Lingyanzi circled around above the rippling green waves of Lake Wangyue. Holding up the Ziyan Spiritual Shroud to withstand the attacks of the two men, he changed direction and doubled back, turning over thoughts in his mind:
"If that man was deceiving me and lured me in with empty words, I will probably die here today..."
Yet glancing back at the two men from Changxiao Gate behind him, terror seized his heart. Gritting his teeth, he flew along the contours of the mountains, thinking to himself:
"There is no other way right now. I can only place my trust in him. One way or another, it is death... If Ziqi Peak loses me, my junior brothers and sisters will surely find the days ahead hard to endure."
Before long, a large white banyan tree appeared beneath his feet. Lingyanzi's eyes lit up, and he hurried to descend. Suspecting nothing amiss, the two behind him followed him down onto the mountain.
"The scenery here is picturesque—a fine place to bury your bones!"
The two from Changxiao Gate sneered. But upon noticing another person standing beneath the tree, they frowned and called out one after another:
"Who are you, sir? We are conducting business on behalf of Changxiao Gate. Step aside, if you please."
Li Tongya, however, looked toward Lingyanzi. Seeing him deathly pale and on the verge of collapse, he raised a hand and tossed over a bottle of Qi-replenishing pills, saying softly:
"Fellow Daoist, please rest. Leave these two to me."
"How arrogant!"
Startled and enraged, the two men from Changxiao Gate came forward wielding their dharma swords. Li Tongya drew his sword and rose into motion; a pure white Lunar Crescent Sword Arc surged forth with tremendous force. With two sharp clangs, it swept their dharma swords aside by a zhang.
"His swordcraft is decent indeed."
While the fellow disciples from Changxiao Gate were still wondering which of the Three Sects and Seven Gates he hailed from, Li Tongya had already pressed the opening advantage of the Lunar Crescent Sword Art as usual, sweeping out more than a dozen arcs of sword qi and using his vast, surging true essence to suppress them with sheer force.
Wary and apprehensive, the two from Changxiao Gate were genuinely kept under pressure for a time. Having pursued their quarry across great distances, their own reserves of true essence were running low. Growing anxious, Yuyunzi sent a voice transmission using his magic power to Yuhezi:
"Junior Brother! This man hides his face, so we do not know what faction he belongs to. His swordcraft is rather impressive, and who knows what trump cards he possesses. Why don't we let him go and leave... It is just such a pity about that Ziyan Spiritual Shroud, when it was practically within our grasp..."
Though his junior brother Yuhezi's cultivation was inferior to his, he was the one who made decisions. He replied with magic power as well:
"Who else could he be? Most likely, he is from the Lijing Li family. The Lijing Li family is said to be renowned for their sword arts—does that not match him perfectly? These small clans usually possess only one or two inheritances. Do not be fooled by his superb swordsmanship; in other aspects, he is certainly no match for you and me. Once we gain the upper hand, we will force him away. Just do not call out his identity—calling it out would turn this into a fight to the death!"
Having made up their minds, the two locked into a stalemate with Li Tongya. But after barely a dozen exchanges on Yuyunzi's side, his whole body suddenly tightened, and sharp pain sliced across his face like blades. He immediately cried out:
"Underhanded trick!"
A stack of talismans in his hand ignited without wind. Just as several layers of light barriers formed around Yuyunzi, a piercing shriek already assaulted his ears. The shields around him shattered with a bang, and as if struck hard by a massive hammer, he was knocked flying far back through the air.
Seeing his elder brother so battered and disheveled, Yuhezi felt a chill in his heart. Gritting his teeth, he called out:
"Senior Brother!"
Li Tongya's sword-light pressed in at once, knocking his dharma sword aside. Li Xuanfeng's arrows also crashed in one after another; though not as devastating as the first arrow charged with full strength, they still drove the two into utter disarray and made them consider retreat.
Off to the side, Lingyanzi stared in astonishment. He had never expected Li Tongya could truly hold back both men on his own, and now the tide had even turned toward turning the tables and slaying them. He quickly shouted:
"Brother, do not take their lives... Disciples of Changxiao Gate possess Retracing Seals that mark whoever kills them! Let me finish the two of them off!"
Hearing this, the two became all the more terrified. Hurriedly conjuring dharma shields and talismans, they brought out their respective bottom-of-the-trunk spells. Yuyunzi produced a jade bead shimmering with white light, while Yuhezi kindled a glowing red flame upon his sword, temporarily holding Li Tongya and Li Xuanfeng at bay in a tense deadlock.
Hearing this, Li Tongya formed a much better impression of Lingyanzi. He nodded inwardly, pondering:
'Since Changxiao Gate possesses such means, Lingyanzi's Ziyan Gate likely has something similar. This has broadened our horizons indeed. Still... while such methods seem good, they do nothing more than tie an opponent's hands when fighting. If they ever encounter a truly formidable foe, having their limbs broken and their cultivation crippled before being fed to monstrous beasts would achieve the same end.'
