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Chapter 76: Horror
Roar!!
The giant tiger's frenzied eyes seemed to sense the pervasive murderous intent, revealing a hint of struggle. In the midst of the struggle, a flicker of rationality flashed through, but it was instantly submerged.
The madness escalated, and the beast's instincts were intensified to their extremes.
An evil wind suddenly rose, and the terrifying body of the giant tiger violently charged forward, first colliding with the late-arriving blade-light. The curvature of the crescent-like light collapsed the darkness of the night, only leaving a shallow bloodstain on the giant tiger's body.
Next.
Clang, clang, clang!
Three pale golden long needles collided with the giant tiger's body, making three gold-iron chiming sounds.
Immediately after, green sword light and pale golden sword light fell simultaneously, but shattered into countless spirit lights in an instant.
The colossal tiger-demon passed through the shattered spirit lights unscathed.
Gold-devouring insects crawled on its body, leaving only fine bloodstains on the tiger-demon's body as they fell off after it shook vigorously.
A sword cry fell from the sky, accompanied by piercing sword light, like thunder from the heavens.
Perhaps it was the beast's instinctual perception of danger, the tiger-demon suddenly raised its head. An invisible wave radiated from its blood-red, crazed eyes, directly confronting Chu Jinmo's Spirit Sword.
Supernatural power – Eyes of Restraint!
The descending spirit light suddenly came to a halt, revealing the Sword Tool itself – a silver longsword struggling incessantly. Its initial awakening of intelligence was akin to a newborn infant, abruptly restrained without any success in resisting and appeared panicked and helpless.
Just at that moment, as the tiger-demon raised its head.
A silent shadow approached in a roundabout way. From below, it pierced upward, directly plunging into the tiger-demon's throat.
Delighted that his pure Sword Control Skill had managed to conceal its presence, Han Yi's expression immediately changed after.
The Shadowless Sword that had pierced into the giant tiger's throat was stuck at the throat bone, unable to move even the slightest bit.
The tiger-demon looked back, its eyes completely ferocious and wild. The Shadowless Sword remained lodged in the throat, only its black hilt visible, hardly noticeable in the darkness of the night.
Roar!!
An earth-shattering tiger roar suddenly erupted.
This time, the tiger's roar carried a terrifying demonic power, bearing down on everyone with even more madness reaching the point of insanity.
Everyone's faces were filled with utter horror and disbelief.
In truth.
As soon as Liu Ke's first blade-light left only a shallow bloodstain on the tiger-demon's body, everyone's faces had already been filled with immense horror.
Next.
Gold needles clanged to the ground, sword light shattered one after another, even the gold-devouring insects within the Upper-Grade Magic Tool, the Golden Cauldron, were only able to leave fine bloodstains on the tiger-demon's body. At that moment, the terror of the crowd hit its peak.
Then, the supernatural power restrained the Spirit Sword, while the roar ensued.
Despite their full force, they were not even able to harm the giant tiger minimally.
Everyone was already aware of their impending defeat, with thoughts of fleeing emerging in their minds out of fear.
But at this moment, the space seemed to solidify. The returning gaze of the tiger-demon, with supernatural power still in its eyes, weighed on everyone like a mountain, immobilizing them.
In truth.
At that moment, the silver Spirit Sword in mid-air had already broken free from the restraint of the Eyes and regained its mobility. However, the Spirit Sword, recently nurtured with low intelligence, was fearful and dared not stab the tiger-demon again. Had it done so, the outcome might have been different.
The Spirit Sword let out a low cry, falling from the sky, as if a wronged child returning to the embrace of its family. It went straight into Chu Jinmo's scabbard behind his back, quivering non-stop.
Just at that moment, gusts of evil wind swept across, and the tiger-demon pounced on.
Released from the power of the Eyes of Restraint, everyone looked frantically to the side, their faces full of shock.
Under the paws of the three-meter-tall tiger-demon, a person was half-submerged into the ground, with only a lone head remaining visible. The face was turned to one side, with its eyes still full of horror.
Fast, too fast, way too fast.
In the aftermath of the giant tiger's earth-shattering roar, Liu Ke, with a Late Stage of Qi Cultivation, was already killed, standing at the farthest edge of the seven-person team with He Ze, who was practicing Sword Drawing Skill, similarly fallen.
From the moment the giant tiger landed until now, only around a breath and a half of time had passed.
Run!!
n
He Fengdi screamed, his voice almost changing.
As he cried out, his body shot towards the night, and he pulled out a spiritual talisman from his storage bag, pasting it onto himself. A flash of light passed, and he was already a hundred meters away.
At the same time.
The still alive Shen Ru and Li Yi also scattered and fled in opposite directions, using various means to rapidly reach their maximum speed.
However.
Faster than them was Chu Jinmo.
Before everyone turned around, the Spirit Sword behind her had already made a choice for her.
The Spirit Sword leaped out, hovering in the void. As Chu Jinmo saw the tragic situation on her side, she lightly jumped onto the Spirit Sword. Before taking off, she scanned around, and suddenly realized that Han Yi, who had just been by her side, was already a hundred meters away, not a bit slower than He Fengdi who had used a spiritual talisman.
Chu Jinmo's momentary confusion was only brief as she quickly recovered. Without thinking further, the Spirit Sword soared into the sky, disappearing in an instant.
Sword Immortals, at the Qi Cultivation Stage, can use their Spirit Swords to fly.
Meanwhile, only a very few Late Stage of Qi Cultivation cultivators can use special magical tools to fly, and not as conveniently as Sword Immortals.
In the blink of an eye, the five of them fled in different directions.
This was the rule they had established long ago: if they encountered irresistible evil beasts or enemies, they would each flee for their lives.
On the other side.
The tiger monster that bit the person in its mouth in half roared again.
The Sword Tool in its throat and the bloody rage boiling inside its body made it constantly confused and without reason.
After a bit of destruction, the tiger monster seemed to catch a whiff of something and charged in a certain direction.
Ten breaths after the tiger monster disappeared.
Three figures appeared in the vicinity of the destroyed tree hole.
"Heh, this tiger monster is really useful."
"Uncle An kept it in the Evil Mountain Range and didn't expect it to be so effective one day."
said the young man on the left.
"This tiger monster is not just an ordinary evil beast, but it has taken a big step towards becoming a Demon Cultivator. It's not an exaggeration to call it a half-step Demon Cultivator. Uncle An kept it in the Evil Mountain Range to guard the spirit plant and also hoped that it would take that last step and become a Demon Cultivator."
"Unfortunately, the spirit plant just happened to mature and coincide with the Xuandan Sect's mission, so we had to sacrifice the tiger monster."
"However, this Blood Soul Curse corrodes the flesh of the blood monster and pollutes its power, indirectly burning its life force, making it lose its mind. This plan can only last for a maximum of half a day."
The young man on the right added.
The third young man, standing in the middle of the trio, wore a blood-red robe, had a calm face, and carried a blood-red Sword Tool on his back. He glanced at the two mutilated corpses on the ground and nodded:
"Enough."
"Half a day is already enough. Tonight, we've already placed the lure near the gathered Xuandan Sect disciples. As it rushes over, it will kill some and scatter the rest. Next, it's our hunting ground."
The calm-faced young man took a few steps forward, looking over where Chu Jinmo had just stood and then looking up into the sky.
"However, there's a Sword Immortal among the Xuandan Sect disciples."
Upon mentioning the Sword Immortal, the calm-faced young man's expression changed significantly.
"Brother Han, don't worry. That Sword Immortal is only at the 7th level of Qi Cultivation. Even though they are the so-called first in killings among Sword Immortals, they might not necessarily be able to defeat someone from the 9th level, let alone someone like you at the peak of the 9th level. Even if they were at the Foundation Establishment stage, you wouldn't be afraid."
After finishing, the young man on the left looked puzzled.
"But isn't the Sword Immortal's legacy only found in that one place?"
"How could the Xuandan Sect have someone who is a Sword Immortal?"
The young man in the middle's face turned calm again: "Let's go. We are responsible for following the tiger monster in case of accidents. The other disciples who scattered from the Xuandan Sect will naturally be hunted down by our other brothers."
"As for that Sword Immortal, it's not as simple as you think. For now, just leave her alone."
"And remember, if you encounter a Sword Immortal, you can kill but not humiliate. If a Sword Immortal is killed, it's their own fault for not cultivating properly. But, if they are humiliated, people from that place will come out, and it won't just be my bad luck, but the Blood God Sect's as well."
