Li Mufeng stood frozen, his body covered in blood. The crimson liquid splattered on his face had already formed a layer of frost, which flaked off with the slight twitch of his features.
When the dull thud of a heavy object hitting the ground echoed, he finally snapped back to reality. He quickly retreated over ten paces, his gaze grimly fixed on the lifeless, stern face of the man on the ground.
Not far away, an old woman hurried forward, a smile on her face. She bowed respectfully, saying, "Master!"
Song He nodded slightly, then turned his attention to the young Daoist priest in the distance. His gaze fell upon a talisman in the priest's hand, and he couldn't help but let out a wry smile.
"You've never let down your guard against me. Why is that?" he asked with a touch of curiosity.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan sighed almost imperceptibly. He opened and closed his mouth several times before finally shaking his head: "Perhaps it's because I'm naturally cautious and suspicious."
Ever since they met in that small cabin, regardless of any explanations the other party offered, or even subsequent events, a sliver of wariness had never entirely left him. Thus, Ji Yuan always kept a high-grade talisman in his sleeve, prepared for this 'Song He'.
Because of this, when Song He struck and killed the stern man, Ji Yuan showed no surprise. It was just that his hidden worries had come to pass, which was difficult for him to accept.
"Are you Song He now, or the spirit of this residence?" he finally asked, holding onto a sliver of hope.
However, the other party did not answer. After giving him a deep look, Song He turned to face the dazed Li Mufeng. This young man, who seemed like a refined gentleman, always exuded an air of gentle warmth, appeared unable to accept the death of his junior disciple, remaining lost in thought for a long time.
At this moment, Song He revealed a cold smile: "How long do you intend to keep up this act?"
As the words fell, Li Mufeng remained as if he hadn't heard a thing, still seemingly lost in the emotions of his junior disciple's sudden demise.
Ji Yuan's brow furrowed. He didn't believe that a prominent figure from a renowned sect, a late-stage Enlightenment realm expert with ample experience in the martial world, would display such a pathetic demeanor in such a perilous environment.
"Since you wish to playact, then by all means, continue to do so," Song He scoffed, raising his hand to unleash a stream of light.
In an instant, the temperature in the entire courtyard plummeted. Where the stream of light passed, even the ground began to frost over. The light flickered and vanished, darting towards Li Mufeng in the blink of an eye, its chilling killing intent and frigid aura erupting simultaneously!
Just then, Li Mufeng, who had been hanging his head in a dazed state, suddenly looked up, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. A golden light bloomed on his chest, followed by the emergence of a small sword, no longer than a palm's length. It collided head-on with the incoming stream of light.
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion resounded under the night sky. The ice-blue and golden streams of light hung suspended in mid-air, their collision unleashing astonishing spiritual energy fluctuations. At this moment, Li Mufeng, who should have been in the late Enlightenment realm, suddenly vibrated with bursts of mana, his aura surging several times over.
Witnessing this, Ji Yuan inwardly thought, 'As expected.' He had a nagging feeling before that this Li Mufeng was far more complex than he appeared. In fact, the sense of apprehension he felt from Li Mufeng was far more potent than that from the late Enlightenment realm 'Red Powder Skeleton' in the mass grave outside the residence. Therefore, when this person revealed his hidden cultivation, Ji Yuan felt no surprise at all.
"Interesting," Song He's eyebrows rose. He rapidly formed hand seals, and the mana within him surged. Instantly, the ice-blue stream of light intensified, easily repelling the golden stream and returning to hover beside the young Daoist, transforming into a shuttle suspended at his shoulder.
The other golden stream of light, meanwhile, also dimmed its radiance, revealing its true form before Li Mufeng. It was a small sword, shaped like a flying sword, with a peculiar talisman attached to its blade. They appeared as one, exuding a profound and mystical aura.
"Talismansword!" Ji Yuan murmured, a touch of shock in his eyes. A talismansword was a product of combining a magical artifact with a talisman. Before the power within the talisman's core was depleted, it could unleash power several times greater than its original capacity. However, most talismanswords in the world were crafted from ordinary weapons, at best of slightly better quality. It was rare to find one that used a true magical artifact as its carrier. This was because a talismansword was inherently a consumable item. Each use not only depleted the secret energy within the talisman's core but also shortened the lifespan of the carrier. Often, after only a few uses, the talisman drawn with secret techniques, along with the carrier, would be destroyed. Because of this, the value of a talismansword far exceeded that of ordinary magical artifacts. Though difficult to pass down as an heirloom, its immense power was sufficient to turn the tide at critical moments.
Silently, Ji Yuan took a few steps back, a little worried that Li Mufeng might suddenly activate the talismansword and strike him. If that happened, even if he didn't die on the spot, he would likely be gravely injured.
"Do you perhaps believe that with a mere talismansword, you can act with impunity here?" Song He smiled faintly. Even though the other party had produced a talismansword, he remained composed, unconcerned. Indeed, he had the confidence to do so. The surging mana emanating from him was far beyond what a Qi cultivator like Li Mufeng, who had only recently cultivated mana, could contend with. Ji Yuan secretly estimated that Song He's current cultivation was likely at least in the mid to late stages of the second realm of cultivation, the 'Spirit-Coalescing Realm.' Coupled with the 'Cold Moon Shuttle,' a legacy magical artifact from the Mingyue Temple, his combat prowess would likely increase by several fold. With such cultivation and strength, let alone one talismansword, even one or two more would not make Li Mufeng a match for Song He. While he might hold on for a while, prolonged combat would only lead to his defeat. Furthermore, this was Song He's domain. Besides the geographical advantage, unlike most Qi cultivators who only absorbed spiritual energy, Song He, being a ghost, could constantly inhale the omnipresent Yin energy to recover his losses.
"One talismansword might not be enough, but my original intention wasn't to show off here," Li Mufeng suddenly grinned, his eyes filled with infinite coldness. He pointed forward abruptly, quickly forming a hand seal with his other hand. Immediately, the talismansword before him shot out. Simultaneously, the talisman on the sword's blade blazed with light, like a miniature golden sun. The spiritual energy contained within it erupted without regard for cost.
"Be careful!" Ji Yuan instinctively shouted, then quickly retreated. He realized that Li Mufeng was about to self-detonate a precious talismansword! He couldn't help but wonder if the man had gone mad. Putting aside the inherent value of a talismansword, such an action, if it failed to kill the enemy, would undoubtedly result in Li Mufeng's own death. Already outmatched in cultivation and magical artifacts, if he lost his only reliance, it would be no different from seeking death! And with Song He's cultivation, his ghostly origins, and the endless Yin energy for him to draw upon, the self-detonation of an ordinary talismansword would have no chance of killing him! However, all these doubts could only be swallowed by Ji Yuan at this moment, unable to voice them. Almost as soon as he retreated, a dazzling golden light instantly filled the entire courtyard. The surging spiritual energy became incredibly violent, like monstrous waves in a raging sea, constantly impacting in all directions. Faced with the threat of death, Ji Yuan only had time to shake three copper coins from his sleeve. His essence and energy poured into them, and then his vision was completely filled with golden light.