He Jiaqing appeared to have lost consciousness, unable to hold onto the pilfered items.
As Green Flower stooped to retrieve the Begging Bowl, a surge of wind roared from behind him. Li Banfeng's foot descended, crushing the Greenwater Beggar’s head.
The Greenwater Beggar endured a brutal impact, his skull fracturing and brains spilling out; he quickly gathered them with his hands, dreading that Li Banfeng might incinerate them.
He Jiaqing, caught in the vicinity, writhed uncontrollably.
The Greenwater Beggar, quite bewildered, noted the absence of the striped mosquitoes that had surrounded Li Banfeng. Even if these pus-transformed insects were incinerated, they wouldn't vanish so swiftly.
He violently shook his head, attempting to dislodge the newly formed lesion, but a chilling sensation grazed the back of his head – his hair was gone.
Where had the hair vanished to?
He Jiaqing had risked everything, rushing forward to pilfer his hair.
Upon witnessing Li Banfeng's renewed assault, the Greenwater Beggar promptly activated the lesion upon him.
Li Banfeng's condition was equally perplexing; his mucus had vanished, and he no longer produced tears.
Had he been cured?
This time, the Greenwater Beggar grasped the situation, shielding himself from Li Banfeng while exclaiming, "My good disciple of the Daoist Sect, you are here too! It is fortuitous that you all have arrived. I shall deal with you in one fell swoop!"
Cui Tiq had made his appearance!
He had remained concealed, hidden within the derelict warehouse, his presence undisclosed. It was he who had gathered the Greenwater Beggar's pus mosquitoes and siphoned away the lesion afflicting Li Banfeng.
Green Flower squeezed out two pustules, releasing a miasma of pus and blood that obstructed Li Banfeng. He then pivoted towards the side of the warehouse, kicked it asunder, extricated Cui Tiq from the debris, and cast him to the ground.
Cui Tiq, drenched in blood, frantically waved his hands, seemingly pleading for clemency.
Green Flower raised his foot, poised to crush Cui Tiq, but suddenly perceived the bloodstains on Cui Tiq undergoing a rapid transformation.
The once-scattered bloodstains coalesced, forming a Blood Snake, which lunged towards the Greenwater Beggar's face.
The Blood Snake lacked corporeal form, yet it induced a wave of dizziness in Green Flower.
"A commendable lad, a remarkable technique!"
This was an ailment, a visually transmissible affliction. Green Flower felt his senses reel, while Li Banfeng maneuvered around the dense fog, seizing the moment to employ a Path-breaking Technique, cleaving the Greenwater Beggar into two halves from the torso.
The sundered Greenwater Beggar, its halves acting independently, the left side engaged Li Banfeng in a struggle, while the right side turned to dispatch Cui Tiq.
Cui Tiq scrambled to his feet, rapidly elevating his body temperature until he glowed crimson, intent on engaging the Greenwater Beggar's right half in a fight to the death.
The right half of the Greenwater Beggar abruptly shifted course, eschewing an attack on Cui Tiq, and instead snatched the Begging Bowl, maneuvering behind Li Banfeng to place it directly atop his head.
Cui Tiq surveyed his surroundings, finding that both the Greenwater Beggar and Li Banfeng had vanished.
Li Banfeng perceived nothing but an impenetrable darkness, fumbling blindly, utterly disoriented.
The projector flickered, its light illuminating the void, cautioning Li Banfeng, "Seventh Guide, there appears to be no end to this place..."
Before the projector could complete its pronouncement, Li Banfeng was subjected to a barrage of relentless blows, as if pummeled by a colossal hammer, sustaining multiple fractures before collapsing to the ground.
"Run, why do you not run now?" The Greenwater Beggar guffawed, "Do you comprehend this location? This is the very sepulcher I have prepared for you!"
Li Banfeng discerned that he had been drawn into The Unnameable Place by the Greenwater Beggar, a realm also known as the Dark Dimension Space.
The Begging Bowl clutched in the Greenwater Beggar's hand served as the conduit for accessing the Dark Dimension Space, a fact that explained his fervent attachment to it, descending into madness if it were ever lost, even momentarily.
Within the confines of the Dark Dimension Space, Li Banfeng was incapable of even discerning his adversaries, let alone engaging the Greenwater Beggar in combat.
Cui Tiq, remaining outside, was powerless to intervene, leaving Li Banfeng ensnared in a desperate predicament.
Should he retreat to the Portable Residence?
But where was the key?
Entrusting the key to the Dark Dimension Space would be tantamount to inviting capture by Green Flower.
Furthermore, it remained uncertain whether the Portable Residence had even followed them into the Dark Dimension Space.
There existed a method to ascertain this.
Li Banfeng dripped a small quantity of blood onto the ground, activating the Door-Closing Technique.
A luminous Halo materialized upon the earth, and a surge of elation coursed through Li Banfeng; the Portable Residence was in close proximity.
Given that the Portable Residence could be accessed, an egress route was assured. At the very least, he could seek sanctuary within its confines and deliberate on the matter of the key with the Old Man.
Observing the Halo emanating from Li Banfeng's position, Green Flower did not advance impulsively but instead inquired, "What precisely is your technique? It bears a resemblance to the Door-Closing Technique, yet that is a skill intrinsic to Home Cultivation, and you are a Traveling Cultivator, incapable of dual cultivation with Home Cultivation. Consequently, your Door-Closing Technique must be reliant upon some Magical Treasure, is that not so?"
Li Banfeng responded, "You can try it, just a taste and you'll discover the truth."
Green Flower chuckled, "No need to hurry, let us converse leisurely."
The seasoned Greenwater Beggar observed the unfolding events with clarity. Within the confines of The Unnameable Place, his dominance was undeniable, and Li Banfeng's escape was impossible. Thus, there was no urgency to confront him; he could simply wait Li Banfeng out.
However, Li Banfeng was in no position to wait. The Door-Closing Technique exacted a heavy toll, and his endurance was rapidly diminishing.
What course of action remained?
Whoooh!
A piercing train whistle echoed, startling both Li Banfeng and the Greenwater Beggar.
"Ah Qi, adjust!"
Huff~ Huff~
Emerging from the gloom, a train engine, swathed in white mist, hurtled past Li Banfeng.
Following the locomotive were ten carriages, devoid of any windows. One carriage, seemingly incorporeal, drifted among the other nine.
Could this be...
The Portable Residence?
Li Banfeng's gaze widened. Having resided within the Portable Residence for over two years, this marked his inaugural glimpse of its exterior form.
Whoooh!
Another whistle sounded, and the train's illumination fell upon the Greenwater Beggar.
The Greenwater Beggar's eyes bulged, bewildered by the sudden appearance of this colossal entity.
Before he could even register the anomaly, the train directly impacted the Greenwater Beggar.