Lingyanzi had already stepped forward to join the fray. The gleaming purple spiritual shroud enveloped him, neutralizing all of the enemy's attacks. Sensing that things were going poorly, the two fellow disciples exchanged a look, mounted their flying shuttles, and prepared to flee.
"Where do you think you're fleeing!"
Lingyanzi ground his teeth in fury, clearly loathing the two to the bone. With a cold laugh, he stirred the spirit bead in his hand. The Ziyan Spiritual Shroud rustled and abruptly expanded outward, locking all four of them within like a grand formation and completely shattering any hope of escape.
Finding himself within another's formation, Li Tongya remained inwardly vigilant, even as he praised aloud:
"Truly a fine treasure!"
"Worthy of a Foundation Establishment-grade magical artifact..."
Panicking, the two men spat a couple of curses. Li Tongya was already advancing with his sword. Li Xuanfeng's arrows could not penetrate the formation to support him, but Lingyanzi harassed them from the flank. With the magic power of the two Changxiao Gate cultivators nearly exhausted, their faces turned grim and sickly.
"Fellow Daoist, whatever Lingyanzi promised you, the two of us can offer you as well! Slaying us will only bring Changxiao Gate's pursuit upon you. Why not let this go? We can act as though we never met today..."
Li Tongya swung his longsword forward, thrusting it straight toward Yuyunzi's abdomen. His magic power spent, Yuyunzi could barely keep his balance in midair. With a face full of pleading desperation, he naturally could not dodge.
"Aaaagh!"
The dharma sword remained unsullied by blood as it passed in and out of his midsection. His intestines and stomach spilled out with a wet rush. At the Qi Refinement stage, one was hardly an immortal; pain was still pain, and agony was still agony. The torment made Yuyunzi's beard tremble, his face turn deathly pale, and cold sweat pour down his brow.
Lingyanzi parried Yuhezi's dharma sword and struck backhanded, lopping off Yuyunzi's fine head. The headless body and head plummeted to the ground together. Having vented his fury, Lingyanzi felt thoroughly invigorated, as if he had just downed five bowls of spicy broth in a single gulp, his face likewise dripping with sweat.
Closing in and ignoring Yuhezi's desperate pleas for mercy, Lingyanzi hacked him into several pieces as well. He laughed:
"What a relief! Truly delightful!"
Li Tongya gripped his sword and watched him, his sword art primed to strike at a moment's notice. Vigilantly, he said:
"Fellow Daoist, unravel this grand formation quickly."
Inwardly, he thought:
'This Ziyan Spiritual Shroud is so extraordinary that it tempts the heart. Lingyanzi is already at his wit's end, his lamp drained of oil... What if...'
Lingyanzi gave an awkward smile and dismantled the formation formed by the Ziyan Spiritual Shroud. Seeing Li Tongya move to pick up the two storage bags, he cried out urgently:
"Absolutely not!"
Li Tongya raised an eyebrow in question, and Lingyanzi explained softly:
"Disciples of the Three Sects and Seven Gates often craft artifact tokens that work in tandem with formations on their storage bags to record all visual memories from the last time the bag was opened up to the present. If someone who is not the rightful master opens the storage bag, the artifact token will vanish like smoke, and within moments, the entire Changxiao Gate will know who killed their disciples!"
Li Tongya felt a shock of alarm. He recalled that Li Chijing had indeed displayed such a token when returning to the lake years ago, so there was probably truth to this. He thought to himself:
'The Three Sects and Seven Gates have passed down their legacies for thousands of years; they truly possess some formidable methods. No wonder everyone fears their disciples. I was even harboring some greed after seeing how extraordinary the Ziyan Spiritual Shroud was, but having already offended Changxiao Gate now, it would be far better to befriend Lingyanzi...'
He cupped his hands and said:
"Many thanks for the warning, Fellow Daoist."
"Not at all, not at all! It is I who must thank you, Fellow Daoist... Along the way, I encountered ten rogue cultivators and six clans, yet only the Li family extended a helping hand. I am endlessly grateful!"
Lingyanzi answered in all seriousness. Hearing this, Li Tongya smiled faintly, though he could not help but think wryly:
'Has the trouble not been kicked squarely into our Li family's lap? Having killed these two yet being unable to open their storage bags, I must pry something out of this man's hands as compensation. I cannot let this trip have been for nothing.'
By this time, Li Xuanfeng had already ridden the wind down and landed. Li Tongya cupped his hands and said with a smile:
"Why doesn't Senior come with me to the Li family for a visit?"
Lingyanzi initially intended to decline, but on second thought, he reflected:
'If he wanted to kill me, a single strike earlier would have sufficed; he would have had no need to lure me into a trap. It seems he truly wishes to form ties with me. I might as well go and visit.'
Chapter 151