darknovel Chapter 68: Successive Slayings
Chapter 68: Successive Slayings
Li Wu looked in the direction of the sound and saw an old Taoist standing in mid-Foundation Establishment.
"It's finally here."
Li Wu smiled slightly, then leaped into the air, bringing his body to the same height as his opponent.
Wu Qingyuan stared at the young Taoist priest before him, his body crackling with lightning, his brows furrowing slightly as he thought to himself:
"I've never seen such a young Lei Xiu before. Who is he?"
He ran his fingers through the information in his mind, confirming that he didn't recognize the person, and then cautiously inquired:
"May I ask your name, which sect or school you belong to? And why have you come to my Cangwu Mountain?"
"Since your Wu family wanted to take action against us, we've delivered ourselves right to your doorstep."
Upon hearing this, Wu Qingyuan was immediately filled with doubt, and then looked down at the current clan leader, Wu Shanming.
Upon hearing Li Wu's words, Wu Shanming paused for a moment, then suddenly realized what he meant and pointed at Li Wu, saying:
"You, you are from Youyang County!"
"Youyang Prefecture..."
Wu Qingyuan pondered for a moment, then looked at Li Wudao:
"Fellow Daoist, are you from the Taiyan Sect?"
"No," Li Wu shook his head.
Upon hearing this, Wu Shanming felt immediately relieved, but his face remained angry as he said:
"Hmph! How dare you, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, bully the Wu family like this!"
Wu Qingyuan roared, and a golden longsword flew out from his sleeve. The sword hummed and transformed into a golden rainbow that shot straight at Li Wu.
"You elders are truly capricious."
Li Wu raised an eyebrow, twirled his halberd, and crackled with lightning as he charged forward.
Thunder and golden light collided in the air, and the explosion shattered the tiles of the palace below.
Wu Qingyuan grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed. The young cultivator before him was clearly only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, yet his lightning techniques were fierce and domineering, and his spiritual power was incredibly abundant. Every strike he delivered made Wu Qingyuan's hands go numb.
"This kid is incredibly talented!"
Wu Qingyuan used his escape technique to create distance, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.
Li Wu's lightning was far too violent; each bolt of lightning could destroy his sword energy and strike him.
If he hadn't used the "Golden Light Body Protection Technique" to protect his body, he would probably have been struck to pieces by lightning long ago.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhao Nanxu also destroyed the last battle flag.
Then the [Golden Light Yellow Origin Array] that had enveloped Mount Cangwu gradually dissipated.
On the spaceship, Zhao Qianyuan saw the great formation dissipate and shouted sharply:
"Attack Cangwu Mountain!"
Immediately, the spaceship broke through the clouds and approached Mount Cangwu.
The late-stage Qi Refining cultivators on the ship grabbed their magical artifacts, jumped off the ship, and began fighting with the Wu family disciples in the mountains.
On the spaceship, Zhao Qianyuan activated the spiritual energy cannon, which was made using mechanical arts, and accumulated spiritual energy. Then, with a loud "boom," a beam of light slammed into the mountain peak.
Mount Cangwu trembled instantly, and several Wu family cultivators at the late stage of Qi Refining were killed on the spot.
"This spirit cannon is truly powerful."
Lu Sui, witnessing the power of the spirit cannon, was also amazed.
Zhao Qianyuan nodded slightly and said:
"After all, it is a product of a Core Formation sect. However, this spirit cannon consumes a lot of energy. Just this one shot will consume nearly two hundred spirit stones."
After saying that, Zhao Qianyuan prepared to fire another shot at the main hall on the mountain.
The commotion had caught Wu Qingyuan's attention, and when he looked up, he saw the spaceship charging up again.
"You dare!"
He chanted incantations and made hand seals, and the flying sword in his hand shone with golden light, transforming into a golden rainbow that flew away.
Li Wu glanced at it, then summoned the [Thunder Sound Flying Sword] he had obtained from Xue Zhen and hurled it fiercely.
"Clang!"
When the two swords clashed, Li Wu's Thunder Sound Flying Sword actually gained the upper hand, repelling Wu Qingyuan's flying sword.
"A Core Formation Flying Sword? How is that possible!"
Wu Qingyuan's pupils dilated as he stared in astonishment at Li Wu's flying sword.
Li Wu retrieved the Thunder Sound Flying Sword, nodded in satisfaction, and pondered to himself:
"It has such power even before it has been fully refined. It truly lives up to its reputation as a Core Formation level flying sword."
Wu Qingyuan stared at the thunder sword, his eyes filled with undisguised apprehension. The person in front of him was already so troublesome, and within his spiritual sense range, there was also a female cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
"I am no match for you."
"I must hold them off now and wait for Brother Zhou from Xiayun Temple to come and rescue me."
