Chapter 30: Attacking from Behind

The battle situation was relatively optimistic. Lei Qingxue was still handling things with ease against that female cultivator, seemingly not in a hurry to use forceful methods to defeat her. Perhaps she wanted to use this encounter to temper Lei Xiao.
Although she was only a few months older than Lei Xiao, she already proved to be very capable, far more mature in mind than Lei Xiao.
Lei Xiao continued to emit flame shockwaves, chasing after the three men with birthmarks everywhere. The power of the high-grade spirit talismans was too strong, and as long as the flame shockwaves remained effective, he held a clear advantage.
“Third Sister, where is Junior Brother Su?”
Lei Xiao suddenly looked around but couldn’t spot Su Che’s whereabouts. He then asked loudly, “Where did he go? And where’s that tracker?”
“They ran over there,” Lei Qingxue replied, still able to point in the direction despite the life-or-death struggle.
“Huh?” Lei Xiao’s expression changed as he shouted, “Why didn’t you stop him?”
Without further chasing the three men with birthmarks, he rushed toward the fork in the road.
Su Che, hiding in the shadows, saw Lei Xiao’s anxious expression clearly and felt warmth in his heart. In the cruel world of cultivation, relationships between people were mostly competitive—everyone had to strive to secure limited cultivation resources to gain an advantage over others. The more one struggled from the bottom up, the less tenderness and warmth remained in their heart.
Perhaps because Lei Xiao came from a privileged family and retained a kind heart, he still held true sincerity. But it was uncertain how long this sincerity could last on the long journey of cultivation.
Lei Xiao wanted to rescue Su Che, but of course, the men with birthmarks wouldn’t allow it. They hadn’t expected the Lei siblings to be so difficult to deal with. However, from their conversation, it was clear that the other young man at the first level of Qi cultivation was the real easy target.
Kill one at a time—wait until the man with protruding ears dealt with Su Che, then return to deal with the Lei siblings… That was their plan for now.
The man with birthmarks sent a message to his two accomplices, “My brother will soon take care of that kid. You two, use earth and water spells to try and stop this Lei boy.”
“Okay!” Boss Lu and the man surnamed He replied, each drawing up methods to block Lei Xiao.
Earth and water spells were the most effective for stopping Lei Xiao, but due to the man with birthmarks’ own limited aptitude, he didn’t know how to use either spell. So, he could only rely on water spirit talismans to counter Lei Xiao’s flame rings.

Whoosh! An ice spell talisman was activated, releasing a blast of frigid air that could instantly freeze a pool of hot water into ice, heading straight for Lei Xiao’s mask.
Hiss… hiss… hiss…
Extreme heat and extreme cold collided, producing steam that resembled white fog. The smoke filled the area in an instant, making it nearly impossible to see Lei Xiao’s figure.
The man surnamed He was quite skilled in water-based spells. Without relying on the power of talismans, he shot three ice arrows into the smoke in quick succession.
Both of them knew that the frigid air and ice arrows could only serve to disrupt Lei Xiao; not to mention injuring him, even stopping him would be difficult due to the high-grade and powerful Impact Fire Ring talisman he wore.
To stop him, it depended on Boss Lu.
Boss Lu was most adept at earth-based spells. He had already recited the incantation and pointed, saying, “Earth Dragon, appear!”
Within the smoke-filled area, Lei Xiao was hindered by the frigid air and ice arrows, his movement speed greatly reduced. He knew that as long as the protective power of the Impact Fire Ring remained intact, he was unlikely to get hurt. So, despite his slowed speed, he still dared to charge forward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground trembled as an “Earth Dragon” made of sand and soil writhed across the ground, its massive circular mouth opening to swallow Lei Xiao.
Calling it an Earth Dragon was just a metaphor. In reality, it was a giant earthworm over fifty feet long and as thick as a water tank, entirely composed of sand and soil. It wasn’t very afraid of fire and, under Boss Lu’s control, could attack Lei Xiao like a python for a certain period of time.
Whoosh!
Since sand and soil weren’t affected by fire, no matter how high the temperature of the Impact Fire Ring, it couldn’t destroy this Earth Dragon in a short time. Lei Xiao didn’t dare to be swallowed either, so he had to dodge its massive mouth by jumping around. With that, there was no way he could go rescue Su Che.
Fueled by rage, Lei Xiao changed direction and charged at Boss Lu. He knew very well that only by dealing with Boss Lu could he escape the Earth Dragon’s grasp.
Boss Lu controlled the Earth Dragon using mental magic, blocking and deflecting Lei Xiao’s attacks from all sides, forcing him to constantly dodge its attempts to swallow him.
The Earth Dragon was huge and not a living creature, so its mobility was limited. It was practically impossible for it to swallow Lei Xiao. But at the same time, it was also difficult for Lei Xiao to get rid of its interference.
“Bastard, if you’ve got the guts, fight me head-on…”

Lei Xiao cursed loudly, clearly growing anxious. With the situation stuck like this, the longer it dragged on, the more dangerous Su Che’s situation would become. Moreover, the effect of the Impact Fire Talisman was limited after all. It would be a real shame if such a high-quality spirit talisman were used to no purpose, failing to even eliminate a single enemy…

On the other side, Lei Qingxue shook her head secretly. From her observations just now, she had identified at least four mistakes made by her cousin, and she planned to talk to him about them properly later.

