Sword Qi to the Sky

Chapter 372 Old Friends in the Tavern
The Great Li Dynasty comprises thirty-six prefectures, with nine prefectures forming its heartland, surrounding the area where the Great Li Imperial City is located.

However, in the past six months, Wen Ruyu has stirred up a storm in the land of Kyushu, and has yet to be captured.

Above Yongzhou, a dragon soared through the clouds, its bright and alluring emerald eyes shining through.

On the back of the dragon, several people sat cross-legged.

Li Fan sat on the back of the dragon, closed his eyes and cultivated. Powerful sword intent flowed from his body. More than half a year had passed, and he had successfully entered the late stage of Core Formation.

Opening his eyes, Li Fan looked down and asked, "Sister Liu, are you tired?"

Liu Ji ignored him.

Li Fan didn't mind. After so many years, he had finally fulfilled his wish to ride "Liu Ji" on his journey.

"Brother Xiao Fan, where are we going now?" A voice came from behind. Li Fan turned around and saw Yang Qingshan lying there looking extremely comfortable.

"Have you broken through to the Core Formation Realm?" Li Fan turned around and glared at him.

"No rush. With my talent, it's only a matter of time," Yang Qingshan said.

"Time waits for no one," Li Fan said.

"Brother Xiao Fan, where are the disciples who left the mountain to cultivate back then? How is their cultivation going?" Yang Qingshan looked up at the sky and suddenly had a thought.

After the turmoil at Lishan back then, Lishan sent all its disciples down the mountain to enter the world. Since then, the disciples of Lishan have scattered and traveled all over the world. Now they are probably scattered all over the world.

“There are many disciples from Li Mountain, and their cultivation levels were different when they left the mountain. Now, there are cultivators from all levels.” Li Fan replied. Back then, they were just the younger generation of disciples from Li Mountain, but Li Mountain sent almost all of its disciples down the mountain, leaving only the leaders of each peak on Li Mountain.

This was naturally done for the safety of the disciples of Lishan. Even if the imperial court attacked Lishan again, at least those disciples who had dispersed from Lishan would be safe.

"When you, Brother Xiaofan, reach the seventh level of sword cultivation, and raise your arm to call upon disciples from all corners of the world, that would be truly exciting," Yang Qingshan imagined.

"Seven realms, I'm afraid that's not enough." Li Fan thought to himself. The imperial court must have a sage, and they are only wary of the Sword Saint of Lishan.

However, it is too early to consider this now. What he needs to do now is to break through to the sixth realm of Dao Body.

Li Fan opened the map of Dali and his gaze fell on the location of a city. He decided to go there first.

"Liuyuecheng."

Li Fan murmured to himself, "This city is the gateway to Yongzhou, guarding the 'gate' of Yongzhou. This place is also very vulnerable to attacks by demons, and demons often infiltrate the city."

This is why Liuyue City is home to numerous sects, possessing immense overall strength, with some top sects even residing within its borders.

Once you enter Liuyue City, you've entered the inner ring of the thirty-six states of Dali.

Li Fan stared at the map, where he recognized one particular force. He decided to settle accounts with it.

Outside Liuyue City, there was an official road with a constant stream of pedestrians. People were also flying through the air. Occasionally, someone would cast a glance at Li Fan and his group, but no one dared to cause trouble. After all, cultivators riding dragons were mostly from impressive backgrounds.

"Go down." Li Fan looked down, and the dragon swooped down.

Not far outside the city, beside the official road, there was a tavern where many pedestrians passed by.

When Li Fan and his group came down, they immediately attracted a lot of attention. However, they soon saw Liu Ji transform into human form, which turned out to be a graceful and beautiful woman. Seeing her hot figure, many cultivators' eyes lit up.

But when he saw Li Fan beside him, dressed in white and wearing a silver mask to cover his face, he suppressed the excitement in his heart.

When traveling, avoiding trouble can help you live longer.

There were many tables and chairs outside the tavern, and twenty or thirty people were walking around. He glanced around and found it quite interesting. This small tavern was actually full of hidden talents, and there were even other demons who had transformed into human form.

However, what first attracted him was a portrait hanging on a wooden pole outside the tavern. It depicted a white-robed swordsman, elegant and otherworldly, yet full of murderous intent. It was a portrait of his junior brother.

"Wanted poster".

Li Fan glanced at it and saw that the imperial court's reward notice had already been posted in this small tavern. Anyone who saw it could report it to the imperial court and receive a reward.

After all, expecting passersby to capture a sixth-realm sword cultivator who had left the mountain was somewhat wishful thinking.

To win over Wen Ruyu, it would probably require the intervention of a seventh-realm cultivator.

"Young hero, have you seen this before?" Someone nearby asked with a smile when they saw Li Fan staring at the portrait.

Li Fan shook his head and smiled, "The imperial court's reward is quite high."

"A sixth-realm swordsman from Lishan, and the son of Wen Haoran, how could the bounty be low? Wen Ruyu is currently only a sixth-realm Dao Body. If he breaks through to the seventh realm, the destructive power he would pose to the imperial court would be immense," the man said with a smile.

Li Fan found a place to sit down. The tavern owner was an old man in plain clothes, with white hair and a somewhat hunched back. But he was no ordinary old man who could run a tavern by the official road outside the city.

Before Li Fan and the others could speak, the old man brought them side dishes and wine to their table, smiling and saying, "Please, sirs."

