Chapter 207: An Old Friend (First Update)

Old Master Liu could never have imagined that the person beneath those robes was actually his own young master.

When had they switched places?!

He realized it immediately—it had to be earlier, right before they entered the building, when that kid Yi Ji said he had something to do and stepped away for a moment.

What should they do now?

He froze. But the Paintbrush had already materialized in Yan Jing's grasp. It trembled lightly in the air, sending a flock of Little Birds flying out. They rushed toward Bi Jie and the white-robed figure in the distance, crashing straight into the fierce tigers.

Even for the exact same First Tier ability, the power difference when wielded by a Second Tier cultivator versus a Fourth Tier cultivator was naturally worlds apart.

The Little Birds crashing into the fierce tigers was no different from moths flying into the fire. They instantly dissolved into puddles of ink, splashing like waves through the air.

Surprisingly, the white-robed figure blanked for a split second upon seeing those birds.

Bi Jie, standing opposite them, seized this very opportunity.

Violent Weird Energy surged from his fingertips, transforming into a vast marsh that bore down heavily on the white-robed figure.

Tier 3 official cultivator ability: Official Authority.

He had used this exact move back at Bi's Gambling House to deal with that cheating gambling cultivator.

But compared to back then, he was clearly displaying his true strength now.

A terrifying pressure descended from the sky, directly crushing the stone bricks beneath the white-robed figure until they cracked and shattered. Fissures spread outward in a spiderweb pattern, sending broken stones hovering into the air.

The white-robed figure coughed up a mouthful of blood. The Paintbrush in their hand trembled violently, completely unable to be lifted.

As cultivators who gained very little physical enhancement from their path, painting cultivators would completely lose the upper hand once they fell into their opponent's rhythm.

Bi Jie spread his arms wide and bellowed, his voice echoing like divine thunder:

"Submit to the law!"

Rings of Weird Energy cascaded from his body as one bizarre, grotesque silhouette after another materialized out of thin air.

Some had green faces and bared fangs; others possessed elongated necks and split maws. With twisted, inhuman features, the entities lunged toward the immobilized white-robed figure.

Tier 4 official cultivator ability: Spirit Dispatch.

Just as the grotesque figures were about to completely suppress the white-robed figure...

A sharp pop rang out.

The white-robed figure suddenly burst into a puddle of multicolored paint, splashing across the ground before blending into a pitch-black mass.

Then, a new silhouette appeared several meters away.

Except, she no longer wore the white robe.

Tier 4 painting cultivator ability: Painted Body.

It was a woman who appeared to be in her thirties. Her features were not stunning in a heavy, dramatic way, but they were deeply captivating. While she lacked the green vibrancy of a young girl, the soft contours of her face exuded a unique, gentle charm that was warm and smooth as jade.

Her gaze darkened. A scroll materialized in her hand, which she tossed into the air before lightly tapping it with her Paintbrush.

Black light erupted from the scroll's surface, and a vast thicket of bright red roses bloomed from the painting. Every single rosebud was taller than a person. Their twisting vines spread endlessly, piercing straight through the roof. Highly corrosive liquid dripped from their stamens as they lunged toward the eerie spirits in the sky.

A fierce slaughter unfolded.

The woman's gaze shifted away from Bi Jie, settling on Yan Jing, who had just painted the Little Birds.

"Long time no see, Teacher Tang."

Yan Jing smiled, his eyes narrowing.

Yes, the woman standing opposite him was Eldest Young Master Luo's "teacher."

In the local parlance of Bianliu County, she was Young Master Luo's master.

She was the one who had guided Young Master Luo onto the path of Painting Cultivation.

Yan Jing only awakened these memories after seeing the woman's face.

In Young Master Luo's memories, Tang Lian had always been a gentle and approachable guide. The heartwarming memories between the two of them could take days and nights to recount. However, because Yan Jing hadn't actually lived through those moments himself, he couldn't recall all the specific details just yet.

