Li Banfeng had no time to control them; Bao Yingchen was pressing too hard, and Li Banfeng barely had a chance to catch his breath.
He wanted to borrow a Technique from Hong Ying through the Deep House Technique, but he couldn’t establish a connection with her.
Although they were nominally two House Spirits, their tacit understanding was far too weak. It wasn’t clear if this was because they weren’t close enough or due to some other reason. Regardless, without prior agreement, it was very difficult for the Deep House Technique to succeed with Hong Ying.
Fortunately, Bao Yingchen wouldn’t be able to use the Passing Glance Technique again in a short time; the consumption from the last strike was too great.
But now that the Disciples of the Three Heroes Gang had withdrawn, Trample Over Thousands of Rivers need not be held back.
BOOM, BOOM...
Amidst the crowd, Bao Yingchen repeatedly launched Trample Over Thousands of Rivers. After a few minutes, the Cabbage People had been reduced to a pile of stems, but Bao Yingchen had not found Li Banfeng.
"Big Brother!" Third-in-command Yang Xingbo charged forward. "Where’s the kid?"
"Where?" Bao Yingchen gasped, giving Yang Xingbo a glance. "All this time, you didn’t come up to lend a hand?"
Yang Xingbo hurriedly explained, "Big Brother, you guys were fighting too fast. I really couldn’t get involved!"
It was indeed not easy for others to intervene in a conflict between high-level Traveling Cultivators. Yang Xingbo was a Seventh Layer Lust Cultivation practitioner and wasn’t known for his speed. Misusing a Technique could easily mess things up for Bao Yingchen.
But Bao Yingchen didn’t see it that way; he couldn’t trust anyone. Yang Xingbo’s recent actions definitely looked suspicious to him.
"Lead the brothers directly upstairs to find Li Qi. If you spot him, surround him and wait for my order."
Yang Xingbo pointed towards Xiaoyao Lodge. "He hasn’t escaped? Still in this place?"
Squinting, Bao Yingchen looked at Xiaoyao Lodge. "He’s made all these preparations just to fight to the death. He knows we’re coming, yet he hasn’t fled. That means he can’t escape."
Yang Xingbo glanced at the remains of the Cabbage People and asked, "Are these his preparations?"
Bao Yingchen nodded. "This must be some Craftsman Cultivation Magical Treasure, something like a Puppet. Moreover, this Li Qi has Sound Cultivator techniques. It’s unclear whether he has undertaken Dual Cultivation with the Taoist Sect or if it’s the effect of a Magical Treasure. You and the brothers should be careful."
Yang Xingbo was genuinely a bit intimidated. "Big Brother, why don’t we set fire to Xiaoyao Lodge and force Li Qi out!"
"No!" Bao Yingchen said sternly. "If the fire gets too big, it will spread to the surrounding area and lead to chaos. The more chaotic it gets, the more advantage Li Qi will have!"
Yang Xingbo said helplessly, "Big Brother, should we have some brothers block the back door?"
Bao Yingchen shook his head. "They won’t be able to block it."
Before he finished speaking, Bao Yingchen circled Xiaoyao Lodge’s building and used the Path-breaking Technique to block its back and side doors.
Yang Xingbo led his men towards the main entrance, but Bao Yingchen had blocked that too.
Turning back, Yang Xingbo said, "Big Brother, you’ve blocked the main entrance too. How are we going to get in?"
"Fool!" Bao Yingchen scolded. "Going through the main entrance, are you waiting to step into a trap? Go this way!"
He stepped forward and kicked the wall, opening a square hole in it. He had truly mastered the Path-breaking Technique.
And his guess was right; before they arrived, Li Banfeng had set traps at the front and back doors, but Bao Yingchen had made a door in the corridor wall, rendering Li Banfeng’s traps useless.
During the melee between the Cabbage People and the Disciples of the Three Heroes Gang, Li Banfeng had intended to engage Bao Yingchen for a while longer.
But once the Cabbage People could no longer hold out, Li Banfeng couldn’t tangle with Bao Yingchen anymore. Otherwise, he would have had to face not only Bao Yingchen but also directly confront Third-in-command Yang Xingbo and the remaining thirty or so tough guys.
Li Banfeng arrived at the large dance floor and ordered everyone to hide immediately.
Seeing Li Banfeng covered in wounds, Cao Zhida panicked. "Seventh Master, where else can we hide? Let’s just fight them."
There were a dozen or so Supports, the highest among them being Cao Zhida, a Third Layer Martial Cultivator. The rest ranged from the First to the Second Layer. In the face of the skilled members of the Three Heroes Gang, they were easy prey.
Those without cultivation levels weren’t even qualified to be prey—with one stomp from the Head of the family, Bao Yingchen, they’d practically all be wiped out.
In a critical moment, Jiang Mengting, whose trousers had dried, regained her composure and shouted, "Everyone, listen to me! Go backstage. Xiaoyao Lodge’s backstage is large and not easy to find!"
The entrance to Xiaoyao Lodge’s backstage was not on the stage but at a side door of the large dance floor.
Everyone quickly headed backstage. Jiang Mengting asked, "Seventh Master, you won’t leave us behind, will you?"
Li Banfeng shook his head.
Jiang Mengting said, "As long as you’re here, we won’t be afraid."
After everyone was hidden, Li Banfeng pulled out a Projector and placed it under the seats, using the image to obscure the side door on the wall.
But Li Banfeng didn’t return to the Portable Residence; instead, he took out a Steel Wire Rope.
It was a Spiritual Object given to him by Ling Miaoying, originally used to suspend actors during film shoots—those in the Outside Provinces called it wire rigging.
This Steel Wire Rope was extremely tough and didn’t require a support point. With a press, it would hang securely, and a switch inside its box could retract the Steel Wire Rope.
Li Banfeng hung one end of the Steel Wire Rope on the wall near the door and the other end on the floor; he crisscrossed it back and forth, forming a grid.
The top of the grid was flush against the wall, and the bottom hugged the floor. Its farthest point was more than three meters from the wall. If Bao Yingchen used the Unobstructed Technique to burst through the wall, he would surely be cut by the Steel Wire Rope. The extent of the injury would depend on how much force he applied.
Blood from his wounds continued to flow, mixing with sweat droplets, occasionally dripping to the ground.