Chapter 36: Li Ling

Xing Wanxing turned and spotted the young woman on a distant eave, recognizing her as Li Ling. His gaze turned stern as he activated the surging spiritual energy from the six springs within him. He stomped his foot heavily, his sole sinking into the earth, and a circular ripple of energy vibrated outwards.

Numerous fragments of stone flew up from the ground.

Swish! Swish! Swish...

With a forceful palm strike, the airborne debris shot out rapidly, their sharp whistling sounds seemingly tearing through the night.

Li Ling left the eave, moving through the air with a trace of blue mist and light. Her movements were incredibly agile, allowing her to evade all the flying debris.

She landed in the middle of the street, her voice clear and pleasant: "I get the feeling you're not really 'Buddhist Thieves'."

Xing Wanxing narrowed his eyes, murderous intent immediately visible within them: "Oh really? Grandpa Buddha will recite a romantic sutra for you later, or perhaps you can recite one for Grandpa Buddha."

As his six springs surged, his spiritual energy became so abundant that it overflowed to his body's surface, forming a protective layer of grey mist. Any Chi-fire ladybugs that approached were completely repelled and fell to the ground by this energy.

Xing Wanxing knew clearly that Li Ling was not a martial cultivator, but a Mind Master who followed the Spirit-God path. She was not skilled in close combat, and her physical body was relatively fragile.

Therefore, he pushed off the ground with his foot, instantly shooting several meters forward to close the distance.

"You dare to clash head-on with me, having only opened six springs? Who gave you such courage?"

As Li Ling slowly retreated, she formed hand seals. Her glabella lit up in a strange manner, as if a world of light was hidden beneath her forehead.

Whoosh—

Seven bright streaks of light shot out from her glabella, extending nearly thirty meters into the night.

The ambient air temperature noticeably rose.

The seven light streaks danced wildly through the streets of Buried Immortal Town. Wooden pillars supporting houses were slashed through, instantly breaking. At the breaks, there were scorched marks.

Over twenty soldiers of the Earth Wolf King's army, who had been searching the town, converged and charged with their weapons. But in an instant, four or five of them fell, with severed hands, waists, and heads, leaving blood splattered on the ground.

"It's a Mind Master! What terrifying light-streak whip-swords."

"Retreat! Quickly retreat!"

All the soldiers retreated in panic.

In martial cultivation, even a difference of one realm results in a huge disparity in combat power.

They clearly saw that even Lord Xing Shi, who had opened six springs, was in perilous situations and struggling significantly against the young woman.

Li Weiyi watched the clash between the two top experts on the street through a broken window lattice, secretly astonished. Li Ling looked fragile and delicate, like a well-behaved girl next door, yet her combat power was incredibly formidable. The leader of the Earth Wolf King's army was no match for her at all.

Killing other martial cultivators who had opened springs was like chopping melons and dicing vegetables.

How old was she?

This must be an immortal cultivator with talent surpassing even the highest tier!

Quietly, Li Weiyi jumped down from the ceiling beam, preparing to seize the opportunity to escape.

On the street, a sudden change occurred.

Amidst the branches and leaves of the ancient thousand-year-old apricot tree above the old well, an graceful figure with a tail appeared. She waved her hand, and countless hair-fine needles flew out.

These flying needles were refined from the hair of a Malevolent Demonic Stone Monkey, making them virtually weightless. When launched with a special technique, they produced almost no wind resistance, achieving complete stealth and making them impossible to guard against.

Of course, to launch such hair-light needles with lethal destructive power, the strength of the wielder's spiritual energy was evident.

Even with Li Ling the Mind Master's sensory abilities, it was only when nearly a hundred hair-fine needles entered within thirty meters of her that she perceived danger. Unable to determine the source of the threat, she instinctively retreated rapidly, then crashed through the door of an abandoned house and took cover inside.

Hiss! Hiss!

