Chapter 61

Luo Li, without a word, was about to leap up and rush towards Mount Ziyang, where the old and young of the Lingdie Sect resided. No matter how fierce this woman was, there was no need to fear her!

But Luo Li instantly suppressed his impulse. He did not run away because there was no way to escape! In front of and behind the woman, there were hundreds of subordinates. Although these subordinates were extremely strange and did not seem like living people, they were all formidable. With them around, he definitely could not escape!

Moreover, the cannons had just fired in unison, which should have been to welcome a guest. This guest was most likely her. Since she was a guest and not an enemy, there was no need to run away!

Luo Li did not run away but instead bowed to the woman in the air, saying, "Greetings, Senior! I am Luo Li, a disciple of the Lingdie Sect, respectfully welcoming you to our sect as a guest!"

By revealing his identity, he hoped she would be cautious. The woman looked at Luo Li, nodded, and then turned away, her group passing over Luo Li's head in an instant.

As they passed, more than ten cultivators materialized from the void around Luo Li, rising into the air and joining the group. They were all subordinates of the Fairy Ruo Tong, who had been hiding around Luo Li. Fortunately, Luo Li did not run away!

Fairy Ruo Tong said to the person chatting with her, "Is this one of your sect's disciples?"

Then another woman, looking through the crowd at Luo Li, said, "Strange, I've never seen this disciple before. He must have joined in the past year or so. The robe of Kongyang Peak, ah, I know..."

Her voice faded as the group moved away. Luo Li took a deep breath, just as he was about to follow them to Mount Ziyang, four figures suddenly appeared around him!

One was a graceful Taoist, one a black-clothed assassin, another a burly monk, and the last a small monk.

The four surrounded Luo Li. They were all part of the group that had just left, subordinates of Fairy Ruo Tong.

The burly monk spoke, "It's been a year, and you seem to have changed a lot. Your blood is strong, and your bones are robust.

I told you I would give you a chance to change your fate, but it requires a small test. Four cultivators of the same realm as you will become puppets. Win, and you get a reward. Be careful, though, losing means death..."

This voice was the woman's. As she spoke, the four cultivators began to change, becoming younger and smaller.

Originally, they stood there, each at the Foundation Establishment stage. Now, their realms began to drop, and their robes changed from their previous flashy appearance to ordinary robes.

Behind each of them were two characters. The Taoist had "Beichen," the assassin had "Tianyi," the monk had "Luocha," and the fourth had "Fangcun."

In an instant, they were all at the Third Stage of Qi Cultivation. They looked at each other, some smiling, some shaking their heads, some looking helpless. They did not feel like puppets but like four living people.

They were choosing who would make the first move. In that moment, Luo Li acted!

Since a fight was inevitable, he decided to strike first. The Taoist was the closest, a thin and frail figure.

Only thirteen feet away, he rushed forward, and within ten feet, the Black Dragon Wave would destroy him!

Seeing Luo Li charge, the others stepped back, avoiding the battlefield, leaving the Taoist and Luo Li facing each other.

The Taoist smiled and said, "Choosing me will be your biggest mistake!"

He reached out, and his robe transformed, composed of countless talismans. With a wave, the talismans in front of him rose automatically, forming a wall of talismans, a total of 360, standing before him.

Luo Li glanced at the talismans, which were all ordinary Lower and Middle Grade Qi Cultivation talismans, nothing particularly powerful. He took a deep breath. With his Black Dragon Body, he could withstand these talismans without a scratch!

In an instant, they were seven feet apart. As long as Luo Li opened his mouth, the Black Dragon Wave would destroy the Taoist. But seeing the wall of talismans, Luo Li did not attack, continuing his charge!

As Luo Li approached, the talismans on the wall began to activate. Instantly, Luo Li recognized the Clear Wind Talisman, Purple Star Talisman, Righteous Qi Talisman, and Evil Repelling Talisman. These activated talismans were all ordinary and had no significant offensive power, making them even less threatening.

There were twenty-four talismans in total. As they activated, more talismans flew out from the cultivator, replenishing the wall.

Luo Li was about to charge into the wall of talismans, only three feet away from the Taoist. He was about to attack with his Dragon Claw to break through the wall.

But to Luo Li's surprise, the forces generated by the activated ordinary talismans fused together, transforming into a red light that bound both Luo Li and the Taoist. The Taoist, under this force, floated up. For every step Luo Li took forward, the Taoist took a step back. For every three steps Luo Li charged, the Taoist retreated three steps!

Luo Li couldn't help but shout, "Zhi Chi Tian Ya!"

All the reading he had done recently was not in vain. This was the legendary Middle Grade Foundation Establishment talisman, Zhi Chi Tian Ya. This talisman was specifically used against cultivators who practiced body techniques. Once used, it locked the distance between the enemy and the user. If the enemy advanced, the user retreated, and if the enemy retreated, the user advanced. This allowed cultivators skilled in spellcasting to completely dominate their opponents.