Li Fan looked at the other person with some surprise; he hadn't ordered any food or drinks yet.

The others glanced at the food and drinks but didn't touch their bowls or chopsticks.

"Don't worry, sir, it's not poisonous," the old man said with a smile, his gaze sweeping over Li Fan and Lu Yuan, lingering particularly long on Li Fan.

"Thank you, sir." Li Fan nodded and picked up his chopsticks.

Just then, two more figures walked towards Li Fan and his group. The two were a man and a woman, and they looked quite young. The woman exuded a heroic spirit, while the young man had a pale face and a sinister aura.

Seeing the two stand up, many people looked up and their gazes fell on them, clearly recognizing their identities. The woman walked to Li Fan's table, her eyes scanning Li Fan before glancing at Liu Ji.

"Evil spirit?"

Li Fan sensed the aura emanating from the two individuals, but it wasn't that they were demons; rather, they were simply tainted with demonic energy.

"Is this dragon your demon slave?"

The woman asked Li Fan, since she saw that Li Fan and the others were riding on Liu Ji, so Liu Ji must be a demon slave.

Li Fan looked up at the woman. She was also a Core Formation cultivator and seemed to be of extraordinary status.

"What's up?" Li Fan asked.

"I have been searching for a suitable demon slave. Could you give her to me? I can name my terms," ​​the woman continued. Liu Ji was a dragon, and if she could be used by her, she could help Liu Ji continue to evolve. To her, she would be a very suitable demon slave.

The people around her were not surprised when the woman spoke, which was in line with the usual practice of her faction.

“No,” Li Fan replied.

The woman raised an eyebrow and looked at Liu Ji. It was rare to encounter such a suitable demon slave, and she did not want to give up easily. However, this group of people did not seem simple either. Since they disagreed, she was afraid that she could not force them with her strength.

"From out of town?" The pale-faced young man behind the woman glanced at Li Fan and asked.

Li Fan looked up at the other party, only to hear the pale-faced youth continue, "We come from Washing Medicine Lake. If it's convenient, name your terms."

"What a coincidence." A smile appeared on Li Fan's face.

The familiar force marked on the map is this Medicine Washing Lake.

Back when the imperial court besieged Lishan, Xiyaohu also wanted a share of the spoils. In Lin'an County, he once encountered a young man and an old demon from Xiyaohu, and Liu Ji was also there at that time.

The young man then demanded that Liu Ji become his demon slave. Unexpectedly, time had passed and circumstances had changed, and a similar scene was being repeated here.

The difference is that the one who took a liking to Liu Ji was a Core Formation cultivator from Xiyao Lake, and Liu Ji herself transformed into a dragon.

Legend has it that Xiyao Lake is home to a beast-taming force, teeming with demons and monsters, including some of the highest-ranking ones.

These demon cores are all tonics.

"Alright." Li Fan smiled at the pale-faced youth and said, "How about we exchange it for the Medicine Washing Lake?"

The pale-faced youth's expression suddenly turned cold, and a chilling aura emanated from him. He then looked at Liu Ji instead of Li Fan and said with a smile, "The Medicine Washing Lake is a major sect for demon control. In my Medicine Washing Lake, you can be baptized by demons and monsters, allowing you to advance further. Following us will only be better than following him."

"Plunder by force?"

Li Fan said in a low voice, "They're not even asking for his opinion."

The people in the tavern all looked over here, but they didn't find it strange. Xiyao Lake was a top power in Liuyue City, and it was also a major sect of beast taming. They had been dealing with demons for many years and had a more domineering personality.

“Alright.” Liu Ji smiled and looked at the pale-faced youth, saying, “Then if you beat him, I’ll go with you.”

Washing Medicine Lake, it looks so familiar.

So, Li Fan came here to cause trouble?

"This..." The pale-faced youth revealed a strange smile, his gaze falling on Li Fan.

So, does that mean killing them wouldn't come at a price?
Since that's the case, of course we should give it a try.

If you can kill, then kill; if you can't... that's fine too.

"Boom..." A wild demonic aura swept out, and his arm suddenly shot forward, his palm turning into a sharp claw that slashed down like a demon's claw.

The woman watched quietly from behind him. Since these people wouldn't take a toast, she would test their mettle.

"Humph."

Huang Xiong suddenly stood up and threw a punch, which hit the claws and made them retreat. Then Huang Xiong reached out and grabbed the claws' arms.

The pale-faced youth was stunned, unable to break free, as a surge of violent demonic energy swept out.

"killed."

Li Fan held his wine glass and said in a low voice. Huang Xiong was not going to be polite. He activated his Xuan Gong and threw a punch with his right hand. It was like the roar of a ferocious beast. He smashed the other party's head with one punch, and the white-faced youth turned into a corpse and fell to the ground.

Everyone around them looked on in astonishment, staring at Li Fan and his companions in disbelief.

Xiyaohu is one of the top sects in the city, are you just going to kill them like this?

The pale-faced youth probably never expected that the other party would kill him so easily.

The woman from Xiyao Lake paled in shock and turned to flee, only to see golden vines sweep out from Li Fan's body and instantly wrap around her.

"Pfft..."

Golden spikes pierced her body, blood flowed out, and the woman's face turned deathly pale, filled with fear.

When did Wash Medicine Lake become so ineffective?
(End of this chapter)