Wu Qingyuan's greatest strength in cultivating himself to this level is his ability to assess situations. When he knows that a situation is unfavorable to him, he will decisively lower his stance.
Then, he forced a smile and looked at Li Wudao:
"Haha, fellow Daoist, there must be some misunderstanding between us. Why don't we sit down and have a chat?"
"If anyone in my clan does anything that angers you, I will punish them severely."
"Old fox."
Li Wu narrowed his eyes slightly. How could he not see through the old Taoist's delaying tactic? So naturally, he wouldn't fall for it.
Li Wu did not respond, but instead brandished his halberd and charged straight at him.
"The younger generation is arrogant!"
Seeing that Li Wu was unmoved, Wu Qingyuan's expression darkened. He changed his hand seals in quick succession, activating the Golden Light Body Protection Technique to its limit, and a layer of dazzling golden armor appeared around his body.
Li Wu's halberd slashed down with the force of thunder, striking the golden-armored phantom directly. With a deafening roar, golden light scattered, and Wu Qingyuan was sent flying dozens of feet backward, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
"How can this lightning magic be so domineering!"
Wu Qingyuan was even more horrified.
He had been in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage for many years, and his spiritual power was far superior to that of ordinary people of the same level. However, when facing this junior who was in the early stage, he felt powerless.
Li Wu stood holding his halberd, lightning arcs crackling around him, his voice calm:
"Fellow Daoist, it seems your Wu family is doomed to perish today."
"Arrogant! You're just relying on the advantage of your magical artifact!"
Seeing that Li Wu was determined to kill, Wu Qingyuan's face darkened, so he stopped holding back. He made a hand seal, and the flying sword shone brightly, turning into a rain of swords that poured down from the sky.
"Excellent magic!"
Seeing this, Li Wu advanced instead of retreating, sweeping his halberd horizontally, his flying swords swirling around him, and lightning swirling out like a tornado, swallowing up all the sword rain.
At the same time, his Thunder Sound Flying Sword silently circled behind Wu Qingyuan, flashed with lightning, and headed straight for his back.
Wu Qingyuan sensed the danger and suddenly turned to the side. The flying sword grazed his ribs, leaving a trail of blood and a burnt smell.
"That brat is asking for it!"
He roared, and his whole body burst with golden light. It was clear that he was burning his essence blood to activate a secret technique, and his aura instantly surged to the late stage of Foundation Establishment.
"Did you risk your life?"
Li Wu frowned slightly, choosing to distance himself and temporarily avoid their sharp edge.
"Even if I die today, I'll drag you down with me!"
Wu Qingyuan roared and suddenly appeared in front of Li Wu. He slashed down with his sword, the golden blade sharp and menacing, making Li Wu's hair stand on end.
Almost instinctively, Li Wu unleashed his spiritual power, his body crackling with lightning, his figure transforming into an arc of electricity, barely managing to dodge the attack.
Li Wu's eyes suddenly turned fierce, and he immediately summoned the Golden Mirror.
Wu Qingyuan's sword strike missed its mark. As he turned around, he saw two bolts of lightning shoot out from the two precious mirrors, blocking his retreat from the left and right.
"A trivial skill!"
He snorted coldly, and the golden armor phantom solidified once more, withstanding the two lightning strikes head-on.
With a deafening roar, most of the golden armor shattered, but the lightning was also completely blocked.
However, in that instant, Li Wu's figure had already closed in on him.
The halberd, crackling with lightning, rose from below, aiming straight for Wu Qingyuan's throat.
Wu Qingyuan's pupils contracted sharply, and he hastily parried with his sword.
"Clang!"
The deafening clang of metal against metal forced Wu Qingyuan back relentlessly.
Li Wu attacked with his halberd one after another, his offensive as fierce as a storm, each strike carrying the force of thunder.
Wu Qingyuan retreated step by step, and the illusory golden armor on his body became increasingly dim.
"What kind of monster is this kid?!" He was filled with shock and anger.
Even after burning his own essence and blood, his cultivation had reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment, yet he still couldn't gain the slightest advantage in front of this junior.
"Why isn't Brother Zhou here yet!"
The distance between the Wu family and Xiayun Temple is at most a quarter of an hour for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Brother Wu, I've arrived!"
Just when Wu Qingyuan was almost in despair, a voice suddenly rang out from the horizon, and then the plants on Cangwu Mountain seemed to come alive.
Within moments, it grew stronger and larger, transforming into thick vines that coiled around Li Wu.
At this moment, Zhao Nanxu, who had been watching from the sidelines, made her move. With a wave of her sword, several sword energies slashed out, cutting all the vines in half.
Zhao Nanxu flew behind Li Wu, looked at the Foundation Establishment cultivator in the distance, and said in a deep voice:
"Fellow Daoist Li, I will stop this person."
