Chapter 238: Clash
After the stone door fell, only Lu Yun and the Saintess remained in the passage. Seeing Lu Yun’s fearless demeanor, the Saintess couldn’t help but feel doubts arise, smiling at Lu Yun as she said, “You have a means of self-preservation?” As she spoke, her right hand shook imperceptibly, and several silver needles as fine as ox hair shot silently toward the vital points on Lu Yun’s chest.
With a wave of his robe sleeve, Lu Yun reflected those silver needles back, and at a speed several times faster than when they came.
Although Su Yingxiu had been on guard, she still dodged quite strenuously. After dodging several times, she barely avoided those silver needles. Retreating a zhang away in some disarray, the Saintess steadied her figure, her beautiful eyes fixed tightly on Lu Yun, her voice carrying a hint of laughter as she said, “You truly didn’t fall for my Shadowless Incense.”
“In this place where my life hangs by a thread, I naturally have to be a bit careful.” Lu Yun smiled faintly. He certainly wouldn’t tell the Saintess that he had witnessed how she schemed against the Heavenly Maiden, so of course he would guard against Su Yingxiu using the same trick again.
“Hateful,” the Saintess showed no anger at having woven her own cocoon; instead, she pouted coquettishly and glared at him as she said, “You deceived me so badly.” With a face full of curiosity, she continued, “Since you didn’t fall for it, why didn’t you listen to your Master back then and strike at my Master?”
“I naturally have my reasons, but there’s no need to waste words with a dead person.” Lu Yun said expressionlessly, then his figure flashed, appearing before the Saintess, and he punched toward her prominent chest.
The Saintess’s figure flickered like a butterfly weaving through flowers. Lu Yun’s punch, swift as a thunderbolt, just barely grazed past her lapel.
“Little rogue.” Having dodged Lu Yun’s strike, the Saintess covered her chest with both hands, feigning shyness as she lightly scolded, “Are you trying to molest me?”
Lu Yun’s strike missed, and he didn’t immediately attack again. He stood in place, scrutinizing the Saintess. This punch had used six or seven tenths of his cultivation; even an Earth Rank Grandmaster couldn’t dodge it so easily, let alone this Saintess who clearly hadn’t opened the Ren and Du Meridians yet!
In terms of movement technique alone, this Su Yingxiu seemed even more skilled than an ordinary Earth Rank Grandmaster. This reminded Lu Yun of the scene in Bai Liu Village when she competed in movement technique with him without falling behind.
It seemed that without using eight or nine tenths of his cultivation, it wouldn’t be easy to take her down. But in this perilous tomb, he absolutely dared not easily put himself in danger of true essence backlash.
“You’re the type who is tough-mouthed but soft-hearted; you shout about killing on your lips, but deep down you don’t really want to harm me.” The Saintess smiled at Lu Yun as she said.
“You think too highly of yourself!” Lu Yun frowned.
“You used the Great Central Supreme Fist precisely because you didn’t want to harm me, right?” The Saintess said with a squinting smile, then suddenly looked tense as she said, “You’re not thinking of capturing me to plot something nefarious, are you!”
“I’m not interested in you!” Lu Yun was nearly driven mad; he never imagined that the lofty Saintess of Taiping Dao was actually a narcissist and delusional maniac.
“What’s so bad about me…” The Saintess seemed quite struck, glancing at him as if casually as she said, “You’ve been bullying me since Bai Liu Village, and I haven’t even blamed you.”
“…” Lu Yun had just intended to launch another attack when he paused at her words, killing intent flashing in his eyes. Suppressing his shock at having his secret exposed, he unhesitatingly unlocked the acupoint in the center of his forehead, raising his cultivation.
“Since I dared to say it, I’m not afraid of you silencing me.” The Saintess chuckled leisurely.
“It’s nothing more than Sun Yuanlang.” Lu Yun sneered, stepping toward the Saintess as he said, “Do you think he can escape unscathed?”
“You’re underestimating my Master too much; even if everyone else dies, he can still retreat safely.” The Saintess smiled at Lu Yun, deliberately thrusting out her proud chest as she said, “If you kill Taiping Dao’s Saintess, the tens of thousands of followers of our cult will fight you to the death.”
