Chapter 20: Counterattack

Li Quan stared intently at the girl’s back.

“You’re actually here!”

He was somewhat surprised that the girl had actually joined the Yin Yang Sect.

Li Quan’s voice was low, laced with murderous intent.

“For the grudge of my death, I will repay you 100 times over today!!”

Behind him followed five green-robed guards provided by the sect.

Two were Rank 8, two were Rank 9, and one was Rank 10.

They were responsible for the safety of the Son of Heaven’s Luck.

But… he did not choose to take revenge immediately.

Instead, he watched quietly from the side.

Li Quan had learned to be smart; he knew the girl was cunning and possessed many tricks.

He would let her fight the Blue Flood Dragon first.

When she was exhausted from the encounter, he would reap the benefits and torture her to death.

Li Quan’s calculation was very good this time.

During this time, Qing Ruanning exchanged several blows with the Grade 3 demonic beast, the Blue Flood Dragon.

Li Ze discovered that the Blue Flood Dragon was not only agile but also possessed incredibly tough outer scales.

Killing this creature would take a lot of effort, and their fight might attract surrounding disciples.

Li Ze sent a message to Qing Ruanning via mental transmission: ‘Fighting the dragon head-on isn’t as good as outsmarting it.’

‘In a moment, use the Thousand Sword Array you displayed last time to stall it. I’ll go grab the Blue Lotus!’

‘Once I have it, we’ll flee toward the stone forest to the east and shake it off!’

“Okay!”

A black and white Taiji array pattern appeared behind Qing Ruanning.

‘Little Nuo, this array consumes a lot of my energy. If there’s another battle later, I won’t be able to help.’

‘Just leave the rest to me!’

“THOUSAND SWORD ARRAY, RELEASE!”

With a crisp, loud cry, countless black and white ink-colored longswords erupted continuously from behind Qing Ruanning!!

Some white ink swords shattered upon hitting the Blue Flood Dragon, but several pierced into its flesh.

The continuous barrage of swords forced the dragon back, rendering it unable to counterattack.

“Quite clever. One person distracts the dragon while the other handles the harvesting.”

“Guards, listen up. Go to the east and set up an ambush.”

The sole Rank 10 guard said, “Master, they’re just a Rank 7 and a Rank 8. There’s no need for everyone to move.”

He spoke arrogantly.

“I can eliminate those two by myself!”

Li Quan only gave him a cold look.

“Are you the master?”

His tone grew heavier.

“Or am I the master!!”

The guards immediately did as Li Quan ordered.

By now, Li Ze’s figure had appeared in the middle of the pond.

He tucked the Blue Lotus into his storage bag.

“Go!”

The array pattern behind Qing Ruanning vanished, and a new one appeared beneath her feet as she fled at high speed.

The Blue Flood Dragon collapsed in the pond, still reeling from the attack.

When Li Ze reached the entrance of the mushroom forest, his divine sense suddenly detected someone 100 meters ahead.

He wanted to change direction and escape from the south.

But as he turned, he saw Li Quan standing right in front of him.

Then, the people lying in ambush emerged one after another.

A voice came from behind: “The little girl is quite alert!”

Qing Ruanning leaned closer to the girl.

Li Ze saw that among the six people, the lowest level was Rank 8, and there were two at Rank 10.

He was at a complete disadvantage, and Qing Ruanning had consumed too much mana.

If they didn’t run now, they would die here.

Li Ze secretly pulled out a yellow cinnabar talisman.

“Hmph, you’ve been waiting for a while, haven’t you!”

Before he could finish, a cloud of mist rapidly spread from Li Ze’s location.

Everyone’s vision was obscured by the fog.

Li Ze grabbed Qing Ruanning’s hand and quickly flew out of the encirclement, heading south.

“Pursue them!!”

Li Quan and the Rank 10 guard were the first to rush out of the mist, followed by the other four guards.

Li Ze sped away with Qing Ruanning.

Behind them, Li Quan’s roar was like thunder: “Capture them for me!”

