"Yu Shuyan of the Kunxu Immortal Palace has met Young Master Jiang," said the woman in a plain white dress as she walked to the doorway and bowed slightly, a smile on her face as she spoke, "How is your distinguished master doing?"

She looked to be just over twenty years old, with skin so fair and delicate it seemed it might be broken by the merest touch. Her almond-shaped eyes, like the spring waters of Jiangnan, ripples with undeniable allure, yet the undercurrent of murderous intent in her words was like a treacherous flood.

This murderous intent was not directed at Jiang Li but at Jiang Li's master—Tianxuan.

"The Immortal Queen really isn't afraid of dying, still thinking about promotion," Jiang Li sneered.

Last time, the Immortal Queen and the Emperor had conspired to concoct the Immortality Elixir. With the Emperor's help, the Immortality Elixir was forcibly completed, allowing her to overcome a major obstacle in the Promotion Ceremony. Afterwards, seeing that her plan was not feasible, the Immortal Queen decisively left, and since the concoction of the Immortality Elixir was a done deal, the other third-grade powers would not resort to a life-and-death struggle with her over it.

Because the Immortal Queen wanted to be promoted, there were still two makers standing in her way.

One of them was Tianxuan, who was fourth-rank but possessed the strength of a third-grade expert. The second was the Great Master Guanyin from the Buddha Country.

Even beyond these two makers, there were two more fourth-grade experts: the Primordial Lord Rain Master and the Princess.

It was Tianxuan who had joined forces with the Princess and the Primordial Lord Rain Master years ago, causing the Immortal Queen to suffer a great loss, preventing her from claiming the title of foremost female cultivator. Later, Guanyin's promotion to third-grade added to the multiple obstacles blocking the Immortal Queen's path.

To overcome this final step, one needed not only to contend with two third-grade experts but also two fourth-rank ones. And these individuals were certainly not without their own influence—indeed, this was much more difficult than concocting the Immortality Elixir. After all, the latter task did not require one to face any of the Upper Three Ranks, and battles between third-grade experts were earth-shattering and likely to draw much attention.

Yet, the Immortal Queen was bold—or perhaps resolute—to the point that, not long after the successful concoction of the Immortality Elixir, she attempted to overcome one of these obstacles.

Jiang Li was the bait, a lure for Tianxuan, and he even suspected that the Immortal Queen herself was currently in Liangzhou Province, waiting for Tianxuan to appear.

With the Plain Cloud Realm Flag in hand, even Tianxuan might not be able to discern the Immortal Queen's whereabouts.

"It seems, Young Master Jiang, you've already understood," Yu Shuyan said with a smile, "you are our bait."

As she spoke, waves of Divine Sense, each one embedded with malice, locked onto Jiang Li. They surged toward him from all directions like a tidal wave, threatening to completely engulf him.

Each wave of Divine Sense was followed by a Qi Mechanism, displaying vast potential; the power behind them was far beyond sixth-rank—that is to say—

Fifth-rank.

Multiple fifth-rank experts enclosed him like hunters while Jiang Li himself was but a sixth-rank expert. The only possible ally he had, Xiao Tian, was still wavering.

Although Xiao Tian was bound to Jiang Li and had picked up quite a few of his master's bad habits over this period of time, the basic loyalty of a canine was still ingrained in Xiao Tian's bones. Now, faced with the Kunxu Immortal Palace, the Sky Dog began to waver.

"Yes, I've understood."

Jiang Li let out a soft breath, as if sighing, yet his face showed no signs of panic. "Maybe there are no spare fourth-rank experts, or perhaps fourth-rank experts cannot come here. I understand that I don't need to confront any fourth-grade. That's enough, isn't it?"

"Just fifth-rank."

Fifth-rank, that was all?

Yu Shuyan didn't know whether to laugh at Jiang Li's arrogance or panic at his composure, and intense murderous intent emerged within her. Driven by her Qi Mechanism, several other Qi Mechanisms bore down on him at the same time.

"Kill Body and Leave Soul," Yu Shuyan commanded lightly.

Without any need for caution, even if Jiang Li were killed, his soul could still be preserved. If she faltered for fear of repercussions and blundered, that would be the real joke. Here, without the Five Viscous impurities, even if the soul body was very weak, it could still linger for a while, rather than being completely annihilated.

The arrangement by Kunxu Immortal Palace might not be watertight, but it certainly didn't leave Jiang Li any opportunity to exploit.

Boom!

The side wall of the Divine Farmer Hall exploded, and amidst the rising dust, a ghostly face emerged.

It was a square stone shield emblazoned with a huge ghost face, propelled by an unstoppable great strength, it charged forward with earth-shaking force.

"Zaochi."

