Chapter 798: Stagnant and Self-Imprisoned (Chapter High Energy)

Li Banfeng ran ahead clutching the contract, while Shan Chengjun chased after him, shouting: “Catch the thief! Quick, catch him! He’s stealing, brazenly robbing in broad daylight—is there no law left?!”

Shan Chengjun ran faster and faster, but speed didn’t help—he couldn’t outrun Li Banfeng.

Shu Wanjuan wasn’t in a hurry; he simply watched Li Banfeng run.

He always left roots behind; having stayed on He Jiaqing’s territory so long, he’d buried many books.

These books were attuned to him; now he focused his mind to summon each one back.

Not long after Li Banfeng began running, a cavalry unit emerged from the ground.

These cavalrymen were peculiar: below their shoulders, no arms—instead, each shoulder bore a long spear.

The horses beneath them had no heads, yet their hooves were strong and they ran swiftly.

These cavalrymen were deceptive; ordinary people would mistake them for spiritual entities or puppets crafted by Gong Xiu.

But Li Banfeng wasn’t fooled—he saw they were products of textual description.

To write cavalry swiftly, one must write hooves; to write them fierce, one must write weapons—clear emphasis, orderly priority—that’s the hallmark of textual description; unimportant details like heads are rarely mentioned.

When Li Banfeng cultivated Jin Wu Cang Jiao, he mastered textual emphasis with exceptional clarity; unlike Wen Xiu techniques, Zhai Xiu methods were far more refined.

The “Jiaoniang” summoned by Jin Wu Cang Jiao had complete forms, infused with the Zhai Xiu’s thoughts and devotion; though fewer in number than Wen Xiu creations, their individual combat power was vastly superior.

Li Banfeng pulled out a notebook—used for practicing calligraphy in his Suishenju—filled with records of many “Jiaoniang.”

The key now was which Jiaoniang was best suited for breaking out; Li Banfeng wasn’t familiar with Shu Wanjuan’s writing style.

“Use Meng Qian!” the Judge’s Pen spoke up—he knew Shu Wanjuan well.

Li Banfeng pierced his fingertip, brushed a drop of blood lightly—and a peerless beauty stepped forth.

Shu Wanjuan saw Meng Qian appear beside Li Banfeng.

What technique is this?

Shan Chengjun also felt puzzled: “Old Shu, how does he know this too? Is he also a Wen Xiu?”

This was certainly not Wen Xiu technique—Shu Wanjuan knew Wen Xiu couldn’t produce anything this refined.

As far as Shu Wanjuan knew, Li Banfeng’s Ying Xiu technique was formidable—had he borrowed Meng Qian’s shadow?

As Meng Qian charged toward the cavalry, Shu Wanjuan warned Shan Chengjun: “Watch out—Meng Qian’s Meng Xiu technique is formidable!”

Shan Chengjun didn’t care—he could fight even if dead or soulless; sleeping or dreaming made no difference.

What concerned him was Li Qi’s silhouette—its shape was oddly peculiar.

Something seemed to be trailing behind him.

“Meng Qian” strolled lazily up to the cavalry, her sleeves extending dozens of meters, gliding gently before them.

The headless horses froze in place; the cavalrymen froze too.

Shu Wanjuan thought they’d fallen asleep—but upon closer look, they weren’t sleeping at all.

Some cavalrymen yawned; others stretched.

One cavalryman spotted Shu Wanjuan nearby and, trying to appear brave, weakly shouted: “Kill!”

Seeing this, Shu Wanjuan shouted to Shan Chengjun: “Avoid that woman—she’s a Lan Xiu!”

Leaning on stone, watching clouds; gazing at pool reflections—laziness reveals the grace of Gusha.

This was copied by Li Banfeng from a beauty painting; it didn’t depict Meng Qian’s Meng Xiu technique, but devoted much ink to her laziness—so vividly rendered that this “Meng Qian” carried Lan Xiu traits.

