Chapter 27
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Chapter 27: Duel of Magic
Li Hui gasped for breath, fiercely panting as he plunged the Earth Yellow Dust Storm Blade into the ground. He retrieved a purification talisman and slapped it against his right arm, feeling a cool sensation spreading through him, halting the spread of poison.
Just moments earlier, that silver needle had nearly succeeded. Thankfully, he reacted quickly, accurately determining its trajectory, and used the silver snake bracelet to block the flying needle.
However, that needle contained a deadly toxin, which unleashed a horrific poison the moment it met resistance from the silver snake.
Now, he truly owed his thanks to Zheng Tianxiang; if he hadn’t gathered a six-pattern purification talisman from him, the poison would have spread uncontrollably, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
In just an instant, the silver snake bracelet had destroyed the flying needle, preventing the poison from worsening. Otherwise, even with this six-pattern purification talisman, it wouldn’t have been enough to stop the deadly effects.
This battle marked Li Hui’s first true conflict of magic, surviving narrowly against death, making him deeply aware of the cruelty of the cultivation world.
“To survive, one must be ready to face death!”
“Dust Storm!” Li Hui shouted, gripping the Earth Yellow Dust Storm Blade tightly. At that moment, the blade transformed into a banner, wildly devouring spiritual energy, while dozens of talisman papers burned at its edges.
“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…” The wind howled, resembling ghosts howling!
Li Hui’s remaining spiritual energy dwindled quickly, and this was despite using a talisman that consumed less energy; if he had used an artifact, the consumption would have been dozens of times greater.
The masked woman Cheng Yuyan looked on in shock as stormy sands raged, forming a river of sand that twisted and flowed toward her.
“Bastard!” she cursed, not having time to understand why the needle had been destroyed. She hurriedly unfurled her red robe, which billowed like a red banner, fluttering to dispel the force of the oncoming assault.
“Boom, boom, boom…”
Accompanied by deep rumblings, Cheng Yuyan staggered back. She never anticipated that the sandstorm could erupt with such power; what truly terrified her was the wind, which screamed and grew increasingly wild.
“Faster!”
Li Hui squeezed every ounce of his energy, urging the dust storm forward. The positions of offense and defense had reversed, and now it was his turn to attack.
The Earth Yellow Dust Storm Blade was constructed from four-pattern spirit talismans; theoretically, four spirit patterns needed to be activated during the Spirit Motion stage to wield it. Thankfully, Li Hui had activated the Dragon Claw pattern, enhancing the purity of his spiritual energy. Although this slightly damaged the talisman itself, it barely allowed him to unleash its maximum power.
Moreover, the silver snake bracelet had just devoured the silver needle. Even though it couldn’t fill his gaps, it still contributed a little silver glow, further enhancing the blade’s power by half.
Don’t underestimate that half increase; once an artifact is successfully forged, it naturally generates artifact patterns, reaching up to nine patterns like cultivators in the Spirit Motion stage. The rarity of talismans comes from their complex construction; however, once formed and depending on the number of spirit patterns, a four-pattern talisman can dominate a six-pattern artifact, making that half increase equivalent to a seven-pattern artifact.
Spirit patterns are everywhere; cultivators release them during their training, forge artifacts that exhibit these patterns, draw spirit talismans to condense spirit patterns, and even alchemy yields pill patterns.
Such is the way of heaven and earth, with people, artifacts, talismans, and pills existing within it, seizing the creation of the world and the opportunities of the mountains and rivers, containing the wonders within themselves…
In Cheng Yuyan’s hands, the four flying swords concealed special artifact patterns, resembling swimming fish. Upon closer inspection, the fish patterns seemed to bear wings.
Each flying sword had four flying fish patterns, but these four swords formed a complete set that could easily surpass a five-pattern artifact. Plus, due to their unique patterns, they could confront even six-pattern artifacts boldly. However, today, the flying swords faced the enhanced power of the Earth Yellow Dust Storm Blade.
Under heavy attack, as the four flying swords began to show signs of retreat against the Green Wood Eight Trigram Shield, they unfortunately fell into the sandstorm. The spirit light attached to the swords diminished as the strength waned, releasing sorrowful cries.
“Damn it, how can this be happening?” Cheng Yuyan bit down on her silver teeth. She calculated that the full eruption of the Earth Yellow Dust Storm Blade could only equal the power of the flying swords, so why did the sandstorm dissipate the swords’ spirit light?
“Come back!” She urgently gestured in the air, trying to summon the flying swords back. She had high hopes for these four swords, nurturing them through blood refinement, treating them as if they were her life’s artifacts—there was no room for error.
The dust storm wreaked havoc, and the swirling sand rolled!
Two of the flying swords shot back towards their owner, while the other two were trapped in the flying sand, endlessly struggling and turning into two swirling vortices.
“What a chance! Cloud-Brush Dragon Claw Technique.” Li Hui unleashed his secret technique, reaching for the flying swords.
This time, he acted with caution, considering multiple factors. The Cloud-Brush Dragon Claw Technique could efficiently harness the winds within the sandstorm, forming two earthen claws in the air.
The ground trembled as thunderous cracks boomed, and the two claw-like formations rose to strike the sand vortices created by the flying swords.
“Crack!”
“Crack!”
The two massive earthen claws shattered, instantly transforming into wind claws that generated tremendous pulling power. Seizing the moment while the flying swords were disrupted, they swiftly snatched them away.
“Seize them…”
Li Hui acted decisively; when the moment was right, he showed no hesitation. In his mind, destroying the enemy’s weapon equated to victory—especially when it involved those troublesome, hard-to-defend petite flying swords. His odds of success in this duel had just risen significantly.
At the instant he grasped the flying sword, the silver snake bracelet seemed to lift its head, emitting a fine silver light. By the time it lowered again, there was no longer any flying sword—only fine metallic dust scattered in the air.
“Pfft…” At the moment of the destruction of the two flying swords, Cheng Yuyan coughed up blood, falling backward; these were her blood-refined artifacts!
The dust storm concealed her vision, preventing her from seeing how Li Hui destroyed her beloved flying swords. However, the outcome was clear: the bond with the flying swords had suddenly severed, and it felt as if her heart was being torn apart. If those two flying swords had been her actual life artifacts, just spitting a mouthful of blood would not have been enough to describe the blow.
“Disciple of the Jade Symbol Sect, remember this! Soon, this princess will…” After an unexpected defeat, she wanted to leave with a show of bravado, speaking harshly for appearances. Unfortunately, her words came a moment too soon.
At the edge of where the Earth Yellow Dust Storm Blade unleashed its power, a hand suddenly reached out. Cheng Yuyan seemed to have automatically run into it, hearing the sound of leather being sliced, followed by the shattering of her red robe into countless pieces, fluttering away in the wind.
“Oh, hahahaha! The praying mantis catches the cicada, while the yellow sparrow lurks behind. Why does such a fine figure like yours wear a mask, little lady? Tsk tsk, bullying our Jade Symbol Sect disciple is unacceptable. A moment of joy is worth a thousand gold; although it’s not dark yet, we can still play until dusk!” The attacker, like a bat hanging in the air, smugly stroked his small mustache, his gaze lecherously fixed on her chest.
“Zhang Tianhua?”
Hearing the familiar voice, Li Hui immediately knew who had arrived. Without hesitation, he gathered the sand and grasped Zheng Tianxiang’s nine-chain bag with care, taking cautious steps backward.
