Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Butterfly Fairy

“Earth Soldier Talisman?”

Liang Yan was momentarily taken aback. He focused on the three earthen-armored soldiers, realizing that they possessed not a trace of spiritual energy—more like clay statues than living beings. Yet in the next instant, all three soldiers simultaneously raised their swords and turned, as if “watching” him.

Tang Diexian nodded and explained, “That’s right. The ‘Earth Soldier Talisman’ can summon soldiers from the earth—immensely strong, impervious to blades and arrows, and formidable in combat. However, these talismans are exceedingly difficult to craft; most people would be lucky to obtain even one, yet this man has three. You must be cautious…”

She hadn’t finished her warning before Liang Yan strode forward, launching a direct attack on the three earthen soldiers. Silently, he channeled his nameless cultivation technique, adopting a strange stance, and unleashed a punch with the “Muddy Fist” at one of the soldiers.

The earthen soldier showed no fear, gripping its massive clay sword and slashing toward him. Sword and fist collided with a thunderous boom.

Liang Yan stood unmoved, not a scratch on his right hand. The earthen soldier, however, staggered back three steps; cracks like spiderwebs spread across its sword and arms.

“This fellow!”

Tang Diexian’s mouth hung half open; the caution she’d meant to urge was altogether forgotten. Internally, she mused:

“This demon is full of tricks—he hid his cultivation and, it turns out, possesses powerful abilities. I worried for nothing!”

The elder in hemp robes gasped. He knew the power of the “Earth Soldier Talisman” better than anyone. A cultivator at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement could hardly contend with such soldiers; even at the sixth layer, one could only hope to defend oneself, never to break them. Yet this youth had nearly shattered his earthen soldier with bare hands. How could he not be shocked?

As a talisman master, most of his life was devoted to the art, and he had only managed to craft these three “Earth Soldier Talismans”—his last resort for survival.

Upon realizing his opponents were disciples from the Chess Star Pavilion, he’d immediately deployed all three talismans. As a rogue cultivator, he relied heavily on talismans; without them, how could he match disciples from such a prestigious sect, and there were two to contend with.

But his greatest trump cards, the three talismans, proved useless against the youth, filling him with fear and a desire to retreat.

He formed a hand seal and commanded the three earthen soldiers to attack Liang Yan and Tang Diexian at all costs, then quickly slipped away into the forest.

Tang Diexian had been annoyed at Liang Yan for hiding his cultivation, but seeing the elder fleeing, she exclaimed angrily, “Old fool, did I give you permission to leave?” Drawing her Hundred Flowers Sword, she pursued him.

The three earthen soldiers tried to block her, but Liang Yan stepped forward to intercept them, smiling mischievously. “Don’t run! Come! Let me see if your clay arms and legs can withstand a beating.” With that, he threw himself into battle with the three soldiers.

Seeing Liang Yan handle the soldiers with ease, Tang Diexian felt reassured and focused her efforts on pursuing the elder.

The old man glanced back, saw his soldiers unable to hold off the two, and one still chasing him. Panic-stricken, he pulled another talisman from his pouch, muttered an incantation, and slapped it onto himself. Instantly, his speed soared, and the distance Tang Diexian had been closing began to widen once more.

“A Swift Step Talisman!”

Tang Diexian narrowed her eyes. “This fellow has a seemingly endless supply of talismans—he must be a talisman master. Hmph! I’d like to see how many tricks you have left.”

Though only at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement and not yet able to fly on her sword, disciples from the Chess Star Pavilion naturally possessed ways to accelerate their speed.

She formed a hand seal, a green glow emanating beneath her feet as she drew upon the nearby essence of wood. Tang Diexian’s speed increased dramatically, green lights trailing behind her like a fluttering ribbon.

The elder raced ahead, determined that if he escaped, he would immediately send a coded message to his comrades in Yongle Town about the arrival of Chess Star Pavilion disciples. Six would then gather, surely able to crush these two young cultivators and avenge his humiliation.

He grieved the loss of his three talismans, hard-won over a lifetime—the materials for such talismans were rare and precious. To lose all three tonight was a bitter blow.

As he plotted, a sudden rush of air from behind startled him. Instinctively, he ducked and rolled on the ground.

