209: Chapter 209: Ten against five, and they ended up like this.

The Copper Mirror Cultivator was well-prepared; he held the copper mirror high above his head, face down, as three consecutive silver light pillars shot out from the mirror, crashing into the sea of fire.

The silver light and blazing flames churned together for several breaths, the intensity of the fire suppressed by more than half by the light pillars. Though not completely extinguished, it could no longer cause fatal harm to the three.

Taking advantage of the gap while the fire was suppressed, Zhao Shan's Flying Sword bypassed the wall of fire and cut in silently from the flank.

That Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator's attention was entirely on activating his Talisman, and his Divine Sense didn't have enough strength left to monitor his side.

By the time he felt the Qi fluctuations of the Flying Sword, the blade had already arrived.

He twisted desperately to dodge, but his left arm couldn't escape; the Flying Sword sliced in below the elbow joint, severing it completely.

Half a forearm, along with the still-burning Talisman fragments in his hand, fell to the ground as blood sprayed wildly.

The Cultivator let out a heart-wrenching roar. His remaining Qi collapsed under the intense pain, and he stumbled backward, having completely lost his combat effectiveness.

On Su Chengyuan's side, he hadn't taken a spirit burst pill; instead, all the tools in his hands had been replaced with Talismans.

Meng Li found something extremely irritating: this Early Foundation Establishment Stage fellow across from him wouldn't fight him head-on, but specifically used Talismans to greet him.

A Second-grade High Grade fire-attribute attack Talisman flew toward him; Meng Li dodged to the side, only to be immediately followed by two metal-attribute Sword Qi Talismans attacking from both sides.

He struck out with two palms to shatter the Sword Qi. Just as he was about to counterattack, a Trapping Formation Talisman unfurled beneath his feet, its golden halo locking his legs.

A Trapping Formation Talisman couldn't hold a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator for more than two breaths, but two breaths were enough.

Within those two breaths, Su Chengyuan threw out four more attack Talismans. Fireballs, Sword Qi, lightning, and earth spikes surged from four directions, submerging Meng Li in a flood of spiritual light.

Enraged, Meng Li released his Qi to shatter the Trapping Formation Talisman and waved his hand to extinguish three of the attacks, but a fourth earth spike erupted from beneath his feet, piercing through his calf.

"Hiss!"

A piercing pain made him stumble.

He looked down at the wound on his calf, then looked up at Su Chengyuan; that Early Foundation Establishment Stage fellow was already holding two more Talismans.

No matter how much Meng Li's anger flared, his mind remained clear. He quickly scanned the entire battlefield.

Four Early Foundation Establishment Stage Disciples were entangled by over a dozen Peak Qi Refining Guards who had swallowed spirit burning pills.

Peak Qi Refining ultimately couldn't cross the threshold of Foundation Establishment. The four Disciples working together still suppressed the group of Guards, but the dozen or so people took turns charging desperately, coordinating with their high-grade magic tools to bite down relentlessly, managing to pin the four in place.

Even worse, these Guards didn't bother competing in Spell output; they just stuck close to cause chaos, swallowing Medicinal Pills to keep going even when injured, fighting a war of attrition.

Although the four Early Foundation Establishment Stage Disciples had the upper hand, they were stuck fast by these suicidal fellows and couldn't spare a hand to support other battlefields—though it wouldn't have helped much anyway.

The three Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators were in a wretched state.

One had lost his left arm, with half a forearm still lying in the rubble.

Another had his right abdomen pierced by a Flying Sword, three Meridians shredded, curled on the ground gasping and spitting blood.

The third had been slammed into a crevice in the rock wall. Though still breathing, most of his bones were shattered, and he couldn't even crawl.

The condition of the two Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators wasn't much better.

One's right shoulder was pierced by Li Shi's Flying Sword; although it had been pulled out, half his body was powerless, and his control over his Magical Artifact was erratic.

The other had been hit head-on by a Vajra Seal. His Crimson Flame Armor was mostly shattered, several ribs were likely broken in his chest, and blood bubbled from the corners of his mouth with every breath.

Out of the ten people the Heavenly Sun Sect had sent out, only Meng Li himself and these two half-crippled Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators could still barely stand and fight.

Ten against five, and it turned out like this.

"Retreat!"

