I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

Chapter 170: Battle at the Lake

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After leaving Wuqi Mountain, Mu Bingyun heeded Uncle Lan's advice and remained vigilant throughout her journey.

Suddenly, as she flew over a lake, two waves of water erupted beneath her, lifting two Foundation Establishment cultivators into the air.

One was a burly, one-eyed middle-aged man at mid-stage Foundation Establishment, and the other was a woman in a translucent purple gauze dress, clearly at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

Without a word, the two cultivators launched a vicious attack.

The one-eyed man summoned a dull, grinding stone-like weapon. It spun rapidly, emitting a dull, gray light, accompanied by a heavy, whistling sound as it hurtled toward Mu Bingyun.

The pressure it exerted made Mu Bingyun's blood hum, her body inexplicably feeling heavier. She instantly realized that this was no ordinary weapon.

"Bold rogue cultivators!" she exclaimed.

With a wave of her delicate hand, a silver streak shot from her sleeve—a crescent-shaped silver dagger, trailing a blade of light several zhang long. It sliced through the air, aiming directly at the dull gray millstone.

The silver blade met the spinning millstone, its light quickly dimming as it ground against the revolving stone, producing a grating, teeth-on-edge sound.

Meanwhile, the woman in the purple gauze dress twisted her waist, sending out a purple ribbon that emitted a faint mist, resembling a coiling serpent. The ribbon circled downwards, attempting to entangle Mu Bingyun.

Mu Bingyun's expression shifted as she rapidly retreated, narrowly avoiding the tightening loops of the purple ribbon.

She quickly slapped a second-rank anti-poison talisman onto herself, blocking the faint mist emitted by the ribbon, but she still felt a slight dizziness in her head.

"Tsk tsk, the famous Ice Yun Fairy of the Mu Family, even more stunning than that wench Pei Qiuyan. Today was worth it," the one-eyed man sneered, his mana surging as he increased the pressure, causing the gray millstone to spin even faster.

"You know the identity of this lady, yet you still dare to attack me? Are you not afraid of the Mu Family's and Wuqi Mountain's retaliation?" Mu Bingyun asked, her voice steady as she fought and retreated, occasionally throwing out a second-rank talisman to ease the pressure.

The one-eyed man's gray millstone was relentless, weighing her down and forcing her to expend extra effort to maintain her mobility. The purple ribbon was closing in, making it difficult to break out of the encirclement.

"The Mu Family is just an ordinary Foundation Establishment family, not worth mentioning. Our boss can make you guys go extinct with one move," the purple-gauze woman sneered, her tone both mocking and seductive, designed to unsettle Mu Bingyun.

"And as for that cowardly Turtle Talisman Master of Wuqi Mountain, do you really think he'd stick his neck out for you? Once you disappear, no one will bother to investigate."

"Who are you people? What’s your relationship with 'Night Fisherman'?" Mu Bingyun's heart sank as she fought on.

Hearing them mention their "boss" gave her a sense of impending doom. If it was just these two, she had a few tricks up her sleeve that might help her escape. But if they had a notorious late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator like Night Fisherman on their side...

"Miss Mu, did I hear you calling for this old man?" a low, raspy voice suddenly sounded from behind her.

"Not good!" Mu Bingyun's blood ran cold, her face paling as she turned.

A powerful pressure enveloped her, filled with a chilling intent, emanating from a lean figure wearing a black veil and hat who had appeared behind her.

With a dry, withered hand, the figure raised a black rod, which then transformed into a dense forest of black shadows that descended upon Mu Bingyun with a swift, crushing force.

Bang! Crack!

In desperation, Mu Bingyun hastily summoned a top-grade defensive weapon and slapped out a superior second-rank defensive talisman. But the black rod easily shattered her weapon and slammed into her talisman, dimming its protective light to near extinction.

Mu Bingyun let out a muffled groan as her body was sent flying sideways.

"The boss's moves are something else," the woman in the purple gauze dress said, her tone filled with admiration and flattery as she controlled her purple ribbon, aiming to bind Mu Bingyun's lower body.

"So fast?" The veiled figure raised the black rod again but suddenly frowned.

