167: Chapter 167 The Women of the Li Family

Within the Beast Forest.

Ye Tianhao's trio had dealt with the next wave of Cultivator attacks; the number of Cultivators in the Beast Forest arena had now significantly dwindled.

Many had been eliminated after their Spirit Pearls were snatched.

Those who remained were strong and relatively cunning.

Thus, the three had to brace themselves to cope.

Just as they came to a halt in the forest, the little sparrow beside Ye Tianyao suddenly cried out.

Ye Tianyao immediately shouted, "Someone's there!"

Ye Tianhao and Su Wan hurriedly went on guard upon hearing this.

The vegetation in these mountains was dense; it would be very difficult to detect an ordinary person hiding within.

Suddenly, several Talismans flew out from above the forest, instantly releasing flashes of purple-blue lightning that tore through the forest's gloom, crackling as they swept toward the trio, and the air was instantly filled with a pungent burnt smell.

"Retreat, quickly!" Ye Tianhao reacted with extreme speed. With a sudden flip of his right hand, the moon-breaking sword in his grasp instantly unsheathed, and the spiritual energy circulating within the blade abruptly erupted.

He brandished his sword and stepped forward, instantly severing those surging bolts of lightning.

"Zila—" The moment the Sword Qi collided with the lightning, sparks flew in all directions.

Su Wan's figure was light as she tapped her toes against a sword, moving rapidly through the air. Three defensive Talismans flew from her hand, transforming into a semi-transparent light shield that protected the group within.

Right then, a whip burning with flames lashed out. Carrying powerful spiritual energy, the flaming whip struck the protective shield, causing it to nearly shatter under the heavy blow.

"Are you the three who dealt with so many Cultivators?" A feminine shout rang out from the forest.

The source of the fire whip was a woman dressed in red. She looked quite young, but a string of snow-white Spirit Pearls hung ostentatiously from her waist, swaying gently as she walked.

There were at least dozens of them.

At this moment, Su Wan's eyes filled with shock. "Li Linlin?"

This woman was also from the Li Family of Jingxi, but because her Old Ancestor was a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the Li Family had not been targeted by the Xuanyou Sect.

Furthermore, this Li Linlin was exceptionally gifted. At only twenty years old, she was already a Qi Refining Level 9 Cultivator, a favored child of heaven upon whom the entire Li Family pinned their high hopes.

Su Wan stared at the Spirit Pearls at her waist and said in a heavy voice, "You've also come for Spirit Pearls. Seeing your posture, you've eliminated quite a few Cultivators."

"What else?"

Li Linlin sneered and reached out to flick the Spirit Pearls at her waist. The crisp clinking sound was particularly piercing in the silent forest.

"This Beast Forest trial is inherently a matter of the strong preying on the weak. For the three of you to make it this far, you must have some skill—much better than those trash who only know how to hide."

Before her voice had even faded, she jerked her wrist. The fire whip suddenly surged several feet longer, lashing toward the light shield with raging flames.

The previous lash had already left the shield riddled with cracks; with this strike...

With a crisp "kacha", the semi-transparent light shield instantly shattered, dispersing into points of spiritual light that vanished into the air.

Su Wan's face turned pale. She subconsciously retreated half a step, wanting to pull out a Talisman, but was forced into a series of dodges by a fire talisman thrown by Li Linlin.

That fire talisman landed on the ground, instantly igniting a large fire that blocked most of the trio's escape route.

Following that, several Cultivators emerged beside Li Linlin, surrounding and attacking them.

Seeing that this woman was the leader, Ye Tianhao immediately said to Ye Tianyao, "Tianyao, cover me. I'll go meet her!"

"Yes!" After Ye Tianyao complied, she summoned Xiao Chi once more. Xiao Chi let out a great roar, and a fire crystal materialized before its chest, instantly blocking the flames. Then, countless Spirit Sparrows flew out to attack the Cultivators.

This took Li Linlin by surprise, and then a hint of amusement flashed in her eyes.