A clear sword cry rang out—a luxurious sword brushed his back and embedded itself in a nearby tree, still trembling.

Tang Diexian sighed inwardly, “What a pity!”

She was not a sword cultivator but simply favored sword-type spiritual tools. Lacking sword techniques, she could not control the sword from afar. She had merely thrown her Hundred Flowers Sword with a burst of spiritual power, hoping to catch him off guard, but the old man proved too cautious, rolling away without a care for dignity.

Seeing her sword miss, Tang Diexian sighed, formed another seal, and recalled her sword.

The elder saw her incredible speed and realized escape was impossible. With a vicious expression, he declared,

“We're not far apart in cultivation. Do you think I’m truly afraid of you?”

Tang Diexian scoffed, “If you’re not afraid, why are you running?”

The elder narrowed his eyes. “We’re both mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators. Everyone has their secret techniques. If you press me too hard, aren’t you afraid I’ll resort to a desperate move?”

Tang Diexian smiled, “Very well! I’d like to see what tricks you have, old man!” She began chanting and forming seals, preparing to cast a spell.

The elder, always wary, quickly pulled a talisman from his pouch, one marked with a purple lightning bolt. He flicked his wrist, sending the talisman into the air, where it transformed into a purple bolt of lightning, radiating a terrifying aura as it hurtled toward Tang Diexian.

“Five Thunder Talisman!”

Tang Diexian was startled but quickly regained her composure.

“No, that can’t be the real Five Thunder Talisman—just a replica of the ‘She Thunder’ talisman. Its power is barely a fraction of the real thing…”

The purple lightning seemed to carry boundless might, but Tang Diexian stood her ground. Suddenly, the pixiu pendant at her chest flew out and transformed into a small, adorable pixiu in midair.

Drowsy, as if just waking up, the pixiu rolled lazily in the air, full of charm. At that moment, the purple lightning struck; the pixiu yawned, opened its mouth, and swallowed the lightning whole. It burped and patted its belly, as if saying, “Thank you for the meal!”

“You—!”

The elder was shaken to his core, coughing up blood.

That replica “She Thunder Talisman” was his final secret weapon, kept hidden for years. Until today, he had been confident—though ranked fourth in his organization, if he fought with all his strength, even the elusive “Number One” would not necessarily be his equal.

His greatest reliance was on talismans, most of which were single-use. Thus, he usually wore a kindly expression and avoided conflict, concealing his true abilities.

He had never expected that even his last talisman would be useless against this woman.

Before he could recover from his shock, the woman finished her incantation. The elder felt a rumbling beneath his feet, as if something was about to burst forth from the earth.

Alarmed, he instinctively retreated. Suddenly, all around him, within several miles, flowers of every color—gold, green, purple, blue, but mostly pink—sprouted from the ground.

He found himself amidst a sea of flowers, but felt only danger.

Tang Diexian waved her Hundred Flowers Sword and silently recited her incantation. Countless petals rose into the wind, swirling to her command. Standing amid the blossoms, her white robes billowed, long black hair flowing, a vision of beauty—a butterfly fairy among flowers, a maiden under the moon.

Such a breathtaking scene would surely inspire any passing poet to believe he’d wandered into a dream of the celestial realm, compelled to compose a verse to ease his future longing.

But to the elder, the petals swirling all around were as deadly as a host of talismans.

Shivering, he threw handfuls of talismans about, transforming them into miniature whirlwinds, fiery balls, and all manner of effects.

Yet each spell, when met by the onslaught of petals, was torn apart by the murderous aura within the blossoms, vanishing without trace.

Seeing his efforts come to nothing, the elder laughed bitterly. The petals closed in, his mind grew hazy.

Slashing sounds echoed.

His body was cut by petals, even his meridians shredded by their deadly energy, and he collapsed backward, lifeless.

A lifetime of cultivation ended here.

Tang Diexian dispelled her spell, the sea of flowers fading into nothingness.

She took the jade pendant and the false imperial decree from the elder, thinking,

“I must hurry back and check on that fool—though his physical strength is impressive, there’s no guarantee things haven’t gone awry. I’d best hurry back and see.”