Chapter 106: Demoness, I Will Kill You

It is best to remain calm and unchanged to face the shifting circumstances, and see what exactly these three siblings are plotting.

Therefore, after Zhang Yingli and his companions approached, Chu Xin'er smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind offer. I shall accompany you all on this journey."

Seeing her composed demeanor, Zhang Yingli, Zhang Xia, and Zhang Lingfan exchanged secret glances, each detecting the trace of surprise in the others' eyes. Although they did not understand where Chu Xin'er derived her confidence, they were not afraid of any mishaps, as they clearly had the numerical advantage. They forced smiles, chatting and laughing with her while continuing their flight forward.

This place was too close to Danxia City to be suitable for a fight. Thus, the Zhang siblings chatted with Chu Xin'er off and on, hoping to lower her guard so they could launch a surprise attack when the time was ripe.

Their conversation revolved around anecdotes from the cultivation world and the rules for seeking pills at the Spirit Medicine Sect. Through the siblings, Chu Xin'er learned that the high-level alchemists of the Spirit Medicine Sect did not receive guests every day. It was only on the first day of every month that visiting cultivators could meet with the sect's disciples to discuss alchemy. Because the number of high-level alchemists was limited and the demand from visiting cultivators was so high, it created a seller’s market, greatly increasing the value of the alchemists. Simply put, even if one managed to meet an alchemist, a deal was not guaranteed without sufficient spirit stones and materials, as the alchemist might be swayed by the more generous offers of other cultivators. Of course, there were fewer restrictions for low-level pills like the Foundation Establishment Pill, as the sect had the largest number of Foundation Establishment-stage alchemists, making them the easiest to hire.

As they chatted and flew, they inadvertently arrived at an open wilderness.

Suddenly, Zhang Yingli, who had been laughing easily just moments before, raised his hand and slashed a golden sword aura toward Chu Xin'er's neck. At the same time, the sound of air being pierced rang out as ice cones and tongues of flame flew from the palms of Zhang Lingfan and the young woman, Zhang Xia, all targeting Chu Xin'er, who was just a few feet away.

"Hmph, I knew you had no good intentions."

Though the attack was sudden, Chu Xin'er seemed prepared. A thick, water-blue light shield instantly materialized around her, and with a flick of her delicate hand, silver needles flashed with cold light as they shot toward Zhang Lingfan.

"Oh no, it’s a flying needle magic tool! Second brother, dodge! Second brother!"

The sword aura, flames, and ice cones slammed into Chu Xin'er's protective light, causing it to distort and warp, but it did not break.

However, Zhang Lingfan, who was ambushed by the flying needles, found himself in a precarious position. He had not expected Chu Xin'er to anticipate their scheme and launch a counter-ambush with even faster needles. Amidst the cries of Zhang Yingli and Zhang Xia, Zhang Lingfan, who had no time to deploy his own protective light, leaped from his flying sword and used gravity to shift his body, barely avoiding a fatal strike to his throat. Nevertheless, a needle pierced his shoulder, spraying a mist of blood as he plummeted downward.

On the other side, Chu Xin'er was also descending, partly due to the inertia from the impact of the three-pronged attack, and partly because her cultivation level was limited, making high-altitude combat inconvenient. Zhang Yingli and Zhang Xia did not stop her; their attention was focused on Zhang Lingfan. Seeing that he was merely injured, they breathed a sigh of relief. The enemy was cunning and difficult to deal with, and their second brother had been wounded in the first exchange, but so what? She was only one person. Once they reached the ground, he could attack with his flying sword, and with his third sister and second brother, victory would ultimately belong to them. As he flew toward the ground, Zhang Yingli could not help but think this.

However, another shrill scream rang out. It was Zhang Lingfan, who was gritting his teeth, casting a Lightness Spell, and trying to recall his flying sword. Blood mist suddenly erupted from his brow and chest. The cause of this injury was a large mosquito that had appeared out of nowhere, flapping its wings and emitting translucent blade auras.

Although Xiao Wenzhi had not absorbed blood to replenish his system points for some time, and his Nine-Layer Heaven system points had been exhausted during the previous battle against Liang Fan and the others, he still had a small reserve of lower-level points. Having broken through to the ninth layer of the Demon Qi Realm, those low-level points were mostly useless, so he usually ignored them. This time, they were just enough to exchange for an Invisibility Talisman and a Demon-Concealing Talisman to ambush the enemy. He chose to strike Zhang Lingfan while he was down because he hadn't yet reached Zhang Yingli and Zhang Xia, who had already deployed their protective light upon seeing Chu Xin'er’s flying needles. He only had one chance for a sneak attack; if he couldn't inflict effective damage, the invisibility talisman would be wasted. Because Zhang Lingfan was injured and off-balance, he hadn't deployed his protective light in time. Xiao Wenzhi would not miss such an opportunity, sealing his tragic fate.

"Second brother! Second brother! You witch, I will kill you!"

Witnessing his brother’s gruesome death, with not even his soul able to escape, Zhang Yingli let out a furious roar. While still several feet from the ground, he cast a spell to drive his magic tool toward Chu Xin'er, while the young woman, Zhang Xia, charged toward Xiao Wenzhi with eyes spitting fire.

Boom, boom, boom!

In a one-on-one battle between cultivators of the same rank, Chu Xin'er was not afraid. She slapped her storage bag, retrieved her flying needles, and summoned her Diamond Sword. Infused with spiritual power, it glowed brilliantly and collided with the opponent's low-grade flying sword.

"A mid-grade magic tool. This woman is truly not an ordinary Qi Refining stage cultivator..."

Feeling the pressure of the spiritual power on the golden sword, Zhang Yingli’s pupils constricted, yet he felt little fear, only an unconcealable greed in his eyes. He reached into his storage bag and produced a dark, short dagger. Infused with spiritual power, the dagger emitted a chilling light and remained unscathed after clashing with the Diamond Sword.

Chu Xin'er’s expression darkened. The dagger was also a mid-grade magic tool. She wasn't worried for herself, but Xiao Wenzhi was at a distinct disadvantage against Zhang Xia. Xiao Wenzhi’s system points were depleted, preventing him from exchanging for more talismans, and his wing blades could not penetrate the opponent’s protective light. Under the frenzied assault of Zhang Xia—who was higher in cultivation and harbored deep hatred—he could only dodge desperately. Fortunately, his small, agile body, combined with the Swift Demon and Demon Shadow arts, allowed him to hold out for the time being, despite Zhang Xia’s constant use of magic tools and flame spells.

The battle reached a stalemate, but everyone present knew that the longer it dragged on, the higher the chance that other passing cultivators would swoop in to reap the benefits.

Anxious, Chu Xin'er reached for her storage bag again and summoned a willow-leaf blade.

"Another mid-grade magic tool? How is this possible?"

Seeing the willow-leaf blade easily slice through his low-grade flying sword, the composure on Zhang Yingli’s face vanished completely. Before the Zhang family declined, they were only a small clan with a Foundation Establishment cultivator at best. The mid-grade dagger was a family heirloom passed down by his father; the three siblings had only ever possessed that one mid-grade item. That Chu Xin'er could produce multiple treasures of such quality shocked him. More importantly, with her possessing an extra mid-grade magic tool at the same cultivation level, the scales of victory were tipping. If things went poorly, all three of them might fall here today.