Whoosh!

A sharp sound cut through the air from the direction of Wuqi Mountain, accompanied by the aura of two more Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Smack! Splash!

Mu Bingyun's protective talisman was struck by the purple ribbon, its light flickering dangerously as it teetered on the brink of collapse.

"We're almost there! Let's capture her quickly!" The woman in purple was overjoyed, certain of victory.

Mu Bingyun gritted her teeth, secretly preparing the top-grade talisman that Uncle Lan had given her.

Suddenly, a waterline shot up from the lake below.

A sharp, fang-like yellow flash appeared, slicing through the air with lightning speed, heading straight for the purple-gauze woman.

"Yan'er, watch out!" the veiled man shouted in alarm, being the first to notice the attack, but it was too late.

"Ahh..." The woman let out a scream as the yellow fang cut through her from below, splitting her body in two, a look of disbelief frozen on her face as she fell toward the lake.

"A late-stage second-rank Earth Burrowing Rat! How did it get here...?" the veiled man muttered, his raspy voice tinged with disbelief.

He had been distracted by the approaching reinforcements and hadn't anticipated the presence of a lurking spirit beast nearby.

With the purple-gauze woman dead, the pressure on Mu Bingyun eased, and a path to escape opened up.

"Earth Burrowing Rat!" she cried out in surprise and joy, diving into the lake to reunite with the familiar spirit beast from Little Turtle Peak.

However, the Earth Burrowing Rat ignored her.

With a loud splash, it shot out of the water like a cannonball, surrounded by a whirlwind of yellow sand, and charged directly at the veiled man.

At the same time, a top-level flying vessel carried Shi Manrong and Lan Chang'an into the fray.

...

"Retreat!" the veiled man shouted, swinging his black rod to conjure another forest of shadows that clashed with the Earth Burrowing Rat.

Squeak, squeak!

The Earth Burrowing Rat nimbly dodged the attacks, taking on minor injuries but stubbornly clinging to the veiled man, refusing to let him escape.

"Well done!" Shi Manrong praised, raising her arm to reveal a naturally carved white jade bracelet on her wrist.

Swish! Buzz!

The white jade bracelet blurred through the air, expanding into a 110-foot radiant white ring that locked onto the veiled man from above.

"Sss! This is..." The veiled man, who had reached the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage, felt his mind searing, his body heating up as though it were being roasted alive.

"Is this an exotic treasure?"

Lan Chang'an was equally astonished. The item Shi Manrong had just unleashed was at least a quasi-third-tier exotic treasure.

The veiled man had to channel his mana to protect his entire body, or else he risked being incinerated.

The Earth Burrowing Rat seized the opportunity to unleash a "Sandstorm Technique," enveloping the veiled man in a vortex of twenty zhang of violent yellow sand. The grating sound of the sand clashing with his protective barrier filled the air.

Lan Chang'an didn't rush to attack, instead maneuvering a mid-second-rank flying puppet overhead, ready to intercept any attempt by the veiled man to break free.

"Get over here and help me!" the veiled man growled, his voice hoarse with anger as he summoned a black umbrella supreme-grade magic weapon, forming a barrier of black flames around himself.

The one-eyed man, clearly terrified and under some sort of restriction, had no choice but to obey. He gritted his teeth and hurled his gray millstone at Shi Manrong on the flying vessel.

Lan Chang'an quickly intervened, summoning the Vajra Bell supreme-grade magic weapon.

The massive bell rang out with a deafening chime as it intercepted the gray millstone.

"I'll help you, Uncle Lan," Mu Bingyun called out, emerging from the lake with her drenched skirt clinging to her graceful figure.

She summoned her silver crescent dagger, sending a crescent moon-shaped slash of cold light at the one-eyed man from the side, teaming up with Lan Chang'an.

Together, they overwhelmed the one-eyed man, leaving him in a desperate state, barely able to fend them off.

"Even using the same grade of weapons, Uncle Lan handles them with such ease and power, far beyond what I can manage," Mu Bingyun thought as they fought side by side, realizing the gap between them and learning much from the experience.