Li Wuling probed with his spiritual sense and said in a deep voice:
"Fellow Daoist Zhao, that person is at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and must be the abbot of Xiayun Temple. Be careful. I will come to your aid after I kill this Wu family patriarch."
Zhao Nanxu nodded slightly, her expression solemn.
After all, she wasn't as monstrous as Li Wu. Facing a cultivator in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, she could at most only delay him for a while.
Zhou Yan, who had rushed over from Xiayun Temple, looked at the scene below and pondered:
"Lei Xiu? Could it be that guy from Youyang County?"
Unlike Wu Qingyuan, who was always in seclusion, he was much more well-informed and knew that a highly talented thunder cultivator had emerged in Youyang County in recent years.
"Regardless, let's seize these two early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators first."
With this thought in mind, Zhou Yan chanted an incantation and made hand seals, and the vegetation grew rapidly again, rushing towards the two of them.
…………
"We need to finish this quickly."
Knowing he could no longer delay, Li Wuxin channeled all his spiritual energy, his eyes flashing with lightning, and lightning condensed around him into a dragon. He said indifferently:
"Old man, you deserve to die."
The next moment, the figure suddenly appeared in front of Wu Qingyuan, with arcs of electricity crackling behind him.
Li Wu raised his hand and slashed down with his halberd. Two bolts of lightning shot out from the Golden Mirror behind him, while the Thunder Sound Flying Sword circled behind him under the control of Li Wu's spiritual sense.
"not good!"
Wu Qingyuan was terrified. In his panic, he had no choice but to use all his strength to activate the Golden Light Body Protection Technique, and the golden armor phantom almost became a tangible thing.
"boom!!!"
The lightning struck Wu Qingyuan directly, arcs of electricity and golden light intertwined, and fragments flew everywhere. Li Wu gave Wu Qingyuan no chance to catch his breath, launching attack after attack.
The golden armor eventually gave way and cracks began to appear.
Li Wu seized the opportunity and concentrated all his spiritual power on the halberd blade, which crackled with lightning and transformed into a dragon.
"Let's finish this one-shot!"
The dragon opened its blood-red maw and swallowed Wu Qingyuan whole.
"No!!!"
Wu Qingyuan's agonizing scream was only half-sounded before it was drowned out by the deafening thunder.
The golden armor was torn to shreds like paper, and violent lightning power poured into his meridians, wantonly destroying every inch of his flesh.
Golden light exploded, and blood and flesh flew everywhere.
Wu Qingyuan's body fell from mid-air and crashed onto the roof of the main hall of Cangwu Mountain, creating a huge hole.
At the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, the Wu family patriarch died and his cultivation dissipated.
Li Wu stood holding his halberd, his chest heaving violently, the lightning around him gradually receding.
This attack nearly exhausted most of his spiritual power, but the effect was equally astonishing.
"Ancestor!"
Upon witnessing this scene, Wu Shanming turned deathly pale, his legs went weak, and he almost couldn't stand up.
The morale of many of Wu's disciples collapsed, and many began to scatter and flee.
Standing on the spaceship, Zhao Qianyuan witnessed the entire process of Li Wuyi slaying the mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator. His pupils constricted slightly, and he murmured:
"Brother Zhao... are you really only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment?"
Lu Sui also gasped in shock:
"The power of his lightning magic is probably too much for even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator to withstand."
On the other side, Zhou Yan's expression changed drastically upon seeing Wu Qingyuan's death.
He had assumed that with his mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation and Wu Qingyuan's help, taking down two early-Foundation Establishment juniors would be a piece of cake.
Who would have thought that this young Lei Xiu would be so fierce, killing Wu Qingyuan in a short time.
"not good!"
Zhou Yan felt a sense of foreboding and immediately stopped fighting with Zhao Nanxu. He changed his magic technique, and countless vines burst up from the ground, weaving a huge wooden wall to block Zhao Nanxu. He then turned and fled.
"Since you're here, don't leave."
Li Wu's voice sounded behind him, cold and indifferent.
Zhou Yan turned around and saw that the figure wrapped in lightning had already appeared in front of him, moving at a speed far beyond his imagination.
He quickly conjured a wooden shield and retreated rapidly.
But before he could get far, a sword aura shot out from behind him, forcing him to fight back in a panic once again.
Li Wu's figure receded slightly, and he swallowed a pill to slowly restore the spiritual energy in his dantian.
Looking at the two people surrounding him, Zhou Yan felt both angry and afraid, and said:
"Wu Qingyuan! You dare to lie to me!"
When he received Wu Qingyuan's message, he assumed it was just an ordinary early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, which is why he offered his help.
Now they've arrived, but are these two ordinary early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators?
"No, we must find a chance to escape."
Zhou Yan looked at the two people in front of him, quickly calculating a way to escape.
