Chapter 796: Stubbornly Set in One's Ways (High Energy in This Chapter)

Li Banfeng ran ahead, clutching the contract. Shan Chengjun chased behind, shouting, "Thief! Catch the thief quickly! He stole something! He's robbing me in broad daylight! Is there no justice left?!"

Shan Chengjun ran faster and faster, but his urgency was futile; he couldn't outrun Li Banfeng.

Shu Wan Juan wasn't in a hurry; he simply watched Li Banfeng run.

He always prepared for contingencies. Having spent so much time in He Jiaqing's territory, he had buried many books.

These books resonated with him, and now he intended to focus his mind to summon them one by one.

Not long after Li Banfeng started running, a troop of cavalry burst out of the ground.

These cavalrymen were peculiar; they had no arms below their shoulders, but a long spear hung from each of their left and right shoulders.

The warhorses beneath them had no heads, yet their four hooves were strong, and they galloped swiftly.

These cavalrymen were very deceptive; an ordinary person would assume they were spirits or puppets created by craftsmen.

But Li Banfeng wasn't fooled; he could discern that these cavalrymen were products of textual description.

When describing swift cavalry, hooves would certainly be mentioned. When describing fierce cavalry, weapons would definitely be highlighted. Clear emphasis and an orderly hierarchy of details are characteristics of textual description; insignificant elements like horse heads are usually omitted.

When Li Banfeng practiced the "Golden House of Beauty" technique, he had a very clear grasp of the primary and secondary elements in textual descriptions. Unlike literary cultivation techniques, house cultivation techniques were more refined.

The "beauties" created through the "Golden House of Beauty" technique had complete forms, imbued with the thoughts and efforts of a house cultivator. While they might not match literary cultivators in number, their individual combat strength was far superior.

Li Banfeng took out a notebook he used for practice in his Portable Dwelling. It contained descriptions of many "beauties."

The key now was to determine which beauty was best suited for a breakthrough. Li Banfeng wasn't very familiar with Shu Wan Juan's writing style.

"Use Meng Qian!" the Judge's Brush spoke, as it was very familiar with Shu Wan Juan.

Li Banfeng pricked his fingertip and lightly smeared the blood, and a peerless beauty sprang forth.

Shu Wan Juan was startled to see Meng Qian appear beside Li Banfeng.

"What technique is this?"

Shan Chengjun also found it strange: "Old Shu, how can he do this too? Is he also a literary cultivator?"

This certainly wasn't a literary cultivation technique. Shu Wan Juan knew that such techniques couldn't produce something so refined.

As far as Shu Wan Juan knew, Li Banfeng's shadow cultivation technique was formidable. Could he have borrowed Meng Qian's shadow?

Seeing Meng Qian charge towards a troop of cavalry, Shu Wan Juan warned Shan Chengjun: "Be extremely careful! Meng Qian's dream cultivation technique is incredibly powerful!"

Shan Chengjun didn't care about that; he could fight even when resolute and determined, so sleeping and dreaming wouldn't hinder him.

What he cared about was Li Qi's back, which had a peculiar shape.

It seemed something was following him.

"Meng Qian," with a languid expression, walked towards the cavalry. Her sleeves extended for dozens of meters, gently sweeping past the cavalrymen.

The headless warhorses stood still, and the cavalrymen stopped moving as well.

Shu Wan Juan initially thought these cavalrymen had fallen into a dream, but upon closer inspection, they hadn't fallen asleep.

Some cavalrymen yawned, while others stretched.

One cavalryman noticed Shu Wan Juan nearby. To appear braver, he weakly shouted, "Kill!"

Seeing this, Shu Wan Juan shouted to Shan Chengjun, "Dodge that woman! She's a sloth cultivator!"

Leaning against rocks, observing clouds, reflecting in the deep pool, her languidness perfectly embodied the grace of a celestial beauty.

This was copied by Li Banfeng from a scroll of beauties. It didn't describe Meng Qian's dream cultivation technique, but it depicted her laziness with considerable detail. Because the description was so vivid, this "Meng Qian" possessed the characteristics of a sloth cultivator.

Shan Chengjun was startled and quickly bypassed "Meng Qian's" sleeves. He could withstand dream cultivation, but not sloth cultivation.

