Chapter 103: Encounter

Along the way, Li Guanxuan saw quite a few second-tier flying vessels from the Thunderfire Sect. At one point, while flying on his sword, he was nearly collided with by one of these second-tier vessels, which infuriated Qin Jiyue to the point where she wanted to strike it down with a single sword slash. Fortunately, Li Guanxuan grabbed her just in time and lowered their flight altitude.

“There’s no need to argue with them over trivial matters. Once we enter the Red Lotus Mountains, we’ll deal with these troublesome cultivators properly,” Li Guanxuan transmitted to her, reminding Qin Jiyue of their true purpose for entering the Red Lotus Mountains.

“You say it’s a trivial matter, but then you talk about slaughtering them later…” Qin Jiyue couldn’t help but tease. However, she knew very well that Li Guanxuan, though skilled at laying low in the past due to his weakness, never hesitated to set up intricate schemes and traps to slaughter his enemies mercilessly once he gained strength.

Arguing? There was no need for that. Remember their faces, wait for the opportunity, then strike decisively! With luck, they could even seize some spiritual stones and other resources, saving time that would otherwise be spent on alchemy or talisman crafting. Wouldn’t that time be better spent on proper cultivation?

“We endure now, not because we want to suffer this loss. If there’s a chance later, why not slaughter them?” Li Guanxuan said with a smile. “As the saying goes, those who live by the sword eventually die by the sword. These arrogant and overbearing fellows— even if we don’t have them in our sights, other rogue cultivators will… not to mention the violent evil cultivators and bandits.”

“Is there really such a saying?” Qin Jiyue asked with a puzzled expression.

“…” Li Guanxuan’s hand slipped down her slender waist, his five fingers pressing down in a line, leaving five faint finger marks, and he said, “Only I’m allowed to talk back, understood?”

Qin Jiyue rolled her eyes at him, a little defiant inwardly. If they weren’t outside, she would have…

“Watch out!” Qin Jiyue suddenly shouted.

Li Guanxuan had already sensed the danger, narrowing his eyes as he instantly retreated while still riding his sword.

“Boom!”

A bolt of lightning struck down, instantly shattering a first-tier flying vessel into charred rubble. Flames erupted before them, the residual power of the thunder magic still crackling.

Li Guanxuan’s expression turned grave. He stopped riding the sword and chose to land.

“These Thunderfire Sect disciples aren’t really here to eradicate evil or bandits; they’re using that as an excuse to sweep away us rogue cultivators!”

“Exactly. Along the way, I’ve already seen many first-tier vessels blasted to pieces by them. Their methods are utterly tyrannical.”

“Sigh, what can we do? The Thunderfire Sect obviously has other intentions. Better to keep our distance.”

After landing, Li Guanxuan could hear many Qi Refining rogue cultivators grumbling and lamenting. It was clear that the Thunderfire Sect, far away in Huajing Immortal City, was now operating near Shanggu City and the Red Lotus Mountains, stirring up great resentment among local cultivators.

Yet most dared only to feel anger silently, as the Thunderfire Sect had a True Dan Realm master stationed, and several elders were said to be on the verge of forming Nascent Souls. The sect was at its peak, and no one dared provoke them.

If not for the old city lord of Shanggu City setting up a sturdy protective formation, the Thunderfire Sect’s ancestor might have personally come here by now.

Li Guanxuan paid only slight attention to these matters; for someone with abundant longevity like him, steady cultivation and survival were paramount.

Moreover, behind Yinfeng City, there was actually a Gold Dan Realm master— a fact Cao Feng had quietly disclosed to him.

“Ah, Cao Mang?” Li Guanxuan suddenly noticed a broad-shouldered man resembling a small hill, with bronze skin and standing two meters and a half tall, carrying an ancient, heavy greatsword on his back.

“He’s also successfully formed his Foundation,” Qin Jiyue said without surprise. After all, Cao Mang was Cao Feng’s cousin, and if there was a Foundation Establishment Pill, he would surely have been looked after.

“Forget him for now. Let’s head into the Red Lotus Mountains. That guy often gathers refining materials on the outskirts of the range, probably headed there this time too,” Li Guanxuan communicated through divine sense and urged Qin Jiyue to speed up.

The two figures transformed into sword beams, slicing through dense woods toward the Red Lotus Mountains.

Many Qi Refining rogue cultivators, mistaking them for high-level Thunderfire Sect Foundation Establishment cultivators, dared not speak. Upon realizing they were also rogue cultivators, they relaxed slightly.