This talisman was sold in the Heavenly Spider Market, and it was said that only cultivators from the upper sects like Tianxing Jian, Fangcun Sect, Kungmo Sect, Beichen Sect, and Tongtian Xuanji Valley could refine it. A single talisman was worth at least 800 spirit stones.

However, this cultivator of the same realm as Luo Li had used just over twenty ordinary talismans to create the effect of the Zhi Chi Tian Ya talisman. Luo Li couldn't help but shout, "Beichen, are you a disciple of the upper sect Beichen?"

"Rivers converge into the vast sea, stars circle the North Star. Radiant and brilliant, they rise from the long river."

This was the verse of the Beichen Sect, one of the 108 upper sects, the only sect that specialized in talismans. Located on Changjin Island in the Northern Sea, the sect was proficient in twelve talisman techniques, resonating with the star palaces. It was said that during their cultivation, their breathing was like thunder, and their talisman casting was like rain, changing the weather for miles around.

Luo Li never expected to encounter a Beichen disciple, even if just a puppet. Even a small talisman technique revealed the depth of their sect.

Hearing Luo Li's question, the Beichen Sect disciple only smiled and slowly said, "Two ghosts, three witches, seventeen paths, five demons, four exterminations, thirty devils! Eight qi, six tricks, sixteen swords! Seven wonders, nine evils, ten Buddhas! I am Beichen, one of the seventeen paths, the Talisman Path!"

As he spoke, the talismans on the wall began to burn and activate again.

Flame Talisman, Wind Blade Talisman, Giant Wave Talisman, Golden Sword Talisman, Falling Rock Talisman...

But these talismans did not fire. Instead, they transformed into a ball of flame or a wind blade, hovering in front of the cultivator. Luo Li knew it was another combination talisman!

By combining these ordinary small talismans, they could create a powerful talisman. Simple Lower Grade Qi Cultivation talismans, when combined in a unique sequence, could become a Middle Grade Foundation Establishment talisman. If the opponent completed the combination and attacked, Luo Li would die!

Luo Li charged forward, but the effect of Zhi Chi Tian Ya remained. No matter how he pursued or charged, he was always seven feet away from the opponent, unable to advance any further.

The cultivator's face showed disdain. The wind blades and flames began to combine, and in an instant, thirty-six Lower Grade talismans transformed into a powerful talisman.

Luo Li suddenly turned and ran, trying to escape. The onlookers shook their heads. Escape? Impossible, with the effect of Zhi Chi Tian Ya, he couldn't escape anywhere.

At that moment, the combination talisman was completed, transforming into a colorless flame, faintly tinged with a pale green. This was the Middle Grade Foundation Establishment talisman, the Green Lotus Purifying Fire, which could destroy all spells and was perfect for dealing with body cultivators like Luo Li.

The Green Lotus Purifying Fire, with its power to destroy all spells, was not something a Third Stage Qi Cultivation cultivator could control. As a result, the Zhi Chi Tian Ya effect connecting the two was affected and faded away!

Just as the Green Lotus Purifying Fire was about to be launched, Luo Li suddenly lowered his head and grabbed a stone pedestal, about three feet square, and charged at the opponent.

Luo Li's goal, whether advancing to kill or retreating to escape, was to reach this stone pedestal, pick it up, and charge!

This charge was not an ordinary one. It was a spell conceived by Wang Nitian, combining martial arts and visualization, called the Lightning Dragon Drill. He leaped into the air, spinning wildly, and struck the opponent with both fists, covering three feet in an instant. The impact shattered a five-foot-thick rock.

This was Wang Nitian's ultimate move, but he never had the chance to use it, as he was killed by Luo Li, who then inherited it. Luo Li grabbed the stone pedestal and used this move to charge.

The impact coincided with the disappearance of Zhi Chi Tian Ya. Even if it hadn't disappeared, it wouldn't have been able to react in time to push the opponent away and avoid Luo Li's fatal blow.

The distance between them was only seven feet, and in an instant, Luo Li raised the stone pedestal, which also began to spin, colliding with the Green Lotus Purifying Fire.

The Green Lotus Purifying Fire had not yet been launched and was not at full power. The collision with the stone pedestal caused it to scatter, and the stone pedestal shattered.

As the Green Lotus Purifying Fire scattered and the stone pedestal broke, Luo Li's fists struck the cultivator's chest. With a loud crack, Luo Li passed through the cultivator's body, splitting him in two at the chest!

The cultivator's body split, blood and organs splattering. But the remains of the cultivator quickly liquefied, like water scattering in all directions, then vaporizing into a white mist that dissipated.

In two exchanges, Luo Li defeated the Beichen Sect cultivator, winning!

Luo Li took a deep breath and looked at the other three cultivators. The Taoist was a disciple of the Beichen Sect, and the other three were Tianyi, Luocha, and Fangcun, all likely disciples of the three major upper sects, formidable opponents!

Luo Li pointed at the assassin-like cultivator. "Next, it's you!"