Everything then progressed rapidly. Li Xijun had another talisman pinched between his fingers. He stepped forward, only to find Xu Xiao hovering in red armor with a gray flame burning in his grasp, turning his head back.
Their eyes met, and both men felt an unspoken intensity.
Li Xijun noted the greed and cruelty etched on Xu Xiao's face, feeling as if he were being seared by the scorching sun, teetering on the edge of a volcanic eruption.
Conversely, Xu Xiao felt an icy chill emanating from Li Xijun, feeling as if the man before him possessed eyes filled with the frost of winter, capable of penetrating his very thoughts.
I must eliminate this man!
That was the thought that crossed both their minds simultaneously, prompting them to step back, putting distance between them.
Xu Xiao contemplated, The situation is dire, and I cannot afford to delay any longer. Once I achieve Foundation Establishment Realm, I must kill him right away!
Li Xijun, too, grew wary.
This man's mistakes stemmed from information inconsistencies... He believed the immortal sect still held some sway! I cannot make him leave!
He hurled the talisman in his hand once more, shouting, "Li Wushao! If you hesitate, you will die at this man's hands!"
Xu Xiao's flame seemed particularly effective against demonic creatures. Li Wushao finally reverted to his human form but was grimacing in pain. His expression darkened as he soared into the air, gritting his teeth while pursuing Xu Xiao, wary of using his tail hooks again. He fumbled to retrieve a dharma artifact from his storage pouch.
Xu Xiao's face flushed as he pulled out two more talismans. Gray flames swirled around him. The dharma artifact that Li Wushao had drawn looked like a rod, but it melted before it could even reach Xu Xiao.
Li Xijun's eyes grew icy. He threw out the Hanlin Sword that was hanging from his waist, shouting, "TAKE THIS!"
Li Wushao coiled his tail hooks and caught the dharma sword that was glowing with a snowy light in his hand in one swift motion.
Xu Xiao summoned the gray flame once again to block it while accelerating on the wind. Just ahead, a Qi Cultivator raised an ax to strike at him.
Boom!
Without even as much as a glance, Xu Xiao hurled the flame forward, incinerating the attacker into ashes. A wave of shock rippled through the surrounding cultivators, and they dared only to release mana lights from a distance. The only ones bold enough to approach Xu Xiao and fight back were the more powerful cultivators like the white monkey; the rest silently retreated, shaken by the display of power.
The red ring beneath Xu Xiao's feet was probably a special flying shuttle, granting him remarkable speed. However, he was halted by several opponents, forcing him to weave left and right, unable to accelerate.
In a bid to break free from their encirclement, he unleashed the deadly flames that had earned him a fearsome reputation.
Just as he smiled at his impending escape, a flash of sword light cut through the air in front of him. Xu Xiao's expression darkened. He swung his sleeves, releasing a burst of flames as he growled, "Which blind fool dares to stop me?"
The dharma sword in the hands of the man blocking him instantly melted, and gray flames coiled up his dry arm like a venomous snake. Yet, the man seemed prepared. With a speed that outpaced the flames, he severed his own arm at the shoulder.
With a sickening noise, the dismembered limb turned to ashes before it could touch the ground. Xu Xiao was both visibly stunned and enraged. He opened his mouth to unleash more flames, but was interrupted by Li Wushao, who had already caught the sword. Besides, Li Xijun's talisman followed closely behind.
Bastard!
Xu Xiao's eyes darkened with fury. He took a moment to use his spiritual sense, discovering that the man who had dared to stop him was a shriveled, thin old man. The old man retreated silently with a stoic expression. The blood from his severed arm slowly ceased and his gray eyes radiated a calm resolve.
The old man's face was unsettlingly familiar to Xu Xiao. He recalled seeing him often, tending a spirit field by the lake—a place close to this very spot. The Li Family held him in high regard...
What was his name again...?
Ah, Li Qiuyang.
"Li Qiuyang! Li Qiuyang! A mere unrefined Qi Cultivator! I can't believe it's a pathetic unrefined Qi Cultivator! Bah!" Xu Xiao shouted, his face flushed with anger.
But as he raged, Li Wushao's sword struck him. The demonic creature relied on its overwhelming demonic power to knock Xu Xiao off balance, causing him to spit up blood. The red ring beneath his feet faltered, slowing him down.
The lethal Foundation Establishment Realm talisman barreled toward him, crashing against his paper-thin shield. The shield shattered like glass, leaving Xu Xiao exposed before the onlookers.
Flushed with humiliation, he attempted to ride the wind and force several attackers back with another burst of flames while reaching for a pill in a bottle he had taken out.