The flying needles impacted the street, earthen walls, and support beams. The flagstones on the street cracked, earthen walls collapsed, and the support beams were riddled with countless holes.

Li Weiyi had just descended from the beam and hadn't had time to leave when he heard the crash of a breaking door and saw a young woman burst in. For a moment, their eyes met, and neither spoke.

Li Weiyi wanted to sneak away through the backyard.

Xing Wanxing's short, stout figure was surprisingly quick. He had already leaped over the earthen wall, landing with a thud in the center of the backyard, a foot-long short blade in his hand.

Footsteps resounded from all directions.

The more than thirty surviving martial cultivators of the Earth Wolf King's army, who had opened their springs, had completely surrounded the abandoned house.

Fearing the seven light-streak whip-swords emanating from Li Ling's glabella, no one dared to enter rashly.

This was the fearsome reputation she had forged through slaughter!

Whoosh!

Yan Qingqing flew out from amidst the branches and leaves of the tall apricot tree. Spiritual energy flowed around her as she drifted like a leaf onto the wide, quiet street of Buried Immortal Town, stepping forward.

Her figure was plump and voluptuous. Her fiery red tail swayed with the movement of her long legs, and her two dog ears added a touch of playful cuteness to her sexy and charming face.

"The sister of Cang Li, the Underworld Lamp Guide of the Nine Li Tribe... Oh, it seems my Stone Monkey flying needle hit you!" Yan Qingqing's voice was always sweet and coquettish, and she spoke with a smile.

She waved her palm, sending out wisps of spiritual energy to collect the needles from the ground, and noticed one was missing.

One was enough!

Xing Wanxing, standing in the backyard, said: "Why so much nonsense? Let's attack together, hack her to death with our swords, and leave this place as soon as possible."

Yan Qingqing was Shi Jiuzhai's eighth disciple, a peak expert in the Surging Spring realm who had opened seven springs. Yet, Xing Wanxing did not address her as 'senior sister,' nor did he show much respect.

This was because his most outstanding quality was never his cultivation or combat prowess, but rather his ability to earn money, which Shi Jiuzhai valued most.

A flicker of displeasure crossed Yan Qingqing's eyes, then she smiled and said, "Why the rush, Junior Brother? The flying needles are poisoned. Wouldn't it be easier to go in and deal with her once her body gradually petrifies and stiffens? Besides, how could you be so heartless towards such an important figure, such a delicate little beauty? You haven't done something bad and want to silence her, have you?"

Xing Wanxing naturally understood that Yan Qingqing's secret arrival was at Shi Jiuzhai's behest.

Fortunately, there were no treasures in the giant silver coffin; otherwise, he would have been the one hit by the Stone Monkey flying needle right now.

Xing Wanxing replied, "It's not that I, your Junior Brother, wish to cruelly harm a flower. It's that this girl seems to have discovered our secret. The importance of this matter goes without saying, doesn't it? If the news leaks and arouses the suspicion of the Nine Li Tribe, neither of us will have a way out with Master."

The smile vanished from Yan Qingqing's face.

Impersonating Buddhist Thieves to attack the Cang Li tribe was intended to incite unrest in Li Prefecture, and this involved many powerful figures. If any mishap truly occurred, she couldn't imagine what fate awaited her and Xing Wanxing.

Inside the abandoned house.

Li Ling stared at Li Weiyi, her voice cold: "You heard them, didn't you? All those who know are to be silenced. Do you think you'll be an exception?"

Just now, when she suddenly burst through the door, Li Weiyi had been startled, but she remained unusually calm.

This showed that his earlier suspicions were correct: Li Ling had indeed followed him to Buried Immortal Town, and she already knew where he was hiding.

Li Weiyi was speechless. In the lowest possible voice, he said: "You could have escaped elsewhere. Did you intentionally run in here just to drag me down with you? I saved your Cang Li tribe. I'm not as ungrateful as you."

"I had no other choice."

