"Looks like you anticipated we would form an alliance."
Qiu Qianhai said this as he casually glanced at Wogui Island behind Liu Laizi.
By now, he was sure of Ji Yuan's suspicions.
Even though Liu Laizi knew that he and Ji Yuan would join forces, he still dared to sit here openly waiting, most likely because he had some backup.
He had called for reinforcements too.
"If you really intended to take action against Ji Yuan, why bring him here for me to handle? You could have dealt with him on the road long before. He's only in the early stage of Qi Cultivation."
"Bringing him here to Wogui Island openly probably means you're here to kill me."
As soon as Liu Laizi finished speaking, three water balls shot out from behind Qiu Qianhai.
"Boo—"
They were already close, and with Ji Yuan's sudden attack, Liu Laizi had no time to perform magic, so he crushed a Talisman in his hand.
A water-blue turtle shell appeared in front of him.
The water balls hit the turtle shell.
With a "pop," the three water balls exploded, water droplets scattering everywhere.
Qiu Qianhai quickly maneuvered the Dharma Ship to retreat a bit, seemingly to avoid Liu Laizi's counterattack, but also to avoid the splattering water.
Liu Laizi used the recoil to retreat a distance, angrily wiping the water off his face and glaring at Ji Yuan.
"You sneaky cur!"
"What kind of skill is sneak attacking from behind?"
Ji Yuan then stood up on the Dharma Ship, ignoring Liu Laizi, and said to Qiu Qianhai, "Push forward, two against one, kill him and we'll talk later."
No matter if Liu Laizi had called for reinforcements or not, since none appeared now, assume he didn't!
Kill him first.
"Got it!"
Qiu Qianhai had this kind of decisive personality, and with that, the Dharma Ship pressed forward, and in the blink of an eye, the two were ashore.
Liu Laizi desperately retreated, shouting, "You rogue, do you also intend to kill me?!"
In the reed marsh of Wogui Island, a middle-aged man in a raincoat emerged, slightly stooped, holding a bamboo pole, chuckling:
"How could I, killing you, the Qin family wouldn't let me go."
As soon as he appeared, Qiu Qianhai's face changed.
"Old Boat Wu, a veteran in the fourth layer of Qi Cultivation, leave him to me, you go kill Liu Laizi."
Old Boat Wu... Ji Yuan had naturally heard of him, within the Tribulation Cultivators of Zengtou City, Old Boat Wu was known for his ruthlessness.
He didn't fish and rarely came ashore, wandering in the Cloud Rain Marsh for years.
Whenever he encountered a lone early-stage Qi Cultivation or a cultivator in the fourth layer, he would strike ruthlessly.
Many had tried to hunt him down, but he had such a thorough understanding of Cloud Rain Marsh that he always managed to escape.
Judging by strength alone, he was indeed much stronger than the injured Liu Laizi.
"Kill me?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Laizi didn't let his guard down; instead, he glanced at Ji Yuan with grave seriousness, "Mid-stage Qi Cultivation?!"
"Well, looks like I made the right choice to try and kill you."
If Ji Yuan's cultivation improved, he'd probably come for revenge... After speaking, Liu Laizi beckoned with his right hand, and a Black Gold Saber flew from his waist, enlarging with the wind, and in an instant, it headed straight for Ji Yuan.
Ji Yuan, who had just landed ashore, instinctively thought of using the Golden Body Talisman, but eventually held back.
His Heart Thought activated, channeling Spiritual Qi within his Dantian.
Liu Laizi thought Ji Yuan was scared stiff, but unexpectedly, even with the artifact right before him... With a flick of his hand, Ji Yuan sent out two beams of Spiritual Light.
One beam deflected the incoming Black Gold Saber, while the other brought it crashing to the ground.
"What?"
Liu Laizi was astonished, it was his first time seeing such a technique, with such powerful attack capability; hitting oneself would surely pierce a hole.
