Chapter 113: Facing Qi Yu Once More
The dark underground world was illuminated by Fang Junmei, who stood like a human lantern, his handsome face glowing with golden light and a look of upright righteousness.
It was one of the expressions Qi Yu despised most. Seeing Fang Junmei like this, he couldn't help but snort coldly.
Whoosh!
Fang Junmei shot out like a golden lightning bolt streaking through the void. As he swung his Bugu Sword, vast winds and clouds surged forth—he was unleashing the Great Evolution Wind and Cloud Sword Art.
Seeing this, Qi Yu retaliated with a spell that manifested as a cloud of green, toxic mist. The air was filled with a bizarre, nauseating stench; had it touched him, Fang Junmei would have suffered a gruesome fate. Fortunately, he had his Golden Bell Shield active.
Boom! Boom!
Having already fought once, their renewed clash was just as intense.
...
Fang Junmei attacked aggressively, his strikes churning the air, but after a short while, he shifted to a defensive stance. Relying on the aid of the Three-Breath Divine Stone, he dodged attacks by the narrowest of margins.
Qi Yu was no fool. He knew clearly that Fang Junmei was buying time for the White Horse to recover its strength. Unwilling to remain in a stalemate, he unleashed all his means, determined to finish Fang Junmei off quickly.
The White Horse, too, realized Fang Junmei’s intention. Its expression was anxious, yet no matter how urgent it felt, it had to wait for the effects of the Soft Fragrance Powder to wear off.
...
Whoosh!
The sound of breaking air shrieked like a ghost.
Qi Yu had once again pulled out the jade flying dagger he had used against the Ground-Splitting Armadillo. The dagger darted back and forth in the void, occasionally lunging with lethal intent at Fang Junmei’s head or heart—sinister and vile.
The speed of this jade dagger was extraordinary; it was the fastest artifact Fang Junmei had ever encountered, cutting through the void like a streak of emerald lightning.
However, Fang Junmei could handle even the White Horse’s space-traversing kicks with ease; a mere flying dagger, no matter how fast, could not best him.
The greatest threat to Fang Junmei remained Qi Yu’s spells. Most of the techniques Qi Yu practiced originated from the Wuman Mountains, filled with sinister, toxic properties. As the spells swirled, accompanied by colorful mists, even the slightest contact with Fang Junmei’s Golden Bell Shield caused it to corrode, emitting plumes of white vapor.
As time passed, Fang Junmei’s physical body could not avoid contact.
Ominous sensations began to stir within his body: burning, dizziness, hallucinations, and rotting flesh. While dodging, Fang Junmei was forced to pull out a bottle and swallow a Hundred-Spirit Antidote pill.
Whoosh!
Seizing this opening, the emerald dagger, moving through the void like a demon, shot forward to pierce Fang Junmei’s skull. Qi Yu himself launched a barrage of green palm shadows, enveloping Fang Junmei from all sides.
Rumble!
A sea of green light swallowed Fang Junmei’s figure. The watching White Horse’s gaze turned somber.
Swish!
A second or two later, Fang Junmei’s golden figure shot out from the mist, fleeing into the distance. His clothes were tattered, blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, his hair was disheveled, and a spurt of blood erupted from a wound on his left chest. He looked miserable, his skin festering.
"If you want that horse, take it. I wash my hands of this!" he shouted while fleeing.
Hearing this, the White Horse was stunned. An uncontrollable look of disappointment spread through its eyes. Were humans all the same? At the end of the day, were they never to be trusted?
...
However, seeing Fang Junmei’s wretched state, the horse’s gaze soon calmed. It could only let out a deep sigh. Fang Junmei had done all he could; one could not demand that another die for them to prove their loyalty.
"Hahahaha—"
Qi Yu laughed loudly upon hearing this. He did not give chase, instead mocking the retreating back of Fang Junmei, "Kid, it turns out your sense of chivalry has its limits. Since you know when to quit, I shall take your life the next time we meet."
In the darkness, the golden glow faded into the distance. There was no sound from Fang Junmei.
...
Qi Yu turned to face the White Horse.
Knowing it was no match for Qi Yu in its current state, the White Horse turned and fled. Qi Yu naturally gave chase.
With its strength drained, the White Horse’s speed seemed to have slowed; although it could still traverse space, the distance was drastically reduced. Consequently, Qi Yu began to close the gap.
"If you agree to submit to me and enter my Demon-Sealing Tablet, I will grant you freedom in three thousand years. If not, I will have no choice but to plant a Heart-Linked Gu in you, binding our lives together. If I live, you live; if I die, you die!" Qi Yu threatened with an eerie, sinister tone.