If it were a one-on-one battle, Uncle Lan would undoubtedly defeat the one-eyed man, who was already more formidable than Mu Bingyun herself.

Lan Chang'an knew this was a rare combat experience for Mu Bingyun and wanted her to learn from it. However, seeing that Shi Manrong and the Earth Burrowing Rat had not yet secured a decisive advantage, he decided not to drag the fight out.

As the one-eyed man fought desperately, Lan Chang'an spotted an opening and quickly formed a seal with his hands, casting a spell on the lake below.

Whooosh!

A pillar of water more than ten zhang high burst forth from the lake below, bursting with mighty force like a raging tidal wave, forcing the one-eyed man into a corner.

With three sides closing in on him, the one-eyed man let out a furious roar, swallowed by the waves generated by two supreme-grade magical weapons and a water element spell, screaming until death swiftly claimed him.

"By leveraging geographical features, the simple water element spell's power was increased by a few degrees, trapping and killing the enemy," Mu Bingyun looked on and gained insight in terms of combat experience and technique.

...

The female cultivator in purple gauze and the one-eyed man both met their end one after the other.

Only the veiled man with the hat, who was suspected to be the "Night Fisherman," remained.

"This person's power is deep, not like that of a loose cultivator."

Lan Chang'an observed carefully.

Fairy Shi had used an exotic treasure to lock down and suppress him. She had also summoned a supreme-grade magical weapon and, along with the Earth Burrowing Rat, had teamed up against the man. Even so, they still couldn't break his defenses in a short time.

"The two Peak Masters, I admit defeat today." The veiled man spoke in a hoarse voice.

"If you’re willing to let this go, this old man can make an oath to stay away from the area surrounding Wuqi Mountain and will never come to seek revenge."

"What if we refuse?" Lan Chang'an smiled.

"I will pay the price and carve a bloody path out."

The veiled man spoke with a low, confident tone, enduring the searing pain brought on by the exotic treasure.

"Then let’s see you try."

Lan Chang'an flicked his finger, and the large golden-bronze bell, about six to seven zhang tall, descended over the Night Fisherman’s head.

"Lan Chang'an, you will regret this."

The veiled man spoke with a cold voice. His body shuddered, and the magic within him suddenly surged, increasing by several times over his late-stage Foundation Establishment level.

Boom!

The clothing on his chest tore open, and a plain-looking golden cauldron, about the size of an infant's head, flew out.

As soon as it appeared, it madly absorbed the surrounding magical energy, exuding an almost terrifying spiritual pressure akin to a real magical treasure.

"A prototype magical treasure!"

Both Fairy Shi and Lan Chang'an were visibly moved.

Lan Chang'an immediately transmitted a message, instructing Mu Bingyun to retreat a safe distance.

Just as he finished giving instructions, the prototype magical treasure cauldron in front of the veiled man burst into golden, glass-like patterns.

In the void, a flash of dazzling golden light streaked by.

Clang! Crack!

Lan Chang'an's supreme-grade magical weapon, the Vajra Bell, was knocked aside, its spiritual light dimming instantly. A crack appeared on its surface as it fell to the ground.

After this strike, the golden prototype magical treasure cauldron's radiance dimmed by two or three layers.

The golden light then struck Fairy Shi's supreme-grade magical weapon, causing it to break and fall to the ground as well. Its radiance dimmed by four or five layers.

Spurt!

The veiled man spat out a mouthful of essence blood, which landed on the prototype magical treasure cauldron. He then madly infused it with more mana, causing its light to recover by more than half.

Lan Chang'an became wary and distanced himself further.

The veiled man didn’t even glance at him.

Whoosh!

The prototype magical treasure cauldron turned into a streak of golden light, aiming directly at the greatest threat in the sky—Fairy Shi's white jade bracelet exotic treasure.

"Go!"

A large blue talisman appeared in Fairy Shi's jade-like hand, with a vividly depicted ice spear engraved on it.

"A talismanic treasure."

Lan Chang'an's heart steadied. Fairy Shi's means were indeed powerful enough to serve as the main force of the mountain.

A battle between a talismanic treasure and a prototype magical treasure was an extremely rare sight in the world of cultivation.

(End of chapter)