After waiting by the lake for a while, Li Tongya observed a white light soaring upward from the heart of the lake, propelled by the wind that came from the north and was headed to the south. He swiftly retrieved a spirit cloth from his storage pouch and wrapped it around his face.
With his left hand resting firmly on the hilt of his sword, he soared into the sky to meet the incoming figure head-on.
“Hey there, my friend!” Li Tongya called out as the figure drew closer.
However, he received no response. The figure seemed fully intent on just passing by uninterrupted, adjusting their flying trajectory and altitude immediately to avoid Li Tongya.
With the Celestial Moon Slash technique at the ready, Li Tongya drew his sword and unleashed a white sword aura to intercept the approaching figure.
“How dare you!”
To Li Tongya’s surprise, the figure seemed to be a female cultivator with a sweet voice.
She halted abruptly, shouting indignantly as she unsheathed her own sword to counter the incoming strike from Li Tongya.
The woman quickly activated her mana and her strong attempt to repel the attack nearly caused her to lose her grip on her sword. As their energies clashed, the force of their collision reverberated through her body.
The female cultivator's expression shifted from determination to frustration as she struggled to counter Li Tongya's attack. With a glare, she focused her attention on Li Tongya, her growing resentment evident.
Observing the intricate patterns on the female cultivator’s turquoise green sword, Li Tongya was able to determine that it was a good dharma artifact—and a quality one indeed.
Noticing the distressed look on the female cultivator’s face, he offered a proposition with his hoarse voice.
“Lady...you won’t be able to defeat me. Surrender your storage pouch and dharma artifact now... and I will spare your life.”
The female cultivator scoffed, a cold laugh escaping her lips as she unleashed yet another wave of sword aura aimed at Li Tongya.
“Dream on!” she spat through gritted teeth, her voice rebellious.
Li Tongya calmly parried her strikes, easily repelling her sword as he estimated the time it would take to defeat her.
She’s only at the sixth heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm... although her cultivation method and true essence are extraordinary, it should only take about a hundred twenty or a hundred forty moves to defeat her completely. However... with the constant flow of people around the lake, prolonging the battle could attract unwanted attention. I better finish this off quickly!
Despite being at the fifth heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm, Li Tongya possessed formidable strength due to his swordsmanship and the blessing of the Deep Ocean Long Whale Talisman.
Even Qi Cultivators of the eighth heavenly layer who practiced authentic techniques would struggle against him — let alone those at the sixth heavenly layer. They stood no chance. Even peak Qi Cultivators who consumed various unrefined qi would be no match against him.
Li Tongya’s sword qi grew brighter with each strike, forcing the female cultivator to stumble backward under his relentless assault.
This man is no ordinary opponent! His skill surpasses those of any rogue cultivator! Even those five or six prominent clans in the region can’t possibly raise such a strong cultivator... he must be affiliated with one of the three sects or seven gates!
Under the relentless assault from Li Tongya, the female cultivator soon found herself reaching her limit. After just a few dozen exchanges, she felt the sword aura of her blade weakening and her true essence dwindling rapidly.
Despite his abundant true essence, there’s a lack of sharpness in his qi... Could he be from the Azure Pond Sect? Or perhaps the Changxiao Gate?
As defeat loomed, the female cultivator clenched her teeth. She was reluctant to surrender the belongings in her storage pouch.
With determination, she raised her voice, “I am a member of the Wu Family from the southern prefecture. I implore you... spare me this time and I will not forget this act of kindness, fellow Daoist!”
Li Tongya only shook his head in response. “Are you suggesting that I should go begging for favors from the Wu Family in the southern prefecture? Spare me these futile pleas... fellow Daoist. Drop your storage pouch and dharma artifact, and I’ll consider sparing your life.”
The mention of the Wu Family did not sway Li Tongya. He had already met someone from her family during his visit to Cloud Crowned Peak but had not really interacted with them. He never did expect that he would run into one of them here today.
“Don’t push your luck, fellow Daoist! The ancestor of the Wu Family is of the Foundation Establishment Realm... I’m his granddaughter from the fifth generation! Harm me, and you’ll make an enemy with a cultivator of the Foundation Establishment Realm! You better reconsider your action!” the female cultivator threatened through her clenched teeth.
Li Tongya shattered her qi aura with his sword and responded coldly, “Even if you were his daughter, it wouldn’t make a difference. If I kill you here in the middle of nowhere, a cultivator of the Purple Mansion Realm would not be able to find you, let alone one at the Foundation Establishment Realm!”
With no further words exchanged, Li Tongya pressed forward unrelentingly, forcing the female cultivator from the Wu Family to back down.
With a swift motion, he knocked the turquoise green sword out of the female cultivator’s grasp swiftly, causing it to fall on the ground with a loud clang.
Just as Li Tongya moved in for the decisive strike, the female cultivator launched a pale yellow-colored talisman.
Li Tongya’s eyebrows immediately shot up at the sight of it and quickly retreated without a second thought.
The talisman glowed a fierce red before erupting into five fiery projectiles that flew toward Li Tongya like flame sparrows.
With the Celestial Moon Slash technique, Li Tongya shattered two of the fiery projectiles, reducing them into mere red sparks.
However, the remaining three fire projectiles closed in on him. With no other option, Li Tongya raised his sword to block them and channeled his true essence into the blade, which immediately radiated with intense brilliance.
