Chapter 36: Li Ling

Xing Wanxing turned his head and discovered the young girl's figure on the eaves in the distance, recognizing her as Li Ling. His gaze turned stern; he mobilized the surging magic power within the six spring eyes in his body and stomped heavily on the ground. His soles sank into the soil, and a circular wave of Qi energy rippled outward.

Countless gravel fragments flew up from the ground.

"Swish! Swish! Swish..."

With a palm strike, the gravel lifted from the ground flew out at high speed, the sharp, whistling sound seemingly about to tear the night sky apart.

Li Ling left the eaves, traveling through the void on a trail of blue mist light. Her movement technique was at the pinnacle of perfection, allowing her to evade all the gravel.

She landed in the center of the street, her voice crisp and pleasant: "Why do I feel like you don't really look like Fomen thieves?"

Xing Wanxing narrowed his eyes, murderous intent appearing in his pupils: "Is that so? Later, I, your Buddha, will recite a passage of the 'Amorous Sutra' for you, or perhaps you can recite it for me."

With the six springs gushing, the magic power within his body was so abundant it overflowed to his skin, transforming into a layer of gray protective Qi mist. The nearby Ghost Fire Ladybugs were all shaken to the ground by his magic power.

Xing Wanxing knew very well that Li Ling was not a martial cultivator, but a Mind Master walking the Spirit Path; she was not skilled in close-quarters combat, and her physical body was relatively fragile.

Therefore, the instant his soles pushed off the ground, he shot forward several yards, closing the distance.

"Opening six springs and you dare to fight me head-on? Who gave you the courage?"

As Li Ling slowly retreated, she formed a finger seal. Her glabella lit up in a peculiar way, as if a world of light were hidden beneath her forehead.

"Whoosh—"

Seven bright trails of light flew out from her glabella, extending nearly ten yards into the night sky.

The temperature of the surrounding air rose significantly.

The seven light trails danced wildly on the streets of Immortal Burial Town. A wooden pillar supporting a house was sliced through and instantly snapped. At the point of the break, there were charred marks.

The twenty-plus Earth Wolf King soldiers who had been searching the town gathered one after another, charging with weapons in hand, but four or five fell instantly—some with severed hands, some with severed waists, some with severed heads—blood covered the ground.

"It's a Mind Master, what a terrifying light-trail whip-sword."

"Retreat, retreat quickly."

All the soldiers retreated in panic.

In martial cultivation, a difference of one realm means a massive gap in combat power.

They clearly saw that even the Tenth Master Xing, who had opened six springs, was in precarious danger before that young girl, struggling quite hard to cope.

Li Youyi watched the clash between the two top experts on the street through a broken window lattice, secretly shocked. Li Ling looked frail and weak, like a well-behaved neighbor's little sister, yet her combat power was so remarkable; the leader of the Earth Wolf King soldiers was no match for her at all.

Killing the other spring-opening martial cultivators was like chopping melons and vegetables.

How old was she?

This must be an immortal cultivator who has surpassed superior talent!

Quietly jumping down from the rafters, Li Youyi prepared to take the opportunity to slip away.

On the street, a sudden change occurred.

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

The flying needles were refined from the hair of the Evil Stone Monkey, light as nothing. Therefore, after being fired with a special technique, there was almost no sound of wind, making them silent and impossible to guard against.

Of course, being able to throw such hair-thin needles to achieve lethal destructive power showed just how strong the practitioner's magic power was.

With Li Ling's perception as a Mind Master, it was only when nearly a hundred cow-hair needles entered within ten yards of her that she sensed the danger. Unable to judge where the danger came from, she instinctively retreated rapidly, then crashed through the gate of an abandoned house and hid inside.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

The flying needles struck the street, mud walls, and pillars.

The stone slabs of the street cracked, the mud walls collapsed, and the pillars were riddled with countless holes.

Li Youyi had just come down from the rafters and hadn't had time to leave when he heard a 'bang' as the gate shattered, and a young girl's figure rushed in. For a moment, their eyes met, and neither spoke.

Li Youyi wanted to slip away through the backyard.

Xing Wanxing's fat, short figure was surprisingly swift; he had already leaped over the mud wall a step ahead, landing in the center of the backyard with a 'boom,' holding a foot-long short blade in his hand.

Footsteps came from all directions.

The thirty-plus remaining Earth Wolf King spring-opening martial cultivators surrounded the abandoned house.

Fearing the seven light-trail whip-swords at Li Ling's glabella, no one dared to rush in easily.

This was the fierce reputation she had carved out!

"Whoosh!"

Yan Qingqing flew out from the branches and leaves of the towering apricot tree, magic power circulating on her body, drifting like a leaf onto the wide and quiet street of Immortal Burial Town, stepping forward.

Her figure was plump and full, her fiery red tail swaying with the movement of her slender legs, and two dog ears added a touch of playfulness and cuteness to her sexy and charming face.

"Cangli's little sister, the Nine Li Clan's Underworld Lamp Guide... eh, my Stone Monkey flying needles seem to have hit you!" Yan Qingqing's voice was always coquettish, a smile on her face.

She waved her palm, strands of magic power collecting the flying needles from the ground, and discovered one was missing.

One was enough!

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

Yan Qingqing was the eighth disciple of Shi Jiuzhai, a peak Gushing Spring Realm expert who had opened seven springs. But Xing Wanxing did not call her 'Senior Sister,' nor did he show much respect.

Because what he was most outstanding for was never his cultivation or martial strength, but the money-making ability that Shi Jiuzhai valued most.

