Impossible to Kill

"All right, all right, one hundred Spirit Stones it is.

Take a look at this Qi Refining-grade orb of mine. Is it worth seventy Spirit Stones?"

A dazzling light flashed, and the fat Devil Cultivator's words reached Tang Yuan's ears.

Time had flowed backward,

by half a finger snap (about three seconds).

That's right. One of Tang Yuan's life-saving cheats was the Earth Flood Dragon inside the small black spoon he wore around his neck. Once it activated the divine Time Reversal technique, everything within three li of Tang Yuan, both space and time, would turn back by half a finger snap.

This Earth Flood Dragon was the flood dragon Tang Yuan had encountered in the Demon Realm four years ago while seeking Dragon Skeleton Jade Mud.

Back then, the Earth Flood Dragon had failed to break through to Foundation Establishment and later encountered a Buddhist cultivator and detonated its Demon Core.

Tang Yuan later learned that the Earth Flood Dragon's Divine Sense had survived, and it had used Dragon Skeleton Jade Mud to make itself a body.

The Earth Flood Dragon now lived inside the Mystic Spoon. Tang Yuan could still use the Mystic Spoon to travel to the Demon Realm, but it could no longer be hidden in his sea of consciousness. When the Earth Flood Dragon went to the Demon Realm, it remained asleep, while in the Human Realm, it was half asleep.

As a kind of "rent payment," in moments of extreme danger, the Earth Flood Dragon would activate the divine Time Reversal technique, turning back the surrounding space and time by half a finger snap to help Tang Yuan through the crisis. The prerequisite, however, was that no cultivator at or above Foundation Establishment could be present within fifty li.

Before Li Laoda could take a close look at the blood-red orb in his hand, Tang Yuan extended his left hand, reached for his Storage Bag with his right, and chanted under his breath.

The orb in Li Laoda's hand instantly flew at the thin Devil Cultivator.

Tang Yuan retreated several steps and tossed a blood-red orb at the fat Devil Cultivator.

"Do it!

Explode!" the fat Devil Cultivator barked in a low voice, his face fierce as he formed an incantation with his left hand.

"Hmm?" The fat Devil Cultivator was puzzled for an instant as he watched the orb fly toward his thin junior brother. At the same time, a chill ran down his back, and he involuntarily leaped to the left. Behind him, Tang Yuan barked, "Explode!"

Sizzle!

Bang!

Sizzle!

Bang!

Whoosh!

"Ah!"

Two flashes of red light streaked past, and the thin Devil Cultivator was reduced to a pile of shattered bones on the ground.

Only bare white bones remained of the fat Devil Cultivator's right arm, and he let out an agonized howl.

"Tang Yuan, how dare you!

You actually dared attack a fellow disciple!

Aren't you afraid of heavenly retribution?" the fat Devil Cultivator snarled resentfully, forming an incantation with his left hand.

Flesh rapidly grew over the white bones of the fat Devil Cultivator's right arm, restoring it in an instant.

"Senior Brother Luo Biao, we're disciples of the Holy Cardamom Sect.

You and I are both used to seeing our fellow disciples slaughter one another for profit, so why make such a fuss?

Besides, I'm slaying demons and exterminating devils. What heavenly retribution would I have to fear?" Tang Yuan wasted no more words. He raised a Golden Light Shield and spread his Divine Sense, keeping watch in the direction of the Li Household siblings.

Tang Yuan threw eight iron-colored talismans onto the ground and drew a black curved bow. Without daring to pause, he fired at the fat Devil Cultivator, giving him no chance to reach for his Storage Bag.

The eight iron-colored talismans landed on the ground and swiftly turned into eight steel nails, which burrowed into the earth.

What Tang Yuan shot were not arrows, but talismans.

After flying half a foot, the talismans transformed into red arrows of light and shot forward.

Faced with the arrows of light flying at him without pause, the fat Devil Cultivator, Luo Biao, could only block them with his bare hands.

Although Luo Biao had just been injured, Tang Yuan was at the Qi Refining First Layer while his opponent was at the Qi Refinement Third Layer, a difference of two minor realms.

Whether they fought blade to blade or exchanged techniques at a distance, Tang Yuan was no match for him.

Tang Yuan could only use the bow and arrow he was fairly skilled with to keep his opponent suppressed, giving him no chance to draw a weapon.

