Qiao Shaofen stepped forward for a look and asked, "Where are you from?"
The man lifted his head and said honestly, "From around here."
Qiao Shaofen didn’t believe him. "From around here, and you dare to come to this village?"
This deserted village was forbidden territory for the people of Wuqin Village.
The man blinked and said, "I’ve never been here before. I was traveling at night and somehow ended up on this road. I was planning to go to the market early tomorrow morning."
Qiao Shaofen asked, "You say you’re from around here. Which village is your home in? What is the surname of the village chief? How many people are in your family?"
"I live in..." Qiu Luoye stared at Qiao Shaofen with a stern expression and didn’t continue.
Actually, there was a script for this part. Li Banfeng had prepared lines for Qiu Luoye in advance.
But the script was too long, and Qiu Luoye hadn’t memorized it.
Qiao Shaofen sneered. "If you can’t answer, I won’t be to blame."
The truth was, even if he could have answered, it wouldn’t have mattered. From the moment she saw him enter the deserted village, Qiao Shaofen never intended to let him go.
Qiao Shaofen coughed and spat at Qiu Luoye’s feet.
Before the saliva could hit the ground, Shui Yongquan sprang up from beneath Qiu Luoye’s feet. SLURP! He ingested the saliva and then spat out a lump of mud.
Qiu Luoye laughed. "Old Shui, tastes good, doesn’t it!"
Shui Yongquan cursed, "This thing is a Mud Cultivator! I’ve really been wronged this time. Qiu Daxiang, when this is over, I get to choose the place first!"
Qiao Shaofen was shocked. Realizing things were going awry, she turned to run, but a figure suddenly flashed in front of her.
BANG!
Qiao Shaofen felt a jolt in her chest and coughed up a mouthful of blood, as if something inside her had exploded.
Li Banfeng, hiding in the distance, frowned. He had just used Passing Glance on Qiao Shaofen.
Li Banfeng felt the damage was insufficient, but for Shui Yongquan, it bought enough time to act.
He unslung the Water Gourd from his back and splashed its contents toward Qiao Shaofen. Thousands of water droplets struck her like bullets, riddling her body with bloody holes.
This was a Third Layer Water Cultivator Technique, akin to ’Dripping Water Wears Through Stone’.
The Technique’s level wasn’t high, but its lethality was substantial.
Qiao Shaofen was bleeding profusely, but the holes healed quickly. Li Banfeng was astonished at Qiao Shaofen’s recovery speed, but Shui Yongquan wasn’t surprised at all.
This was a characteristic of high-level Mud Cultivators. Such an attack on a Mud Cultivator was like poking holes in soft mud with a sharp tool.
Shui Yongquan waved the Water Gourd again, and a curtain of water enveloped Qiao Shaofen.
Li Banfeng had seen this before; it was a high-level Technique, the Eighth Layer Water Cultivator Technique, Water Curtain Seal.
Once trapped by the water curtain, you mustn’t move at all; it’s like a knife and can mince a person into a fleshy pulp.
Qiao Shaofen didn’t think twice and drilled right through the water curtain.
Even with her high cultivation level, the moment she passed through the water curtain, she was reduced to a fleshy pulp on the ground.
Being reduced to a fleshy pulp wasn’t an issue. The mass wriggled on the ground for a moment, then swelled and reformed, transforming back into Qiao Shaofen.
Though she was missing some skin and flesh, she still wasn’t seriously injured.
She pulled the hairpin from her head and threw it at Shui Yongquan. A cascade of mud poured down, nearly trapping him.
Shui Yongquan escaped the mud, and his sleeves suddenly elongated, wrapping around Qiao Shaofen.
Qiao Shaofen tried to tear the sleeves, but they were made of water. Her hands plunged into the water, rendering her unable to exert any force, regardless of how she pulled.
Yet when she tried to break free, the sleeves became solid, binding her tightly from head to toe, seemingly ready to strangle her at any moment.
This was the Ninth Layer Water Cultivator Technique, Garment With Water. Whether the sleeves were solid or liquid depended entirely on the needs of offense and defense.
BANG!
With a dull thud, Qiao Shaofen’s body was constricted by Shui Yongquan’s sleeves and exploded into mud once more.
The mud was still squirming, on the verge of reforming. Qiu Luoye wanted to step forward and stomp on it, but Shui Yongquan stopped him.
"Old Shui, it seems like you’ve been fighting her for several rounds," Qiu Luoye couldn’t stand it anymore. "You two are going back and forth, not in a hurry at all. Have you taken a fancy to her or something?"
Shui Yongquan laughed. "Everything before was just a prelude; now comes the real deal!"
As Shui Yongquan spoke, Qiao Shaofen had already reformed. Shui Yongquan spread his hands and stood still as a mist began to rise around him.
Seeing Qiao Shaofen try to escape, Li Banfeng used Short Step to close the distance and then stomped next to her, unleashing Trample Over Thousands of Rivers.