With the help of "Meng Qian" the sloth cultivator, Li Banfeng successfully broke through. Although Meng Qian was effective, after being used once, she lay on the ground, unmoving.

The Judge's Brush exclaimed resentfully, "This person is truly lazy!"

Shu Wan Juan still had millions of characters waiting ahead. As long as he focused his mind, these characters would obey his command.

Not long after running, Li Banfeng was once again heavily encircled by a large army. Among the soldiers, some could fly, some could burrow underground, and others, completely unskilled in combat, would simply rush forward to grab legs.

Dealing with them seemed easy; the individual combat strength of each soldier wasn't high. However, one absolutely could not be reckless, as this group of soldiers had a fixed formation and arrangement.

Directly in front of Li Banfeng was a group of armored soldiers carrying shields. They moved slowly and stiffly, possessing no weapons other than their shields.

Judging by common sense, there were two best ways to deal with them: one was to fly over using the "Riding the Wind and Clouds" technique, and the other was to charge through by "Cleaving a Path."

If he actually did that, Li Banfeng would fall into a trap.

This group of armored soldiers had strong bodies and were incredibly numerous. If Li Banfeng tried to constantly cleave a path, he would expend a lot of stamina and his speed would be affected, allowing Shan Chengjun to quickly catch up from behind.

If he flew over, the situation would be even more dangerous. The armored soldiers were flanked by archers on both sides, making Li Banfeng a sitting duck if he took flight.

The Judge's Brush was no stranger to this formation; it had seen it in Shu Wan Juan's books. It told Li Banfeng: "Use your steps, and pass right through them!"

This suggestion was absurd. With so many people and such a dense formation, how could he possibly pass through?

Li Banfeng didn't ask further. He trusted the Judge's Brush and charged into the enemy formation without hesitation.

In the first row, Li Banfeng barely found a gap and stepped through it.

Were there more gaps behind?

Li Banfeng looked up and saw a multitude of gaps behind him.

These armored soldiers were too slow. Some moved forward to engage Li Banfeng, while others chose to stand their ground. Their lack of coordinated advance or retreat created many openings in the formation. Li Banfeng used his nimble footwork to its fullest, weaving back and forth through these gaps.

Shan Chengjun, however, suffered. He was already slower than Li Banfeng, and now he was stuck in the throng. He shouted at Shu Wan Juan, "Your Highness, are you deliberately trying to make me sick?"

Shu Wan Juan controlled the armored soldiers to clear a path, while simultaneously controlling "earth-roaming hands" to block Li Banfeng.

"Earth-roaming hands" were a type of monster mentioned by Shu Wan Juan in his book *Strange Tales of the Four Seas*. These monsters had heads and four arms, but no legs or torsos.

The earth-roaming hands burrowed underground to move. When encountering enemies, one pair of hands continued digging while the other pair emerged from the ground, specifically to grab enemies' ankles.

This was not a real monster, but entirely fabricated by Shu Wan Juan. Li Banfeng had never encountered it, so he was naturally unprepared. His ankles were grabbed repeatedly, nearly causing him to stumble and fall to his knees.

Li Banfeng didn't want to get entangled with the earth-roaming hands. He observed the archers' positions, considering whether he could use the "Riding the Wind and Clouds" technique. The Judge's Brush reminded him again: "Don't fly! Use the Mud Granny!"

The Mud Granny was a character created by Boss Lu in his new work, *Ink Pure Pavilion*. Because her portrayal wasn't successful, Li Banfeng helped Boss Lu refine her and included the character in his own notebook.

Flipping open his notebook, Li Banfeng's description of the Mud Woman was as follows:

*There was a maiden, A-Jiang, born of humid decay, nurtured in a misty chasm.**Her soft skin, tinged green and red, was slick as a toad's; her lips, dotted vermilion, held the bitter tang of worms and snakes.**When she bounded, swift as lightning, her left foot struck, mud surged; her right foot kicked, slime congealed.**Her cheeks puffed, raising wind and thunder; her mouth spewed mist from the Nine Netherworlds; her tongue coiled, swallowing residual clouds; her throat echoed with the clang of a fifth-watch gong.**Viscous fluid splattered from her hair, becoming bone-corroding acid rain upon contact; pustules from her back shot forth, creating man-devouring mud vortices upon striking the earth.*

Li Banfeng pricked his fingertip and smeared blood on the notebook. A beauty with delicate eyebrows, long eyes, green hair, and bluish-green skin sprang from the paper and landed on the ground.

