Chapter 155: Blocking (II)

However, Jin Buhuan’s expression immediately changed.

“Traitor!” Jin Buhuan roared!

Accompanying his roar, a great sun appeared in the sky!

A great sun appeared in the sky, the ground cracked, and despite it being a spring morning, it felt like scorching summer, the sunlight so blinding that people couldn't open their eyes!

The sky was filled with fiery red light, making it impossible to open one's eyes.

But from Li Qi’s direction, one could see that the great sun in the sky was actually a surging, majestic fire spear.

The fire spear rose, thousands of meters long, aimed directly at Jin Buhuan’s location, so from Jin Buhuan’s perspective, it looked like a great, intensely blazing sun had appeared in the sky.

Then, the fire spear plunged down! Directly piercing Si Lao’s heart!

Si Lao roared, his entire body suddenly emitting a brilliant light, and several inner body spirits flew out from within him.

Those were the inner body spirits of Shaman Dao.

Within the body of a Shaman Dao Cultivator, there is a small world, a miniature heaven and earth within the human body, where the Sun and Moon, Five Elements, Four Rivers, and Five Mountains exist, forming a self-contained world that can even influence the outside world.

And within the small world of the human body, inner body spirits can naturally be born. These gods are governed by ‘thought’, possess Divine Abilities but lack intelligence, and are controlled by the Cultivator.

Between Shaman Dao Grade Nine and Grade Eight, the biggest difference lies in the inner body spirits; one must condense all the inner body spirits to be able to advance to Grade Eight.

As for Li Qi… he didn’t even have one.

But that didn’t matter anymore; this was no longer a battle between him and Yan Jun.

It was Si Lao versus Yan Jun.

The inner body spirits flew out, unleashing their Divine Abilities!

Rainbows illuminated the high sky, the wind moved and shattered the battle clouds, Qi surged and split the earth, and prestige shook ghosts and demons!

There were the Five Mountains Mountain Gods, Four Rivers Water Gods, and Sun and Moon Heavenly Gods within the body, each guarding a direction, with myriad auspicious lights directly circling the sky, colorful clouds fluttering, auspicious Qi rising, and the Heavenly Dao flowing continuously, operating without cease.

With the inner body spirits protecting him, and the pure Qi of heaven and earth swirling around him, Si Lao’s small human world even began to subtly transform its surroundings, making the environment more favorable to him.

Li Qi had also used this method: by expanding the small human world outwards, he could transform his environment and make his surroundings more favorable to himself.

This was the Shaman Dao ‘Yansheng’ (Suppression) technique.

With the Heaven and Earth Yansheng, natural laws favored Si Lao while simultaneously suppressing Yan Jun, turning it into a back-and-forth situation.

One up, one down, the gap between the two sides immediately widened by two levels.

A full-power strike from the inner body spirits shattered the fire spear directly with the fists of the Five Mountains Mountain Gods.

But Yan Jun made a hand Seal, and a Spirit Beast fire pigeon flew out from behind him, spitting out Spirit Beast heart fire.

The part of the fire spear that hadn’t completely dispersed, under this stimulation, spiraled and imploded, exploding with a roar and blasting one of the Five Mountains Mountain Gods into a bloody mess.

The surroundings were directly devastated, mountains and rivers shattered, and an area of two to three li was overturned.

Fortunately, Si Lao protected Jin Buhuan, and Li Qi had long since vanished.

Everything was under his arrangement; he naturally knew that he could not withstand the aftermath of a Grade Eight expert’s battle.

How big was the gap between Grade Eight and Grade Nine?

According to Li Qi’s own estimation, in ordinary Cultivation novels, it was roughly equivalent to, after entering a Grade, successfully completing Foundation Establishment; anything before that was considered un-Graded.

And the jump from initial Grade Nine to initial Grade Eight was roughly equivalent to Cultivating from Foundation Establishment to Undergoing Tribulation.

The span in between was that terrifying.

That’s why Grade Eight was one in a million, and challenging across Grades was almost impossible.

One body god was injured, and Si Lao’s face turned pale as he retracted that Mountain God back into his body.

However, the other inner body spirits were unharmed, so they stepped forward again, their fists like beating drums, raising countless powerful winds that blew Yan Jun’s flames to flutter in the wind, and the Spirit Beast fire pigeon also returned to Yan Jun’s pigeon coop, to avoid further damage.

“Heaven and Earth Yansheng? Hmph, a mere small human world, dares to suppress me?” Yan Jun sneered, no longer holding back. From the space around him, hundreds of fire snakes suddenly surged, golden firelight and the Divine Abilities of the inner body spirits intertwined on the plain, with continuous rumbling and crackling sounds. The collision of energy turned the surrounding plain red, melting stones which were then blown away.

“Yan Jun! How dare you betray us? Are you not afraid of death?!” Si Lao asked Yan Jun with a grim face, while constructing spells and directing the inner body spirits.

Yan Jun pouted, “The Dao path inherently involves life and death; how can there be anything without risk?”

Si Lao was furious: “What does this have to do with the Dao path! You faithless villain, it’s bad enough you wouldn’t help, but how could you betray your master? Are you not afraid of the Jin family’s retaliation!?”

