Chapter 242: Fiery Talisman (Fifth Watch)
Chapter 242: Fiery Talisman (Fifth Watch)
The burly man sensed something amiss and tried to retreat, but it was too late.
The three sets of top-grade Earthfire Arrays activated, unleashing a powerful surge of spiritual energy. Amid the booming explosions, crimson flames engulfed the man.
When the fire dissipated, the man's wretched figure became visible.
His clothes were torn and charred, his body was covered in scorch marks, and while his right side was relatively intact, his left side was severely injured, with his arm reduced to a bloody mess.
Teetering between life and death, the black-robed man relied on his years of combat instincts and managed to avoid the center of the Earthfire Array's explosion.
He escaped with his life, albeit at the cost of an arm.
Otherwise, even if he survived, he would have undoubtedly suffered severe injuries.
"You little brat, I'll make sure you pay for this!"
The black-robed man was furious, but also shocked beyond measure.
It was an array! Among the solitary cultivators, those proficient in arrays could be counted on one hand. Where did this array come from?
"Could it be that one of his elders set it up to protect him? It can't possibly be that he set it up himself..."
The black-robed man was apprehensive. Though angry, he dared not pursue Mo Hua rashly.
This young cultivator was a bit uncanny, and quite the actor too. For the moment, he couldn't discern his true capabilities and didn't dare to act recklessly.
Moreover, he was also afraid that there might be other arrays hidden on the ground.
Mo Hua was disappointed that the array hadn't killed his pursuer.
The triple set of top-grade Earthfire Arrays was enough to gravely injure even a demonic beast. It seemed that cultivators who had been in the cultivation world for many years were more vigilant against their fellow cultivators' tricks.
Mo Hua secretly released his spiritual sense to observe the man's condition.
Though the man looked miserable, he still had more than half of his spiritual energy remaining.
With deep reserves and a robust physique, he was a peak ninth layer Qi Refinement body cultivator. Judging from his disregard for human life, he was likely a rogue cultivator, experienced in fighting and killing others.
Although injured by the Earthfire Array and having lost the use of one arm, his other arm was unhindered.
Dealing with him would still be extremely troublesome.
Both of them were cautious, facing off against each other for a while. The man didn't dare to give chase, and after some thought, Mo Hua turned and fled in a flustered manner, his footsteps chaotic and his movements panicked.
"You think you can run?"
The man's eyes turned cold. Having suffered such a huge loss, he was determined not to let Mo Hua get away.
He wanted to pursue, but he was also unsure of what other tricks this young cultivator might have up his sleeve, and so he hesitated, unsure of what to do.
Just then, Mo Hua's foot slipped on a stone, and he fell to the ground.
Seeing this, the man's expression turned sinister.
He was certain that the young brat was truly fleeing in panic! The black-robed man's figure flashed, and he swiftly pursued Mo Hua, following the mountain path he had taken. With a few large strides, he appeared before Mo Hua.
"Brat, let's see where you run now!"
The man reached out with his large hand, intending to grab Mo Hua.
But Mo Hua, who had fallen to the ground, moved like flowing water, his body adhering to the ground as he swiftly disappeared from the man's front, only to reappear behind him in the next instant.
The man's grasp met only air, and he was startled.
"Body art?!"
This brat had actually learned a body art?!
Cold sweat broke out on the man's forehead as he forcibly turned his head, only to see Mo Hua already standing behind him, a jade talisman pinched between his fingers.
The man's pupils dilated as he exclaimed, "Talisman?!"
Mo Hua channeled his spiritual energy into the talisman, and it flashed with red light as spiritual power fluctuated. Fiery flames surged forth, engulfing the black-robed man.
This talisman had been confiscated by Lao Zhao from a Qian Family cultivator and then given to Mo Hua for self-protection.
The talisman was called the Fiery Flame Talisman, a top-grade talisman that sealed within it a ninth layer Qi Refinement spell—the Fiery Flame Spell.
Mo Hua had pretended to flee, feigning a slip and fall to trick the black-robed cultivator into lowering his guard.
Then, he instantly used the Flowing Water Step to circle behind the man. With his opponent unable to react or dodge, Mo Hua activated the Fiery Flame Talisman.
