Yuan Chengdun's reputation was built by eliminating adversaries one after another.
Back when devil cultivators ravaged Mushroom Forest Plain, he defeated three-figure devil cultivators single-handedly. Three Foundation Establishment Realm devil cultivators even attempted to ambush him within a formation, yet he overcame them effortlessly and escaped unscathed.
In comparison, Xiao Yongling, the Man on Mount Feather , also fought against three opponents simultaneously. Although he emerged victorious, he sustained serious injuries, and his reputation never reached the heights of Yuan Chengdun's.
Fu Daimu recognized him from afar and, now with fear evident in his voice, called out, "You're... Daoist Yuan! Please reconsider your actions, I have backers within the sect!"
Li Tongya had slain the Maha with his sword, shocking the world, and became a renowned figure in Jiangnan. Yuan Chengdun's Sprawling Azure Mountain placed him among the top ten Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators in the last hundred years, so it was no wonder why Fu Daimu was momentarily thrown into disarray.
Yuan Chengdun did not respond, and only shook his head with a small smile. The Yuan Family had far more connections within the sect than the Li Family, so how could they not see through the trick? At that moment, he was just amused by Fu Daimu's threat.
Sprawling Azure Mountain excels at attacking and subduing evil, and this person's rod technique can be considered high-grade...
Fu Daimu's face darkened. Despite his surging mana, he was contemplating to escape. However, with the opponent's large formation and physical prowess, the success rate of his escape remained uncertain. His Dao Companion was still making breakthroughs in Great Jueting. Even if he could escape this time, they would still ambush him next time.
The odds stacked against him were just too high.
Li Yuanjiao and the others had no intention of giving him a chance to catch his breath, and various spells and sword techniques bombarded him relentlessly. Once again, Zhe Ledai lifted his broken dual swords to defend himself.
"Senior Brother, where did Fei Luoya find so many allies? I'm afraid we won't be able to get away today..." he said grimly.
Fu Daimu's spiritual sense continued to patrol the air, trying to locate Fei Luoya who had disappeared. With a surge of black qi in his hand, he smashed the incoming sword qi with his palm.
"I've underestimated this Fei Luoya! On one hand, he's begging for forgiveness; on the other, he's planning an ambush on me... If I had known, I wouldn't have trusted him!"
His expression grew more somber as he squeezed these words through his gritted teeth.
Zhe Ledai remained fully focused, gathering mana light as he held his swords up in front of him, blocking the maw of a lunging serpent dragon.
"Senior Brother! This is getting out of hand, it'll be difficult for both of us to escape alive. You have the Profound Light Escape Technique, please go quickly! I will stop them here for you," he transmitted his voice through mana.
Fu Daimu's subordinate was known for his calm demeanor and high talent. Promoted and recommended by Fu Daimu to train on Mount Wu, Zhe Ledai had always been loyal to him. And at this moment, he was already prepared to sacrifice himself.
Fu Daimu gritted his teeth and shook his head. On the other end, Yuan Chengdun continued striking the Mountain of Human Heads relentlessly with his rods as if it were a drum. As Fu Daimu was about to speak, a stream of red light suddenly appeared before him, shocking him into clasping his hands together in terror.
At that moment, Fu Daimu activated his immortal foundation, Descending Souls , his body releasing black light that enveloped his entire body like a veil or mist. A shrill whistling sound echoed, momentarily stunning the few early-stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators in their places.
Clang!
Fu Daimu's hands radiated black light as he pressed them against Fei Luoya's dharma sword. The flowing red light from the dharma sword scorched his hands, causing black smoke to rise from the contact. He spat out another stream of black light from his mouth, forcing Fei Luoya to retreat, and only then could he finally catch his breath.
Although Fei Luoya was highly talented, he was still a rogue cultivator. Aside from Mount Wu's shamanic spells, he had only learned a few Grade Two spells which were not very powerful. Hence, he could only rely on his immortal foundation to challenge Fu Daimu. At that moment, instead of being defeated, he chose to withdraw and disappear.
Zhe Ledai breathed a sigh of relief as he fended off Li Wushao's attack, whispering urgently, "Senior brother, hurry up and go!"