“Retaliate against my master? I’m not killing Young Master Jin; I’m just killing you, old man,” Yan Jun answered matter-of-factly.

As the two spoke, the battle intensified, with streams of flames erupting, dazzling and brilliant, sparks flying everywhere.

These fiery streams and fire snakes intertwined like a spider web, or more like a silkworm cocoon, threads wrapped and entangled, thousands of strands, glowing red in the sunlight, weaving a cage that suppressed Si Lao within it.

Si Lao was deeply ensnared in numerous traps. Not only that, but with every slight movement, countless fire pigeons outside the cage would spit out sparks, like thousands of Flying Swords directly piercing him, making him even more disheveled.

Countless fire snakes formed a net covering heaven and earth, vast and mighty. From Qingwu City, looking down at the distant land, it was as if a red sphere had appeared out of thin air, an endless stream of flames forming a massive, sky-obscuring sphere with Si Lao at its center.

Thousands of threads completely locked down all space for movement and evasion, as if a great sun had suppressed and sealed Si Lao within the cage, clearly pushing him into a desperate situation.

Si Lao’s originally Perfect small human world was like cracked porcelain, showing countless fissures, ready to explode and turn into nothing at any moment.

His inner body spirits were still trying to resist, each collision with the cage sparking countless red star-dust, like infinite glowing fireflies scattering across the sky, incredibly beautiful.

At this moment, Jin Buhuan, who was protected by Si Lao, spoke.

Jin Buhuan looked extremely weak at this time; after all, he had just been invaded by Grade Eight ghost Qi, which was still too stimulating for him. But he still forced himself to say, “Yan Jun, although you didn’t personally kill me, this matter is already an offense to me. What kind of benefit would make you do such a thing?”

“Young Master, please don’t blame me. I knew you had the Lu Mountain God’s Jin Qi (Metal Energy) protecting you, so there was absolutely no danger to your life, which is why I dared to do such a thing. Anyway, Si Lao’s life or death is irrelevant to you,” Yan Jun first defended himself.

Yes, he knew Jin Buhuan’s trump card.

Deep within Jin Buhuan’s body was a wisp of the Green Mountain Mountain God’s Jin Qi (Metal Energy), capable of saving his life in times of crisis.

This was also the Lu Mountain God’s consistent strategy for raising children: as long as they didn’t die, they could mess around with anything else. Children only grew by rough-and-tumble experiences outside.

So Yan Jun wasn’t worried about Jin Buhuan’s life safety at all.

“The one who truly wants to kill you is Li Qi, and I am merely blocking Si Lao; beyond that, it has nothing to do with me,” Yan Jun said. “As for the reason, it’s very simple.”

“That Senior beside Li Qi is willing to explain the flaws in my cultivation method and fix them one by one.”

“Young Master Jin, the importance of the Dao path surpasses all external things, and you can give me nothing but external things. So don’t blame me; you can only blame yourself for being a step behind, not as thoughtful as Mr. Li.”

Yan Jun said this with a very matter-of-fact expression and tone.

He was originally hired; he wasn’t obligated to die for Jin Buhuan.

Jin Buhuan sighed and said to Si Lao, who was still resisting, “Si Lao, please stop. If you keep fighting, your injuries might become uncontrollable…”

Yes, Si Lao had already made multiple moves during the struggle for that wisp of Grade Eight Jin Qi (Metal Energy). Now, even if not completely exhausted, he was at least severely injured.

If he were to truly fight Yan Jun, he might be lacking in strength.

Now, Yan Jun’s exchange was considered to have traded away Si Lao, a Grade Eight.

Si Lao sighed, naturally understanding this point, so he stopped resisting and allowed Yan Jun to Seal and suppress him.

After finishing this, Yan Jun bowed to Jin Buhuan: “Then, Young Master Jin, Yan Jun bids farewell. It’s impossible for us to meet again in this life. I don’t know the outcome of your struggle with Li Qi, which is a bit regrettable.”

However, at this point, he seemed to recall something, so he added, “Considering your kindness to me, Young Master, I’ll say two more things. It’s not that you have no chance of turning the tables. Li Qi knows I won’t kill you, so after removing Si Lao, if you and Young Miss Xiao can kill Li Qi, then all of Li Qi’s previous schemes will be for naught.”

Having reminded Jin Buhuan, Yan Jun felt he had done his utmost, turned his head, and left as a streak of light.

Shen Shuibi had already given him the cultivation method flaws; what he needed to do now was find a safe place and diligently fix all his previous shortcomings.

As for the matters of Qingwu City.

Let it be.

His own Dao path was the most important.

Yan Jun had always been like this.

And Jin Buhuan, after sighing, looked gloomy.

Indeed, his words had still failed to keep Yan Jun steady; he had still been persuaded by someone under Li Qi’s command.

Before he left, he had instructed Yan Jun that he would definitely find a way to make up for his shortcomings on the Dao path, even if it meant using his father’s connections. (See previous text for details)

The reason he didn’t keep him by his side was precisely for this consideration, so he arranged for him to be here for support. After all, Yan Jun at that time was already not very reliable, and keeping him by his side might be dangerous.

