Fading of the Golden Aura

Huan Wei took a step back. He tried to remain calm, but he was too excited. Yun Ying and Lan Xifeng had seen the young man. They would think he was trying to escape. That was reason enough for him to be executed when the battle was over.

The man in front of him held his daggers tightly. His blue clothes were stained with blood in many places. Some of his hair was also smeared with blood. Yet the golden aura that covered him had a calming effect. Huan Wei felt safe standing behind him. Even though he knew it wasn't real, his fear had subsided.

The golden aura that only a Light Cultivator could possess could only be activated by a heartfelt desire. It required great devotion, honor and sacrifice to the Path of the Divines. Only a true Light Cultivator could have it. Unlike the Corrupted Qi that possessed the minds of Blood Cultivators, Divine Qi did no harm to its user. However, it was not as easy to activate as it was in the Path of the Blood. Yun Ying and Lan Xifeng were Light Cultivators who would never have the golden aura.

Lan Xifeng threw another light dagger. Her opponent raised his weapons and blocked the dagger. Despite his speed, he did not dodge aside. Because Huan Wei was behind him.

Yun Ying grabbed him and pulled him towards them. Lan Xifeng rushed forward and attacked one after another. Meanwhile, the surviving bandits came to his help. Because the hound was attacking Ou Yu.

The man with the dagger dodged Lan Xifeng's attacks and attacked the bandits who got too close. He dodged aside a lightning technique that passed by his face. He also dodged an earthen stake that came out of the ground by jumping.

Still, the situation did not look good. If his opponents were only Yun Ying and Lan Xifeng, he might have won, but the bandits were also attacking him. The fact that they were also on the second step of Path of the Earth made the situation a difficult one to deal with.

At this moment, Ou Yu lifted a thick piece of wood and hit the hound on the head. The tree shattered and the hound was thrown several meters away. The wounds on the woman's chest and arms did not look good.

The man with the sword attacked her again as his golden aura continued to glow. He had to finish her off before she could use the Soul Technique again. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to fight against her. They hadn't planned to fight someone with the Soul Technique when they came here. They didn't have the proper preparation.

First he kicked her from below. Immediately afterwards he spun around and swung his sword. Ou Yu dodged the kick but managed to grasp the sword between her hands. Thanks to the physical strength from both Body Tempering and Path of the Blood, she was able to break the sword.

The man with the golden aura threw the broken sword aside and took up a fighting stance to engage in close combat. The situation was not going in a good direction for him either.

Meanwhile, Huan Wei saw an extra dagger on the waist of the man in front of him. The bandits surrounding the man were forcing him to retreat.

His back was to Huan Wei. He walked backwards, holding him with one hand. "Don't worry. If not today, tomorrow. We will not leave you at their mercy."

Then he shouted at his friend who was fighting Ou Yu. "Wan Jiang!"

Wan Jiang looked over and saw that his friend was surrounded by many people. It was clear that they had lost this battle.

The hound came again and attacked Ou Yu. This time the woman grabbed the monster's mouth with both hands. Pressing in different directions, she broke its jaw in an instant. The beast, its cheeks shattered, fell to the ground in a pool of blood.

Wan Jiang also went on the attack. A kick to Ou Yu's face made her stagger a little. The man didn't stop. He jumped up and spun in the air and kicked her again. Ou Yu raised her arms to protect herself.

Meanwhile, Huan Wei had made up his mind. The plan had to go ahead. Perhaps his move would put everything at risk. But the plan didn't matter as long as he didn't survive. Everything was for survival. He hadn't gone through all that hardship just to die here. He didn't want his life to end so simply.

He reached out and took the dagger from the man's waist. The man suddenly turned his head towards him. "What are you doing?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Huan Wei thrust the dagger upwards. He wanted to stab the man in the jaw and reach his brain. Yet the Light Cultivator was too fast.

He leaned his body backwards and evaded Huan Wei's move. At the same time, he swung one of his daggers at his throat.

Huan Wei was too slow to dodge it. He tried to pull his head back but failed. This time, however, he was fortunate. He had forgotten the metal collar around his neck.

The dagger struck the collar, sending sparks flying. Immediately afterwards, a light dagger pierced through the man's head, splattering blood on Huan Wei's face. The golden aura disappeared.

As the dagger-wielding man's corpse toppled over, Lan Xifeng was seen waiting with her finger extended towards him. She had used her opponent's distraction and ended the battle.

Meanwhile, Ou Yu extended her finger towards Wan Jiang. The man with the golden aura knew what it was. She was going to use the Soul Technique again.

He immediately retreated. When he saw the other bandits and leaders coming toward him, his golden aura disappeared. He took out a talisman. He extended it into the forest, away from the battlefield, and activated it.

At the same moment, his body disappeared in a refraction of light and reappeared about 40 meters away, where he had extended the talisman. Wan Jiang looked at the bandits. "This is not over! I know you now!" and disappeared into the trees.

As soon as he was gone, Yun Ying turned to Huan Wei. The light wall that divided the battlefield had also disappeared. The bandits forced the slaves into cages. Huan Wei was the only slave left outside.

One hand was on the collar around his throat. If it wasn't for this metal collar, he would have already entered the reincarnation cycle. He would not have been able to fend off that attack. It was impossible for him to survive. But he was alive now.

Yun Ying was looking at Huan Wei. Lan Xifeng had already gone to Ou Yu. "Why aren't you with the other slaves!?" the fat woman shouted.

"I just..."

"Take him to his cage!"

The two bandits grabbed him and took him to his cage. Once inside, they chained him up.

Huan Wei was still in shock. In a battle of this magnitude, he had attacked someone who had reached the 5th Step of the Path of the Divines. And he was only at the Traveler stage. One step above that was already Yuchi Meizhen.

He took deep breaths. The other slaves looked at him angrily. "What have you done!?" one of them shouted.

"You caused the death of someone who came to rescue us!"

"If he had lived, maybe he would have gone for help!"

Apparently everyone had seen it. Huan Wei did not answer any of them. He was happy to be alive.

"What if Wan Jiang thinks we're like you and gives up the rescue!"

One of the bandits hit one of the cages with an iron club. "Shut up! No one will rescue you! If any of you say another word, I'll kill him!"

The voices of the slaves were silenced. Huan Wei also needed some rest. He had gained a lot of experience in the last few hours. He had seen dozens of different techniques and understood how functional talismans were.

It was as if talismans could even allow someone to use a technique they hadn't learned yet. Wan Jiang had teleported. It was perhaps fortunate that no one followed him.

"Move those corpses," Ou Yu ordered. "Bring me all the weapons. Broken ones too."

Only 13 or 14 of the bandits seemed to have survived. This included the leaders and Ou Yu. The Forest Masters had taken a serious blow. They no longer had as many men as before.

Huan Wei was a little more awake. His eyes were on Ou Yu. "She wanted all the weapons for herself. Even the broken ones. Could she still have my broken sword?"

He wanted that sword. Not a new sword, yet that broken sword. It became an obsession with him.

A few bandits were waiting by the cages so no one could speak. Huan Wei was also waiting in silence. At that moment, he realized something. His Qi, already at the limit of the Traveler stage, had increased even more. The young man became excited. He turned his head and looked around. The time had come. Now he could try to enter the Wanderer stage. And without the pills...