Hu Buli flinched in surprise and instinctively swung back to grab her, but Luo Yuji’s sword-light escape technique was a split second faster. His hand closed on nothing but air.

Another slender hand reached out from behind as well, but it too was a step too late. That person was Xiao Yi, another member of the Eight Madmen.

The two locked eyes and shouted at the same time, “Go!”

Li Xun would have to be insane not to run!

He couldn’t help it. Aside from that half-immortal old demon, he wasn’t afraid of anyone. But looking at the way Dongyang Mountain and the others were acting, this could easily turn into a group fight. If he didn’t run, he’d have to be a complete idiot.

So long as he got far enough away, Yin Wanderer wouldn’t have to worry about anything holding her back. Then he could leave whenever he wanted, and the whole incident could just be left behind. If they crossed paths again someday, so be it.

It was a fine plan. Except he hadn’t counted that the other side had a little troublemaker who didn’t play by any of the usual rules.

By the time he realized something was wrong, three figures were already closing in. One ahead, two behind.

A quick glance told him the one in front, gritting her teeth, was Luo Yuji. Behind her were his “old friend” Hu Buli, and… the Changli Sword Immortal?

Li Xun remembered that female cultivator quite well.

Back on Longhuan Mountain, after both sides had their little “happy ending,” she was the one who had helped support Luo Yuji.

He even remembered having “ordered her around” a bit back then.

But what left the deepest impression on him was that she and Ming Ji were both known as the “Twin Jewels of the Immortal Sword,” famed for their unmatched mastery of the sword.

Having just one of them after him was already trouble enough. Let alone Hu Buli, who was far from an easy opponent. Li Xun sighed and was about to push harder to widen the gap when the sky suddenly gave a sharp hum. He looked. A great net dropping down over him.

One look at the dense green light flickering through the web’s knots told him it was no ordinary weapon. There was no way he dared take it head-on.

He cursed under his breath and unleashed the Shadow Devouring Technique at full power, trying to slip away before the net closed over him.

But the net felt almost alive. QI flowed through every knot, and somehow it seemed to sense every shift in Li Xun’s movements. It floated and twisted, changing direction again and again, seeming slow but actually moving fast, always keeping him trapped at its center.

That brief delay was all it took for Luo Yuji and the other two to catch up. Seeing Li Xun’s desperate state, Luo Yuji couldn’t help but laugh in delight. “Looks like ordering this Heavenly Snare Net from Qianfan City was worth every coin. Think you can still escape this time?”

Li Xun’s eyes went cold. Without a word, he suddenly shrank and dove straight into the ground.

Luo Yuji didn’t panic. Forming a hand seal, she called out, “Close!” Instantly, countless threads of light burst from the earth, weaving into another net that joined with the one above, binding Li Xun tightly between them.

Clapping her hands, she laughed. “Well, well, Hundred Ghosts boy, looks like today’s your day. My bad; I forgot a word just now. It’s not just a Heavenly Snare Net… it’s a Heaven and Earth Snare Net!”

She stepped forward to finish him. But no sooner had she taken a single step than Xiao Yi grabbed her by the shoulder.

At that very moment, Li Xun let out a long, ringing laugh. His body stretched and blurred. And in the blink of an eye, he slipped right out from the middle of the net. The web, still faintly glowing with green light, gave a single tremor before shrinking neatly into his palm.

“Heaven and Earth Snare Net, huh? Since a beautiful lady was kind enough to gift it, how could a poor Daoist like me refuse?”

Luo Yuji’s eyes went wide, her face full of disbelief.

“How is that possible? Master Nong said clearly that unless someone’s a True Person or higher—”

“That’s exactly why you keep losing to him... because you always underestimate him.”

Xiao Yi shook her head with a smile, pulling Luo Yuji behind her as she fixed her gaze on Li Xun. “Even among the demonic sects, where cultivation grows the fastest, for someone to show signs of reaching the True Person realm in less than a hundred years… In thousands of years, I’d say only Master Ghost could compare. Losing to him isn’t exactly shameful.”

Luo Yuji still looked stunned. She turned to Hu Buli, hoping for some denial, but his expression was solemn. Clearly, he had no objections.

