"Oh no!"
Yu Xiaogui was startled, realizing that it was a mistake to confront Li Tongya directly without waiting for the return of the Foundation Establishment Realm dharma artifact, Jade Smoke Mountain.
He cursed inwardly, They say the Li Family has Grade Three sword techniques...! There's no way this is a Grade Three sword technique! Damn it!
Despite his inner curses, Yu Xiaogui still had his trump cards. Unfazed, he activated his spiritual sense, summoning gray cloud qi around his neck to block the two streams of light. He quickly pushed away the sword qi in his hand and reached out to catch the remaining streams.
Li Tongya was not going to let him off so easily. With a flick of his sword, he conjured a flurry of sword qi, pure white and flowing like water, all directed at Yu Xiaogui. Ignoring the approaching sword qi, Yu Xiaogui simply watched coldly as the sword qi neared his body. Just as it was about to strike, a loud clang resounded.
The Jade Smoke Mountain had returned, surrounded by a white mist, and had managed to firmly block Li Tongya's sword qi.
"What a wonderful treasure! Such a Foundation Establishment Realm dharma artifact... it is truly extraordinary!" Li Tongya sighed.
In just the space of two breaths, the Jade Smoke Mountain had easily neutralized two of his attacks. He had lured Yu Xiaogui in with a show of weakness, but the artifact had thwarted his plan, leaving no injuries to his opponent. Now that Yu Xiaogui was on guard, the situation has become more difficult!
"Go!"
Seizing the moment while the Jade Smoke Mountain blocked Li Tongya, Yu Xiaogui quickly shattered the two streams of light, and with a clap of his hands, shattered the one he had previously deflected as well, regaining his footing. With a serious expression, he gathered energy in his palms and advanced once more.
Having reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, Yu Xiaogui's combat experience was top-notch. Earlier, he had underestimated Li Tongya. Now, as he faced the sharp sword qi, he skillfully dismantled each strike without summoning Jade Smoke Mountain, meeting each attack head-on.
Yu Xiaogui's strength was slightly superior to Li Tongya's, and his steady approach increased the pressure on Li Tongya. After a brief stalemate, Li Tongya felt the strain as the palm winds grew more intense around him. His immortal foundation trembled, forcing him to unleash three streams of light to buy time for recovery.
"Come!"
Yu Xiaogui had been waiting for this. With a pinch of his fingers, the Jade Smoke Mountain soared, absorbing and suppressing the three streams of light. He pressed on unrelentingly with his advantage, not allowing Li Tongya any time to recuperate.
Li Tongya managed to step back twice. In one breath, the Deep Ocean Long Whale Talisman within him glowed brightly, dissipating his discomfort. Feeling clear-headed again, he thought to himself, Yu Xiaogui relies on his deeper cultivation to overpower me, not realizing my Deep Ocean Long Whale Talisman makes such efforts futile.
Aware of his advantage, Li Tongya concealed his confidence, feigning a strained expression, which only boosted Yu Xiaogui's morale. Yu Xiaogui pressed on harder, unaware that Li Tongya was merely buying time for Fei Wangbai and his men.
Only Li Tongya knew the terrifying extent of his Boundless Ocean and Deep Ocean Long Whale Talisman combined. His mana and recovery were formidable, equating his one-tenth to two or three-tenths of an average Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator's mana. He could recover mana with each breath, making a battle of attrition futile for Yu Xiaogui.
Calculating the time, Li Tongya realized that despite the artifact’s support, Yu Xiaogui would be exhausted before even consuming more than sixty percent of his mana.
I hope Fei Wangbai succeeds. If he fails to breach the marketplace and the Yu Family's Qi Cultivators get here, things will get complicated.
Always cautious, Li Tongya had agreed to the Xiao Family's plan to disrupt Milin Prefecture's marketplace, forcing him to provoke Yu Xiaogui. If Yu Xiaogui returned and found Yu Yufeng still missing, he would quickly realize that something was amiss. And once Yu Xiaogui and Yu Mugao sat down to analyze the situation, they would not let Yu Xiaogui out again and restrategize.
