Chapter 136: Butterfly Wing Blades: One Against Three

In the small courtyard, wisps of yin energy rose and swirled, shrouding the surroundings, while the sounds from outside the courtyard grew fainter, as if the space had been isolated.

Sun Lingtong was small of stature, resembling a three-year-old child, with a head of jet-black, shiny short hair, large black-and-white eyes, chubby cheeks, and skin that was tender and smooth.

He was trapped in the middle of the courtyard.

Before him and behind him stood two black-clad demonic cultivators—one with triangular eyes, the other with a hooked nose.

To Sun Lingtong's right, a mass of shadows condensed against the courtyard wall like a living thing.

Han Ming hovered in and out of view within the shroud of shadows.

Her face was beautiful but tinged with a greyish-blue hue, and her expression was so venomous and resentful that she appeared exceptionally hideous.

"The situation is unfavorable," Sun Lingtong thought to himself.

He could clearly feel the isolation from the surrounding environment, as if the world, which had been clear just moments ago, was now separated by a layer of rough, frosted glass.

Sensing this, Sun Lingtong knew he had fallen into a formation.

The reason there were no external signs of the formation was simply because the opponents were holding back.

"Three enemies against one, and all of them are at the Foundation Establishment stage." Sun Lingtong observed the two black-clad cultivators and Han Ming in the corner.

His gaze swept across them rapidly, pausing when it landed on Han Ming.

"Han Ming possesses the 'Yin Corpse Qi' innate talent!"

"Most of her body has already turned into a zombie; ordinary attacks will have no effect on her."

Sun Lingtong calculated in his heart, while outwardly feigning panic: "Wait, everyone, let's not be hasty!"

"I am a disciple of the Kong Sect Sect; you must consider the consequences of making a move."

"If I die at your hands, a mark will surely be left behind. You should think carefully about the retaliation from the Kong Sect Sect in the future."

The two black-clad cultivators remained expressionless, while Han Ming gritted her teeth: "Worried about retaliation from the Kong Sect Sect? When you plotted against me before, were you not afraid of retaliation from the Shihun Sect?"

Sun Lingtong quickly said: "I didn't plot against you; that wasn't my intention."

"It was that old wretch, the Chui Tiao Ke, who offered such a high price that it was impossible to refuse!"

"The black smoke that knocked you out wasn't released by me. It was the Chui Tiao Ke; he was the one who imprisoned and humiliated you. You should go after him!"

"We are not enemies; I was just doing a job for money."

"As long as you pay me, I can be your comrade-in-arms."

"'Comrade-in-arms'?" Han Ming's voice rose, filled with mockery and disdain. "Do you think I'll fall for the same trick twice?"

"And you want money?"

"Heh, are you blind? Can't you see the situation you're in?"

"Forget it. Killing you and extracting your soul for interrogation will be just as effective!"

"Move—"

"Wait!" Sun Lingtong shouted. "I know you've set up a formation, but you need to be clear about something."

"This is the Huoshi Immortal City!"

"The formation you've laid down will inevitably trigger a reaction from the city's grand array. How long can you maintain it?"

"I'm trapped in your formation and can't leave, so I'll have no choice but to fight you to the death."

"If that happens, wouldn't that old wretch, the Chui Tiao Ke, be laughing his head off?"

"Let's sit down and talk this over properly; there's no need to fight to the death."

Sun Lingtong tried to persuade them with kind words.

On any other day, his words might have had some effect. But now, after Meng Kui had unleashed the "Sit on the Mountain and Watch the Tigers Fight" technique, the aura field had already influenced everyone present.

Han Ming snapped: "He's stalling for time. Attack!"

As she spoke, she formed seals with both hands, opened her small mouth, and spat out a stream of black-grey yin wind.

Hand seals, body seals, heart seals.

These were among the primary auxiliary methods for casting spells in the cultivation world.

The two black-clad demonic cultivators performed the same technique, blowing out two more streams of yin wind.