A flash of displeasure flickered in Yan Qingqing's eyes, and she smiled: "Why is Junior Brother in such a hurry? The flying needles are poisonous; once her body gradually turns to stone and stiffens, wouldn't it be easy to go in and finish her off? Besides, such an important person, such a delicate little beauty, why are you so heartless? Could it be you've done something shameful and want to kill to silence her?"

Xing Wanxing certainly understood that Yan Qingqing following him secretly must have been at Shi Jiuzhai's instruction.

Fortunately, there were no treasures in the silver giant coffin, otherwise, it would have been him hit by the Stone Monkey flying needles just now.

Xing Wanxing said: "It's not that I want to be cruel to the fair, but this girl seems to have discovered our secret. How significant this matter is, need I say more? Once the news leaks and causes the Nine Li Clan to be suspicious, I'm afraid neither of us will have a way to survive before our Master."

The smile on Yan Qingqing's face vanished.

Pretending to be Fomen thieves to attack the Cangli tribe with the goal of inciting chaos in Lizhou—this involved many big figures behind the scenes. If a mistake really happened, she dared not imagine what fate would befall her and Xing Wanxing.

Inside the abandoned house.

Li Ling stared at Li Youyi, saying coldly: "You heard it, everyone who knows will be silenced. Do you think you can be an exception?"

When she suddenly broke in just now, Li Youyi had been startled, but she was exceptionally calm.

It was evident that his previous guess was correct: Li Ling had indeed followed him to Immortal Burial Town and had known all along where he was hiding.

Li Youyi was speechless, saying in the lowest voice: "You could have fled elsewhere; by fleeing in here, you deliberately used me as a cushion? I saved your Cangli tribe; there's no such thing as returning kindness with enmity."

"I had no other choice."

Li Ling sat down on a mud-and-stone low couch covered in dust and cobwebs, not caring at all about the filth, and added: "The cultivation of that woman outside is high, at least seven springs opened. Her flying needle attacks are silent, difficult to predict and guard against. Fleeing outside, she only needs to fire another wave of needles, and I will surely die."

Li Youyi felt numb all over; these two disciples of Shi Jiuzhai, one with six springs, one with seven. He, a mortal who had just entered three springs—what kind of high-stakes game had he stumbled into?

Even more terrifying was that the woman who had opened seven springs was a malformed human, her combat power higher than a mortal of the same realm.

Li Youyi said: "Flee outside, one dies. Hide in here, both die."

Li Ling stared into Li Youyi's eyes and shook her head: "I am an Underworld Lamp Guide, possessing unique perception of good and evil, which is why I can lead coffin-carrying teams to find the correct path through the Spirit-Passing Fog Realm. In you, I sensed a glimmer of survival."

"I think your excuse is too far-fetched." Li Youyi didn't believe in this metaphysics at all, and added: "You followed me to Immortal Burial Town; you shouldn't have had good intentions, right?"

Li Ling knew that whatever she said now, the other party wouldn't believe her, so she simply stopped explaining: "Right, I did want to use you as a cushion. But now, aren't we in the same boat? Only by finding a way to overcome the current crisis will you have a chance to take revenge, right?"

Not even pretending anymore?

Li Youyi certainly knew that outside, thirty-plus martial experts were surrounding this place, all escape routes blocked—it was like a desperate situation.

Those two disciples of Shi Jiuzhai wouldn't care if he was innocent or not; no living thing would walk out of Immortal Burial Town tonight.

Li Ling worried that Li Youyi would lose his mind and fight her to the death, so she finally explained one more thing: "You underestimate the perception of a seven-spring martial expert. I could discover your location, so she must be able to as well. Besides, she is a dog-like malformed human with a keen sense of smell; do you think she doesn't know where you're hiding?"

"If I die, or if I escape, the first person she will kill next will definitely be you."

"By me fleeing here, you actually have a glimmer of survival."

Li Youyi didn't want to argue with her for now; this girl was small but had a big mind, calmer and more rational than many adults. He said: "Were you really hit by her Stone Monkey flying needles?"

Li Ling's exquisite and well-behaved face turned gloomy: "Fortunately, I was only hit by one."

Li Youyi said: "Then while your body hasn't turned to stone and stiffened yet, let's split up and fight our way out, striving for this glimmer of survival."

Li Ling stared straight at Li Youyi.

"What's wrong?"

"Cunning!"

"Where am I cunning?" Li Youyi said.

Li Ling said: "If we fight our way out now, all the thieves will definitely attack me, and you can take the opportunity to slip away."

Li Youyi hadn't even thought in that direction, but he had to admit... what she said made a lot of sense; she considered things very carefully.

"Either way it's a dead end; attacking now, there's still a chance to fight." Li Youyi said.

Li Ling told him the truth: "The stone poison contained in one Stone Monkey flying needle is very mild; I have already taken a secret medicine and can temporarily suppress it. But the people outside don't know that. When they rush in, catching them off guard—wouldn't the chances of winning be greater?"

Li Youyi felt more and more that this girl was calculating; it would be necessary to be on guard against her in the future.

She said: "Once I attack with all my strength, the stone poison will spread rapidly. Before that, I will do everything in my power to severely injure or kill those two martial experts with the highest cultivation; the rest are left to you. After escaping, my body will definitely turn to stone and stiffen, and at that time, I will need you to send me back to the Cangli tribe."

"Do you think I will?" Li Youyi said.

Li Ling said: "If you send me back, I will give myself to you."

This pie in the sky...

Does she even believe it herself?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 37 =====