The onslaught of the fire spell reached its peak, forcing Li Tongya to retreat backward by three steps. The pale gray blade of his sword glowed red from the heat, prompting him to sheathe it hastily.
Just as he was distracted, the female cultivator swiftly reclaimed her sword and flew eastward.
Li Tongya channeled his true essence once more and took to the air as well, determined to remain in pursuit of the mysterious female cultivator. In just the space of a few breaths, he had caught up with the fleeing cultivator. His longsword crackled with sword qi as it shot toward the woman’s back, delivering a numbing impact.
“How is this possible?! How can someone at the fifth heavenly layer of Qi Cultivation Realm move with such speed?!” the female cultivator exclaimed in shock, her legs faltering as her slender hand reached for her storage pouch.
With determination and great speed, Li Tongya struck at her hand quickly, preventing her from accessing her pouch.
A small white shield appeared to protect the female cultivator’s neck and back. However, Li Tongya’s cautious approach had foiled some of her calculations.
Her left arm bore the brunt of the attack. With a cry of pain, beads of sweat formed on her temples and forehead as she struggled to perform a hand seal.
Despite her efforts, Li Tongya was unforgiving and seized the opportunity to deliver yet another powerful slash, nearly cleaving her body in half. With a final agonizing cry, the female cultivator collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
The Wu Family from the southern prefecture was indeed a prominent clan. This female cultivator displayed exceptional knowledge and skill, deflecting Li Tongya’s spells with ease and twisting her body to evade the worst of the attacks.
Nonetheless, Li Tongya relentlessly pursued her, delivering a final decisive blow that sent her lifeless body tumbling away.
Glancing at the puddle of blood on the ground, Li Tongya frowned slightly as he shook off the blood from his sword, each drip staining the ground. Letting out a soft sigh, he retrieved the storage pouch from the fallen cultivator’s waist.
“It’s unfortunate that she chose such a pitiful end. There were better paths available to her...”
With a wave of his hand, Li Tongya cast a spell to dispose of the body and blood before quickly soaring back into the sky.
The situation on the island at the heart of the lake had intensified. Li Tongya heard a faint laugh, which was then followed by an angry voice.
“So... there’s another hidden formation here? How clever!”
“I’ve spent two hundred years cultivating on Moongaze Lake, of course, I have some tricks up my sleeve... you three will regret provoking me!” the old and hoarse voice snarled.
With thunder crashing and fire raining down on the formation of the small island at the heart of the lake, Li Tongya wondered how many Qi Cultivator robbers found themselves in trouble down there.
A sense of unease crept over Li Tongya as he watched as the fiery clouds in the sky gradually dissipated, which was then accompanied by the fading thunder and the unmistakable diminishing glow of the formation.
Below him, the island at the heart of the lake now lay scorched. Feeling unsettled by the mass destruction, Li Tongya decided to turn around and soar over the lake for a little while until he spotted the small island.
He performed a hand seal and cast a Water Avoidance Spell on himself before diving into the riverbed and disappearing from view.
The Snake Demon Cave had already been explored and cleaned up by members of the Li Family years ago. Now, there were several hundred mortals along with three cultivators of the Embryonic Breathing Realm that lived there.
All the remains of corpses had been cleaned out long ago. There were over a dozen courtyards constructed near the entrance of the cave with light blue crystals embedded into the rocky ceiling that provided gentle illumination throughout the cave, adding to its mystical ambiance.
Li Tongya dismissed the cultivators of the Embryonic Breathing Realm who came over to greet him and found a room to meditate, only to discover that his true essence had almost fully recovered.
“Woah... the Deep Ocean Long Whale Talisman is indeed amazing!”
He picked up the female cultivator’s storage pouch and out came tumbling a trove of sparkling spirit items.
With the help of a fire spell, he burned the female cultivator’s clothes and other personal belongings, leaving only the valuable items untouched.
Among his discoveries were a collection of twenty or thirty talismans of the Embryonic Breathing Realm, fifteen Spirit Stones, three talismans of the Qi Cultivation Realm, three dharma artifacts of the Embryonic Breathing Realm, and a dozen bottles of elixirs of the Embryonic Breathing Realm.
Setting aside the clutter, Li Tongya’s eyes widened in surprise as he retrieved a blood-stained furnace from the storage pouch that was about as tall as a person.
His eyes immediately lit up with joy as he marveled at the artifact. “A furnace! No wonder that woman was so unwilling to surrender her pouch! The price of such a furnace has always far exceeded that of an ordinary dharma artifact... and this one appears to be of exceptional quality as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if it fetched several hundred Spirit Stones!”
Examining the bloodstains on the furnace closer, Li Tongya could not help but wonder how many people the female cultivator had to have murdered in order to obtain such a valuable artifact.
He performed another hand seal and cleaned the blood from the surface of the furnace with a Purifying Spell. Satisfied with his work, he carefully stowed away the item before turning his attention to the three talismans.
“One of these talismans contains the powerful Fire Sparrow Spell, capable of inflicting serious injuries on cultivators in the late stage of Qi Cultivation if they’re caught off guard. The other two talismans are more common... one is a shield spell and the other is capable of summoning needle rain. Hmm... their power appears to be on par with abilities at the early stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm."
Li Tongya stowed the talismans away, then picked up a token crafted from Ebony Ore. He held it in his palm and observed the “Wu” character engraved on its surface.
It appeared to be an identity token of some sort.
Setting the token aside, Li Tongya crossed his legs and began meditating.