Every single word describing this beauty was infused with Li Banfeng's painstaking effort, so her combat power was naturally extraordinary.

Li Banfeng looked down at his feet and shouted, "Follow me!"

"Gurgle!" the beauty responded, stamping her foot on the ground. The three-foot area around them instantly turned into a swamp.

Although the swamp's area wasn't large, it perfectly protected Li Banfeng's feet.

An earth-roaming hand was about to grab Li Banfeng's ankle but was immediately trapped in the sludge.

This sludge was highly corrosive. The earth-roaming monster, submerged in the mud for a moment, quickly dissolved into a blob of ink.

Li Banfeng sprinted forward with the Mud Granny. Wherever his feet landed, the Mud Granny landed too, and any earth-roaming hands attempting to ambush Li Banfeng dissolved into the mud.

Shu Wan Juan was somewhat surprised. The earth-roaming monster was his proud creation; once its formation was set, it was extremely difficult to break through.

Yet, the woman Li Banfeng summoned from a scroll completely countered the earth-roaming hands.

An ordinary person seeing an earth-roaming hand wouldn't know its origin. Why was Li Qi able to think of a solution so quickly?

Was he guided by a master, or was he just extraordinarily talented?

And what was the origin of this woman? Was she another master's shadow?

After rushing through the formation of earth-roaming hands, a dense swarm of hairy caterpillars, fat and robust with human faces, emerged ahead, rapidly wriggling towards Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng was very familiar with these insects; they were the Bagworm Lady.

In Shu Wan Juan's *Strange Tales of the Four Seas*, there were many records of real monsters, and the Bagworm Lady was one of them.

Because of Ma Wu, Li Banfeng understood the Bagworm Lady's weaknesses very well, and he directly charged into the swarm of insects.

The Judge's Brush, however, sensed trouble: "Go around them! Don't go in!"

Unfortunately, the Judge's Brush was a step too slow; Li Banfeng had already charged into the bagworm formation.

These bagworms appeared clumsy, but were actually very agile in movement and had rough, thick skin. They were Shu Wan Juan's proud creations. Once ensnared in their encirclement, it would be difficult for Li Banfeng to break free, and Shan Chengjun was about to catch up.

Shu Wan Juan's tactic was very clear: he only needed to delay Li Qi as much as possible, leaving everything else for Shan Chengjun to handle.

The Portable Dwelling emitted a faint sound: "Not good!"

In the main room, Zhao Xiaowan was startled and asked, "What happened?"

The battle situation outside appeared on the wall. Seeing Shan Chengjun and Shu Wan Juan, Zhao Xiaowan gasped.

The family was well aware of these two's formidable abilities. Hong Ying picked up her spear, Zhao Xiaowan prepared her records, and she also reminded Jiu'er: "Get all the formation-making tools ready!"

The whole family was ready. Zhao Xiaowan said, "Old Master, open the door quickly."

"Can't... open." The Portable Dwelling was in poor condition and couldn't even open its doors.

Hong Ying asked, "Why isn't Seventh Brother using the 'Coupled Wide Bridal Chamber' to switch us out?"

Zhao Xiaowan looked at the battle and understood Li Banfeng's thoughts: "Because Shu Wan Juan is on the other side."

His wife was right; the reason Li Banfeng wasn't letting his family out was entirely due to Shu Wan Juan.

Shu Wan Juan fighting alone was almost a different person compared to Shu Wan Juan fighting in cooperation with Shan Chengjun. Shu Wan Juan's composure and meticulousness made him difficult for Li Banfeng to handle.

If he called his family out now, they might not win if they fought, and it would be inconvenient to run.

Li Banfeng's breakthrough was thwarted, and Shan Chengjun caught up from behind.

He grabbed a bagworm, tore off its antenna to use as a spear, first blocking Li Banfeng's path. Then he ripped off a fang to use as a short knife. The first strike missed, but the second hit Li Banfeng's left shoulder. In just two blows, Li Banfeng was bleeding.

