A beam of green light pierced through Li Tianxiu's head, flying forward several dozen feet before embedding itself into a white wall with a thud. It was a piece of green bamboo.
The bamboo penetrated about a foot into the wall, leaving a few splatters of blood on the white surface, bright red like plum blossoms, creating an unusual scene.
No one could have predicted this turn of events. By the time people reacted, the bamboo had already pierced through Li Tianxiu's head, leaving no chance for survival!
Among the Li family, there were many skilled individuals, especially the family retainers, who were chosen for their sharpness and efficiency as Imperial Guards. Many were soldiers from the border defenses, veterans of countless battles, with exceptional combat experience. Some had even reached the level of Nascent Soul!
Yet, despite so many experts, not one managed to stop that bamboo!
The bamboo was too fast, so fast that by the time the sound was heard, Li Tianxiu's head had already been pierced!
"Protect the madam!"
Aunt Gu ordered, and immediately the crowd moved. Dozens of people quickly surrounded the family carriage, tapping their waists to release bursts of golden light. Huge golden bells appeared, covering the carriages to protect the women from harm.
"Clang—"
The bell's sound was melodious.
There were also Eight Trigrams Protection Talismans rising, forming symbols of heaven, earth, wind, thunder, water, fire, mountain, and lake around the carriages, slowly rotating.
Additionally, River Diagram Life-Saving Talismans and Longevity Life-Saving Talismans were activated to guard the carriages.
At the same time, the Li family retainers leaped in all directions, jumping onto the rooftops to gain a vantage point. From there, they could see where the enemy was coming from.
However, as they jumped, a sharp whistling sound attacked.
"Whoosh—"
One retainer felt a violent shock in his chest, as if struck by an ancient wild bull, and was sent flying backward.
In mid-air, he looked back to see his back exploding, blood splattering like water from a stone hitting a lake, and a bamboo shot through, heading into the distance.
"Is it a magical weapon? So fast!"
Just as he thought this, all his strength vanished.
The bamboo had pierced his heart, and his life was over.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Bamboo after bamboo shot like death's talisman, targeting the Li family retainers. There were seven in total trying to jump up, but six were pierced by the bamboo. Some managed to activate the Golden Bell Talisman in time, but the bamboo still pierced through, though it didn't exit the body thanks to the talisman.
However, the bamboo's tip exploded, embedding splinters into the chest, piercing the heart and lungs.
That person panicked, breathing hard, which caused the heart to burst and lungs to explode, falling as a corpse, dying a terrible death.
The seventh person didn't die from the bamboo, as he was pierced by a long bamboo as he jumped!
The force from the bamboo was immense, and as it pierced him, it shook with Primordial Force.
Primordial Force is a spear technique, holding a spear with both hands, the tail hidden at the waist, using the waist's power to drive the whole body's strength into the spear, focusing it at the tip, drawing a large circle.
With a Golden Core, the circle becomes even more powerful, enough to shatter even the toughest body!
Though the retainer had a Golden Core, the bamboo's shake displaced all 206 bones, leaving him like a pile of mush.
In a blink, many Li family retainers had already jumped onto tree branches, taking high ground, while others retreated into the courtyard, raising Golden Cores to guard against attacks from behind.
Others activated their Divine Altars and Divine Fetuses, preparing spells, sword qi, or jade wheels for defense.
Some Imperial Guards, even at the Divine Fetus Stage, took out their muskets, loaded gunpowder, and spread out, ready to fire at any moment.
The Zhao family in New Township was not like the Li family in Quanzhou. The Li family had deep roots, strict family rules, many experts, and numerous followers.
Though the attackers were fierce, killing eight people, they hadn't harmed Madam Xia Weiyin and Madam Yan Jingshu significantly.
Everyone looked at the bamboo, seeing an old man in green clothes holding a long bamboo, walking towards them.
The old man's clothes weren't flashy but were very neat, without any patches.
For ease of movement, he wore no jade ornaments, just cloth shoes, fitting perfectly, walking lightly.
Behind him was a young boy in new scholar's green clothes, without the small black scholar's hat. The sleeves were torn off, and the long clothes were rolled up and tucked into the waist, revealing loose white pants.
The boy carried a fish basket with sharp green bamboo sticks, pointed ends up, and a yellow oiled paper umbrella, handle down.
A black dog followed, entirely black without a single stray hair, walking calmly, unfazed by the tense scene ahead, quite surprising.
"Mr. Fu, I've killed seven, and you've only one."
The boy said, "Though you're a teacher, you haven't grasped the essence of Master Confucius' Analects."
The old man in green snorted, not replying.
The two and the dog walked forward, ignoring everyone.
The old man held a sword gesture with his left hand, and another with his right, holding a yellow talisman between his fingers.
"Go—"
The boy shouted, and the yellow talisman burned, spinning into the sky with flames.
Everyone stared at the two, stunned: "Two scholars?"
They looked like scholars, especially the boy, only eleven or twelve, looking young and innocent, younger than Li Tianxiu, wearing new scholar's clothes.
But was it him who summoned the bamboo?
How could it be so fierce and ruthless?
Mr. Zeng looked at them, speaking deeply: "Are you Mr. Fu Leisheng?"
Fu Leisheng stepped forward, holding the bamboo, charging with force, shouting: "I am Fu!"
