“Bang!” Chu Li felt that his punch was pushed away effortlessly as if he had hit a slippery, algae-covered rock.

　　Monk Zhi Shan took two steps back and regarded Chu Li with a grave expression.

　　The force of his fist within his body was tough, oppressive and laid on the extreme-just and extreme-Yang spectrum. After it was dissolved via channeling, his fist force suddenly altered to fall into the extreme-Yin and extreme-supple spectrum, resulting in the ineffectiveness of his inner energy. His inner energy fell into the extreme-Yin and extreme-supple spectrum whereas his opponent’s fist force laid on the extreme-just and extreme-Yang spectrum.

　　“Urgh!” Monk Zhi Shan spat out a mouthful of blood. The injuries that he had sustained turned into coagulated blood which was expelled from his body and now, he was fine.

　　Chu Li praised, “What an amazing Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture!”

　　“Almsgiver Zhao, I didn’t know you’re familiar with the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture!” Monk Zhi Shan uttered in a low voice.

　　Chu Li nodded. “Absolutely!”

　　“Our temple’s Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture has never been shared with outsiders!” Monk Zhi Shan looked at him sternly. “It’s classified and those who have obtained the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture before receiving enlightenment are enemies of the Reincarnation Temple. I have to cripple your mastery of this scripture, Almsgiver Zhao!”

　　Chu Li let out a laugh. “So only members of the Reincarnation Temple can cultivate this scripture, but not others? And you can cripple someone else’s mastery of it according to your whims and fancies?”

　　“Exactly!” Monk Zhi Shan said in a deep voice.

　　Chu Li smiled. “The Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture can restore one’s abilities. So what’s the point of crippling one’s mastery of this scripture?”

　　A subtle smile crossed Monk Zhi Shan’s face. “When the person is no longer here, the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture will naturally render useless!”

　　Chu Li laughed loudly before he turned around and left. In the blink of an eye, he vanished before Monk Zhi Shan’s eyes. In spite of his limited abilities, he could still react swiftly and was faster than Monk Zhi Shan.

　　“Namo Amitabha…” Monk Zhi Shan chased on.

　　Chu Li ran as fast as he could along the peak of the mountain. He went straight for the cliff and leaped into the air.

　　Without hesitation, Monk Zhi Shan followed closely behind him and jumped off the cliff too.

　　Both Chu Li and Monk Zhi Shan plummeted down. The speed at which they fell became increasingly faster.

　　All of a sudden, Chu Li shot out a blade.

　　“Ting…” Monk Zhi Shan flourished a lunar chakram from his sleeve and deflected the flying blade with it.

　　Chu Li frowned. Monk Zhi Shan’s spiritual force was unusually powerful. He probably possessed some sort of secret technique that allowed him to detect the presence of the flying blade earlier. It was similar to the Nature Restoration Manifestation.

　　The moment Chu Li inhaled, his body slowed down without warning. Soon, he was above Monk Zhi Shan and he shot out another blade.

　　“Ting…” Monk Zhi Shan’s lunar chakram blocked it again, then he plummeted faster towards the ground.

　　Suddenly, Chu Li took a deep breath and mimicked a spirit crane’s breathing technique. He waved his arms about rapidly like a spirit crane flapping its wings. With that, his body slowed down unexpectedly and he stopped in mid-air. After waving his arms again twice, Chu Li’s body began to float upwards like a crane.

　　As he had often seen how spirit cranes took off in the air when he was on Spirit Cranes Peak, he would imitate their movements. This idea had come at the right time and he had managed to apply this method in this very situation.

　　However, Monk Zhi Shan was headed straight for the ground at an alarming speed. When he lifted his head, he noticed that Chu Li was floating upwards. Monk Zhi Shan then took a deep breath and his loose cowl expanded like a large ball. This greatly reduced the speed at which he fell and he began to glide in the air.

　　This was the most he could do as it was impossible for him to float upwards. Moreover, he was far from the cliff and there was nothing nearby to support him.

　　A Grandmaster who utilized the Light-Body Technique would require something for support too. There was no other way if there was nothing for him to support.

　　Monk Zhi Shan pressed his palms together and a lunar chakram fell out from his sleeve. With bent legs, he used the chakram as a base and kicked off from it.

　　The lunar chakram was propelled towards the opposite direction while he shot towards the algae-covered precipice.

　　“Bang!” He banged a palm against the precipice before it shot out diagonally upwards. At the same time, he waved his arm and the lunar chakram returned to his huge sleeve once again.

　　When he reached the top of the cliff, two stones were launched towards him.

　　Monk Zhi Shan was well prepared for this. There were two lunar chakrams placed in front of him, where one shielded his throat and the other shielded his chest. However, when a stone hit him, he was forced off the cliff again.