Fu Daimu realized he could not afford to linger here any longer. He performed a hand seal to cast a spell, causing the black light of the Mountain of Human Heads to blossom intensely, briefly overshadowing Yuan Chengdun's golden light. With his other hand, he unleashed three talismans which illuminated a golden light as he activated the shamanic spell.
As Fu Daimu performed a series of maneuvers, Zhe Ledai's body also radiated a surge of blood-red light. His life essence burned, and his dual swords shimmered with dazzling light. Shifting into a guarding stance instead, he attacked ferociously like a tiger.
Fei Luoya suddenly reappeared, the dharma sword in his hand dancing as red light erupted around him. He quickly shouted, "He's going to use an escape technique! Don't let him escape!"
During the plague, a devil cultivator had also used a similar escape technique, transforming into a red light and zooming away. The Li Family had no way to stop it and could only allow him to escape at the time.
The escape spells differed from escape techniques. Most escape techniques only enhanced speed, whereas most escape spells involved changing forms and shuttling back and forth, crossing dangerous lands and large formations. However, they were very difficult to cultivate.
Li Yuanjiao saw Fu Daimu using defensive talismans and almost simultaneously guessed his intention. He pressed forward, calling out to the others, "Keep Fu Daimu from leaving!"
Allowing a late-stage Foundation Establishment Realm Mount Yue cultivator from Mount Wu to escape would spell disaster for the Li Family in the future.
Those from Mount Yue had nothing to lose, but Li Yuanjiao and Yuan Chengdun had families to consider. Hence, the two were most nervous about letting their enemies slip away.
Yuan Chengdun bellowed angrily as he summoned the strength to topple over the Mountain of Human Heads . The strain caused his face to turn red, but he dared not catch his breath and quickly flew to Li Yuanjiao's side.
Meanwhile, Li Yuanjiao pressed on, meeting the defense of a Foundation Establishment Realm talisman head-on. He activated his Jing Dragon King , conjuring a grayish-green serpent dragon that exploded into a series of mana water splashes upon colliding with the talisman.
Being quite versed in talisman cultivation, the three Foundation Establishment Realm talismans Fu Daimu had unleashed were powerful.
The series of attacks from Li Yuanjiao and Fei Luoya only managed to penetrate two layers of Fu Daimu's defense. Holding his ground, Fu Daimu seized this opportunity to cast his spells.
Fei Luoya's face paled as he clenched his teeth, biting off a piece of his tongue. Puffing up his cheeks, he spat out a blood arrow, shaking the golden light shield.
Seizing the moment to act, Li Yuanjiao sprang to his feet and thrust his Qingche Sword forward with ferocious intensity.
Rumble!
A ball of blood light exploded in the air. Despite being an early Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, Zhe Ledai relied on his own strength to repel both Li Wushao and Zhu Xian. Still possessing enough power to counterattack, he drove his dual swords into Li Yuanjiao's back with all his might.
Li Yuanjiao was unwilling to give up on the rare opportunity he had been waiting for. As he seemed on the verge of surrender, the Six-Stone Cloud Plate suddenly appeared behind him.
Amidst the earth-yellow glow, the Profound Patterned Bottle released a profound spirit mist, effectively blocking the incoming swords.
Clang!
The Qingche Sword pierced through the remaining spell shield. The greenish-white sword light surged directly toward Fu Daimu's face.
Pfft!
Fu Daimu caught the Qingche Sword firmly with his hand but the sharp sword qi pierced through the back of his hand. The old man from Mount Yue was furious, his eyes reddening even more as the spell in his hand had been interrupted.
Li Yuanjiao was also taking a beating as he had concentrated all his mana and true essence into the Qingche Sword. Although the Six-Stone Cloud Plate and Profound Patterned Bottle were still activated, Zhe Ledai's dual sword penetrated them easily, causing Li Yuanjiao to spit out fresh blood with the vibration of their mana.
Fu Daimu's heart filled with rage. After such a delay, Yuan Chengdun, having toppled over the Mountain of Human Heads, had already arrived in front of him. His murderous aura was intense as he swung the two golden rods that were aimed directly at Fu Daimu.
The outcome has been decided.