But he had fewer than six hundred light-arrow talismans, nowhere near enough to last long.

After several breaths, Luo Biao gradually drew closer.

Tang Yuan frowned slightly and glanced at the boat moored on the lake.

The corner of Luo Biao's mouth twitched. *So Tang Yuan is waiting for the master of the Purple Moon Lake Cultivator Market to intervene.

If the market master comes, I don't know whether he'll kill Tang Yuan.

But with the Li Household siblings' testimony, the first person he'll kill will definitely be me, Luo Biao.*

"Good!

Dogs biting dogs, mouths full of fur!"

"Heh heh, a first-layer cultivator actually dares trade blows with a third-layer one. I'm impressed, truly impressed.

I'll wager one Spirit Stone on the first-layer Devil Cultivator winning.

Place your bets, place your bets!"

Over a hundred zhang away, quite a few cultivators had stopped trading, delighted to watch two Devil Cultivators fight to the death.

"What were those eight talismans that first-layer Devil Cultivator in the ghost-face mask threw on the ground?

Why did they look like they turned into iron nails and burrowed into the earth?" A spectator in the distance looked puzzled.

"Those eight talismans turn into iron nails and burrow into the ground to form an Eight Trigrams Earth-Fixing Formation. It hardens the earth within several dozen zhang, preventing the use of earth-escape cultivation methods.

Thunder arts and lightning techniques dispel evil and slay devils.

Earth-escape cultivation methods elude even divine eyes.

The cultivation methods of lightning-attribute cultivators naturally counter those of the devil path.

Earth-attribute cultivators sometimes appear and vanish even more unpredictably than devil-path disciples.

Thunder Spirit Root cultivators are rare to begin with, and on top of that, the market master has laid down a grand formation here,

so the first-layer Devil Cultivator isn't too worried about a Thunder Spirit Root cultivator ambushing him from above.

The first-layer Devil Cultivator threw down those talismans and laid the Eight Trigrams Earth-Fixing Formation for two reasons: first, to guard against an Earth Spirit Root cultivator ambushing him from underground, and second, to prevent his third-layer senior brother from using an earth-escape cultivation method to ambush him.

It seems this first-layer Devil Cultivator knows nothing about earth-escape cultivation methods. An Earth Spirit Root cultivator at the eighth layer of Meridian Opening might even be able to defeat him.

Unfortunately, this Eight Trigrams Earth-Fixing Formation can only last for half an incense stick.

After that, the third-layer Devil Cultivator will surely use an earth-escape cultivation method to ambush him." Another spectator in the distance, fond of showing off, cleared up everyone's questions.

Hearing this, a goateed cultivator at the Qi Refinement Second Layer standing nearby swallowed, rubbed his palms together, and smiled mysteriously, a greedy look in his eyes.

"Although my Hehuan Sect is a famous righteous sect, we don't reject Devil Cultivators.

Though he's wearing a ghost-face mask that covers half his face, I can still tell that this first-layer Devil Cultivator must be handsome.

And he's so meticulous, too.

If he manages to win by luck, I'd even be willing to introduce him to our holy maiden,

and let them become immortal dao companions, a match made in heaven." A female spectator in the distance murmured softly, her gaze full of affection.

"No, I have to go find the market master and get him to stop the fighting.

We can't let that first-layer Devil Cultivator's handsome face get hurt."

When the female cultivator turned around, she immediately let out a long breath: several female cultivators were already shouting as they headed for the boat on the lake to call the market master out to stop the fight.

But after waiting several breaths, they still saw no sign of the market master emerging from the boat.

Damn it...

Looks like the market master wants to wait until Luo Biao and I are both badly hurt, then reap the fisherman's profit. Tang Yuan cried out inwardly that things were bad. Luo Biao seemed to have seen through his plan to wait for the market master to intervene and was now desperately closing in, heedless of everything else.

With no other choice, Tang Yuan moved in circles, shooting without pause.

Luo Biao was at the third layer and had long since cultivated an earth-attribute cultivation method.

But although Luo Biao and his two companions were all Qi Refining Stage cultivators, none of them had the money to buy the sect's Qi Refining Stage cultivation methods, so they had no ranged offensive Law Techniques.

On top of that, Tang Yuan was only thirty-two, while Luo Biao was already over a hundred. Age had weakened him, and his True Qi was being depleted extremely quickly.

In a drawn-out battle, Tang Yuan might very well turn the tables and kill him.

