Chapter Eighty: The Theft of the Fruit King

The other three involuntarily took a step back, drawing closer to each other. At that moment, the Spirit-Communing Fruit turned from red to yellow, its surface covered with coin-sized spirit markings. The fragrance grew more intense, so strong it was almost intoxicating. The fruit, now twice the size of a fist, swayed as if it might fall at any moment.

The four felt their auras surge wildly, preparing to seize the fruit, when suddenly chaos erupted. The formation's ripples flickered and a shadow flashed in, tossing out five spirit talismans in a single motion.

Five serpents of fire, each ten yards long and exuding a world-burning pressure, lashed out in an instant. Three of them charged at the elite disciples of the Beast Tamer Sect, the Monastery of Cultivated Origins, and the Windmoon Gate. The other two hurtled straight at Bai Ruyu, their speed shocking all who saw.

Though the four elite disciples had their own formidable means, these fire serpents struck with the power of a full-fledged Foundation Establishment cultivator. None dared hold back, each unleashing their most prized techniques.

Liu Xixi of the Beast Tamer Sect arched her brows and widened her almond eyes, cursing, "Bastard!" With a shake of her beast pouch, she released a second-rank gold-backed mantis the size of a small carriage. Its wings snapped open, turning into a golden flash as its forelimbs slashed down hard.

With a thunderous crash, the fire serpent was hacked into pieces and vanished. The mantis somersaulted back to Liu Xixi's side, its arms scorched and wings singed, clearly having gained no advantage from the clash.

Jueming from the Monastery of Cultivated Origins let out a thunderous shout, his body erupting in golden light. He spat out a supreme-grade Buddhist bead, which grew in the wind, radiating brilliant Buddhist light. It formed a wall inscribed with swirling runes, shielding him from the oncoming fire serpent. The serpent collided with the wall and was instantly shredded and extinguished by the radiance.

Liu Mei of the Windmoon Gate, her ample chest heaving in anger and her seductive eyes flashing with murderous intent, drew out a graceful, ornate parasol. Infusing it with her power, she opened it above herself. The parasol spun, sending a layer of faint violet glow skyward, shattering the fire serpent.

Bai Ruyu, usually calm and collected, was now furious. The attacker was clearly targeting her—while the others faced a single serpent, she had to withstand two. If she wanted the supreme Spirit-Communing Fruit King, she would have to risk her life.

Without hesitation, she flung out a brocade handkerchief densely woven with runes. It expanded to thirty feet across, spinning slowly above her head. The fire serpents struck, only to be bounced away. Behind her, the phantom head of an ice phoenix appeared—illusory but distinctly lifelike. It opened its beak, spitting a blast of icy mist that instantly froze the fire serpent. The serpent became a sculpture of ice, crashing to the earth and shattering.

Bai Ruyu spoke coldly, "Whoever you are, don't think you can claim the supreme Spirit-Communing Fruit King. Go die!"

With the Iceblade Sword in her grip, a piercing cry like a phoenix rang out. The sword suddenly extended to seven feet, and she slashed fiercely at the shadowy figure wreathed in dark mist. A foot-long blade of ice flashed forth, the air shrieking in its wake.

The intruder seemed prepared for this. In one motion, he snatched the supreme Spirit-Communing Fruit King, cast a spell, and somehow swapped places with Jueming from the Monastery of Cultivated Origins. Jueming knew disaster had struck and quickly summoned his Buddhist bead, forming another wall of light. Ice and Buddha collided; the wall trembled violently but quickly stabilized, while the blade of ice dissolved into mist.

Having obtained the supreme Spirit-Communing Fruit King, the shadowy figure pressed a teleportation talisman to his body. Countless runes flickered, and in an instant, he vanished without a trace.

Only then did the four elite disciples regain their senses. Their faces were all unsightly. After guarding this place for over a month, they had watched as the supreme Spirit-Communing Fruit King was stolen from right under their noses. The thief had planned meticulously, moved like lightning, and unleashed five powerful talismans in an instant.

