a sharp cry and fearlessly thrust her palms out to meet his.

Bang!

Their four palms collided. Rampaging winds stirred the petals dancing all around them, and the force of each other's blows sent both fighters flying back several steps.

Tch, no wonder she won the Spirit Crown. At this point, she should be stronger than Mu Chen, right? Yun Mo muttered inwardly, turning his gaze back to the young woman whose graceful brows were drawn fiercely upward.

"Hmph!" A cold glint flickered in Wen Qingxuan's eyes, but there was a trace of excitement there too. She had suffered a slight setback just now, but she had finally met someone who was more than a useless wine sack and rice bag.

"Again!"

Her palms danced, their movements seeming both slow and swift, as though phantom hands had appeared around them, making it impossible for anyone watching to distinguish the real from the false. Then she flashed before Yun Mo and struck toward his head. Even in close combat, she was confident she could beat him into the ground.

Yet Yun Mo showed no fear either. He likewise opened his fists into palms, and his exceptional perception allowed him to receive every one of Wen Qingxuan's palm strikes with flawless precision.

Bang! Bang!

The sound of colliding palm strikes echoed through the Peach Grove, almost without pause.

Finally, their palms clashed once more, and both used the recoil from the other's strike to put some distance between them.

After these dozen or so probing exchanges, each had gained a rough sense of the other's strength. Deciding the winner in a short time would be difficult.

But the blood in Wen Qingxuan's body was already boiling. Her spear reappeared in her hand, its golden tip glittering brilliantly in the sunlight. She stared at Yun Mo and demanded, "Little thief, what cultivation realm were you in before coming to the Spirit Road?"

Yun Mo exhaled. His physical strength was still too low. He flexed his slightly numb hands, then gripped the flexible sword, as nimble as a water snake. Their probing exchanges had only shown that they were evenly matched. What came next would be a raging storm.

"First, that fruit tree wasn't yours, and I'm not a little thief. We don't even know which of us is older. Second, beat me and I'll tell you my cultivation realm. Though you might never manage it."

"Hah! You arrogant little thief in pink robes, don't you dare run!"

Wen Qingxuan's beautiful face was icy, her graceful figure standing straight as a pine. Her golden armor and scarlet dress made her look like a goddess of war, sacred and inviolable.

"Run? Now that I've started fighting you, why would I run? I still want to see how many of my moves you can take!" A barely perceptible trace of blood-red flashed through Yun Mo's pupils.

"Hmph! Arrogant fool!"

As petals drifted between them, Wen Qingxuan took the initiative once again.

With a sharp cry, she sprang forward, her spear stabbing abruptly toward Yun Mo's chest. That terrifying momentum, coupled with the golden radiance shining from her body, made her seem like a golden phoenix wheeling through the air.

Yun Mo's gaze sharpened. His flexible sword suddenly turned fierce and unyielding. As he swung it through the air, he twisted his body, and its light shone like a bright moon as it crashed straight into the golden spearhead.

Boom!

Two terrifying surges of fighting spirit intertwined. As they collided, a wave of force swept outward, snapping several young peach trees in half.

At that moment, even the air seemed to grow scorching hot from their fighting spirit.

They traded blows, fierce and explosive, every move aimed at the other's vital points.

Dozens of moves became hundreds. Winds howled and force burst forth, spear force and sword energy rampaging through the Peach Grove. Scar after scar appeared, utterly destroying the exquisite scenery.

It was hard to imagine that all this had resulted solely from the collision of their physical strength.

"Gulp... Which of them do you think is stronger?" Tan Yin swallowed and, hiding behind a peach tree, quietly asked Tan Feng beside him.

"How would I know? But one thing's certain-that woman probably didn't even use half her strength when she fought us." Tan Feng stared wide-eyed at the two combatants locked in a battle that seemed to darken heaven and earth, answering irritably.

Those two were absolute monsters. If that woman had gotten serious earlier, she would probably have finished them off long ago. How could they have had any chance of obtaining Nine-Leaf Fruits?

After catching the Nine-Leaf Fruits Yun Mo had tossed them earlier, they had immediately hidden in the Peach Grove and made their way here by a winding route.

The moment they arrived, Yun Mo and Wen Qingxuan's battle had left them stunned. Even now, if either of them stepped forward, he would probably be torn apart within ten moves.

"Then should we help Yun Mo? He did actually give us the Nine-Leaf Fruits, after all. He kept his word." Tan Yin felt that Yun Mo seemed fairly decent. Following him really did seem to put meat on their plates.

Tan Feng frowned slightly. He could not quite make up his mind either.

At the start, they and Yu Fang had attacked first, intending to kill Yun Mo. The result, however, had been Yun Mo crushing Yu Fang's throat beneath his foot. After that, they had feigned cooperation and told Yun Mo about the Nine-Leaf Fruit Tree. Today, they had indeed completed their tasks as he instructed, and Yun Mo had fulfilled his promise by giving them two fruits.