Luo Biao kept stamping his foot as if by accident, testing whether the Eight Trigrams Earth-Fixing Formation had failed yet.

His light-arrow talismans would only last a few more breaths, and Luo Biao was less than five zhang away.

What was he supposed to do?!

The Mystic Spoon could only turn back time by half a finger snap once a day.

The other part of the Earth Flood Dragon's "rent" was helping Tang Yuan make a Replica Clone.

The Mystic Spoon could also summon the Replica Clone, but Tang Yuan didn't want to use it yet.

Steeling himself, Tang Yuan threw a smoke talisman ahead and to his left.

Bang!

Smoke rose, blocking the view of the cultivators watching the show.

"Li Household siblings, I, Tang Yuan, just risked my life to save your eldest brother.

Otherwise, he'd already be a pile of shattered bones.

Come and help! Let's all attack together!" Tang Yuan transmitted his voice toward the rear right.

They were close enough that Luo Biao heard Tang Yuan's voice transmission as well.

"Hahaha, Tang Yuan, I think you really have gone mad.

You're counting on those four rookies, who don't even qualify as early-stage Meridian Opening cultivators, to help you?

Hahaha, look at them. They're so scared they're about to cry." Luo Biao laughed disdainfully, but seeing that the smoke Tang Yuan had produced was blocking his view, he was also somewhat worried that the market master might shoot at him from hiding. His eyes turned, and he said gently:

"It seems the Spiritual Qi in that jade bottle really is extraordinarily valuable, enough to tempt even Junior Brother Tang.

Why should we fellow disciples kill each other and let someone else profit?

Junior Brother Tang, how about this...

I can swear a Mystic Spirit Incantation Oath to act as though nothing happened and let bygones be bygones.

We'll split the contents of Skinny's Storage Bag equally.

Once we've killed the four members of the Li Household, we brothers can split the Spiritual Qi in the jade bottle equally too.

If the two of us join forces, we won't have to fear the market master either."

"No!

I, Tang Yuan, am protecting the four siblings of the Li Household today!

Even if a True Person at the Heavenly Gate realm came here, I'd still say the same!" Tang Yuan stood firm with his saber held across him, his soul-summoning banner fluttering in the wind.

He had no choice. His light-arrow talismans were gone,

and when Luo Biao had stamped his foot just now, the ground had visibly trembled. The Eight Trigrams Earth-Fixing Formation had failed.

If he kept fighting at range with the Fireball Technique, he would only be at a disadvantage.

Now he could only fight at close quarters and meet force with force.

"Hahaha, guess how many moves it'll take me to claim your life.

If you can withstand ten of my moves, I'll let you off today.

Tang Yuan, come on!

Let's have a good, satisfying close-quarters fight, fellow disciples!" Luo Biao's eyes were blood-red, his devil saber in hand and his soul-summoning banner at his side.

He disdained attacking from afar with fire cultivation methods, preferring to trade slashes at close range

and savor the thrill of flesh and blood flying as he hacked Tang Yuan into mincemeat, one stroke at a time.

"Senior Brother Luo, forgive my crude display!" Without hesitation, Tang Yuan leaped from the ground, gripped his saber in both hands, gathered Spiritual Qi, and chopped at Luo Biao.

Luo Biao smiled disdainfully, but didn't dare be careless. He held his saber crosswise to meet the blow head-on.

Clang!

The two sabers collided, sending sparks flying.

Tang Yuan and Luo Biao pressed their sabers against each other, locked in a contest of strength.

But gradually, the devil saber in Luo Biao's hand crept closer to Tang Yuan's neck...

"Li Household siblings, if you don't act now, when will you?" Tang Yuan had already sensed Li Laosan take out a purple mirror behind him. He tilted his head and raised his Golden Light Shield again.

Tang Yuan thought, If the Li Household siblings still don't help, I'll have to summon my clone to help me.

Whoosh!

A streak of purple mystic light brushed past his ear and sliced Luo Biao's head clean off.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Tang Yuan's devil saber fell again and again, hacking Luo Biao into several pieces. At last, he collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.

"Ah...

Big Brother Tang Yuan, your senior brother's wounds are slowly healing, and the pieces of his body are joining back together!

Could it be that once you devil-path cultivators reach the Qi Refining Realm,

you can't be killed?" the young girl Li Si cried in terror...