As for Su Che’s safety, to be honest, Lei Qingxue didn’t care much. There were over two hundred thousand such siblings in the Tianxuan Sect, and she had no obligation to take care of him. Besides, it was he who had made mistakes and left her protective range. She couldn’t blame herself for this.

Lei Qingxue decided not to act hastily. She planned to wait until her cousin’s Impact Fire Talisman ran out of effect and he fell into trouble before offering help, so as to achieve the best training effect.

Just as she was thinking this, she saw something unexpected…

Lu Laobai controlled the Earth Dragon to entangle Lei Xiao, but unexpectedly, Su Che, who seemed doomed, appeared just a few feet behind him. With a flick of his hand, he threw a “Flowing Sand Talisman” that landed at Lu Laobai’s feet.

The spirit talisman took effect instantly. Lu Laobai felt his feet go weak as a strong suction force suddenly appeared, sinking his legs into the flowing sand.

A low-grade Flowing Sand Talisman could only create a sand area of about ten feet in radius, with limited power. It should not be able to kill any cultivator; its effect was merely to cause disruption.

However, interference at a critical moment could often lead to a major turning point, directly changing the course of battle.

Caught off guard, Lu Laobai was shocked, and his mental control skills became chaotic. The Earth Dragon entangling Lei Xiao crashed to the ground with a roar. Though it didn’t completely disintegrate, it lost control for a short time.

Seizing this rare opportunity, Lei Xiao leaped high, jumping over the Earth Dragon’s thick body and rushing straight at Lu Laobai.

“Haha, you’re dead!”

Amidst his loud laughter, the Impact Fire Ring on Lei Xiao’s body expanded with a bang.

Lu Laobai was shocked and gathered his vital energy desperately, jumping out of the flowing sand. His reaction speed was indeed fast, but it was still not enough to fully avoid the impact flame unleashed by Lei Xiao.

Bang!

Hit by the orange-yellow flame, Lu Laobai tumbled through the air before crashing to the ground, landing right in front of Su Che.

At this moment, Lu Laobai’s entire body was blackened like charcoal, clearly suffering severe injuries, demonstrating the extreme power of the Impact Fire Ring.

Seeing that Lord Lu was still struggling to lift himself, Su Che moved swiftly forward, took a few steps, and kicked—bang! It hit Lord Lu right on the back of the head. A cultivator in the early stages of Qi training had limited physical strength; subjected to such a heavy blow, he would fall unconscious just like an ordinary person. Lord Lu lay down silently, becoming the second unlucky victim knocked out by Su Che.

There were several other pairs of eyes present. Of course, Su Che wouldn’t drag Lord Lu into the Black Tower Prison in front of them… No need to rush; he would find another opportunity later!

The dramatic turn of events created by Su Che shocked the man with the birthmark and the man surnamed He greatly. Not only because he had ambushed Lord Lu, but it also involved the whereabouts of “Flapping Ears.”

“Where’s my brother?” the man with the birthmark asked loudly out of instinct.

“Who’s your brother?” Su Che asked calmly with a smile, deliberately probing.

The man with the birthmark’s gaze turned cold, and he fell silent. His earlier question had been a mere impulsive reaction, without careful thought. Now he realized it wasn’t the time to ask about his brother’s whereabouts. Even if he did, the other party wouldn’t answer truthfully…

He exchanged a glance with the man surnamed He and transmitted a message: “Save Lord Lu first!”

Whoosh!

The two exerted all their strength and rushed toward Su Che at top speed. While trying to save Lord Lu, the man with the birthmark also wanted to catch Su Che to find out where his brother was.

“Good job, Junior Su!”

Lei Xiao, having an advantage in distance, leaped over directly to block the two men with the birthmark. With the Shocking Fire Ring still active, he didn’t dare get too close to Su Che, as the ring showed no mercy and would only protect the person who released the spiritual talisman at its center.

The power of the Shocking Fire Ring naturally terrified the man with the birthmark and the man surnamed He. With Lord Lu’s example right before their eyes, they knew they must never touch that orange-yellow flame ring…

Just as the two men were planning to avoid Lei Xiao, they suddenly saw the orange-yellow ring around him dim sharply, seemingly due to exhausted energy.

It had failed?

The man with the birthmark and the man surnamed He were overjoyed. The Shocking Fire Ring, which had given them so much trouble, was finally defeated!