"What!"
Wu De froze, his expression suddenly turning cold. "Brat, do you know the consequences of playing tricks on this old man!"
"Don't get excited. I never said I wouldn't give it to you. I can pay you some interest first-the Lightning Fire Orchid! How about I give you the Lightning Fire Orchid? As for the Gale Steps, I will definitely hand it over in a few days!"
This time, Lu Li truly had no intention of taking advantage of Wu De.
The main reason he resorted to this stalling tactic was because the Gale Steps was currently with Chen Zhong. Transcribing such a cultivation method was incredibly troublesome, far less convenient than simply handing over the original copy.
However, Wu De clearly did not believe a word of Lu Li's nonsense.
"You little whelp, do you take this old man for a three-year-old child!"
A cold light erupted in Wu De's eyes. "Since you are refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit, then this old man can only take it himself! I'll collect some interest while I am at it. Don't blame me!"
The moment his voice fell, Wu De's hands danced in a blur. Two crimson snakes as thick as a man's arm whistled through the air, shooting straight for Lu Li's chest with a speed that left almost no time to react.
Lu Li jumped in fright. He hadn't expected Wu De to attack without the slightest hesitation. Caught off guard, he could only lean backward, falling into an iron bridge stance to narrowly dodge the twin fire snakes.
The two fire snakes shrieked past him, slamming into a tree as thick as a washbasin and blasting it cleanly in half with a deafening boom.
Lu Li's expression shifted slightly. He somersaulted back to his feet. "Old man, you're actually playing for keeps!"
"Nonsense! Only you are allowed to play tricks, but this old man isn't allowed to get serious?"
Seeing his first strike fail, Wu De waved his hands again, sending two more fire snakes lunging at Lu Li. At the same time, his figure blurred. His hands curled into claws, flashing with a deadly crimson light, as he shadowed the tails of the fire snakes and closed the distance.
"You treacherous old dog! Since that's how it is, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
Seeing the fire snakes closing in again, Lu Li hastily executed the Gale Steps, shifting five feet to the left. The instant his feet touched the ground, he quietly dropped three explosive talismans behind him.
Watching Wu De swing his claws right into close quarters, Lu Li immediately burst backward by over a zhang.
Wu De did not notice the explosive talismans on the ground at all. With a heavy step, his foot planted right onto them. Just as he prepared to pursue Lu Li, the ground beneath his feet detonated with a thunderous roar, sending a black mushroom cloud billowing into the air.
Instantly, Wu De was blasted high into the sky, sent soaring as if riding the clouds and riding the mist.
Then, with a heavy thud, he plummeted back down, smashing a massive crater into the earth.
A cold light flashed in Lu Li's eyes. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed five more explosive talismans straight at Wu De.
Boom! Boom! Boom! An earth-shattering series of explosions rang out, accompanied by thick, surging black smoke.
"Old man, are you still alive?"
Lu Li called out tentatively, staring at the black smoke. Still feeling uneasy, he kicked off the ground like an arrow released from its bowstring, charging straight into the black smoke with his fist raised.
Throwing caution to the wind, he felt for a solid shape, channeled his True Qi into the 'Mountain Shaker' technique, and viciously smashed his fist down.
Bang!
"Hiss, fuck!"
In an instant, Lu Li frantically retreated, shaking his fist for all he was worth.
It felt as if he had just punched a block of refined steel. The impact nearly shattered his bones.
At the same time, an old man hoisting a gigantic turtle shell walked out from the black smoke, his face completely disheveled. Staring at Lu Li with eyes that seemed ready to spit fire, he coughed out a puff of black soot. "Brat, is that comfortable?!"
Even as he spoke, he used the turtle shell as a shield with one hand while driving a fire snake to attack Lu Li with the other. Deeming the fire snake insufficient, he pulled out several more talismans and madly hurled them in pursuit of Lu Li.
Lu Li's heart pounded wildly. While sprinting away, he chucked talismans over his shoulder, locking into a furious bombardment against Wu De.
Just like that, the two chased and fled, leaping and dodging all over the forest.
Finally, Wu De ran out of talismans.
Lu Li seized the opportunity, pivoting sharply to deliver another heavy punch.
Wu De remained completely unafraid, raising his turtle shell to meet the strike head-on.
Bang.
The punch landed solidly. Wu De staggered back several steps as the turtle shell was driven against his own chest, instantly causing him to howl in pain.
Lu Li similarly staggered back several steps, his knuckles battered into a bloody mess.
The two stood far apart, glaring at each other with wide eyes.