The yin winds were deceptively fast, coming from three directions and about to surround Sun Lingtong.

Sun Lingtong channeled his magic power, and his figure suddenly vanished from the spot, reappearing by the courtyard wall on the left.

The yin winds missed their target, merging into a single mass to form a whirlwind that continued to hunt Sun Lingtong.

This was the benefit of being from the same sect.

All three of them primarily cultivated the "Shihun Art." Even though each person's magic power had individual characteristics, their essence was similar, allowing their spells to merge briefly rather than violently canceling each other out.

Sun Lingtong attempted to leap over the courtyard wall, but suddenly, yin energy whistled before his eyes, the ground cracked, and rolling yin wind surged from the fissures.

The yin wind surged mightily, rushing into the air to form a wall of yin wind five or six feet thick and two zhang high.

There was more than one such wall; within the next breath, the courtyard walls were all knocked down, replaced by the violently blowing black-grey yin wind.

"Inside my 'Yin Wind Barrel-Narrow Formation,' where do you think you're running to, Sun Lingtong?" the hooked-nosed demonic cultivator laughed triumphantly.

Sun Lingtong had no path forward, and behind him, the freezing yin whirlwind was blowing in.

He cursed, extended the five fingers of his left hand, and formed a seal.

The next moment, he flattened his left palm, forming a ball of lightning in the center.

Palm Lei Guang!

Boom.

With a loud explosion, the lightning shattered the yin wind.

But the triangular-eyed cultivator took advantage of the chaos, and his thin-needle magic treasure struck silently, aiming straight for the back of Sun Lingtong's head.

If that needle pierced him, Sun Lingtong would be dead or severely injured.

At this critical moment, Sun Lingtong's eyes flashed with spiritual light, and he turned abruptly, locking his gaze onto the needle.

His left hand had just cast a lightning spell and couldn't move, so he reached into his robe with his right hand and threw out a handkerchief.

The handkerchief flew out, wrapping around the needle.

Sun Lingtong giggled, leaped lightly, grabbed the handkerchief with his right hand, and firmly bundled the needle inside.

The triangular-eyed cultivator's expression changed drastically.

He frantically channeled his magic power and consumed his spiritual sense, trying to summon the needle back. But once the handkerchief wrapped around it, his connection to the needle dropped by more than half. By the time Sun Lingtong grabbed it, the triangular-eyed cultivator could barely sense the needle at all.

The demonic cultivator was shocked to the core and recognized it: "Kong Sect Sect, 'Treasure-Trapping Technique'!"

The needle struggled frantically inside the handkerchief, and just as Sun Lingtong was about to succeed, Han Ming pounced.

"Let go!" Han Ming's movements were stiff but incredibly fast. She spread her fingers wide and clawed at Sun Lingtong.

Her fingernails were exceptionally sharp, appearing black-purple, and she left ten sharp light trails in the air, accompanied by a pungent, fishy stench.

Sun Lingtong's hair stood on end; he hurriedly let go, abandoning the needle and the handkerchief, and retreated explosively.

The needle and handkerchief fell to the ground.

Han Ming was inherently ruthless. When Sun Lingtong had plotted against her before, she had hated him to the core, and every strike she made now was aimed at his vital points.

Sun Lingtong retreated again and again, not daring to meet her head-on.

Han Ming relied on her innate talent and had also cultivated the "Immortal Corpse Transformation Great Art," making her a body cultivator as well.

Sun Lingtong cultivated the Kong Sect Sect's techniques, and having reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he focused on the Upper Dantian. His foundations in the Middle Dantian (Qi Sea) and Lower Dantian (Essence Sea) could not compare to the Upper Dantian.

Han Ming kept closing in, fully utilizing the power of her zombie body, vicious and poisonous.

Sun Lingtong dodged left and right, his movements extremely agile, and despite his inferior equipment compared to Han Ming, he managed to maintain the situation.