Meng Li roared, his Divine Sense abruptly recalling his Flying Sword while he pulled a crimson Explosive Fire Bead from his Storage Pouch and threw it behind him.

The fire bead exploded in mid-air, a wave of scorching heat rising within a radius of several yards, temporarily blocking the path of Li Shi's pursuing Flying Sword.

Taking advantage of this moment of cover, he channeled Qi into his legs and retreated wildly toward the tunnel exit.

The two heavily injured Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators didn't just sit and wait for death either.

As one struggled out of the pit in the rock wall, he threw three Second-grade defense Talismans behind him. Three layers of overlapping golden light curtains spanned the middle of the tunnel, cutting off the pursuers' vision and attacks alike.

The other endured the pain to pull the Flying Sword from his shoulder and throw it to the ground, then pulled a tattered Command Flag from his robes and waved it. The flag flashed with light, condensing a translucent flame barrier behind him. Although it was so thin it could only last a breath or two, it happened to block the pursuit of Li Shi's Flying Sword.

Almost simultaneously, the three activated the Escape Speed Talismans on their bodies.

The moment the Talisman light flared, the three figures stretched into afterimages, shooting toward the tunnel exit at speeds far exceeding a normal Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator.

"Pursue!" Li Shi urged his Flying Sword to chase them closely.

A Foundation Establishment Peak's speed should have crushed the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, but the quality of the Escape Speed Talismans used by Meng Li's trio was not low. Once applied, the speed difference between the two sides was reduced to an extremely small margin.

While flying, Meng Li reached back and threw out two more fire-attribute Spells to hinder the pursuers.

Li Shi's Flying Sword was thrown through the embers of the flames. The first strike was slapped aside by Meng Li, and for the second, the one-armed Cultivator risked further injury to manifest a Short Halberd to parry. The halberd's body was knocked away by the Flying Sword, but it also blocked that fatal blow for him.

During the three-mile chase, every time Meng Li's trio covered a distance, they would reach back and throw a wave of Talismans or Spells to cover their retreat. Fire Talismans, defense Talismans, Explosive Beads—they threw out all their hidden life-saving gear, not seeking to kill, but only to delay.

Then, Li Shi felt it.

The surging Qi in his body was receding; the effects of the spirit burst pill were almost over.

The speed at which the Qi receded was even faster than when it had arrived. The Qi in his Meridians ebbed away like a receding tide, and a wave of soreness and weakness seeped out from his limbs and bones.

If he kept chasing, once the medicine's effects completely dissipated, he wouldn't even be able to control his Flying Sword.

Li Shi gritted his teeth and stopped, watching the three afterimages disappear behind a distant ridge.

Then he turned and walked back. After less than a hundred yards, his legs gave way, and he knelt on one knee.

The Qi in his body had been drained dry by the spirit burst pill. His empty Dantian and Meridians throbbed with waves of exhaustion and numbness.

Zhao Shan arrived and supported him.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine." Li Shi waved his hand. "The medicine wore off, and my Qi is just spent. Other than a few minor injuries, there's nothing else wrong."

In the tunnel, the battle had completely ended.

Su Chengyuan stood amidst the mess, counting the spoils.

Out of the ten people from the Heavenly Sun Sect, seven died. (The battle was getting a bit long; I wanted to write more about them using their hidden cards to keep fighting, but I'll just skip a few hundred words, haha.)

All four Early Foundation Establishment Stage Disciples were wiped out, all three Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators were dead, and the two Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators fled after being heavily injured.

Including Meng Li himself, three escaped in total—all Late Foundation Establishment Stage, and all carrying injuries.

On the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce's side, none of the five Foundation Establishment Cultivators had died, but Li Shi had a wound on his left shoulder, and Zhao Shan and the other two Guards were also injured.

More than a dozen Qi Refining Guards were all heavily injured, but fortunately, no one died.

They won, but it wasn't an easy victory.

From the start to the end, the battle lasted less than half a stick of incense.

The tunnel was a mess; the rock walls had been blasted with over a hundred pits of all sizes by Spells, and rubble and dust covered the floor.

The air was filled with the characteristic scorched smell of dissipating Qi, mixed with a few lingering scents of blood.

Su Chengyuan scanned the battlefield; he didn't have a single injury.