Disguised as Xiaodie, the Opera-Beckoning Matron walked up beside the projected image of the Devotion-Claiming Elder.
The projector was extremely nervous. The target was a high-tier Opera Cultivator; lingering even a moment longer risked exposing the illusion.
Meng Yuchun was furious, wishing she could charge forward right now and tear the Opera-Beckoning Matron into ten thousand pieces.
Li Banfeng remained calm. The next ten seconds were critical.
The Opera-Beckoning Matron looked at the "Devotion-Claiming Elder" and said, "Did you hear me? I said I've succeeded."
With a sudden sweep of his hand, the "Devotion-Claiming Elder" slashed the Opera-Beckoning Matron across the face at blistering speed.
Clutching his cheek, the Opera-Beckoning Matron gasped in shock, "You old bastard, playing dirty!"
The Devotion-Claiming Elder's expression twisted viciously, and he raised his hand to strike again.
The Opera-Beckoning Matron shouted, "Don't you dare! I never accepted any devotion from you!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the Opera-Beckoning Matron turned on his heels and bolted.
He feared the Devotion-Claiming Elder might give chase. Whether or not he had ever accepted a devotion from the old man, he couldn't say for sure—and that wasn't something to gamble on!
*You old dog of an elder! I came looking for you out of goodwill, yet you want to kill me and claim the bounty all for yourself!*
*Since you're so merciless, don't blame me for being ruthless. I'll tell everyone you've been colluding with Meng Yuchun and see if you can talk your way out of that!*
As he ran, his steps grew unsteady, and his vision blurred slightly.
*What a vicious old thief, actually putting poison on his weapon.*
*What kind of weapon did he even use?*
*Fortunately, he didn't pursue. Looks like I truly never accepted any devotion from him; he can't collect his debt, nor can he outrun me.*
Forcing himself onward, the Opera-Beckoning Matron fled all the way out of Meng Yuchun's territory.
...
Li Banfeng put away the projector.
Meng Yuchun said anxiously, "You shouldn't have let him escape! That dog of a thief knows where I live!"
Li Banfeng's expression was calm. "This wasn't something that could be hidden forever in the first place."
Meng Yuchun cursed in regret. "Yes, blame me. I shouldn't have told the three of them about my dwelling."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "Even if you hadn't told the three of them, you couldn't have kept it secret. You're a local spirit; you can't move to another territory, and you can't move your dwelling. As long as someone is targeting you, finding your residence is only a matter of time."
Meng Yuchun sighed. "It seems I won't be able to keep this covenant deed, and I won't be able to defend this wretched place either."
"What do you mean you can't defend it? Kill the people targeting you, and won't you have defended it?"
Meng Yuchun said helplessly, "I don't even know who is targeting me right now."
"You'll know soon enough. Let's head back to the cavern first."
"Xiaodie was murdered by that bastard. Nine chances out of ten, she's dead." At that thought, Meng Yuchun ground her teeth in rage.
"Not necessarily," Li Banfeng replied, shaking his head. "At her age, she understands everything yet understands nothing. It's hard to say for sure."
Meng Yuchun blinked in confusion. "What do you mean by that? Isn't an Opera-Beckoning Matron a woman?"
Li Banfeng smiled without elaborating.
Back in the cavern, Meng Yuchun was eager to return to her dwelling to replenish her strength. "In a little while, I'll illuminate the borders. If anyone dares intrude, I'll shatter them to pieces."
"A hundred-li territory—how long can you maintain that?"
"I should be able to hold it for a night."
"And tomorrow night?"
"Rest for a day, then defend again the next night!"
"Can you defend it for a lifetime? Didn't I tell you that's useless?" Li Banfeng held up the projector and began filming in the cavern.
...
The Opera-Beckoning Matron stumbled to the foot of a sheer cliff, repeatedly bowing and kowtowing. After a long wait, a ball of green fire appeared on the cliff above.
The Opera-Beckoning Matron wheezed with difficulty, "I found Meng Yuchun's dwelling! The Devotion-Claiming Elder is colluding with Meng Yuchun—he tried to kill me!"