The two 9th level Blood God Sect cultivators on the left and the right nodded and followed the middle young man, quickly moving forward to catch up to the rampaging tiger monster..
Chapter 77: A Kill
Han Yi was the first to notice that something was wrong.
Because the giant tiger's roar was due to his Shadowless Sword's credit.
His Fire is Purely Green Sword Control Skill, combined with his focus on controlling a single Shadowless Sword, had not been distracted.
When the Shadowless Sword was trapped by the giant tiger and unable to move, he sensed an unprecedented danger and quietly retreated one step back. In his hand, he had two more spiritual talismans.
One speed-boosting talisman and one yin thunder talisman.
The speed-boosting talisman was added to enhance his speed for preparation to flee.
With the yin thunder talisman in hand, Han Yi's gaze was locked on the giant tiger. If the tiger showed signs of weakness, he would definitely activate the first-grade top-quality spiritual talisman without hesitation, and strike it down, dealing a fatal blow.
Besides that, the four Wind Demon daggers hidden in his body were also trembling slightly. If the yin thunder talisman could not contribute, the Wind Demon daggers would come into play next.
At a critical moment, he decided to go all out. If he still held back, it would be nothing but seeking death.
However.
The moment the giant tiger's innate supernatural power to imprison space was revealed and then it pounced, Han Yi realized that even if he had more first-grade top-quality spiritual talismans, he might not be able to kill this inherently supernatural tiger monster.
Therefore, he did not watch the final bloody scene of the tiger monster's attack. Instead, he quickly slapped the speed-boosting talisman on himself and, in a flash, appeared 20 meters away.
Before leaving, he saw He Fengdi escaping in another direction, Li Yi and Shen Ru were also scrambling to flee, and Chu Jinmo was already standing on the silver spirit sword.
Han Yi turned his head and didn't look back.
If he had the confidence to kill the tiger monster, he would definitely not hesitate to take action. But with the current situation, even if he went all out, there was nothing he could do.
They had no choice but to flee separately, and each would leave it to fate.
He even abandoned the Shadowless Sword, showing that he was also helpless.
In this group, he and Chu Jinmo had the best relationship. If he didn't know Chu Jinmo's identity as a Sword Immortal, he would pull Chu Jinmo to escape together. However, knowing that Chu Jinmo was a Sword Immortal, he knew that Chu Jinmo was the safest of all people.
The way of the Sword Immortal, the control of the sword, was already one of their combat abilities.
It's just that the path of Sword Immortal is too outstanding in killing, which has the evaluation of "first in killing". Aside from that, their ability to escape and defend was equally strong.
Han Yi only slowed down discreetly after fleeing about ten kilometers. He planned to find a place to spend the night and return to the Immortal Warship Base the next morning and take the warship back to the sect.
Previously, after venturing deep into the Hundred Li, the group had mostly encountered seventh-order evil beasts. Han Yi already had the core parts of seventh-order evil beasts in his storage bag, which was enough to complete the sect's new mission this time.
The reason why everyone went deep was that they had only killed one ninth-stage evil beast and were just one short of completing the group's mission.
However, they never expected to encounter the giant tiger's attack.
"But, there must be something wrong with that tiger monster."
Han Yi's eyes flashed as he began to speculate now that he had calmed down.
The next moment, he suddenly stopped and looked up to the area in front of him, and sensed the presence of cultivators in the Forbidden Zone, a hundred meters away.
Junior Xuandan Sect Han Nan, may I ask which senior brother is ahead?
Han Yi deliberately didn't reveal his real name, in case the other party was not a member of the Xuandan Sect. Giving his real name would mean more trouble, so he could only make up a temporary name.
If the other party was indeed from the Xuandan Sect, they would respond, and he could explain later.
But that cultivator's aura was heading straight towards him without speaking.
A naked murderous intent was rushing towards him.
As the distance closed, Han Yi could tell that the other's aura was higher than his own but lower than Liu Ke's. The other party was at the eighth stage of Qi Refining.
It seems that the other party assumed they had him cornered.
Naturally, under normal circumstances, a Blood God Sect cultivator at the eighth stage of Qi Refining would not have much difficulty killing a singled-out Xuandan Sect cultivator at the seventh stage, barring any accidents.
However, Han Yi was the biggest accident.
Despite losing his Shadowless Sword, he still had his Wind Demon daggers, as well as numerous other skills.
The murderous intent rose silently, only to erupt in an instant.
A bloody light turned into a sharp arrow, piercing the night and appearing within three meters of Han Yi's body as soon as it was revealed.
Han Yi did not panic, extending a hand to press against the void. The spirit energy surged, spreading, and forming a flaming shield a meter high and half a meter wide.
Fire Shield Skill.
Boom.
The arrow-like bloody light collided with the Fire Shield Skill and shattered abruptly, turning into a sky full of colorful energy.
Huh?
The attacking cultivator let out an exclamation. The robe of blood surged, and six bloody arrows were fired at Han Yi in the blink of an eye.
Boom, boom, boom…
The shield remained motionless.
Han Yi could sense the other party's breath hitching.
Then, to his surprise, the other party turned around and fled without hesitation.
So decisive that he didn't even see it coming.
But his brows furrowed in the next moment.
The other party's keen sense for battle was indeed much higher than his, and there was definitely a problem with the ease with which the other party found him.
He couldn't let the other party escape, in case they had accomplices or other tricks up their sleeve.
"Kill!"
This time, it was Han Yi's turn to attack.
Once he made a move, it was a series of continuous attacks.
The Fire Shield Skill disappeared, and spirit light burst from his fingertips, chasing the opponent at an incredible speed.
However, the other party was still on guard for Han Yi's attack while running. The opponent threw out a magical device – a box-shaped one – and detonated it after throwing it out.
Decisive, clean, and once again, unexpected.
Boom!
The magical device exploded, submerging Han Yi's Spirit Void Finger in a violent surge of spirit light.
Yet, the other party had not expected Han Yi's Spirit Void Finger to be so powerful. At the same time, dozens of equally fast spirit lights pierced through the surging waves of spirit energy and landed on the other party's body in the blink of an eye.
Boom, boom, boom…
Dense explosions followed, and a figure stumbled backward. The blood-red robe he wore was now completely torn, revealing the black protective inner armor underneath.
He had been hit by dozens of Spirit Void Fingers in a row.
Even with a middle-grade magical armor, this eighth-order cultivator had taken heavy damage.
Whoosh!
A black shadow flashed, and its head shot up into the sky. The headless body finally collapsed to the ground.
The black shadow revealed its true form – a pitch-black dagger.
Wind Demon Dagger.
The dagger silently retracted back.
At this moment, two figures approached with the speed of lightning, coming within a hundred meters of Han Yi.
Huh?
Senior Brother Zhou has been killed?
A voice cried out in shock.
"Hmph, killing a disciple of the Blood God Sect is seeking death."
Another cold and harsh voice, filled with a thick murderous intent, followed.
On Han Yi's body, a second dagger silently emerged from the bottom of his pant leg.
The one he had just retrieved was now in his hand.
At this moment.
"It's you." The person who had exclaimed earlier saw Han Yi's face, and his expression changed dramatically. His voice was even tinged with a hint of fear.
"Huh?
"Who?
The first sound was from Han Yi, and the second, from the second person who was approaching.
As they got closer, Han Yi could make out the faces of the two newcomers under the moonlight.
At first glance, they were strangers.
After searching his memory, Han Yi recalled his past encounters with the Blood God Sect and recognized the person who had just exclaimed as a seventh-order cultivator he had spared in Tianqing City.
At that time, Han Yi had intended to use the Turtle Breath Skill to hide but ended up accidentally causing the collapse of the cellar he was hiding in. He bumped into Cui Xingchen, Luo Yunzhou, and Tao Shouhua. Accompanying them were three seventh-order cultivators from the Blood God Sect.
Afterward, Han Yi attacked, killing two and letting one escape. The escaped one corresponded to the person in front of him.
Years later, that person had already reached the eighth-order.
However, what's the use of reaching the eighth-order? They were all going to die anyway.
Han Yi's gaze shifted to the second person – a middle-aged scholar-like cultivator. In his hand, a silver fan gleamed coldly..