Shan Chengjun was startled and quickly dodged around Meng Qian’s sleeves—he could endure Meng Xiu, but not Lan Xiu.

With the help of the lazy “Meng Qian,” Li Banfeng broke through successfully; though useful, after one use, she lay motionless on the ground.

The Judge’s Pen cursed: “This man is truly lazy!”

Shu Wanjuan still had hundreds of thousands of characters waiting ahead—he needed only focus his mind to command them all.

Not long after, Li Banfeng was once again surrounded by a massive army—soldiers who soared through air, burrowed underground, and others who couldn’t fight at all, only rushing forward to grab legs.

Dealing with them seemed easy—each soldier had low individual combat power—but never act recklessly; these soldiers had fixed formations and battle arrays.

Directly opposite Li Banfeng stood a group of shield-bearing armored soldiers—slow-moving, stiff, wielding nothing but shields.

Logically, two best methods existed: fly over them with Cheng Feng Jia Yun, or charge through with Duan Jing Kai Lu.

But doing either would play right into their trap.

These armored soldiers were heavily armored and numerous; if Li Banfeng kept forcing a path, he’d drain immense stamina and slow his speed—Shan Chengjun would catch up quickly behind him.

Flying over would be even more dangerous: on both sides of the armored line stood archers—Li Banfeng would become a perfect target.

The Judge’s Pen recognized this formation—he’d seen it in Shu Wanjuan’s books—and told Li Banfeng: “Use Bu—walk through!”

This suggestion was absurd—so many soldiers, such dense formation—how could one possibly walk through?

Li Banfeng didn’t ask—he trusted the Judge’s Pen and charged straight into the enemy ranks.

In the first row, he barely found a gap and slipped through with Bu.

Were there gaps behind?

Li Banfeng looked ahead—there were dozens of gaps.

These armored soldiers were too sluggish—some rushed forward to meet him, others stood their ground; their inconsistent movements created countless openings, and Li Banfeng darted through them with agile steps pushed to their limit.

Shan Chengjun suffered—he was already slower than Li Banfeng, now crushed in the crowd, and shouted at Shu Wanjuan: “Second King, are you deliberately torturing me?!”

Shu Wanjuan manipulated the armored soldiers to clear a path while also directing Tu Youshou to block Li Banfeng.

Tu Youshou was a monster mentioned in Shu Wanjuan’s novel “Four Seas Strange Tales”—it had a head and four arms, but no legs or torso.

Tu Youshou burrowed underground, digging forward; when encountering enemies, two hands kept digging while the other two burst aboveground to grab ankles.

This wasn’t a real creature—it was entirely invented by Shu Wanjuan; Li Banfeng had never seen it and had no defense—he was grabbed by the ankles several times, stumbling and nearly falling.

Li Banfeng didn’t want to tangle with Tu Youshou—he observed the archers’ positions, considering whether to use Cheng Feng Jia Yun—the Judge’s Pen warned again: “Don’t fly—use Ni Jiang Po!”

Ni Jiang Po was a character created by Old Lu in his new work “Mo Chun Xuan”; since the character was poorly developed, Li Banfeng helped refine her and included her in his notebook.

He opened his notebook and read the description of Ni Jiang Po:

A woman named Ajiang, born in decayed soil, nurtured in the abyss of miasma,

Soft skin, green and red, like a toad’s slimy hide; lips stained crimson, tasting of worm and snake’s bitterness.

When she leaps, swift as lightning—left foot stamps, mud surges; right foot kicks, sludge congeals.

Cheeks swell with thunder and wind; mouth spits nine-yōu miasma; tongue curls, swallowing lingering clouds; throat rumbles like the fifth watch bell.

Mucus from her hair drips—strikes objects, becomes bone-eating acid rain; warts on her back shoot—touch ground, birth man-eating mud vortices.

Li Banfeng pierced his fingertip, smeared blood on the notebook—and a beautiful woman with thin eyebrows, long eyes, green hair, and blue skin leapt from the page onto the ground.

