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Chapter 86: Successive Countermeasures

“Oh no!” The old Daoist, Xiu Mu, looked gravely concerned. “The Lu Clan has unexpectedly enlisted a Late Stage Qi Refinement expert; this battle will be formidable…”

Fang Xi clenched his jaw, determination etched across his face as he tightened his grip on the Qinghe Sword. He appeared every bit the fearless warrior ready to embrace martyrdom!

Yet internally, another thought emerged:

‘Ruan Xingling is indeed not one of those clan geniuses who become oblivious to human deceit due to obsessive cultivation. Instead, she’s both courageous and strategic. Knowing well that the traitor was unreliable, she must have prepared additional countermeasures… This could still work!’

And sure enough!

In the next instant, a streak of white light swiftly approached, revealing an elderly cultivator with snow-white hair and beard, clad in a long robe made of crane feathers. His aura radiated power, indicating he had reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement!

“West wind blows aging upon myriad lakes, overnight graying the locks of Xiang Monarch. Ahh, greetings to all present!”

The elderly Daoist with crane-feather robes exuded kindness and grace, bowing elegantly to everyone present.

A look of deep apprehension surfaced on Lu Jingqing’s face:

“Wind White Dream from Feathered Isle? Does your island intend to interfere in Peach Blossom Island’s affairs?”

Shaking his head, Wind White Dream replied, “Firstly, this Peach Blossom Island does not solely belong to you. Secondly, Ruan Xingling is my great-granddaughter, hardly an outsider.”

“You old fool, seeking death?! From this day forth, there will be relentless conflict between our islands until one stands victorious!” Roaring furiously, strands of ape-like hair began sprouting from Lu Jingqing’s body.

His magical energy surged rapidly, transforming him instantly into a massive red-furred monkey with fiery eyes!

Fang Xi found this scene strikingly familiar: ‘Could it be the beast transformation secret art from the Myriad Beasts Body?’

“So, you’ve indeed been cultivating a body refinement technique alongside others!”

Ruan Xingling gently patted her flower basket, releasing a fragrant sandalwood aroma.

“Brother Yin, take care of that wretched woman; I’ll handle Wind White Dream! With my newly mastered Red Ape Transformation combined with my original cultivation, even facing a cultivator at the great perfection of Qi Refinement should pose no issue,” Lu Jingqing snarled menacingly. Then, turning to his three mid-stage Qi Refinement subordinates, he commanded, “As for those insignificant lackeys, deal with them!”

Just as his menacing Scarlet Ape form prepared to leap forward, he let out a sudden cry of anguish, “What’s happening? My magical energy?”

“So it was indeed you who purchased that bottle of Scarlet Ape blood essence,” Ruan Xingling said with a smile, gently caressing her flower basket.

“You bitch, did you poison it? You knew I’ve been struggling to reach the third layer of my Body Tempering technique and desperately seeking this item. Did you bribe the Zhong Family?” Lu Jingqing shrieked, seemingly realizing the deception.

“Truly foolish… If the Zhong Family were willing to forsake their reputation and secretly harm you alongside me, why would I need to intervene personally? For them, crushing you would be like squashing an ant; no elaborate scheme required… The Scarlet Ape blood essence itself is genuine, but what you didn’t know is that despite its immense strength, the mythical Scarlet Ape has a natural weakness. Upon smelling the ‘Heavenly Sandalwood’ from my flower basket, it becomes weak and lethargic throughout its body…” Ruan Xingling chuckled. “Since you have refined the blood essence and now inhale this ‘Heavenly Sandalwood’, your magical energy will dissipate, leaving you unconscious for several days… Ironically, this process actually benefits the refinement of Scarlet Ape blood essence, but unfortunately, you won’t live long enough to reap those rewards!”

“Excellent… With you at the helm of Peach Blossom Island’s affairs, I am truly worry-free.” Feng Bai Meng chuckled contentedly, clearly impressed by Ruan Xingling’s strategic planning.

