Chapter 95: Escape

Li Jingtian froze, her expression reflecting a mix of emotions. She gently rubbed Li Xuanling's head and said softly, "I'll have to rely on you to do it."

As soon as Li Jingtian said that, a commotion erupted outside the tent. Mu Jiaoman's deep angry voice reverberated through the air, "You again?! Who the hell are you? You've provoked us repeatedly, do you really think we're easy targets?"

Li Xuanling and Li Jingtian exchanged glances, then swiftly lifted the tent curtain to peek outside. A middle-aged man wielding a sword stood in midair, above the stronghold, with translucent light blue River True Essence flowing around him.

The man was calmly looking at the Mount Yue soldiers that were quickly gathering below him. He was none other than Li Tongya.

His voice, amplified through mana enchantment, echoed throughout the stronghold, "The Li Family and Mount Yue have always coexisted peacefully. Yet, you have attacked our Mount Lijing without cause, stolen our Spirit Rice, and taken our people hostage. And now, you ask me who I am?"

Li Xuanling breathed a sigh of relief and whispered joyfully, "Father is here!"

Meanwhile, Mu Jiaoman soared into the air, accompanied by two Mount Yue shamans behind him.

"The four ridges were originally promised as payment by your demon gate! Why are you all going back on your words now? The Spirit Rice, spirit fruits, as well as the people, are now in our possession. They belong to Mount Yue."

Scowling at the pulsating sword aura in Li Tongya's grasp, Mu Jiaoman clenched his teeth and declared, "Withdraw now and we'll spare your life."

With a sneer, Li Tongya lifted his light gray sword, sending out several sharp sword qi that caught Mu Jiaoman and the other two shamans off guard.

More than ten days ago, Li Tongya encountered Mu Jiaoman and his group while crossing the border in search of Li Xiangping. Knowing that Li Tongya was a formidable foe, they hurriedly performed hand seals to cast their spells.

Mu Jiaoman and the other two shamans cultivated their qi through secret techniques of the Mount Yue Tribe. They had never used any legitimate qi gathering method and merely consumed various forms of unrefined qi. Therefore, the strength of their spells was way inferior to Li Tongya, placing them at a significant disadvantage once more.

Having meticulously honed his Profound Water Sword Technique for nearly thirty years, Li Tongya's sword auras were swift and precise. Despite their attempts to evade, the three of them found themselves struggling to keep up, and chaos erupted in the barracks like a boiling cauldron.

"Perfect chance!" Li Xuanling exclaimed as he swiftly kicked off the shackles on his legs and grabbed Li Jingtian. With one hand, he snapped the necks of the Mount Yue guards at the entrance and hastily dashed a few steps before vaulting over the wooden fence.

Outside the fence, two Mount Yue soldiers stood bewildered, mouths agape, staring into space. Li Xuanling swiftly incapacitated them with two Golden Light Spells, showing no remorse for their demise.

Ignoring their fate, he cast a Divine Movement Spell on his leg, then carried Li Jingtian and disappeared into the mountain forest.

His movements were fluid and swift, akin to a panther. While everyone was preoccupied with the scene in the air, it took just a short moment for Li Xuanling to reach the stronghold's outskirts with Li Jingtian.

By the time a few soldiers near the army tent reacted, Li Xuanling had already vanished without a trace.

There were no seasoned experts present in the surroundings. Those of the Embryonic Breathing Realm had already departed to suppress the ongoing chaos. Furthermore, their spiritual sense could only be extended a short distance, barely reaching beyond thirty meters.

"Damn it!" Mu Jiaoman bellowed from above, his teeth clenched in anger.

He shouted indignantly, "If the Great King were here, he would never allow you to get away with acting so brazenly!"

Jianixi, a cultivator who had attained the seventh heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm, had undergone a peculiar experience in his early years.

His cultivation method was authentically passed down in sects, augmented by the absorption of spiritual qi of heaven and earth. With his weapon mastery, he held sway over numerous factions in the northern foothills.

Li Tongya paid no heed to his words as he silently assessed Jianixi's strength against that of Li Chejing in his mind. Gripping his sword, he thought to himself...

I'm only at the second heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm. One of these three people is at the fourth heavenly layer while the other two are at the second heavenly layer. I'll eventually run out of mana if I rely solely on the Profound Water Sword Qi. I must tread carefully.

With a sweep of his sword qi, Li Tongya managed to momentarily push back the three assailants who came forward to him.

Glancing down, he observed the stronghold gradually regaining stability.

I wonder if the two kids have escaped. If not, I must withdraw after a few more exchanges and wait for another opportunity.

After intercepting a dozen moves from the three enemies, Li Tongya once again repelled them with his sword. Then without a word, he turned around and fled east.

Mu Jiaoman's angry shout echoed after him, "Such audacity! You think you can come and go as you please?"

He gritted his teeth and conjured a dense black qi, but this caused his essence qi to diminish slightly—he was using a formidable Mount Yue shaman's secret spell.

The thick black qi swirled and expanded, forming a large skull that hurtled toward Li Tongya.

Watching from below, Lu Jiangxian was momentarily taken aback, sensing a familiarity with the black qi. It felt like a product of the mirror, evoking an impulse to draw it closer with a finger and devour it.

After a brief contemplation and a glance at Mu Jiaoman, Lu Jiangxian decided to prioritize self-preservation over fleeting indulgences. He continued to feign death in the mirror while discreetly activating his divine sense to closely monitor Li Tongya's situation.

Although Li Tongya could not identify the spell being cast by Mu Jiaoman, he sensed its malevolent nature. Dodging and weaving in the air, Li Tongya attempted to evade the surging black qi, but it suddenly sped up and collided with his back.

With a booming laugh, Mu Jiaoman taunted, "This shaman spell is extremely phenomenal. Your tricks won't save you, even if you flee to the ends of the earth!"

Feeling his limbs going cold, Li Tongya forced his mana to circulate in his body. His flight speed even decreased slightly. However, upon closer inspection, he detected no further anomalies.

Is that it?

Perplexed, Li Tongya glanced back and noticed that despite his slowed speed, he was gradually distancing himself from the three enemies.

This unexpected turn left Mu Jiaoman infuriated and bewildered. Feeling his subordinates' stares boring holes into his back, he muttered under his breath, "What the hell is going on?"

Meanwhile, beneath them, Lu Jiangxian chuckled inwardly as he studied the structure of the black qi that had attached itself to the back of Li Tongya's clothes. Most of it was currently under the control of his divine sense.

It resembles talisman qi, although considerably weaker. The medium of the Sacrificial Ritual Method is the mirror, but that seems to have been changed to the spell caster... There must be a strong connection between shamans and the mirror!

Recalling the yellow talisman of the Golden Core Realm found in the direction of the Great Jueting, Lu Jiangxian quietly noted down this newfound insight from the black qi in his heart before quickly dissipating it.

I suppose I can study this matter when I have spare time; at least it beats spending all my time sleeping in the mirror.