These two Cultivators Su Wan had latched onto indeed had some skill. Previously, she had intended to just pick up the scraps, but seeing that they had snatched so many Spirit Pearls, she wanted to try and slaughter them.

If she obtained their Spirit Pearls, the first place this time would surely be hers!

"Interesting, you can even summon Yao Beasts to assist you." Battle Intent intensified in Li Linlin's eyes. With a flick of her wrist, the fire whip darted out like a spirit snake, no longer attacking Su Wan but instead heading straight for Ye Tianhao's face.

"Since you want to meet me, I'll fulfill your wish. Let's see if that broken sword of yours can withstand my heart-burning whip!"

Ye Tianhao's expression was grave. Spiritual Qi erupted beneath his feet as he advanced instead of retreating. Brandishing the moon-breaking sword, he let its silver radiance clash with the flames of the heart-burning whip.

With a "zila", sparks exploded. Heat waves and Sword Qi intertwined, kicking up a gale in the forest that bent the surrounding vegetation.

"Qi Refining Eighth Layer, and you can actually take a hit from me?" A flash of surprise crossed Li Linlin's eyes, followed by a cold sneer. "But that's all!"

She pinched a hand seal, and the flames on the heart-burning whip suddenly surged, transforming into a fire snake that lunged at Ye Tianhao with its bloody maw wide open.

Wherever the flames passed, the air was scorched into distortion, and a pungent wave of heat rushed toward him.

Ye Tianhao didn't dare be careless. He poured all his spiritual energy into the moon-breaking sword, causing the blade's silver radiance to flourish. With a loud shout, he swung his sword, carving out a several-foot-long Sword Qi that forcefully split the fire snake in two.

But before he could catch his breath, Li Linlin had already closed in, wielding the heart-burning whip to press him from both far and near, step by step.

Ye Tianhao dodged nimbly, parrying precisely with the moon-breaking sword. Every collision left his arm feeling numb.

The gap between Qi Refining Level 9 and Eighth Layer, combined with the extremely powerful Magical Artifact in the woman's hand, made it quite troublesome for Ye Tianhao to deal with.

On the other side, Ye Tianyao fought side-by-side with Xiao Chi. Countless Spirit Sparrows circled in the air, frantically pecking at the Cultivators Li Linlin had brought. The sharp beaks of the Spirit Sparrows carried a faint spiritual energy, leaving small bloodstains on the Cultivators they pecked.

The fire crystal on Xiao Chi's chest flashed continuously, and pillars of fire shot from its mouth, forcing back the approaching Cultivators.

But there were five Cultivators brought by Li Linlin, and all of them were at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer or above.

Before long, many Spirit Sparrows were killed or injured, and the defensive fire crystal on Xiao Chi's chest dimmed slightly.

Ye Tianyao also felt her spiritual energy being consumed more and more intensely.

Seeing this while attacking, Su Wan immediately condensed her spiritual energy again and pulled out the talisman treasure from her bosom.

Instantly, several giant golden swords appeared in the air. The Cultivators Li Linlin brought were quickly forced into retreat by these golden swords, and cries of agony rose one after another.

"Trash! A bunch of trash!"

Catching a glimpse of the Cultivators she had brought being forced into retreat by Su Wan, Li Linlin shouted in anger.

Her offensive became even more violent. The heart-burning whip lashed out fiercely, smashing toward Ye Tianhao's back.

Ye Tianhao let out a muffled groan, his figure staggering forward several steps. Flames instantly ignited where the whip struck his body.

But a faint red light emanated from his body, quickly suppressing the flames.

"A magical garment made from a Red-Armored Lizard?" Li Linlin was somewhat surprised, but then a flash of disdain crossed her eyes.

She continued to pursue and besiege Ye Tianhao. "Hand over the Spirit Pearls, and I'll let you leave the stage painlessly! Otherwise, I'll break your arms and legs!"

Hearing this, killing intent surged in Ye Tianhao's eyes. The spiritual energy in the moon-breaking sword in his hand instantly flared up.

His figure charged forward with extreme speed, the edge of his blade aiming straight for Li Linlin's neck.