Chapter 196

Chapter 196: The Way of Synthesis

Li Hui retreated to regroup with the Yin-Yang Nine Heads, suddenly pausing his movement to glance at the shadow on the left side of the stone wall.

“Junior Brother Li!”

Mo Xinghe revealed himself, his face pale as he looked across at Li Hui, with Bai Yulian beside him. They had not expected to reunite under such circumstances.

“Brother Mo, Sister Bai.” Li Hui clasped his fists in greeting, pulling out two vials of quality alchemy and a bag of low-grade Miao Jade to throw over. Floating back with the protection of the Yin-Yang Nine Heads, he said, “You two should hide for now; we should be able to avoid Dugu Yi. The old fellow is fierce, and he has set his sights on me, so I mustn’t linger. We’ll meet again someday.”

Bai Yulian opened her mouth to speak but ultimately fell silent, watching his graceful figure disappear.

Mo Xinghe looked at the vials and Miao Jade in his hands with a wry smile, “This brat started with so little, but now that the winds have changed, even the sect leader seems unable to deal with him. Indeed, we need help. These potions and Miao Jade are just what we need, but joining forces with him is out of the question; we must leave this place quickly to find Gao Yuhu and Lian Luosha!”

“Brother, can’t you see that Junior Brother Li has already dealt with the Myriad Form Purple Absolute God Symbol embedded within him?” Bai Yulian suddenly tightened her grip on her clothing. She refused to be used by others; as long as this hidden danger remained, she would be unable to find peace.

“What good does that do?” Mo Xinghe shook his head and sighed, “Which of our six has no secrets? In matters of life and death, there’s great terror. Li Hui’s lifespan is nearly up; he can afford to fight to the death without concern for the cost, which might not suit us. As long as we quickly reach the Condense Essence stage, we’ll surely find a way to eliminate these threats.”

“There are too many variables!” Bai Yulian took a deep breath, her eyes returning to clarity from confusion as she coldly said, “Then let him fight with the sect leader! As long as we escape a certain distance, Dugu Yi will have no chance of controlling us.”

Li Hui didn’t have much in common with Mo Xinghe and Bai Yulian. They were all merely pieces in the game; offering alchemy and Miao Jade was a small favor done for Gao Yuhu’s sake, and in terms of trustworthiness, they were less reliable than Hongmo Zhengfang! Therefore, he resolutely decided not to involve himself with the two.

The Yin-Yang Nine Heads released magical dragon eyes for regional monitoring. The chaos on the tenth floor made it impossible to discern whether Qian Qiu Yue and Hongmo Zhengfang had a chance of winning.

The level of their duel was too high; he couldn’t understand it due to the limits of his cultivation.

“Cultivation is such a disadvantage! When will I be able to unlock the eighth Spirit Motion mark? I previously exhausted all my potential quickly unlocking spirit marks and cultivating the Ideal Body, so I cannot complete the treasure cabinet!” Li Hui felt troubled, then self-deprecatingly thought, “Hey, why am I pondering so much? Whether I can survive is still uncertain! I must keep pushing forward!”

Dugu Yi was in poor condition, having lost his weapon and needing to reduce the blade energy aimed at Yang Jueyu, which made him incredibly passive. Seizing the opportunity, Qian Qiu Yue and Hongmo Zhengfang unleashed their might against this formidable foe.

In terms of insight, Qian Qiu Yue and Hongmo Zhengfang came from top sects; Li Hui could hardly catch up. They knew they must not allow such enemies to catch their breath, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

“Roar…”

A giant crocodile roared amidst the deep red light waves, taking hit after hit from the Myriad Form Purple Absolute God Symbol, carelessly charging forward.

Dugu Yi’s body was engulfed in chaotic golden light, jumbled and disorderly, creating confusion and disarray that constantly disrupted the assault, remaining exceedingly domineering.