In the distance, Old Boat Wu, who was already battling with Qiu Qianhai, glanced over, "That's the 'Water Drop Finger,' that Ji Yuan is ruthless, be careful not to be caught off guard."
The reputation of 'Water Drop Finger' was known to Liu Laizi.
But he had never seen anyone use it, it was said that each use brought immense pain, yet Ji Yuan endured it.
"Alright, alright."
Liu Laizi once again wielded the short saber; however, before he could act, Ji Yuan already pointed a finger at his head.
The Water Drop Finger moved at extreme speed, yet Liu Laizi, seasoned in life and death, quickly summoned four or five Water Shields to cover himself.
Water drops pierced through the shields.
Ji Yuan raised his hand to point at the floating short saber.
The water drops hit it, sending it flying away.
The brief confrontation lasted only a moment, but Ji Yuan was already overpowering Liu Laizi.
Liu Laizi noticed this, and while his face itched, he became more cautious... Today, he had to kill Ji Yuan.
If not, someone who could withstand the backlash of the Water Drop Finger would surely become formidable!
He raised his hand and instead of wielding a magical artifact, he pulled out three Water Arrow Talismans from the Storage Bag, instantly crushing them, conjuring three Water Arrows around him.
"Hmm?"
Ji Yuan held a spell in each hand, instantly conjuring two Water Arrows.
But compared to Liu Laizi, he was still at a disadvantage.
"Go!"
With a wave of Liu Laizi's hand, three Water Arrows were sent out, and he summoned another three...
Suddenly, he couldn't resist scratching his face, the itch unbearable.
And as fate would have it, just as Ji Yuan countered the Water Arrows, he found the sandy ground beneath becoming unusually muddy, tripping him as he raised a foot, causing him to fall.
Facing him, Liu Laizi's summoned three Water Arrows turned downward, heading straight for him.
"Not good!"
Ji Yuan panicked, using his only Middle Grade Protective Talisman — the Golden Body Talisman.
A golden light emerged, enveloping his entire body, and the three Water Arrows hit him but were blocked by the Golden Body.
Yet the immense impact still hurled him several meters away, causing pain in his organs, blood seeping from his mouth.
Damn it, good thing I've undergone Body Refinement, or this would've seriously injured me even with the Golden Body Talisman... Ji Yuan wiped the blood from his mouth, watching the incoming short saber again, he rolled aside and unleashed two Water Drop Fingers, knocking away the troublesome saber.
Though considered a magical artifact, unfortunately, Ji Yuan's Water Drop Finger effectively restrained it.
Had he not known this magic, Ji Yuan would likely have perished here.
Opposite him, Liu Laizi's face itched intolerably, thinking if not for this, he was sure he could've used the magical artifact to break Ji Yuan's Golden Body Talisman.
In his mind, he cursed, where did this bastard get so many Spirit Stones to buy a Middle Grade Talisman!
He summoned the short saber again but the itch on his face became unbearable, finally realizing something was wrong.
Something felt odd, most likely nine chances out of ten.
He recalled Ji Yuan's vicious sneak attack earlier and the water droplets splattered on his face... He must have poisoned him then!
"Sneaky scoundrel, Demon Thief!"
Liu Laizi cursed fiercely, pulling an Antitoxic Pill from his Storage Bag and swallowing it while scratching his face with both hands... even his hands itched.
"Crack—"
Bewildered, he suddenly heard a thunderous sound overhead.
Feeling alarmed, he couldn't dodge in time, a purple lightning struck his head, flinging him over ten meters away.
He lay face up on the sand, motionless, silent.
In the distance, Qiu Qianhai and Old Boat Wu, who were engaged in combat, couldn't help but turn their heads, only to see a muddy young man slowly rise.
Covered in dim golden light, his hands raised, conjuring two Water Arrows.
Pointing towards Old Boat Wu holding the green bamboo pole, Ji Yuan said in a deep voice:
"Surrender or die, the choice is yours."