Chapter 158: 乙木 Divine Thunder Talismans

"He Qun!" Chen Mobai frowned as he saw the new arrival. Lu Shu hadn't lied to him after all; this guy was indeed trouble.

"You're trying to double-cross us!" The two rogue cultivators opposite them, a pair of brothers, blanched upon seeing He Qun and two others. They clearly hadn't expected He Qun to follow them. However, a glance at the two figures behind He Qun immediately revealed the reason.

"You Nanshan Bandits actually survived Yunmeng Marsh!" Chen Mobai recognized He Qun and the other two, even if he didn't know their names. They had been invited as late-stage Qi Cultivation masters on the Liu family's icebreaker to fight demonic beasts. While he wasn't sure of the exact relationship between these two rogue cultivators and He Qun's group, their conversation gave him a clear enough picture. He must have exposed himself to He Qun and his associates when he used the brass ring on the Liu family's icebreaker, leading to the current predicament. Ultimately, it was his own carelessness.

"Leader Lei, Wang Liu, your Nanshan Bandits are only three strong today. It won't be easy to take down both us brothers and this distinguished disciple of the Divine Wood Sect simultaneously." Chen Mobai remained silent, simply slipping the brass ring back onto his finger. Meanwhile, the rogue cultivator brothers began to exchange glances with him, signaling their intention to form an alliance.

"Kan Xiu, Kan Ping, though you both practice sword arts, you lack flying swords, so you're no match for me." He Qun said nothing, stepping aside to allow the youthful-looking Leader Lei to come forward. "Let's follow the rules. We'll take the Sword Forging Ring, and you'll naturally receive your share of the reward." Kan Xiu spoke, showing a hint of weakness as Leader Lei appeared, seemingly aware he was outmatched.

"That works too." Leader Lei feigned thought for a moment before nodding and pointing at Chen Mobai. "Then kill him immediately."

"As long as we get what we came for, whether he lives or dies shouldn't concern you." Kan Xiu frowned. He understood that if he were to kill Chen Mobai, a newly recruited disciple of the Divine Wood Sect with exceptional spiritual root talent, he would be beholden to the Nanshan Bandits for life, even if he eventually joined Golden Light Cliff. They would forever hold leverage over him.

"That's not your decision. If you don't kill him, I'll kill you first, then him." As Leader Lei spoke, he produced a gong-shaped artifact. "The Thunderclap Drum!" Kan Xiu frowned at the sight of the artifact.

Chen Mobai sensed the rogue cultivator brothers' wavering loyalty; the scales were already tipping in favor of He Qun's trio. This wouldn't do. If they reached a consensus, this day next year would be his memorial day.

"Gentlemen," Chen Mobai immediately interjected, "if the three of us combine forces, even if we can't secure a victory, protecting ourselves will be easy." "Brother, I'll follow your lead," Kan Ping affirmed, nodding to Kan Xiu. The latter sighed, then gripped his sword and aimed it at Chen Mobai. "Die!"

Witnessing this, Chen Mobai, who had already prepared himself mentally, didn't hesitate. He immediately pulled out his trump card — a laminated green talisman. It was a low-grade Second-Tier "Yimu Divine Thunder Talisman." He had already experienced the techniques of these two rogue cultivators; in a prolonged two-on-one battle, he knew he wouldn't stand a chance. Even if he somehow prevailed, there were still three more individuals lurking nearby, eyeing him menacingly. To survive, he had to defeat his opponents and thin their ranks in the shortest possible time, preferably eliminating them all.

From the moment He Qun and his companions appeared, Chen Mobai knew a desperate fight was unavoidable. He had already gripped the "Yimu Divine Thunder Talisman" in his palm using the Spirit Absorption technique, infusing it with spiritual energy. Seeing the negotiations fall apart and the Kan Xiu brothers draw their swords against him, he felt no remorse or hesitation. He immediately unleashed his most powerful talisman!

As expected of a Second-Tier talisman, even a low-grade one, its power was comparable to a fully concentrated spell from a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Chen Mobai flung the talisman from his hand, and immediately, tendrils of green lightning burst forth, transforming in an instant into a wildly swirling tempest of azure currents. Like a green dragon, it swept over the Kan Xiu brothers, incinerating them into charcoal. Yet, at this point, the talisman had only unleashed one or two tenths of its full power!

Chen Mobai, however, felt his spiritual sense rapidly draining, causing him to become dizzy in mere moments. Nevertheless, he forced himself to maintain focus, directing the talisman's remaining power towards He Qun and his two companions. A thunderous roar filled the air! The wildly swirling green currents, carrying the formidable power to level a mountain, crashed down before Leader Lei.

Leader Lei's face contorted, but he gripped the Thunderclap Drum with both hands and struck it with all his might. With an earth-shattering boom, a blue lightning bolt, like a silver serpent, shot forth, colliding head-on with Chen Mobai's "Yimu Divine Thunder Talisman"! After a blinding flash of light, both He Qun's Water Elemental Shield and Wang Liu's Heart Guard Mirror flared with powerful spiritual energy, each dissipating the divine thunder talisman's force using their respective methods.

After the green dragon current and silver serpent lightning raged for nearly two minutes, the desolate mountain finally fell silent. Leader Lei coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Yet, he was still alive, having relied on the Second-Tier artifact in his hand. He turned his head to look, his eyes reddening. He Qun lay barely breathing, while Wang Liu's Heart Guard Mirror had shattered into countless fragments scattered across the ground.

Leader Lei turned towards Chen Mobai's previous position, only to find it deserted. The latter had used the chaos of the "Yimu Divine Thunder Talisman"'s rampage to escape in a specific direction. "That brat! I'll grind him to dust!" Leader Lei gestured for Wang Liu to carry He Qun, then lit a tracking incense stick, pinpointed Chen Mobai's escape route, and pursued him with bloodshot eyes.

Just then, a tall, black-clad figure suddenly appeared, blocking their path. "Who are you?" Despite his fury, Leader Lei hadn't lost his composure. He sensed that the person before him was a peak Qi Cultivation expert, just like himself. Under normal circumstances, with a Second-Tier artifact in hand, he wouldn't fear any opponent of the same cultivation level. But having just endured a direct hit from the "Yimu Divine Thunder Talisman," his strength was diminished by nearly thirty percent, making caution essential.

"Ordinarily, I wouldn't interfere in your internal skirmishes as rogue cultivators," the man in the black robe stated, raising his head. His face was unremarkable, yet his eyes were exceptionally bright. Leader Lei suddenly remembered someone. "My name is E Yun, and you shouldn't have attacked a disciple of my Divine Wood Sect." A bad feeling washed over him! Just as Leader Lei prepared to flee, E Yun extended five fingers towards him.