The situation might have fooled Luo Yuji, but it couldn’t fool either him or Xiao Yi.

Li Xun had never meant to escape using the earth-escape technique at all. He was just baiting Luo Yuji into making her move. At the exact moment when the Heaven and Earth Snare Net overlapped, he read the shift in the flow of qi, found the key node that controlled the artifact, and struck it precisely.

After that, when he pretended to be overpowered and fell to the ground, he was probably planning to pull that old trick of his. He'd wanted to use Luo Yuji as leverage to threaten them.

With insight and skill like that, even if he’s still a bit rough around the edges, he’s already a formidable opponent. Not to mention, the man was known for being cunning…

The two exchanged a look, each seeing hesitation in the other’s eyes.

Just then, a deep, thunderous roar rolled in from behind. The sound startled Luo Yuji, and when she turned her head. The air in the distance rippling like waves.

The shockwave spread fast. In an instant, the aftershock swept past, and the ground before and behind her split open with countless thin, deep cracks.

Keep in mind, this was at least ten li from where the fight had taken place!

“Yin Wanderer really is terrifying. She actually forced the Lay Monk to use an old technique from the past… things must have gotten pretty tense!”

Because of this sudden turn, Xiao Yi and her companion made a quick decision.

“Hundred Ghosts, today’s not the time. Whatever grudges there are, we’ll deal with them another day.”

After tossing out those words to smooth things over, Hu Buli grabbed Luo Yuji by the arm and turned to leave, ignoring her struggles.

Luo Yujie was about to shout, but the fierce look Xiao Yi gave her froze her in place. In the end, she held her tongue, though she did throw a vicious glare at Li Xun before storming off.

Smart move...

Watching the three of them fade from view, Li Xun finally let out a long breath.

There was never any deep grudge between them to begin with. The little girl acting out was one thing, but if the two elders had decided to join in as well, the grand name of the Three Sovereigns Sword Sect would’ve been nothing but an empty boast.

But… with the fight over there raging so fiercely, will everything really be alright? Li Xun weighed the net in his hand. He knew Yin Wanderer didn’t need his help, but when he thought about who she was up against, that confidence of his suddenly didn’t feel so solid.

He wanted to use their spiritual link to check on her situation, but he was afraid it might disrupt her state of mind. After a moment’s hesitation, he gave up on the idea.

So now, he should just—

His mind suddenly went blank. From the deepest part of his being, instinct screamed a sharp warning, wiping away every stray thought in an instant. All his focus was pulled into the Bottomless Nether Ring within him, which suddenly roared to life.

Li Xun still didn’t understand what was happening; he only knew one thing: danger. Danger!

A sharp crack echoed in his ears. By the time he realized it was a bone in his body breaking, a violent, destructive force had already slammed into him.

If it hit him full on, his organs would shatter all at once. Li Xun could already picture it happening. All he could do was pour every ounce of strength into techniques to absorb and redirect the blow, clinging to the faintest chance of survival.

He lunged forward to try to bleed off the impact, but the assassin’s palm drew out a powerful suction, yanking him back midair.

That push and pull collided, the two surges of force crashing together like waves slamming from both directions, pounding into his fragile insides.

The attack came so suddenly and silently that Li Xun’s resistance was pitifully weak.

His veins seemed to swell all at once, and he could even hear his own organs creaking and groaning.

Is this it?

The thought flashed through his blank mind, and at the same time his body swelled again. A burning sensation forced its way up from deep within his bones, like a red-hot needle driving straight into his brain.

There was a muffled boom, and Li Xun thought he had turned to ash.

With another dull thud, his body hit the ground. He no longer felt pain. The flames raging inside him had numbed every sense in his body.

All he could feel was wave after wave of volcanic force erupting from his organs, from his marrow, from every corner of his body, screaming with wild excitement.

At the same moment, the link between the core of the Bottomless Nether Ring and the Realm of the Nine Netherworlds suddenly expanded.

Though Li Xun’s consciousness was fading, he could still clearly sense the immense energy flowing within that boundless, shadowy space, moving in the most mysterious of patterns.

The expanding connection shattered ancient laws of balance. With a faint tremor, a surge of the purest Nine Netherworld Earth Qi rushed back through the link, flooding into Li Xun’s small body in an instant.