Chapter 36: The Rising Wind

Glistening with golden light, a treasure map composed of leaves as thin as paper appeared before Li Lie and his three companions. After a long and arduous search, the sudden appearance of the map caused the four of them to pause momentarily. They stared intently at the map, as if it were the most precious object in the world.

Suddenly, as if by silent agreement, all four lunged toward the map. Four hands grabbed the corners of the map almost simultaneously. Li Lie glanced at the other three, his gaze lingering on the Flower Fairy, as he calculated in his mind, "That Mind-Bewitching Technique is truly heaven-defying. If I don't eliminate her, I might one day fall under her spell without even realizing it. But if I make a move now, they will surely assume I want the treasure for myself and band together against me." After a moment of thought, he reached a decision.

"Let us memorize the route on the treasure map, and then we shall each go to make our preparations. How about that?" Li Lie suggested.

"A good proposal," the three replied almost in unison.

They placed the treasure map on the flat ground and sat around it. As their spiritual senses swept over the map, Li Lie and his companions were surprised to find that most of the marked locations were unknown to them. Only a few of the names sounded familiar, all appearing to be within the Medicine Sect.

"The treasure is actually within the Medicine Sect?" Li Lie said, surprised.

"This is not strange. After all, it was left behind by the founder of the Medicine Sect when he ascended. It is only natural that it remains there. I hope it brings us more surprises," the Flower Fairy said with a smile. Having obtained the map, she was exceptionally pleased.

"Have you all memorized it?" Li Lie asked. Seeing the three nod, he channeled his true essence, and a flame shot out toward the treasure map. With a soft sound, the map ignited, slowly melting into golden liquid as it burned.

The other three did not object to Li Lie's actions. There was only one map; no one felt at ease leaving it in anyone else's possession. Since they had already memorized the route, destroying it was the most decisive course of action.

"Very well. From this moment on, we go our separate ways. I must return to the Liu Yan Sect. Please excuse me." With that, Li Lie flickered and flew off in the direction of the Liu Yan Sect.

"Amitabha," the monk said, pressing his palms together. "This old monk must also return to the temple for a while." He too departed.

"Those two fellows, do they hope to use numbers to secure the treasure? Hmph, my Red Leaf Valley has no fewer people than you do," the Flower Fairy scoffed. Just as she was about to leave, she noticed Yu Yang standing beside her. "Why haven't you left?"

"Waiting for you, of course. Don't you think the journey back is quite romantic? We could stroll through the clouds, chat by the stream, and perhaps even... Sister Flower... wait... wait for me!" Before Yu Yang could finish, he realized the Flower Fairy had already departed. He pinched a spell in his hand, summoned his flying sword, and chased after her at full speed.

Not long after the two had left, a figure emerged from behind the mountain—it was Li Lie, who had just supposedly departed. In his hand, he held a string of prayer beads stained with blood, from which fresh droplets were slowly falling.

Recalling that he had nearly lost his own cultivation to the monk earlier, Li Lie sneered, "Monk, if you want to blame someone, blame the Flower Fairy. I couldn't be certain you hadn't been put under her Mind-Bewitching Technique." With a surge of true essence, the prayer beads in his hand were instantly ground into dust.

"Yu Yang," Li Lie clenched his fist, flickered, and flew toward him.

Yu Yang, who was chasing the Flower Fairy, suddenly sensed someone behind him. He looked back instinctively and saw Li Lie returning. He smiled slightly, "Tell me, Li Lie, you aren't here to chase the Flower Fairy, are you?"

"Boom!"

A flaming palm struck Yu Yang’s chest just as Li Lie reached his side.

Yu Yang never expected an attack from Li Lie. He looked at Li Lie’s hand, then at Li Lie himself, as a mouthful of blood sprayed out. His internal true essence dissipated at that very moment.

With a swift motion, Li Lie withdrew his hand. Deprived of support, Yu Yang’s body plummeted. Watching him fall, Li Lie whispered a single word: "Explode."

Yu Yang’s body shattered into pieces, blood raining from the sky.

"Strange. Didn't Yu Yang follow me?" the Flower Fairy thought to herself not far away. Suddenly, a muffled explosion made her heart jump. "That sound... could it be..." Her spiritual sense expanded, catching sight of Li Lie, with fresh blood dripping from his hand.

The Flower Fairy gave a cry of disbelief. She could not believe Li Lie was such a person. Based on his past character, he never went back on his word. Yet this time, he had turned back to kill. Shocked, she dared not face him head-on. She pinched a spell, and her speed surged, causing her to bolt toward Red Leaf Valley like a bolt of lightning.

"You noticed? That's fine. Since you're the only one left, I don't have to hide anymore." Li Lie’s spiritual sense detected her rapid flight. He smiled and transformed into a streak of red light, pursuing her.