The two black-clad demonic cultivators watching from the side gradually saw the clues.

"Sun Lingtong's combat experience is extremely rich!"

"Han Ming has a huge advantage, but she isn't proficient in martial arts. Despite her advantage, she can't secure a victory in the short term."

"Help her!"

The two reached a consensus through sound transmission.

The hooked-nosed cultivator channeled the Yin Wind Barrel-Narrow Formation, causing the yin wind walls to compress inward.

The triangular-eyed cultivator recalled his needle magic treasure, used it to retrieve Sun Lingtong's handkerchief, and then channeled his spiritual sense again.

The needle flew out, took a different angle, and coordinated with Han Ming to strike at Sun Lingtong.

Sun Lingtong was caught in a pincer attack from all three, struggling to cope. He was struck several times by the needle, his protective spell nearly collapsing, and he was scratched by Han Ming's fingernails, forcing him to swallow an antidote after being poisoned.

Finally, as the yin wind walls compressed, Sun Lingtong successfully cast his spell.

"Space-Piercing Technique."

He took a large step backward, and spatial ripples immediately appeared, wrapping around him from back to front.

After retreating, he vanished into thin air.

The next moment, he appeared behind Han Ming and the others, standing at the other end of the Yin Wind Barrel-Narrow Formation, finally putting some distance between them.

Sun Lingtong's expression was quite grave.

Han Ming turned around and sneered: "Sun Lingtong, since we already know you're from the Kong Sect Sect, how could we not be prepared for the Space-Piercing Technique?"

Sun Lingtong's childlike face showed a ferocious expression for the first time: "Fine, fine, fine! Since you're pushing me this far, even if I lose my life, I'll drag all of you down with me!"

Han Ming: "Wishful thinking!"

She channeled her magic power, formed seals with both hands, and spat out a stream of ghostly green fire.

Sun Lingtong shouted, took a gourd from his robe, and sprayed a stream of freezing water from its mouth.

The ghostly fire and freezing water collided, kicking up a sky full of mist.

Sun Lingtong's eyes glowed with spiritual light, piercing through the mist, and abandoning Han Ming, he charged toward the hooked-nosed cultivator.

The hooked-nosed cultivator was the one maintaining the formation; killing him was the only way Sun Lingtong could break the spell and escape.

But the three Shihun Sect members were already prepared for this, and the hooked-nosed cultivator retreated, vanishing into the yin wind.

The triangular-eyed cultivator and Han Ming immediately gave chase, engaging Sun Lingtong in a chaotic brawl.

Sun Lingtong stopped his defensive style and, regardless of the cost to his magic power and spirit, frequently cast spells and threw out various magic tools.

For a time, both sides were evenly matched.

"This Sun Lingtong has quite a few tricks up his sleeve!" the hooked-nosed cultivator exclaimed as he controlled the formation to destroy a flying dart magic tool.

"People from the Kong Sect Sect are all light-fingered. Sun Lingtong has accumulated all these magic tools over so many years in the black market; they must all be stolen," the triangular-eyed cultivator said.

Han Ming was displeased: "Kill Sun Lingtong quickly! Once the battle is over, you'll have plenty of time to chat!"

The hooked-nosed cultivator snorted coldly: "Han Ming, what kind of attitude is that? We're the ones saving you."

The triangular-eyed cultivator: "Without us, you'd still be tied up in chains. This is your enemy; we've helped you enough."

The hooked-nosed and triangular-eyed cultivators both pulled back their efforts.

As Sun Lingtong fought hard, both black-clad demonic cultivators developed a sense of wariness.

They preferred to let Han Ming take the lead, weakening Sun Lingtong, and if he had any trump cards, they hoped he would use them on Han Ming, making the two black-clad cultivators safer.

Demonic cultivators were better at fighting alone and preferred it.

The greatest characteristic of demonic arts was the ability to use fellow cultivators as resources for their own cultivation. From this point, demonic sect brothers had a strong motive to turn against each other.

After besieging Sun Lingtong together for a while, the three Shihun Sect members began to turn on each other.

The pressure dropped significantly!

Sun Lingtong felt the change immediately, giving him a chance to catch his breath.

His eyes flashed with brilliance, and he reverted to his defensive style, only occasionally casting spells or throwing magic tools to attack Han Ming or the yin energy walls.

"Defend long enough, and you will eventually make a mistake."

Han Ming spat out ghostly fire, burning Sun Lingtong until he was freezing cold, his black hair singed to a white-grey color.

Her fingernails were exceptionally sharp and carried corpse poison. Sun Lingtong had many wounds all over his body, where the flesh was rotting and emitting a stench of decay.

Han Ming's "Soul-Absorbing Shuttle" was what Sun Lingtong feared most; he would rather take hits from other magic tools than let it get close.

"Heh heh heh, ha ha ha!"

"Sun Lingtong, when you plotted against me, did you ever think this day would come?"

"I will capture you, extract your soul, and let you taste the soul-torture of our Shihun Sect."

Han Ming's eyes were bloodshot; revenge gave her an indescribable sense of pleasure, and she was immersed in a near-manic excitement.

Sun Lingtong was backed into a corner.

"Die!" Han Ming shrieked, channeling her magic power to the limit. The ghostly fire flared, condensing into a dark green python that opened its mouth to swallow Sun Lingtong.

At the moment of life and death, Sun Lingtong suddenly let out a cunning laugh.

"Want me to die?"

"Heh heh heh, you three are still far from it!"

The next moment, his figure vanished.

"The Space-Piercing Technique again," the triangular-eyed cultivator whispered.

"It doesn't matter. He's still inside my Yin Wind Barrel-Narrow Formation... No!" the hooked-nosed cultivator's expression suddenly changed drastically.

The mighty yin wind that had been blowing incessantly suddenly collapsed.

The hooked-nosed cultivator had been maintaining the formation, and he suffered a terrifying backlash.

He spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"What's happening?!" Before the triangular-eyed cultivator could finish his sentence, Sun Lingtong had already flashed behind him.

Pfft.

The gleaming dagger pierced easily through the triangular-eyed cultivator's lower back.

Then, the dagger erupted with azure electricity, fiercely striking his internal organs.

The triangular-eyed cultivator trembled violently, as if having a seizure.

After just a few breaths, his eyes rolled back, and he opened his mouth, letting out a puff of black smoke.

Thud.

He also collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Only you are left." Sun Lingtong shed his previous look of distress, his eyes shining with fighting spirit.

Han Ming was furious: "Losing those two burdens doesn't matter!"

With that, she attacked Sun Lingtong.

Sun Lingtong took a deep breath, holding a dagger in each hand, and poured his magic power into them.

The blade light flickered incessantly, looking like butterflies flapping their wings as they flew out.

The butterfly-like blade light was brilliant and gorgeous, exquisite as a painting, with not a trace of magic power, restrained to the extreme.

Sun Lingtong's self-created blade technique—Butterfly Wing Blades!

The swarm of butterflies surrounded Han Ming.

Han Ming was wrapped in yin wind, spitting ghostly fire, using both fists and feet to attack with all her might, yet every strike missed!

The butterfly blade lights were extremely agile; some brushed lightly against her skin, while others passed through her limbs and flew out from behind her.

From formation to attack to dissipation, the swarm of butterflies lasted no more than five breaths.

Han Ming stood in place, motionless.

Her eyes widened, filled with disbelief!

"Is... is this your true strength?" she asked with difficulty.

As soon as she finished speaking, her head fell off, and her torso was sliced diagonally at the waist, the upper half crashing to the ground.

As she hit the ground, her limbs were also severed, scattered across the floor.

Blood sprayed, quickly forming a pool around Han Ming's corpse.