Situ Mo shouted, "Ha!"
Before the words even left his mouth, three golden shields materialized before him while he instantly moved several zhang away, spitting out a small, round red pill. The pill spun once in the air and dissolved into smoke.
"The techniques of the Golden Tang Gate!" Li Yuanjiao sighed as he watched. Situ Mo had not yet had time to feel relief when he felt a cold sensation behind him. A grayish-green serpent dragon materialized, its jaws snapping toward his neck.
Clang!
Li Yuanjiao struck aside the three golden shields, but the serpent dragon was blocked by the light emitted from Situ Mo's dharma robes. Situ Mo quickly formed a hand seal, sending out a burst of golden light that shattered the dragon.
With a venomous tone, he growled, "Some Celestial Moon Slash technique... hardly impressive!"
But before he could even finish speaking, three more streams of silver light darted toward him, gleaming brilliantly like the moon. They spun and danced in the air, weaving through the gaps between his three golden shields, aiming for his upper, middle, and lower body.
Situ Mo was startled, and golden patterns appeared on his hands as he tried to grab the incoming light, but his grasp closed on nothing but air.
The three sword lights moved too swiftly, slipping between his defenses like snakes slithering inside his robes. Unable to cast another spell in time, Situ Mo could do nothing as the sword lights struck his body.
His golden robe once again emitted light, releasing a surge of white mist that dissolved the three sword lights that were aimed at him, forcing Li Yuanjiao to withdraw his attack in vain.
Situ Mo let out a sigh of relief, now drenched in sweat, and spat sarcastically, "Well... well... quite the sword technique!"
At the same time, deep green serpent dragons rose beneath Li Yuanjiao's feet while sword qi churned in his hands. Inwardly, he felt helpless.
I'm afraid I won't be able to take him down... My mastery of the Threefold Moonlight is lacking...agile but not powerful enough. What a pity.
Situ Mo stepped forward, his hand performing seals as he cautiously engaged Li Yuanjiao in back-and-forth attacks. Sword qi and saber qi clashed, producing resounding explosions.
Kongheng, not skilled in offensive techniques, stood nearby, his monk's staff emitting golden light within a one-zhang radius around him. Though he used the golden light to strike at Situ Mo, it merely distracted him for a moment, failing to cause any real harm.
The Golden Tang Gate has been in Xu State for years, once a major power that frequently clashed with Azure Pond... Even though they've declined, their foundation runs deep and they're hard to deal with.
Kongheng knew it wasn't just the Golden Tang Gate—even Situ Mo himself was no easy opponent.
Li Yuanjiao had missed his chance for an overwhelming strike, and with his most powerful sword technique already used, he found himself unable to gain the upper hand.
Sure enough, Situ Mo scattered two of Li Yuanjiao's sword qi with a wave of his hand and sneered.
"Is that all your family's swordsmanship has to offer? You were lucky enough to have a sword immortal as an ancestor, which barely elevated your family to a prestigious clan... You are nothing but a bunch of opportunists."
While mocking him, Situ Mo's hands did not slow down. He raised his Foundation Establishment Realm dharma artifact to fend off Li Yuanjiao, rapidly forming six seals in succession. Finally, he clasped his hands together, his ring finger hooking over the middle finger while his index fingers crossed, leaving the other three fingers pressed together.
With a loud bang, golden light burst from Situ Mo's palm, forming a small dagger about the size of a finger that darted into the air, circling once before streaking toward Li Yuanjiao with the speed and force of lightning, shrieking as it cut through the air.
Situ Mo knew all about the Li Family, but Li Yuanjiao knew little about him. Feeling an intense sense of danger, Li Yuanjiao's back went cold. Quickly, he slapped his pouch and summoned a large brown shield— Six-Stone Cloud Plate!
The golden saber came too fast—Li Yuanjiao didn't even have time to retrieve a talisman. He poured all his mana into the shield, and the deep green serpent dragon coiled around it protectively.
BOOM!
"Ugh..."