Even Daoist Yin hastily sent out a black beam from his small banner to envelop himself, contemplating whether he should immediately flee.

Xiu Mu and others, witnessing this unexpected turn, filled with joy once more on their faces.

Only Fang Xi cursed inwardly, ‘So the Scarlet Ape blood essence at the auction was meant to lure Lu Jingqing, not me!’

‘Damn these cultivator clans, who knows how many traps they’ve hidden within their legacies… specifically targeting rogue cultivators!’

Although it currently backfired on their enemy, Fang Xi shared the same lack of lineage knowledge as Lu Jingqing, placing him among the disadvantaged at the bottom of the cultivation world!

Facing cultivator clans that hoarded secret information shamelessly and monopolized resources, unsuspecting individuals like Fang Xi could easily fall victim to unforeseen pitfalls!

And when such misfortunes struck, those clan scions would gleefully trample further, sneering, “Peasants dreaming of greatness? Bah!”

“Cough… Ruan Xingling!!!”

Lu Jingqing swiftly drew a dagger and stabbed it into his own thigh, momentarily regaining clarity. With a menacing tone, he muttered, “Well… this family’s vengeance has truly honed you. Your cunning and scheming match that of your deadbeat father exactly. Fortunately, I took precautions against you at the last moment!”

Snap!

A burst of fireworks suddenly exploded mid-air, forming a grotesque demonic face pattern.

Moments later, two more beams of escaping light approached, revealing identical twin brothers.

Upon seeing them, Fang Xi felt a sense of familiarity. After some thought, he recognized their identity.

The Daoist Xiu Mu beat him to it, calling out their names, “Kou Clan’s Twin Fiends? Lu Jingqing… you’ve actually colluded with Plunderer cultivators? Once word gets out, not just the Thirty-Six Islands, but the entire Wan Island Lake will have no place for you!”

“Big Bro, they’re so annoying! Let’s kill ‘em all!” The younger brother of the Twin Fiends yawned lazily.

“Yes… don’t worry, old Lu. Once we wipe them out, nobody will know,” Kou Jialao laughed heartily, his words dripping with murderous intent.

“To think these two showed up; this complicates matters significantly.”

Feng Baimeng performed a double-handed seal and tossed out a spirit beast pouch. From it emerged numerous graceful blue butterflies, fluttering gracefully.

As they danced through the air, these butterflies scattered specks of shimmering blue dust, transforming their surroundings into a dreamlike scene.

“Dream Butterfly Gu?! This old man is an insect cultivator!” The elder Kou brother frowned and turned to Lu Jingqing. “Old Lu, leave that stubborn old Bai fellow to Daoist Yin; we’ll take care of the girl!”

Kou’s younger brother gazed at Ruan Xingling, shaking his head slightly with regret. “What a pity—her magical artifacts are quite lovely, but not her appearance…”

Previously, as three brothers united, they could face opponents at peak Qi Refinement stage. However, after the mysterious death of the third brother during the Qingzhu Mountain Market battle, losing a member left them unable to form their combat formation. Their days became increasingly difficult, given their numerous enemies.

The remaining two brothers decided to flee thousands of miles away, eventually settling at Wan Island Lake, where they allied themselves with the Lu Clan.

As for concerns about associating with Plunderer cultivators, Lu Jingqing was unconcerned. Many cultivation clans secretly maintained murky forces to handle dirty work.

If not for the Kou brothers’ truly abysmal reputation, he would have boldly hired them as guest seniors. Even now, seeking their assistance felt like picking the easiest target among soft options.

Lu Jingqing frowned and urgently called out to Daoist Yin, “Please intercept that old Wind bastard! I’ll double your agreed payment afterward!”

With that, he slapped a ‘Talisman of Indestructibility’ onto himself, enveloping his body in a shimmering golden protective shield. He then settled down cross-legged on the lake surface, continuously consuming medicinal pills as if purging toxins through cultivation.

“Damn it, better make it worth my while!” Daoist Yin roared angrily, forming hand seals with both hands and channeling magical energy into his small banner.