Every word on her body was infused with Li Banfeng’s devotion—her combat power was naturally extraordinary.

Li Banfeng looked down and shouted: “Follow me!”

“Gukwa!” the beauty replied, slammed her foot into the ground—and a three-foot radius around her instantly became swamp.

Though small, the swamp perfectly protected Li Banfeng’s feet.

A Tu Youshou, about to grab his ankle, became trapped in the mud.

This mud was highly corrosive—the Tu Youshou writhed in it briefly, then dissolved into a pool of ink.

Li Banfeng sprinted forward with Ni Jiang Po—wherever his foot landed, she landed too; Tu Youshou attempting ambush were swallowed and vanished in the sludge.

Shu Wanjuan was surprised—Tu Youshou was his pride, and once the formation was set, breaking it was extremely difficult.

Yet the woman summoned from Li Banfeng’s book completely negated Tu Youshou.

Ordinary people seeing Tu Youshou wouldn’t even know its origin—why could Li Qi so quickly devise a counter?

Was he guided by a master, or was he naturally gifted?

And who was this woman? Another high master’s shadow?

Beyond the Tu Youshou formation, a dense swarm of hairy worms emerged—plump, with human faces, wriggling swiftly toward Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng knew these creatures well—they were Suo E Fu Ren.

Shu Wanjuan’s novel “Four Seas Strange Tales” also recorded many real monsters, and Suo E Fu Ren was one of them.

Because of Ma Wu, Li Banfeng knew their weakness well—he charged straight into the worm mass.

But the Judge’s Pen sensed danger: “Avoid them—don’t go in!”

Too late—the Judge’s Pen spoke too slowly; Li Banfeng had already plunged into the Suo E formation.

These Suo E looked bulky but moved with surprising agility; their skin was thick and tough—Shu Wanjuan’s masterpiece. Trapped in their encirclement, Li Banfeng would struggle to break out, and Shan Chengjun would soon catch up.

Shu Wanjuan’s tactic was clear: he only needed to delay Li Qi as long as possible—everything else was left to Shan Chengjun.

Suishenju emitted a faint voice: “Bad!”

Zhao Xiao in the main chamber heard it and asked: “What happened?”

The wall flickered, revealing the battle outside—seeing Shan Chengjun and Shu Wanjuan, Zhao Xiaowan gasped.

Both men’s strength was known to the family—Hong Ying lifted her spear, Zhao Xiaowan prepared her record disc, and she warned Jiu’er: “Get ready all the ritual tools!”

The whole family prepared themselves—Zhao Xiaowan said: “Old Master, open the door quickly.”

“Can’t open”—Suishenju was in bad shape, unable even to open its door.

Hong Ying asked: “Why doesn’t Qi Lang use Lian Kuo Dong Fang to swap us out?”

Zhao Xiaowan studied the battlefield—she understood Li Banfeng’s reasoning: “Because across from us is Shu Wanjuan.”

The wife was right—Li Banfeng kept his family inside for one reason: Shu Wanjuan.

Shu Wanjuan alone was one man; Shu Wanjuan paired with Shan Chengjun was another being entirely—his calmness and meticulousness overwhelmed Li Banfeng.

Now, if he called his family out, they might not win—and escaping would become harder.

Li Banfeng’s breakout was blocked; Shan Chengjun caught up from behind.

He seized a Suo E, tore off its antennae as a spear to block Li Banfeng’s path, ripped out its fangs as a short knife—first slash missed, second struck his left shoulder; only two cuts, and Li Banfeng bled.

Li Banfeng used Chang Xing Wu Ai to temporarily escape Shan Chengjun’s pursuit, then turned to use Zou Ma Guan Hua on him.

After the improvement from the "Floating Cloud Inquiry Station," the Horse-Gazing Technique delivers two strikes: the first is focused vision, the second is focused intent—the second strike’s power is astonishing.