Talismans were expensive, so they couldn't be wasted. One had to grasp the right opportunity to use them, maximizing their power.
Caught completely off-guard, the black-robed man was assaulted by Mo Hua's ninth layer Qi Refinement spell from behind.
Taking advantage of the man's severe injury, Mo Hua raised the rod high, infusing it with spiritual power and activating the Thousand Jun Array.
A flash of gray light, and the rod became as heavy as a thousand jun, its weight enhanced by the wind as it slammed down.
"Clang!"
The rod struck the burly man squarely on the forehead.
The man's scalp felt like it was on fire.
Mo Hua's palms stung from the impact.
"As expected of a body cultivator, his skull is as hard as they come."
Mo Hua thought to himself. He raised the rod again and struck the man's forehead with the same technique.
The man's head spun, and his consciousness began to blur.
Mo Hua pressed on, delivering another blow.
It was only after he finished that he realized he hadn't shouted the name of the technique, lessening its impact. So, he added another strike, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Weight of a Thousand Jun!"
Finally, the burly man could take no more. His eyes rolled back, and he staggered before falling to his knees with a loud thud, then face-planting onto the ground.
Mo Hua released his spiritual sense to observe the man's spiritual energy state.
He found that the man's spiritual energy in his meridians was scattered, flowing uncontrollably and slowly.
This meant that the man had fainted.
Mo Hua was still uneasy, so he added a Fireball Technique for good measure, then raised the Thousand Jun Rod and laboriously broke all four of the defenseless man's limbs before he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Mo Hua was out of breath from exhaustion.
He wasn't a body cultivator, and even with the aid of the array, his arms still ached from swinging the rod several times.
Nevertheless, he had achieved his goal.
The burly man, who had been so menacing just moments ago, now lay sprawled on the ground, his spiritual energy in disarray, his vital energy weak, and his limbs immobile.
Having confirmed that the man wouldn't be causing any more trouble for the time being, Mo Hua immediately ran over to Ji Li.
Ji Li was still bleeding.
Mo Hua's expression turned solemn as he quickly fed him a Xiao Huan Dan, crushed a few hemostatic pills, sprinkling the powder on Ji Li's wounds, and then fed him two Blood Qi pills.
The Xiao Huan Dan could buy time, the hemostatic pills would stop the bleeding, and the Blood Qi pills would replenish his blood energy.
This was what Elder Feng had taught him, a way to provide emergency aid and save a person's life.
Afterward, Mo Hua used his spiritual sense to examine Ji Li's meridians and breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Ji Li's breath was weak, his spiritual energy was still flowing, and his wounds were gradually healing.
"It's good that he's alive."
Mo Hua lit the fireworks, sending up a signal.
Even though they had temporarily saved his life, they still needed to get him to Elder Feng for treatment as soon as possible; otherwise, the odds of survival were slim.
Mo Hua, on his own, didn't have the strength to carry Ji Li down the mountain.
Moreover, Ji Li was currently covered in blood, which could easily attract magical beasts. Dealing with a late first-grade beast would be even more troublesome.
He could only hope that there were some demon hunters nearby who would see the fireworks and come to their aid quickly, thus increasing the chances of saving Ji Li's life.
Ji Li lay on the ground, drenched in blood. After a while, his fingers twitched slightly, showing some signs of reaction.
"Big Brother Ji! Big Brother Ji!" Mo Hua shouted a few times.
Ji Li seemed to hear him and slowly opened his eyes. Seeing that Mo Hua was unharmed, he seemed to relax, and then his eyes gradually lost focus, the light fading from them as they slowly closed again.
This was a sign that his spiritual sense was dissipating.
Mo Hua was startled, sensing that something was wrong. Once a cultivator's spiritual sense scattered, even if their physical body was saved, they were as good as dead.
To live, one needed to have a strong will to survive.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and said, "Big Brother Ji, if you die, what will become of Fu Lan?"
Ji Li's eyelids twitched.
Mo Hua continued, "Uncle Ji is still waiting to drink the wedding wine at your marriage."
Tears flowed from the corners of Ji Li's eyes, though he didn't open them.
(End of Chapter)
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