The Science of Cultivation [Xianxia]

Chapter 160: The Giant Cicada

Off in the distance, a small dot rapidly grew larger as it encroached on the area where Li Lang and his attacker were.

They both stared on, awaiting the new arrival for different reasons. For Li Lang, he hoped an expert had seen his signal fire and would rescue him. For the assailant, he was being cautious toward the new party, not wanting to give them any opening. Li Lang was nothing but an ant in his eyes, and he only bothered with him for fun. He didn’t mind handling him later.

The newcomer only took a few seconds before they reached them. It was so fast that Li Lang could only make it out to be a blur until it came to a full stop.

That’s…not a Skyrunner. Is that a tamed Qi beast?

Memories flooded his mind regarding the fateful day when the Abductress had attacked. The Clear Heart elder back then also had a tamed Qi beast as a means of travel, but until now, he had rarely seen others in possession of a tamed beast.

Qi beasts were wild animals that were naturally aggressive. Their body was also filled with valuable materials to be used in crafting, so it was understandable that they were normally killed.

Only very rarely did one find an infant Qi beast to tame. To find one capable of flight was even rarer and exponentially more valuable due to its usefulness as a mount.

And now, the new arrival to the scene was riding on one of these exceptional specimens. Li Lang didn’t need an expert to be here to tell him that the colossal cicada Qi beast was one of the rarest among rare mounts a cultivator could have.

What was even more surprising was the rider, who was now alternating between looking at Li Lang and his ambusher with a confused expression on his face.

“Li Lang? What’s going on here?”

Before the man could get an answer, his figure suddenly blurred as he locked swords with the only other Foundation Establishment cultivator at the scene.

The sound of their metal swords striking each other loudly resounded throughout the area as they exchanged blows after blows. The scene grew more chaotic with every second that passed.

Their exchange of sword strikes swiftly came to an end when the assailant found himself being pushed back. He faltered after receiving each counterblow, and it quickly added up as they exchanged dozens of strikes within a second.

However, the newcomer didn’t push his advantage aggressively enough. He was still confused at the sudden conflict, which allowed his foe to create some distance and invoke his Qi arts.

In one smooth motion, pillars of earth rose from the ground and formed into spears and shot off at the newcomer. Instead of relying on his sword to defend himself, the man jumped back on his Qi beast and summoned forth dozens of naked blades around him. The blades shot out explosively to intercept the spears, nullifying the attack, but not without creating a dust cloud covering the entire area.

Taking advantage of the dust cloud, the newcomer sent his blades through the smog, hunting down the enemy to prevent him from pulling any more tricks. At the same time, he landed his mount right next to Li Lang.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but it seems to be nothing good. Get on and hold on to me!”

It was only then that Li Lang got a closer look at the newcomer and confirmed his identity. He had his suspicions, but the fast-paced action prevented him from getting a good look. Having recognized the other party, he didn’t hesitate to take his hand and got on top of the giant cicada that was easily as tall as two grown men.

Once he got seated behind the rider, they didn’t wait a second before taking to the skies again.

“Thank you, Yun Ming. I can’t believe you’re the one who showed up. You really saved me there.”

“Can’t say that was my intention, haha. No need to thank me. I was just helping Glimmer here, get some exercise,” Yun Mind replied while lovingly caressing the cicada. “Anyway, we have to get back fast. Whoever that guy is, he is a lot stronger than he looks…wait, you’re injured?”

While glancing back, Yun Ming didn’t fail to spot his new passenger’s awkward grip on his shoulder. The index finger on his left hand was listless while the other four fingers held on tightly.

“Yeah, he caught us off-guard and took my space ring, too.”

“Here,” Yun Ming quickly handed him a pill bottle.

Before Li Lang could open it, he felt his vision shift drastically as they abruptly lurched to the side.

“Just hold on tight for a second. He’s trying to hit us down!”