After fighting Ai Yeqing, Shan Chengjun was badly wounded; if the Horse-Gazing Technique lands successfully, it should drive him back.

Li Banfeng used the Cloak Moth’s cover, maneuvering repeatedly until he vanished from Shan Chengjun’s sight; when he turned back to fix his gaze on Shan Chengjun, a flock of sparrows flew before him, blocking Li Banfeng’s view.

These sparrows were formed from written characters—Shu Wanjuan had intercepted the blow for Shan Chengjun.

The first strike failed to land; the second could not be triggered—the Horse-Gazing Technique failed.

The sparrows scattered; Shan Chengjun advanced close to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng gazed deep and far behind Shan Chengjun, stepped forward and shattered ten thousand rivers, delivering a solid kick straight to his chest—full ten-tenths of its power, all directed at Shan Chengjun.

The Stepping Through Ten Thousand Rivers, refined by the "Floating Cloud Inquiry Station," was equally ferocious; Shan Chengjun shuddered and took a step back.

“Alright, that hurt!” Shan Chengjun praised, swinging the Cloak Moth’s ape fang and slicing a gash across Li Banfeng’s chest; watching blood spurt, he laughed loudly.

Li Banfeng gritted his teeth and fixed his gaze on Shan Chengjun—Five Horses Tear Apart the Household!

Shan Chengjun’s bones cracked as a horrifying wound split from his left shoulder to his right rib.

Five Horses Tear Apart the Corpse worked—but only to that extent; Li Banfeng could not tear him apart.

Shan Chengjun ignored his own wound, raised the Cloak Moth’s tentacle, and drove it straight into Li Banfeng’s abdomen.

“No!” the Judgement Pen cried out, charging toward Shan Chengjun.

He was telling Li Banfeng not to fight so recklessly—Shan Chengjun, even wounded, was far stronger in physique.

He wanted to lift Shan Chengjun up, giving Li Banfeng a moment to escape using the Lazy Cultivation Technique.

But the Judgement Pen could not move Shan Chengjun—their strength differed too greatly.

Shan Chengjun glanced at the Judgement Pen and reached to seize it: “Fine magic treasure!”

Li Banfeng pulled the Judgement Pen back; Shan Chengjun seized the chance to pierce another hole in Li Banfeng with the Cloak Moth’s tentacle.

Tang Dao leapt up and severed the tentacle; Li Banfeng pulled out the half-embedded fragment and hurled it at Shan Chengjun.

Shan Chengjun dodged aside; the tentacle stabbed into the ground.

“Still think you can hit me? Dreaming, are you?” Shan Chengjun was about to mock Li Qi, when he noticed Li Qi had already broken through the Cloak Moth formation.

Shan Chengjun laughed: “Running won’t help—you can’t escape Old Shu’s methods.”

He wasn’t wrong; Li Banfeng had run only dozens of meters before a vast array of “tree” characters blocked him—some rooted into the earth, growing thick branches and leaves, indistinguishable from real trees.

Others transformed into branches, weaving and circling through gaps.

Shan Chengjun chased again; Li Banfeng snapped off a branch and planted it in the ground.

Including the tentacle he’d stabbed earlier, Li Banfeng had left two markers—Hundred Steps Cross-Range was complete.

Logically, Shan Chengjun should not be able to approach Li Banfeng for some time.

But unexpectedly, Shan Chengjun closed the distance in two steps, utterly unaffected by the barrier.

Did Hundred Steps Cross-Range have no effect on him?

Li Banfeng turned back—his first marker, the tentacle planted in the ground, had been pulled out by Shu Wanjuan!

The Judgement Pen cursed: “That old scoundrel.”

Shu Wanjuan held the tentacle and smiled: “Thinking of using Hundred Steps Cross-Range? Wait until your next life.”

Li Banfeng saw Shu Wanjuan’s position clearly.

Without taking down Shu Wanjuan, escape seemed impossible; Li Banfeng sprinted toward him—but Shan Chengjun intercepted him first.

