Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments

Chapter 350 - 185: Encountering Li Yongfeng and Obtaining the Latest Intelligence

Hezhou is vast. Even on a Flying Sword, it would take several days to travel from north to south.

And yet, Hezhou is also small—so small that before he had even left the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers, Xiao Chen ran into Li Yongfeng, the President of the Huidong Commerce Association.

He wasn’t alone. Traveling with him were three Foundation Establishment Cultivators, all concealing their auras as they hurried south along Shuangxia Ridge.

They were moving so quickly that an average cultivator would be unable to keep up.

For Xiao Chen, however, this was not a problem.

He even used the Vertical Earth Golden Light to travel through the mountain forest below, which also helped conceal his presence and avoid detection.

Strangely enough, Li Yongfeng also seemed to be heading for the Cyan Cloud Sect, and he barely stopped the entire way.

They didn’t slow down until they had left the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers and entered the territory of the Cyan Cloud Sect.

They then split into two pairs, heading off in different directions.

There had been too many of them before. Now that they had split up on their own, Xiao Chen no longer hesitated. He shot forward and intercepted Li Yongfeng.

Three streaks of light instantly formed the Small Three Talents Sword Array, trapping the unfamiliar Foundation Establishment Cultivator inside.

At the same time, he tossed out the Immortal Binding Rope. "Go!"

The rope seemed to come alive, shooting straight for Li Yongfeng.

"You dare betray me?"

Unexpectedly, the unfamiliar Foundation Establishment Cultivator glared at Li Yongfeng. "The Sect Leader saved your life! Are you really going to act like such a despicable villain?"

As he spoke, he produced a round Bone Shield, temporarily warding off the Sword Array’s lethal assault.

His aura could no longer be concealed, revealing a Cultivation at the Great Perfection stage of Foundation Establishment.

Seeing this, Xiao Chen thought, ’Just as I expected.’ He hadn’t attacked all four at once precisely because he was worried a situation like this would allow his prey to escape.

But now that one was trapped in the Sword Array, success was guaranteed.

Meanwhile, Li Yongfeng recognized the Immortal Binding Rope at a glance, and his heart seized in alarm.

He quickly pulled a Jade Talisman from within his robes, flicking it between his fingers. "Freeze!"

The Jade Talisman transformed into a golden light that enveloped the Immortal Binding Rope, stopping its descent.

He first offered an explanation, "Fellow Daoist Jing Cheng, don’t misunderstand. I do not know this brute."

At the same time, he produced a Treasure Pearl and activated it, demanding, "I am the President of the Huidong Commerce Association. Who are you?"

Xiao Chen glanced up at the golden light in the sky.

’Sigh.’ He knew that as the Commerce Association’s president, Li Yongfeng would naturally have some defensive measures up his sleeve.

But it didn’t matter. He hadn’t really expected the Immortal Binding Rope to work on the first try anyway.

Without a word, he took out his Golden Melon Thunder Hammer and pressed the attack.

’It wouldn’t be too late to talk after he’d taken him down.’

"How audacious!"

Seeing Xiao Chen charge at him, Li Yongfeng immediately waved his hand, and a bright white Magic Shield materialized.

Ripples of light danced across its surface as it projected a sky-blue barrier, firmly protecting him.

He then pulled out an orange-red Dharma Pearl, rapidly chanted an incantation, and tossed it outward.

FWOOSH! The Dharma Pearl erupted with a ball of intense flames, forming an orange-red curtain of fire in front of him.

SPLATTER!

When the Golden Melon Thunder Hammer struck the curtain of fire, it felt as if it had hit a pool of water.

Flames immediately splattered in all directions. The ones that landed on the hammer instantly heated its head red-hot, causing it to emit wisps of white smoke.

The flames that hit the Muddy Water Round Shield sizzled and crackled, like water splashing into a pan of hot oil.

Crouching behind his Round Shield, Xiao Chen could feel the ambient temperature instantly double.

Clearly, this was no ordinary Spiritual Fire; it had to be some kind of special flame.

He immediately activated his Fire-Storage Treasure Gourd, aiming it at the curtain of fire to draw it in.

Fortunately, the Treasure Gourd performed as reliably as ever, successfully absorbing most of the Spiritual Fire.

Although the Dharma Pearl was still spewing a continuous stream of new Spiritual Fire, a wide gap had been exposed.

As his Spiritual Fire was absorbed, Li Yongfeng felt the Magical Power in his Dantian draining away at a rapid pace.

He hastily recalled the Dharma Pearl and retracted the curtain of fire.

He stared at the Fire-Storage Treasure Gourd in the air. "What an incredible treasure!"

Although Xiao Chen was concealing his appearance with a Stealth Cloak, the number of such special, exquisite Magical Artifacts was extremely limited.

Li Yongfeng memorized its appearance. It wouldn’t be difficult to discover his opponent’s identity based on that alone.

His hands didn’t stop moving. As he put away the Dharma Pearl, he took out a Jade Purification Bottle.

Fueled by his Magical Power, the palm-sized Jade Purification Bottle instantly grew to be six feet tall. It hovered in mid-air for a moment before tipping over.

A torrent of water poured from its mouth, enveloping both him and the bottle itself.

’If Spiritual Fire doesn’t work, then I’ll switch to Spiritual Water.’

Li Yongfeng’s Magical Combat style was very methodical. He always began by erecting at least two layers of Defense in front of himself, showing no hurry to attack.

The downside to this approach was its passivity, but the upside was its stability.

For example, surprise attacks from artifacts like the Soul-Chasing Shuttle or Soul-breaking Needle couldn’t bypass the multiple layers of protection to achieve any miraculous effect.

It was also effective at blocking surprise attacks from Body Cultivators.

The rippling water looked unremarkable, but one could tell from the Spiritual Pressure it emitted alone that it was by no means weaker than the previous Spiritual Fire.

Such a solid, defensive style was quite rare, but Xiao Chen wasn’t worried.

He backed away slightly and began to activate his own Magical Artifacts one by one.

’Worst case, this will become a battle of Magical Power attrition. I refuse to believe he can outlast me.’

As Xiao Chen deployed a host of Top-Grade Magical Artifacts, Li Yongfeng’s expression changed drastically. "Xiao Chen!"

’There’s no mistaking it. In all of Hezhou, there’s only one Foundation Establishment Cultivator capable of wielding so many Top-Grade Magical Artifacts.’

He immediately looked toward the other man. "Fellow Daoist Jing Cheng, you know I’ve never associated with any of the other Li State cultivators."

Meanwhile, Wang Jingcheng, who was trapped in the Sword Array and desperately defending himself, had also seen what was happening outside.