Master Jiang was still scanning the surroundings, oblivious to the distant golden light that was headed directly toward him. He took a few steps backward but as soon as he performed another hand seal, a searing pain shot through his abdomen.
The golden arrow had found its mark, causing him to let out a cry of agony. At the same time, he realized that he had been discovered.
"Young master, help me!" he called out, desperation lacing his voice.
Master Jiang, a cultivator only at the third heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm, lacked real combat experience as he had devoted his whole life to mastering curse spells specialized in ambushing opponents.
The arrow had pierced deep into his abdomen, sapping his vital qi. The Astral Qi in Li Xuanfeng's powerful attack surged in him painfully, leaving Master Jiang unable to ride the winds for escape.
Beside him, Yu Muyuan paled, gripped by fear. Hearing Master Jiang's cries, he exclaimed, "How is this possible?! We're so far away! Does Li Xuanfeng have some sort of divine ability?!"
Despite his shock, Yu Muyuan moved fast and struck Master Jiang's Shenyang Mansion without any hesitation. Master Jiang's eyes immediately turned bloodshot and blood came spewing out from all the seven orifices of his body.
The Shenyang Mansion was where the soul resided. Master Jiang was already sweating profusely and paralyzed by the pain and upon being struck by Yu Muyuan, he immediately turned limp and collapsed onto the floor like a dead pig.
Yu Muyuan's mind raced as he spoke, already formulating his next moves. He swiftly removed Master Jiang's storage pouches before disfiguring the man's face beyond recognition with a fire spell. Then, he slapped several Wind Movement Talismans onto Master Jiang's body, sending him away like a leaf caught in a gust of wind.
Yu Muyuan discarded the two storage pouches into the lake, committing their location to memory before he vanished into the distance.
In the next moment, a second burst of golden light glinted in the sky, accompanied by a middle-aged swordsman who was flying right behind it.
Yu Muyuan's heart sank as terror gripped him.
"Not again! And Li Tongya..! M-My… fate is sealed!" he cried out in fear, almost whimpering
Li Tongya had always been perceptive. With just a glance at Master Jiang's body flying in the sky, he could tell that it was a diversion tactic. His gaze swiftly honed in on Yu Muyuan, who was making a hasty retreat.
Yu Muyuan was always cautious in his actions. The robe he wore could conceal his spiritual sense, making it difficult for Li Tongya to discern his true strength and real identity. Yet, Li Tongya could tell from this person's behavior and movements that he was extremely afraid of him.
"Bastard… have a taste of my blade!" Li Tongya roared, unsheathing his sword and sending a white-colored Celestial Moon Sword arc.
Yu Muyuan had conjured a small floating golden shield from what seemed to be a remarkable dharma artifact of the Qi Cultivation Realm.
It was as expected of a prominent family; despite being an insignificant descendant of the Yu Family, Yu Muyuan possessed a dharma artifact that was superior to Li Tongya's own.
Li Tongya had gotten the dharma sword in his hand from a woman from the Wu Family. As it clashed against Yu Muyuan's shield, the force of the impact sent the shield flying backward, its light dimming amidst the powerful reverberations that echoed through the air.
Undeterred, Yu Muyuan channeled more mana into the shield, striving to withstand the relentless assault.
Unfortunately for Yu Muyuan though, Li Tongya had grown significantly stronger. With another powerful sword slash, he broke Yu Muyuan's dharma artifact into two, which was swiftly followed by yet another strike that pierced through the many layers of shields Yu Muyuan had conjured with a barrage of talismans. Li Tongya's third strike was aimed directly at Yu Muyuan's chest.
Yu Muyuan hastily performed a hand seal, attempting to defend himself in futility. However, before he could complete it, the golden light had already pierced through his abdomen, disrupting his spellcasting.
Now coughing up blood, Yu Muyuan felt another chilling sensation spread through his chest as Li Tongya's sword aura penetrated deeply into his flesh and bone. Shocked by Li Tongya's strength, Yu Muyuan struggled to catch his breath.