The ghostly flame hovered for a moment before a muffled voice rang out: "Lead the way. Mobilize."
*So urgent?*
Of course it had to be urgent. The Devotion-Claiming Elder was colluding with Meng Yuchun, the secret was out, and Meng Yuchun could strike at any moment.
The Opera-Beckoning Matron said, "I've been poisoned. I can barely walk."
The ghostly flame circled briefly and dropped a medicinal pill.
The Opera-Beckoning Matron picked up the pill and swallowed it; his body quickly recovered.
...
In the cavern, Li Banfeng held the female axe, carefully observing its changes.
It was his first time using this spiritual item, and he had no idea what to expect.
Around two in the morning, the female axe gradually grew warm, then almost scalding hot.
The lover had arrived.
The Opera-Beckoning Matron had already reached the vicinity of the cavern. Pointing toward it, he said to the ball of ghostly fire beside him, "Meng Yuchun lives in that cavern."
Twenty-six anomalies accompanied the ghostly fire, their cultivation ranging from tier four to tier six, along with two tier-seven roaming anomalies.
The ghostly fire commanded, "Go draw Meng Yuchun out. Leave the rest to me."
The words carried an imposing aura, making it sound as though he were shouldering everything alone.
The real reason was that he knew Meng Yuchun was a Dwelling Cultivator, and he had no desire to fight a Dwelling Cultivator inside her own residence.
His tactic was simple: lure Meng Yuchun out first, have the anomalies entangle her, then slip into the dwelling to eliminate the dwelling spirit and unearth the covenant deed.
By then, Meng Yuchun would be in despair, and killing or capturing her would be as easy as turning over a hand.
Having received their orders, the anomalies crept into the cavern one after another.
The Opera-Beckoning Matron led the way, pointing at an opening in the rock face and gesturing to the group.
The others took the cue, slinking silently toward the entrance.
At this moment, the female axe trembled incessantly, like someone flustered and breathless upon meeting her beloved.
Li Banfeng silently opened the Portable Abode.
A man unfurled bat-like wings and was the first to fly into the cave.
Once in, he never came back out.
There was no Meng Yuchun inside this cave—only Li Banfeng.
Had the Opera-Beckoning Matron mistaken the place?
Yes, he had indeed mistaken the place.
This cavern was not Meng Yuchun's dwelling. It was a cave Li Banfeng had excavated using the Severing Paths to Open Roads technique.
The projector was currently projecting from the cavern's highest point, subtly altering the layout of the entire space.
The Opera-Beckoning Matron had sensed that a few things looked slightly off, but the general location was undeniably correct.
Besides, the bat had already flown inside; it was best not to voice uncertainties.
Li Banfeng snatched the bat man, used the creature's forward momentum, and hurled him directly into the Portable Abode.
*Is this guy the mastermind?*
Apparently, there was more than one.
After the bat man, a python slithered up. Li Banfeng grabbed the snake and threw it into the Portable Abode as well.
After the python came a stag beetle. This beetle was formidable—fast and vicious—nearly pinching Li Banfeng with its mandibles.
The Tang dao stepped in to assist, pinning the stag beetle and shoving it into the Portable Abode.
Li Banfeng said, "Striking heads with every cut—a fierce battle is upon us, aren't you going to stay a bit longer?"
"My Lord, I'm busy! I'll come assist you again shortly!"
He truly was busy; everyone inside the Portable Abode was swamped from top to bottom.
"Vicious woman, are you done eating yet? There's a line waiting!"
"Hold that beetle down first! I haven't finished this bat yet!"
"Always so picky, insisting on eating them alive!"
Two centipedes more than ten meters long crawled in next. Li Banfeng called out, "Form a line, keep order!"
After the centipedes came a stalk of bamboo.
Was this a bamboo stalk or a stick insect?
Never mind, let the wife figure it out. Next!
Hong Ying shouted from inside the room, "Vicious woman, eat faster! The room can't hold any more!"
Out of twenty-five anomalies, eighteen had gone in, and not one had emerged.
A roaming anomaly covered in vines barked at the Opera-Beckoning Matron, "Did you fucking get the wrong place?"
