Chu Li listened calmly. He did not move a muscle.

　　He knew Wen Tingdao’s ultimate goal was to aggravate Ji Xin and make him falter under stress.

　　Wen Tingdao’s cultivation level was much higher than Ji Xin’s. He carried a long sword with him on his waist, which was longer and thinner than a regular one. Moreover, he was a crafty fellow who often relied on conspiracies to plot against someone. It was very difficult to defend oneself against a person like him.

　　Not only was he was stronger than Ji Xin, but he also used Li Ruolan to aggravate him. With such caution and tactics, Ji Xin was definitely no match for him.

　　Although Chu Li’s Dantian had been injured and his cultivation level was negatively affected, his Omniscient Mirror was not broken. The buddha, devil and mirror in his mind’s void were still there and as clear as before. All he needed to do was cultivate regularly to restore his skills. The Divine Light Body and the Heavenly Demon Body of his were mightier than he imagined.

　　Qin Huaichuan needed half a month to recover, whereas Chu Li required only three or four days.

　　The Omniscient Mirror could scan things three kilometers away so he was already aware of Wen Tingdao’s arrival, but he was too lazy to talk about it. Ultimately, he had to go through this stage.

　　“I am looking to die,” Wen Tingdao said gleefully. “But the thing is, are you able to kill me? You’re no match for me. I’m here to send you to kingdom come!”

　　“Hmph!” Ji Xin snorted as he gradually drew out his long sword.

　　Li Ruolan stepped forward and stood by his side. “Senior Brother Ji, let’s go!”

　　After overhearing the conversation, she knew that Ji Xin would not be able to defeat Wen Tingdao. Naturally, she would not stand there and do nothing.

　　“Haha…” Wen Tingdao laughed heartily. “Great, let this beauty join us. I shall have a chance to get close to her. With this beauty here, I won’t kill you, Ji Xin. I’ll cripple your martial arts prowess and dismember you instead. You’ll still live!”

　　“Wen Tingdao, I will kill you!” Ji Xin said slowly. His gaze was focused and determined. Then, he turned to Li Ruolan. “Junior Sister Li, I’ll do it myself. This is my business!”

　　“Senior Brother Ji!” Li Ruolan frowned. “Can you really defeat him?”

　　“We shall see!” Ji Xin replied.

　　Wen Tingdao laughed again. “We’ve fought once and you ran away with your tail between your legs. What? Has your martial arts prowess improved recently? Are you finally capable of defeating me?”

　　“Both of us can kill him!” Li Ruolan said in a low voice.

　　Wen Tingdao chuckled. “Aw, the pretty lady is so cruel. Are you really going to kill me?”

　　“Which Fu Dynasty sect are you from?” Li Ruolan asked.

　　“Are you finally interested in me, pretty lady?” Wen Tingdao smiled. “I’m Wen Tingdao of the Fu Dynasty’s Sword Moon Clan. Have you heard of us?”

　　“No!” Li Ruolan answered coldly.

　　Wen Tingdao spoke, “The Sword Moon Clan is a major sect of the Fu Dynasty. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of us, pretty lady. Such ignorance! Never mind, from tonight onwards, you’ll remember us forever!”

　　“Shut your trap, Wen!” Ji Xin hollered. He could no longer tolerate this man. He then charged towards him, swiftly plunging his sword forward.

　　Chu Li shook his head and sighed. Ji Xin had fallen for the trap!

　　“Eh, you’re jealous!” Wen Tingdao chuckled and his expression turned serious. He pointed his sword from a mysterious angle and stabbed Ji Xin’s lower abdomen with it.

　　Fueled by rage and impulsivity, Ji Xin wanted to stab Wen Tingdao to death. His initial attack was no longer effective and he no longer had any strength left. As a result, he was stabbed in the lower abdomen instead of evading Wen Tingdao’s attack.

　　“Urgh!” Ji Xin glared at Wen Tingdao angrily. His own attack was of no use.

　　“Senior Brother Ji!” Li Ruolan cried out in fright and anger. She then held her sword and launched an attack.

　　Wen Tingdao drew his sword and retreated, successfully avoiding the slash of Li Ruolan’s sword. After that, he aimed for Ji Xin’s throat, attempting to end his life with one stab.

　　“Ting…” Li Ruolan blocked the attack in time with her sword, but her heart sank.

　　The body of Wen Tingdao’s sword was long, thin and light-looking, yet the force that accompanied it was massive. She was not Wen Tingdao’s match, who was indeed an expert of the Sword Moon Sect. No wonder Senior Brother Ji got wounded!

