“She’s found herself a good sister,” Leng Jian glanced at Liu Qingyan, then turned back to Shen Ying, sneering coldly. “But you alone can’t stop me.”
His expression changed as he spoke, his right hand forming a claw and slashing fiercely behind him.
“Clang!”
A soft sound rang out, the air rippling like waves, revealing Lu Zheng’s figure, his sabre held across his chest, blocking Leng Jian’s attack.
“Lu Lang!” Liu Qingyan exclaimed.
“Illusion?” Leng Jian sneered. “Casting an illusion on me under the moonlight? Are you still half asleep?”
Lu Zheng didn’t respond, swinging his long sabre, his blood qi surging into the air.
“Roar!”
A tiger’s roar echoed as a fierce tiger phantom accompanied a sharp blade of light, charging straight at Leng Jian.
“Dual cultivation of Dao and martial arts!” Leng Jian was taken aback. The earlier illusion was one thing, but this majestic and ferocious strike was not easily blocked.
He flipped his palm, a curved blade appearing in his hand, slashing downward.
“Howl!”
A wolf’s cry rang out as a black wolf phantom lunged forward, clashing with the tiger phantom, tearing, roaring, and dissipating.
Leng Jian’s expression shifted; Lu Zheng’s cultivation was much higher than he had anticipated.
“Go!”
Shen Ying let out a low shout, countless peach blossom auras appearing out of thin air, surrounding Leng Jian once more.
Lu Zheng’s eyes flickered. Without using the Cloud-Walking Technique, he channelled his blood qi, his sabre dancing wildly. With a tiger-like ferocity, he attacked Leng Jian relentlessly, supported by the peach blossom auras.
“Howl!”
Amidst wolf cries, Leng Jian’s figure darted left and right, his blade qi slicing through the air, deflecting Lu Zheng’s strikes. Black winds swirled around him, threads of force sweeping out, scattering the peach blossom phantoms with streaks of dark light.
Facing two opponents, he held his ground.
Hearing Liu Qingyan’s earlier cry, Leng Jian’s gaze turned ferocious as he looked at Lu Zheng. “Qingyan is no longer pure; she carries your scent!”
Lu Zheng moved nimbly, his blade flashing. “Cousin, take Qingyan and the others toward the City God Temple.”
“City God?” Leng Jian’s eyes sharpened.
Normally, the City God wouldn’t interfere in mortal affairs, but Lu Zheng’s words suggested he had a connection with the deity. In this sudden situation, the City God Temple would surely protect them.
“No one leaves!”
Leng Jian snarled, waving his hand and scattering dozens of white wolf teeth around the Liu family courtyard. Moonlight streamed down, illuminating the teeth, and pillars of light formed, revealing howling black wolf phantoms.
Aside from Lu Zheng and Shen Ying, Old Man Liu and Madam Liu, despite their age, had less than a century of cultivation and lacked combat skills. Huangfu Xu and the Liu sisters had even shallower cultivation and couldn’t break through Leng Jian’s spell.
“I’ll kill you!” Leng Jian growled.
“Come try!” Lu Zheng sneered, charging forward, his blade striking at Leng Jian repeatedly.
He held back from using the Binding Curse. Leng Jian’s cultivation was formidable, and his speed was exceptional. Lu Zheng’s Binding Curse wasn’t instantaneous; even a slight delay could allow Leng Jian to escape or counterattack.
So, Lu Zheng waited for his moment.
Lu Zheng was biding his time, and Shen Ying knew it. She unleashed her full power, peach blossom auras filling the air. Beyond attacking Leng Jian, some layered protectively in front of Liu Qingyan’s family, restricting Leng Jian’s movements.
As long as Leng Jian didn’t want the peach blossom auras to invade his body, he had to move in the directions Shen Ying dictated.
With Shen Ying’s current strength, facing Leng Jian alone might be challenging, but with Lu Zheng holding him at bay, the dense peach blossom auras were enough to give Leng Jian a headache.
If Leng Jian made a single mistake, whether by succumbing to the peach blossom auras or slowing down under their assault, Lu Zheng’s opportunity would arise.
Thus, Leng Jian decided not to delay.
Whether the City God appeared or dawn broke, he would have to retreat. If he withdrew tonight, facing a prepared opponent later would make his task nearly impossible.
“Hmph!”
Leng Jian snorted coldly, his hands forming seals. His body spun, splitting into three identical figures.
“Die!”
Of the three figures, one formed seals, summoning a black wind that blew the peach blossom auras several yards away. The other two, one wielding a blade and the other slashing with claws, attacked Lu Zheng from both sides.
“What’s this? One Qi into Three Purities?” Lu Zheng was shocked. If this wolf demon could perform such a technique, he might as well close his eyes and surrender.
“An illusion? A trick?”
Lu Zheng’s eyes narrowed, retreating toward Liu Qingyan while forming seals. “Supreme Command, White Cloud Breaks Illusion, Swift!”
A misty cloud spread out, causing not only the two figures attacking Lu Zheng but also the one casting spells to disperse the peach blossom auras to waver and fade.
Shen Ying let out a sharp cry. “Below!”
Leng Jian had used a Moonlight Concealment Technique, creating three illusory figures. While one appeared to cast spells, he had actually forced a gap through the peach blossom auras in the air. His real body slipped through, crouching low to avoid the not fully ground-covering peach blossom auras, and sped toward Liu Qingyan.
As Lu Zheng dispelled Leng Jian’s illusions, Leng Jian charged into the protective peach blossom auras around Liu Qingyan, detected by Shen Ying.
He had thought his three illusory figures would keep Lu Zheng occupied, and even if Shen Ying sensed him, the brief moment would be enough to seize Liu Qingyan.
But he hadn’t anticipated Lu Zheng sensing something amiss instantly, dispelling his illusions and retreating toward Liu Qingyan in time.
As Leng Jian charged alone into the peach blossom auras, enduring their attacks to grab Liu Qingyan, Lu Zheng arrived just nearby.
The opportunity had come.
“Supreme Infinity, Three Purities Command, Bind!”
Leng Jian’s body stiffened mid-lunge toward Liu Qingyan, his pupils contracting, his mind reeling.
“Die!” Lu Zheng roared, blood qi surging into his sabre. A tiger’s roar pierced the sky, the blade gleaming brighter than moonlight, slashing toward Leng Jian’s neck.
“Crack!”
“Howl!”
A wolf’s cry echoed as an arm flew into the air.
At the critical moment, Leng Jian broke free of the Binding Curse, sacrificing his left arm to block Lu Zheng’s full-force strike.
The next moment, blood flashed. Leng Jian grabbed the blood spurting from his arm, scattering it across the surroundings, dyeing everything crimson. He leaped, recalling the dozens of wolf teeth to dispel the trapping array. Enduring the peach blossom auras’ attacks, he suffered further injuries, spitting blood, before breaking free from Shen Ying’s encirclement. He transformed into a streak of black light, fleeing toward the eastern city.
“You came, so don’t leave!”
Lu Zheng activated his Divine Travel Technique, pursuing like the wind.
Shen Ying nodded to Liu Qingyan, then her figure flickered, following in pursuit.
