A scholar in green robes stood on the surface of the lake, a mere step away from the small islet in its center.
Yet, he did not take that step. Instead, he calmly refined the middle-aged woman's mountain and river pouch with his mana, seemingly in no hurry to make his move.
Witnessing this, Ji Yuan's gaze shifted subtly, and he inwardly cursed his misfortune.
Had the opponent been eager to attack, to claim his head for the bounty, then with the power of the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda and the divine nature of the spirit devouring ability,
He was confident that in a passive counterattack, he could catch the opponent off guard, or at least heavily injure, if not kill them on the spot, with various combined techniques!
But this person did not attack. He seemed unconcerned about any variables arising, content to stall for time.
This way, if Ji Yuan were to initiate the attack, the ensuing duel between him and the scholar in green robes would enter an unknown territory, likely difficult to conclude quickly.
Meanwhile, nine silver needles pierced his acupoints within his body, continuously emitting black qi and invading his physical form with intensely cold energy.
Were it not for the Three Yang Vital Fire Pill, he would likely be immobilized by now. Even with it, a significant portion of his mana was still being used to maintain the pill's efficacy and suppress the cold qi in the nine acupoints.
If the fight dragged on too long and his mana was excessively depleted, he would be unable to suppress this cold qi, plunging him into true despair and leaving him at the mercy of others.
The opponent seemed to have foreseen this, which was why he chose not to rush, focusing instead on stalling for time until Ji Yuan lost control of his internal condition, allowing the cold qi to go berserk.
At that point, the scholar in green robes could complete the mission effortlessly, without the risk of a desperate counterattack from Ji Yuan, and claim his head for the substantial bounty.
Feeling his internal condition worsen, Ji Yuan did his best to maintain a calm demeanor, stealthily mobilizing his mana.
While the opponent waited for an opportunity, was he not doing the same?
When the scholar in green robes showed a pleased expression, having finally refined the residual mana of the middle-aged woman in the mountain and river pouch, he impatiently sent a wisp of his consciousness to check the items within.
Now is the time!
Ji Yuan's eyes flashed with sharp light. Without hesitation, he hurled the long sword in his hand, simultaneously channeling all his usable mana into the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda above his head!
"Go!"
He couldn't help but let out a loud shout, releasing the surge of emotion in his chest.
In an instant, the small pagoda above his head shot forward, growing from a few inches to several feet in the air, its body emanating profound and mystical energies.
However, in the next moment, Ji Yuan's expression changed drastically, his face paling slightly.
The scholar in green robes looked up, his eyes not showing any panic, but rather a hint of a knowing smile.
He did not seem surprised at Ji Yuan's sudden, all-out assault during his moment of distraction, as if he had been expecting it all along.
He put away the mountain and river pouch and other items with a backhand, then pushed off the lake's surface. As his body retreated rapidly, the lake water splashed, forming a curtain of water ten to twenty feet wide!
In that instant, Ji Yuan not only lost sight of the opponent but also, to his dismay, his prized spiritual sense could no longer detect the man's presence.
As he frowned, his long sword suddenly cut through the splashing water curtain, but there was no sign of the scholar in green robes behind it. The man seemed to have vanished into thin air!
At the critical moment, a thought struck him, and he instantly manifested over a dozen runes on his body. Three copper coins at his feet, arranged in a triangular formation, released their last vestiges of spiritual energy.
Following this, a few feet away from him, in a place that should have been empty, a blurred figure suddenly materialized. Even before its form was fully revealed, a folding fan was gently swung.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!!!
Scorching flames surged, and a rolling wave of fire swept forward, instantly engulfing Ji Yuan's figure!
In the intense heat capable of melting metal and iron, Ji Yuan's face grew even paler. It was only thanks to the dozen runes circulating on his body that he could barely endure the wave of fire.
"Receive!"
He gritted his teeth and whispered, lifting his head slightly to see a seven-story pagoda, several feet tall, return as a streak of light and appear above his head.
The massive pagoda cast a dark shadow, its base becoming pitch black. A vortex condensed, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and like a whale drinking, it instantly swallowed more than half of the fiery wave.
It was precisely at this moment that the runes on Ji Yuan's body shattered, transforming into weak mana and dissipating into the small area of space.
The three copper coins arranged in a triangle beside him were severely damaged, with no spiritual energy remaining.
He channeled a wisp of mana to collect the three copper coins into his sleeve, then pointed at the pagoda above his head and softly uttered the word "Suppress!"
With a gust of wind, the pagoda immediately flew out, appearing above the scholar in green robes, poised to smash down heavily.
Witnessing this, the scholar's expression slightly darkened. He was about to conceal his form and use a遁法 (escape technique) to dodge this attack.
However, at the same moment, he suddenly felt a sharp intent, locking onto his vital energy. But now, he had no other choice and could only hastily activate his escape technique.
His figure blurred and then completely vanished from Ji Yuan's sight, his spiritual sense unable to even sense him.
Boom!!!
With a thunderous roar, the islet in the center of the lake shook violently, causing even Ji Yuan to stumble and nearly fall to the ground.
But it was at this very moment that a smile appeared on Ji Yuan's face.
