CHAPTER 349: CHAPTER 303 SIEGE

There was no need for doubt. The distant pillar of light tearing through the night sky, brimming with a divine aura, cleansed one’s soul and purified one’s heart merely by gazing at it from afar, as if listening to the resounding Haotian Bell echoing throughout Chang’an.

Only those with pure Cultivation and unwavering faith in Haotian could command such an imposing presence.

"Let’s go!" Xiao Da’s expression suddenly changed. He spoke in a lowered voice, "With Shangguan Yangyao and their capabilities, they will discover this place sooner or later. We must head to the heart of the Mountain of Mind and Heart, to the ruins of the Jialan Sect, before they are free to do so..."

Xiao Da was from the Zhou Kingdom. Although the Zhou Kingdom’s belief in Haotian was even more devout than that of the Yu Country, it certainly couldn’t compare to the Jing Country.

If Shangguan Yangyao had really formed a team, Xiao Da didn’t think he would be qualified to be accepted by them.

Li Ang did not respond. He stood in the clearing in the woods, waiting silently for a while.

After the pillar of light slowly dissipated, a continuous rumble came from the dense forest to the south. The earth trembled slightly, and countless birds flew away from the collapsing trees, scattering in all directions.

"...You go first," Li Ang suddenly said. "I’ll go see what’s going on. Let’s part ways here."

"What?!"

Xiao Da was astonished. It was Li Ang’s idea to seek refuge at the Jialan Sect ruins. Now, not only was he not leaving, but he was also going to risk great danger to investigate the situation?

This was Li Ang, the one who had repeatedly trampled on Taihao Mountain’s reputation. His infamy among the disciples of Taihao Mountain had already reached its peak.

Wasn’t this just asking for death?

Li Ang quickly gathered his equipment. He flung his left arm, shot the Eagle Mountain Claw toward a southern tree branch, and swung himself into the dark forest.

"..."

Xiao Da watched Li Ang’s disappearing figure, gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and then turned to run north.

Shangguan Yangyao stood atop the swaying treetops, his arms crossed before him. The Haoyang pattern on the back of his white robe flickered with a soft light. His chiseled, handsome face was devoid of expression as he looked down coldly at the clearing below and said indifferently, "Admit defeat, Your Excellency. There is no point in persisting any longer."

"Is that so?" Sui Yi smiled coldly. Gripping her sword hilt, she scanned her surroundings under the bright moonlight.

Apart from Shangguan Yangyao, four other figures clad in Taihao Mountain’s white robes blocked all paths of escape. Each of them radiated the Spiritual Energy fluctuations of the Cloud Patrol Realm. Some held Longswords, others clutched talismans, and still others formed Dharma Seals, all firmly locking onto Sui Yi’s vital energy.

These Taihao Mountain people must be cheating, right? How did they assemble so quickly? Sui Yi internally grumbled with irritation but kept her composure. She said, "Ganging up on a supposedly weak woman like me—aren’t you afraid of being mocked by Cultivators all over the world if word gets out?"

"If the one who crossed the Zhou Kingdom within half a month, wielding a sword to slay over a dozen nefarious Cultivators—such as Duan Hua, the man-bear of Qingzhou Prefecture; Wu Lu, the Poison Jiao Dragon of Tingzhou Prefecture; and Sikong Nu, the Star Stealer of Bozhou Prefecture—if such a person could also be called a weak woman, then I fear there aren’t many in the world who would dare call themselves heroes." Shangguan Yangyao spoke calmly. Sui Yi’s face, however, turned slightly red.

A few years ago, when she first received her Patrol Token from the Academic Palace, she was indeed full of herself, incredibly arrogant. First, she went to the Ten Thousand Desolate Mountains to slay demons. Finding that not thrilling enough, she then hid her identity and adopted the moniker of the Yinghuo Sword. She cut down bandits and eliminated scourges throughout the Zhou Kingdom, leaving behind a celebrated reputation within its borders.