　　“Ting ting ting ting…” Li Ruolan waved her blade rapidly as she defended Ji Xin.

　　Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Ji Xin removed a jade bottle from his pocket and popped a spirit pill into his mouth. Fortunately, he had shifted his body when his lower abdomen was stabbed and so, his Dantian was not wounded.

　　After that, he spat out the spirit pill which was already softened. He immediately inserted it into his wound before he took out another spirit pill and swallowed it. The pills could be used internally and externally. As long as he has stopped the bleeding, he could fight again.

　　“Ting ting ting ting…” Li Ruolan forced herself to fight back the urge of retreating.

　　Senior Brother Ji was behind her and she must not back down!

　　Wen Tingdao might look charming and delicate, but his sword attacks were unusually powerful and aggressive. It was akin to a thunderstorm that had purged the earth with its might. His sword was like a venomous snake that left its cave, taunting its targets with its fatal poison.

　　Li Ruolan realized the circumstances were not to her favor. Her palms began to turn numb and her sword attacks became less aggressive. On the contrary, Wen Tingdao grew more and more powerful as if there was a surge of energy within him that had not been unleashed.

　　At such a desperate moment, she cried, “Junior Brother Zhao!”

　　“Coming!” Chu Li responded.

　　Brandishing her sword, Li Ruolan evaded Wen Tingdao, grabbed hold of Ji Xin and leaped over the bonfire to land behind Chu Li.

　　“Argh!” The abrupt movement resulted in a disruption of Ji Xin’s inner energy. This had worsened his injury as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

　　Nevertheless, Li Ruolan was too distracted to take care of him. Instead, she released him and pressed herself against Chu Li’s back.

　　All of a sudden, a huge force appeared out of Chu Li’s back which continuously absorbed her inner energy.

　　“Haha, hiding behind a hideous man without any martial arts prowess. That looks fun!” Wen Tingdao sniggered.

　　Noticing Chu Li’s lack of inner energy and cultivation level, he had decided that the latter’s martial arts ability had been crippled.

　　Ji Xin was severely wounded and was not a cause for concern while Li Ruolan was no match for him either. Hence, Wen Tingdao felt at ease. A smile crossed his handsome face. “Why struggle? Nonetheless, don’t worry, Ji Xin. I’ll take care of this beauty and treat her well.”

　　Ji Xin gritted his teeth. “You deserve to die, Wen Tingdao!”

　　“You’re the one who deserves to die!” Wen Tingdao shook a finger. “How dare you come to the Fu Dynasty to kill people, including my disciple from the Sword Moon Sect? As one of the sect’s disciples, how can I spare your life? You do deserve to die, don’t you?”

　　“That disciple of the Sword Moon Sect is evil and he deserved it!”

　　Wen Tingdao shook his head. “You kill those whom you believed deserve to die. In that case, we’re no different. You do deserve to die and I must kill you!”

　　Li Ruolan said, “Cut the crap. Wen, it isn’t too late if you leave now!”

　　“Haha…” Wen Tingdao laughed loudly as if he had heard a great joke. Then, he regarded Li Ruolan with surprise. “You think you and this hideous fellow can kill me? That will be a miracle!”

　　“Swoosh!” A crisp sound resounded. Chu Li’s arm that was hidden in his sleeve twitched and a wave of blade energy shot out.

　　With his sword, Wen Tingdao quickly deflected the blade energy.

　　As the bonfire was what separated them, it had created a distance between both of them. Furthermore, Wen Tingdao was often cautious and his long, thin sword was exceptionally fast. These factors had allowed him to avoid Chu Li’s assault with ease.

　　Immediately, Wen Tingdao took a few steps back to increase the distance between himself and Chu Li. He frowned and glared at the latter.

　　Chu Li looked at him emotionlessly. “Are you going to leave or not?”

　　“Who are you?” Wen Tingdao stared at Chu Li with knitted brows.

　　“Zhao Dahe,” Chu Li replied calmly. “If you don’t leave now, you’ll never get your chance!”

　　“Not bad, Zhao Dahe!” Wen Tingdao scoffed. “I’ve underestimated you! Fine, I’ll leave!”

　　As soon as he was done talking, he turned around and left.

　　Chu Li snorted.

　　Li Ruolan heaved a sigh of relief. She was about to loosen her palms when she realized they were still pressed tightly against Chu Li’s back. She could not release her palms.

　　“Junior Brother Zhao?” Li Ruolan gave him a confused look.

　　Chu Li replied, “He’s still around.”