Li Qiuyang's spell ignited in his hand instantly, flaring into a stream of light that split the air as it flew toward the unsuspecting man. Focused on the group of Xiao Family's cultivators in front of him, the man felt his skin crawl and turned just in time.
"Damn it!"
The devil cultivator saw the fire spell barreling toward him and hastily shifted his stance to block it. Despite his experience and strong martial prowess, he was forced to brace himself and counter the spell.
Meanwhile, the Xiao Family's cultivators reacted swiftly and grasped this opportunity to attack. They positioned themselves behind the man now, seizing the opportunity as they swung their dharma artifacts.
Their leader commanded, "Men, reposition yourselves! Shift the formation to the offensive!"
The golden light, long gathered in his palms, was bursting forth. The Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivators behind him had been channeling their mana to empower the spell all this while, making it blaze ever brighter, transforming into a prismatic golden missile that hurtled toward their foe.
"SHIT!"
An ordinary Qi Cultivator caught between these attacks would have had no chance of survival. However, this devil cultivator was not ordinary. A brilliant blood light flared around him, and a small red shield emerged behind him.
CLANG!
He raised his large axe, its blade aglow with sinister blood light. With a single sweeping blow, it had already shattered Li Qiuyang's spell. However, an unyielding streak of golden light struck him squarely in the back.
The shield lasted only a moment before vanishing under the onslaught of the golden light. It was a brief respite, but enough for the cultivator to adjust his position and narrowly avoid a fatal blow.
A muffled poof was heard before blood splattered everywhere. The devil cultivator's body was cleaved all the way from his left shoulder to left hip, and his organs spilled out gruesomely.
He gritted his teeth and cursed, then quickly performed a hand seal. The blood and flesh in the air quickly transformed into a swirling blood mist before touching the ground, and just like a whirlwind, the remnants of his body vanished into the depths of the alley.
Li Qiuyang, having never before encountered a devil cultivator of such resilience, stood frozen in shock for a moment before exclaiming, "How can he still escape in that state? How can this be possible?!"
"Brother Qiuyang!"
The Xiao Family cultivators had already broken their formation and approached him with gratitude.
"Thank you for your help, Brother Qiuyang!"
"No problem," Li Qiuyang replied, but he was still a little dazed from being surprised by the devil cultivator's maneuver.
"Are we going to just let him go like this?" he asked.
Noticing Li Qiuyang's surprise, a member of the Xiao Family smiled bitterly and said, "You may not know about this, Brother Qiuyang, but devil cultivators are masters at preserving their lives. Among all cultivators, those who followed the path of Diverse Mansion Unified Cauldron were notoriously difficult to defeat."
"What's more, devil cultivators like him generally disregard their physical bodies, just like the Buddhist cultivators. While their bodies aren't as disposable as the Buddhists, they certainly don't hold the same value to him as to us. Do not be fooled by his injuries; a few days of absorbing blood qi and devil qi will see him fully restored," he added bitterly.
While the Xiao Family's cultivator was explaining, the white formation in the sky above them suddenly rumbled, revealing cracks all over. The faces of those around him immediately turned ashen with fear.
"Then we should leave quickly! If this devil cultivator gathers reinforcements and attacks, we'll be as good as dead!" Li Qiuyang urged hastily.
The expression of the Xiao Family's cultivator darkened as he said gravely, "You're right, the market seems to still be surrounded by devil cultivators... It's impossible to escape now. There's still a major formation atop the Cloud Crowned Peak, why don't you come with me to the market's center? There's a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator on Cloud Crowned Peak, and with the grand formation's protection, I think we can hold out until my family sends help..."
Li Qiuyang shook his head, pulling a jade pendant from his storage pouch and sensing its direction before replying, "Brother Xuan from my family is still in the marketplace. I must go help him... Forgive me, but I cannot accompany you."
"Ah!"
A look of disappointment appeared on the Xiao Family's cultivator's face as chaos reigned around them in the city. He knew Li Qiuyang, an unrefined Qi Cultivator, might struggle even with self-protection, let alone find someone in the marketplace.
But seeing Li Qiuyang's solemn, determined expression, he could only cup his fist respectfully and say in a subdued voice, "Take care of yourself, Brother!"
Flying was not an option as such ascent would make them easy targets for the lurking devil cultivators, so the cultivators activated their Divine Movement Spell and swiftly parted ways.
The Xiao Family's cultivator led his group down an alley, while Li Qiuyang clutched the talisman in his sleeve with one hand and held the jade pendant in the other, racing toward Li Xuanxuan.
————
Meanwhile on Cloud Crowned Peak...
The wind blew gently across the frigid mountaintop where Xiao Ruyu stood, his expression as somber as the murky clouds rolling endlessly beyond the protective formation.
On the jade platform before him lay a formation plate with complex patterns. Six of its points still shone brightly like stars, while the other six were dull and cracked, having clearly been tampered with.
Contrary to Li Xuanxuan's assumptions, Xiao Ruyu was still on Cloud Crowned Peak. He stood there, unprepared and brooding, his teeth clenched.
"I'm afraid... I've fallen into a trap."
The jade in his hand emitted a faint red glow as light flowed across the six engraved names.
"Cloud Crowned Market, Mount Yu, Xianyou Peak, Yuyuan Market... I don't think our family can save them."
A chill settled in Xiao Ruyu's heart. The devil plague was wreaking havoc, not just on the fringes of Cloud Crowned Peak but at almost every Xiao Family stronghold, including the main peak, Xianyou Peak.
"The Old Ancestor has been gone for months, and with the devil plague intensifying, I fear my family will suffer great losses!"
BOOM!
Lost in his grim thoughts, Xiao Ruyu did not immediately notice two more points on the formation plate flicker and die. Clutching his dharma artifact, he looked up to find several black-robed cultivators outside the formation, silent yet clearly hostile, leaving him puzzled.
They said the devil plague would spread north from the Mushroom Forest Plain, through Lixia Prefecture to the boundary of the Purple Smoke Gate... Why the sudden change? Could the Azure Pond Sect... be against us now?
Having led his family for three years and managed the Cloud Crowned Peak town for five, Xiao Ruyu was no longer the impulsive youth who had once sought revenge at the Golden Tang Gate together with Li Xuanfeng. His knowledge of hidden secrets and his tactical acumen had evolved immensely.
Impossible... impossible... How could the Azure Pond Sect turn against us now, with at least fifty years until Daoist Master Shangyuan breaks through?
His thoughts were in disarray as the formation points shook violently before finally being extinguished. The cracks in the large white formation above widened, and devil qi began seeping through like billowing smoke, emitting a shrill whistle.
Xiao Ruyu watched on with a calm look on his face, but a tense voice beside him quickly broke the silence.
"Young Master!"
A swordsman with an ethereal aura landed on the peak, his body encircled by two serpent dragons with bared fangs. In a grave voice, he said urgently, "Please descend the mountain quickly, Young Master. I will handle things here!"
He was Chen Taojing, once an ally in the siege of Yu Yufeng alongside Li Tongya. His Dao foundation was the Boundless Ocean , and the light green serpent dragons around him looked extremely formidable.
"Uncle Taojing..."
Xiao Ruyu hesitated, his eyes flickering between the faltering grand formation and the stalwart figure beside him.
"My Boundless Ocean prowess is the strongest here; I can control many with one. I've also prepared pills for this. Please leave quickly now, Young Master!" Chen Taojing urged.
Gritting his teeth, Xiao Ruyu cloaked his figure and hurried down the mountain, leaving Chen Taojing standing alone, sword in hand, facing the silhouettes outside the crumbling grand formation.