Shattered stones flew everywhere, striking Qiao Shaofen. Li Banfeng didn’t expect to injure her. Shui Yongquan’s Techniques had been ineffective, and Li Banfeng knew his own Technique’s power was certainly insufficient. He just needed to buy Shui Yongquan some time.
To his surprise, Qiao Shaofen was genuinely injured. The broken stones pierced her body, leaving her riddled with holes, but this time, the holes didn’t heal quickly.
Qiao Shaofen realized something was wrong. She wasn’t bleeding much, but the wounds were severely painful, and her joints began to feel stiff and sluggish.
She scraped some flesh and blood from her wounds, intending to smear it on Li Banfeng, but he dodged.
If he hadn’t dodged, he would have been instantly enveloped in silt.
Taking advantage of Li Banfeng’s distance, Qiao Shaofen tried to flee again, but Qiu Luoye kicked her from behind, sending her sprawling to the ground.
Ordinarily, Qiu Luoye’s kick shouldn’t have harmed Qiao Shaofen.
If Qiao Shaofen had transformed into mud, she could have trapped Qiu Luoye instead.
But now, Qiao Shaofen couldn’t transform into mud.
She spat towards Qiu Luoye, still trying to create a mud pit for one last struggle.
But what she spat out wasn’t saliva; it was dry ash.
Having held her own against two Local Deities and Li Banfeng until this point, Qiao Shaofen’s cultivation level was not low, and her combat power was truly formidable.
But she had fallen for Shui Yongquan’s scheme and was tactically outplayed.
After hearing Li Banfeng’s description, Shui Yongquan had suspected Qiao Shaofen was a Mud Cultivator, but he hadn’t been sure if this was her innate ability or if she was using some kind of Magical Treasure.
So, he had Qiu Luoye act as bait to draw Qiao Shaofen out.
Once Qiao Shaofen made her move, Shui Yongquan ingested some of her saliva to confirm her Taoist Sect.
Once he confirmed she was a Mud Cultivator, Shui Yongquan’s tactics were set.
First, he used Techniques like ’Dripping Water Wears Through Stone’, then Water Curtain Seal, followed by Garment With Water. These Techniques couldn’t cause fatal damage to a Mud Cultivator. According to Shui Yongquan, this was all foreplay.
The sole purpose of this foreplay was to exchange water: gradually replacing the water within Qiao Shaofen with Shui Yongquan’s own.
The essence of a high-level Mud Cultivator is a mass of mud. Exchanging all the water within that mud isn’t easy, which is why Shui Yongquan had to use a continuous barrage of Techniques.
Once about half the water had been exchanged, the main act began.
When the main act started, it was time for the fatal blow. Shui Yongquan used the Water Cultivation Cloud Technique, which included both As Water Meets Water and Water Recalled.
First, he ensured his water thoroughly mixed with Qiao Shaofen’s remaining water until their properties became similar, making her water responsive to his summons. This was the Cloud Top Technique: As Water Meets Water.
Once the Technique succeeded, Shui Yongquan recalled most of the water. The mist forming around his body was this retracted water. This was the Cloud Top Technique: Water Recalled.
Li Banfeng was fast on his feet and helped Shui Yongquan buy time during this process.
After these two Techniques were executed, Qiao Shaofen transformed from a sludgy Mud Person into a dry husk, her combat power plummeting.
Shui Yongquan could no longer engage Qiao Shaofen directly, as any Technique used would be akin to supplying her with water.
With Li Banfeng’s current cultivation level, it was difficult to kill Qiao Shaofen in a short time. If she managed to drag out the battle and find water, she had a chance to recover.
But neither Shui Yongquan nor Li Banfeng needed to engage Qiao Shaofen anymore, because now it was Qiu Luoye’s turn.
Qiao Shaofen shook her head. Her disheveled hair transformed into mud-like Worms that swarmed Qiu Luoye, biting him continuously and injecting venom into his body.
Qiu Luoye was not afraid of the biting Worms, nor was he bothered by the poison.
He approached with a smile and crushed half of Qiao Shaofen’s body with his foot.
Qiao Shaofen shrieked, "Hero, I beg you, spare my life! I’ll do anything you ask! I admit my mistakes! I’ll kowtow to you!"
Qiu Luoye chuckled. "We’re neither relatives nor friends. Why would you kowtow to me? I couldn’t possibly accept that!"
Qiao Shaofen desperately dragged her remaining half-body, still searching for a water source.
If she could just buy a little time, if she could just find water, she could recover.
But stalling for time against Qiu Luoye wasn’t easy, a fact Li Banfeng knew all too well.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A series of screams and dull thuds echoed relentlessly.
With a flurry of punches and kicks, Qiu Luoye smashed Qiao Shaofen into pieces, scattering them across the ground.
But the deal was nearly done.
The three of them looked at each other and laughed, their excitement growing stronger.
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