Chapter 78: Battle of Spells
Han Yi was completely unfamiliar with the appearance of the middle-aged, scholarly man and could confirm that he had never seen him before.
When they were in Tianqing City, if he looked around like he had with Tao Shouhua, he would have discovered this middle-aged scholar cultivator who had killed Lu Su.
"Brother Shi, this man killed Kang Feiyang and Huang Tao back in Tianqing City. He is very powerful, so we must be careful."
The first young man's gaze settled on Han Yi, and his expression was solemn. His magic power began to circulate around him, becoming gravely serious to the extreme.
"Oh, capable of killing two at the seventh level in Tianqing City, and now killing our junior brother Zhou. It seems we really need to put in some effort."
The middle-aged scholar named Shi Heng looked at Han Yi. Although he said that they needed to 'put in some effort' casually, his inner heart was already fully alert.
Just as the words left his mouth.
Without any sign, he suddenly moved.
His extremely fast figure was like a bolt of lightning, and in the blink of an eye, he bridged a distance of ten meters. He was now less than three meters away from Han Yi, and the silver folding fan in his hand was suddenly thrown forward.
As the fan spun, it sprinkled rings of silver brilliance, which eclipsed the thin moonlight. It looked beautiful but actually concealed a deadly danger.
Han Yi sensed a slight danger; this middle-aged man was very strong, extremely strong, unlike the eighth level Qi Cultivator he had just killed. Instead, he was one of the top cultivators at the eighth level.
He rapidly retreated, using his Light Body Technique. In an instant, he pulled back ten meters and shifted three meters to the side.
Swish!
The silent, silver brilliance shone, cutting through the space where Han Yi had just stood. Ten meters behind his original position, a soft creaking sound could be heard.
Han Yi looked in the direction of the sound and couldn't help but constrict his pupils.
Breaking, the gigantic trees behind him with diameters of five to six meters began to slowly fall. The dazzling silver brilliance from earlier had directly severed more than a dozen trees at their waist and made only a very faint sound.
Han Yi turned his head to look at the floating silver folding fan, and a heavy feeling rose in his heart.
This magic weapon was undoubtedly a top-quality one, even among the top of top-quality magic weapons.
"Huh?"
The middle-aged, scholarly cultivator seemed surprised that Han Yi was able to dodge his sudden attack. Although his face was calm, his heart grew even more cautious.
"Kill." With both hands drawing together, the Silver Scale Fan floating and spinning in front of him suddenly transformed. It had originally been a half-circle fan, but now it stretched out further, extending completely into a circle with the fan leaves spread flat, turning into a silver disc.
The top-quality magic weapon, the Silver Scale Fan, transformed into its second form.
"Go!!"
The disc disappeared suddenly, reappearing in front of Han Yi as if it had teleported. His expression did not change; as soon as he had moved sideways and saw the power of this weapon, he had already prepared himself.
A fire shield instantly sprang up.
Bang!
The fire scattered, the shield shattered, and the disc halted.
Han Yi's expression remained unchanged. His index finger, middle finger, and ring finger pressed against his thumb. He then flicked sideways with his body, and three rays of spirit light appeared. They traversed a distance of four meters in an instant and collided with another magic weapon: a blood-red, banner-shaped weapon called the Blood Soul Banner.
Bang, bang, bang!
The Spirit Void Finger exploded continuously, directly destroying half of the mid-tier magic weapon and sending it flying.
Three meters behind the magic weapon, another figure appeared – the cultivator Han Yi had let escape at Tianqing City.
This cultivator's face changed greatly as he caught the Blood Soul Banner and then backed away in a hurry.
He instantly understood that this battle was not something he could take part in.
However, Han Yi did not forget that there was not just the middle-aged scholar as his enemy here; there was also another cultivator at the eighth level.
Nonetheless, this eighth-level cultivator had only just advanced to the eighth level and did not pose any threat to Han Yi at the moment.
After Han Yi flicked away the three Spirit Void Fingers, he immediately turned his attention back to the battle.
At this moment.
The shattered Fire Shield Skill had not yet completely dispersed, and the halted disc had not been able to be controlled again after encountering resistance.
And he had been waiting for this moment of stagnation.
Now, it was his turn.
Clang!
Two daggers suddenly appeared on his left and right sides.
This time, the daggers looked different. With a faint tremble, a circle of pale red light appeared on their surface.
Departing Fire Sword Formula.
Using the Sword Control Skill to manipulate the Wind Demon Daggers, executing the Departing Fire Sword Formula, and adding the daggers' inherent wind attribute.
This attack.
Was almost half of his full strength.
"Go!!" Han Yi shouted softly, and his two fingers moved together. From top to bottom, a vertical downward slice.
The middle-aged scholarly cultivator tens of meters away suddenly changed his expression greatly.
He knew the power of the Silver Scale Fan, but he did not expect the first strike to be dodged and the second strike to be blocked after it transformed into the second form. This caught him off guard.
When Han Yi's two daggers, like two rays of light, had just appeared and were already closing in to less than three meters, his body froze. There was no time to think. His magic power surged, forming a light wall in front of him.
Defensive Magic Skill, Light Wall Technique.
At the same time that the light wall was formed, another hand already held two spiritual talismans; without hesitation, he slapped them onto himself.
Two green rays of light emanated from the talismans and instantly spread out, forming an elliptical shield. On the surface of the shield, a green light rapidly flickered.
First-stage, top-quality spiritual talisman, Protecting Body Talisman – and there were two of them.
If one had insufficient experience, they would take Han Yi's attack one step at a time.
However, the middle-aged scholar had rich combat experience, and in an instant, he understood the power of Han Yi's move. It was definitely a terrifying trump card. Without hesitation, he used magic power to form a defensive light wall and instantly paid the price, consuming two first-stage, top-quality spiritual talismans, in order to ensure absolute safety.
If he died, the talismans would only benefit his opponent. So in a fight, the key is to ensure survival rather than anything else.
Unfortunately.
He underestimated the power of Han Yi's two daggers, and even more so, Han Yi's experience.
Whoosh!
The two daggers did not move in parallel; instead, one led and the other followed, in a linked attack, using a focused attack to break through.
Bang!
The light wall instantly shattered, offering not even a moment's delay.
Thud!
It sounded like a sharp blade piercing into a fabric bag. The first green light shield formed by the Protecting Body Talisman instantly shattered, and the first dagger only hesitated slightly; the pale red light on it dissipated by half.
Then.
The dagger pierced through the second green light shield, eventually running out of strength and falling to the ground.
However, closely following behind was the second dagger; its speed suddenly increased, and after piercing through the second green light shield, it flashed past and penetrated the middle-aged cultivator who had barely evaded but not completely moved his body.
Boom!!
His right arm exploded at the shoulder.
The middle-aged cultivator's face changed dramatically. In an instant, a third spiritual talisman had appeared in his hand, ready to slap it onto his broken arm.
At that moment.
A flash of black light suddenly entered his vision.
"What is this?" The middle-aged scholar was startled, but the motion to slap the talisman onto his arm did not pause..
Chapter 79: Double Kill
The next moment.
Dark light shattered his pupils, pierced into his brain, and drowned his will. The talisman that was slapped down finally landed on his broken arm, but the magical power that was about to stimulate the talisman suddenly dispersed.
The talisman slightly flashed but failed to activate.
Thud.
A hint of bloody light came out from behind his head.
His body stood in place for a full breath before it fell to the ground with a bang.
This was the third dagger, controlled by the Departing Fire Sword Technique, laid out in advance as one of the final moves.
Han Yi did not stop his attack and pointed with his sideways finger.
The first cultivator of the Blood God Sect, holding the damaged Blood Soul Banner, was blasted out a dozen meters away. At this moment, he suddenly opened his eyes in a state of fright. Without a second thought, he turned and fled.
Dead, he's dead.
Shi Heng is dead. He was one of the top cultivators in the eighth level of Qi Cultivation, who could even kill the average one at the ninth level. He died like that, and the situation reversed in an instant.
Initially, it looked like the disciple of the Xuandan Sect was on the defensive. But merely upon meeting, Shi Heng was killed on the spot.
It was terrifying, utterly terrifying.
He suddenly remembered in Tianqing City, this cultivator of the Xuandan Sect killed two seventh-level Qi cultivators of the Blood God Sect in less than two breaths, that dreadful nightmare-like feeling was just like now.
"I hope this expert, just like in Tianqing City, will not chase after me."