Li Banfeng first used "Unimpeded Passage" to temporarily escape Shan Chengjun's pursuit. He turned around, intending to use "Fleeting Glimpse" on Shan Chengjun.

The "Fleeting Glimpse" technique, improved by *Drifting Clouds Questioning the Post*, had two stages of damage: the first was by focusing vision, the second by focusing intent. The second stage's damage was astonishingly powerful.

After his fight with Ai Yeqing, Shan Chengjun was severely injured. If "Fleeting Glimpse" landed successfully, it should be able to repel Shan Chengjun.

Li Banfeng used the bagworms for cover, maneuvering several times. He first vanished from Shan Chengjun's sight, then turned to stare intently at him, only for a flock of sparrows to fly in front of Shan Chengjun, blocking Li Banfeng's view.

These sparrows were formed from text. Shu Wan Juan had blocked an attack for Shan Chengjun.

The first strike missed, the second couldn't be triggered, and "Fleeting Glimpse" failed.

As the sparrows dispersed, Shan Chengjun closed in on Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng looked deeply and distantly at Shan Chengjun's back, then delivered a "Breaking Ten Thousand Rivers" kick squarely to his chest. Its full power was unleashed upon Shan Chengjun.

The "Breaking Ten Thousand Rivers" technique, improved by *Drifting Clouds Questioning the Post*, was equally formidable. Shan Chengjun's body shuddered, and he took a step back.

"Alright, that one hurt!" Shan Chengjun praised, then swung the Bagworm Lady's ape fang, slicing open a wound on Li Banfeng's chest. Watching Li Banfeng's blood spurt, Shan Chengjun burst into laughter.

Li Banfeng gritted his teeth and, staring at Shan Chengjun, used "Five Horses Dividing a Household"!

Shan Chengjun's bones audibly cracked, and a horrifying wound tore open from his left shoulder to his right rib.

"Five Horses Tearing the Body" had taken effect, but its impact stopped there; Li Banfeng couldn't tear him apart.

Shan Chengjun ignored his own wound, raised the bagworm's antenna, and plunged it directly into Li Banfeng's stomach.

"No!" the Judge's Brush cried out, rushing towards Shan Chengjun.

It was telling Li Banfeng not to fight so desperately. Even with injuries, Shan Chengjun's physique was far stronger than Li Banfeng's.

It wanted to lift Shan Chengjun and then use a sloth cultivation technique to buy Li Banfeng some time to escape.

But the Judge's Brush couldn't move Shan Chengjun; the difference in their strength was too great.

Shan Chengjun looked at the Judge's Brush, then reached out to grab it: "What a fine treasure!"

Li Banfeng recalled the Judge's Brush. Shan Chengjun seized the opportunity to stab another hole in Li Banfeng's body with the bagworm's antenna.

Tang Dao jumped up and severed the bagworm's antenna. Li Banfeng pulled out the remaining half of the antenna and threw it at Shan Chengjun.

Shan Chengjun dodged, and the antenna struck the ground.

"You think you can still hit me? Are you dreaming or something?" Shan Chengjun was about to mock Li Qi further when he realized Li Qi had already charged out of the bagworm formation.

Shan Chengjun laughed, "Running won't help you. Old Shu has plenty of ways to stop you."

He was indeed right. Li Banfeng ran for dozens of meters, only to be blocked by a large expanse of "tree" characters. Some "tree" characters rooted themselves, growing lush branches and leaves like real trees.

Other "tree" characters transformed into branches, weaving and lingering through the gaps.

Shan Chengjun pursued again. Li Banfeng snapped a branch and stuck it into the ground.

Counting the antenna already stuck in the ground, Li Banfeng had left two markers, completing "Hundred Steps Crosswise."

Logically, Shan Chengjun should have been unable to approach Li Banfeng for a short while.

But unexpectedly, Shan Chengjun caught up in two steps, completely unimpeded.

Was "Hundred Steps Crosswise" ineffective against him?

Li Banfeng looked back. The first mark, the bagworm antenna stuck in the ground, had been pulled out by Shu Wan Juan!

The Judge's Brush cursed, "That old scoundrel..."

Shu Wan Juan, holding the antenna, laughed, "Want to use 'Hundred Steps Crosswise'? Wait for your next life."

Li Banfeng pinpointed Shu Wan Juan's position.