With the Law of Celestial Moon, Li Tongya was no longer the man who could only rely on the initial stance of the Celestial Moon Slash technique and the sword arc released by it to overpower his opponents.
Within moments, Yu Muyuan, despite being in the middle stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm, realized he was on the brink of defeat. Fortunately, he had prepared for this and kept a piece of white talisman on him. After a moment of activation, a radiant golden glow finally enveloped him.
"A talisman of the Foundation Establishment Realm?!"
Although Li Tongya could have risked decapitating Yu Muyuan with his sword, he deemed it unwise as he was unsure of the talisman's capabilities. Unwilling to risk his life yet hoping to capture Yu Muyuan alive, Li Tongya unleashed one last move with his sword before withdrawing.
The sharp blade drew blood this time, causing Yu Muyuan to grunt in pain.
However, to his surprise, the gray-robed man did not use the talisman to attack Li Tongya. With one decisive motion, he slapped the talisman onto his own head.
A brilliant golden light erupted above Moongaze Lake, engulfing Yu Muyuan in a fiery blaze. Mana fluctuations surged and flickered across the lake's surface for a fleeting moment before dissipating.
Stumbling backward to avoid the burst of fire, Li Tongya's expression darkened with silent frustration. He activated his mana to shake the blood off his blade, gritting his teeth as he muttered to himself.
"What a flashy way to die…"
Li Tongya was quite certain that this whole incident was likely the doing of the Yu Family. No other families in the area possessed the power to harm his Li Family or would recklessly employ talismans of the Foundation Establishment Realm in such a manner.
With no further recourse available to him, Li Tongya could only release a frustrated sigh before reluctantly turning back.
Li Tongya recovered another gray-robed man from the depths of the lake, bloodied and lifeless. He removed the man's hood, only to find a charred black mass where his face once was.
Li Xuanfeng descended from the air, his face slightly pale yet still filled with anger as he looked at the corpse in Li Tongya's hands.
"Disfiguring the man's face is useless. Qi Cultivators around the lake are well-known figures. This person was an elderly man and his clothes were still intact. If we just display the body to the other families, I'm sure they'll recognize this person..." he remarked coldly.
By the time Li Xuanfeng had finished speaking, his anger had ebbed slightly. Feeling that something was amiss, Li Tongya shook his head.
"This is not the right place for discussion."
Li Xuanfeng nodded uncertainly. With a surge of magical power, Li Tongya summoned a flame to cremate the corpse in his grasp.
Together, they then soared into the sky and headed back to Mount Lijing.
As soon as they left, two figures emerged on the lake. One had a cold demeanor and white sideburns and was clad in a gray robe that billowed in the wind. Behind him stood a younger figure, who was gritting his teeth as tears streamed down his face.
"Second Brother..." Yu Mugao's voice trembled, his words hoarse with emotion.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogui wore a grim expression, his voice barely above a whisper as he mumbled, "How did it come to this..? Master Jiang's death is one thing, but losing Muyuan and arousing suspicion from the Li Family... This isn't worth it at all!"
Yu Xiaogui's resolve remained firm as he refused to intervene and watched Yu Muyuan die before his eyes.
"This wasn't a mere oversight in planning. There's something off about this Li Xuanfeng… I've never heard of someone with a spiritual sense spanning a hundred li. He can't be just a Qi Cultivator… Even a Purple Mansion isn't capable of such a feat!" Yu Mugao exclaimed indignantly.
"That's enough!" Yu Xiaogui cut him off coldly, "Li Tongya isn't dumb. He could have gathered evidence but he chose not to. Although he decided not to pursue this matter and fall out with our family, this incident still marks the beginning of a rift between our families. From now on, we're not even apparent allies but enemies..."
"Father... I understand," Yu Mugao said, standing up straight and wiping away his tears. His expression hardened as he made a cold and steely declaration.
"This is the right time to eliminate An Jingming!"