But in that fleeting moment, a long rod swept through the flames and struck his palm, shattering the bottle of pills.
Xu Xiao cried out in pain, feeling as though his heart had been pierced. He realized it was the powerful white monkey who had struck him.
Desperation consumed him, and despair settled in as he lamented, I can't believe I've lost to this despicable little creature! It seems like I won't be able to travel the world with Zhen'er!
Having exhausted all his trump cards and options, he continued to fight back with flames desperately as tears streamed down his face. Suddenly, he felt a tight grip around his neck, a powerful force propelling him out of the encirclement, and in an instant, he found himself flying several li away.
A low cry echoed from behind him, followed by a sweet voice that rang in his ears.
"I came as quickly as I could... and I finally made it in time!"
Xu Xiao, utterly drained yet filled with a mix of both sorrow and hope, turned to see a cute female cultivator in a red dress. Her fair skin and adorable appearance struck him like a bolt of lightning, momentarily stealing his breath away.
The female cultivator's attire was simple yet striking—a red dress adorned with black accents and a layer of soft gauze over it. She was breathtaking, her brows resembling delicate leaves. In her hand, she twirled a long, thin red dharma artifact that looked like a feather as she observed Xu Xiao.
Li Xijun, witnessing Xu Xiao escape from their encirclement, felt his blood boil with frustration. He coughed, nearly spitting blood. The frustration of having his calculations and plans foiled, got him biting his lip so hard it bled.
Beside him, Li Wushao was even more agitated. His reddened eyes widened to an almost unnatural size—taking up almost half of his face. A hissing sound escaped his throat as he gritted his teeth, demanding, "Who... are you?!"
For a moment, Li Xijun lost his composure, but he forced himself to calm down. Activating his talisman qi, he cooled his head and then tugged at Li Wushao's sleeve.
"Li Family of Qingdu greets Senior. If I may ask, which sect or gate do you represent?" Li Xijun asked.
The female cultivator, however, did not respond to his question.
Instead, she looked at Xu Xiao, her expression brightening as she spoke in a delicate voice.
"The legacy of Grand Martial Uncle has been buried for so many years, but finally, it has come to light at the right time... Good, very good indeed!"
Xu Xiao immediately understood that she was someone from the immortal sect who was here to rescue him.
"I... I've been hiding in this devil Dao's territory for far too long. Finally, the immortal sect has come to my rescue!" he exclaimed, a note of hope in his voice.
Reactions varied among those present. The female cultivator looked momentarily stunned before her lips curled into a small smile.
"Yes! I am Guo Hongyao from Crimson Reef Immortal Island. For the past few years, we have been fighting with Wanyu Sword Gate, Chunyi Dao Gate, and other devil Daos... I've kept you waiting, but I shall escort you back to the island now!"
Li Xijun felt sidelined, and the expressions of the Li Family members grew uneasy.
The female cultivator's gaze finally shifted to them, her demeanor cooling as she addressed them sharply.
"What kind of prestigious clans are you? Can't you even tell that I'm from the Dao lineage of this island? I've heard that you've been working closely with Wanyu Sword Gate and Profound Peak Gate... You lot are truly bad eggs!"
At this point, Li Xijun had no choice but to cup his fist and attempt to clarify.
"Senior, you've misunderstood us... We are just ignorant and have never seen the spells and techniques that originate from this immortal island."
Guo Hongyao's expression hardened as she waved her red sleeve dismissively and returned her gaze to Xu Xiao.
"I cannot simply overlook the fact that your family has bullied the disciple of our immortal island's gate!"
Taking a deep breath, Li Xijun asked, "What do you mean, Senior?"
Guo Hongyao sneered coldly at his attempt at feigning innocence.
"Command your demon pet to kill himself. As for you... since you are the descendant of the sword immortal, I'll let you off the hook if you apologize to the disciple of my gate. For compensation, let Li Yuanjiao come in person. You are not qualified to come," she said.
Li Wushao felt the hooks beneath his robe stir restlessly, circling ominously at his feet. His crimson eyes glared at the female cultivator with palpable hatred as he suppressed the urge to roar at her.
Meanwhile, Li Xijun's expression grew cold as he lowered his head and said, "Senior, you must be joking."
The moment those words left his lips, the atmosphere plummeted to a freezing point.
Guo Hongyao's smile vanished, and Li Wushao stepped protectively in front of Li Xijun, his eyes fixed on Xu Xiao as two black lights flickered ominously beneath his clothes.
"This isn't up to you!" Guo Hongyao sneered, dismissing Li Wushao entirely.