And after she wiped out each bandit camp and rescued the captives, she would even take a mop and, using the bandits’ blood as ink, write some pretentious poetic lines she had painstakingly concocted on the walls.

For instance:

"I grasp the sun and moon, pluck the stars from the sky; in all the world, there is no one like I."

"Before the Demon, I kowtow for three millennia; glancing back at the mortal dust, I choose not to be an immortal."

"At the end of the immortal path, who stands as the peak? One glimpse of Yinghuo, and the Dao itself is rendered void."

...

Thinking about it now, it was so embarrassing and cringeworthy it was off the charts.

"COUGH. COUGH." Sui Yi coughed lightly to cover her embarrassment and said slowly, "You lot from Taihao Mountain, you’re teaming up, plundering, and your scores are miles ahead on the leaderboard. So why come looking for trouble with me? Although I’m an Academic Palace Instructor now and haven’t cut anyone down in a long time, if it comes to a fight to the death, I can still take one or two of you with me."

"Because I’m not confident I can secure a definite win against you," Shangguan Yangyao admitted frankly. "There are still five days left in the trial. Tonight’s leaderboard has already alerted all remaining Trialists. We must eliminate the most troublesome potential leaders among the Cloud Patrol Realm Cultivators before others can form teams and alliances. You, Your Excellency, are one of them."

The ownerless nature of the Bell Beads means that until the very last second before the trial ends, others can still overtake those in the lead by plundering, or even trading, to acquire a large number of points.

Since Shangguan Yangyao had taken the risk of becoming a public enemy by teaming up and plundering, he had to maintain his advantage until the very last moment.

"Is that so." Sui Yi’s eyes narrowed slightly as she grasped the situation. "In that case... let’s fight!"

The moment her words fell, she became an afterimage, appearing before the Taihao Mountain Talisman Master on the western side.

ZING—

The Longsword unsheathed. Its blade, burning with Red Sword Qi, swept up countless falling leaves. Before the scattered leaves could even touch the ground, they were torn, ground, and annihilated into ash.

The Taihao Mountain Talisman Master, facing the incoming sword light, watched with wide eyes as several talismans, long buried at his feet, flew up.

The Exhausting Talisman unleashed fierce flames that enveloped Sui Yi completely. The Earth Melt Talisman and Sand Sinking Talisman dissolved the surface leaves and soil, transforming the earth into a rapidly spinning, large-scale sandstorm to trap her. The Strong Resistance Talisman constructed an invisible barrier in the air, impeding the path of the Sword Qi.

...

The Dao Path of talismanic study emphasized accumulating power for a decisive burst. At the Body Concealing Realm and Rain Listening Realm, Talisman Masters found it very difficult to compete head-on against practitioners of other Dao Paths. But at the Cloud Patrol Realm, the situation changed drastically.

A well-prepared Talisman Master in a positional battle could be considered unmatched. Any sudden situation could be countered with an appropriate talisman.

Under the glow of the red sword light, the Taihao Mountain Talisman Master’s face flickered, his expression uncertain. All I need is to hold her off for a few seconds, buy enough time for the others to rush over, and this battle will be decided...

He hadn’t even completed the thought of ’suspense’ in his mind when the invisible barrier created by the Strong Resistance Talisman, like a glass vessel shattering upon impact with the ground, was suddenly covered in a web of cracks.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK—

One layer, two layers, three layers...

All seven layers of Strong Resistance Barriers were torn apart by the Red Sword Qi.

Sui Yi’s gaze was as cold as ice, devoid of her usual laziness. Her hand gripped the hilt of her sword. Wielding the narrow blade, she broke through the light of the Exhausting Talisman, through the swirling dust and sand, and unstoppably struck the Talisman Master’s shoulder, sending him flying like a kicked gourd.

BANG!

The white-robed Talisman Master tumbled and crashed into a tree, his entire body buried by falling branches and leaves.

The Protective Talisman from the Academic Palace on the back of his left hand automatically triggered, shooting fireworks into the sky.