Just like with the Old Man and Fei Yu, Young Master Luo's memories regarding her were limited to the parts that happened in Bianliu County; the rest of those memories were merely a vague outline.

Earlier, after Yan Jing used a high-magnification lens and spotted trace amounts of pigment within the skin textures of a few corpses, he deduced that a painting cultivator was the one helping Boss Bai with the disguises.

He just never expected that the person helping Boss Bai would actually be Luo Sheng's teacher.

The formerly kind and amiable teacher had now appeared in Bianliu County. Moreover, she hadn't sought out Luo Sheng at all; instead, she had stayed by Bai Qiu's side.

There was definitely something wrong here.

"Luo Sheng, why are you here?"

The woman was clearly taken aback as well. "Weren't you already..."

"It seems you still care about me as much as ever, Teacher Tang."

Yan Jing smiled. "I wonder how long you've been in Bianliu County, and why you never told me?"

"..."

The woman blanked, not expecting the Luo Sheng in front of her to ask such a question. While she was distracted, Bi Jie seized the moment and waved both hands. Two massive, thick black pythons erupted from the ground and converged toward his chest.

Tier 4 official cultivator ability: Splitting Dragon Qi.

Originally, this move was called "Borrowing Dragon Qi."

Ever since that emperor abdicated, "Borrowing Dragon Qi" had become "Splitting Dragon Qi."

However, for a Fourth Tier cultivator like Bi Jie, this dragon aura could not yet condense into a true dragon; it could only take the form of giant pythons. But even so, this meant Bi Jie was going all out!

Ink-black Weird Energy exploded from his chest. Python patterns manifested across his Chinese tunic suit, transforming it in an instant into a pitch-black python robe. Gurgling Weird Energy surged around him. Dazzling auroras burst from his eyes, trailing tails of light from the corners.

He looked like a descending deity.

"Suppress!"

He pointed from afar—it was the Tier 3 Official Authority again.

But its intensity this time was on a completely different level.

Tang Lian's beautiful eyes widened. The Paintbrush in her hand immediately shifted, drawing a circle aimed at Bi Jie.

Tier 2 ability: Line Drawing.

Following that, she instantly threw out several paintings.

Weird Energy flooded into them madly.

Tier 2 ability: Dotting the Eyes.

The seductive giant roses in the sky coiled downward, acting as a shield directly above her.

But it was too late. Her earlier moment of distraction had made her miss the optimal window for a counterattack.

The phantom image of a mountain appeared above her head.

It pressed down ruthlessly!

Riiiip—

The eerie entities depicted in those paintings were instantly crushed by the immense pressure before they could even fully emerge. The canvases tore apart, turning into white fragments that danced wildly in the air.

Pfft—

A mist of blood exploded around Tang Lian. Then, she morphed into paint and ink once more, her figure reappearing a dozen meters away.

This time, she looked far, far weaker than before.

The Painted Body ability could be used a maximum of two times. After that, the user would enter a lengthy recovery period.

And now, she had no Painted Body uses left.

But she grew ruthless too!

The Paintbrush in her hand abruptly expanded in size.

Tier 3 ability: Brushstroke.

All her abilities received a boost.

Then, she hoisted the massive Paintbrush toward the sky. The brush tip trembled, spilling out a swathe of colors as she used the heavens as her canvas to paint her greatest masterpiece.

Tier 4 ability: Painting Heaven and Earth.

In just a moment's time, the painting was already half-finished. From the looks of it, it seemed to be the upper body of a certain man.

He wore a dragon-patterned Tang suit and had a smile in his eyes. The loose hair on his forehead seemed to flutter in the wind. Resting his chin on one hand, his head was tilted slightly upward, exuding a bizarre sense of arrogance. It was as if he were sitting in a chair, looking down upon the entire world.

After seeing that figure, another fragment of memory surfaced in Yan Jing's mind.

Meanwhile, Bi Jie charged straight forward, intending to interrupt Tang Lian's painting.