Meanwhile, Qian Qiu Yue and Hongmo Zhengfang kept busy, controlling their treasure and magical items to launch continuous attacks from tricky angles with sustained force. Both practiced cultivation methods that were top-tier; in a small sect like the Jade Symbol Sect, they could compete to be raised as sect leaders.

In this situation, Dugu Yi had no choice but to retreat with Yang Jueyu, moving from the tenth floor to the eleventh floor, then from the eleventh to the twelfth, and finally, his expression brightened.

Yang Jueyu screamed in agony as his arms were “crunched” into shattered bones, but he survived. Infuriated and his face contorted, he swore towards the sky, “Li Hui, you little thief, this enmity is deep-rooted; I will never coexist with you!”

Li Hui had long retreated to the Underground Cavern.

The poison dragon eel continued to feast, devouring the bug corpses on the ground before scrambling to the higher bug nest, acting as though it hadn’t eaten for over a decade, turning into a glutton.

“What should I do?”

“Common methods are ineffective against Dugu Yi. Even if I wake the unconscious demon cultivator from the Hongmo Sect, he has been suppressed near the Formation Veins before, likely damaging his origin, rendering him unable to resist.”

“Drawing treasure talismans?”

Li Hui frowned slightly. He currently lacked resources, and if he was willing to expend some magical items, producing ten or eight treasure talismans wouldn’t be an issue. The key was that drawing treasure talismans required mental focus; at this moment, Guang Jin could not assist. Moreover, due to cultivation limits, before advancing to Condense Essence, even with the silver snake bracelet’s aid, he could only create one or two talismans of each type, narrowing down his options.

If he could create treasure talismans, it would be easier to suppress Dugu Yi. What he feared most was not even being able to budge the corner of Dugu Yi’s garments, causing all his efforts to go to waste in an instant.

“Is there any other way?” Li Hui reached for the Nine-Nine Scatter Yuan Gourd at his waist, resembling a wine gourd, and after careful consideration, pulled out the Ice Picking Short Sword to tap the gourd, saying, “How about a trade? Rather than falling into Dugu Yi’s hands, it’s better to leave the island with me, but you must help me repel this formidable foe. If you agree, shake three times; if no response, it means you disagree.”

“Hmph, as if I would do that…” a voice emerged from the gourd.

“So that means you refuse?” Li Hui slid the short sword into his belt, preparing to cut the blue velvet rope tying the gourd.

“Wait! A tiger falls to the flatlands and is bullied by dogs; as long as you vow not to cut this rope, I will release a burst of true energy, with a chance to injure the opponent.”

“A vow is unnecessary,” Li Hui decisively pulled out the short sword, saying, “Don’t mess around with empty promises; I, Li Yingjun, am a man of his word and not shameless enough to lie. Now tell me! How can we injure Dugu Yi? Think it through; are you still in a position to choose?”

The gourd hesitated slightly before pointing out, “It’s simple; just use eighteen tracking talismans to form the Dragon Roar Whisker Symbol, and you can release true energy from a distance to harm him.”

“You can use talisman methods?” Li Hui was quite surprised.

“Hahaha, I am learned in all things related to the Dao; how could I not understand talisman methods?” After the gourd laughed, it coldly snorted, “Hurry up; I don’t have time to waste with you.”

Li Hui pondered privately, “I’ve never heard of the Dragon Roar Whisker Symbol. The tracking talismans are easy to draw; since there’s no loss, I might as well try this approach.”

He couldn’t use his original talisman brush, but fortunately, after sweeping through the surroundings, he found plenty that belonged to the Jade Symbol Sect, so he didn’t worry about not having a brush to use.

With the silver snake bracelet’s amplification, in no time he produced eighteen tracking talismans. What happened next was incredible; the gourd emitted a handful of light blue glow, freezing the not-yet-dried tracking talismans together.

The ink soaked into one another, as if painting within a small space, eventually blooming outwards into a small halo, becoming a treasure talisman.

“Eighteen seven-pattern tracking talismans turned into a treasure talisman? This… this…” Li Hui widened his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing.