Chapter 224: Duel of Spells
A great disturbance erupted from Yuling Island.
"Not good, the robber cultivators are here!"
"Hide quickly, these robber cultivators are mainly targeting the Lu Clan."
Amidst the spreading chaos, many low-level drifting cultivators on the island fled in terror.
These rampaging robber cultivators were not forces they could meddle with.
As the Lu Clan activated its formation barrier, brilliant light burst forth.
At the same time, the spirit ship of the robber cultivators blasted a pillar of mana light.
A group of vicious robber cultivators shouted as they stormed onto Yuling Island.
"Brothers, pillage this island! Be swift!"
"Haha, Boss, that second-rank high-grade Talisman Master is ours to handle."
"And also..."
Upon landing, the robber cultivators immediately divided their tasks and charged at their targets.
Once again, the Lu Clan faced the threat of extermination.
Madam Lu remained calm despite the crisis. Though only at early Foundation Establishment, she arranged the clan's defense measures with composure.
Hundreds of robber cultivators surged onto the island. Yet the greatest chaos came from the seemingly harmless drifting cultivators.
In the mayhem, many low-level cultivators—usually spirit farmers or minor craftsmen—could no longer hide their greed.
One after another, they set their sights on their neighbors, even long-time friends.
...
Inside his own cave abode, Lin Chang’an’s brows were furrowed with a hint of killing intent.
"Someone really dares to seek death."
Sensing something through his divine sense, Lin Chang’an sneered. So, someone truly came to die.
Outside his cave abode, three Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived excitedly. One of them, a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator, laughed heartily:
"This must be the cave of that second-rank high-grade Talisman Master on the island. There's bound to be plenty of spirit stones and materials."
A second-rank high-grade Talisman Master’s wealth would certainly be considerable.
The other two cultivators immediately revealed greedy expressions.
Within the formation barrier, Lin Chang’an naturally saw the figures of the three robber cultivators—one of them was even an old acquaintance.
"Isn’t that Fellow Daoist Ping? It’s been a while. Congratulations on your cultivation progress. But why do you look so aged?"
With a calm smile, Lin Chang’an’s words made the mid Foundation Establishment cultivator leading the way flush with anger.
"You bastard Lin! Back then, you all stood by and watched as the three families, including mine, were driven out by the Lu Clan. Today, old and new grudges will be settled—I’ll take your dog head!"
This Ping-surnamed cultivator was once a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Ping Family, one of the three families. Though years had passed, he had broken through to mid Foundation Establishment.
However, the aged look on his face clearly showed signs of cultivating a technique that burned potential for rapid advancement.
"Attack! That Lin bastard also has a second-rank Azure-Horned Bull. Be careful, everyone."
"Haha, the more treasures he has, the happier we’ll be."
"Begin!"
The three Foundation Establishment cultivators wore savage grins. In the next moment, they each pulled out a second-rank high-grade Restriction-Breaking Talisman and simultaneously unfurled eerie black flags.
Seeing this, Lin Chang’an frowned.
Restriction-Breaking Talismans—no way ordinary cultivators could possess them in such numbers without backing from a powerful force.
Under the strange power of the three talismans, Lin Chang’an feigned an expression of shock and fury.
"Impossible!"
A breach a dozen feet wide tore open in the formation barrier. The three black flags swayed, releasing waves of ghostly mist.
Sinister spirits surged into the formation with greedy howls.
"Haha! We’ve roamed the seas for decades. Without means like these, how could we dare assault an island?"
Though strong, even robber cultivators wouldn’t dare attack a formation without some trump cards.
As the formation shattered, the three guided their sinister spirits forward and charged in.
"Courting death!"
Just as they stepped into the formation, the panic on Lin Chang’an’s face vanished, replaced by a flash of killing light.
Beside him, the Azure-Horned Bull let out a furious roar. The pressure of a late second-rank spirit beast burst forth.
"Late second-rank spirit pet?! Impossible!"
The Ping-surnamed cultivator was startled by the scene, then filled with bitter envy.
"Damn it! Lin, with power like this, you still watched us fall without helping. Our families should never have shown you kindness!"
The trio had assumed victory was within their grasp. Yet the tables turned in an instant.
A Blood Fiend Energy formation suddenly enveloped them, trapping all inside.
"Impossible!"
"This isn’t a second-rank formation. Damn it! Retreat!"
"Call for help, quick!"
Terror overwhelmed them—they hadn’t expected things to shift so drastically.
Then came the shrill cry of a golden firebird.
In an instant, all the sinister spirits within the formation were consumed. As the flames rushed forth, Lin Chang’an coldly commanded, "Leave them whole."
The Wind-Chirp Bird shrank from three-zhang in size to palm-sized, streaking forward like golden lightning.
