Embarking on the Immortal Path, Mastering a Hundred Arts Chapter 28: The Two-Demon Trap (Please Bookmark)

Li Feng informed Li Qing of the situation. Li Qing appeared somewhat nervous; this was her first time dealing with a late-second-tier demonic beast.

The two approached slowly, careful not to alert the two beasts locked in fierce combat. As they drew closer, the commotion intensified, and even without looking, the sheer intensity of the battle was palpable. The roar of beasts echoed incessantly through the mountain range, shaking the very earth.

Li Feng carefully peeked out to get a clear look at the combatants. One was a ten-meter-tall beast with white stripes, resembling a tiger. Its limbs were robust and powerful, its claws and teeth razor-sharp, and it radiated an aura of majesty.

"An adult Sky-Patterned Tiger!" Li Qing whispered, her pupils contracting in shock.

This was a peak second-tier beast, a terrifying existence capable of contending with a Pseudo-Core Formation cultivator. Every part of this creature was a treasure: its hide could be used to craft second-tier talismans, while its sinews, bones, and flesh were exquisite materials for alchemy, artifact refining, puppetry, and formation arrays. Due to relentless hunting by human cultivators, adult Sky-Patterned Tigers had become increasingly rare. In the current cultivation world of the Guiyuan Kingdom, the corpse of an adult Sky-Patterned Tiger fetched an astronomical price, enough to sustain an ordinary rogue cultivator for a decade of worry-free practice.

Li Feng’s eyebrows twitched, his surprise no less than Li Qing’s. However, what truly caught him off guard was not the tiger, but the other peak second-tier beast: an Ice-Armored Ox.

Resembling a rhinoceros, the ox stood fifteen meters tall with thick limbs and a pale blue sheen along its spine. Its eyes were blood-red and ferocious, and its body was covered in a layer of ice-blue armor that looked indestructible. The milk secreted by a female Ice-Armored Ox during its lactation period contained pure energy and was a necessary ingredient for Longevity Pills and Kunyuan Pills. The ox’s udders were red and swollen, clearly indicating it was nursing.

Li Feng scanned the surroundings, searching for the calf. This was clearly the Sky-Patterned Tiger's territory; under normal circumstances, a nursing Ice-Armored Ox would never venture into another beast's domain.

"Fellow Daoist Li, the Ice-Armored Ox's calf must be hiding nearby. Let's split up to search and use communication talismans to signal when we find it," Li Feng said. Having let the Luoshan Grass slip through his fingers once, he was determined not to miss this rare opportunity. Besides, if he could return to Anhe City safely, he would definitely secure the Luoshan Grass from Murong Bubo.

Li Qing nodded in agreement. Li Feng applied concealment and speed-boosting talismans to himself and vanished from sight. As he searched, he pondered the likely location of the calf's den. Normally, Ice-Armored Oxen preferred to nest in dry, comfortable places.

The area was perpetually shrouded in mist and damp, filled with waterfalls and swamps—hardly an ideal nesting ground. The presence of the ox here was highly illogical; it felt as if it had been lured.

As he pondered, his communication talisman suddenly flickered with an urgent light. It seemed there was trouble on Li Qing’s end. Li Feng did not hesitate and changed direction, heading toward the coordinates locked by the talisman.

*Whoosh!*

Suddenly, an arrow condensed from spiritual energy struck from the shadows. It carried the full-force strike of a Foundation Establishment expert, its momentum terrifying.

*Bang!*

*Boom!*

The arrow collided with Li Feng’s ten-meter-thick protective light barrier and exploded. The shockwave shattered thirty layers of the barrier before losing its energy, posing no further threat. The thickness of the barrier had decreased by less than a meter. Li Feng turned toward the direction of the arrow, his expression icy.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator who had attacked him stood revealed, his face frozen in shock. He had never imagined that his full-strength strike could be neutralized by a mere Qi Refining ant in such a manner. Li Feng had completely shattered his preconceived notions about talisman masters.

"Kid, I had no intention of killing you, but you’ve gotten too close to the disciples of the Blood Cloud Sect. Senior Golden Core cannot tolerate you. Submit and die obediently."

The attacker, a third-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator, raised his hands, unleashing a sky full of spiritual arrows that sent the surrounding trees shivering. Li Feng remained calm, summoning his Sky Wolf puppets to attack from eight directions, successfully drawing the enemy's attention.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator looked at the intricately constructed Sky Wolf puppets and secretly sighed, "A dual practitioner of talismans and puppets? What a pity." With a wave of his hand, a rain of arrows surged toward the puppets. Several were pierced through, shattered, and rendered immobile.

Li Feng did not show even a flicker of regret. The puppets had bought him precious time. When the cultivator turned his gaze back to Li Feng, he was horrified to find himself surrounded by a dense sea of various talismans.

"This... this..."

The cultivator had never experienced such a bizarre form of combat. His composure shattered, his voice trembled, and he turned to flee. "Senior Golden Core, save—"

Before he could finish the word, five hundred first-tier high-grade talismans—Thunder, Wind Blade, Golden Saber, Sword Qi, Ice Explosion, and Fire talismans—were all activated simultaneously. A blinding radiance ferociously swallowed the cultivator.

Li Feng was quite far away, yet the sheer power of the shockwave still shattered several of his protective barriers. He did not let his guard down, keeping his remaining thirty second-tier low-grade talismans at the ready. If the enemy had some life-saving treasure capable of surviving that blast, he would have to follow up with the second-tier firepower. These talismans had been crafted from the remains of beasts he had slain previously; they were few in number and could not be easily replaced.

Minutes passed, and the residual energy dissipated. Li Feng cautiously approached the area, which had been blasted into a desolate, empty crater. After a brief inspection, he confirmed the threat was gone. Looking at the scorched earth within a ten-meter radius, he felt a twinge of regret—he hadn't found the cultivator's storage bag. Given the strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the loot would have been substantial.

Regrets aside, Li Feng did not forget his primary mission. Li Qing had likely encountered Jin Yanzi. He rushed to the destination, and soon, the sounds of battle reached his ears. Applying more concealment talismans, he crouched down to observe the situation.

Li Qing’s flying sword danced through the air, tracing arcs of cold light as she struggled to fend off a barrage of attacks.

"Hahaha! My luck is heaven-sent today! Don't bother resisting!" Jin Yanzi, dressed in grand red robes and clutching the Ice-Armored Ox calf, laughed loudly. Beside him, nine other Foundation Establishment cultivators were pinning Li Qing down.

Li Qing’s expression was grim; she no longer held any hope for Li Feng’s support. When she was ambushed, she had crushed her communication talisman immediately. If Li Feng had intended to help, he would have appeared by now. She feared he had long since fled.

Li Feng, unaware of her thoughts, observed carefully. Among the nine cultivators, six were at the second layer of Foundation Establishment, while three were around the fifth layer. If he used all his defensive trump cards for a sneak attack, he could likely eliminate the nine of them. However, with Jin Yanzi at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, a one-hit kill was impossible. Li Feng was unwilling to gamble everything he owned on such a reckless maneuver.

His eyes swept over the calf in Jin Yanzi’s grasp, a plan forming in his mind.