　　Chu Li kept lobbing stones at the monk.

　　The stones were imbued with great energy and they were extraordinarily fast. There was nowhere else for Monk Zhi Shan to hide as he was suspended in mid-air. Hence, he could only rely on his lunar chakrams to deflect the stones.

　　The Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture’s magic was obviously displayed when he had used the stones’ natural energy to turn vertical force into a horizontal force. Monk Zhi Shan’s body was launched towards the precipice until he banged it with his palm to ascend it again.

　　Chu Li continued to toss stones at the monk while the latter kept moving upwards. This went on, back and forth and no one knew how much time had passed.

　　Both men were stuck in a deadlock. One wanted to go up and the other did not stop attacking.

　　When Monk Zhi Shan finally climbed up the peak, the surrounding area was empty and not a trace of Chu Li was to be found.

　　Monk Zhi Shan furrowed his brows.

　　All of a sudden, he directed his gaze towards Falling Autumn City and laughed. He pressed his palms together and uttered Buddha’s name before he left, his red cowl floating in the air.

　　…

　　It was already sunset and the land was shrouded in the glows of twilight when Li Ruolan and her companions arrived at the northern gate of Falling Autumn City.

　　The three of them stopped dead in their tracks and turned their heads around.

　　“Is Junior Brother Zhao able to get back in time?” Zhou Jinchun frowned as he asked.

　　Their expressions were solemn.

　　The Reincarnation Temple was not like other sects. Monk Zhi Shan’s martial arts abilities must be exceptionally powerful, so much that they feared that Junior Brother Zhao might have gotten himself killed!

　　Bearing such worries, they hardly talked along the way.

　　Li Ruolan spoke, “Senior Brother Zhou, Senior Brother Ji, hand the medicine over to the officials first while I wait for him here.”

　　“…Good idea.” Zhou Jinchun sighed. “We’ll deliver the medicine, then we’ll return to wait for him too.”

　　“Great!” Li Ruolan nodded.

　　The two men took one last look at the main road. The forest was dense but Chu Li was nowhere to be seen. After that, they entered Falling Autumn City.

　　Li Ruolan stood aside as she gazed towards the road.

　　Although her face was covered by a white veil, her large, pretty eyes mesmerized the hearts of those who saw them and her slim figure attracted the attention of people around her.

　　However, Li Ruolan ignored their stares and focused at the end of the main road instead. Deep down, she wished she could catch a glimpse of that familiar figure.

　　As the sky darkened and the rays of light gradually disappeared, her heart sank.

　　The monk of the Reincarnation Temple was an expert. Who knew what tactics he had up his sleeve and whether or not Zhao Dahe would have survived. If the latter’s abilities had recovered, he would stand a chance against Monk Zhi Shan. Yet, this was not the case and he might not be able to defend himself against the monk.

　　The more she thought of this, the more anxious she became.

　　It was twilight, and it was rather difficult to make out the surroundings. A regular person would not be able to see anyone at the end of the road. Yet, due to Li Ruolan’s robust inner energy, the darkness did not affect her vision.

　　Nonetheless, there was still no sign of Chu Li after she had waited for quite some time. Her feeling of unease grew even greater.

　　“Hasn’t he arrived?” Ji Xin showed up beside her without warning.

　　Li Ruolan shook her head.

　　“Could he have entered from the other side of the city?” Ji Xin suggested, “In order to get rid of Monk Zhi Shan, he has to use another route. Let’s wait for him inside the city.”

　　“I’ll wait a little longer,” Li Ruolan replied.

　　Ji Xin frowned. “Junior Sister Li, you really care for Junior Brother Zhao.”

　　Li Ruolan threw him a glance. “What are you getting at, Senior Brother Ji? We can’t just leave him like that after all he did for us.”

　　“I didn’t mean that,” Ji Xin responded hastily.

　　Li Ruolan waved her arm and said, “You go in first, Senior Brother Ji. I’ll wait for him here.”

　　Ji Xin noticed the coldness in her eyes and gave in. He gave a fisted salute and left.

　　Li Ruolan heaved a sigh of relief. She was very frustrated.

　　Senior Brother Ji was normally a nice person, but sometimes, she did not agree with his ways.

　　“Enter the city.” Chu Li’s voice rang out and he appeared right before Li Ruolan’s eyes.

　　Li Ruolan immediately looked at him all over.

　　“I’m not hurt,” Chu Li announced. “Monk Zhi Shan is a tough fellow. I sure hope you won’t encounter him, Senior Sister!”

　　Based on his judgment, it would spell disaster for Li Ruolan and her companions to bump into Monk Zhi Shan.