Engaging the Enemy

The triangle-eyed cultivator was greatly shocked. Raising his saber to block the arrow, the collision produced a sharp, ear-splitting screech, sending violent sparks flying from the point of impact. Forced back several steps, he managed to bring himself to a halt.

Glaring at this uninvited intruder, Shi Yu, he grew furious. Pushing off the ground with his feet, he executed a movement technique and lunged toward her with a fierce look on his face.

Jiang Qihe only now realized the newcomer was Shi Yu, and he gasped in alarm, “Fellow Daoist Shi, be careful!”

When Shi Yu had bidden him farewell and left the market town, her cultivation was only at the fourth layer of the Qi Refining Realm. Fearing the gap between her and the triangle-eyed cultivator was too vast for her to escape, Jiang Qihe ignored his severe injuries, grit his teeth, and burst with power to break through the encirclement to aid her. “Don't wade into these muddy waters! Run!”

Watching the triangle-eyed cultivator rush toward her, Shi Yu tightened her grip. Another arrow condensed on her bow, and with a sharp whistling sound, it shot forth, grazing right past the cultivator.

Just as his lips curled into a smirk, thinking her aim was off, an agonized scream erupted from below. The arrow had plunged deep into the back of the opponent engaging Jiang Qihe, who instantly collapsed, motionless and silent.

“You're seeking death!” Seeing his capable subordinate fall, the triangle-eyed cultivator flew into a rage. Twisting his body, his speed increased by several notches.

Shi Yu lightly pivoted her feet and executed her movement technique, floating past him as gracefully as a swallow. While still in midair, she pulled the string of the Yinhuang Bow once more.

Red-gold arrows descended one after another like meteorites, displaying awe-inspiring power. The enemies besieging Jiang Qihe and his men were overwhelmed, their formation instantly falling into chaos and giving Jiang Qihe's group a moment to breathe.

Meanwhile, President Song, Lu Song, and the others rushed over, catching sight of this scene from a distance.

Master Ji, eager to protect her, was about to step forward to help when President Song stopped him. “Eh, they're just a bunch of small fry. It's a good opportunity for girl Yu to get some practice. We can just keep watch from the side.”

On the path of cultivation, how could one make progress without the tempering of battle?

Master Ji swept his gaze over the attackers and saw that the strongest among them were three cultivators at the eighth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, easing his mind. With two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators like himself and President Song watching over her, these attackers couldn't possibly cause any real trouble.

Yet he still felt a trace of concern. “Girl Yu is only at the seventh layer of the Qi Refining Realm. I wonder if...”

“Let's just watch for now.”

Beside them stood Qingzhou, his silver eyes narrowing into fine slits with a cold, aloof gaze. After silently appraising the situation on the field, the slit pupils belonging to his snake nature gradually softened back into round pupils.

Meanwhile, the triangle-eyed cultivator was alarmed to see the tide of battle turn in an instant due to the arrows raining down from above. Yet, as he stared at the longbow in Shi Yu's hands, greed flared in his eyes. “That bow looks like quite a treasure!”

“Little girl, you've provoked someone you shouldn't have!” He was, after all, a cultivator at the eighth layer of the Qi Refining Realm. Seeing how young Shi Yu was, he still felt a measure of contempt, figuring she was merely relying on that precious artifact. Once he seized her bow, let's see what else she could do!

Pushing off against a tree trunk, the triangle-eyed cultivator launched himself forward, swinging his broad saber straight toward Shi Yu. The surging spiritual energy surrounding the blade rustled the long hair beside her ears.

Shi Yu was about to dodge when she saw his other hand curve into a claw, reaching directly for the Yinhuang Bow.

Her eyes remained cold as she tossed out the jade token Guanji. The triangle-eyed cultivator's body was instantly bound in place, filling him with shock.

Spiritual energy surged through Shi Yu's body as she unhurriedly extended a palm, from which a cluster of intensely scorching flame ignited.

“Burning Push Palm.” With a thought from Shi Yu, the flames transformed into a massive palm imprint, sweeping toward her enemy with fierce force. The fiery imprint hurtled forward with immense pressure, enveloping their surroundings in blazing heat, light, and scalding waves of air.

