"For a little guy like you, level 18, to make me use a low-level Netherworld Talisman, you should already be proud!" The bald man crushed a low-level Netherworld Talisman and threw it at Zhang Guodong with a sinister smile. He himself disdained to make a move, just standing there watching Zhang Guodong's disheveled state, his eyes gleaming with a cruel and bloodthirsty green light.
He was the hunter, and Zhang Guodong was the prey; he was toying with his prey. If the prey hesitated even slightly, he would kill it without hesitation.
The talisman seemed to have sprouted wings, its speed no slower than Zhang Guodong's dodge. The attack hadn't arrived, but its aura was already there. A chilling, eerie aura sent a shiver down Zhang Guodong's spine.
"A beginner-level Netherworld Talisman! How can it be so fast?!" Zhang Guodong was immediately shocked upon hearing this and seeing the talisman. He also possessed a beginner-level Netherworld Talisman. Before leaving, Zhang Guodong had purchased many practical items as a precaution. However, according to the records, the beginner-level Netherworld Talisman was effective against plant cultivators below level 30, and its effectiveness decreased as the opponent's strength increased. Generally speaking, it was most effective against plant cultivators below level 20.
Even a level 20 disciple would suffer a significant injury if attacked by a Netherworld Talisman or other low-level talismans.
This is probably why the bald man, seeing Zhang Guodong's low cultivation level, believed a basic Netherworld Talisman could end Zhang Guodong's life. That's why he didn't act. Otherwise, with the talisman and the bald man's own attacks combined, Zhang Guodong's situation would have been even more dangerous.
"We can't take it head-on!" Zhang Guodong immediately dodged behind the thick tree, this time using almost all his strength. Just as he dodged, the Elementary Netherworld Talisman struck the tree, which was so large that it would take two people to encircle it, with a whoosh. A layer of icy frost, flashing with blue light, spread across the point of impact, and the tree quickly died, its life force vanishing.
However, the talisman's attack speed in the bald man's hands was too fast. The aftershock of the attack still made Zhang Guodong's body feel cold. A cold, condensed aura entered his body directly from his back and quickly concentrated towards his head! This aura was tangible and very aggressive.
If it were to enter the head area, or even the Purple Mansion space, the demonic vine might be damaged, and its body would be temporarily unable to move, which would be truly dangerous.
"Oh no!" The intrusion was too fast; by the time Zhang Guodong realized it, it had already rushed towards his head.
With that slight pause in his body, and due to inertia, Zhang Guodong watched helplessly as he crashed into the tree in front of him.
"Huh, he actually dodged the Netherworld Talisman's attack? This kid's speed has increased so much?" The bald man was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
For an 18th-level cultivator, avoiding attacks from a basic talisman is extremely difficult. Unless you have a defensive magic weapon or can counterattack with offense, it's not an easy task. However, Zhang Guodong didn't reveal any attacks; he simply kept dodging.
For a novice like this, in this situation, there are only two possibilities.
First, this newbie lacks talismans and offensive magical artifacts. However, this seems unlikely. Since someone implanted a soul in him and helped him cultivate to level eighteen in a very short time, such an astonishing cultivation speed should have been enough to afford these low-level items. The bald man simply didn't believe that Zhang Guodong also came from the plant cultivation world.
Furthermore, this novice isn't lacking in magical artifacts; rather, he possesses magical artifacts that enhance the cultivation speed of plant cultivators!
The most common means of transportation are flying artifacts. However, using a flying artifact in a dense forest is ill-considered, as it can easily lead to obstacles and greatly reduce the speed of escape.
There is another special magical artifact that supplements the flight artifact, increasing the cultivator's movement speed within a localized area, making it more advantageous for close combat. However, this artifact is much rarer than the flight artifact itself. Even top-tier experts may not possess it.
The bald man's eyes gleamed with greed.
"If I had such a magical artifact, wouldn't that woman Purple Rose have to surrender obediently? It's that effeminate Baiyin who's a bit troublesome!" The bald man thought of another pair of mortal enemies in these mountains. The woman was as beautiful as a flower, and the man—well, not exactly a man, or rather a woman in a man's body—was a strange duo. If they joined forces, he would have no choice but to run.
The spiritual energy in the outside world is too thin.
The bald man is a level 32 plant cultivator, but after nearly half a year in the outside world, his cultivation level hasn't increased significantly at all. In the world of plant cultivators, half a year would at least allow him to advance half a level. But here, especially in the mountains where spiritual energy is relatively abundant, that's impossible.
It's all because of a lack of spiritual energy and a shortage of crystals. If there were enough crystals, then the presence or absence of spiritual energy wouldn't matter.
Once your cultivation level increases, finding more crystals and magical artifacts will become much easier.
Power means authority. It allows for the arbitrary plundering of everything!
In short, external crystals are extremely important!
"Huh? Where did he go?" The bald man's wild thoughts had barely faded when he looked at Zhang Guodong again and found him gone.
In less than a second, that newbie (Zhang Guodong) had vanished without a trace!
"Impossible! He can't run that fast!" the bald man roared furiously.
He rushed over in a flash, his chest brimming with rage. To have a level 18 novice plant cultivator slip away right under his nose—if any fellow cultivators he knew were around, they'd probably laugh at him mercilessly. Besides, it was practically flying away; how could he not be furious? Even a small mosquito is still meat.
