So Liu Qiao smiled and said, “Wonderful! Please, Daoist, let us see it... I am Liu Qiao, and this is my husband, Helian Changguang. May we ask your name?”
Li Qinghong had no intention of giving her name. She didn’t believe the devil cultivators’ introductions anyway.
She simply pulled out a small point of white light and said softly, “Take a look, Daoist!”
The white light spun once in the air, then shot directly at the couple’s faces. Liu Qiao's expression shifted, but Helian Changguang seemed prepared. He flicked his sleeve and released a black cloud that wrapped tightly around them both.
The flickering white light stopped in midair, hovering brilliantly. Li Qinghong frowned and asked, “What’s the meaning of this?”
Liu Qiao hesitated for a moment and moved her wrist as if to explain, but Helian Changguang seized her wrist tightly, his face stern, and pulled her backward.
He growled, “You may have fooled her, but not me.”
Before his words had even faded, the white light burst forth, expanding in the blink of an eye. Concentrated lightning exploded outward, shifting from pure white to violet-white, then splintered into a torrential rain of lightning that lit up the sky with vibrant hues.
Boom!
Even the devil cultivators on the ground below were stunned and breathless. They had no choice but to raise their dharma artifacts in defense as the lightning rain poured down. The cultivators within the formation seized the opportunity and unleashed a barrage of spells.
Morale surged among the defenders. Li Qinghong also seized the moment. She drew her spear, and bolts of lightning formed avian shapes that flew into the crackling glow.
Another thunderous boom resounded as Helian Changguang burst from the lightning. Black qi rose around him, while his face was cold and scorched with soot.
He raised his blade to block the lightning and shouted, “Thunder cultivator!”
Liu Qiao had fared worse. Her robe was charred black, and blood was trickling from her mouth.
She waved her brocade fan, stirring up a gust of dark wind, and said in a low voice, “Damn you... you wretched thing! Once I break your formation, I’ll turn every one of your kin into blood food!”
Li Qinghong’s almond-shaped eyes widened slightly. She said nothing, but silently committed the words to memory. Though the devil pair had suffered heavily from the exchange, they didn’t retreat. They charged her together with black smoke billowing.
Liu Qiao thought to herself, That power must’ve come from a talisman technique... Yet this woman doesn’t understand the art of timing, she should have used it when exhausted to turn the tide. Wasting it early... how fortunate for us.
Helian Changguang was far more cautious. He secretly used mana to transmit a voice message, “Qiao’er, could this woman be a direct descendent of a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator? And a thunder cultivator at that... we should be careful!”
Liu Qiao dismissed the concern and replied, “How could she be a direct descendant of a Purple Mansion Realm without even a feathered robe? Besides, where in the mainland is there a great thunder cultivation family? She may be strong, but she must be carrying treasures.”
The two attacked Li Qinghong in tandem as they conversed. Her spear flickered with violet lightning, dispersing the black smoke with ease. After exchanging a few moves, she had already gauged them in her heart, Helian Changguang is quite powerful, while Liu Qiao is weak and unfocused. They are clearly not on the same level. Helian could match an esteemed descendant, but Liu Qiao feels like a mere Foundation Establishment Realm rogue cultivator.
Her thunder spear danced through the air with practiced ease, blocking their attacks completely. Every now and then, she’d suddenly thrust, forcing Liu Qiao into narrow escapes and cold sweats.
Frowning, Helian Changguang took out a skull-shaped artifact and tossed it into the air. Gray-red smoke billowed out, and beams of light shot from the skull’s hollow eyes, enveloping the couple.
Still feeling it wasn’t enough, he retrieved a red agate from his storage pouch and suspended it at his side. It emitted beams of crimson light aimed at Li Qinghong’s eyes.
What a deep arsenal.
Li Qinghong’s eyes narrowed. Her family also practiced perception techniques. It was nothing too advanced, but decent enough to resist the glare without being heavily affected. Still, she could no longer strike at will, and her mind quickly calculated the shift in balance.
The brocade fan and robe on the female cultivator were Foundation Establishment Realm items. It was nothing outstanding, but still respectable. They clearly didn’t match her strength. They were likely gifts from her Dao companion.
Meanwhile, Helian had consecutively taken out two Foundation Establishment Realm dharma artifacts. Though not top-grade, they were clearly sufficient to reveal his identity. He was most likely a direct descendant of some devil family.
Devil cultivators found it easier to forge dharma artifacts compared to immortal sects, albeit they were lesser in quality. Even so, these two Foundation Establishment dharma artifacts were already tipping the fight. One restricted Li Qinghong, while the other protected Helian. They were slowly gaining the upper hand.
After dozens of exchanges, Helian noticed Li Qinghong hadn’t taken out any artifacts or talismans. He breathed easier, and assumed he had been overthinking it. His expression turned increasingly vicious.
He pulled out a blood-colored glow from his pouch and said coldly, “You offered me a bolt of thunder, Daoist. Let me return the favor!”
He flicked his finger, and the blood light fluttered twice in the air, expanding and unfolding as it descended like a fog. Blood dust was now raining down from the sky.
The protective thunderlight around Li Qinghong was soon stained by the blood glow. Her movements grew heavy and her spear slower. She had no choice but to step back and shift from offense to defense.
Boom!
A muffled thunderclap rumbled through the clouds as violet light burst from Li Qinghong's eyes. Her Immortal Foundation, Profound Thunderpool, surged to its peak. It unleashed a blast of explosive lightning that forced the couple to stumble back a step.
Her cheeks were flushed slightly, but she pressed on. Each strike of her spear sent violet arcs of lightning outward. She fought through the suppressive blood light, and her momentum became even fiercer than before.
Helian Changguang parried several strikes before snorting coldly. The red agate that had been floating in the air descended and burrowed into his chest, instantly erupting with blinding black light.
He charged at Li Qinghong, blade in hand, engaging her in the sky that echoed with thunderous bursts. Liu Qiao couldn’t find a chance to interfere; she could only distance herself and send black smoke from her brocade fan to harass Li Qinghong from afar.
“Good...”
Helian's mastery of blade arts was average, but his mana was immense, and his cultivation method top-grade. His technique was solid, and he fought Li Qinghong on even ground for a while. After another few dozen exchanges, he seized a moment amid the black smoke and struck viciously.
But Li Qinghong found her rhythm as she fought. Her inner thunder surged like a stormy sea. Her spear strikes grew more violent and forceful. Not only did she break through his attack with ease, she reversed her weapon and stabbed diagonally with explosive force.
Helian had to expend nearly double his mana reserves just to block the blow. Something felt off; her spearwork was only growing more aggressive and lethal. Not only did her lightning suppress his devil magic, it completely shattered his blood qi techniques, rendering them useless.
Did she take some kind of pill...
He gritted his teeth. Though he hadn't seen her take any pill, devil cultivators knew many tricks. They even stored medicine within their flesh, ready to be absorbed in moments of crisis. It wouldn’t be strange. So he held his ground, weathering her assault.
Li Qinghong’s advantage grew more pronounced as she flung out two violent arcs of thunder. Liu Qiao hurried to block them with black smoke, but in that instant, Li Qinghong’s spear reversed mid-flight, bursting with purple lightning as it lunged directly for Liu Qiao’s face.
“Ah!”
Panic surged through Liu Qiao as she rapidly retreated. But the stored lightning had been waiting, and her defensive smoke was instantly blown away. The searing thunderlight stabbed at her eyes as she desperately retrieved a talisman.