The cultivator had this lucky thought, but the next moment his neck started to hurt intensely. The intense pain came quickly, and it disappeared just as rapidly, along with his consciousness.
Under the night sky, in the forest, a dark light flashed. A headless corpse running wildly burst out several meters, crashing straight into a giant tree. With a crack, flesh and blood flew. The giant tree shook violently, and after about ten breaths, the sound gradually disappeared, and silence was restored.
Han Yi stood in his place, his solemn face relaxed, and he gently beckoned, the four daggers consecutively returned to hang before his eyes.
He looked at the two prying daggers, they were as dark as usual, without any damage, and he was even more relieved.
"It's worth it that these medium-grade magic weapons were refined by a master. At least their solidity is not weaker than ordinary high-grade magic weapons. This set of magic weapons was worth buying."
Then, he put away the four daggers.
Yes, just now, he activated not two, but all the daggers within his control.
But they were not concentrated, instead they were dispersed.
Two of them attacked the middle-aged scholar directly, one, before this, had scattered all around. When the middle-aged scholar was fully attracted and his face changed drastically, it pierced through his pupil and came out of the back of his head, completing the fatal blow.
The fourth dagger was near the first cultivator, but at that time, his whole attention was on the middle-aged scholar, he did not activate this hidden trick.
If the middle-aged scholar had escaped, Han Yi would not hesitate and turn this dagger to target him.
In the end, the fate was that the third dagger took the life of the middle-aged scholar, and the fourth dagger killed the first cultivator who turned his back to Han Yi as he ran away.
Thus, the killing of two was over.
After storing the daggers, Han Yi meticulously scanned the surroundings. After confirming there was no other lifeform, he quickly began cleaning up the battlefield.
First, he collected the storage bags from the three dead cultivators, then picked up the destroyed Blood Soul Banner, and the magic weapon that had lost its magical support and reverted to a folding fan into his storage bag. Next, he stripped down their inner armor, damaged or not, after confirming there was no more to collect, he quickly left.
Half an hour after he had left.
Three figures appeared at this location. Looking at the horrific blood-soaked scene, the trio's brows furrowed.
"Junior Brother Shi, Junior Brother Zhou, and Junior Brother Liang; three of them at the eighth level of Qi Cultivation. Among them, Junior Brother Shi is at the eighth level of Qi Cultivation. However, even if I were to confront him, I might not necessarily have the upper hand."
"They must be among those ranked highly in the Xuandan Sect, the ones sent to the sacred Yujing Mountain. Only such individuals could possess such murderous abilities."
A young man analyzed the situation after examining the scene. His eyes flickered with a fierce light, not from the infuriation of the massacre of the Blood God Sect disciples, but from the thrill of the hunt.
The students that Xuandan Sect had sent to Yujing Mountain were the main targets of their hunt this time.
Being able to catch one here excited him.
"Senior Brother Han, shall I?"
The Blood God Sect cultivator who had just finished his analysis licked his lips and turned his head to ask the youth standing in the middle.
The Blood God's Child of the Blood God Sect, a youth named Han Xuxiao, had a calm expression that seemed to flicker with confusion as he furrowed his brow.
"Something's not right."
"Zhou Dan died first, Shi Heng second, Liang Yiyang tried to escape but was killed. All three suffered fatal injuries to the head, which must be due to hidden weapons. Moreover, the attack was extremely fast. It's highly likely that the rival has mastered the Sword Control Skill or the Object Control Skill."
"Moreover, these skills are quite strong."
"Shi Heng's Silver Scale Fan is not a common superior class magic weapon. Given Shi Heng's nature, he would have certainly detonated the Silver Scale Fan if he realized that he couldn't resist. However, there are no fragments of his magical weapon at the scene."
"This person killed Shi Heng in an instant, and then easily killed Liang Yiyang who was trying to escape."
"There is quite a gap in the strength of the two sides."
"Moreover, there is an important issue. If it was a disciple from that group of Xuandan Sect, we have a list of portraits. Shi Heng couldn't possibly have failed to recognize them. Looking at the scene, he must have felt confident when he made a move, but an accident still occurred."
"This indicates that the opponent is not someone from the list, but someone hidden deeper."
At this point, Han Xuxiao's eyes were filled with a flicker of interest that quickly faded. If it was five years ago, he would have pursued and killed the person without hesitation.
However, he was not a solo traveler now, but needed to oversee everything and couldn't simply leave.
He gently shook his head, calculating the time, "Let it be, let's go. This person is not weak and we will encounter him sooner or later. We need to prioritize the bigger picture. Let's not make unnecessary complications and stick to our plan."
The young man standing nearby, who had fierce light flickering in his eyes, looked regretful, but did not say anything else.
The trio's figures flashed, disappearing from the location.
Elsewhere.
After Han Yi hid into the night, he found a hole at the base of a massive tree. He sat down inside it and closed his eyes. His breathing fluctuated a few times before gradually calming down. His heartbeat slowed down with his steady breathing until it was nearly imperceptible.
Turtle Breath Skill.
Over the years, Han Yi had honed this magic skill to the point where his control was as green as fire. With his current strength, as long as he didn't face anyone directly, he believed nobody under the Foundation Establishment stage could detect him.
Although it was the Turtle Breath Skill, it didn't mean he would shut his senses off. Han Yi still had awareness of what was happening outside.
"I refuse to believe I am so unlucky that I will be caught again this time."
With this thought, Han Yi remembered the time in Tianqing City when his Turtle Breath Skill had been disrupted. He didn't believe it would happen again this time because if it did, it would be absurd..
Chapter 80: Solemn
As it turned out, Han Yi was over-worried.
The incident when Tianqing City was breached was indeed a low-probability event.
The night passed without incident, with only distant roars of beasts and occasional, distant sounds of fighting echoing now and then.
Han Yi was not a saint and remained indifferent to the battles happening outside.
If Chu Jinmo or any of the still alive members of the original seven were nearby, he might have stepped in to help, but for those far away and unfamiliar, he could provide no assistance.
As the sky was gradually brightening, he left the hollow of the tree he was hiding in, determined his direction, and quickly headed towards the periphery. With his Light Body Technique at its peak, he estimated that a distance of over a hundred kilometres would take him less than half an hour to traverse at full speed.
However.
No sooner had he left about two kilometers than he saw a body. The body was in pieces, dead with eyes wide open. Han Yi stood on the side, silent. He knew this person.
One of the seven travelling companions, the Array Master, Li Yi.
Li Yi had left a deep impression on Han Yi, both with his Concealment Spirit Array and the offensive formation he'd used during their battle with the tiger demon beast all evoked awe.
In battles, a powerful array master could play a decisive role. Assisting, trapping enemies, defending, initiating mass attacks—these were their strengths.
After spending a moment in silent mourning, Han Yi turned and left. The Evil Mountain Range had indeed become a killing field, no place to linger.
As he raced outwards, Han Yi came across two more bodies. One was a disciple of the Xuandan Sect, his face completely disfigured by low-ranked beast bites. The other wore a blood-red robe of the Blood God Sect. Without stopping, Han Yi continued speeding outwards.
Suddenly.
Boom!!
A violent explosion came from about half a kilometre to the side. Through the forest, Han Yi only felt an outburst of Spirit Energy.
He stopped in his tracks, thought for a bit, decided to ignore it, and continued speeding outwards.
Whoosh!!
A clear sword chant rose and fell quickly.
Han Yi abruptly turned around, his face changing.
"That sword, it's Chu Jinmo's Spirit Sword."
Without further hesitation, Han Yi headed straight towards the explosion site. He covered the half-kilometre distance in less than ten breaths.
What greeted him were two cultivators locked in battle.
One was Chu Jinmo. Her face was stern, the dark green clothes she wore were stained with blood, and there was a tear in the sleeve of her arm revealing a deep, gravely wounded arm.
The other was a robust young male cultivator, nearly two meters tall, with a fierce look. He held a very peculiar magical weapon, a golden-hued halberd, purely fierce like an angry deity.
Just as Han Yi appeared, the man raised his golden halberd and pounded it forward. The space in front of him rippled as if water.
"Not good."
Han Yi's face changed dramatically, and his body flickered.
The next moment.
Boom!!
Scary fluctuations of Spirit Energy swept out from in front of the young man, heavily slamming onto the Spirit Sword.
The silver Spirit Sword let out a mournful cry, and a crack surfaced on the sword body. It was instantly blasted away.