"Comfortable, brat?" Although Wu De was completely exhausted and battered, he stubbornly refused to concede, throwing Lu Li's taunt right back at him.
Lu Li was cursing up a storm in his heart. It was no wonder this old thing managed to escape unscathed every time; there was no telling what kind of treasure this turtle shell was. Even after unleashing his full strength with the Mountain Shaker, he couldn't leave a single dent on its surface.
He rested one hand on his waist, flashing a ferocious sneer as a massive handful of talismans suddenly appeared in his grasp. "Old ghost, let's see if your turtle shell is harder, or if I have more talismans!"
Saying this, he feinted a charge toward Wu De.
Knowing his speed was inferior to Lu Li's, Wu De jumped in fright. He curled his body in and threw himself flat on the ground, using the massive turtle shell to cover himself hermetically.
Lu Li paused for a moment before letting out a wicked chuckle, slowly strolling over.
Circling the turtle shell once, he noticed a small gap along the edge. With another wicked chuckle, he slowly slid a fireball talisman through the crack.
And then.
"Ah, ah, ah! Hoo, hoo..."
Wu De instantly sprang to his feet, wildly slapping at the flames catching on his clothes.
Seeing this, Lu Li closed in once more.
But just as he closed within three feet of his target, Wu De suddenly revealed a strange smile. Immediately after, Lu Li felt the earth beneath his feet turn incredibly soft, and his entire body rapidly began to sink.
Earth-Sinking Talisman!
Lu Li's expression drastically changed. Watching one of Wu De's gigantic fire snakes striking at him once again, he was seized by horror. Daring not to hold anything back, he instantly drained every last drop of True Qi in his body and blasted it out from beneath his feet.
Whoosh!
He instantly vaulted from the earth, soaring several zhang into the air to narrowly evade the fatal blow. A moment later, he plummeted back down with a heavy crash. Even with his sturdy physique, the impact left his head spinning and his vision swimming.
He shook his head to clear it. Just as he was about to stand, he saw Wu De rushing at him again. A ruthless glint flashed across his face, and a small banner with a black face and crimson pole suddenly appeared in his grip.
The moment the Blood Soul Banner appeared, a chilling Yin wind whipped up. Billowing black mist surged out as evil spirits roared, carrying a bloody stench so thick it induced nausea.
The moment Wu De entered the radius of the black mist, a piercing pain spiked through his mind. Greatly alarmed, he furiously stumbled backward. Only after escaping the reach of the black mist did he stare at Lu Li through the gloom with lingering fear, crying out in disbelief:
"Brat, you... you actually refine evil artifacts! Aren't you afraid of being purged by the righteous path of this world?!"
"Evil artifact?" Lu Li snorted lightly. "None of your damn business!"
With that, he hoisted the Blood Soul Banner and charged after Wu De.
Wu De was also running empty on True Qi. Seeing this, he was scared completely out of his wits. As his cultivation base had deteriorated over the years, this turtle shell had degraded into an ordinary Profound Artifact. While it could still withstand external bombardments, it could not defend against evil spirits invading his Divine Sense. He hurriedly turned tail and fled for his life.
Under the condition that neither could actively draw upon their True Qi, Lu Li's physical body actually granted him the advantage. His speed managed to keep pace evenly with Wu De, a cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining.
The two ran and chased, and in the blink of an eye, nearly half an hour had passed.
"Brat, this old man advises you to stop chasing! In another half an hour, we'll reach the Thunder Fire Mountain Range. With your True Qi depleted and clutching an evil artifact, you'll definitely be hunted down and slaughtered by righteous cultivators!" Wu De gasped for breath, looking as though he might collapse at any moment.
"Hmph, then you'll have to survive for another half an hour first. I get the feeling you're about to drop dead right now." Lu Li was equally exhausted, his bones feeling as though they were falling apart. Both men were simply gritting their teeth and trying to outlast the other.
"Fine, you've got guts, kid!" Wu De gritted his teeth in sheer frustration. "Let's make a deal. I agree, that pill formula counts as being on credit, how about it?"
"That would have worked earlier. Now? No deal! Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless you hand over the Meridian-Nourishing Pill ingredients you found!"
"In your dreams!"
"I'll beat you to death, you old turtle!"
"..."
Another quarter of an hour passed.
"Stop, stop chasing. I... damn it, I'll give it to you..." Wu De could no longer hold on. It felt as if he were hauling a mountain on his back. Let alone running, even walking had become a staggering chore.
"You... you should have said so earlier."
Lu Li fiercely pushed forward for a few steps before his legs gave way, tackling Wu De and pinning him to the ground.
At the same time, his hands began to randomly rummage all over Wu De's body...