Once inside the Red Lotus Mountains, Li Guanxuan realized that it wasn’t just Thunderfire Sect disciples present. Foundation Establishment masters from the Ink Pavilion, Dan Ding Sect, and Bright Moon Sword Sect had also entered.

Seeing so many, Li Guanxuan began to doubt his earlier assumptions were too simplistic. This was not a mere purge of bandits and evil cultivators; clearly, some rare treasures were about to mature, attracting these sects’ Foundation Establishment masters to compete for them.

“The beasts in the Red Lotus Mountains are not to be trifled with. The old city lord of Shanggu City nearly perished here…” Li Guanxuan shook his head slightly, unwilling to get involved.

Following the coordinates given by Liu Xiaoxian, he glanced at the map and headed in that direction.

Fang Xingzhi had once secluded himself there to break through Foundation Establishment, so the other party might be hiding with Chen Yinshan in that area.

The Red Lotus Mountains were perilous, with many apex-level demonic beasts comparable to peak Foundation Establishment masters. Recklessly venturing into other areas could easily mean death.

After about ten days of searching near that location, Li Guanxuan found no trace of Fang Xingzhi or Chen Yinshan and began to feel troubled.

Qin Jiyue comforted him, “Perhaps it’s a good thing. Although we can’t find them, others won’t either.”

“I worry more that they might have been eaten by the beasts,” Li Guanxuan sighed.

He wondered why Fang Xingzhi had suddenly become so cautious. Perhaps after being caught once by the You family’s beast tamers, he had grown more careful.

Li Guanxuan’s expression darkened. That near-death experience was perhaps the closest Fang Xingzhi had ever come; if not for his own caution, Fang Xingzhi might have perished.

Then, Li Guanxuan left the character “Gui” nearby, signaling to Chen Yinshan that he had been there.

Chen Yinshan had seen his writing before; upon seeing this mark, he would surely try to contact him.

Half a year passed.

The Red Lotus Mountains saw constant skirmishes. Li Guanxuan and Qin Jiyue caught the attention of other sect disciples, but after unleashing a second-tier superior puppet, those cultivators wisely withdrew.

This was a tough nut to crack; no one without real skill could bite into it.

Truth be told, Li Guanxuan was not concerned about these attacks.

His strength was gradually nearing the peak of Foundation Establishment. The outcome of fights with peak Foundation Establishment masters was uncertain, but killing late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators had become almost effortless.

“Half a year gone by. That bastard should have seen the character I left,” Li Guanxuan stretched, feeling stiff.

He hadn’t had time to relax for half a year.

Before, he had been constantly anxious, day and night, always scheming.

Now, the Red Lotus Mountains were swarming with cultivators and beasts. Any carelessness could lead to ambushes, leaving no safe place or moment for him to release his power steadily.

Battles in the wild were thrilling, but only in desolate, uninhabited areas. The current Red Lotus Mountains were a veritable war zone.

Qin Jiyue also seemed listless, unable to lift her spirits, especially with a little five- or six-inch-long short sword nearby—visible but untouchable, unable to return to its sheath.

For someone with the Moon Yin Sword Body like Qin Jiyue, this was quite frustrating.

“Fang Xingzhi and Chen Yinshan have appeared!” Li Guanxuan’s divine sense had been sweeping the surroundings. Upon hearing the news from a cultivator nearby, his spirits surged.

Qin Jiyue heard it too, suddenly raising her head to see Li Guanxuan darting in that direction.

“Damn! We’ve been discovered!”

A scarred face appeared. If Li Guanxuan were there, he would recognize him instantly as Chen Yinshan, who once ventured alone into the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Now, Chen Yinshan’s face was filled with ferocity, his eyes wild with uncontrollable madness, as if he might lose reason at any moment and slaughter any living thing he saw.

Beside him, the evil cultivator Fang Xingzhi said grimly, “Suppress your rage. You’ve just stabilized, and you want to fall back into madness? Let me make it clear: if you lose control again, even the immortals won’t be able to save you!”

Chen Yinshan reluctantly suppressed his violent emotions and said in a low voice, “Old Li must be somewhere in the Red Lotus Mountains. That guy’s probably only early Foundation Establishment; it’s too dangerous here. I have to get him out!”