“Li Qi, where are you going? We’re not done yet!”

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

Shan Chengjun countered with full force; his fangs slashed Li Banfeng’s body but left not even a mark.

“Wanderer Without Boundaries!” Shan Chengjun stared at Li Banfeng. “Let’s see who lasts longer.”

Li Banfeng’s Wanderer Without Boundaries lasted twelve seconds; he unleashed an invisible aura and activated the Pillow of Perfect Peace, striking Shan Chengjun three times with Five Horses Tear Apart the Corpse—the aura darted back and forth over Shan Chengjun’s body over a hundred times.

Dozens of shadows struck in unison, wielding various weapons, beating him for a full twelve seconds.

Shan Chengjun endured it all with his flesh alone; after twelve seconds, Li Banfeng still hadn’t killed him.

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

Shan Chengjun’s body was riddled with cracks—his chest and back nearly translucent—but he still grinned, staring at Li Banfeng: “Is that it?

You didn’t even hurt me!”

The surrounding characters grew denser; Li Banfeng’s room to maneuver shrank further.

He reached into his pocket.

If he returned to the Portable Dwelling now, he could use the Connected Bridal Chamber to return directly to Hulucun—but at the cost of revealing the Portable Dwelling’s location to Shan Chengjun and Shu Wanjuan.

In this life-or-death moment, the cost was bearable; if concealed well, he might even deceive them.

His fingertip was about to touch the key when he sensed extreme danger—intense, overwhelming danger.

Why?

Was returning to the Portable Dwelling not safe?

The bloodied Shan Chengjun lunged forward, spat a mouthful of blood, revealing crimson teeth, and grinned: “What’s behind you? Is that the little train? I saw him!”

Li Banfeng was stunned!

Shan Chengjun’s eyesight is that sharp!

“Call out the little train—let’s talk!” Shan Chengjun laughed, grabbing Li Banfeng. “I haven’t seen him in ages—I miss him.”

Banfeng Yi brought the Heavenly Stems’ shadows to join Li Banfeng in attacking Shan Chengjun.

Banfeng Zi brought the Earthly Branches’ shadows to search for an escape route.

Shu Wanjuan always found these shadows strange, but Shan Chengjun ignored their origin, focused only on slaughter.

He slashed Banfeng Bing with the Cloak Moth’s fangs—Banfeng Bing split in two, then rose again.

He cut Banfeng Ding—Banfeng Ding also split into two.

Seeing the shadows multiply, Shu Wanjuan shouted: “Watch out—this is the Heaven-Combining Technique!”

Shan Chengjun showed no fear—instead, he grew more excited: “Heaven-Combining Technique? Perfect! Come all, come fight me!”

Within the boundary, aided by Pillow of Perfect Peace, Li Banfeng and his shadows fought fiercely—but gained no advantage against Shan Chengjun.

The Earthly Branches’ shadows moved freely, discovering Shu Wanjuan’s formation shifted constantly and was extremely intricate; no escape opportunity appeared in the short term.

Should they first eliminate Shu Wanjuan?

With shadows alone, it was impossible; if Li Banfeng’s true body could get close to Shu Wanjuan, there might still be a chance.

Shu Wanjuan himself understood the situation clearly—he maintained a considerable distance from Li Banfeng at all times.

Seeing the dire situation, Zhao Xiao became increasingly frantic: “Old Master, let me out immediately!”

After calling out several times, he finally received a response—the Portable Dwelling’s voice was weaker than before: “You cannot leave—once out, you cannot return.”

Zhao Xiao said: “Then let my husband come back!”

“I’ve urged him—he refuses!”

“Ming-ming~”

Li Banfeng heard the sound of a train whistle.

“Ah Qi, come home!”

Li Banfeng did not respond—Shan Chengjun had discovered the Portable Dwelling; he could not return now.