A crimson spell pierced through the mist like a bolt of lightning, striking Qing Ruanning’s back.

She let out a muffled groan, her body went limp, and blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Her eyelashes fluttered a few times before she lost consciousness.

“Qing Ruanning!”

Li Ze whispered.

With a thought, Li Ze quickly placed her into the unique space within his spear.

The group was stunned.

Did this person actually have a storage bag that could hold living things?!

The five guards had already fanned out to surround them.

Li Quan floated in mid-air, his silver hair dancing in the wind, his eyes filled with frigid killing intent.

“Want to escape?”

He moved as he spoke, without the slightest hesitation.

Li Quan sneered.

“Today, I will peel your skin and pull out your bones!”

The girl did not answer.

The array pattern beneath her feet vanished, and an Earth Escape Talisman appeared on the ground.

The girl instantly sank, stepping onto the talisman.

Her figure vanished from everyone’s sight.

“An Earth Escape Talisman can only cover 1 li. Follow her! She can’t have gone far!”

Li Quan’s voice was freezing cold as he led the guards toward the valley to the south.

Li Ze moved rapidly underground through the dense forest.

The complex terrain of the valley ahead was a perfect spot for an ambush.

Her figure flashed as she hid in a rocky crevice, concealing her aura and holding her breath.

The six people flew into the valley.

Li Quan stood on a white flying sword.

“She stopped. She’s within a few miles of here. Search in pairs.”

Two Rank 8 guards flew their swords past the crevice.

Suddenly, a dark longspear thrust out from the gap, piercing both their necks in one stroke.

Before they could even scream, they were dead.

Li Ze used a purple-black soul banner to collect their souls.

‘I’ll take your souls with my compliments!’

The bodies were pulled into the crevice, unnoticed by the others.

Li Ze appeared behind another two people.

The longspear drew a black arc.

Bloodlines bloomed on the necks of the two guards simultaneously as they crashed to the ground.

In this way, Li Ze silently took care of all the Rank 8 and Rank 9 guards.

Now, only one Rank 10 guard and Li Quan remained.

Seeing how quiet it had become, Li Quan suddenly sensed something was wrong.

“Over here!”

The last guard tried to rush over, but a longspear suddenly thrust from the side.

His reactions were much faster than the others.

He blocked the fatal blow with his longsword.

The corners of Li Ze’s mouth curled up.

At the same time, a longsword pierced the guard’s body from behind.

Li Quan had not expected Li Ze to be behind him either.

By the time he heard the sounds of fighting, it was too late.

“You… who exactly are you?”

The Rank 10 guard’s voice trembled, his eyes full of terror.

This seemingly frail girl actually possessed such terrifying combat power.

Li Ze did not answer.

The longspear trembled slightly.

“Today, this valley shall be your burial ground.”

The longsword was pulled out, and his signs of life vanished with it.

Li Quan’s figure appeared before the girl.

Li Ze leisurely collected the man’s soul and said calmly, “You’re here.”

Li Quan looked at the corpses on the ground, his face ashen.

His voice was suppressed by rage: “Useless trash!”

“Five people killed by a Rank 7… they deserve to die!”

He looked at the girl.

“Truly interesting. At Rank 2, you killed my physical body once! Now, with only Rank 7 strength, you’ve killed five of my guards.”

Li Ze slowly turned around and flicked the longspear to clear the blood.

A cold smile touched the corner of his mouth.

“Li Quan, you’re next.”

“You are a decent opponent. Tell me your name so I can set up a tombstone for you after you die!”

The girl smiled faintly.

“There’s no harm in telling you. You’re about to die anyway.”

“Remember, my name is Li Ze!”

As soon as the words fell, the longspear struck out instantly, aiming for Li Quan’s vitals.

Li Quan held his white-green longsword in front of him, blocking the blow easily.

“Don’t be in such a hurry. I’m going to take my time killing you!”

Before he could finish, a massive net dropped from above…