It seemed there was no way to escape without defeating Shu Wan Juan. Li Banfeng dashed towards Shu Wan Juan, but Shan Chengjun was a step ahead and blocked his path.

"Li Qi, where are you going? We're not finished fighting yet!"

Li Banfeng stepped forward, grabbed Shan Chengjun's head, and hooked his sickle into Shan Chengjun's neck.

Shan Chengjun retaliated with full force, his fangs striking Li Banfeng, but failing to leave even a mark.

"'Boundless Wanderer!'" Shan Chengjun looked at Li Banfeng. "Let's see who can last longer."

Li Banfeng's "Boundless Wanderer" could last for twelve seconds. He released an invisible aura, activated his "Carefree Slumber" technique, and used "Five Horses Tearing the Body" three times on Shan Chengjun. The invisible aura passed through Shan Chengjun's body hundreds of times.

Dozens of shadows simultaneously exerted their strength, wielding various weapons, and ganged up on him for a full twelve seconds.

Shan Chengjun endured it all with his flesh and blood body. After twelve seconds, Li Banfeng still hadn't managed to kill him.

Time was up; Li Banfeng had to create distance from Shan Chengjun.

Shan Chengjun was covered in lacerations, his front and back appearing translucent, yet he was still smiling, looking at Li Banfeng and saying, "Is that all? Your hits don't hurt!"

The surrounding characters grew denser, and the space Li Banfeng had to maneuver became smaller and smaller.

He reached into his pocket.

If he returned to the Portable Dwelling now, he could use the "Linked Bridal Chamber" to go directly back to Gourd Village. However, the cost would be Shan Chengjun and Shu Wan Juan discovering the Portable Dwelling's location.

In a life-or-death situation, this price wasn't unbearable. If he concealed it well enough, he might even be able to fool them.

As his fingertips were about to touch the key, Li Banfeng sensed danger, an extremely fierce peril.

Why?

Was it unsafe to return to the Portable Dwelling now?

The blood-soaked Shan Chengjun rushed closer, spat a mouthful of bloody foam, revealing his crimson teeth, and chuckled, "What's behind you? Is it the little train? I saw him!"

Li Banfeng was greatly alarmed!

Shan Chengjun's eyes were that sharp!

"Call out the little train, let's chat!" Shan Chengjun grinned from ear to ear. He grabbed Li Banfeng and said, "I haven't seen him in a long time; I really miss him."

Banfeng Yi, along with the Heavenly Stems shadows, joined Li Banfeng in ganging up on Shan Chengjun.

Banfeng Zi, along with the Earthly Branches shadows, moved around, searching for an opportunity to break through.

Shu Wan Juan had always found these shadows strange, but Shan Chengjun ignored their origins, only focusing on fighting.

He used the bagworm's fangs to cut Banfeng Bing into two. Banfeng Bing split in half and stood up.

He then severed Banfeng Ding, and Banfeng Ding also became two.

Seeing the shadows multiply with each attack, Shu Wan Juan shouted, "Be careful! This is a Heaven-Convergence technique!"

Shan Chengjun showed no fear; instead, he grew more excited: "Heaven-Convergence technique is good! Come on, all of you, come fight me!"

Within the boundary, and with the "Carefree Slumber" technique active, Li Banfeng led a group of shadows in an all-out assault, but they gained no advantage against Shan Chengjun.

The Earthly Branches shadows moved around, realizing that Shu Wan Juan's military formation had many variations and was extremely intricate. They couldn't find an opportunity to escape in a short time.

Should they first find a way to deal with Shu Wan Juan?

With just the shadows, this was absolutely impossible. If Li Banfeng's main body could find a way to get close to Shu Wan Juan, there might still be a chance of victory.

Shu Wan Juan himself had a very clear understanding of the battle situation; he consistently maintained a considerable distance from Li Banfeng.

Seeing the situation so critical, Zhao Xiaowan grew increasingly anxious: "Old Master, let me out quickly!"

After shouting several times, a response finally came. The Portable Dwelling's voice was even weaker than before: "You cannot go out. If you go out, you won't be able to come back."

Zhao Xiaowan said, "Then let my husband come back!"

"I've urged him, but he refuses!"

"Toot-toot~"

Li Banfeng heard the sound of a train whistle near his ear.