The bald man was fast, but still far slower than Zhang Guodong. It was indeed true that plant cultivators possessed powerful attack capabilities, but their physical strength was much weaker.
No sooner had Zhang Guodong disappeared than the bald man took up his spot.
"Kid, get out here right now! Otherwise, if I find you, I'll tear your tendons out, skin you alive, and make you wish you were dead!" The bald man was getting a little anxious.
But Zhang Guodong wasn't fooled by such childish tricks at all. All around was quiet.
The greatest taboo for plant cultivators is engaging in close combat with those skilled in melee and possessing high mobility. This is a fundamental principle of combat. However, because there are very few, or even no, plant cultivators who solely cultivate strength, this principle has been largely forgotten.
Zhang Guodong did not disappear; he simply entered the Peach Blossom Spring.
He forced himself to calm down and began to organize an effective counterattack.
He waited patiently, silently counting down the time.
In the crystal mine outside Fengdu City, he used this method to deceive his enemies and kill the three. What deceived them was his level eighteen plant cultivation power, which he made no attempt to conceal. However, his primary attack method was not the power of a plant cultivator, but rather the power of a level twenty-three peak-level physical cultivator!
Several meters to the bald man's side, where the air was almost still, Zhang Guodong appeared silently, his hands forming mysterious hand seals with an extremely high degree of precision.
The moment he appeared, the hand seals were completed.
"Hundred Blades Seal!"
This is probably his most powerful attack method at present. Even when using magical artifacts, without the support of abundant life force, the attack level of Hui would be very poor.
But the Hundred Blades Seal is different. Its attacks are spatially restricted, and it seems to be best used from the source of power. Moreover, it is extremely fast, and its attack power can threaten the life of a level 30 plant cultivator. Even with the bald man's level, if he were ambushed, he might be seriously injured even if he didn't die.
Two hundred dense, blue blade imprints covered an area of several tens of meters, almost indestructible. Whether it was trees or rocks, they all turned into dust under the attack of the blade imprints.
In this area, a series of popping sounds were heard, and the trees immediately shrank.
"Haha. You actually have an invisibility artifact, but it won't last long. These wind blade talismans are quite frightening, but did you think a low-level talisman could harm me? You're not getting away this time!" The bald man felt a sudden tightness in his body and turned around abruptly. He was surprised to see a dense array of 'wind blades,' mistaking them for wind blades hidden beneath the talismans. However, remembering that he still had a low-level defensive artifact on him, he realized that even if the wind blades attacked, they would be largely harmless. Instead of retreating, he advanced, grinning maliciously.
Magic artifacts, invisibility artifacts. This kid has so many good things on him! I thought I'd come away empty-handed, but with these two artifacts, I wouldn't trade them even for ten thousand crystals!
"Let me show you the power of the Netherworld Talisman again. Its attack is invisible and intangible; even your Wind Blade cannot stop it!"
Two more Netherworld Talismans shattered under the stimulation of the life force, rushing towards the countless 'wind blades'.
One Netherworld Talisman might have allowed Zhang Guodong to dodge, but two talismans attacking from the side—let's see how he runs. Moreover, the bald man wasn't planning to stay out of it this time either; he patted his purple storage bag, and a small yellow axe appeared in his hand.
"big!"
The small yellow axe suddenly grew to the height of a person, and runes appeared on it.
"Go! Destroy those annoying wind blades!" The bald man pointed at the dense array of wind blades, and his large yellow axe immediately slashed fiercely at them with unparalleled power.
The release of immense life force caused the pressure on the bald man to vanish instantly. Zhang Guodong couldn't do anything about it; the difference in strength between them was too great, and the opponent's massive life force could negate the effects of the 'Hundred Blade Seal'.
"Pfft!" "Pfft!"
Two rudimentary Netherworld Talismans encountered two cyan blades, and the talismans vanished like ephemeral flowers. The blades only dimmed slightly, but did not disappear, continuing to cover the bald man.
All of this happened in an instant.
"Could it be a mid-level wind blade talisman?" The bald man was shocked upon seeing it and quickly retreated. This was completely unexpected. To be honest, it's really hard to distinguish between a mid-level and a low-level wind blade talisman. You can only judge by the color of the talisman paper. The color of a mid-level wind blade talisman is dark blue, and once it's released, it's easy to make people careless.
But there were no talismans here; from the beginning, the bald man had mistaken the Hundred Blades Seal for something else. No wonder, the Plant Cultivation World doesn't have this kind of attack method. It was discovered in an ancient ruin outside.
These hand seals cannot be used directly by cultivators; they need to be modified before they can unleash a certain level of attack power. However, compared to the original hand seal attacks, the modified attacks are far too weak.
Zhang Guodong has truly found the right master by obtaining this seal. However, he is currently too weak, and can only unleash a small fraction of the Hundred Blades Seal's attack power.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The yellow axe-wielding magic weapon clashed with the Hundred Blades Seal. The explosive force was so great that even the bald man dared not risk a direct confrontation and quickly retreated.
Most of the two hundred magic blades were instantly destroyed!
Upon seeing this, the bald man burst into laughter.
"A talisman is just a talisman. Even a mid-level wind blade talisman depends on who wields it. My masterpiece among beginner magic artifacts is not much weaker than a mid-level talisman in terms of power!"
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