Chapter 111: Xiao Wenzi felt somewhat helpless.

“Fellow cultivator, since you have been following me, why not show yourself?” Chu Xing’er’s sharp rebuke echoed through the wilderness, yet no one answered. Her expression flickered with uncertainty.

What to do? The enemy refuses to reveal themselves. Could it be that the Spirit Herb Sect is planning to double-cross us? They might be wary of the sect’s formidable reputation. But I just left moments ago; returning now would lack a proper excuse.

Forget it. Perhaps it’s a blessing rather than a curse—maybe there is no hidden enemy at all, and I’m just being paranoid.

Unable to lure out the enemy with words, though the vague sense of danger lingered, Chu Xing’er could only continue flying toward Danxia City at full speed.

Not long after she departed, a flicker of ochre light appeared as two figures emerged from the earth below.

Immediately, the ochre aura around them coalesced into a bright yellow talisman—the Earth Escape Talisman, and a high-grade one at that, capable of multiple uses.

“Hmph, this girl’s spiritual awareness is quite sharp. But the sharper she is, the more it shows she comes from a distinguished background. Let’s go, little sister, we’ll catch up with her,” said one man.

They were too close to the Spirit Herb Sect to make a move. Otherwise, Liu Kui would never waste such a precious top-tier Earth Escape Talisman. With a sly grin, his light merged with that of the young woman in azure, and they silently trailed Chu Xing’er.

In the northern region of Pingzhou, though the Spirit Herb Sect was not as prestigious as the Qingfeng Dao Sect or the Ling Tian Sect, it was far from a nameless minor clan.

Beneath their occupied Spirit Herb Peak, not only was the earth fire flourishing, but the quality of the spiritual veins was also excellent.

Compared to the Azure Leaf Sect, the Spirit Herb Sect’s guest hall was suffused with denser spiritual energy. In the past month or so, with nothing else to do, Chu Xing’er had steadily consolidated her cultivation at the peak of Qi Refinement, hinting at an approach toward the half-step Foundation Establishment stage.

Therefore, barring unforeseen events, she could reach Danxia City in just over half an hour at full speed.

But what was meant to come eventually did. When she had left the outer region of the Spirit Herb Sect by more than a hundred miles, the two pursuers’ escape lights grew ever closer behind her, confirming her initial suspicion was correct.

Her foes were both at peak Qi Refinement; one’s aura even stronger than hers. Their light-speed flight far surpassed hers, making escape impossible.

Chu Xing’er stopped her light and descended onto a nearby mountain peak. She then took out a Qi Gathering Pill, swallowed it, and began regulating her breath.

Putting herself in the best possible state, conserving strength to wait for the right moment, was the best strategy she could devise.

Though confident, she quietly summoned Xiao Wenzi.

In her mind, she had encountered dangers stronger than these two before. With Xiao Wenzi launching a covert attack from the shadows, victory should not be difficult.

Xiao Wenzi felt somewhat helpless but understood Chu Xing’er’s intent. She wanted him to conceal himself and deliver a deadly surprise strike.

However, he had not fed on cultivators’ blood lately, and since his system coins were depleted, he could neither exchange for concealment talismans nor significantly break through his cultivation.

Moreover, he had spent a great deal of heart energy combating Elder Hua and Liang Fan, which had yet to be replenished.

Come to think of it, this was because Chu Xing’er had been preoccupied with refining the Foundation Establishment Pill, leaving no time to help him find cultivators to feed on.

Still, none of the enemies knew that his so-called “innate divine skill” depended on system coins, so their misjudgment was understandable.

Chu Xing’er saw Xiao Wenzi dart toward the grass without using any stealthy demonic aura concealment techniques, but she had no time to inquire further.

Liu Kui and Liu Xiuqian, both masked, had already closed in.

“It’s you. I never expected a Spirit Herb Sect disciple to collude with others to ambush fellow seekers of the elixir. Aren’t you afraid of punishment from the sect elders?”

Though their faces were obscured by magical masks, their ranks were rather ordinary. A glint of spiritual light in Chu Xing’er’s left eye quickly identified Liu Xiuqian.

“That’s impossible! How did you see through my true face?” The young woman in azure, cloaked and masked, shrank her pupils in panic and accidentally admitted the truth.

“Enough talk. Attack!” Liu Kui sneered coldly. Once the order to strike was given, there would be no survivors. If done cleanly and decisively, exposure was of little concern.

He was the first to unleash his weapon.

It was a half-zhang-long wolf tooth club. Combined with his burly frame, it was obviously heavy and powerful. Worse yet, it was not a low-grade magical weapon but a mid-grade one.

This was not surprising. In Tian Nan Commandery, ordinary Qi Refinement disciples rarely possessed mid-grade magical weapons.

But this was Pingzhou’s northern domain, a flourishing cultivation region. The Spirit Herb Sect ranked just below the four great powers, so it was not shocking for an elite disciple like Liu Kui to wield a mid-grade weapon.

Since her brother had already engaged in battle, Liu Xiuqian would not stand idly by. A blue flying sword shot out from her storage pouch, slashing fiercely toward Chu Xing’er.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Liu Kui’s use of such a massive wolf tooth club indicated his cultivation was profoundly solid and pure, enabling him to wield it effortlessly.

Indeed, Chu Xing’er’s mid-grade golden sword was shattered and sent flying by the club. Distracted, her willow-leaf blade attacking Liu Xiuqian failed to gain the upper hand.

One misstep led to total defeat. Facing Liu Kui’s relentless assault, Chu Xing’er could only erect a protective spiritual light and form a water curtain with hand seals to block the blows.

But this place was not a lake, ocean, or river; water elemental energy was scarce, allowing only two layers of azure water light to form briefly.

Clang! The mid-grade wolf tooth club smashed through the first layer easily, shattering it into scattered water elemental energy. The momentum did not slow, crashing into the second layer.

Still, Chu Xing’er’s water curtain was not useless.

Though the second layer was broken, the club’s power was halved. The final blow struck her protective spiritual light, severely distorting it but failing to break through in one strike.

Pale-faced and breathing heavily, nearly vomiting from the injury to her chest, Chu Xing’er seized the moment to recall her golden scripture weapon. Meanwhile, Xiao Wenzi quietly approached Liu Xiuqian from behind.

“Hmph! Demoness! I didn’t expect you to have a spirit pet. To think you rely on this mere demon mosquito to attempt a sneak attack on me—how naive!”

Without a demon suppression talisman or stealth talisman, Xiao Wenzi’s approach to the peak Qi Refinement Liu Xiuqian undetected was simply impossible.

Before he could close in, he was discovered. With a cold rebuke, the girl turned and unleashed a sword qi slash.

To Liu Xiuqian, a lowly demon mosquito was easily exterminated.

However, a gray shadow flickered. Several meters away, Xiao Wenzi did not retreat but charged forward swiftly. Spreading his wings, two semi-transparent blade arcs appeared, howling as they struck toward her.