Having him provide support not only eliminated danger but also allowed his other forces within the city to keep an eye on him. Jin Buhuan only had two direct Grade Eight subordinates, but he had more allies. If Yan Jun truly betrayed him, they could still suppress him.

But for something like this to happen even before returning to Qingwu City, it was truly…

None of his allied forces had made a move; there must have been a higher power involved. Was it Qingwu Sect?

Where did Qingwu Sect get the guts? Weren’t those two sly foxes afraid of being flayed by his father and turned into capes?

Jin Buhuan was secretly annoyed.

However, what was done was done; excessive regret was pointless.

It had already come to this.

When it’s time to fight for your life, you fight for your life.

“Si Lao, just watch. Anyway, no one will kill you. Ultimately, all this planning will still fall upon me.” Jin Buhuan let out a long breath and opened his fan.

The maid beside him followed closely, helping Jin Buhuan to his feet.

“Xiao’er, you may withdraw. Return to Green Mountain. Given Li Qi’s demeanor, he likely won’t make things difficult for you. Once you reach Green Mountain, someone will arrange a path for you,” Jin Buhuan waved his fan, signaling the maid to retreat.

“But Young Master…” The maid seemed to want to say something.

“There are no ‘buts’. Go. The differences within Grade Nine are vast, and your strength joining in won’t help the outcome much. But you’ve served me for many years; I don’t want you to die here,” Jin Buhuan waved his hand. “Go. This is Young Master’s command. Do you dare disobey?”

The maid gritted her teeth, turned, and left, heading towards Green Mountain.

This place was two thousand li from Green Mountain. Without Si Lao lifting her to fly, the journey would be difficult.

After sending the maid away, Jin Buhuan abruptly slapped his chest, and a surge of Jin Qi (Metal Energy) erupted from his body, forcibly supporting his body, which had been eroded by Grade Eight ghost Qi, restoring him to Peak combat power.

This was exchanging extreme damage to his health for a temporary return to his Peak.

Using this method, the user would most likely have their lifespan shortened and their future Cultivation potential reduced.

It was roughly equivalent to, even though the body was already failing, still forcing a final, desperate struggle.

After all, Jin Buhuan also knew that if he didn’t fight now, he wouldn’t have a chance to fight later.

Winning meant losing a bit of lifespan; losing meant losing 100% of his lifespan.

Even a fool could see which choice to make.

Jin Buhuan stepped forward, striding confidently, his folding fan tapping his chest, regaining his self-assured and carefree demeanor.

He had a tiger’s head and a human body, with rotating golden rings around him, melting into a single protective divine light that swiftly brushed over his body.

A large amount of Jin Qi (Metal Energy) escaped, causing vegetation to wither and all things to perish.

At the same time, Li Qi, who had just fled, finally rushed back.

Compared to Jin Buhuan, who had returned to his normal state, Li Qi was not so presentable. He had been frantically dodging the aftershocks back and forth, exhausted like a dead dog, covered in sweat, breathing heavily, and only managed to run back with great difficulty.

Jin Buhuan opened his folding fan and began to fan himself: “Brother Li, compared to what you’ve done, your current appearance is truly disheveled.”

Li Qi wiped his sweat, speaking while panting: “Brother Jin, you jest… There’s nothing I can do. Just thinking about how to do it has already exhausted me; I truly don’t have much energy left to care about my demeanor.”

“Hoo… However, Brother Jin, by saying this, you must have already figured out the situation, right?” Li Qi asked, panting.

Though he was asking a question, he was actually just trying to catch his breath and stall for time against Jin Buhuan.

Jin Buhuan, forcing himself to stand, surely couldn’t last long, and he had just sprinted, so his stamina was somewhat overdrawn; it was a good time to recover some Qi.

“If I still can’t figure it out at this point, then I would be too slow-witted. It’s just that I don’t quite understand, are you truly not afraid of my father? Everything you’ve done, if you don’t ultimately kill me and cut off my father’s interference, will all be for naught,” Jin Buhuan didn’t sneak attack Li Qi like he had, but instead seriously questioned him.

He already understood what Li Qi was doing.

Inciting Yan Jun, persuading Qingwu Sect, rallying the local forces in Qingwu City who opposed him, and perhaps using some rhetoric to get them to suppress his own forces for one night, then Li Qi himself would bear the wrath of the Green Mountain Mountain God and take Jin Buhuan’s head.

The scheme wasn’t difficult; the problem lay in its execution. What did Li Qi do to make everyone willing to believe him? Was Qingwu Sect Master, that sly fox, so easily trusting?

And how did he dare to come? What method did he have to resist his father’s power?

Jin Buhuan understood how Li Qi did it, but he couldn’t understand what his confidence was based on.

Li Qi listened, then nodded: “It’s normal to have this question, but saying this now is useless. When this matter is concluded, and you personally watch me face the Lu Mountain God, you’ll understand.”

“Indeed. Then, let’s go. After all this planning, it must come to fruition. Let’s see the true outcome in battle.” Jin Buhuan closed his folding fan and threw it back.