A Light Halo appeared beside Li Banfeng, and it closed around him—not circular nor square, with the furthest point over five meters away from Li Banfeng and the nearest point right at his feet. The overall shape was irregular.
Bao Yingchen had never seen a Light Halo of this shape before, but he had seen the technique. The moment he passed through the Light Halo, Bao Yingchen’s body became a bloody blur, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
This was the Eighth Layer Home Cultivation Technique, Close Doors and Shut Windows.
A Traveling Cultivator couldn’t practice Home Cultivation simultaneously.
Bao Yingchen was wounded and could no longer fight Li Qi.
The Light Halo still lingered behind him.
Using Thousand Mile In A Step could break Close Doors and Shut Windows.
But Bao Yingchen didn’t know how to use Thousand Mile In A Step.
There was a story here, one that Li Qi didn’t know.
Bao Yingchen claimed that his cultivation level was no less than that of Lu Dongliang, and he said so wherever he went, because to his opponents, it was an immense deterrent.
He indeed had a match against Lu Dongliang. Although he was an Eighth Layer Traveling Cultivator, he had fought dozens of exchanges with the Ninth Layer Lu Dongliang by relying on his experience. Lu Dongliang hadn’t wanted to create an irreparable rift with the Three Heroes Gang, so he had held back, and the two were considered to have fought to a draw.
When Lu Dongjun made his move, he hadn’t held back and had fought with full force. Bao Yingchen couldn’t withstand it and was defeated by Lu Dongjun.
Battling the two Lu Family powerhouses single-handedly remained Bao Yingchen’s most illustrious achievement in his life.
Although there were many versions of the story, the conclusion was always the same: Bao Yingchen’s cultivation level was not inferior to Lu Dongliang’s.
However, this conclusion was hard to verify, as cultivation level itself was not visible.
Bao Yingchen’s moment of truth had arrived.
Li Qi had used Close Doors and Shut Windows, and Bao Yingchen was injured. The only logical move was to use the Thousand Mile In A Step Technique to escape immediately.
If he didn’t, it would prove that he couldn’t. It would prove his cultivation level did not reach the Ninth Layer. Li Qi would then surely attack with full force. Trapped within the Boundary, Bao Yingchen would find his Traveling Cultivation Techniques difficult to execute, and he would almost certainly lose his life.
But as a seasoned Jianghu veteran, Bao Yingchen remained unfazed in the face of danger. He took a step forward, seemingly about to push Li Banfeng.
This was deterrence. This was tactics.
This was to tell Li Banfeng, "I can use Thousand Mile In A Step! I possess Ninth Layer Cultivation! Even injured, I still have the strength to fight you!"
"I can escape easily, and I can even push you out—push you to a designated spot and put you in a desperate situation!"
As long as Li Qi was intimidated, Bao Yingchen could buy time.
As far as Bao Yingchen knew, Close Doors and Shut Windows was extremely draining. With Li Qi’s current cultivation level, he surely couldn’t sustain it for long.
Once Li Qi couldn’t hold on and the Boundary disappeared, Bao Yingchen would successfully escape. He could then call the people outside, bring them in, and then figure out a way to kill Li Qi!
The tactic truly worked, successfully intimidating Li Qi.
Li Banfeng himself was in bad shape; his entire body ached terribly. He dared not confront Bao Yingchen head-on and could only retreat hastily.
As he retreated, the Light Halo followed Li Banfeng’s movements, passing under Bao Yingchen’s feet once again.
Before Bao Yingchen could react, his body passed through the Light Halo again.
Being cut by the Light Halo twice, once as it advanced and once as it retreated, left his body covered in wounds so deep they exposed bone.
Bao Yingchen looked up at Li Qi, speechless for a long while.
Bao Yingchen spat out a mouthful of blood. This time, he could no longer stand, collapsing onto the ground face up.
"Are you alright?" Li Banfeng approached with the Sickle, a look of concern on his face.
"Don’t come any closer..." Bao Yingchen supported himself with his hands, straining to move his body backward.
Bao Yingchen wanted to call for help, but he couldn’t manage to shout.
As Li Banfeng walked forward, the Light Halo followed him, passing through Bao Yingchen once more.
This was the third time the Light Halo passed through Bao Yingchen’s body.
Having been pierced by the Light Halo a full three times, little more than Bao Yingchen’s skeleton and squirming Internal Organs were exposed before Li Banfeng.
This time, Bao Yingchen stopped moving.
Li Banfeng picked him up with ease and pulled out the key to his Portable Residence.
...
His wife was speaking with the Portable Residence. "Old Man," she said, "I feel something isn’t right. Just now, a force left the residence. Could it be...?"
The Portable Residence coughed and said, "It should be."
"An Eighth Layer Technique?" The Phonograph’s voice trembled a little.
The Portable Residence sighed. "You two youngsters certainly know each other inside out. Indeed, we really shouldn’t have let this kid secretly learn techniques; once he learns them, he actually dares to use them!"
"How did he manage to use it?"
"You know your husband is pursuing two paths simultaneously. He used the Stubbornly Going One’s Own Way Technique to raise his level, and then forcibly used it."
The Phonograph didn’t believe it. "Old Man," she said, "you must be joking. To use the Door-Closing Technique, one must stay in the residence for months without stepping outside to master the technique. He runs around outside every day; when would he have time to practice it?"
"This old one is tied to the key, and the key has always been on him," the Portable Residence explained. "So even though he wasn’t inside the residence, he was always near it. The situation isn’t too different."
"That works?"
The Portable Residence paused for a moment before saying, "I’m not an inflexible person."
"Then when did he shed his blood?"
"Just now."
"After shedding blood, one has to train for a few more months to become attuned. Can blood that was just shed count as well?"
The Portable Residence pondered for a moment and then said, "I get along quite well with this madman. And attunement, that too can be adaptable..."
"Old Man!" the Phonograph exclaimed sharply. "You can’t just adapt as you please! Using techniques beyond one’s level can be lethal!"
The Portable Residence replied helplessly, "Girl, you didn’t see what happened. Just now, the situation was critical. If I hadn’t adapted just a little..."