As he spoke, there was a thud, Li Tianxiu's body fell, followed by the sound of horse hooves. The horse, free of its master, galloped down the street.
"Crack!"
Thunder rumbled in the sky, lightning pierced the heavy clouds, blindingly bright.
A great force tore the clouds, turning into rays of light descending from the sky. It was the Heavenly True God sensing the incense and offerings from the Confucian Temple, bestowing divine gifts.
In the rays of light was the power of the True God, forming Divine Fetuses, responding to the worship, falling into the scholars' Muddy Pellet Palace during the county exam.
The Muddy Pellet Palace is where the Primordial Spirit resides, also where the Divine Altar forms. When a cultivator activates their technique, the Divine Altar projects behind their head, allowing the Divine Fetus to sit in the altar, helping manage True Qi, balance yin and yang, control water and fire, and refine the body.
At this dim time, the rays of light, in various colors, were extremely dazzling.
Not only in New Township, but in all sixty counties of New Township Province, and the other forty-nine provinces of Western New Bull Continent, every county and provincial capital had bright rays piercing the sky, unstoppable by rain, clouds, or storms.
This phenomenon is called the True God Descent!
Every three years, it's grand and spectacular, attracting countless onlookers!
Near the Confucian Temple in New Township County, people knelt and bowed to the rays, some trying to catch a bit of divine energy, hoping their children would score well.
But outside the wealthy merchant's estate in Lingnan, it was a scene of killing intent. As Fu Leisheng charged, four people attacked from four directions, each summoning a Golden Core, forming a powerful four-layered Golden Core field.
The fields formed spheres three feet in diameter, protecting front, back, top, bottom, and sides.
Each person cultivated differently, resulting in different Golden Core attributes. Some fields burned everything within, even the ground, leaving a charred smell.
Some fields had swirling wind, looking like countless black hairs dancing in a sphere. It wasn't hair, but the wind was so strong it created a visual illusion.
Another field had flowing water, gathering and dispersing, washing away everything, leaving a large gap in the ground.
The fourth field was heavy, golden and yellow, crushing everything, even leaving a pit in the ground!
These four were extraordinary, and where the four Golden Cores met, earth, water, wind, and fire converged, destroying everything!
The four attacked, and just the Golden Cores alone could kill Fu Leisheng.
At that moment, thunder roared in the sky, and the yellow talisman Chen Shi had summoned turned into a flame, rising into the air, swaying.
Mr. Zeng looked up, seeing a yellow talisman, about a foot long and a palm wide, with a talisman script drawn in cinnabar and black dog blood, blood-red.
Now the yellow paper burned away, revealing the talisman, its red script shining with golden light, five feet wide and eight feet long, roughly an acre, hanging down!
"Don't summon your Golden Core or Nascent Soul!"
Mr. Zeng's face changed, shouting urgently, "There's a Nine Suns Heavenly Thunder Summoning Talisman in the sky!"
Before he finished, a loud crack sounded, and thunderfire descended from the sky, striking the water-based Golden Core!
Golden Cores are intangible, immune to external harm, unbreakable by spells, unmovable, and indestructible, but they fear heavenly thunder.
The thunder shattered the water-based Golden Core, causing the expert to cough blood, body stiffening, collapsing.
"Crack!" "Crack!" "Crack!"
Thunder continued, striking from the burning Nine Suns Heavenly Thunder Summoning Talisman, shattering the earth, wind, and fire Golden Cores before they could be retrieved!
The three experts smoked black, lying on the ground, their fate unknown.
"Talisman Master!"
Mr. Zeng was shocked, realizing the boy with the fish basket was an extremely skilled Talisman Master, using the Nine Suns Heavenly Thunder Summoning Talisman to prevent their Golden Cores and Nascent Souls from being summoned.
Today was cloudy, with thick clouds, though it hadn't rained, thunder rumbled within.
Heavenly thunder is extremely yang, while Golden Cores and Nascent Souls contain yin, especially the Nascent Soul, known as the yin spirit, needing protection during thunderstorms.
Otherwise, summoning a Golden Core or Nascent Soul during a thunderstorm would result in them being shattered!
The four Golden Core experts were struck by the heavenly thunder summoned by the Nine Suns Heavenly Thunder Summoning Talisman, shattering their Golden Cores!
"Mr. Fu, with heavenly thunder suppressing, you can kill now." Chen Shi said deeply.
He flicked his left hand in a sword gesture, causing a bamboo in the fish basket to jump restlessly, then fly out.
Fu Leisheng snorted: "What if there were no clouds or rain? What would you do?"
Chen Shi moved his fingers, saying: "I have Spring Rain Talismans and Five Thunder Talismans in my sleeve. No rain, I summon rain. No thunder, I summon thunder!"
"Whoosh—"
A bamboo shot out, piercing the air, with a faint sound of thunder!
Chen Shi gripped the hatchet at his waist, body sinking, thighs tensing, energy coursing through muscles, making his legs thick and powerful, charging forward!
As he dashed, bamboos in the fish basket leaped out, making piercing sounds, shooting forward!
Fu Leisheng also charged, holding the bamboo like a spear, the tip whistling, rushing towards the convoy, faster and faster.
Heiguo stopped, sitting back, watching Chen Shi move like a shooting star, the hatchet slicing a throat, bamboos piercing through Imperial Guards and retainers.
End of Chapter