"A'Qi, come home!"

Li Banfeng didn't respond. Shan Chengjun had already discovered the Portable Dwelling, so he couldn't go back now.

If he went back now, using the "Linked Bridal Chamber" would take time. Shan Chengjun would control the Portable Dwelling from the outside. Given its current state, where even speaking was difficult, Shan Chengjun could tear it apart.

"Come on, little train! Don't just tell him to go home, take me to your house too!" Shan Chengjun laughed heartily as he slashed Li Banfeng.

Banfeng Yi chopped Shan Chengjun more than ten times consecutively, but Shan Chengjun completely ignored it.

Other shadows repeatedly used techniques on Shan Chengjun, but he also ignored them.

His flesh and blood splattered everywhere. His eyes were fixed solely on Li Banfeng; no matter how many blows he took, he felt no pain at all.

Was he mad?

Yes, he was mad.

Li Banfeng had used a Mad Cultivation technique: "Manic Arrogance."

Shan Chengjun, now, disregarded all tactics, wanting only to meet force with force.

Then Li Banfeng would give him a chance to meet force with force.

Li Banfeng instantly recalled all his shadows and delivered a kick squarely to Shan Chengjun.

Shan Chengjun thought it was "Breaking Ten Thousand Rivers." He didn't dodge or evade, instead charging forward to meet the kick head-on, only to find his legs involuntarily retreating.

This wasn't "Breaking Ten Thousand Rivers"...

He realized Li Banfeng was retreating at an even faster speed. This was "A Farewell of Ten Thousand Miles."

Before using "A Farewell of Ten Thousand Miles," Li Banfeng would lose his sense of direction.

To ensure this kick landed on Shan Chengjun, Li Banfeng first used a Mad Cultivation technique.

The Mad Cultivation technique took effect; Shan Chengjun actively met the kick, and "A Farewell of Ten Thousand Miles" was successfully triggered.

Although there was no specific destination, Li Banfeng didn't mind where he flew, as long as he could escape Shan Chengjun.

"A Farewell of Ten Thousand Miles" ignored obstacles; Shu Wan Juan's forces couldn't stop Li Banfeng either.

Shan Chengjun didn't fly out, but Li Banfeng didn't care; after all, he had successfully escaped.

Shan Chengjun, who had taken two steps back, suddenly rushed forward, grabbed Li Banfeng's ankle, lifted him, and slammed him heavily onto the ground.

Li Banfeng's mind went blank.

Didn't "A Farewell of Ten Thousand Miles" ignore obstacles?

Why could he still grab me?

Not only Li Banfeng, but even Hong Ying was stunned.

She was the leader of the Travel Cultivators, having faced countless fierce battles, yet she had never seen anyone so brutally counter "A Farewell of Ten Thousand Miles."

Zhao Xiaowan shouted, "Old Master, open the door!"

If they didn't go out now, it would be over. Li Banfeng was about to die at Shan Chengjun's hands.

Creaking and groaning, one room door after another opened, from the main room all the way to the thirty-second room.

The Old Master was trying hard to open the doors, but seemed to be operating in the wrong direction.

Hong Ying shouted, "Old fool, you're opening the wrong doors! Open the main gate!"

The Portable Dwelling coughed and wheezed, then fell silent.

The image on the wall vanished. The Portable Dwelling seemed to be in serious trouble.

Bloodstains!

There were bloodstains on the wall!

Was the Portable Dwelling bleeding?

Zhao Xiaowan used her "Hundred Flavors Exquisite" technique to smell the blood, then shook her head: "No, this is Shan Chengjun's blood. Part of his flesh and blood can fight. The Old Master was injured by him!"

Hong Ying couldn't understand: "Are you saying Shan Chengjun's flesh and blood fought its way into the house from outside?"

Even Bronze Lotus was a little surprised: "This guy is actually strong to this extent."

The fifth-room girl said, "It's also because the Old Master is too weak. But since he's so weak, why don't we—"

Bronze Lotus sneered, "Why don't we what? Do you want to go out and die?"

The fifth-room girl said, "Perhaps we can reminisce with Shan Chengjun."

Bronze Lotus said, "You might as well try and see if Shan Chengjun recognizes your friendship."

