Chapter 73: Retaliate

Chapter 73: Retaliate

After running for a while, Li Xiangping stumbled upon a small orchard enclosed by brown wooden fences. The oranges bearing on the trees suggested that the orchard was well taken care of by the local farmers.

“Judging by the distance I’ve run, I’m probably deep in the Ji Family’s territory now. This family must be under their governance.”

The night’s escape had drained Li Xiangping. His face was pale and the talisman in his hand had dimmed, likely exhausted.

He took out the bluish-gray mirror from his chest pocket and closed his eyes to concentrate. Upon sensing the aura of the pursuing old Daoist behind him in the distance, he cursed under his breath.

From within the mirror, Lu Jiangxian observed the scene with clarity. The old Daoist took several pills to stabilize his condition before chasing after Li Xiangping on his flying shuttle, his eyes burning with a fierce determination.

If this old Daoist tries to use some sort of spell on me or assault the mirror directly, I’ll feign a counterattack and seize the moment to eliminate him.

Lu Jiangxian frowned, noting the loss of the old Daoist’s left arm and the disruption in his mana flow. The effects of the Supreme Yin Profound Light lingered within him, occasionally forcing him to close his eyes and regulate his breathing. His advance was slowed but he remained undeterred in his pursuit of Li Xiangping.

“Once I catch up to him... I’ll kill him with a single blow to end his resistance and secure the mirror!” A mixture of anger, greed, and a strategic rationale oscillated in the old Daoist’s mind.

“If the mirror holds such power in the arms of a cultivator of the Embryonic Breathing Realm, I can’t imagine the immense potential it will hold in my hands! The fact that he’s reluctant to keep using it suggests that it must have drained him considerably, leaving him vulnerable for some time.”

The old Daoist slowly increased the speed of his flying shuttle. Soon, a village appeared before him. Among the orange trees in the orchard ahead, he spotted a person running through it. His movements were no longer aided by the buoyancy of wind beneath his feet—this was a clear indication that he had exhausted his talismans.

Clutching the last of his talismans, Li Xiangping prepared for a final confrontation. The Vajra Talisman in his grasp would turn his flesh and bones as hard as steel, potentially enough to withstand the old Daoist’s onslaught and fight for his life.

As the old Daoist descended with his flying shuttle, Li Xiangping suddenly turned around, holding the mirror high in the air.

“Again?”

The old Daoist nearly coughed up blood as his frustration peaked. He abruptly changed the direction of where he was flying and landed awkwardly on the branch of a tree.

Li Xiangping stood next to the tree, staring at him with a cold smile on his face.

Li Xiangping rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore the old Daoist’s rambling.

Lu Jiangxian observed the old Daoist’s immobilized state and gained a deeper understanding of his own abilities.

So, the Supreme Yin Profound Light can immobilize even a cultivator of the Qi Cultivation Realm as long as they are close enough.

With his divine sense, Lu Jiangxian detected movement in the nearby farmhouse. A young man, dressed in tattered linen clothing, cautiously approached and hid behind a tree, watching the two men.

I better end this quickly.

With a mental command, the pure white Supreme Yin Profound Light descended, disintegrating the Old Daoist along with his horsetail whisk before he could even utter half a word.

A small brocade pouch fell to the ground. The whisk’s handle, made of some spirit material, transformed into a piece of pale green metal and dropped on the ground as well.

Lu Jiangxian then gradually extinguished the white light and remained suspended in the air.

Li Xiangping, finally freed from the oppressive force, coughed up more blood and collapsed weakly onto the ground.

Just as Li Xiangping was attempting to regulate his breathing, he was struck so hard on his head that he could see stars. He managed to roll over and caught sight of his attacker.

Before him, a raggedly dressed peasant boy brimming with greed and delight straddled atop Li Xiangping. He grabbed a rock and began mercilessly hitting Li Xiangping with it.

“Damn it! How dare you? How dare you lay hands on an immortal cultivator?!” Li Xiangping summoned the last remnants of his mana and deflected the rock that was coming down on him with his left hand.

He fumbled around with his right hand until he grabbed a hold of a sturdy tree branch. He quickly imbued it with a Golden Light spell and thrust it toward the young man.

The branch, sharpened by the Golden Light spell, pierced through the young man’s neck. The young man’s eyes widened in shock as he promptly coughed up several mouthfuls of blood while clutching his throat and writhing on the ground.

Li Xiangping collapsed to the ground, watching the young man’s desperate struggles. Fearful that the commotion might draw more attention, he struggled to his feet. He quickly stashed the pouch and the metal block into his chest pocket, then retrieved the mirror and made a staggering escape toward the outskirts of the village.