"Flower Fairy, you must die today!" Li Lie shouted during the chase.

Hearing his voice, the Flower Fairy shuddered. She bit her lip hard until blood seeped out to steady her emotions, then shouted back, "Li Lie! I never imagined you were this kind of person! Even if I have to die, I will bring this news back to Red Leaf Valley. Don't dream of taking the treasure for yourself!"

"Taking it for myself?" Li Lie paused, then laughed drily. On the surface, his actions did indeed look like he wanted the treasure alone, but only he knew the truth: it was driven by fear. The fear of being controlled. Extinguishing those unknown threats was his true objective.

Without further explanation, Li Lie pushed his true essence to the limit, accelerating once more.

The Flower Fairy was anxious. Seeing Li Lie about to catch up, she hardened her heart. "Fine, let's fight it out!" She suddenly stopped, let out a sharp cry, and shouted, "Illusion Technique!" Simultaneously, her hand gestures shifted rapidly. Several phantom images drifted from her body, gradually enlarging in the air and flying toward Li Lie.

"Damn it!" Li Lie cursed, coming to a halt half a mile away from her. This Illusion Technique was different from the Mind-Bewitching Technique. The latter required a massive gap in strength to plant a mark on the heart, but this technique used true essence and hand seals to cause a momentary trance. Of course, she couldn't make him fall into a complete stupor given their strength, but in a battle between cultivators, a momentary lapse was fatal. Even a second could cost him his life, so Li Lie had to be cautious.

As each phantom passed through his body, Li Lie felt a ripple in his mind. Fortunately, he steadied his spirit; otherwise, he would have experienced a moment of confusion.

The Flower Fairy’s hand gestures grew faster. The phantoms multiplied from one to five, then six, until seven or eight were flying toward him in succession.

Suddenly, her hand movements faltered. Forcing her true essence caused it to backfire, and she coughed up blood, her body going limp as she knelt in mid-air. Glancing at the remaining four phantoms, she turned and fled toward Red Leaf Valley, shouting, "Today's debt will be repaid another day!"

"Damn it!" Li Lie cursed as he watched her escape, but the phantoms still blocked his path. He sighed helplessly, "She got away after all. Oh no..." His mind flickered, and the final phantom passed through him, sending his mind into a brief haze.

After a few breaths, his eyes cleared. Li Lie broke into a cold sweat. "This Illusion Technique is truly formidable." He looked in the direction the Flower Fairy had fled and sighed, "Forget it. I'd better go back and make more preparations." With a flicker, he flew toward the Liu Yan Sect.

***

Fleeting from the small mountain, Lei Yan dragged Niu Ben toward the Wu Family Village with lightning speed. Lei Yan felt little, but it was a different story for Niu Ben. Feeling the wind whistling past his ears and watching the scenery blur by, he felt a longing for such power for the first time, his eyes flashing with excitement.

In less than half an hour, they arrived at the village. Upon landing, they heard a commotion—the voices of Leng Lao’er and his men, along with Qing Ling.

Qing Ling looked furious, glaring fiercely at Leng Lao’er, her hands on her hips, disregarding any feminine decorum. "What is the meaning of this? It’s one thing that you didn't care about your leader's safety and ran back, but now you're blocking me too?"

"Madam, since Lei Ba ordered us to meet at this village, he surely intended for us to wait here. You really shouldn't go over there, lest he worry," Leng Lao’er advised.

Ding Wei, standing nearby, remained silent. When Lei Yan left, he had instructed him to keep a close eye on Qing Ling, so he supported the twenty or so men who had suddenly arrived.

Thinking of how Lei Yan had snuck away in the night, she felt hurt. She had intended to chase after him but was stopped by these men. Just as she was about to force her way out, she heard Lei Yan’s voice: "Ling’er, I’m back."

"Brother Lei!" Qing Ling’s eyes lit up. She shoved the men aside and saw Lei Yan walking toward her. She rushed forward and threw herself into his arms.

Niu Ben watched, stunned, thinking, "Is this... surely not?" He could hardly believe that Lei Yan, who was about his age, already had a woman.

Holding Qing Ling tightly, Lei Yan felt her chest dampen after a moment. He gently pushed her away and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Ling’er, I’m fine, don't worry. Come, let me introduce you. This is Niu Ben; he has some connection to the Medicine Sect." He turned to Niu Ben, "This is my woman, Qing Ling."

"Hello," Qing Ling said with a slight bow.

"Oh, oh, hello," Niu Ben nodded repeatedly, still quite shocked.

At this moment, Leng Lao’er and the others gathered around, bowing respectfully. "Lei Ba."

Lei Yan waved his hand dismissively and looked at the twenty or so men from Dragon Hegemony, thinking, "This Mind-Bewitching Technique is truly powerful. They look exactly as they did before. Yes, this Flower Fairy must be eliminated."