If he returned now, activating the Connected Bridal Chamber would take time; Shan Chengjun would seize control of the Portable Dwelling from outside. The Portable Dwelling’s current state was barely able to speak—Shan Chengjun could dismantle it.

“Come on, little train! Don’t just call him home—take me to your place too!” Shan Chengjun laughed, slashing Li Banfeng with his blade.

Banfeng Yi slashed Shan Chengjun over a dozen times; Shan Chengjun ignored it all.

Other shadows unleashed technique after technique on Shan Chengjun; he paid them no mind.

Blood and flesh splattered everywhere—he saw only Li Banfeng; no matter how many blows he took, he felt no pain.

Has he gone mad?

Yes—he has.

Li Banfeng used the Mad Cultivation Technique—Mad Arrogance.

Now Shan Chengjun ignored all tactics, seeking only brute force.

Then give him a chance for brute force.

Li Banfeng instantly recalled all shadows and delivered a kick straight into Shan Chengjun’s body.

Shan Chengjun thought it was Stepping Through Ten Thousand Rivers—he didn’t dodge or retreat, charging straight into the kick—but found his legs involuntarily stepping back.

This isn’t Stepping Through Ten Thousand Rivers...

He realized Li Banfeng was retreating at an even greater speed—it was Ten Thousand Li Parting.

Before activating Ten Thousand Li Parting, Li Banfeng lost his sense of direction.

To ensure the kick landed, Li Banfeng first activated the Mad Cultivation Technique.

The Mad Cultivation Technique worked—Shan Chengjun charged willingly into the kick; Ten Thousand Li Parting triggered successfully.

Though untargeted, as long as he escaped Shan Chengjun, Li Banfeng didn’t care where he landed.

Ten Thousand Li Parting ignored all obstacles—Shu Wanjuan’s troops could not stop Li Banfeng.

Shan Chengjun didn’t fly away; Li Banfeng didn’t care—he had escaped successfully.

Shan Chengjun, having stepped back two paces, suddenly lunged forward, seized Li Banfeng’s ankle, lifted him, and slammed him hard to the ground.

Li Banfeng’s mind went blank.

Isn’t Ten Thousand Li Parting supposed to ignore obstacles?

How could he still grab me?

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

She was the leader of the Traveling Cultivators, had faced countless brutal battles, yet had never seen anyone withstand “Ten Thousand Li Apart” so directly.

Zhao Xiaowan called out: “Old Master, open the door!”

If we don’t get out now, it’s over—Li Banfeng will die at Shan Chengjun’s hands.

The doors of Suishenju clicked open one by one, from the main chamber all the way to Room Thirty-Two.

The Old Master was trying to open the door, but seemed to be turning the wrong way.

Hong Ying shouted: “Old fool, you’re opening the wrong door—open the main gate!”

Suishenju coughed once, then fell silent.

The images on the walls vanished; Suishenju appeared to be in severe distress.

Blood!

There was blood on the walls!

Is Suishenju bleeding?

Zhao Xiaowan used the Hundred Flavors Linglong technique to sniff the blood’s scent, then shook her head: “Wrong—this is Shan Chengjun’s blood. Part of his flesh and blood can fight independently. The Old Master was wounded by him!”

Hong Ying couldn’t comprehend: “You mean Shan Chengjun’s flesh and blood broke in from outside?”

Tong Lianhua was slightly surprised: “This bastard has grown this strong?”

The Fifth Room Girl said: “It’s because the Old Master is too weak. But if he’s this weak, why not—”

Tong Lianhua sneered: “Why not what? Do you want to go out and die?”

The Fifth Girl said: “Perhaps we could have a little chat with Shan Chengjun.”

Tong Lianhua said: “Go ahead and try. See if Shan Chengjun recognizes your sentiment.”

Jiu’er sensed imminent danger, glanced deep into Suishenju, and cried out: “Another door has appeared—Room Thirty-Three has opened!”

Room Thirty-Three has opened?

Too many sudden changes had occurred at once; Zhao Xiaowan couldn’t handle it.

Tong Lianhua unfurled her lotus leaves and said to Zhao Xiaowan: “Find a way to save that madman—I’ll collect Shan Chengjun’s blood.”

Zhao Xiaowan went to Room Ten; there was a crack there—if all else failed, they could burst out through it. No matter what, she had to save her husband.

Li Banfeng lay on the ground, watching as Shan Chengjun raised his fangs to slash his head.

“Li Qi, hand me the contract, and I’ll spare your life,” Shan Chengjun taunted. He didn’t need Li Banfeng to surrender the contract willingly—killing him and taking it was just as good.

As the fangs were about to strike Li Banfeng, Shan Chengjun thrust his body forward and pushed his legs back—thud—he fell to the ground.

“East-West Rush? You know ‘No Way Out’?” Shan Chengjun spat dirt. He’d been burned by this technique before—he remembered it well.

“East-West Rush” had no killing power, but its strength lay in its speed and near-perfect accuracy.

Seizing Shan Chengjun’s fall, Li Banfeng immediately rose and used “Tread Through Ten Thousand Rivers” again.

Li Banfeng was severely wounded—he might not be able to use “Five Horses Divide the Household,” but “Tread Through Ten Thousand Rivers” was fast, powerful, and would definitely hurt Shan Chengjun.

Shan Chengjun was already badly injured—he couldn’t last long. If Li Banfeng could drive him back temporarily, he’d find a way to break out.

Of course, the precondition was that he must not exchange blood again. As Li Banfeng activated “Tread Through Ten Thousand Rivers,” he also activated “Heart of the Dwelling.”

Boom!

His foot came down on Shan Chengjun—but missed.

Li Banfeng’s kick went off-target.

At this life-or-death moment, his most familiar technique, “Tread Through Ten Thousand Rivers,” had misfired.

“Li Qi, with an opportunity like this, how useless are you!” While Li Banfeng was still mid-movement, Shan Chengjun stepped forward, seized his fangs, and stabbed toward Li Banfeng’s throat.

Li Banfeng planned to endure it with “Heart of the Dwelling,” but found his body wasn’t hard enough.

“Heart of the Dwelling” didn’t activate!

Even his most familiar Wu Xiu technique failed to activate!

No—that wasn’t right. He’d definitely activated it just now—he could feel it!

Shan Chengjun’s fangs rapidly neared Li Banfeng’s throat.

Li Banfeng was using “Free and Easy Wandering” to shift his throat’s position—when he saw Shan Chengjun’s hand freeze mid-air, his body frozen mid-motion.

The fangs in his hand froze mid-air too.

He became like stone—his entire body locked rigid, his smile and the excitement in his gaze frozen along with him.

Technique!

The technique worked!

What technique was this?

Li Banfeng had no time to think—he turned to look at Shu Wanjuan.

Shu Wanjuan didn’t know what had happened to Shan Chengjun, nor what method Li Qi had used on him.

He was about to send men to rescue Shan Chengjun when suddenly he saw Li Qi appear right before him.

Shu Wanjuan shouted: “Thief and scoundrel! Surrender at once!”

He intended to use “Shared Script, Common Rule” to restrain Li Banfeng.

It was a fatal mistake!

Li Banfeng said: “You stole the imperial contract—how dare you claim you’re not a thief?”

Shu Wanjuan froze: “The contract is in your hands.”

“I am the Prince of Pingyuan—I am the empire. This is merely returning what belongs to its rightful owner.”

Shu Wanjuan’s spirit scattered abruptly—Li Banfeng vanished.

Where did he go?

Thud!

Li Banfeng focused his gaze—Shu Wanjuan’s body collapsed to his knees, gasping.

Thud!

Li Banfeng focused his intent—Shu Wanjuan’s chest ruptured, blood gushing.

Shu Wanjuan’s wounded mind grew hazy—the military formation fell into chaos.

When his awareness returned, Shu Wanjuan looked up—Li Qi was gone.