Cackling sinisterly, translucent ghost figures emerged, transforming into dense black clouds that entangled with Feng Baimeng’s Dream Butterfly Gu.

“Haha, can’t we two brothers handle just one at the seventh layer of Qi Refining? Big Bro, let’s kill… but save this girl for me!”

The second Kou brother glanced around, pointing at Wei Yixin’s cultivation partner Hua Chanjuan, a gleeful expression spreading across his face.

Wei Yixin and his wife’s expressions instantly darkened, becoming incredibly grim.

The situation clearly favored their opponents!

“Charge!”

As Late Stage Qi Refinement experts clashed fiercely, even Ruan Xingling joined the fray, controlling her flying sword against the Kou brothers. The three mid-stage Qi Refiners from the Lu Clan also bellowed, drawing their magical artifacts and attacking Fang Xi’s group.

“All-out assault!”

The Wei couple released two mid-grade flying daggers, engaging one of the mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators. Both pairs maneuvered away from the central battle area, attempting to avoid direct confrontation.

Coincidentally, not far from them:

With a wave of his horsetail whisk, the old Daoist known as Xiu Mu unleashed myriad silver threads like blossoming flowers, entangling another Lu Clan cultivator’s magical artifact and steering it towards a different direction.

‘Damn, everyone’s playing smart here… Each side is trying to distance themselves from the Late Stage Qi Refiners, waiting to gauge the outcome of the main battlefield… Giving a chance for the losing party to escape.’

Fang Xi’s lips twitched as he observed the approaching Lu Clan cultivator, whose expression seemed ecstatic, as if hitting the jackpot.

The opponent was an elderly cultivator in his fifties or sixties, clad in a gray long robe, with a demeanor of fierce determination. “Traitorous wretch, I’ll take you down!”

He summoned a yellow leather gourd as his magical artifact, releasing clusters of black water spheres that hurtled towards Fang Xi.

Fang Xi activated the ‘Green Turtle Shield’, causing a large azure turtle shell to rapidly expand, resembling a shield before him.

Pop-pop!

The black water spheres burst upon impact with the turtle shell, appearing less potent than expected.

‘Alright, even this guy is holding back!’

‘No wait, he’s driving me away from the battlefield to observe the situation better!’

‘That expression is impressively convincing - kudos to him!’

Fang Xi silently praised its effectiveness and released the ‘Qinghe Sword’ to create further disruption. Then, he swiftly fled on the Black Cloud Pocket.

“Traitor, you won’t escape!”

The old cultivator’s eyes gleamed as he casually produced a peach wood shield to deflect the Qinghe Sword, immediately giving chase to Fang Xi!

In their pursuit, they flew over ten kilometers away within moments, leaving the core battlefield’s spiritual glow barely visible.

“Heh heh… You’re quite amusing, boy. Releasing such a pathetic flying sword; you should learn acting from this old man!” The old cultivator surged his speed, intercepting Fang Xi and unhesitatingly unleashed his formidable magical energy at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement: “However, being a Lu Clan cultivator, I must ultimately slay you for my masters…”

His cunning plan was simple: by killing Fang Xi for the Lu Clan, he would justify his favorable treatment. As for loyalty, he intended to gauge the situation - if the Lu Clan emerged victorious, he would capitalize on their success. But if they were defeated… he certainly wouldn’t sacrifice himself needlessly.

After all, Lu Jingqing had only recently usurped power and hadn’t yet had time to cultivate dedicated loyalists. For an outsider to commit this far was already commendable.

“Enough blabbering!”

In the next instant, the old cultivator watched in surprise as the fourth-level Qi Refinement cultivator pulled out a massive black sword, resembling a door panel, and charged forward instead of retreating!

Bang!

Fang Xi, wielding the Black Iron Sword, forcefully struck the peach wood shield.

Bang!

The wooden shield shattered instantly, and with unstoppable momentum, the Black Iron Sword sliced through the old man’s waist.

Its terrifying destructive power ripped open his chest, revealing fragments of spine and internal organs…