94: Chapter 94 Siege

Li Changsheng did not immediately agree to Lin Jingyun's proposal.

"Let me consider it," he said.

Lin Jingyun did not force the issue and nodded.

"Take your time, Brother Li. I will take my men to scout ahead, and if we find anything, I will come to inform you."

He led the people from the Jinyang Sect toward the stone palace.

Li Changsheng stood where he was, gazing at the stone palace, his brows furrowed slightly.

"Changsheng," Li Changqing walked over and said in a low voice, "do you really trust him?"

Li Changsheng shook his head.

"Not entirely. But what he said makes sense; one person cannot break into that stone palace."

"Then what should we..."

"Gather Spirit Medicine first," Li Changsheng interrupted her.

"Collect everything that can be gathered. Then find a place to rest and build up our strength."

The four of them began to gather Spirit Medicine on the small island.

golden-veined grass, purple sun ginseng, blood cloud ganoderma, jade marrow ganoderma... one by one, the rare Spirit Medicine were carefully dug up and stored away.

Shi Tiezhu was beaming with joy as he gathered them, and Li Xiaocao's face was flushed with excitement. Even someone as composed as Li Changqing couldn't help but let the corners of her mouth lift.

Only Li Changsheng, while gathering Spirit Medicine, kept an eye on the movements around them.

He always felt that something was watching them from the shadows.

It was not a Yao Beast.

It was human.

And not just one.

Night fell, or rather, the light in the Secret Realm grew dimmer.

Li Changsheng led the three of them off the small island.

By the lakeside, they found a hidden cliff face. Beneath the cliff was a natural depression that could shelter them from the wind and rain. It was surrounded by rock on three sides, with only one opening, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

"We will rest here tonight."

He said, "We will take turns keeping watch. I will take the first watch."

Li Changqing nodded and settled down with Shi Tiezhu and Li Xiaocao in the depths of the depression.

Shi Tiezhu took out dry rations and water from his Storage Pouch to share with everyone. Li Xiaocao ate a little and soon fell asleep leaning against Li Changqing.

Li Changsheng sat at the entrance of the depression, his back against the rock, looking outside.

In the night, the lake surface shimmered with an eerie phosphorescence. The stone palace on the small island stood silently, its doors still left ajar, like a giant eye watching everything in the darkness.

His brows never unfurrowed.

In the middle of the night, Li Changqing came to change shifts.

"Go to sleep," she said, "I will keep watch."

Li Changsheng nodded and was about to walk inside when he suddenly stopped.

He pricked up his ears.

From the distance, a faint rustling sound drifted over.

It was the sound of footsteps—the footsteps of many people approaching them.

"Someone is coming," he said in a low voice.

Li Changqing's expression changed, and she gripped her sword hilt.

Li Changsheng turned and walked into the depths of the depression, gently waking Shi Tiezhu and Li Xiaocao.

"Don't make a sound," he lowered his voice, "someone is coming."

The three of them immediately woke up, held their breath, and gripped their weapons.

The footsteps grew closer and clearer.

Finally, a mass of shadows stopped in the open space outside the depression.

Torchlight flared up.

A dozen or so people holding torches surrounded the depression.

The leader was a young man with a sinister expression, at Qi Refining Level 7.

He was the leader of the Blood Fiend Sect for this trip, the same person Zhao Yan had seen before.

Behind him stood eleven men in black, each with a cold aura, their cultivation levels ranging between Qi Refining Level 4 and Level 6.

Twelve people.

Twelve auras of Killing Intent.

And at the very back of the crowd stood a figure familiar to Li Changsheng.

Zhao Yan.

He stood in the shadows, a smug smile on his face, his eyes filled with spite.

"Li Changsheng," he said, his voice brimming with irrepressible excitement.

"Didn't expect this, did you?"

Li Changsheng walked out of the depression and stood in the torchlight, his expression calm.

"Zhao Yan," he said.

"You've finally stopped hiding."

Zhao Yan sneered.

"Hiding? Why would I hide? Today is the day you die!"

With a wave of his hand, the twelve Blood Fiend Sect Disciples immediately spread out, surrounding Li Changsheng and the others.

Li Changqing, Shi Tiezhu, and Li Xiaocao also walked out of the depression and stood behind Li Changsheng.

Shi Tiezhu gripped the iron staff in his hand, his palms slick with sweat.

