179: Chapter 179

In the air, Yuwen Xuanya shouted, “Senior Sister Si, Senior Brother Yan!”

Si Ming and Yan Zhihong were already at their limit. They were only at the second level of Xuan Ming Realm, while the beast before them was a ninth-rank Mystic Fate Beast.

They were essentially fighting a cultivator at the ninth level of Xuan Ming Realm; the difference in Realms was too great.

Just moments ago, Yuwen Xuanya had even been snatched away by a Thunderhawk taking advantage of the chaos.

Yan Zhihong shouted without turning his head, “Junior Sister Yuwen, hurry and go!”

Yuwen Xuanya on the Starfall Sword anxiously said, “Senior Disciple Brother, quickly save them!”

Li Yunshu found this Mystic Fate Beast somewhat familiar, as if it was the mother of the Fire Salamander cub that Fei Liao had poisoned to death.

At this moment, he had no time to think further; the two below were about to be devoured by the beast.

“Thunderbolt Flash, Triple Slash.”

The Fire Salamander was just about to eat the two cultivators in front of it when an Qi blade suddenly struck its head.

After one, another Qi blade followed, then a third. The three Qi blades grew stronger in power with each strike.

That attack earlier had only pushed the Fire Salamander back two steps, causing it no injury.

That was already Li Yunshu’s most powerful attack, but it still couldn’t penetrate its hide.

Si Ming and Yan Zhihong turned their heads at the same time, exclaiming in unison, “Senior Disciple Brother?”

They never expected Li Yunshu to appear here.

Si Ming said, “Senior Disciple Brother, you and Junior Sister Yuwen should leave quickly. You can’t stop this Fire Salamander.”

Although she was curious how Yuwen Xuanya escaped from the Thunderhawk’s claws, now was clearly not the time to ask.

Both she and Yan Zhihong were at the second level of Xuan Ming Realm, yet they couldn’t defeat the Mystic Fate Beast before them.

In her opinion, Li Yunshu, being at the first level of Xuan Ming Realm, would only be sacrificing another life by staying here.

Li Yunshu originally wanted to repel the Fire Salamander, then grab all three of them and fly away, but the Fire Salamander seemed to have seen through his thoughts and gave him no opportunity.

A Thunderhawk had already snatched one of the Fire Salamander’s meals; it wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

The Fire Salamander pounced again, and Li Yunshu could only put away his Starfall Sword and land on the ground.

It seemed he could only hold out and wait for reinforcements.

He formed hand seals, and Formation patterns began to condense.

Si Ming exclaimed in shock, “This is a Formation?”

She had never heard that Li Yunshu knew Formations. In the entire Lanque Pavilion, only Nangong Chu possessed Mental Energy and understood the Dao of Formations.

For Li Yunshu to set up a Formation in front of her now, how could she not be surprised?

Wait, he and Junior Sister Yuwen had just been flying on swords.

Could his Realm still be Earth Realm?

Li Yunshu had no time to bother with what Si Ming was thinking. He felt as if his body and mind were immersed in his Sea of Consciousness.

He had to set up the Qingli Tortoise Shell Formation before the Fire Salamander charged over.

This was an extremely strong defensive Formation, powerful enough to block this Mystic Fate Beast for a period of time.

More and more Formation patterns condensed, and in the blink of an eye, a Azure blue Formation enveloped the four of them.

Bang—

The Fire Salamander, charging with full force, slammed into the Formation, but the Formation didn't budge a bit.

The Fire Salamander shook its slightly dizzy head and spat out flames from its mouth, an innate ability.

After several bursts of flames, the Formation remained completely still.

It was unwilling to give up the fat prey that was almost in its mouth.

It continuously spat flames, occasionally striking the Formation fiercely with its thick, long tail.

Si Ming and Yan Zhihong dared not relax in the slightest.

Yan Zhihong couldn’t help but ask, “Senior Disciple Brother, how long can your Formation last?”

Li Yunshu said, “At least longer than you.”

Yan Zhihong let out a sigh of relief, “My time is quite long.”

Li Yunshu asked curiously, “Didn’t you crush the jade token Elder Leng gave you?”

Yan Zhihong gave a bitter smile.

“We crushed it, but we haven’t seen Elder Leng. Perhaps other Disciples are also in danger, after all, this is no longer the outer perimeter of Mizang Forest.”

They knew this wasn't the outer perimeter of the forest yet still ventured deeper, but Li Yunshu only grumbled this in his heart.

Si Ming and Yan Zhihong could no longer hold on and slumped to the ground, each swallowing a Medicinal Pill to restore their spiritual energy.

The two of them had exhausted all their spiritual energy to last this long under the claws of a Mystic Fate Beast.

Outside the Formation, the Fire Salamander’s throat was almost smoking from spitting fire. No matter what method it used, it couldn’t shake the Formation before it.

It finally calmed down, but it didn't retreat, instead staring coldly at the four people within the Formation.

Li Yunshu seemed to sense something, and when he turned around, Yuwen Xuanya was staring at him with shining eyes, like a lovesick girl.

“Junior Sister Yuwen.”