As the Spirit Sword suffered damage, Chu Jinmo's face turned pale white as she spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
At this moment, a hand stretched out with a palm opened wide, magic power emanating from the center of it—a shield of flames started to spread, and before it could fully form, it was shattered into firelight by the terrifying spiritual energy.
However, it was this moment that Han Yi needed.
For at the same moment that he cast the Fire Shield Skill, he'd slapped three Protecting Body Talismans onto himself, positioning his body to shield Chu Jinmo.
This was the most direct and effective method he could think of in that split second.
In the blink of an eye, there was so little time left for him.
If he had slapped the Protecting Body Talisman solely on Chu Jinmo, he wouldn't have been able to provide any defense for himself, which would undoubtedly be unwise, as he would then fall into danger, even though Chu Jinmo would be safe.
If he chose not to intervene, he would have to watch Chu Jinmo die in front of his very eyes.
Although Han Yi kept a low profile, he wasn't heartless. Not saving someone he could have saved would have gone against his moral principles
A cultivator who was indifferent, without any feelings, had lost the real purpose of cultivation. What were they cultivating for then?
So, the most effective solution was for him to boost the Spiritual Talismans on his own and block this blow. In this way, both could remain unharmed.
Boom, Boom!
Two sharp explosions rang out. The two protective light cocoons that covered Han Yi shattered, and the third light cocoon shook for a while but eventually stabilized.
"So strong."
Han Yi's face was extremely serious.
This burly young man had such powerful strength, definitely possessing the power of a top-notch Ninth Stage Qi cultivator.
Keep in mind, in his hurry, to ensure absolute safety, he had used all three Protecting Body Talismans, which were high-grade Spiritual Talismans, not the common ones. Normally, a common Ninth Stage Qi cultivator could only shatter one high-grade Protecting Body Talisman with all his might.
Yet this burly young man, with his golden spear, shattered not just two Protecting Body Talismans with one heavy blow, but also broke his Fire Shield Skill prior to that.
His power was indeed terrifying.
This should be the most formidable opponent he had encountered so far, even more powerful than the cold young man with the top-grade artifact – the Golden Light Shuttle that he had met before.
As his thoughts raced, the light cocoon around his body gradually disappeared.
"Sister Chu, how are you?"
Without turning his head, Han Yi laid his eyes on the burly young man twenty meters away, looking more serious than ever.
Behind Han Yi.
Chu Jinmo widened her eyes, her pupils shrank, and she looked at Han Yi, who had blocked the blow, with a surprised expression. But she also knew that now was not the time to discuss other matters, so she wiped the blood from her mouth and said, "I'm not dead yet, but I've lost ninety percent of my fighting strength."
The straightforward words expressed that Han Yi was the only one who could fight from now on.
Han Yi didn't feel surprised. When he arrived, Chu Jinmo was already in a hard-pressed state. The burly young man's blow had severely hit the Spirit Sword, which was now unable to move after being thrown out. This made it evident how heavy the damage was.
"Leave the rest to me. Sister Chu, you should leave first." Han Yi said in a deep voice.
Chu Jinmo opened her mouth, paused, but didn't say anything emotional.
She realized that Han Yi must have great strength to take on that blow smoothly. Combined with various signs from before, her junior brother's actual strength was far beyond his current realm.
Moreover, the most critical point was that since she had known Han Yi, she understood that he was a dedicated cultivator, without any romantic feelings for her.
Han Yi standing in front of her, and him asking her to leave, was not because he was sacrificing himself to save her, but because he knew he had the strength to fight the enemy. If she lingered, it wouldn't help but might limit his actions – a complete loss.
"Alright. Brother Han, if you cannot deal with it, retreat as soon as possible."
Chu Jinmo, without being coy, reclaimed her thrown Spirit Sword and quickly retreated.
After all.
From the moment Han Yi appeared and intervened in the fight, till he blocked the attack, asked Chu Jinmo to leave, Chu Jinmo reminded him of something, picked up the sword and retreated – it all happened in less than two breaths' time.
The burly cultivator on the opposite side, raised his brows, watched Chu Jinmo leave, a smirk at the corner of his mouth.
"Sword Immortal, you can't escape."
Then, he turned to look at Han Yi, who had just blocked his attack.
"The Seventh Stage of Qi Cultivation?"
His face was full of doubt, but there was no disdain in his eyes.
"Die."
His burly physique didn't seem to affect his speed at all. As he moved, he quickly drew nearer to Han Yi with dreadful power, taking a fierce swing with the spear in his hand..
Chapter 81: Triple Kill
Spirit and Body Dual Cultivation.
When Han Yi first appeared, he noticed something unusual about this burly young man.
This was a cultivator who practiced both spiritual and physical cultivation.
In the Cultivation World, there are very few body cultivators because although it is a branch of the Immortal Path, it is dozens of times more difficult for them to establish their foundation than ordinary cultivators. Even advancing to the stage equivalent to the Late Stage of Qi Cultivation is extremely difficult.
The disproportion between the input and benefits led to the extreme rarity of body cultivators in the Cultivation World.
Han Yi had also encountered a disciple of Spirit and Body Dual Cultivation in Xuandan Sect before, but that disciple was only at the 5th level of Qi Cultivation, and as far as he knew, there were no body cultivating disciples in the inner sect.
He never thought he would encounter a practitioner of Spirit and Body Dual Cultivation at the 9th level of Qi Cultivation in the Evil Mountain Range.
He took a deep breath, knowing that this battle would be the hardest one since he started and the best practice to test his own combat power.
Just as the burly cultivator lunged forward, the air around him squeezed, carrying a terrifying power, and his halberd came crashing down.
Han Yi also moved, but instead of advancing, he retreated.
It is taboo to be close to a body cultivator in a fight, which is one of the prohibitions.
While rapidly retreating, four daggers on his body suddenly soared into the air, their blades facing forward, trembling incessantly. The red halo emanating from the blades dyed the surrounding air with a hint of burning heat.
Having lost the Shadowless Sword, Han Yi used the Departing Fire Sword Formula to control the daggers, increasing their power with multiple attributes. The daggers' power was even greater.
Last night, he had broken the middle-aged scholar's Protecting Body Talisman with two daggers. Today, he confronted this body cultivator with four daggers at once, showing his seriousness at this moment.
"Go!!"
Whoosh!!
This time, the four daggers were used with full force, not connecting one after another, but flying over a distance of more than ten meters in an instant, heading straight for the burly cultivator.
Boom!!
The halberd fell and hit one of the daggers, knocking it away.
"This dagger…" The burly young man's body trembled slightly, his heart skipped a beat, and, without stopping, he lifted the halberd and flicked away the second dagger. His body trembled again, noticeably this time.
Not yet finished.
Lifting the halberd, he forcefully pushed it forward, knocking away the third dagger. This time, accompanied by the trembling of his body, he leaned back almost imperceptibly.
The fourth dagger was now coming head-on.
But his old strength was already exhausted, and his new strength had not yet been born. He had no choice but to grip the halberd tightly, and the dagger stabbed directly into the halberd, making a dull "thud."
This time, unlike the previous three, he blocked and repelled the dagger with his power by chopping, flicking, and smacking, but the fourth time, he had not yet built up his power, and the halberd and body were already one. A huge force was transmitted from the dagger.
Pat, pat, pat!
The burly cultivator retreated three steps, his face full of shock and solemnity.
"Why is this dagger so powerful?"
He had seen cultivators who practiced Sword Control Skill before, but none of them, except for the few Blood God's children above the Qi Cultivation Peak, could wield such terrifying power.
This person must not just be at the 7th level of Qi Cultivation, he must have cultivated a magic skill to conceal his aura, and suppressed his Qi Cultivation Peak strength to the 7th level.
As the burly young man became more and more certain, his attention to Han Yi reached its peak.
Moreover, it was very likely that the other party had altered his appearance and, in reality, was one of the inner disciples of Xuandan Sect who had been sent to Yujing Mountain, ranked not last.
Without waiting for him to think more.
Han Yi, who had retreated to a distance of 30 meters, was once again controlling the daggers, coming to kill him.
This time, two daggers were in front, and two behind, launched simultaneously.
Whoosh, whoosh…
The burly young man's face changed, and the halberd in his hand danced and spun.
Continual metallic clashing sounds rang out.