The Opera-Beckoning Matron shook his head vigorously. "The place isn't wrong! It's right here!"
He couldn't admit it—he couldn't admit it even if it killed him!
Another roaming anomaly dressed like a cook lowered his voice: "Looks like we walked into an ambush."
The two roaming anomalies were hired hands. Realizing things were amiss, they turned around and fled without looking back.
The moment they ran, the other anomalies wanted to follow. The group rushed toward the mouth of the cavern, but it was already too late.
Meng Yuchun was still waiting in her dwelling.
At that moment, she stepped out of her dwelling, leapt down from the rock wall, and clenched her fists.
A halo of light flared up across the cavern entrance, forcing the cook rushing at the front to halt abruptly.
A rooster behind him couldn't brake in time and slammed straight into the halo of light; not a single feather remained.
Panic swept through the anomalies. Meng Yuchun stepped into view from within the cavern, her expression murderous. "Who sent you?"
The vine-covered roaming anomaly replied, "It's... it's Lord Mountain-Uprooter..."
In a situation like this, there was no point putting up resistance.
Meng Yuchun roared, "Who is Lord Mountain-Uprooter?"
How were they supposed to answer that?
Lord Mountain-Uprooter was her neighbor, the local spirit next door, yet she didn't even know that.
Meng Yuchun genuinely didn't know; ever since becoming a local spirit, she had never left her own territory.
At that moment, Lord Mountain-Uprooter stood on the hillside, awaiting news from inside the cavern.
The roaming anomaly in the chef's robe took out a pair of iron spatulas and clattered them together twice: *Clang! Clang!*
The vine anomaly stared at the cook in bewilderment. Those two clangs were the signal that they had succeeded.
Could their current situation be considered success?
Arguably, yes.
At the very least, they had drawn Meng Yuchun out of her dwelling.
Hearing the sound of the spatulas, Lord Mountain-Uprooter drifted forward and entered the cavern.
The original plan had been to take advantage of the melee in the cavern to slip straight into Meng Yuchun's dwelling, kill the dwelling spirit first, and then dig up the covenant deed.
Floating through the rugged cavern for only a short distance, Lord Mountain-Uprooter spotted a halo of light ahead and realized something was wrong.
Lord Mountain-Uprooter turned to flee, but Meng Yuchun let out a guttural shriek, and near the entrance, another ring of light surged up.
Ten meters beyond the entrance, yet another halo arose.
Rings of light rose one after another, overlapping layer upon layer.
Dwelling Cultivator technique: Shutting Doors and Barring Gates!
Lord Mountain-Uprooter was trapped.
"You bastard, why are you trying to ruin me?" Meng Yuchun spat at Lord Mountain-Uprooter. Within the cavern, tens of thousands of dewdrops scattered in every direction.
The dewdrops struck the anomalies, splattering blood everywhere. The lower-tier anomalies were riddled like sieves, dying instantly.
Even the higher-tier anomalies who dodged and parried suffered injuries.
A Water Cultivator technique?
Was Meng Yuchun a high-tier Water Cultivator?
The cook quickly realized the truth: Meng Yuchun wasn't a Water Cultivator. Her dwelling spirit was a Water Cultivator, and this was the Dwelling Cultivator technique, Sprawling Compound.
He raised two ladles to shield his body, huddling in a corner without daring to move a muscle.
The water droplets pierced through Lord Mountain-Uprooter, forcing the figure in the ghostly flame form to manifest in true shape.
Meng Yuchun stared at Lord Mountain-Uprooter, taken aback by what she saw.
With a name like Lord Mountain-Uprooter, one would expect a strapping brute with the strength to uproot mountains.
Yet before her stood a hunched, white-haired old woman leaning on a cane.
Wrinkles creased her face, accompanied by age spots of various shades, making her look as though she didn't have many days left to live.
"Why try to ruin me?" Meng Yuchun demanded sharply.
Lord Mountain-Uprooter offered no answer. She jabbed her cane against the ground, and boulders large and small throughout the cavern took flight, hurtling together toward Meng Yuchun.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The rocks shattered upon impact, kicking up a cloud of dust that veiled Meng Yuchun's figure.