Li Yunshu pointed to Yuwen Xuanya’s chest, then turned away.

Yuwen Xuanya looked down and immediately shrieked.

Her plain clothes were stained red with the blood of the Thunderhawk, and the blood had soaked through the front of her top.

In her panic earlier, she hadn't noticed, and then her attention had been entirely on Li Yunshu.

Only now did she feel the sticky liquid sliding down her skin.

Li Yunshu quickly covered his ears. Yuwen Xuanya’s sound attack seemed to have reached perfection.

Yuwen Xuanya quickly took out a red cloak from her storage ring and wrapped it around herself.

With so many people around, she couldn't change clothes and could only endure the nauseating blood on her body.

At this moment, Yuwen Xuanya lowered her head, not daring to look at Li Yunshu. She just wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

It’s over, it’s over, Senior Disciple Brother saw everything.

How embarrassing.

Si Ming recovered some spiritual energy and asked, “Senior Disciple Brother, I saw you flying on your sword just now.”

Li Yunshu waved his hand: “It’s a trivial skill, not worth mentioning.”

You can guess all you want, I just happen to know how to fly on a sword.

Yan Zhihong also recovered some spiritual energy, then asked.

“Can Senior Disciple Brother take us flying with you? Elder Leng doesn’t know when she’ll arrive, so it’s best if we leave here first.”

He was afraid that other Vicious Beasts would be attracted later, and the Formation might not hold up. It would be better to leave here quickly.

“I can, but there’s no rush. Let’s wait a bit longer.”

Li Yunshu’s gaze remained fixed on the Fire Salamander outside the Formation. It seemed a bit off.

Fei Liao’s Cosmos Sack had been taken by Zhao Si, and Zhao Si’s corpse was most likely eaten by this Fire Salamander.

Then Fei Liao’s Cosmos Sack should be in its belly, and inside that was a whole bottle of Beast Attraction Elixir mixed with Sun-Eroding Toad Saliva.

After all this commotion, if the Cosmos Sack ruptured, the Beast Attraction Elixir in the bottle would definitely spill out.

Suddenly, the Fire Salamander shivered all over, its entire body curling up, letting out a pained roar.

Si Ming and Yan Zhihong watched the Fire Salamander rolling on the ground in astonishment, then both looked at Li Yunshu in unison.

Just now, Yan Zhihong said they should leave, but he said to wait a bit longer.

Now that the Fire Salamander was in this state, it was hard for the two of them not to connect it to him.

Li Yunshu showed no surprise, looking as if it was all perfectly natural.

The two became even more convinced that Li Yunshu was responsible, but they couldn't fathom what method Li Yunshu had used while standing inside the Formation.

Si Ming couldn't help but swallow, asking, “Senior Disciple Brother, what did you do to it?”

Seeing their shocked faces, full of question marks, Li Yunshu knew they must think he had done it again.

“It likes to play with fire, so let it burn itself to death.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than flames erupted all over the Fire Salamander, and no amount of rolling on the ground helped.

In just a moment, it was reduced to a pile of bones.

Si Ming and the other two looked at Li Yunshu again.

Li Yunshu waved his hand, “A trivial skill, not worth mentioning.”

The mystery was complete.

Yan Zhihong muttered to himself, “This is a trivial skill? That was a ninth-rank Mystic Fate Beast.”

If Li Yunshu could make a cultivator at the ninth level of Xuan Ming Realm spontaneously combust, the thought alone terrified him.

Li Yunshu stepped out of the Qingli Tortoise Shell Formation and found the Mystic Fate Beast’s Soul Crystal among the pile of bones.

Since everyone believes I killed this Vicious Beast, then I shall take the credit without further ado.

After taking out the Soul Crystal, Li Yunshu found the Thunderhawk’s corpse and extracted the Soul Crystal from its heart.

At this moment, someone flew through the air—it was Elder Leng.

Some Disciples in the outer perimeter of the forest were also in danger. After she arrived and dealt with that situation, she rushed here.

After Leng Xi landed, she looked at the three people in the Formation, then at the Fire Salamander’s corpse on the ground.

The three bowed and said in unison, “Greetings, Elder Leng.”

Leng Xi frowned, “Didn’t I tell you not to go deep into Mizang Forest? Why didn’t you listen?”

She had been anxious and angry all the way here. Whatever she told these Personal Disciples not to do, they would precisely do it.

“This Disciple knows his mistake.”

“What happened to this Fire Salamander?”

From the size of the bones on the ground, she could tell that this was a high-level Mystic Fate Beast.

These three people, two at Xuan Ming Realm and one at Earth Realm, absolutely couldn't have killed this Vicious Beast.

Si Ming cupped her hands and said, “Senior Disciple Brother killed it.”

Li Yunshu, who had just returned, heard Si Ming directly sell him out.

He quickly bowed and said, “Greetings, Elder Leng.”

Leng Xi got straight to the point: “How did you kill this Mystic Fate Beast?”

Others might be easy to fool, but an Elder was not.

“This Disciple used a Medicinal Pill containing Sun-Eroding Toad Saliva and, while it was unprepared, threw it into its mouth.”