Jiang Li recognized the stone shield and identified the assailant's identity. With an outstretched hand, the sword blade behind him dismantled and reconstructed to block Zaochi.

But at the same time, the dark shadow flashed again, the cold intent of murder locking onto Jiang Li's head. The Qi mechanism even brought a phantom pain to Jiang Li's Yuzhen acupoint, triggering a deep sense of crisis in his heart.

The next sword strike was aimed at the Yuzhen acupoint.

This wasn't because the assassin's concealment skills were faulty, but rather to pin down Jiang Li, causing him to be distracted and overwhelmed.

With Yu Shuyan at the main gate, Zaochi's strong assault, and the assassin lurking like a venomous snake, ready to strike, and considering that Da Feng and Zaochi were always inseparable, there was at least one more formidable enemy yet to reveal themselves.

Such an arrangement should have been secure enough to ambush a fifth-rank, yet here it was deployed against a sixth-rank Jiang Li.

Jiang Li's expression was as still as water, and not for a moment did the reconstruction of his blade falter; a fist armor covering his palm and forearm instantly materialized. Within it, the skin on his palm became crystal clear like water, with scale patterns and actual scales emerging.

"Boom!"

He met the giant shield with his palm, like a collision of two mountains. Instantly, Jiang Li's wheelchair disintegrated, the ground swayed, and the entire hall vibrated with the noise of the impact, visible ripples appearing in the air.

A huge Array Map took shape on the ground, the Eight Trigrams rotating, positioning Jiang Li at the Gen position, while the Innate Qi transformed into Mountain Qi.

Jiang Li had gone from sitting to standing, his feet as if rooted deeply into the earth. The force of attraction between the clear and the turbid held him firmly on the ground, enabling him to sturdily receive Zaochi's charge. The other fragments of the wheelchair converged and began to construct.

However, before the construction could take shape, Jiang Li suddenly lost control of the Mo Wu Battle Box—its components abruptly froze in place.

Yu Shuyan gathered golden energy in her hand and manipulated it from a distance, forcibly taking control of the Mo Wu Battle Box's reconstruction, and with a flick of her other hand, platinum Sword Qi shot through the air.

[At the same time, the phantom pain in the Yuzhen acupoint suddenly vanished, but a cold Qi mechanism had already closed in. If Jiang Li had eyes on the back of his head, he would have seen the dark Sword Light was less than an inch away from his Yuzhen acupoint.]

Jiang Li had no eyes on his back, but he had the Karma Collection. He couldn't claim to know everything happening behind him, but he was far from ignorant.

He spurred his strength forward, palm against shield, his gaze swift to meet the oncoming platinum Sword Qi, "Yin Talisman Seven Skills·Real Intent Technique Te Snake."

A crevice suddenly opened at his brow, akin to a Heavenly Eye, from which a Te Snake shot out, entwining the Sword Qi.

A palm struck the shield, divine sense took the form of a Te Snake, entangling the Sword Qi. However, the Sword Light at his back pierced straight forward, aiming directly for Jiang Li's Yuzhen acupoint.

The cold edge touched his skin, and in the next instant, it would penetrate this critical point of the human body when a surge of True Qi burst forth.

Indeed, the Yuzhen acupoint was one of the major vulnerabilities of the human body, but it was also the location of one of Jiang Li's Qi Seas. Numerous Qi Seas transported True Qi in concert, a grand flow of Innate Qi swirling towards the Yuzhen acupoint.

The True Qi solidified into a Dragon Scale covering the Yuzhen acupoint, the sharp blade striking it, impeded by a commanding force. Simultaneously, Jiang Li manifested the Three Flowers, his body covered in golden light, both because his Essence, Qi, and Spirit were utilized to their utmost and also because of the use of the "Three Flowers Gathering at the Top" Divine Skill.

With the strength of his physical body, he shook the shield of Zaochi, his divine sense transformed into a Te Snake, tangling with the platinum Sword Qi, and Innate Qi blocked the assassin's strike.

At this moment, the cultivation Jiang Li displayed shocked everyone—no one could have imagined Jiang Li to be so formidable, staunchly withstanding the attacks of all three assailants.

Strength clashed, the Qi mechanism roared like the surging Canghai Hengliu, the tumultuous force shooting upwards violently, blasting the roof of the Divine Farmer Hall into the air.

A Wind Force surged in at that instant, and under the moonlight, an enormous Monster Bird descended with folded wings, its vast claws enshrouded with fierce Qi swooping down.

As the claw struck, the sound of the wind howled, the Monster Bird cackling wickedly, "Hehehe, I've got him now."

The claw clenched tightly, ready to twist off Jiang Li's head...

Clang!

But the sound of the claw striking was met with sparks, and it grasped nothing but air.

"No, I've got you."

A faint voice drifted down from above.

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