The two cultivators attacked together. Li Xizhi formed a spell with one hand and wielded his sword with the other, leaping out of their encirclement and scattering patches of golden-red rainbow lights. Sweat appeared on his forehead as he finally found the chance to properly examine his opponents.
One of them had a dignified and sturdy appearance. He was neatly dressed and held a dark purple-black jar densely covered with intricate white patterns. His eyes were wide, filled with uncertainty.
The other man had a fierce and greedy look. He was taller than his companion and wore a black robe. Layers of white mist continuously drifted from him, coiling around him like agile serpents.
When he saw Li Xizhi easily escaping their encirclement, the devil cultivator holding the jar transmitted a hasty message using divine sense, “Fellow Daoist Qiu! This person is difficult to deal with. You're familiar with the local situation, do you know anything about him?”
The ears of the burly devil cultivator stepping on the white mist twitched. His aggressive gaze swept over Li Xizhi’s robe without hiding his intentions, and he replied darkly, “Brother Ge... judging from his appearance, he's probably from the Azure Pond Sect. He has many treasures, and it seems he's injured. You and I... let’s seize this opportunity and rob him!”
Devil cultivator Ge nodded slowly. Both of them were devil cultivators summoned from the region of Xu State. They were not trusted retainers of the Murong Family, so they had always intended to make a significant profit. When they saw Li Xizhi in poor condition, their greed immediately started to rear its head.
Li Xizhi calmly regulated his breath and transmitted a mana message. Li Quantao and Yu Yuwei had already suppressed their devil cultivator opponents and had spare attention to observe him, relieving him greatly.
But the two devil cultivators before him allowed no openings. Devil cultivator Ge finally made the decision to throw out his purple-black jar. A burst of gray smoke emerged from it and was swept forward by the wind toward Li Xizhi.
Rainbow light shone from Li Xizhi’s hand as he activated his defensive spell, Dawn Wind Stabilizer. Two arcs of rainbow light rippled outward like waves on water. The Heavenly Glow Dao lineage wasn't known for defense, and Li Xizhi’s technique was already one of the rare respectable defensive arts in the Dawn Dew Gathering Technique manual.
His injuries made his spell appear dimmer than usual. It should have dispersed the enemy’s attack outright, but now it merely pushed back the gray smoke, temporarily restraining the opponent’s momentum.
Li Xizhi was inwardly startled, his heart sinking, These two aren’t ordinary devil cultivators!
But devil cultivator Qiu had already lunged forth on white mist, and instantly appeared before him. He combined two clumps of white mist in his hand, and forcibly ripped through the rippling rainbow light.
The white mist sizzled on contact with mana. It was seemingly designed to neutralize enemy spells, as it instantly turned mana into ashes. The Dawn Wind Stabilizer only briefly delayed him as his hand shot directly toward Li Xizhi’s chest.
Li Quantao, who was observing the situation from the side, immediately sensed something was wrong. His heart skipped a beat as he shouted, “Senior Yu!”
His shout rang out like thunder. Yu Yuwei activated his Immortal Foundation to the fullest, shaking out two purple-red flames from his sleeves that intercepted the devil cultivator facing Li Quantao. A massive purple-red cauldron hurtled through the air, instantly forcing the two devil cultivators into disarray.
Li Quantao tapped his chest and spat out a radiant pearl. The pearl released dazzling streams of light, dispersing the demonic clouds into a few small dark patches. Clear droplets rose from beneath the pearl and merged into the clouds.
“Water Wall Pearl!”
Clang...
Cultivator Qiu’s attention suddenly shifted away from Li Xizhi, eyes widening in surprise. Devil cultivator Ge similarly lost his composure, excitement and greed surfacing on his face as he cried out, “What a powerful dharma artifact! Could it be an ancient relic? A Water Mansion ancient dharma artifact?”
The Water Wall Pearl’s power was astonishing as it nearly dispersed the spirit winds under their feet. The bright and lustrous white pearl hovered silently in the air. It was clearly extraordinary. Rather than fear, the two devil cultivators felt joy, as their attention was immediately captured by the artifact.
As both devil cultivators momentarily froze, Li Xizhi felt the pressure ease. Li Quantao stepped forward, gripping the artifact and shouting loudly, “Brother Zhi... I’m here to help you!”
Yet, at that moment, both devil cultivators erupted in sudden fury. Devil cultivator Qiu’s black robes billowed violently as white mist uncontrollably surged from his seven orifices along with bursts of blood. The mist spiraled like a storm across his shoulders and back around his face.
At the same time, Devil cultivator Ge bit off the tip of his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood. The jar in his hand flashed with crimson light, expanding several times in size. Gray smoke burst forth like competing snakes racing forward.
“So decisive... Northern devil cultivators...”
Both devil cultivators simultaneously used techniques that burned their own lifeblood and vitality without hesitation. Gray and white mists swept forward together, startling Li Quantao greatly.
Focused entirely on aiding Li Xizhi, Li Quantao hadn’t anticipated their sudden and nearly suicidal attack. He hastily threw out the Water Wall Pearl to intercept the incoming mists.
Li Xizhi naturally wouldn’t stand idle. Gathering his mana, he drew his sword swiftly, a brilliant sword-light erupting from its sheath, aimed sharply at devil cultivator Qiu’s back.
A loud explosion echoed. The shattered waves of gray and white mist caused intense pain in Li Xizhi’s eyes, causing tears to stream down his face. His sword seemed to have struck something, but devil cultivator Qiu had vanished into the white mist.
A pale Li Quantao staggered back several steps. The Water Wall Pearl had saved his life again, absorbing nearly sixty percent of their combined attack. The pearl continued hovering, still as radiant as ever.
But the strength belonged entirely to the artifact, not Li Quantao himself. Despite the pearl absorbing most of the damage, Li Quantao had clearly suffered significantly from the strike. So, he quickly recalled the pearl.
Li Xizhi moved swiftly to his side with a flash of Gold In Cloud, spreading a sleeveful of Heavenly Glow. He noticed devil cultivator Qiu’s astonished expression, blood still visible on his cheeks due to excessive mana consumption.
Devil cultivator Qiu questioned suspiciously, “The Li Family of Lijing?”
Li Xizhi was uncertain how Qiu recognized him, but judging by the mention of the Li Family of Lijing, it likely concerned events from years past. His expression grew solemn, but he remained silent.
Devil cultivator Ge, disappointed in Qiu’s hesitation, immediately started to curse, “Qiu Ji! You damned idiot! Why hesitate at this critical time?! Hurry up and seize that artifact! There’ll be nothing left for us when others gather!”
Qiu Ji glared darkly at him, secretly harboring distrustful thoughts, There’s only one artifact, how could the two of us share it? I’ve fought with this family before... They’re strong! I also heard they’re a sword immortal clan. They might have hidden trump cards.
I should’ve tricked old Ge into blocking those talismans swords... Better if he dies without a corpse, so I can naturally take the artifact. It’s a perfect outcome. But since things remain unsettled, I must first kill one person with full force.
Sinister and terrifying white mist surged violently in his hands, as he recklessly fueled them with his vitality.