With a "噗" sound, a flash of cold light streaked across, and at a certain spot on the islet, blood suddenly bloomed. Then, a corpse, cut in half by the long sword 'Yuan Bao', abruptly fell onto the ground.
Looking at the scholar in green robes' face, which remained one of disbelief even in death, Ji Yuan's smile deepened slightly.
From the very beginning, he had anticipated that the opponent was waiting for him to launch his first offensive, and he had never considered the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda to be the decisive factor.
Instead, it was the long sword 'Yuan Bao', with its own sentience, that was his trump card.
The opponent's escape technique was indeed good, but even if it could evade his spiritual sense, it could never escape Yuan Bao's lock!
"Immeasurable Heavenly Venerate, I almost lost my life."
Ji Yuan shook his head, a look of relief on his face.
After confirming that the scholar in green robes was undeniably dead, he then sat down cross-legged on the spot, took out several pills, and swallowed them whole.
He quickly formed hand seals, circulating the Nine Yuan Heavy Water Scripture while mobilizing his meager remaining mana to refine the pills in his abdomen.
During this process, the long sword 'Yuan Bao' flew back to Ji Yuan's side on its own and was inserted into the soil in front of him, as if guarding him.
The Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda, which had fallen several feet away, also returned to its original size, wobbling as it flew over before finally dropping to the ground as if its spiritual energy was depleted.
After a series of battles, the lake finally regained its tranquility. The three enemies who had attacked were all slain, while Ji Yuan had expended more than half his mana and was severely injured.
He was now circulating the Nine Yuan Heavy Water Scripture, drawing upon the essence of water qi deep within his flesh and blood, treating his injuries and recovering his mana while continuously refining the pills he had swallowed.
Among the various pills, in addition to restoring mana and healing injuries, there were two Three Yang Vital Fire Pills to suppress the silver needles inserted into his nine acupoints.
This set of magic artifacts was not of high quality, possessing at most two or three post-celestial restrictions, but it contained a black qi that possessed extremely Yin and cold power, constantly eroding his physique.
Fortunately, due to the blood of the burly man, which contained extremely Yang energy, accidentally splashing onto him, he learned that extreme Yang and heat could suppress this Yin and cold.
Otherwise, with his current meager mana, he would likely have lost control of his body, his life force completely eroded by the Yin and cold qi within the nine silver needles.
However, even with the Three Yang Vital Fire Pills suppressing the cold qi, his injuries were quite severe. Although outwardly there were no visible wounds, they were all serious internal injuries.
Coupled with the severe depletion of mana, his dantian showed signs of exhaustion, causing his aura to become much weaker.
But compared to the injury he sustained in Qianyu City, although it looked serious now, it was actually much better.
The silver needles in the nine acupoints and the Yin and cold qi raging within his body would not be difficult to completely expel given enough time.
If only he had the time...
After about the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn, a gust of clear wind stirred in the woods by the lakeside, drifting along the surface of the lake.
Just as it was about to approach the islet, Ji Yuan, who was closing his eyes to suppress his injuries, suddenly opened his eyes.
His gaze fell precisely on the gust of clear wind brushing across the lake's surface.
"Rise!"
He let out a low hum, then slammed his palm fiercely onto the ground beside him.
In an instant, a faint halo of light swept out from his body. Within two or three breaths, it had spread across the entire lake and even to the surrounding shores.
A formation plate flew out from his sleeve, floating and descending before him, threads of light flowing as if tugging on invisible fine threads.
In the blink of an eye, a circle of hazy light appeared on the shores of the lake, with dozens, even hundreds, of formation patterns manifesting, enveloping the entire lake.
Through the formation plate in front of him, Ji Yuan felt a sense of control, as if within the range covered by the formation, he had absolute authority.
Although this was merely an illusion, within the formation's power, he could still accomplish many things.
Just like now!
Ji Yuan's gaze sharpened. With a mere thought, a large amount of formation power converged, heavily enfolding that wisp of clear wind, and then continuously compressing it inwards.
"As expected, there's a backup!"
A cold snort suddenly rang out, and then the wisp of clear wind blurred, transforming into a figure in an instant.
It was a middle-aged man with a hooked nose, his face appearing somewhat cold and distant, as if naturally emanating a chilling aura that made one instinctively want to avoid him.
As soon as the hooked-nosed middle-aged man appeared, powerful mana vibrated from his body, easily pushing back the formation power that had gathered around him.
He flipped his palm, and a bronze mirror materialized in his palm. The mirror, about a foot in size, was carved with numerous flowers and birds from yellow wood.
The hooked-nosed middle-aged man blew a breath onto the bronze mirror. The carved flowers and birds seemed to come alive, transforming into phantoms that circled around him at a distance of six to ten feet.
If this were a woman, with such flowers blooming beneath her feet and surrounded by a dozen flying birds, it would be a scene of great beauty.
But appearing on this man, it instead evoked a feeling of disgust, as if one were truly repulsed.
However, Ji Yuan dared not be careless, for this man, with such casual effort, had prevented the formation power from approaching, isolating it beyond a perimeter of flowers and birds.
"If this is all you have as a backup, then you can die."
The hooked-nosed middle-aged man spoke, his expression slightly arrogant.