Taiyi Dao Fruit

"Wu~hu~"

The deep breaths invaded Jiang Li's ears, and the invisible suppression arrived like a shadow, stopping the True Qi, which was circulating within him, once again cold and still like dead water. Jiang Li was startled awake.

He immediately opened his eyes, swam ashore, grabbed the crutch transformed from the Mo Wu Battle Box, and ran towards Si Fan Valley.

Jiang Li recognized the sound; it was coming from the bottom of Dinghu.

Although the Divine Domain suppression of the Si Fan Valley isle had suddenly intensified and spread outward, indicating a change on the island, at least there was Elder Tianpeng, a powerhouse in Si Fan Valley. In comparison, an unknown presence had appeared in Dinghu.

The choice was a no-brainer.

Jiang Li ran while hastily dressing, not even daring to glance back.

Don't look, don't think, just run. As for opportunities, Jiang Li felt he didn't need them; he already had enough to last him for a while.

But before Jiang Li could reach the valley's entrance, a flat boat shot toward him from the surface of the lake like an arrow, followed swiftly by a strip of Qing Yue color.

"Clang!"

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Li sidestepped, dodging the Qing Yue strip as the fierce edge pierced past him, striking a rock and making a clang. The Sword Light trembled, splitting the rock, the Qing Yue light turning and coming at him for another kill.

'Luo Yi!'

In that instant, Jiang Li saw the Qing Yue strip and recognized it as the Flying Sword Luo Yi had manipulated just three days ago.

He had actually come to assassinate Jiang Li.

He had arrived so quickly!

Jiang Li indeed had guessed that he might face Jiang Zhuyun's aggressive moves and could even suffer assassination within the Sect. But in Jiang Li's estimation, the assassination would not have come so quickly.

Jiang Li had only just received the Mo Wu Battle Box during the day, and come evening, an assassin was already upon him. It was too fast.

Jiang Zhuyun had learned of it too quickly, and the assassination was overly decisive.

What Jiang Li considered an aggressive move—a series of probing attacks, deceitful plans, overt and covert struggles, and eliminating every display of power by Jiang Zhuyun with the help of the Sect's strength. Eventually, when Jiang Zhuyun's momentum was gone and he could no longer turn the tides, that's when Jiang Li would have struck a fatal blow.

But the actual aggressive move—assassination.

The quickest, simplest, and most brutal assassination.

Right there in Si Fan Valley, near Elder Tianpeng, in the shortest possible time, the assassination was underway.

Who could have anticipated this?

Had Jiang Li not come to the lakeside to bathe that night, he might not have realized what was happening until the assassin was at his door.

The flat boat shot to shore, and before it could land, a dark figure leaped into the air. Mid-jump, a sword finger gesture was made, and the Flying Sword came hurtling toward him, Sword Light fierce and swift.

He could use True Qi on the island!

In terms of strength, Jiang Li, who had already faced off against Luo Yi once, was not intimidated at all. Even if he could not beat the opponent, there were plenty of ways to contend with him. But the situation now was one where True Qi could be used on one side but not on the other, and to top it off, his legs were weak because of some petty woman.

Even after the earlier circulation of True Qi, Jiang Li's body was far from fully recovered, not even half-restored.

It was nearly drained dry; you can't recover so easily from that.

However, Jiang Li's mind remained utterly unflustered. His heart was still in that state of serene clarity, devoid of sorrow or joy. His inner lake was like a mirror, reflecting the trajectory of the Sword Light. The crutch in his hand, as if foreknowing, thrust upward from below, hitting the Flying Sword directly in its body.

"Ding!"

Amid the crisp clashing sounds, the Sword Qi suddenly vibrated, making Jiang Li's palm go numb, yet that calculated thrust deviated the Sword Light's course, making it fly past the side of Jiang Li's face.

The biting Sword Wind took a strand of hair with it as Jiang Li leveraged momentum to flip his body and dashed towards the valley, all the while shouting, "Murder! Help! Sister, save me! Elder, save me!"

The shouting voice spread all around, echoing madly within the valley. Even if Gongsun Qingyue were still in a deep slumber, the noise would likely wake her up, let alone Elder Tianpeng.

But what responded to Jiang Li was an increasingly heavy breathing sound.

"Wu~ Hu~"

The deep rumbling, carrying an indescribable majesty, shook the island as a gale blew fiercely; an invisible heavy pressure descended upon everyone present.

Jiang Li only needed to let his body sink slightly, and his already weakening legs nearly brought him to his knees.

In contrast, Luo Yi, dressed in black, seemed utterly unaffected.

Scales appeared on his body as a phantom image, and when the invisible pressure contacted this image, it was like a gentle spring breeze, sweeping past Luo Yi without causing a single fluctuation in his Qi Mechanism.

Luo Yi then wielded his sword again, his Flying Sword flashing like lightning, bringing the sound of thunder as it ferociously charged to kill.

Jiang Li's footwork was not slow, but the speed of a person could hardly match that of a Flying Sword, not to mention Jiang Li couldn't use his True Qi.

In the blink of an eye, the cane in Jiang Li's hand swiftly morphed into a pitch-black shield. He turned around and met the Sword Light with the shield. The two collided, making a thunderous noise.

"Dong!"

The Sword Light struck like a great bell, resounding loudly. The shield derived from the Mo Wu Battle Box was indeed of solid quality, blocking the Flying Sword, but the Flying Sword still managed to send Jiang Li, along with the shield, flying, slamming hard against the stone wall.

"Cough!"

The impact forced Jiang Li to cough out a crimson color, blood staining the corners of his mouth. Most critically, Luo Yi was already closing in.

This Senior Brother Luo, from beginning to end, didn't waste time on fierce words, solely intent on killing Jiang Li, unlike those verbose villains.

'All or nothing.'

Fully aware that escape was no longer an option, Jiang Li's eyes hardened as he prepared to swiftly press on his acupoints, burning Essence Blood to unleash his hidden potential.

This was the desperate strategy Jiang Li had derived from the Crystal Belly, capable of stimulating the potential of the physical body and unleashing the power of the Essence Element.

However, just as his sword finger was about to make contact with his body, a mighty force suddenly erupted from within the shield in front of him. From the inside out, it forcibly dispelled the invisible pressure that weighed upon Jiang Li.

The lifeless True Qi suddenly became animated, circulating throughout Jiang Li's body under his command. The shield was raised again, blocking another strike of the Sword Light.

"Kid, I have already dispersed the oppressive force of the Yinglong Dragon for you. Hold on a little longer, and once I suppress the Yinglong Dao Fruit, I will come to save you," came Elder Tianpeng's voice from afar. Soon after that, a vast phantom emerged within Si Fan Valley, the Calamity Cloud billowing above, concealing the Ming Yue.

"Boom!"

Thunder roared and lightning flashed, illuminating part of the phantom, revealing a figure with four heads and eight arms.

'This elder does indeed bear the Dao Fruit of Marshal of the Heavenly Canopy,' Jiang Li thought to himself, as his True Qi vibrated, exuding a chilling aura.

"No need for rescue..."

The shield in his hand restructured and transformed. His eyes narrowed, focusing on his assassin. For the first time in front of others, he displayed an extreme intention to kill, "Because I will kill him."

Such strong intent to kill even dispelled the Mental State from the Wise Man Time.

It was a lesson, telling Jiang Li to never be careless at any time.

As a return for this lesson, Jiang Li felt that only personally slaying his foe could adequately express his gratitude.