Liu Xixi's eyes narrowed with fury. "No wonder we haven't seen Sima Tu. It must have been him, betraying us and setting us up! I won't let him get away with it. A monk may run, but the temple remains. Disciples of the Beast Tamer Sect, search for disciples of the Heaven Confucian Sect—kill any you find! I want him to pay!"

Jueming, hearing Liu Xixi, rolled his eyes and said, "Amitabha. I too believe this was Sima Tu's doing. Only he has such treasures at his disposal. He's treacherous and wicked, always bullying others under the guise of his status as young master. Though our Buddhist order shuns bloodshed, evil must be met with retribution. Disciples of the Monastery of Cultivated Origins, show no mercy to any from the Heaven Confucian Sect!"

Liu Mei, her anger making her tremble, gritted her teeth. "Disciples of the Windmoon Gate, search the entire arena and slaughter every last one of the Heaven Confucian Sect!"

Bai Dong of the Celestial Star Sect was first stunned by the audacity of the sudden thief, then enraged. Their mission had been to help Bai Ruyu claim the Spirit-Communing Fruit King, but now Sima Tu of the Heaven Confucian Sect had snatched it away. How could he swallow this insult?

He did not wait for Bai Ruyu's command, but bellowed, "Our Celestial Star Sect will also hunt down the Heaven Confucian Sect to vent our anger!"

The disciples of the four sects surged down Spirit-Communing Peak like a tide, murderous intent overflowing, slaughtering the disciples of the Heaven Confucian Sect. Under the combined assault of the four sects, it was a miracle if even one in ten of the Heaven Confucian Sect survived.

Bai Ruyu's beautiful eyes flickered with suspicion. Something was amiss—for her greatest nemesis, Ge Qian, had yet to appear. She said, "Fellow Daoists, since the Spirit-Communing Fruit King is gone, there's no reason to stay. I'll go and see if there are any rare herbs to be gathered."

The other three exchanged glances, then instantly spread out in a triangular formation, hemming Bai Ruyu in.

Liu Xixi sneered, "Let me be honest with you, Bai Ruyu. The four of us had agreed to join forces to eliminate you. Who knew Sima Tu would betray us halfway and set us up? But even without him, the three of us won't let you go."

Bai Ruyu's face turned ashen, her rage boiling. She had wanted to hunt down the thief who stole the supreme Spirit-Communing Fruit King and disrupt his refinement—after all, a Qi-Gathering level teleportation talisman only worked for a couple of miles. If she pursued swiftly, she might catch him.

Her expression darkened, her aura rising. "What do you mean by this? We've had no past grievances or recent quarrels."

Liu Mei lifted her lovely face and said, "You know the saying, 'an innocent man gets in trouble for his treasures.' With your ice phoenix bloodline, you will eventually upset the current balance. We can't let your Celestial Star Sect dominate."

Jueming frowned. "Amitabha. Heaven cherishes life, Bai Daoist. As long as you relinquish your ice phoenix bloodline, we guarantee no further trouble for you."

Having her bloodline stripped was worse than death.

Bai Ruyu replied coldly, "You think the three of you alone can take me? Maybe if Sima Tu were here, you might stand a chance. Now, get lost!"

She knew she couldn't handle the three of them together—they had come prepared. Without hesitation, she formed hand seals, and the ice phoenix shadow behind her grew until most of its body appeared, unleashing a terrifying chill that swept the area.

Bai Ruyu reached back, grabbed the shadow, and condensed it into an orb of ice. With a shout, "Frost Blast!" she hurled it.

The other three felt death looming over them and each used their own means of defense. The ice orb exploded with a roar, its cold turning into a shockwave rolling out in all directions.

Liu Xixi, Jueming, and Liu Mei were all thrown back a dozen yards. Bai Ruyu, face pale and blood trickling from her lips, pressed a teleportation talisman to herself and disappeared from sight.