Reincarnation Immortal Venerable: Starting from the Ninety-Nineth Incarnation

The lanterns in Luoxia Town grew brighter and denser, and the evening breeze carried the sweet fragrance of sugar paintings, warming people's hearts.

Li Yanzhou and his two companions strolled to a small general store on the west side of the town. The store was small, with several strings of dried medicinal herbs hanging on the door curtain, rustling in the wind.

"This is the place. I bought talisman paper here last time. The owner is quite wealthy, so he should have the cinnabar and talisman brush you need." Li Yanzhou lifted the curtain and went in first, followed closely by Su Qingyao. Shi Dazhuang grabbed the candied hawthorn that Li Yanzhou had bought for him and nibbled on it, his mouth covered with sugar residue.

The shop was filled with a faint scent of ink and spiritual herbs. The owner, an elderly man with a goatee, was sitting behind the counter flipping through a yellowed ancient book. When he saw people come in, he looked up and smiled: "What would you like, gentlemen? We have talismans, spiritual ink, and materials for formations."

Su Qingyao walked to the counter and pointed to the cinnabar jar in the counter: "Boss, I want a jar of top-grade cinnabar, two bundles of talisman paper, and a wolf-hair talisman brush."

Then, he turned to Li Yanzhou and said, "Would you like to take a look at the array bamboo slips? I heard that this family has a few volumes of basic array pattern analysis."

Just as Li Yanzhou was about to respond, he suddenly felt a slight chill.

The chill was faint, as if a gaze was fixed firmly on them.

He glanced discreetly outside the shop. Through the gap in the curtain, he could see a blurry dark figure huddled behind the old locust tree at the alley entrance, its body hunched over, yet constantly looking towards the shop.

It wasn't Zhao Feng; judging by his build, he seemed to be one of his henchmen.

"It seems some people are really unwilling to let this go," Li Yanzhou thought to himself, but his face still held a smile as he reached out and picked up a scroll of bamboo slips next to the counter, flipping through it casually.

"Boss, how much is this 'Basic Array Pattern Supplement'?" As he spoke, his fingertips subtly touched Su Qingyao's arm, his eyes narrowing slightly as he gestured for her to look outside the shop.

Su Qingyao understood immediately. She glanced at the curtain without making a sound, secretly tightened her grip on the talisman with her small hand, and still had a gentle smile on her face. Following Li Yanzhou's words, she said, "These bamboo slips look quite good. If you can use them, you can buy them. Anyway, we need to brush up on our knowledge of formations."

Su Qingyao whispered in Li Yanzhou's ear, her voice tinged with worry, "Was it someone sent by Zhao Feng? He really didn't intend to let this go. Is he trying to find out our whereabouts and then find an opportunity to strike?"

"That's probably it." Li Yanzhou put down the bamboo slip, paid Su Qingyao for the talisman materials, and put the bamboo slip with the scroll pattern into his pocket. "He suffered a loss during the day and knew that he wouldn't get away with it by force, so he wanted to play dirty tricks. If we go back now, he might block us on the way. He might have already found some helpers."

The shopkeeper stroked his goatee, sighed, and interjected, "Sir, you must have offended someone from the Luoshui Sect, right? That Zhao Feng is known for his vindictiveness in town. A while ago, a rogue cultivator accidentally bumped into him, and that very night, his leg was broken and he was dumped in a mass grave outside town."

Li Yanzhou's heart sank. He hadn't expected Zhao Feng to be so petty and ruthless.

He turned to look at Su Qingyao and Shi Dazhuang, his tone steady: "We can't go straight back to Qiyun Sect, nor can we stay in town. Let's find a place to stay tonight and make further plans when it gets light."

Su Qingyao nodded, took out several bottles of Qi-replenishing pills from her bosom, and handed them to Li Yanzhou: "I have a few bottles of Qi-replenishing pills here. In case we really have to fight, it'll be good to be prepared. You can be in charge of restraining them, and I'll use talismans to assist. We might still have a chance of winning. And, have you forgotten? Dazhuang! Huashu..."

Li Yanzhou immediately seemed to wake up from a dream and smiled with relief.

The three thanked the shop owner and quietly slipped out through the back door of the shop.

The back door faces a narrow alley, which is filled with clutter and dimly lit, thus avoiding the view from the alley entrance.

Li Yanzhou walked at the front, carefully sensing the movements around him. He could vaguely detect a faint presence behind him, following at a distance that was clearly another follower sent by Zhao Feng.

"It seems he sent more than one person." Li Yanzhou lowered his voice and said to Su Qingyao and Shi Dazhuang behind him, "When we get to the alley entrance, I'll distract him first. You two take the opportunity to run to the woods east of the town, the place we passed on our way down the mountain. It's secluded there and you won't be easily discovered. I'll be there shortly."

Su Qingyao was a little worried: "Then be careful. If Zhao Feng finds help, their cultivation level might not be weak. Can you handle it alone?"

"Don't worry, I'm just distracting him. I won't really fight him head-on. Besides, Dazhuang's matter can't be easily exposed." Li Yanzhou smiled, his fingers secretly forming a hand seal, and a simple concealment array appeared in his palm. "My three years of array training haven't been for nothing. Holding him off for a while shouldn't be a problem."

As they spoke, they were nearing the alley entrance.

Li Yanzhou stopped and turned to give Su Qingyao a wink. Su Qingyao immediately pulled Shi Dazhuang and squatted behind a pile of miscellaneous items, holding her breath.

Li Yanzhou took a deep breath, deliberately revealing his figure, and walked towards the dense forest on the other side of the alley.

Sure enough, the presence behind them caught up, with hurried footsteps and a hint of wariness.