Chen Yinshan had indeed seen the “Gui” character Li Guanxuan left—it was the only person who knew he had entered the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Though the deaths of the You family’s ancestor and You Shaoneng were caused by peak Foundation Establishment cultivators, Chen Yinshan knew from his understanding of Li Guanxuan that the incident was surely connected to him.

Between these two brothers, Li Guanxuan was the only one he truly trusted, and he did not want to be the one to cause his death—after all, Li Guanxuan had a family.

“Fool! Take care of yourself first!” Fang Xingzhi cursed bitterly.

He felt utterly unlucky; if he had known earlier, he wouldn’t have saved this guy. They had been hiding safely, but after seeing that “Gui” character, Li Guanxuan couldn’t stay still and insisted on coming out.

“Boom!”

A thunderbolt descended from the sky, striking the spot where Chen Yinshan stood.

But Chen Yinshan had foreseen it and easily dodged, turning back to look at the attacker with a grin.

“Yan Mingyao, right? You wait. As long as you dare linger in the Red Lotus Mountains, this will be your grave!”

“Then let’s see if you still have any chance to fight back,” Yan Mingyao sneered, unleashing a puppet with the combat power of Foundation Establishment stage eight, charging at Chen Yinshan.

At the same time, a ferocious tiger demon leapt from the woods, claws aiming for Chen Yinshan’s heart.

A folding fan sliced through the air like a razor.

The tiger demon had no choice but to retract its claws and roll aside to avoid the attack.

“Bang bang bang…”

Five or six folding fans plunged into the ground, dust rising. If the tiger demon hadn’t dodged in time, it would have been cut to pieces.

Fang Xingzhi retracted his fans and, seeing Chen Yinshan unharmed, immediately gave chase.

Their goal was not to kill but to escape and hide.

Even though Yan Mingyao commanded a puppet with strength comparable to Foundation Establishment stage eight, he was powerless against two determined fugitives.

Moreover, the two evil cultivators had made some progress in escape techniques, and with the complex terrain of the Red Lotus Mountains, even peak Foundation Establishment masters might not catch them.

Watching them run farther away, the You family clan leader anxiously said, “Yan steward, we absolutely cannot let them escape!”

He had painstakingly tracked these two down, investing many spiritual stones and spirit pets. If these two powerful evil cultivators got away, his future would be grim.

Chen Yinshan was about to break through to mid Foundation Establishment as well…

“Don’t worry. They won’t leave the Red Lotus Mountains alive,” Yan Mingyao said coldly, turning to another Thunderfire Sect steward, ordering, “Notify the mid Foundation Establishment cultivators of Ink Pavilion, Dan Ding Sect, and Bright Moon Sword Sect. Chen Yinshan and Fang Xingzhi are nearby. Have them rush here to reinforce!”

The steward looked troubled. “But they’re all focused on the five-hundred-year-old Golden Sun Ganoderma and refuse to come.”

Yan Mingyao sneered, “Then tell them Chen Yinshan’s ‘Seven Kill Fiend Art’ is nearly at its second stage completion. Once perfected, those who once besieged him will all die! Especially the Bright Moon Sword Sect!”

The steward’s heart trembled in disbelief, asking, “Really?”

“Whether true or not, just ask if they’re afraid to die!” Yan Mingyao said indifferently. “Hurry and notify them. We cannot let Chen Yinshan escape again!”

“Yes!” The steward nodded without hesitation.

Though both were Thunderfire Sect stewards, Yan Mingyao was in command during external operations.

“Who’s there? Show yourself!” Yan Mingyao suddenly shouted, pointing in a direction as he ordered the stage eight puppet to attack.

“Seven Kill Fiend Art? What is that?” Li Guanxuan frowned slightly as he approached. Was this some opportunity that old Chen had gained in the Ten Thousand Mountains?

Perhaps it was also the reason for Chen Yinshan’s madness.

Li Guanxuan’s expression grew serious. If all the sects’ Foundation Establishment masters gathered to hunt Chen Yinshan and Fang Xingzhi, it would be difficult for him to intervene.

If his artifact ring was destroyed, exposing his true identity, he would have no choice but to leave Yinfeng City and relocate to another Spirit City.

“Wait for the right moment,” Li Guanxuan thought silently, leaving a layer of azure sword intent in the surrounding corners to form a sword formation.

If it came to that, he would have to kill them all.

“Hope they don’t reach peak Foundation Establishment. Then I’ll have to slip away first…”

Suddenly, a loud shout came from the distance, followed by a pitch-black puppet charging at him, a punch aimed straight at his face!

(End of chapter)