Li Ling sat down on a low mud-and-stone couch covered in dust and cobwebs, seemingly unconcerned by the grime. She continued: "The woman outside has such high cultivation; she's opened at least seven springs. Her flying needle attacks are silent, making them hard to predict or defend against. If I tried to escape outside, she'd only need to launch another wave of needles, and I'd surely die."

Li Weiyi felt completely numb. These two disciples of Shi Jiuzhai—one had opened six springs, and the other, even more, seven springs. As a mere mortal who had just entered the three-spring realm, what kind of high-level situation had he stumbled into?

What was more terrifying was that the woman who had opened seven springs was also a canine-like variant human, whose combat power was higher than that of ordinary humans at the same cultivation level.

Li Weiyi said, "If I escape outside, one of us dies. If I hide in here, both of us die."

Li Ling gazed into Li Weiyi's eyes and shook her head: "I am the Underworld Lamp Guide, possessing a unique perception of fortune and misfortune. This allows me to lead coffin-bearers through the Realm of Departed Spirits' Mist, always finding the correct path. I sense a glimmer of hope from you."

"I think your excuse is too far-fetched," Li Weiyi said, not believing her esoteric claims at all. He added, "You followed me to Buried Immortal Town; you couldn't have had good intentions, could you?"

Knowing that Li Weiyi wouldn't believe anything she said now, Li Ling simply stopped explaining: "Yes, I did want to drag you down with me. But right now, aren't we both in the same boat? Only by finding a way to overcome this immediate crisis will you have a chance to get your revenge, won't you?"

No more pretense?

Li Weiyi naturally knew that outside, over thirty skilled martial cultivators were now completely besieging the area, blocking all escape routes, making it a desperate situation.

Shi Jiuzhai's two disciples wouldn't care whether he was wronged or not; no living creature would be leaving Buried Immortal Town tonight.

Li Ling, worried that Li Weiyi might lose his composure and become desperate to drag her down with him, finally added an explanation: "You underestimate the perception of a seven-spring martial expert. If I can find your location, she certainly can too. Besides, she's a canine-like variant human with a keen sense of smell. Did you think she wouldn't know where you were hiding?"

"If I die or escape, the first person she'll kill next is definitely you."

"By fleeing in here, you actually have a glimmer of hope."

Li Weiyi decided not to argue with her for now. This young girl was sharp and shrewd, more calm and rational than many adults. He asked, "Were you really hit by her Stone Monkey flying needle?"

Li Ling's delicate and docile face became grave: "Fortunately, only one needle hit me."

Li Weiyi said, "Then, before your body petrifies and stiffens, let's split up and fight our way out to seize this slim chance of survival."

Li Ling stared intently at Li Weiyi.

"What's wrong?"

"Cunning!"

"How am I cunning?" Li Weiyi asked.

Li Ling said, "If we fight our way out now, all the bandits will definitely attack me, and you can seize the opportunity to sneak away."

Li Weiyi hadn't considered this angle at all, but he had to admit... what she said made a lot of sense and was very thoroughly thought out.

"It's a dead end either way. If we act now, we still have a fighting chance," Li Weiyi said.

Li Ling told him truthfully: "The petrification poison contained in one Stone Monkey flying needle is very slight. I've already taken a secret antidote that can temporarily suppress it. But the people outside don't know that. Wouldn't our chances be greater if we waited for them to burst in and then caught them by surprise?"

Li Weiyi increasingly felt that this girl was deeply cunning and that he needed to be more wary of her in the future.

She said, "Once I exert my full power, the petrification poison will spread rapidly. Before that happens, I'll do everything I can to heavily injure or kill the two highest-cultivation martial cultivators, leaving the rest to you. After we escape, my body will surely petrify and stiffen. At that point, I'll need you to take me back to the Cang Li tribe."

"Do you think I will?" Li Weiyi asked.

Li Ling said, "If you take me back, I will pledge myself to you."

That's quite a promise she's making...

Does she even believe it herself?