Jiu'er sensed the approaching danger. She looked into the depths of the Portable Dwelling and exclaimed, "There's an extra door! The thirty-third room seems to have opened."

The thirty-third room opened?

Too many variables appeared at once; Zhao Xiaowan was somewhat overwhelmed.

Bronze Lotus spread its lotus leaves and told Zhao Xiaowan, "You figure out a way to save that madman. I'll collect Shan Chengjun's blood."

Zhao Xiaowan went to the Tenth Room. There was a gap there, and if all else failed, she would rush out from there. She had to save her husband no matter what.

Li Banfeng lay on the ground, watching Shan Chengjun raise his fangs to chop off his head.

"Li Qi, give me the contract, and I'll spare your life." Shan Chengjun wanted to tease Li Banfeng further. He didn't need Li Banfeng to voluntarily hand over the contract; killing Li Banfeng and then taking the contract would be the same.

The fangs were about to strike Li Banfeng when Shan Chengjun pushed his body forward and pulled his legs backward, falling with a thud onto the ground.

"'Running East, Rushing West'? Do you know how to forge a path?" Shan Chengjun mouthful of dirt. He had suffered losses from this technique before and remembered it well.

"Running East, Rushing West" had little offensive power. Its strength lay in its extreme speed and very high hit rate.

Seizing the opportunity of Shan Chengjun's fall, Li Banfeng immediately got up and used "Breaking Ten Thousand Rivers" again.

At present, Li Banfeng was severely injured, so "Five Horses Dividing a Household" might not be usable. "Breaking Ten Thousand Rivers" was fast and powerful enough, and it would definitely hurt Shan Chengjun.

Shan Chengjun, being so injured, might not be able to hold out for long. As long as he could temporarily repel him, Li Banfeng would find a way to break through.

Of course, the prerequisite was not to exchange blows again. As Li Banfeng used "Breaking Ten Thousand Rivers," he also activated "Benevolent Heart, Thick Skin."

Boom!

The kick was aimed at Shan Chengjun, but it missed.

Li Banfeng's kick went astray.

At this critical moment, his most familiar technique, "Breaking Ten Thousand Rivers," actually went off target.

"Li Qi, such a perfect opportunity, and you're so useless!" Before Li Banfeng could retract his move, Shan Chengjun stepped forward, raised his fangs, and lunged at Li Banfeng's throat.

Li Banfeng intended to use "Benevolent Heart, Thick Skin" to withstand it, but found his body wasn't hard enough.

"Benevolent Heart, Thick Skin" didn't activate!

Even his most familiar house cultivation technique didn't activate!

No, that's wrong. He definitely used a technique just now; Li Banfeng could feel it!

The fangs in Shan Chengjun's hand rapidly approached Li Banfeng's throat.

Li Banfeng was using "Carefree and At Ease" to shift his throat's position when he saw Shan Chengjun's hand stop mid-air, his body suspended mid-air.

The fangs in his hand also froze in mid-air.

Like a statue, his entire body was frozen, even the smile on his face and the excitement in his eyes solidified with his body.

The technique!

The technique had worked!

What technique was this?

Li Banfeng had no time to think. He turned to look at Shu Wan Juan.

Shu Wan Juan didn't know what had happened to Shan Chengjun, nor what method Li Qi had used on him.

He was about to send people to rescue Shan Chengjun when he suddenly saw Li Qi appear close by.

Shu Wan Juan loudly declared, "Petty thieves and scoundrels, surrender yourselves!"

He intended to control Li Banfeng using "Shared Text, Common Rules."

This was a losing move!

Li Banfeng said, "You stole the imperial contract, and you still dare to say you're not a thief?"

Shu Wan Juan scoffed, "The contract is in your hands."

"I am Prince Pingyuan; I am the imperial court. This is merely returning what belongs to me."

Shu Wan Juan's mind became briefly scattered, and Li Banfeng suddenly vanished.

Where did he go?

Li Banfeng focused his gaze, and Shu Wan Juan's body buckled, gasping for breath.

Li Banfeng focused his intent, and Shu Wan Juan's chest ruptured, bleeding profusely.

With Shu Wan Juan injured and his consciousness slightly blurred, the military formation immediately fell into disarray.

When his consciousness recovered, Shu Wan Juan looked up again, but Li Qi's figure was nowhere to be seen.