Li Yanzhou's lips curled into a cold smile. He gradually slowed his pace, and when his follower caught up, he suddenly turned around. The concealment array in his palm instantly spread out, and a pale green spiritual light enveloped the surroundings, blurring the vision instantly.

"Who?!" the henchman exclaimed, his spiritual energy surging out as he wildly swung a palm towards Li Yanzhou. His cultivation was only at the late stage of the Qi Sensing Realm, far inferior to Li Yanzhou's. His palm strike was hasty and chaotic, failing to even touch the hem of Li Yanzhou's clothes.

Li Yanzhou dodged the palm strike with a swift movement, then flicked out a wisp of spiritual energy, which struck his follower's knee heavily.

The henchman cried out "Ouch!" and fell to his knees, a sharp pain shooting through his knees, making it impossible for him to stand up.

"Zhao Feng sent you?" Li Yanzhou looked down at him, his tone icy. "He had you follow us, is he planning to make a move tonight?"

The henchman was pale and his eyes darted around, but he gritted his teeth and refused to speak.

He knew that if he told the truth, he would definitely be punished by Zhao Feng when he got back.

Needless to say, the cultivation level of the young man in front of him was above his own; he could easily crush him with a single finger.

Li Yanzhou didn't expect him to tell the truth. He lightly stepped on Zhao Feng's wrist, his tone threatening: "Go back and tell Zhao Feng not to mess with us again, otherwise, next time it won't be as simple as breaking a leg."

Having said that, he loosened his grip, turned and left. The light from the concealment array gradually dissipated, leaving only the lackey sprawled on the ground, groaning incessantly.

When Li Yanzhou arrived at the woods east of the town, Su Qingyao and Shi Dazhuang had already lit a campfire. The firelight illuminated their faces, making them look exceptionally warm.

"I'm back." Li Yanzhou walked to the campfire and sat down, rubbing his hands together. "That lackey is just a small fry. I've already warned him, but Zhao Feng definitely won't let it go so easily. We'll have to take turns keeping watch tonight in case he brings people to launch a sneak attack."

Su Qingyao nodded, took out the alchemy book that the old Taoist priest had given her from her bosom, and flipped through it by the light of the campfire: "I can tell from the shopkeeper's words that he is narrow-minded. I have a feeling that Zhao Feng will not give up so easily."

Li Yanzhou's heart skipped a beat; Su Qingyao was right.

"We'll be careful." Li Yanzhou looked at Shi Dazhuang, who was staring blankly at the campfire. He reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "Dazhuang, you go to sleep first tonight. Qingyao and I will keep watch for the first half of the night, and you can take over for the second half."

Shi Dazhuang quickly shook his head: "I won't sleep! I'll keep watch!"

Li Yanzhou couldn't help but laugh, ruffling his hair: "Listen to me, you've been running all day and you must be tired. Take a nap first, and it'll be your turn in the second half of the night. If any enemies come, we'll wake you up to fight, okay?"

Shi Dazhuang nodded and obediently leaned against the corner of the wall, soon starting to snore.

The crackling campfire illuminated his honest face, making one temporarily forget the danger outside.

Su Qingyao put down the alchemy booklet and looked at Li Yanzhou, her tone tinged with worry: "When do you think Zhao Feng will arrive? Will he bring a lot of people with him?"

"It's hard to say." Li Yanzhou looked at the dark night outside the temple, a hint of vigilance flashing in his eyes. "Since he sent his henchmen to follow us, he must know we're hiding here. He's probably gathering his men right now. But he's also wary of my cultivation level, so he won't act rashly. He'll most likely wait until the latter half of the night, when we're most exhausted."

He paused, then took out the scroll of array formations from his pocket and flipped through it by the light of the campfire: "I'll study this scroll of array pattern analysis first, and see if I can set up a simple defensive array in the forest. In case he really brings people, it will provide an extra layer of protection."

Su Qingyao nodded, picked up the alchemy book again, and gently stroked the alchemy furnace patterns on the pages.

She always felt that the contents of this booklet seemed to hold some secret, but her cultivation level was not high enough to see the words.

The night grew darker, and the wind howled, as if someone was spying from the shadows.

While studying the array patterns, Li Yanzhou kept an eye on the movements outside the temple.

Meanwhile, in a private room at Zuixianlou, Zhao Feng was listening to his follower's report, his face terribly gloomy.

The lackey who had been injured by Li Yanzhou knelt on the ground, limping, and recounted the whole story in detail, not even daring to conceal Li Yanzhou's warning.

"Useless! You're all useless!" Zhao Feng slammed his hand on the table, smashing the teacup to the ground again. "You can't even keep up with one person, and you even got your legs broken! What use are you to me?!"

The lackey trembled with fear, lying on the ground, too afraid to raise his head: "Senior brother, spare my life! That kid is too powerful; he knows some formations. I fell for his trick and that's how I was exposed."

Zhao Feng took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. The ruthlessness in his eyes deepened: "So what if he knows formations? Tonight, I'll make sure he dies a horrible death!" He turned to another follower behind him, his tone icy, "Go, call over those disciples in the mid-stage of the Qi Suppression Realm from the sect, and also call my Senior Brother Xie Yunfan. Tell him to bring a few bottles of Qi-Dissipating Powder and tell him that his junior brother has a beauty he wants to offer!"

The attendant quickly bowed in agreement and hurriedly left the private room.

Zhao Feng walked to the window, looked in the direction of the east of the town, and a sinister smile appeared on his lips.

Li Yanzhou, do you think you can escape my grasp? Tonight, I will make you pay the most painful price for what you did during the day, and I will also thoroughly humiliate the woman beside you.