A third-rank demon beast, equivalent to a Golden Core cultivator.
"Impossible!"
Their defensive magical artifacts were pierced instantly. One of the cultivators felt his life ebbing away, staring in disbelief.
At that moment, his heart was filled with confusion. How could there be a third-rank demon beast here?
Wasn’t this guy just a rogue cultivator? A second-rank high-grade Talisman Master? How could he possess a third-rank spirit pet?
Choking on blood, the robber cultivator collapsed to the ground. The light in his eyes faded.
"No! Fellow Daoist Lin, spare me!"
The Ping-surnamed cultivator stared in horror at the third-rank spirit pet, completely losing the will to resist.
"Fellow Daoist Lin, have you forgotten? I once gifted you spirit wine. I..."
Bathed in golden light, his mana shield was instantly shattered. Without even a moment of pain, his pupils reflected the Wind-Chirp Bird flying off with his storage pouch.
In the blink of an eye, the three Foundation Establishment robber cultivators fell under the assault of the Wind-Chirp Bird.
"The moment you chose me as your target, you and I became mortal enemies."
Throughout, Lin Chang’an had remained cold and indifferent.
His connection with the three families had always been shallow. Originally, he hadn’t planned to intervene in this looting.
But since they came after him, he saw no reason to hold back.
"Master!"
The Wind-Chirp Bird returned swiftly, cheerfully offering the storage pouches and magical artifacts of the three.
Glancing over them, Lin Chang’an shook his head.
"As expected, robber cultivators never have much on them."
Only those who had just finished a raid carried wealth.
But it was understandable—robber cultivators lived on the edge. Any resources they acquired were used immediately to strengthen themselves.
Be it for cultivation or power, few would stockpile wealth.
Only those preparing for Core Formation or hoarding resources for descendants might do so, and they were rare.
Frowning slightly at the magical artifacts, Lin Chang’an muttered,
"Next time, try not to damage the artifacts."
"Yes, Master." The Wind-Chirp Bird spread its wings excitedly. Having been kept hidden for so long, it finally had a chance to stretch its body.
After everything was done, Lin Chang’an’s expression remained indifferent. He extended his hand, and the tendrils of his life-bound spirit plant slowly emerged, probing the lingering memories of the trio.
Scenes flashed by like illusions. Finally, Lin Chang’an opened his eyes, a glint of coldness within.
"Robber cultivators... Five Dragon Island... They dare plan to loot the entire Yuling Island?"
Though these three didn’t know much, they were aware their leader answered to someone on Five Dragon Island. Every operation required them to hand over a third of the spoils.
That explained why they had run rampant for years without being eradicated.
"I hadn’t intended to meddle in this affair... but unfortunately, you chose to target the whole Yuling Island."
At this moment, Lin Chang’an looked toward Yuling Island and frowned at the sight of the rampaging robber cultivators.
"If the Lu Clan gets overrun, facing so many robber cultivators, it’ll be hard not to get exposed. Might as well take this chance to assist the Lu Clan—then they’ll be the ones standing at the front."
As for the three robber cultivators who had died miserably in his cave abode, that was even better.
At most, he would only be exposing his formation.
After all, back when he was in Yue Kingdom, he had already shown considerable talent in formations. He was also a second-rank high-grade Talisman Master and had run a black market.
Having a powerful trump-card formation was perfectly normal.
With that thought, Lin Chang’an took a deep breath and no longer hesitated. He stored away the Wind-Chirp Bird and Azure-Horned Bull, altered his mana aura using the Bloodthirsty Poison Vine, and directly rushed in the direction of the robber cultivators.
"Right now, Talisman Master Lin on the island is inside his cave abode, using a formation to fight to the death against three robber cultivators!"
Behind Lin Chang’an’s calm smile, he had never once intended to expose himself to aid the Lu Clan.
...
"Kill them all!"
Amidst the rampant chaos, the area around the spirit ship docked at the island’s edge echoed with the bloodthirsty laughter of the robber cultivators.
Just then, a Foundation Establishment cultivator clad in a black robe and speaking with a raspy voice suddenly launched a sneak attack from behind.
"Poison! Be careful, he’s carrying a deadly poison!"
Screams rang out as Lin Chang’an, disguised with the mana aura of the Bloodthirsty Poison Vine, now took on the identity of none other than Huang Shaohai from the Palace of Blazing Fire.
Among Qi Refining cultivators, those who came into contact with the deadly poison on his body turned purple and let out agonizing screams.
"Stop! Who are you!?"
Onboard the spirit ship, two Foundation Establishment cultivators shouted in fury.
The unexpected disruption—an invading poison cultivator suddenly slaughtering left and right—left the robber cultivators seething.
Before arriving, they had never heard of such a figure on Yuling Island.