If Yun Mo had been the sort to slaughter everyone without mercy, they would probably have followed Yu Fang to the grave long ago. There would have been no question of getting any fruit.

Although it might have been because Yun Mo wanted their information, there was no denying that his character was fairly decent. He had even saved them from that woman earlier.

"Wait a little. Their fight is too intense right now. Even if we charge in to help, we'll only disrupt the rhythm a little. We'd better find a good opportunity." Tan Feng licked his lips and finally decided to act. "Maybe we can distract that woman."

"Distract her?"

Tan Yin stared stiffly at his own brother. How were they supposed to do that?

Very soon, however, he learned what that supposed distraction meant. Tan Feng stepped out of the Peach Grove

and exposed himself to Yun Mo and Wen Qingxuan's senses. Both frowned slightly, forced to spare a sliver of attention from their fight to guard against him.

Tan Feng raised his voice, his nostrils pointing skyward and his face full of sneers. "You rotten woman! Had a taste of Brother Yun's skills yet? Against someone like you, one slap from him would leave you unable to tell north from south.

"If you know what's good for you, kneel and surrender now. You're not too bad-looking, so if Brother Yun's in a good mood, he might favor you a few times. Don't spurn a kindness!"

Wen Qingxuan ignored him. Only the corner of her eye twitched as she wielded her spear even more fiercely. She would beat Yun Mo into the ground first, then turn back and kill that prancing clown.

Seeing her ignore him, Tan Feng was unbothered and continued his taunts. "Hah, you might be pretty strong, but this is as far as you go. Some people you can provoke, and some you can't. Brother Yun will teach you how to behave. Give our tokens back, and remember not to look down your nose at everyone again!"

After speaking, he waved at Tan Yin behind him. In a situation like this, singing the same tune together would have a greater effect.

Tan Yin's face twitched, but he followed his brother's example. "Hmph! You only beat us earlier because you're a woman and we couldn't be bothered to argue with you. In truth, your strength is nowhere near enough. If we got serious, Brother Yun wouldn't even need to act. If you still refuse to read the situation, he'll crush your delicate flower without mercy and make you bleed!"

"Exactly! You're so weak, yet you still dared enter the Spirit Road. Don't you know this isn't a place for someone like you? Once Brother Yun shows his might, he'll capture you in one move and train you into a slave. If you're lucky, he'll make you a maid. If you're not, he'll turn you into a cultivation cauldron!"

The more they spewed, the more enthusiastic they became. Maids, cultivation cauldrons-they brought up everything, choosing whatever would insult her most, like spectators watching a protagonist beat a villain.

Even Yun Mo did not know whether to laugh or cry as he listened. These two really were something.

Wen Qingxuan swept Yun Mo back with her spear and stood still.

Her cheeks had flushed scarlet, and her phoenix eyes blazed with boundless rage, as though she wanted to burn everything before her to ashes. Even the spear clenched in her hands trembled slightly. Her nails dug deep into her palms, almost piercing the skin.

"You're courting death!" Her voice came through gritted teeth. That almost tangible killing intent made the two men, still jeering, tremble with fear. They had no doubt what fate awaited them if Yun Mo failed to win.

But just as she was about to abandon Yun Mo and slaughter those two first, more than a dozen figures emerged.

They were the people who had fought over the fruit tree earlier. It was unexpected that they had reached an agreement so quickly.

"Brat, we found you! Hand over the fruits and your token! Otherwise, we'll make sure you die without a place to be buried!"

One of them stepped forward, several steel needles held between his fingers, and addressed Yun Mo.

It was easy to guess that after fighting over the fruit tree, those who remained had all joined forces. They had pursued him here for the fruits in his possession.

On seeing them, Tan Feng and Tan Yin decisively moved to Yun Mo's side. In their eyes, these people were the real wine sacks and rice bags.

Yun Mo smiled, took out two fruits, and said, "There are still more than a dozen of you, but I only have six fruits left. That doesn't seem like enough to go around."

"That's none of your concern. We'll settle it ourselves. Throw over the fruits and your token, or we'll kill you!" As he finished speaking, a long club and several steel needles appeared in everyone's hands.

Although they had no weapons like swords, the wooden clubs they had exchanged their tokens for, along with the steel needles Yun Mo had thrown earlier and they had picked up, would at least help them put on a show.

Yun Mo's smile faded. Those steel needles had been thrown by him, yet now these people had picked them up to use against him. He truly had not expected that.

He glanced at Wen Qingxuan's smiling face and tossed the two fruits in his hand straight toward her, saying calmly, "Eating one fruit grants a mysterious power that heals the body. You can see that from Tan Feng and Tan Yin. That woman now has two!"

Wen Qingxuan instinctively reached out and caught both fruits, a look of bewilderment crossing her face. Her eyes narrowed. It was not that she failed to understand what Yun Mo intended, but getting her to hand them back was utterly out of the question.