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Immortal Freeloader 109
🕑 Added 2024-06-01 04:00:09 +0000 UTCOnce I activated the flying boat, I jumped on it immediately and commanded it to fly, expecting the other cultivators to watch helplessly as I got away. After all, damaged as it was, it would require a lot of effort to bring it down.
Unfortunately, before the boat could even pick up speed, cultivators all around me drew their weapons, attacking the boat simultaneously, trying to take down the boat aggressively. “Fucking savages,” I muttered in shock even as I mentally reached for my storage ring and pulled a stack of shield talismans.
Truthfully, I wasn’t surprised because of their decision to attack. No, at this point, I had long realized that, for all their supposed exalted nature, cultivators were worse than a drug addicts looking for their next fix when it came to robbery. No, I was surprised, now that they had noticed I had the means to escape, they didn’t waste even a second before violating the supposed peace zone to attack me.
And, it wasn’t just a few that violated it. No, every single one of them attacked at the same time. It would be one thing if they belonged to the same team, or even coordinated before, but neither was true.
They simply attacked together, because robbery was truly a reflex for them.
Luckily, they didn’t belong to the same team, or I would have been truly screwed. Even though everyone attacked me at the same time, and looked like they were putting their best, no one actually pushed themselves to the limit. I could tell thanks to my own expertise in many weapons.
It was good, because even a portion of those attacks would take down the damaged boat, forcing me to reveal the upgraded version … something I wasn’t willing to commit, as such a treasure might even trigger an action from the sects. I wasn’t ready for it.
Instead, I pulled a dozen shield talismans, and activated all of them together. A layered shield appeared around the boat, defending me from the attacks.
“A master,” more than one gasped in shock, which was understandable. Normally, talismans could only be activated one by one. However, my talisman abilities allowed me to bypass that requirement by linking them together, a nice trick I had learned during my last knowledge infusion thanks to the System.
However, under the attacks of more than two hundred cultivators, even a dozen shields weren’t enough to hold. The attacks rained on the shield one by one, each attack moving at a different speed. The first few shields shattered almost instantly, as the attacks of the stronger cultivators were the first ones to land. I ignored the next wave, and instead forced the boat to start moving. However, rather than going forward, I forced it to move up first.
At the same time, I raised the dagger with one hand, feeding it Qi, trying to read which attacks would bypass the shield, and preemptively countering them with my own attacks. Those cost me more than a hundred strands, enough to drain most peak Qi Gathering cultivators, but for me, it was just an insignificant part of my reserves.
“Stop, or we’ll make you pay,” many cultivators shouted as they sent their second wave, but it didn’t matter. I had already picked enough altitude. Even when damaged, the boat was able to move fast enough to dodge the attacks, especially with my own ability to read the trajectory of many different weapons.
The knowledge of many fighting styles and weapons was coming in handy.
I still replenished the shields around the boat just in case, even though I didn’t expect anyone to catch up with me as I flew toward the misty mountain. Technically, I wasted treasure worth thousands of spirit stones, but it didn’t matter at all when it came to improving my safety. Who knew if one of them had some kind of super treasure.
As I successfully escaped, the stronger cultivators decided not to hold back as they chased me, some even using movement arts to keep up with the boat as they attacked, but it was in vain. They might have had a chance if it wasn’t for my weapon skills allowing me to read their attacks, but with it, most of their attacks just flew away uselessly as I dodged them.
Ultimately, Qi Gathering cultivators were landbound, limiting their methods of attack. I was confident that I would get away freely. “And, that was a good outing,” I muttered.
However, I must have cursed myself with those words. Merely a few seconds later, I heard a sharp whistle, and before I could react, the first shield layer shattered. Then the second one followed. Third, fourth, fifth…
It finally stopped when it came to the eighth one, and I was able to see the source. A sword, flying with its own power. Luckily, rather than continuing forward, it pulled back, returning to its owner … who had been floating at the edge of the mist, cutting my path.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator.
I recognized him. He was the Foundation Establishment cultivator I had faced the first time I had visited the market. At that time, he was a titan to me. Now, he was a great white shark, smelling blood.
I cursed myself for my arrogance. Even if it would have wasted my spirit stones, I should have built a formation before coming, but I didn’t expect him to be here, let alone attack. A huge mistake. I still had a lot to learn.
But, that was for the future. I first pulled shield talismans to refresh the shield around the ship, the endless talismans I had prepared became useful. Then, I pulled a dozen lightning talismans, activating all at once.
It wasn’t strong enough to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but it didn’t need to be. All I needed was to slow him down while I adjusted my path, trying to escape from him. He responded by raising his hand, and suddenly, and a wave of Qi appeared, trying to drown the flying ship. It wouldn’t take me down, but it would knock me out of my path.
I responded with twenty flame talismans, forcing the Qi wave to evaporate. It wasn’t complete, but it still weakened significantly. The sword attacked once again, this time even stronger, forcing me to replenish the charms.
“We will see how many more charms you have!” the cultivator shouted with an anger that shocked me. I didn’t understand why he was acting like I had killed his family. “A mere Qi Gathering cultivator, daring to deny a true immortal!” he added even as he chased me.
“Ahh, pride,” I muttered in frustration, surprised at the fragility of his ego. Just because I dared defend myself, he was furious. I could see that he wouldn’t stop. “A mere itinerant dog, how dare you speak with this young master like that!” I shouted back.
I didn’t try to intimidate him, but anger him even further. Since he looked too angry to stop, with a fragile ego to complete, I decided to fuel his anger further. That way, he would make a mistake easily.
I entered the mist. He followed. I didn’t expect to ditch him, as even with the mist blocking our senses, it had its limits, particularly at the edge. It wasn’t enough to hide a flying boat, or a flying Foundation Establishment cultivator.
However, it was enough to keep a weak Qi cultivator hidden. I continued to move, replenishing shields after every attack, while he closed in the distance.
Then, I found what I was searching for. A pocket of Qi. I let the spiritual boat dip down as I jumped, and let the boat continue. At the same time, I started building a trap formation. The natural Qi pocket hid me. Unfortunately, even with my skills, setting a formation required time. Merely a minute, but during a fight, it might as well be an eternity.
The anger of my enemy worked to my benefit. He attacked the flying boat twice more. One attack shattered most of the remaining shields, and the other forced the flying boat to the ground. “I finally caught you, you bug,” he said as he lazily floated toward the downed boat, confident in his victory, savoring it smugly.
He was clearly confident in his superior cultivation. A mistake. Then, he compounded it by flying over the Qi pocket, dragging himself into my trap. I activated it, and suddenly, he found himself wrapped in Qi chains and illusions at the same time.
“What’s going on — A formation,” he gasped. Then, he laughed. “Do you think a formation plate could hold me back,” he laughed as he forced himself to free himself, shattering the chains. Unfortunately for him, I pulled one of the large spirit stones the system provided, and started reinforcing it. Now that he was trapped, he couldn’t escape.
“No! How’s this possible. What kind of a formation plate is this!” he shouted even as he fell unconscious, unaware that he was fighting against it in the first place.
Now, I had a decision to make.