Having cultivated for a hundred years, he knew the situation was perilous. Although the young thunder cultivator had consumed a lot of spiritual energy, his combat power was still intact. The female cultivator beside him also had a solid foundation. With the two of them working together, he had no chance of winning.
"Fellow Daoists, I was merely invited by Wu Qingyuan to lend a hand. Now that the main culprit is dead, I should naturally withdraw. Why create more bloodshed?"
"Let me leave. My Xiayun Temple will certainly treat you two as honored guests in the future."
Zhou Yan forced a friendly smile and spoke while slowly and subtly backing away.
"Fellow Daoist Li, this person must not be let go."
Zhao Nanxu whispered a reminder, her long sword always locked onto Zhou Yan's aura.
Li Wu naturally understood this principle.
Xiayun Temple and the Wu family have always been on good terms. If we let the tiger return to the mountain today, it will become a disaster in the future. Since we have already torn off the mask, we must eliminate it completely.
He looked up at Zhou Yan, his tone indifferent:
"Since you've come, it would be inexcusable not to leave something behind."
Zhou Yan's expression darkened:
"What do you intend to do, fellow Daoist?"
"Save your life."
Before Li Wu finished speaking, his figure had already transformed into a bolt of lightning and shot out.
At the same time, Zhao Nanxu moved, unleashing several sword energies that blocked Zhou Yan's retreat route on the left.
"This is outrageous!"
Zhou Yan roared and made hand seals. Suddenly, countless cracks appeared in the ground, and thick tree roots and vines surged out, intertwining to form wooden walls and barriers.
At the same time, a blue wooden bead flew out from his sleeve, hovering above his head, casting layers of blue light that protected him.
"A magic artifact for Core Formation?"
Li Wu raised an eyebrow and immediately summoned the Thunder Sound Flying Sword, piercing through the wooden wall before rapidly approaching Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan was shocked to see this and quickly urged the wooden bead to release more blue light. At the same time, he retreated rapidly, trying to create distance.
However, Li Wu's speed was astonishing; with flashes of electricity behind him, he had already closed in on him once again.
The halberd swept across, its lightning-like force striking Zhou Yan's protective azure light with devastating force.
With a loud boom, the blue light trembled violently, and Zhou Yan was shocked, his blood and qi surging.
"This lightning magic... even my Green Wood Beads can't withstand it!"
He gritted his teeth, bit his tongue hard, and spat out a mouthful of blood onto the wooden bead.
The wooden bead suddenly shone with a bright blue light, and countless vines surged out from it, transforming into a giant wooden dragon that roared and pounced towards Li Wu.
Li Wu frowned slightly, dodged to the side, and created distance.
"Fellow Daoist Li, I'm here to help you."
Zhao Nanxu's longsword shone brightly, unleashing continuous sword energy, while Li Wu also summoned the [Golden Mirror] and the [Thunderous Flying Sword].
Sword energy, lightning, and the wooden dragon intertwined.
"Boom!"
Lightning and fire, along with wood chips, flew everywhere. The wooden dragon was blasted to pieces by the lightning, turning into countless fragments.
Zhou Yan's face turned deathly pale, and a crack appeared on the wooden bead, its spiritual light dimming.
Just then, a sharp sword aura attacked from the side. Zhao Nanxu seized the opportunity and aimed her sword straight at Zhou Yan's throat.
Zhou Yan hastily dodged, the sword energy grazing his cheek and leaving a bloody mark.
Before he could even regain his footing, Li Wu's halberd came crashing down from the front.
Zhou Yan was unable to dodge in time and had to use the Green Wood Beads to defend himself.
Click!
The wooden bead shattered completely, and the blue light dissipated.
The halberd struck Zhou Yan's chest with unstoppable force.
Zhou Yan coughed up blood and his body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground and creating a crater several meters deep.
Li Wu landed, stood holding his halberd, and looked at Zhou Yan, whose aura had weakened, in the pit.
"Fellow Daoist, as I said, now that you're here, don't leave."
Zhou Yan struggled to get up, only to find that most of his meridians had been burned by the lightning, his spiritual energy was in disarray, and he had no strength left to fight.
He had no choice but to beg for mercy:
"Fellow Daoist... Fellow Daoist, spare me! I'll give you anything you want!"
"All the spiritual objects of my Xiayun Temple can be given to you!"
"I...I can still be your slave, just let me go!"
Li Wu's expression was cold as he calmly spoke:
"No need."
"Fellow Daoist, you should reincarnate."
Having said that, he brought down the halberd, severing the head.
At this moment, Zhao Nanxu also flew over and said in a deep voice:
"I didn't expect it to go so smoothly this time."
After saying that, she turned her head and glanced at Li Wu.
Clearly, she hadn't expected Li Wu to be so strong. She thought to herself:
"With such strength, I'm afraid I wouldn't last a quarter of an hour against him."
Fortunately, my family is on good terms with him.