As the situation became clearer, Li Tongya felt confident that he would be able to hold Yu Xiaogui. He then continued to consider the worst-case scenario. His Qingche Sword hummed behind him, and he thought, The Qingche Sword still holds the sword intent of Jing'er. If it comes to that, I will have to draw it to force the Yu Family back. Being suspected afterward is unavoidable, but Fei Wangbai is reliable. It shouldn't come to that.
————
Fei Wangbai bid farewell to Chen Donghe and took to the sky from the cliff, feeling both joy and doubt. He was glad to finally have a chance to suppress the Yu Family, but he was puzzled about how Yu Yufeng had ended up trapped outside.
"Yu Yufeng, a prominent late-stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator with exceptional strength and the Foundation Establishment Realm dharma artifact Jade Smoke Mountain, always stayed within his cave dwelling... How could he have been trapped outside?"
As Fei Wangbai pondered this, he flew for a while before landing on Glacial Cloud Peak, where his eldest son, Fei Yihe, came to greet him. Fei Wangbai said sternly, "Summon the guest cultivators. We are going to the Yu Family's marketplace!"
Such matters naturally couldn't involve his own descendants. Fei Wangbai called for his usual guest cultivators, planning to seek out his Foundation Establishment Realm friends.
Fei Yihe, realizing the gravity of the situation, trembled and quickly left to carry out the orders. Left alone, Fei Wangbai stood on the peak, growing increasingly uneasy. He thought to himself, Could it be Li Chejing? But Li Chejing is a Sword Immortal, not some shaman... How could he make Yu Yufeng leave his cave dwelling and get trapped? And how would anyone know where Yu Yufeng was going? Is Yu Mugao out of his mind to divulge this?
The more he thought about it, the more Fei Wangbai sensed that something was amiss, making him shiver all over. Just then, the guest cultivators arrived, leaving him no room for hesitation. He gave a few instructions and took to the air instantly.
The arrow is already on the string; it has to be released!
Fei Wangbai gritted his teeth, leading his group toward the eastern marketplace. His mind raced, analyzing the situation logically and concluding, The Yu Family is too strong. With so many peak Qi Cultivators, as long as the late-stage Foundation Establishment Realm Yu Yufeng is alive, the Li and Fei families will remain united against a common enemy. No one can afford to have second thoughts!
With his resolve strengthened, Fei Wangbai acted decisively, flying over the lake and hiding his group as they landed on a small hill next to Milin Prefecture. Using mana to transmit his voice, he called out, "Brother Heqian, Wangbai has come to visit!"
After a brief wait, the ground trembled slightly, and a dark cave entrance slowly appeared. A hearty laugh echoed all around as a middle-aged man clad in jade armor emerged. His features were dignified and exuded a sense of grandeur.
This man, also at the early stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, was Fei Wangbai’s long-time friend who had been at odds with the Yu Family for years. Seeing Fei Wangbai, he cupped his fist and smiled.
"What brings you here, Brother Wangbai?"
Fei Wangbai wasted no time on pleasantries. His expression turned serious as he said, "Heqian, Yu Yufeng has been trapped by the Li Family, and Yu Xiaogui is being held off by Li Tongya at Mount Huazhong! The Yu Family is without Foundation Establishment Realm combat power... now is the perfect time to strike Milin Prefecture and their marketplace!"
"What?!"
The man Fei Wangbai called Heqian was shocked, his face lighting up immediately with ecstatic joy. His eyes gleamed with vicious hatred as his previously composed and dignified demeanor vanished.
With a venomous tone, he exclaimed, "This is wonderful news! Wonderful indeed! I have long grown tired of the minor skirmishes with the eastern shore families. This time... this time... we will make that Yu scum bleed! Hahahahaha!"