But the repelled daggers, without even hitting the ground, had already rejoined the attack.
"No, I can't go on like this, I will definitely be exhausted to death here."
An intense look flashed in the eyes of the burly young man, and he swept the halberd horizontally, knocking the four daggers away again, and leaving a gap. He took a deep breath, held the halberd, and built up his strength. The halberd seemed to carry the weight of a thousand pounds.
Han Yi's face changed slightly.
When he first appeared, the burly young man had used this move to wound Chu Jinmo's Spirit Sword, and broke through the Fire Shield Skill, as well as two top-grade Protecting Body Talismans, which was terrifying.
He couldn't let him complete this move.
As soon as the thought occurred, Han Yi's divine sense surged out, concentrating on one dagger, speeding it up by more than twice, and instantly slammed into the middle of the halberd.
Bang.
The halberd was knocked off course, and the terrifying pressure that had built up suddenly dispersed.
The burly cultivator staggered back two steps, his face flushed, and he looked furious.
Not far away, Han Yi breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that as long as he interrupted the other party's build-up, he could prevent the move from being used.
The burly cultivator also understood this point, and knew that his opponent's Sword Control Skill was too powerful to give him any time. It was absolutely impossible for him to use that move again.
He held his halberd and roared, lunging towards Han Yi again. Changing tactics, he knew that as long as he could get close, he could easily kill him.
Unfortunately.
As fast as he lunged, Han Yi retreated even faster.
Moreover, behind him, the four daggers attacked again, and in an instant, they had surrounded him, forcing him to use his halberd to defend himself.
The burly young man was cursing inwardly, a raging anger building within him.
But at this moment, the four daggers had already transformed into four flickering rays of light, each with a trail of red flames, weaving together to form a cage with him at the center.
However, maintaining a distance of thirty meters from the burly young man was Han Yi, a cultivator fully focused on controlling the daggers without a break.
And the current situation was almost exactly as he had anticipated.
The best way to deal with body cultivators or dual cultivators was to kite* them with a "kite-style" exhaustion.
But for other cultivators, it's almost impossible to restrain body cultivators because their attack power is inherently much higher than that of ordinary cultivators of the same stage. *
Han Yi was an exception.
His Sword Control Skill had reached the proficiency of Fire is Purely Green, and coupled with the Departing Fire Sword Formula, using the Wind Demon Daggers made of extremely unique and difficult-to-damage materials, he had no blind spot targeting abilities.
At this moment.
The burly young man trapped by the four Wind Demon Daggers knew that he would undoubtedly die if this continued.
His long spear swept horizontally, then violently slammed into the ground, causing a quake. A circle of spiritual power fluctuations spread out in all directions.
This long spear in his hand served not only as a body cultivator's weapon but also a first-rate magic weapon.
In the past, when facing ordinary Late Stage of Qi Cultivation cultivators, he only needed to utilize his body cultivation abilities to emerge victorious.
But times had changed, and he had encountered Han Yi.
Suddenly, he stabbed the long spear into the ground, and with a clap of his hands, a phantom figure rose into the air from the spear.
This phantom figure took the form of a golden flood dragon, but it looked only like a third of one, lacking its aura and elegance. It was better to call it a golden snake instead.
The snake roared, its tail coiling around the four surrounding daggers, engulfing them all.
The seemingly illusory golden snake turned into a physical form the moment it wrapped around the Wind Demon Daggers. Its golden body produced a faint golden light, enveloping the daggers.
Thirty meters away.
Han Yi was startled, as his connection with the Wind Demon Daggers was abruptly severed in an instant, making it impossible for him to remotely control them.
Although he was surprised, he didn't panic.
"Here it comes."
His face turned cold, remembering that his opponent was a dual cultivator with not only body cultivation abilities but also Late Stage of Qi Cultivation.
In preparation for this moment, Han Yi had been on guard.
As soon as the burly cultivator summoned the golden snake phantom from the long spear, Han Yi had already charged forward.
A spiritual talisman appeared in his hand.
A first-stage top-grade spiritual talisman, Yin Thunder Talisman.
This one talisman cost him two hundred mid-grade spiritual talismans, which was enough to purchase a top-grade magical weapon.
At that time, the Nine Dragons Shopkeeper He Fangwei had solemnly assured Han Yi that this talisman could inflict significant damage even on a cultivator at the peak of Qi Cultivation if it struck them.
With a surge of magic power, the black jade-colored Yin Thunder Talisman in his hand ignited without a flame and burned away in an instant.
Han Yi pointed into the void, targeting the burly young man who had immobilized himself while activating his magic.
At that moment.
The burly young man turned around swiftly and looked up abruptly. His eyes revealed a shocked and fierce expression, as though sensing the most dangerous crisis approaching, desperately trying to make himself move.
But at this moment, both he and Han Yi seemed to be slowed down.
An ink-black lightning bolt appeared in the eyes of the burly young man, who had not completely finished lifting his head.
The lightning was silent, or perhaps it struck so fast that the sound lagged behind, leaving only the sight of the lightning in the young man's eyes but no noise.
Boom!
As the sound finally caught up, Han Yi, who was within ten meters of the lightning strike, didn't care about the outcome of the Yin Thunder Talisman. He mobilized all his magic power, plucking with all his ten fingers continuously, not daring to let up for a moment.
One, ten, a hundred…
In less than ten breaths, more than a hundred Spirit Void Fingers fell like starlight onto the spot where the burly young man had stood, the place where Yin Thunder had struck and spiritual energy had erupted violently.
This was his follow-up move after the Yin Thunder.
These hundred-plus Spirit Void Fingers had cost him 80% of his magic power.
After unleashing this dense wave of Spirit Void Fingers, Han Yi retreated once again.
If the opponent was still alive, he would have to consider fleeing.
As the dust settled and the spiritual energy subsided, Han Yi took a glance and slightly relaxed.
Where the burly young man had stood, the ground had sunk about ten inches in a three-meter radius. A burnt, unrecognizable corpse lay on the ground in the place where a thin layer of earth had been blasted away by the Yin Thunder.
The long spear that had been standing upright was also blown several meters away, and the golden snake that had been conjured by the spell was completely dispelled.
Han Yi didn't dare to be careless. He pointed gently, and one of the four daggers scattered around wobbled and stood up, then proceeded to stab the burnt corpse on the ground a few more times.
"Seems like he's really dead."
Han Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
That frenzied onslaught had indeed been a burden on him.
Only 20% of his magic power remained at this point, and it was imperative that he left as soon as possible..
Chapter 82: Han Xuxiao
He approached and glanced at the charred corpse. The fatal injury was not caused by the Yin Thunder Talisman. That spiritual talisman had only split its skin and caused whole-body paralysis, temporarily losing its defensive capabilities.
Body cultivators' powerful physique feared the Lightning attribute magic skills the most.
The Spirit Void Finger that followed closely, taking advantage of the broken defense, engulfed it, which was the direct cause of death.
Han Yi felt fortunate that he had been so cautious in order to kill the strongest enemy he had encountered so far.
He retrieved the long halberd, which had flown tens of meters away, and placed it in his storage bag. The halberd's material was unique, and it had not been broken or damaged since being blasted off at the beginning. The surface was as golden as ever.
Next, Han Yi squatted down and picked up the storage bag from the charred corpse of the muscular young man.
Then, out of habit, he searched around the corpse and found a bag much smaller than an ordinary storage bag.
Han Yi picked it up.
The bag was black, roughly the size of a palm, and made of a material that seemed metallic but not quite heavy. It was so light that it was almost imperceptible, save for the soft and warm touch in his palm.
After some inspection, Han Yi could not recognize what it was, so he casually tried to put it into his storage bag, but the next moment, he froze.
The black bag in his palm did not move at all.
Unable to collect it?
He thought he had made a mistake just now, so he swept his divine sense and tried to put it into the storage bag again.
This time, Han Yi felt clearer that the black bag in front of him was not resisting being collected by the storage bag. Instead, the storage bag could not accommodate it.
So far, he had not encountered anything that could not be collected into the storage bag.
Thinking of some common knowledge in cultivation that he had heard, Han Yi's face suddenly showed great joy.
"Could this be a Qiankun Bag?"
However, it was not the time to explore now. Han Yi placed it close to his body, and after confirming that there was nothing valuable within a range of more than ten meters around him except the charred corpse, he turned and ran toward the outer perimeter.
Two quarters of an hour later.