Whether this was true or not could only fool an ordinary beast. How could a creature of such high intelligence as the White Horse believe him?
Hmph!
A cold snort emanated from the horse’s nostrils.
Seeing this, Qi Yu’s gaze turned icy. He began chanting, casting one sinister spell after another toward the fleeing horse.
The White Horse dodged by traversing space, but the feeling of powerlessness in its body grew, and the strength derived from its bloodline faded further. Before long, it was struck by several spells, leaving it bleeding and festering. Ominous sensations began to overwhelm its body and mind.
Qi Yu calculated silently. Feeling the time was ripe to plant the Heart-Linked Gu, he reached for his storage bag, his pupils narrowing involuntarily.
Whoosh!
At that very moment, a massive sword-wail erupted from behind him. Turning around, he saw Fang Junmei’s Bugu Sword shooting forward, with Fang Junmei himself following close behind.
"That bastard, ruining my fun again!" Qi Yu cursed.
The White Horse neighed in joy—it was overjoyed. Fang Junmei had not abandoned it after all.
Fang Junmei’s poison had clearly subsided significantly. Though he looked ragged, his spirit was clear, and he had obviously performed simple treatments on his wounds.
As he flew in, he laughed, "I was tricking you two! I’m back, and our battle is far from over!"
...
"Preposterous! I’ll slaughter you first!"
Enraged, Qi Yu roared, spun around, and charged toward Fang Junmei. The two were locked in a fierce battle once more.
The White Horse found a patch of level ground and stood there, watching Fang Junmei fight Qi Yu. Its gaze held a new depth of emotion.
In this battle, Qi Yu revealed more of his arsenal. Having captured and used beasts before, he pulled out his Demon-Sealing Tablet, from which a late-stage Floating Dust Realm Fire Tiger leapt out, joining Qi Yu to attack Fang Junmei.
...
Although Qi Yu’s poison arts were a headache, Fang Junmei did not fear the Fire Tiger, especially since the beast itself was also being damaged by Qi Yu’s toxins.
Rip!
After a short, intense struggle, Fang Junmei pierced the Fire Tiger’s skull with his sword. But he, too, fell into the same cycle as before, his body being eroded by the toxic spells.
Whoosh!
With a sharp whistle, Fang Junmei fled into the distance once again.
This time, there was no joy in Qi Yu’s eyes. He knew that once Fang Junmei purged the toxins, he would return.
"Chunyu Qian, it must be that old ghost Chunyu Qian. Only the pills he concocts could purge our Wuman Mountain toxins so quickly."
Ultimately, he was only an early-stage Dao Embryo cultivator; his poison arts were not yet perfected, and he was clearly at a disadvantage against pills refined by Chunyu Qian himself.
If he didn't chase Fang Junmei, the kid would return to harass him. If he chased Fang Junmei, the White Horse would surely escape. The only reason the horse hadn't run yet was its concern for Fang Junmei.
Qi Yu felt a splitting headache. This was supposed to be a golden opportunity to reap the rewards, so why had it devolved into such a difficult, stalemate-ridden situation? Every time he encountered Fang Junmei, he felt like a fool being led in circles. This was not the style of a man as arrogant as himself.
"No, I must find a way to trap that kid for a while to buy time to plant the Heart-Linked Gu on that horse!"
Qi Yu’s eyes darted. Seeing the White Horse also fleeing into the distance, he hurriedly gave chase.
...
As he chased, he pondered. Hailing from the Wuman Mountains, his expertise lay in poisons and sorcery. He meticulously reviewed every technique he had learned and every item in his storage space.
Finally, a light sparked in his eyes.
He brushed his waist, pulled out a jade bottle, and silently removed the stopper. A gray, powder-like substance drifted out, scattering behind him as he pursued the horse.
After releasing the powder, Qi Yu focused on the White Horse, unleashing a kaleidoscope of spells. The horse soon felt an ominous abnormality within its body and let out a shrill, desperate neigh, as if calling for Fang Junmei.
...
Not far away, Fang Junmei had just swallowed an antidote and was circulating his magic, working with the medicine to purge the poison. Hearing the horse’s cry, he realized things were dire; the White Horse couldn't hold on much longer. Even if the poison wasn't lethal, if it fell unconscious, it would be at Qi Yu’s mercy.
"To learn the Way of Space, I’ve really risked my life," Fang Junmei muttered with a bitter smile, feeling a sense of gloom at not knowing what he was working toward.
Not daring to hesitate, he set off again, chasing in the direction of the others.
...
The underground wind rushed to meet him. As Fang Junmei pursued, he suddenly came to a halt, his expression dazed.
The world before his eyes was no longer the dark underground space; it had changed. He was back—in the Pan Kingdom.