Glancing back, Li Lang spotted the skies behind them filled with hundreds of shadows. It didn’t take long for him to realize it was a rain of stone spears launched directly at them. It made them swerve left and up, up and down. The scene made his heart skip a beat, but thankfully, they successfully escaped the volley.

Their success had earned them a moment of respite, but only a short one.

“I think he’s still coming!” Li Lang exclaimed as he continued to keep watch of their rear.

It caused Yun Ming to lean forward to hug his mount as he muttered something. Glimmer, the Qi beast responded to its rider’s whispers by suddenly picking up speed.

“He’s still gaining on us!”

This caused Yun Ming to glance back himself, and he grimaced upon verifying Li Lang’s words.

“That’s not good. He’ll be able to catch up before we reach the vicinity of Polarity City.”

“But you can fight him off, right?”

“That guy is likely in the middle stages of Foundation Establishment. While that is only a step above me, it’s not a gap that can be easily surmounted. I only put up a fight earlier because he underestimated me due to my cultivation and let me get close despite him being more proficient at range.”

The relief Li Lang had been feeling from being rescued quickly dwindled as he realized the implications of their situation. Yun Ming was only in the early stages of the same realm. It would be foolish to believe he could fight off their attacker if he was now taking it seriously.

“You should still be able to hold him off long enough for us to get near the main lanes of traffic, right? Or if you have some way of contacting anyone, it’s now or never.”

“Umm, I don’t exactly have anything like that.”

This made Li Lang do a double take on the encroaching enemy. He could now make out a pale purple Skyrunner close on their tail.

“Bring us closer to the ground!”

“We’ll attract every Qi beast we fly over, then!”

“That’s even better. We need something to keep him occupied while I—.” Li Lang suddenly fell silent.

“Hmm? While you what?” Yun Ming glanced back to check on his passenger, only to find him deep in thought. He decided against interrupting him and took out another pill bottle instead.

He then fed his mount some stimulant pills in hopes it could buy them more time. Unlike Skyrunners, Glimmer was a living, breathing creature. It suffered from fatigue, so the pills were critical in keeping up their pace.

When Yun Ming had fed a third pill to his beast, Li Lang finally broke his silence.

“Do you think you have a better chance if we can keep his attention divided?”

“Umm, if you’re thinking of taking advantage of the wild Qi beasts down there, it’s not so easy. They’re hard to predict, and I would have to be on guard against them, too.”

“That may be so, but your partner here is another story, right? Do you think Qi beasts would fight against each other when humans are intruding on their territory?”

“Hmm, I don’t know.”

“Let’s give it a shot.”

Staring into Li Lang’s confident eyes, Yun Ming slowly nodded.

While Li Lang appeared to be confident, he was also unsure inside. Qi beasts weren’t something he had the chance and resources to study yet. They were commonly traded among the demonic cultivator community, but the Foundation Establishment level ones found nearby were something he had rarely seen. That was because he was still an Energy Gathering cultivator.

The only reason he believed the nearby Qi beast would prioritize targeting humans was because of the history of demonic cultivators hunting them down. Many animals were both observant and intelligent. Matriarch elephants could memorize routes to guide their herd around so they could have ready access to food sources.

Li Lang had learned that as Qi beasts became more powerful, so too did their intelligence. That made him suspect the nearby Foundation Establishment-level beasts would be able to identify the dangers of humans throughout their long years of hunting. He believed it was reasonable for them to target humans over other beasts and decided to gamble on it.

“If this works, can you prioritize retrieving my space ring? I may be able to actually help if I get it back.”

“You? Help?”

Despite the skeptical looks Yun Ming cast onto him, Li Lang still nodded with confidence again.

“I may not be able to do much, but slowing him down shouldn’t be an issue.”

Yun Ming remained silent for a while, so Li Lang continued.

“Look, I know it’s a lot to ask, but my life is on the line too. It’s in my interest to increase our odds too, so I just ask that you place some trust in me.”

Having said all he could, Li Lang could only nervously await his reply.