A young man in a blood-red robe appeared in front of the charred corpse. He bent down and identified the identity of the corpse before suddenly standing up with an exclamation.
"It is Brother Liao Yan."
"Brother Liao was actually killed? How is that possible?"
"How could that Sword Immortal with only a Qi Refinement Seventh Level cultivation base kill the senior Qi Refinement Brother Liao?"
That young man's face suddenly changed.
"This is bad. Brother Liao is Elder Qi's disciple and has an extremely special identity. If he dies here, things will get troublesome."
"Moreover, he had the Qiankun Bag that Uncle An gave him, and the things inside the bag are more important than our mission."
"I have to hurry and inform Brother Han."
This young cultivator had previously acted together with the Blood God Sect's Blood God's child Han Xuxiao.
They had different tasks, with Han Xuxiao being responsible for tracking the demon tiger and destroying the disciples of the Xuandan Sect, while Liao Yan was in charge of collecting precious spirit plants guarded by the demon tiger. After gathering them, they would work together to hunt down the Xuandan Sect disciples.
Earlier, the young cultivator had told Liao Yan that they had encountered a Sword Immortal, which caught Liao Yan's great interest.
Sword Immortal, the best at killing.
As a body cultivator, Liao Yan walked the path of an undying and indestructible physique and became excited when encountering a Sword Immortal.
The young cultivator disappeared in the blink of an eye. He needed to inform Han Xuxiao of what had happened here. This was a big deal, and if they really lose the Qiankun Bag, Uncle An would be furious, and they would suffer the consequences.
An hour later, two cultivators in blood-red robes suddenly appeared in front of the charred corpse. One of them was the young man who had just appeared, and the other was the Blood God's child Han Xuxiao of the Blood God Sect.
With an expression no longer calm, Han Xuxiao's face was solemn with a hint of intense killing intent. He bent down to examine the corpse.
"It is Liao Yan indeed."
"The one who killed him wasn't that Sword Immortal but someone else."
With a touch of bloody light, Han Xuxiao's finger gently pressed on the charred corpse. Then, with a pull, a strand of red-black air was drawn out from the corpse.
He pinched the strand of air between his fingers.
"This air is somewhat familiar…"
Han Xuxiao's brows furrowed, and then they slowly relaxed.
"I know. It's that Xuandan Sect disciple who killed Shi Heng."
"To be able to kill Liao Yan, it seems that this disciple is not simple."
"You continue to organize the hunt for the other Xuandan Sect disciples, and I will retrieve the Qiankun Bag and kill this Xuandan Sect disciple."
Han Xuxiao spoke lightly, his face showing a trace of excitement.
As soon as his words fell, he immediately pinched a hand seal and dropped it on the strand of air at his fingertips.
Soul Chasing Skill.
The black and red air floated gently and suddenly sprang out, turning into a sharp arrow, and sped away in a certain direction.
Han Xuxiao's body disappeared from where he stood, and when he reappeared, he was already a hundred meters away. His vague figure flickered and vanished once more, this time leaving no trace of a shadow.
The young man who stood in place also let out a sigh of relief.
"With Brother Han taking action, as long as it's not one of the top ten Xuandan Sect disciples, he will undoubtedly capture them."
"In this way, we can retrieve the Qiankun Bag and avoid Uncle An's blame. Otherwise…"
The young man thought of the speculations about Liao Yan's identity within the sect, as well as the means of Elder Qi and Uncle An, and shuddered involuntarily.
On the other side.
After leaving, Han Yi didn't go to Chu Jinmo but headed straight to the mountains. Because there was only 20% of his magical power left in his body, his Light Body Technique was slower than before. However, it could be compared to an ordinary Qi Refinement Eighth Layer cultivator.
Next.
No more accidents happened along the way.
As he stepped out of the forest and saw three Survive Disaster Immortal Ships floating several hundred meters away, Han Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief. Numerous inner-sect disciples were either standing or sitting on the Immortal Ships.
"I've finally returned."
After glancing around, Han Yi was overjoyed to see He Fengdi, Chu Jinmo, and Shen Ru from the previous group of seven gathered together. He was about to approach them quickly.
Suddenly.
A terrifying aura approached rapidly from behind. Han Yi did not hesitate to dash forward without turning around. In a flash, he stepped onto the Immortal Ship.
At the same time.
A middle-aged man dressed in a dark robe, who was sitting on the Immortal Ship, stood up angrily.
"Hmph! Blood God Sect, you seek death!"
The dark-robed, middle-aged man had a long saber on his back. As he unsheathed it and slashed, a giant blade light appeared in front of the Immortal Ship. The blade light, ten meters long in size, was dark red and seemed to burn with a strange black flame.
Swoosh!
The blade light swept across.
From the forest, a Blood God Sect cultivator in a blood-red robe rushed towards them, exuding a terrifying aura. He did not look at the dark-robed, middle-aged man, but stared intently at Han Yi who had already jumped onto the Immortal Ship. A murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
This person was none other than Han Xuxiao, who had been chasing after him.
However, Han Xuxiao never expected that Han Yi would leave the mountain range without stopping. Even with the help of Soul Chasing Skill, he was still one step behind.
"This time I can't kill you," he thought.
But next time, you won't survive. He memorized Han Yi's aura and appearance, vowing to kill him the next time they met.
Then.
He shifted his gaze to the huge blade light that was pushing through the air.
The excitement in his eyes suddenly soared, and with his two fingers combining, the Bloody Longsword on his back suddenly soared into the sky to meet the blade light.
Boom!
A terrifying roar sounded in the sky, shaking the forest, and the Immortal Ship's automatic defensive formation emitted spiritual light fluctuations.
Before the shockwaves dissipated, the Blood Sword flew back to Han Xuxiao, who retreated calmly.
The dark-robed cultivator who had just unleashed the attack darted forward with brilliant eyes.
Flame Blood Sword?
Han Xuxiao?
"Hmph, since you've come to seek death today, then stay here."
The dark-robed cultivator vanished into thin air and reappeared in the position where Han Xuxiao had just stood. As he took another step forward, his figure disappeared again, chasing after Han Xuxiao.
Everyone on the Immortal Ship was shocked.
Among them, Han Yi, who had just jumped onto the ship and hadn't even had time to catch his breath, felt even more shaken, realizing that he had narrowly escaped death.
"That person was after me."
"Who exactly is he that he could withstand a blow from a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator?"
"Luckily, I was a step ahead of him."
As these thoughts surfaced, the middle-aged Foundation Establishment cultivator at the front of the Immortal Ship had already vanished in pursuit, leaving no trace behind.
Of course, there were not only one Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators accompanying the group on the Immortal Ship, so everyone did not worry about it.
However.
While the spirit energy storm caused by the collision of blade light and sword qi in front of the Immortal Ship had not yet subsided, a disciple suddenly stood up and exclaimed, "It's Han Xuxiao!"
The disciple's face was pale. Han Yi recognized him as a late-stage Ninth Layer cultivator, who had ranked around twentieth in the Inner Peak competition.
Since he could make this disciple uneasy and even knew his name, this person from the Blood God Sect was definitely not ordinary.
On the Immortal Ship, low murmurs of discussion arose among the disciples who had gathered in groups of three or five. After calming his heart, Han Yi went to greet Chu Jinmo, who was coming towards him.
"Junior Brother Han, thank you for saving me."
Chu Jinmo cupped his hands in gratitude. Although his face was still pale, he appeared unharmed. The silver long sword on his back had regained its composure and looked like an ordinary magical weapon, without showing any extraordinary properties.
Han Yi smiled and said, "Sister Chu, there's no need to be so polite."
Chu Jinmo's expression was serious as he cupped his hands and said, "It's a life-saving grace. Junior Brother Han might not care, but I must remember it in my heart."
Han Yi returned the gesture, "You're too kind, Sister Chu. If I were in danger, I'm sure you wouldn't just stand by and watch."
Chu Jinmo nodded solemnly, "If Junior Brother Han is in trouble, I will definitely risk my life to help."
Han Yi smiled. Chu Jinmo was truly a person of character.
Both of them knew full well that this was not a matter between men and women, but rather a bond between fellow sect members.
Afterward, Chu Jinmo took Han Yi to meet He Fengdi and Shen Ru, who were sitting and recovering about ten meters away. Everyone greeted each other with a nod.
