383: Chapter 312_2 383: Chapter 312_2 The Taoist by now had ceased to play, unleashing spells that grew increasingly formidable.
As they struck their bodies, more blood flowed, and the corners of both their mouths were bleeding too.
It was their bodies that had sustained injuries; internal damage had caused blood to seep from the corners of their mouths.
They felt a sense of despair.
Were they really going to die like this?
The arrival of Lai Jianlin brought smiles to Ding Ling and Mo Wen’s faces.
“Brother…” Ding Ling, seeing the person she adored come to their rescue, smiled joyfully.
In the depths of the young girl’s eyes was profound affection, and even though there was blood at her mouth, her red lips seemed even more vivid, adding a touch of stunning beauty.
“Junior brother…” Mo Wen, accustomed to referring to junior brothers, still called Lai Jianlin a junior, despite Lai having far surpassed his own abilities.
Lai Jianlin nodded to them and began to use his Wood Spell, conjuring a thorny jungle that launched its needles toward the Taoist.
“This is bad…”
The Taoist hadn’t anticipated that, at this critical juncture, someone would thwart his plans.
He regretted not dealing with the two more swiftly and not having concluded the fight decisively.
Having seen a city up ahead earlier, he had had a bad feeling, which now seemed to be confirmed; the person before him appeared to be of a slightly lower level, yet was nonetheless a young man in the Golden Core Stage.
For one so young to have cultivated to the Golden Core Stage, this person was not to be underestimated.
Perhaps he was a scion of a great family from the city they had approached.
If both regarded this man as their Senior Brother, then it was possible that they had come here specifically to find this young man.
The Taoist’s mind was agile, and his attacks became more ferocious, showing no mercy as he aimed to slay them.
In his hand was not only Buddha Dust but also a Magical Treasure, which emitted a ghostly cackle.
In the darkness, the Magical Treasure released an eerie black mist.
When the mist spread, it morphed into soul-like fierce ghosts with teeth that incessantly gnawed at the protective circle.
Many fierce ghosts lunged at Lai Jianlin with gaping jaws, fiercely trying to bite him.
At this moment, Lai Jianlin also executed the Earth Spell he had just learned, a technique capable of moving mountains and overturning seas.
To the onlooker, it seemed real, but it was merely an illusion.
The Taoist only saw mountains with souls of their own crashing down on them.
The fierce ghosts continuously dodged, seemingly fearful of the mountains, which might crush them underneath.
Amidst the darkness, the ghosts moved about, evading the oncoming mountains, incapable of confronting Lai Jianlin.
The fierce duel did not affect Ding Ling and Mo Wen, protected within the circle of light emitted by Lai Jianlin, untouched by the illusions.
Within the protective circle, they found it strange seeing so many fierce ghosts summoned by the Taoist; why weren’t they attacking Lai Jianlin, but rather running around like madmen, as if dodging something?
And the Taoist himself was odd too.
Previously so vicious, he had become like a madman in front of Lai Jianlin, not confronting him but running around wildly.
In the sky, the fierce ghosts and the Taoist appeared deranged.
For a moment, Lai Jianlin seemed like a spectator, watching the one-sided spectacle.
Ding Ling looked at Lai Jianlin with adoring eyes, this man was truly formidable, and she felt protected by his side.
Mo Wen was even more impressed.
Lai Jianlin had returned for just under a month but had become so powerful.
The spells he used and his enhanced cultivation might not be due to the resources of the Immortal Sect.
Could it be that Lai Jianlin’s family had relied on a stronger sect?
If that was the case, his not returning to the Immortal Sect could be understandable.
They could not help but let go, realizing that with this disciple’s return, there might be matters they were unaware of.
Mo Wen felt that coming to the Lai Family was the right move.
With Lai Jianlin becoming so strong, he must have a secret manual, and perhaps by ingratiating himself, he could learn some cultivation techniques and spells.
The spells he had refined in his encounters with Lai Jianlin had significantly improved, allowing him to escape to this place, luckily without being killed.
Lai Jianlin looked at ease, as if watching a play, observing the Taoist.
Under Ding Ling’s admiring gaze, Lai Jianlin felt buoyant.