A tremendous force hit his arm, and the Six-Stone Cloud Plate shuddered under the impact. A sharp pain shot through his wrist as the golden light pierced through, forcing him to retreat with gritted teeth.
The Six-Stone Cloud Plate let out a mournful sound as a bloody hole appeared in Li Yuanjiao's wrist. He had no time to assess the injury before the golden saber, having circled behind him, streaked back toward his heart.
Situ Mo, after releasing the golden saber, took only a moment to catch his breath before charging forward with his sword. He swung down with a sweep of golden light, while the Six-Stone Cloud Plate, now with a small hole in it, struggled to block the cold, piercing advance of the golden saber.
Li Yuanjiao spun around, drawing his Qingche Sword to parry Situ Mo's strike, barely managing to deflect the blow. The Six-Stone Cloud Plate shot upward to block the golden saber.
Creak...
Though the golden saber was not as terrifying as when it first appeared, it still caused Li Yuanjiao to stumble backward. He retreated several steps, shrouding himself in Profound Patterned Spirit Mist , trying to put some distance between himself and the deadly golden saber that coiled like a viper, ready to strike again.
Hum!
Li Yuanjiao braced himself, clutching a talisman and preparing to counterattack. But just as the golden saber was about to strike again, Kongheng recited a mantra, and the saber suddenly froze midair.
Situ Mo's face twisted with rage as he shouted out angrily, "You damned monk! Must you interfere?"
With Kongheng's intervention, Li Yuanjiao had enough time to activate his Profound Patterned Bottle , concealing his presence and disappearing from sight.
Situ Mo immediately grew cautious. Li Yuanjiao was no ordinary Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator—if caught off guard, he could be dangerous.
Scanning the area with a venomous gaze, Situ Mo quickly performed another hand seal. The golden saber obediently returned to his hand and vanished.
I should've mastered a perception technique... Wasting time on this Golden Blaze Saber cost me. Otherwise, I could've killed all three of them today!
Situ Mo exhaled deeply. Knowing he had missed his chance, he was not willing to risk further conflict and exhaust himself.
Then, a sudden sense of impending doom gnawed at his heart.
This is not good...
He did not waste time on empty threats, simply raising his hand. In the forest, the formation flags rose from the ground, returning to his grasp as the golden formation vanished.
Golden light surged beneath his feet, and several golden shields floated around him for protection. Tall and imposing, he spoke with a cold, ominous tone.
"We will settle this another time!"
Before his voice had even fully faded away, Situ Mo had transformed into a streak of golden light and flew away at incredible speed, disappearing over the horizon in mere moments.
"Granduncle!" Li Xijun hurried into the formation, calling out twice.
Li Xuanxuan quickly pulled him into an embrace, carefully looking him over before letting out a long breath of relief.
"You nearly scared me to death!"
Li Yuanjiao's face was pale, the glow of the Qingche Sword in his hand dimming as he sealed away the remaining sword intent. The hole in his wrist was large, revealing a glimpse of bone beneath.
Without saying a word, he summoned a stream of water from the nearby pool, filling the wound before placing a hand over it, making it appear fully healed.
Kongheng, knowing this was merely a temporary fix, gently advised, "These wounds cannot be left untreated. Please use some healing pills and medicine to heal it as soon as you can, or it may hinder your future cultivation."
Grateful for Kongheng's help, Li Yuanjiao's expression softened as he responded, "Thank you for saving me, Master Monk."
Meanwhile, Li Xuanxuan, having checked Li Xijun's wounds, rushed to his son's side and carefully examined him. But with Li Yuanjiao's Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation, the elder could not tell how serious the injuries were. He could only mutter anxiously, "Oh dear! Oh dear..."
Li Yuanjiao glanced at him in surprise, the corner of his mouth curving slightly upward for a brief moment, before turning back with a sigh of regret.
"It is a pity... That man had quite the skill. I could not gain the upper hand."
"Second Uncle!"
Li Xijun smiled and pulled out a gleaming golden artifact from his storage pouch, presenting it with both hands as he bowed his head respectfully.
"...That may not be the case."