“Moreover, before coming down, I already instructed my subordinates that if I die in this tomb, they should tell the Xiahou Clan that you assassinated Xiahou Lei and stole the Imperial Seal.” As Lu Yun closed in before the Saintess, Su Yingxiu said with a squinting smile, “Guess what reaction the Xiahou Clan will have?”
“You’re lying!” Lu Yun sneered, “Before coming down, how could you have foreseen this situation and made arrangements targeted at me?” As he spoke, he chopped a palm toward the Saintess.
“I long ago guessed that you stole my Imperial Seal; a woman’s thirst for revenge is beyond your imagination.” The Saintess neither dodged nor evaded, even tucking her hands into her sleeves in a fearless stance, staring into Lu Yun’s eyes as she said, “And don’t you want to know the secret of the Supreme Profound Void Technique?”
Lu Yun’s palm stopped just by the Saintess’s ear, the palm wind severing a lock of hair by her temple and knocking her veil to the ground, revealing a flawless, peerlessly beautiful maiden’s face.
“You know the Imperial Extreme Profound Cave Skill?” In this situation, Lu Yun was too lazy for more talk, staring darkly at Su Yingxiu.
“Of course, I’m Taiping Dao’s Saintess, after all.” Su Yingxiu smiled slightly, as if everything was under control. Her hands, always tucked in her sleeves, stopped their slight trembling. And the two Thunderclap Pellets gripped in her hands were already soaked with sweat from her palms…
.
Don’t be fooled by Su Yingxiu’s calm and composed demeanor; her heart was surging with shock. Before this, although the Saintess had determined that the Lu Clan stole the Imperial Seal, she hadn’t realized that Lu Yun was the person she met in Bai Liu Village. Because the Saintess had secretly observed Lu Yun’s competition with that Xie Bo, she was certain Lu Yun only had Black Rank strength.
But Lu Yun’s reflection of the silver needles just now was absolutely not something Black Rank strength could achieve. Su Yingxiu instantly realized this kid was a master at playing pig to eat the tiger! So she immediately probed with words, and Lu Yun’s reaction confirmed the Saintess’s guess—he was the one who stole the Imperial Seal in Bai Liu Village!
This Lu Yun was even a bit younger than her, yet already a great expert who could single-handedly fight several Grandmasters. Then the cultivation method he practiced was obvious!
Clearly, the Mysterious Yellow Manual had fallen into Lu Xin’s hands back then, and he passed it to Lu Yun!
Since Lu Yun possessed the Imperial Extreme Profound Cave Skill and was cunning and sharp no less than herself, the Saintess knew she had no chance in a fistfight and could only rely on her wits to escape the current crisis. Just now, she had racked her brains and said everything she could; if Lu Yun still didn’t budge, Su Yingxiu would have no choice but to find a way to perish together with him…
Fortunately, Lu Yun stopped…
.
“You’ve cultivated the Supreme Profound Void Technique for many years and must have hit a bottleneck long ago, right?” The Saintess looked at Lu Yun calmly as she said, “The taste of cultivation backlash isn’t pleasant, is it?” She sighed softly, her tone full of sympathy as she continued, “Without a solution, you’ll probably die young…”
Hearing the Saintess’s words, Lu Yun was certain that this Su Yingxiu truly knew the Imperial Extreme Profound Cave Skill, so he said in a deep voice, “Do you know how to resolve it?”
“Of course.” The Saintess nodded with a beaming smile, wisdom pearl in hand as she said, “Solitary yin doesn’t engender, solitary yang doesn’t grow; your Profound Cave Skill needs another cultivation method to balance it, allowing you to rid yourself of the chronic ailment and achieve cultivation method perfection.”
What Su Yingxiu said matched Lu Xian’s deduction exactly, and Lu Yun finally couldn’t hold back as he asked in a deep voice, “What cultivation method?!”
“That cultivation method is…” Su Yingxiu paused, then changed tack with a light laugh behind her hand, “Young Master Lu, do you think I’d tell you now?”
“I have ways to make you talk!” Lu Yun had long anticipated her tricks, sneering as he slowly raised his finger.
“Are you going to use the Soul Seizing Great Method on me?” Su Yingxiu said with a face full of surprise, “Great, great, finally I get to see our cult’s long-lost cultivation method!” Pausing, she reminded him kindly, “But Young Master, don’t blame me for not warning you upfront; for you to achieve cultivation method perfection, you can’t do without my… willing cooperation.”
