The mist surged out too quickly, and the sword was drawn too swiftly.
Many only saw the gushing flames and heard a shout to stop, and then, someone's head fell to the ground.
"Pull back!"
Some among the Shu Dao reacted quickly, realizing that the suddenly appearing young man had a ghostly movement technique and excelled in close combat.
They all retreated.
Yun Qi looked at the twelve people who had just separated.
Including Hai Jinqi, four had already fallen to the ground, their necks slit or chests pierced by flying swords, beyond saving.
Though Yun Qi's heart was heavy with grief, he had no time to dwell on it.
He quickly thought of a countermeasure.
These Shu Dao were unaffected by the miasma, and the woman with the fire sword had yet to appear.
Although his side had more people, they were at a disadvantage.
"Leave the bodies for now. Hide in the shadows and support me with arrows! Be careful, there might still be hidden enemies!"
Yun Qi spoke quickly.
The eight people behind Yun Qi were surprised but chose to trust him.
Taking advantage of the Shu Dao's retreat, the eight quickly joined the others who had just been ambushed and disappeared into the miasma.
Yun Qi, on the other hand, would be the one to light the way in the open.
He held another talisman in his hand, threw it into the air, pointed at it, and chanted,
"Zhao!"
The talisman suddenly burst into flames.
The fire was transparent with a warm, turmeric hue, dancing on the talisman.
Yet, the fire seemed illusory, and the talisman was not truly burning.
However, the light from the flames genuinely dispersed the miasma, landing precisely where the seven Shu Dao stood.
The Miao people, who had just hidden in the miasma, let out low, suppressed laughs of satisfaction.
Yes, this was how they had been slaughtered.
That female thief with the fire sword had fought them, illuminating the area, while other thieves hid in the miasma, attacking with flying swords.
Now it was their turn.
A dozen Miao people spread out around the Shu Dao.
They didn't have flying swords, but they had talisman arrows.
When they set out from the workshop, the head of the workshop had taken all the remaining talisman arrows!
Some shot with crossbows, others threw by hand.
The talisman arrows, carrying their hatred, shot from the miasma towards the illuminated area.
The seven Shu Dao were indeed no ordinary foes.
As the old temple master had said, they exuded a sharp, fierce aura.
They leaped and dodged the talisman arrows, maintaining a flexible formation, covering each other.
If they hadn't been so overconfident and failed to form a formation earlier, Yun Qi might not have been able to strike first and kill one of them.
Four of them took a defensive stance, blocking the incoming talisman arrows and Miao spells.
The other three took an offensive stance, each forming sword seals with their hands, chanting incantations, and controlling flying swords that shot towards Yun Qi.
Yun Qi, controlling the illuminating fire talisman, was the one truly putting them in danger.
And now, Yun Qi saw the true form of the flying swords.
These flying swords were of the same design, not very long, about two feet, with a bright, silvery sheen.
But these swords had no guards; the blade and hilt were directly connected, and the hilt was very short, making it a sword that could be held but was inconvenient to wield.
Though the flying swords were sharp, the mental power of these first-level Shu Dao disciples was not high.
The flying swords they controlled came straight at him, lacking variation.
Yun Qi stepped in a star pattern, twisting his body, narrowly dodging the first wave of flying swords.
But as the last flying sword grazed his shoulder, he turned and tapped the blade with "Autumn Water."
"Ding!"
A crisp sound of metal clashing.
Looking at the tip of "Autumn Water," observing the mark on the flying sword, and feeling the force transmitted back to his hand, Yun Qi understood the material of the Shu Dao's flying swords.
These swords were sharp but also brittle.
As long as he avoided the tip and struck the side of the blade with lateral force, he could damage these swords.
With this knowledge, Yun Qi became bolder, closing the distance.
The closer he got, the less advantage the flying swords had.
The flying swords had a short charging time and a smaller turning radius, making them slower and more rigid in Yun Qi's eyes.
Whenever a flying sword came close, he would sidestep with his footwork or use "Autumn Water" to strike the spine of the sword, deflecting it.
To the Shu Dao and the Miao people, Yun Qi's movements seemed unbelievable.
Even if these flying swords were not famous weapons, even if they were just low-level disciples.
If flying swords could be so easily struck, how could the Shu Mountain have gained its reputation?
And if flying swords could be so easily struck, how could over a hundred Miao people have perished here?
Thus, the Shu Dao's hearts grew more chaotic, and the Miao people's morale soared.
The Shu Dao were shocked but had to dodge talisman arrows and maintain their formation, naturally becoming distracted.
Distraction led to more thoughts, and more thoughts made the flying swords harder to control, making it easier for Yun Qi to dodge.
With ease, he almost actively sought out the flying swords, tapping them with "Autumn Water," like a dragonfly skimming the water.
Ding-ding-dang-dang, a series of sounds, like the chiming of a stone bell.
After dozens of exchanges, another flying sword came at him.
This time, Yun Qi did not dodge.
He held the sword behind his back with his right hand, formed a seal with his left, pointed at the flying sword, and chanted,
"Split!"
A wave of magical intent fell on the flying sword, and it shattered into seven or eight pieces, falling to the ground.
The three Shu Dao controlling the flying swords paled with each strike Yun Qi made.
Now that one of their flying swords had shattered, the user's mind was damaged, as if struck by lightning.
He immediately vomited a mouthful of blood, his legs giving way as he knelt on the ground.
But at this moment, falling to the ground meant breaking the formation they had been maintaining.
Yun Qi's eyes narrowed, and without hesitation, he changed his spell.
He did not hold back, directly targeting the fallen, weakened Shu Dao, chanting,
"Burn to Ash!"
Golden threads of smoke, almost invisible in the miasma, drifted lightly, as if a breeze could scatter them.
But these ethereal golden threads, though seemingly slow, moved swiftly and accurately, landing on the Shu Dao.
There was no sound, only a sudden burst of intense flames—golden flames!
The flames instantly engulfed the Shu Dao, who didn't even have time to scream.
The flames burned quietly, and the Shu Dao stared in shock at the fiery mass, momentarily forgetting to move.
Unfortunately, the Miao people also forgot to shoot.
"Split!"
Only Yun Qi remained unmoved, chanting another spell.
"Bang~"
Familiar, the flying sword that had lost control and was flying straight at Yun Qi shattered into pieces.
The sound of the shattering was light, not like striking a stone bell, but more like porcelain coming out of a kiln.
"Ah!"
Unlike the last time, this Shu Dao, though also vomiting blood, forced himself not to fall, shouting in panic and running around, fearing that flames might descend from the sky.
The shout woke everyone up, and another Shu Dao immediately called back his flying sword.
The Shu Dao's formation fell into chaos.
The Miao people, as if waking from a dream, began shooting again.
"Li Xiaozu! Please show yourself and save us!"
Several Shu Dao huddled together, shouting in fear.
"Tsk, fools. They've found the weakness of the flying swords, and you still attack with them. Aren't you asking for death?"
A cold female voice echoed through the miasma.
Chapter 1 presented.
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(End of Chapter)