Chapter 121: The Power of the Talismans

Humming, three or four thick layers of earthy-yellow radiance had just manifested around Chu Xin'er when a streak of light from a sword whistled through the air and struck them, followed immediately by a second, a third, and a fourth.

Boom, boom, boom! The light barrier distorted and trembled violently. Fortunately, mid-grade defensive talismans were capable of withstanding attacks from early Foundation Establishment cultivators, and Chu Xin'er was using a particularly sturdy earth-element defensive talisman.

Although the light sword continued to shatter the earthy-yellow barriers created by the talisman, the light sword itself, fueled by the sword gourd, was rapidly dissipating.

By the time the power of the final light sword was exhausted, the two or three layers of earthy-yellow barriers had collapsed under the immense pressure, and the last layer was spiderwebbed with cracks. However, protected by her own water-blue spiritual light, Chu Xin'er remained completely unharmed.

Nevertheless, her expression was grim. The mid-grade defensive talisman she had purchased from the little fellow had been exhausted—that was worth over a thousand spirit stones.

"She actually blocked it? How is that possible? Was that a mid-grade earth-element defensive talisman she just used? Damn it, how could this woman be so wealthy?"

Sealing a dozen light swords comparable to Foundation Establishment strikes within a sword gourd was no simple feat. The man in the bamboo hat did not possess such ability himself; he had obtained this treasure by pure chance during an adventure.

The problem was that every time he activated it, it not only required him to channel a vast amount of his own spiritual energy, but once the sword energy inside the gourd was depleted, it could not be used again for weeks or even a month. Otherwise, he would have brought it out when Elder Xun and the woman in white had fallen.

He had expected that using this trump card would allow him to easily annihilate his enemy, yet the result was entirely unexpected. Seeing Chu Xin'er unscathed, the cold indifference vanished from the man's face, replaced by a trace of panic as he attempted to retreat.

"Hmph! Go to hell!"

Chu Xin'er would not let him walk away after he had caused her to lose several talismans worth over a thousand spirit stones. With a cold snort, two or three offensive talismans flew from her palm, transforming into fireballs, ice shards, and rolling stones that barreled toward the man in the bamboo hat.

That was not all. Under the guidance of her spiritual energy, a three-inch-long silver needle trailed behind the fireballs.

"Damn it, more mid-grade talismans? And so many of them? No—"

The power contained within the flames, ice shards, and rolling stones caused both the man in the bamboo hat and Cheng Fang to narrow their eyes. These were genuine mid-grade talismans, and judging by their potency, they were far from ordinary; each was sufficient to match the strike of an early Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Correspondingly, the faint glimmer and pressure of the flying needle were negligible, making it easy to overlook.

*Thump.* The fireballs, ice shards, and rolling stones struck the man's protective spiritual light in rapid succession, shattering it with ease. Unwilling to sit and wait for death, he hurriedly unleashed his own spells to defend himself.

However, a flash of silver light appeared before him, and the needle pierced through his chest. Moments later, the fireballs, ice shards, and stones—though slightly diminished in power—slammed into his body.

With his heart pierced by the sneak attack and his body engulfed by the power of the mid-grade talismans, the man's life force rapidly dissipated. Soon, he was reduced to ashes, leaving behind only his storage pouch and the pale gold gourd, which fell into the dust.

While this process took time to describe, it all occurred within a few breaths. The battle between the man in white and Xiao Wenzhi had yet to reach a conclusion.

With Chu Xin'er having displayed such divine power to eliminate the man in the bamboo hat, the once-furious man in white grew surprisingly calm. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, he sought to retreat and wait for a later opportunity to exact his revenge.

Cheng Fang, whose eyes were darting around, shared the same thought, but Chu Xin'er’s golden sword and willow-leaf blades had already descended with lethal force, leaving him no chance to escape.

Xiao Wenzhi also would not allow the man in white to leave easily. As he recalled his flying sword, arcs of sharp energy whistled through the air to strike.

After breaking through to the tenth level, Xiao Wenzhi’s wing blades could focus their energy on a single point, capable of piercing the protective light of a thirteenth-level cultivator—unless the opponent defended with all their might or traded offense for defense. But doing so made it impossible to withdraw from the fight.

"Damn mosquito, I'll fight you to the death!"

Seeing his protective light distorting and trembling violently and unable to break away, the man in white roared through gritted teeth, his sword radiating brilliant light as he struck toward Xiao Wenzhi.

*Boom, boom, boom!*

As the golden sword and willow-leaf blades pressed their attack, cracks appeared on Cheng Fang’s longsword artifact, and his flying knives were also suppressed by Chu Xin'er. His expression grew deathly pale.

Reinforcements had yet to arrive, and if this dragged on, he risked falling here. But panic only served to cloud his mind rather than change the tide of battle.

With a loud crash, Cheng Fang's longsword shattered into shards of iron. Immediately after, Chu Xin'er flicked her finger, and while the willow-leaf blades entangled his flying knives, the Adamantine Sword descended upon his head.

Back in Tiannan County, Chu Xin'er had been unable to instantly shatter the defenses of Feng Liang or Huang Yipeng because her cultivation was too low to unleash the true power of her mid-grade artifacts. Now, having advanced from the eleventh level to the peak of the thirteenth, her spiritual energy was vastly superior to before.

Moreover, Cheng Fang’s natural talent lay in business; his combat prowess was not outstanding among his peers, and his protective light was no match for a strike from the mid-grade Adamantine Sword.

"No—!"

With a scream, his outer light barrier shattered like a bubble. Under the impact of the sharp Adamantine Sword, Cheng Fang was torn asunder, dead beyond any doubt.

"Fairy, spare me! I am willing to..."

Having finished off Cheng Fang, Chu Xin'er did not hesitate to drive her two mid-grade artifacts toward the man in white. Feeling the threat of death, he could not help but beg for mercy.

But before he could finish his plea, his protective light shattered instantly. The arcs of sharp energy, the willow-leaf blades, and the Adamantine Sword pierced his body simultaneously, and his pleas were abruptly silenced.

Knowing that the experts from the Cheng Family Fortress were likely on their way, Chu Xin'er gathered the spoils of war and, with no time to count them, galloped away in a chosen direction.

Her concerns were not unfounded. An hour later, two streaks of light arrived from the direction of Yunfeng Market.

Judging by the speed of their flight and the pressure they exuded, both were Foundation Establishment cultivators. The burly man in silk robes was none other than Cheng Dongkui, master of the Cheng Family Fortress, who was on the verge of breaking through to the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Having received word from Cheng Fang, Cheng Dongkui and the second master of the Cheng family had rushed over without rest, but the long distance had inevitably caused a delay.

"Damn it, the sixth brother is already dead. And he seems to have invited help. Is that demoness really that powerful? Or is there some other hidden faction behind her?"

Chu Xin'er had left in such a hurry that she had not disposed of the remains of Elder Xun, Cheng Fang, and the middle-aged couple. The second master of the Cheng family swept his divine sense over the small hill and easily discovered everything.

According to the clues provided by his nephew Cheng Hai and the others, Chu Xin'er’s cultivation was only at the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining stage, and Cheng Fang and the other four cultivators were at a similar level.

Five against one—logically, it should have been a guaranteed victory. He found it hard to imagine that the sixth brother and his companions had not only lost but had died so miserably.

He refused to believe there wasn't something suspicious going on.