Li Xiaocao's face was deathly pale, but she did not cry, only clutching Li Changqing's sleeve tightly. Li Changqing gritted her teeth, glaring at the men in black, her eyes filled with Killing Intent.

"Twelve people," Li Changsheng said calmly.

"Blood Fiend Sect members, plus a traitor from the Qinglan Sword Sect. Is this all you've got?"

The young man leading the Blood Fiend Sect narrowed his eyes coldly.

"Still running your mouth when you're about to die. Attack!"

The twelve people lunged forward at the same time!

Li Changsheng moved.

His speed was astonishing. He activated a Gale Talisman instantly, and his entire body surged into the crowd like a streak of light!

Sword light flashed, and a man in black at Qi Refining Level 4 screamed and fell to the ground!

Before the other eleven could react, Li Changsheng's second sword strike had already arrived!

Pfft!

Another man in black fell, clutching his throat!

"Kill him!"

The leading young man roared and lunged forward himself!

Li Changsheng did not dodge or evade, meeting him with a sword strike!

The two swords clashed, sparks flying everywhere!

The leading young man felt a massive force transmit from the sword, and he was knocked back three steps!

He looked down and saw that his sword had been chipped with a deep notch!

"You..."

Before he could finish, Li Changsheng's sword was already before him!

He dodged with all his might, but was still stabbed in the shoulder!

He screamed and staggered backward!

"Protect Senior Brother!"

The other men in black rushed up in a panic to intercept Li Changsheng!

Li Changsheng fought and retreated, his swordsmanship fierce; every strike claimed a life!

But after all, he was only one person, and facing a siege of a dozen enemies, he gradually began to struggle.

Just then.

"Ah!"

A scream came from behind him.

Li Changsheng turned to look and saw Li Changqing pierce a man in black through the chest with her sword, the tip emerging from his back!

The man in black widened his eyes, dying with lingering resentment.

Beside her, Shi Tiezhu swung his iron staff, fighting against a man in black at Qi Refining Level 4.

His cultivation was inferior to his opponent's, but relying on his brute strength and the defensive techniques he learned at Houtu Peak, he forcefully withstood the opponent's attacks.

Li Xiaocao hid behind them, her face deathly pale, but she did not cry, only staring fixedly at the men in black, as if wanting to memorize their faces.

"Good!"

Li Changsheng felt steady in his heart, and his swordsmanship became even sharper!

The addition of Li Changqing and Shi Tiezhu relieved a lot of pressure from him.

Although he still had to face seven or eight enemies, at least he didn't need to be distracted by protecting his companions behind him.

Sword light, blade light, and staff shadows intertwined!

Blood splattered, and screams rang out continuously!

An incense stick of time later, six corpses already lay on the ground.

The remaining five men in black, including the injured leading young man, had their expressions change.

They never expected that these four people, who appeared to be at Qi Refining Level 3 or 4, had hidden their cultivation so deeply.

They had actually killed six of them!

"Trash!" a cold voice rang out.

Zhao Yan walked out from the shadows.

He drew the longsword from his waist and stared coldly at Li Changsheng.

"Li Changsheng,"

He gritted his teeth and said, word by word,

"Today, I will kill you with my own hands!"

He lunged forward!

The aura of Qi Refining Level 7 erupted!

Li Changsheng's eyes narrowed, and he swung his sword to meet him!

Two longswords collided fiercely!

Clang!

Sparks flew! Both of them retreated three steps simultaneously!

Zhao Yan's expression changed.

He was at Qi Refining Level 7; how could he not suppress Li Changsheng?

No, that's not right.

This brat is definitely more than the Qi Refining Level 5 he had guessed!

"Qi Refining Level 6?"

He sneered, "Today, you can't hide it!"

He unleashed his sword technique, every move vicious and aimed directly at vital points!

Li Changsheng responded calmly, alternating between the Qinglan Sword Art and Green Wood Fist, sometimes with fierce swordsmanship, other times with powerful, forceful punches!

Although he was only at Qi Refining Level 5, the century of combat experience he possessed granted him combat intuition far beyond his peers!

Ten moves, twenty moves, thirty moves...

The more Zhao Yan fought, the more alarmed he became.

"How is this possible?"

He was clearly at Qi Refining Level 7, clearly had higher cultivation, and clearly had more refined swordsmanship, yet he just couldn't take this brat down!

Every time he thought he had found an opening, the other party would always narrowly avoid it!

Every time he thrust his sword with all his might, the other party would always calmly resolve it!