Si Ming, Yan Zhihong, and Yuwen Xuanya looked at each other, full of doubt.

A Medicinal Pill? When did that happen? Why didn't I see it?

Didn’t he just slash it once when he came? When did he administer the medicine?

Senior Disciple Brother is so handsome!

Leng Xi nodded and said, “I didn’t expect you to also understand some principles of Medicinal Pills.”

“Just a little, just a little.”

“Alright, hurry back with me.”

Leng Xi took the wine gourd from her waist and tossed it into the air. Li Yunshu and the other three all jumped onto the wine gourd.

...

Back at the outer perimeter of Mizang Forest, Li Yunshu began studying the Fire Salamander’s Soul Crystal.

Vicious Beast Soul Crystals can be used to improve Mental Energy, and higher-grade Soul Crystals provide greater help in improving Mental Energy.

His Mental Energy had already reached the level of a fourth-tier Formation Master, so absorbing this Soul Crystal was no longer a problem.

If a low-level Formation Master forcibly absorbed a high-level Vicious Beast’s Soul Crystal, they would likely suffer a backlash from the residual resentment within the Soul Crystal.

In minor cases, their Soul would be damaged; in severe cases, they would become a mindless idiot.

Li Yunshu placed the Soul Crystal in his palm, and as his Mental Energy circulated, the Soul Crystal in his palm began to tremble.

A moment later, a red light flew out of the Soul Crystal and entered his glabella.

In his consciousness world, a Fire Salamander’s Soul body appeared, roaring wildly.

A vortex appeared in his Sea of Consciousness, generating a huge suction force.

The Fire Salamander pressed all four feet against the ground, yet it still couldn't stop its body from slowly moving closer to the Sea of Consciousness.

As it got closer to the Sea of Consciousness, the Fire Salamander was forced to move faster and faster.

Pop.

The Fire Salamander completely entered the Sea of Consciousness vortex, splashing waves of water.

Li Yunshu felt a cramp in his calf, and his feet couldn’t help but kick out violently, a jolt of electricity surging through his entire body.

Whoosh—

Finally, he successfully absorbed it, and his Mental Energy had increased again.

I wonder how that Black-Cloaked Man is doing?

If Nangong Chu hadn't returned to Lanque Pavilion, then the Black-Cloaked Man must be him.

This would also resolve a hidden danger. Even if the Nangong Family investigated, they wouldn’t trace it back to me.

Perfect.

For the rest of the days, Li Yunshu did not hunt Vicious Beasts again.

The Vicious Beasts in the outer perimeter were too low-ranked to be of any use to him.

With his current Mental Energy, only Soul Crystals from high-level Mystic Fate Beasts would be beneficial to him.

He set up a Hidden God Formation in the outer perimeter of Mizang Forest. This Formation allowed him to blend into his surroundings, concealing his figure and aura.

Entering the Hidden God Formation, Li Yunshu began to refine the Spirit Stones he had obtained from the three assassins.

Three days later.

Phew, finally a Breakthrough.

Li Yunshu, inside the Hidden God Formation, absorbed most of the Spirit Stones obtained from Li Er, and his Realm successfully broke through to the second level of Xuan Ming Realm.

He had already reached Earth Realm before, so breaking through the Xuan Ming Realm was not difficult for him.

“Ding! System event activated.”

Li Yunshu quickly opened the System.

Name: Li Yunshu

Realm: Xuan Ming Realm, Second Level

Mental Energy: Level Four

Devilish Qi Value: 868

Shop:

Event: Check-in Event

Spiritual Formulas: One-Way Teleportation Formation, Qingli Tortoise Shell Formation, Hidden God Formation

Inventory: Starfall Sword

Clicking on the Check-in Event, the System popped up an interface.

System events activate irregularly. This event is a check-in event. Check in at the seven specified locations to receive a treasure chest upon completion.

First check-in location: Purity Tao.

If the System hadn’t marked the check-in location, Li Yunshu felt he wouldn’t even be able to find this place.

He carefully searched his memories regarding Purity Tao, but had no strong impression.

He had only heard that a malevolent Dragon had once appeared in the Weak Water River and was slain by the Purity Tao Ancestral Master.

However, that was a very long time ago, and Purity Tao later declined with each generation, eventually disappearing without a trace.

Li Yunshu stared at the check-in location in the System: Purity Tao was located by the Weak Water River in the Western Regions.

Returning to the Sect would pass by the Weak Water River. He would find a way to leave mid-journey and go check in at this place first.

Outside the Hidden God Formation.

Leng Xi looked at the seven people before her and asked, “Where are the other three?”

It was time to return to the Sect, but out of the ten Disciples who came, only seven had arrived.

Her gaze swept over the seven people, and she said.

“Li Yunshu, Mo Li, and Fei Liao are still missing. Where are they?”

The seven Disciples whispered among themselves.

“I remember Mo Li and Fei Liao were with Senior Disciple Brother, right?”

“Yes, yes, I saw them too. They entered Mizang Forest together.”

“That’s not right, I saw Senior Disciple Brother return by himself.”