Just then, Bai Qiu, who was engaged in combat with Liu Ye in the distance, let out a low roar:

"Are you still hesitating, Lin Changgui?! Have you really gone senile?! Without me, so what if you become the county magistrate?! Are you going to rejoice with the commoners?!"

Bai Qiu's words struck like a warning bell, directly snapping Lin Changgui out of his hesitation as he had originally planned on sitting on the mountain to watch the tigers fight.

"I want an extra ten percent of the profits!"

His old face darkened as he took the opportunity to extort a better deal.

He had just heard Bai Qiu planning to give Bi Jie and Liu Ye fifteen percent, so he deliberately chose this number to corner Bai Qiu psychologically.

"Fine!"

Bai Qiu agreed with barely any hesitation.

Lin Changgui gave a sinister smile and shook a handful of seeds out from his sleeve.

In an instant, they transformed. Towering corpses several meters tall, dressed in peasant clothing, appeared and lunged toward Bi Jie.

Tier 2 agricultural cultivator ability: Scatter Beans into Soldiers. Among the methods of agricultural cultivators, this was the fastest.

He didn't need to kill Bi Jie, or even injure him. As long as he could block Bi Jie for a brief moment until Tang Lian finished her painting, they would definitely win this match.

At this moment, however, a pair of giant black fists formed from Weird Energy materialized in front of those corpses. Lin Changgui's eyes narrowed, looking in disbelief at Old Master Liu and Yan Jing standing opposite him.

Boom—

Tier 3 body cultivator ability: King Fist.

That pair of giant fists instantly blasted out a flurry of afterimages, smashing directly into those corpses.

"How bold!" Lin Changgui shouted angrily.

To think they dared to stand in his way when they hadn't even reached the Fourth Tier.

Even so, he knew the main point wasn't whether he could defeat his opponents, but whether he could successfully stop Bi Jie.

Therefore, his old face sank. Weird Energy surged around his body, and his county magistrate's attire instantly transformed into a straw rain cape and a bamboo hat.

Tier 3 agricultural cultivator ability: Farmer's Clothing.

A hoe materialized in his hands. He was just about to strike the ground with it to activate the Tier 3 ability, Pitying the Farmers.

But right at this moment, for some inexplicable reason, he felt a fleeting wave of dizziness wash over his vision. Though it lasted only the blink of an eye, the Old Man opposite him still seized the opportunity, pummeling the horde of corpses so hard they stumbled backward.

He took off his sunglasses; black and white light flickered in his eyes.

Tier 2 body cultivator ability: Yin-Yang Eyes.

Before Lin Changgui's eyes, the world twisted once more.

Unlike the dizzy sensation from a moment ago, this distortion lasted a bit longer. By the time he snapped back to his senses, he only saw a flock of pitch-black Little Birds lunging toward him.

"Damn it!"

He cursed.

If this were a normal duel, he was confident that taking down those two would require no effort at all, but it just had to happen at a time like this!

Right now, Bi Jie had already reached Tang Lian. He reached out his hand, and the reinforced eerie spirits swarming around him lunged directly at the painting.

Left with no choice, Tang Lian, who hadn't finished the painting, was forced to stop her brush, abandoning the chair beneath the man and the surrounding details.

Even so, a mighty, awe-inspiring presence exploded outward in an instant.

Although Tang Lian was struck by Bi Jie's palm and sent flying backward, coughing up blood, she still began to laugh.

It was because, with this painting released, she could at least fight Bi Jie to a draw. And as long as she waited for Lin Changgui to finish off "Luo Sheng" and that old man, the outcome of this battle would be set in stone.

Obviously, Lin Changgui had the same idea.

Seeing Tang Lian summon the painting, he let out a sinister laugh and viciously slammed the hoe in his hands into the ground.

Swathes of crops shot up madly around Yan Jing and Old Master Liu—Pitying the Farmers!!!

Unexpectedly, Yan Jing gave a faint smile and pulled several paintings from his sleeve as well, tossing them into the sky!!!

Not only that, he looked toward Lin Changgui opposite him and pointed from afar:

"Silence!"