In the gaze of a beautiful woman, he thought, no man could resist the adoration.
Though Lai Jianlin did not reciprocate Ding Ling’s deep affection, perhaps due to low emotional intelligence, he silently basked in it, not breaking the gentle bond between them.
Since the Daoist had bullied his Senior Brother and Senior Sister, he would toy with him for a while and then kill him.
Those who dared to bully him were not to be trifled with, vengeance would be theirs.
It was not that he was too kind-hearted to kill; he simply did not take lives indiscriminately.
Facing those who bullied his guests, the intent was not only to harm but to kill.
Lai Jianlin didn’t believe that this Taoist was from a righteous sect, for if he were, he wouldn’t possess a ghostly magic artifact.
Only an evil person would kill others to turn their souls into puppets, committing even more murders.
What was the purpose behind this person’s malevolence?
It was possible he wanted his fellow disciples to be turned into puppets, just like the fierce ghosts now.
The fierce battle in the skies not far from the Huang family eventually alerted the Huang family people.
At first, the guards watched secretly, not recognizing him and merely observing discreetly without taking any side’s action.
They could feel that one party was too powerful for them to contend with, and the other, being weak and unknown to them, wasn’t their concern to intervene.
As the two weaker ones were about to be killed, they thought there was no more spectacle to watch.
But suddenly, an unwelcome meddler appeared, whom they recognized—it was the enemy, the young master of the Lai family.
The Huang family people considered the Jiang, Luo, and Lai families as their enemies.
They were rivals vying for their family’s resources, and watching these families grow increasingly powerful put immense pressure on them.
They feared being left behind and losing the remaining resources.
The guards reported the aerial battle to their superiors, who in turn informed the family.
Family Head Huang and three Elders had used resources seized, along with their own, to purchase eight pills from the Holy Pavilion.
They divided the pills among themselves to enhance their cultivation in Immortal Venerable City.
Family Head Huang finally advanced from the Foundation Establishment Stage Great Perfection to the Golden Core Stage, while the three Elders also improved, but only to the Foundation Establishment Stage Great Perfection.
Having spent all their wealth, they returned empty-handed to their expectant family, which soon turned their hopeful gazes into ones of disappointment.
Family Head Huang felt helpless; if possible, he would have liked to give the pills to his son and his ancestors to improve their family’s strength.
He also heard that the Luo, Lai, and Jiang families might join forces, and about that Supreme Alchemist—wasn’t he the enemy who killed his grandson?
Seeing one’s enemy was always enraging, yet he found himself unable to confront him, forced to send wealth to the murderer, which he hated but felt powerless to change.
Upon learning that the person fighting in their territory’s skies was the young master of the Lai family.
This young man already possessed the initial stage of Golden Core cultivation, presumably having consumed many Supreme Elixirs.
Family Head Huang, with a hardened heart, took the three Elders to kill Lai Jianlin, the youngest and most capable member of the Lai family.
Family Head Huang appeared with his men, surreptitiously attempting to approach Lai Jianlin for a sneak attack.
Always on guard for the appearance of the Huang family people, Family Head Lai had already noticed them and addressed them politely as if greeting an old acquaintance:
“Family Head Huang, what brings you here in the dead of night?”
Family Head Huang, having intended to launch a surprise attack, did not expect to be discovered before he could even reach his son.
Pretending to be a mere spectator, he said, “I was about to ask you the same thing.
Fighting spells at this hour, don’t you know you’re disturbing the peace?”
“Exactly, we were sleeping soundly only to be awakened by your noise.”
“Don’t you realize whose territory you are overstepping?
Aren’t you aware?”
“It seems you are quite bold, causing trouble here in the middle of the night with ill intentions!”
The Huang Family Elders took turns criticizing the Lai family for their lack of propriety.
“Family Head Huang, Elders of the Huang family, we apologize for waking you, but there was nothing we could do.
My son’s friends came to visit him, only to be targeted for slaughter by this malevolent person.”
Family Head Lai apologized with diplomatic words, yet with that statement, he made it clear that the disturbance was not a transgression against the Huang family, nor was it their fault; the blame lay with the Taoist.