When the attacks collided, the triangle-eyed cultivator's pupils shrank violently, and a blood-curdling scream escaped his lips. His body blasted backward, slamming hard against a tree trunk while enveloped in roaring flames.

By the time the flames dissipated, he was a miserable sight. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, he staggered and fell from the tree.

Despite his eighth-layer Qi Refining Realm cultivation, the triangle-eyed cultivator was completely outmatched by Shi Yu's offensive.

Watching Shi Yu handle the battle with effortless calm, Jiang Qihe finally let his heart settle. Joyful for her, he couldn't help but sigh in astonishment. It hasn't been long since we last met, yet her strength already surpasses mine. Such rapid growth...

It truly fulfilled the parting words he had gifted her back then: “Like a dragon entering the sea, soaring straight into the clouds.”

The guards were equally incredulous. “Miss Yu is... is actually this powerful!”

Having guarded Tongyi Pavilion, they had witnessed her journey to some extent. Seeing her display such formidable strength now, excitement surged in their hearts.

President Song and the others were also surprised. Alchemists were generally not adept at combat; they had assumed Shi Yu could handle herself to some extent, and if not, they would step in so she wouldn't face real danger. But seeing her now, it was truly unexpected.

The Burning Push Palm, evolved through the Fate-Tapping Bell, was staggeringly powerful—the most explosive and damaging technique Shi Yu currently possessed. However, its spiritual energy consumption was substantial, as that single strike drained nearly a third of her spiritual energy.

Popping a Qi-Restoring Pill into her mouth, she rapidly circulated the Yin-Yang Fate-Tapping Record, allowing the pill's energy to swiftly convert into spiritual energy to replenish her dantian.

Her spiritual meridian was currently only Low-grade, meaning her cultivation efficiency and spiritual energy conversion rate should logically lag behind others, leading to far worse stamina during battle. However, the Fate-Tapping Record emphasized endless vitality and enduring continuity, completely making up for these shortcomings.

Though she had spent a considerable amount of spiritual energy just now, executing the Fate-Tapping Record replenished it rapidly.

Seeing the triangle-eyed cultivator swallow a healing pill with a bloodthirsty, murderous look surging in his eyes, Shi Yu did not hesitate. Stowing the Yinhuang Bow—which required charging—she stomped off the ground and dashed forward, flashing right beside him. She pulled out a pill furnace from the Fate-Tapping Bell and slammed it mercilessly onto his head.

This pill furnace was the very one given to her by Liang Guan—a Tier-3 pill furnace forged from top-quality spiritual materials. It had considerable weight and possessed durability no less than defensive artifacts of the same tier.

With a heavy bang, the triangle-eyed cultivator felt his vision spin. Staggering, he slowly collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

Watching this unfold from a short distance away, President Song and the others were left speechlessly dumbfounded, feeling a phantom chill at the top of their own heads.

Seeing the man knocked cold, Shi Yu didn't linger. She spun around to help Jiang Qihe.

The remaining lackeys on the field were of no concern, but two cultivators at the eighth layer of the Qi Refining Realm presented a slight nuisance.

Shi Yu used the jade token Guanji again, activating its binding divine ability to pin down one of them, then produced the Hidden Hatred Flute and played 《No Thought of Return》 to disrupt the other's mind.

Although her cultivation was only at the seventh layer of the Qi Refining Realm, her divine soul was far stronger than ordinary seventh-layer cultivators, on par with those at the eighth or ninth layer. Executing both the binding divine ability and 《No Thought of Return》 required a vast amount of divine soul energy, yet maintaining both simultaneously posed little strain for Shi Yu.

With the two strongest opponents pinned down, the rest posed no real threat. With a flick of her wrist, Shi Yu unsheathed the scimitar concealed within her flute and wove through the crowd, dispatching several foes with swift, lethal precision. Panic seized the remaining attackers as they turned to flee. She let out a soft snort, her scimitar flying violently from her grip toward the escaping enemies.