"Jie jie jie... You pack of robber cultivators, plundering and slaughtering—it's time to settle accounts for Spirit Serpent Island!"
Lin Chang’an’s voice rang sharp and raspy, appearing crazed, as if he bore a deep-seated grudge.
"Damn it! He’s a remnant from Spirit Serpent Island! Kill him!"
The sudden appearance of a single Foundation Establishment cultivator didn’t disrupt the robbers’ plans.
After all, being bandits, they were long used to unpredictable situations.
Thus, the two Foundation Establishment cultivators outside the ship immediately joined forces to attack.
"Impossible!"
As soon as they engaged, both their expressions changed drastically. This mid Foundation Establishment poison cultivator’s swordplay was chillingly fierce.
Every strike avoided their powerful attacks and countered from unexpected angles.
Clearly, he had abundant combat experience.
He even fought in a relentless, self-sacrificing style—ignoring defense to land his blows. A rare type, even among robber cultivators.
Still, this suited Lin Chang’an’s disguise perfectly.
"You scum who ride roughshod under Five Dragon Island, I’ve become this way crawling out from the depths of the underworld. I’ll kill every last one of you!"
With Lin Chang’an’s raspy roar, his terrifying sword intent made cold sweat run down their backs.
"Pfft!"
Blood sprayed. One robber cultivator had his defensive artifact knocked away and his chest pierced. His face changed drastically.
"Damn it!"
The next moment, his complexion visibly turned dark, lips purple.
Despite hurriedly swallowing a detox pill in panic, his mana began to coagulate.
"Die!"
With a cold gaze, Lin Chang’an saw that the two had been dragged into battle and no others were interrupting. He let out a cold shout.
Two powerful sword beams shot out instantly.
Blood splattered. The two looked in shock at their shattered artifacts.
Only now did they realize—the opponent had been holding back all along.
With such force, he likely had Pseudo Core cultivation.
A Pseudo Core cultivator pretending to be mid Foundation Establishment—damn it!
The sudden reversal left the last Foundation Establishment cultivator on the spirit ship stunned as he watched his companions die from afar.
"No! Activate the ship’s formation barrier!"
Having collected the two storage pouches, Lin Chang’an looked at the defensive golden barrier now surrounding the spirit ship. His expression remained calm as he pulled out a Quasi–third-rank Restriction-Breaking Talisman.
"A Restriction-Breaking Talisman!"
The Foundation Establishment cultivator on the ship turned pale. That aura—it really was a Quasi–third-rank Restriction-Breaking Talisman!
Damn it! How could a common cultivator have such a thing?
Moreover, the ship’s barrier was unlike a cave abode formation.
Most spirit ship barriers only had defense and offense—no trapping or killing functions.
As the talisman blasted open a massive breach, Lin Chang’an rushed aboard.
His poison was fatal to Qi Refining cultivators—none could resist it.
Even Foundation Establishment cultivators were horrified.
"Signal the boss! The spirit ship’s in danger!"
A burst of light exploded in the night sky. Amid the chaos within the Lu Clan stronghold, one group of robber cultivators turned pale at the sight.
"No! The spirit ship’s in danger—retreat!"
"You bastard Tie! You’re breaking the agreement!"
"Damn it! It’s clearly a trap! Retreat and regroup!"
The two robber groups were furious, thinking they had been lured away so someone could ambush their ship.
If the ship was lost, they would be like turtles in a jar.
Just as the Lu Clan’s formation barrier had been breached and both sides were locked in fierce battle, the robber cultivators suddenly began to retreat.
"Patriarch! What’s going on with the robber cultivators!?"
"Don’t panic. Reset the formation barrier, treat the wounded, and send out a distress signal."
Though Madam Lu didn’t know what had happened, she calmly made the best possible decision.
Meanwhile, aboard the spirit ship, Lin Chang’an had finished looting and found little of value. He cursed under his breath.
If not for fear that the Lu Clan might suffer too greatly—leaving no one to block the front line—
The best move would have been to sit back and reap the spoils.
"What a pity for this spirit ship!"
Reluctant, Lin Chang’an sighed. The vessel was worth a fortune, but he couldn’t take it with him.
He ruthlessly unleashed sword beams to destroy the key formations and carved large holes into the hull.
Seawater immediately began pouring in. The spirit ship visibly sank, hitting the reef at the sea bottom.
By the time Lin Chang’an fled, a group of robber cultivators arrived—only to find the ship wrecked and strewn with corpses.
They cursed furiously.
"Damn it! Our ship!"
"Boss, it’s bad. The brothers were poisoned to death. The whole ship’s contaminated."
The leading boss stomped in rage, but there was nothing he could do.
They had no choice but to flee using flight artifacts.
Board another group's ship?
Even if invited, they wouldn’t dare.
Who knew if they’d get backstabbed and looted?