When the dust cleared, Meng Yuchun brushed the stone chips from her clothes, glaring at Lord Mountain-Uprooter without a scratch on her.
Dwelling Cultivator technique: Benevolent Dwelling Heart.
Lord Mountain-Uprooter attempted to retreat, but the halo behind her was pressing in.
Meng Yuchun spat toward Lord Mountain-Uprooter once more, and a water giant over ten meters tall strode slowly toward the old woman.
Inside his cave, Li Banfeng listened to the commotion, gauging the battle outside.
A fight of this caliber was clearly not something he could intervene in.
*I'd better head back into the Portable Abode.*
*Then again, if I go into the Portable Abode now and leave the key here in this cave, it doesn't seem very safe.*
*If Meng Yuchun wins, everything is fine.*
*If Meng Yuchun loses, I'll have to find a way to escape.*
He decided to observe the situation a little longer. The ruckus outside grew louder and louder, and the Thread-Hook Earring trembled endlessly against his ear.
"Master, please go back inside. I'm scared."
"Scared or not, don't you dare wet yourself in terror. If you pee on my ear, I'll definitely never let you hear the end of it!"
After a dozen exchanges, Lord Mountain-Uprooter leaned on her cane, covered in wounds.
Although Lord Mountain-Uprooter was old, had they fought in another location, she might not have been at a disadvantage.
But this was Meng Yuchun's territory, right beside Meng Yuchun's dwelling. A Dwelling Cultivator on their own doorstep had too great an advantage.
Now she couldn't leave, nor could she win. Was there any way out alive?
Negotiate with Meng Yuchun?
Negotiation was off the table. While she still had some strength left, she had to gamble everything!
Lord Mountain-Uprooter looked at the Opera-Beckoning Matron.
Covered in blood, the Opera-Beckoning Matron glanced toward the cliff face.
This was to signal to Lord Mountain-Uprooter that Meng Yuchun's dwelling was right on the rock face. That was all he could do.
Lord Mountain-Uprooter calculated her remaining stamina.
Forcing her way through the barrier in front would cost thirty percent.
Rushing into the dwelling and forcibly slaying the dwelling spirit would exhaust the remaining seventy percent—and that assumed the dwelling spirit's caliber was far inferior to Meng Yuchun's.
With her very last breath, she would have to locate the covenant deed immediately and use it to hold Meng Yuchun hostage.
Calculating the whole sequence, the odds of success were infinitesimal.
To gamble, or not?
Listening from inside the cave, Li Banfeng noticed things outside had suddenly quieted down slightly.
Quiet was by no means a good omen; both sides were likely preparing lethal techniques.
He opened the door to the Portable Abode. Chaos reigned inside as the treasures frantically fought over food, while Hong Ying kept urging the gramophone to hurry up and eat.
The gramophone was too full to take another bite. Beating her gongs and drums, she sang in a delicate voice, "Oh my, why did so many come?"
On the battlefield, Lord Mountain-Uprooter made up her mind and charged straight into the halo.
She had no choice but to gamble.
There was only one halo in front of her.
Behind her, seven halos were closing in.
If washed over by those seven halos, Lord Mountain-Uprooter would have zero chance of survival.
The halo swept across the old woman's body, stripping away a layer of skin!
Her desperate charge startled Meng Yuchun. The old crone truly didn't care about her own life.
*Throwing your life away? Fine, I'll grant your wish!*
Meng Yuchun was about to strike when she saw the old woman wasn't charging at her, but bolting straight into the cave on the rock face.
Oh no!
Li Seven!
That was the cave where Li Seven was!
Li Banfeng had just stepped through the doorway and tossed the key out when he suddenly saw a mangled mass of bloody flesh crash straight into him.
*Thud!*
The impact slammed Li Banfeng right against the wall.
Lord Mountain-Uprooter scanned the room frantically, searching for the dwelling spirit.
Hearing the commotion, Hong Ying asked, "What is this thing?"
Scrambling up from the floor, Li Banfeng gasped for breath. "Yeah, what is this thing?"
All the treasures fell silent.
The wife let out a burp. "Oh my, Husband... I'm really going to get fat this time."
Chapter 313