"Junior Brother Han, you are really lucky. If you were one step slower and caught by Han Xuxiao, you would have died for sure."
He Fengdi stared at Han Yi and said thoughtfully.
"Senior Brother He, do you know him too?" Han Yi asked in confusion, "Who exactly is Han Xuxiao?"
Chapter 83: Tacit understanding
Seeing Han Yi's confusion and it not appearing to be fake, He Fengdi shook his head slightly, thinking that he was overthinking it. There's no way Han Xuxiao would chase and try to kill a Qi Cultivation Stage Seventh Layer junior disciple.
"Han Xuxiao is one of Blood God's children of the Blood God Sect."
"Junior Brother Han may not know that among the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer, there are also divisions."
"Entering the early stage of Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer is as ordinary as the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer can get; this is referred to as early-stage Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer. When the spiritual power inside their body reaches a certain level, their combat abilities in this middle stage are considered strong. Next, the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer reaches its late stage, which is known as senior Qi Cultivation. Finally, the realm arrives at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer Completion, also known as the Qi Cultivation Peak."
"But above the Qi Cultivation Peak, there is a realm that did not originally exist. It is called the legendary Qi Cultivation, or the half-step Foundation Establishment."
"Those cultivating in the legendary realm can all escape from ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. Some even have the ability to directly confront them."
"Of course, the Foundation Establishment Stage referred to here means the early stage or the newly entered Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator."
"Among the Qi Cultivating Cultivators of the Blood God Sect, there are nine people with special identities. They have a title – Blood God's Child. Blood God's Children have formidable strength and are all cultivators at the Qi Cultivation Peak and above."
"Every generation of Blood God's Children has only nine members, no more. If someone reaches the Foundation Establishment or meets their demise, another person takes their place."
"Han Xuxiao is one of the nine Blood God's Children of the Blood God Sect, and among them, he is top-notch, a Legendary Qi Cultivator."
"However, it's a little strange. Why did Han Xuxiao suddenly appear and openly challenge a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator?"
Reaching this point, He Fengdi's face displayed confusion, and he shook his head in puzzlement.
"Junior Brother Han, when Han Xuxiao appeared just now, he was behind you. Did he come here to chase and kill you?" Shen Ru asked suddenly.
Han Yi spread his hands and laughed, "How is that possible? I'm just at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer. How could I be worth his pursuit?"
Although there was a smile on his face, Han Yi's Inner Heart was on high alert.
Thinking back to the killing intent he felt from far behind him just as he rushed onto the Immortal Ship, the killing intent made his whole body hair stand on end. Han Yi felt that Han Xuxiao had indeed come for him.
Facing a legendary Qi Cultivator, he definitely had a slim chance of survival with his current strength.
From He Fengdi's explanation of the different layers of the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer and comparing it to the many Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators he had seen fighting on the combat platform, Han Yi finally understood that the cultivator with the halberd he had killed belonged to the senior Ninth Layer.
After going through the Evil Mountain Range's deadly battles, Han Yi had a deeper understanding of his current strength.
He could easily kill ordinary Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer cultivators.
He could kill ordinary Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer cultivators with a little effort.
He could win against senior Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer cultivators with full force.
However, facing the Qi Cultivation Peak, he could only use all his means along with restraint and take advantage of everything like time, place, and Spiritual Talismans in order to make a slight chance of winning, although this possibility was extremely low…
The cultivator with the halberd in the Evil Mountain Range, although his realm was at the senior Ninth Layer, he was not weaker than an ordinary Qi Cultivation Peak cultivator when it came to actual combat. Han Yi used his restraint and Yin Thunder Talisman to kill him.
However, facing a legendary Qi Cultivator, Han Yi felt that not only did he not stand a slightest chance of winning, but he might not even be able to escape.
This is a legendary cultivator among the Qi Cultivation realm, possessing the title of 'legend' and the power to fiercely clash with Foundation Establishment existences.
Such legendary cultivators should have profound meanings in every step they take.
Why is it that at this moment in the Evil Mountain Range, there are still some Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer and Eighth Layer Xuandan Sect disciples? Instead of chasing and killing these people, why is he chasing a Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer like me?
Han Yi quickly reviewed the events of the past two days and focused on the four Blood God Sect cultivators he had killed.
The most probable reason was that those four cultivators were somehow related to this Blood God's Child of the Blood God Sect. He killed their people, and now the other party was seeking revenge.
This time, he couldn't think of any other possibilities.
Standing beside Han Yi, Chu Jinmo glanced at him with a teasing smile but didn't expose Han Yi's thoughts.
"By the way, Senior Brother He, I have a doubt. Since there are quite a few Foundation Establishment Stage uncles on the three Immortal Ships, why didn't they take action when our Xuandan Sect disciples encountered an ambush in the Evil Mountain Range?"
"As long as they take action, it will be easy for them to kill the Blood God Sect cultivators."
Han Yi respectfully asked the question that had been on his mind ever since he left the woods, figuring that He Fengdi, as a senior at the ninth level who had also experienced the Cave Heaven trials, would definitely know more than him, an arduous practitioner.
He Fengdi didn't ignore Han Yi because of their difference in realms and explained it patiently.
"Our Xuandan Sect has Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, and so does the Blood God Sect."
"The current situation is delicate, or rather, there's an implicit agreement between the two sects, that is, Qi Cultivating Cultivators fight with their own realm, and the Foundation Establishment Cultivators fight with theirs."
"Han junior brother, think about it, if the Foundation Establishment Stage people were to act against Qi Cultivators, who besides a legendary Qi Cultivator like Han Xuxiao with his extreme talent and strength could withstand the power of one attack from a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"
"In that case, if you destroy my Qi Cultivators, I will slaughter yours, and the foundation of the two sects would vanish, leaving both sects severely injured."
"So, this implicit agreement has always existed, and this Evil Mountain Range mission is to anticipate the Blood God Sect sending its disciples to hunt us down. In the past, it was about training, but this time it's real combat. The sect hopes that we'll grow quickly in the midst of bloodshed, even if it comes at a tragic cost."
After reaching this point, He Fengdi's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and he continued after a brief pause:
"As for Han Xuxiao's appearance just now, it was equivalent to provoking our sect's Foundation Establishment Cultivators. In such a situation, he was seeking his own death, so it's not surprising that he was killed by Elder Lan."
After finishing his explanation, He Fengdi gazed outside the Immortal Ship at the calm sky above, a hint of envy in his eyes.
Only when one reached Foundation Establishment Stage could they not be considered insignificant.
Han Yi's eyes moved, mulling over He Fengdi's words.
From the explanation, Han Yi gained a new understanding of the relationship between the two sects.
Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators deal with their own kind, and Qi Cultivators with theirs- at first, this unwritten agreement might seem difficult to understand. Both were battling for life and death, so shouldn't they hate each other to the point of extermination?
Upon further consideration, it made perfect sense. Without this agreement, Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators would directly face their respective opponents, even to the point where Golden Core cultivators would join the fray. As a result, Qi Cultivators and even Foundation Establishment cultivators would die.
Thus, regardless of the initial intentions, the end result would be the same, a double defeat. In the end, the winning sect would be left with only Golden Core cultivators or a few Foundation Establishment cultivators, leading to the collapse of the once great sects.
This was a situation both sects were unwilling to face unless absolutely necessary.
And so, this delicate implicit agreement had come into being.
This was a form of restraint.
Han Yi came to this understanding, remaining silent and contemplative.
A moment later, the Foundation Establishment Elder who had pursued Han Xuxiao returned, secretly glancing at Han Yi without saying anything, and took his original seat at the front of the Immortal Ship.
Han Yi roughly guessed that he probably hadn't succeeded in killing Han Xuxiao.
But he wasn't afraid; although Han Xuxiao was strong, it was uncertain when their next encounter would be. By the time they met again and he had advanced to the peak of the Qi Cultivation stage, it would be unclear who would kill who if their skills were further improved.
Three days later.
The number of people on the Immortal Ship Han Yi and the others were on had reached one hundred. Though the one-month deadline hadn't arrived, they had enough people.
Afterward, the Immortal Ship set sail to return to the sect..
Chapter 84: Qiankun Bag (Asking for the first subscription 1/5)
When the Immortal Ship descended outside the White Tiger Fang in White Tiger Peak, both Foundation Establishment Stage Elders accompanying the team and Qi Cultivation Stage disciples participating in the trial missions breathed a sigh of relief.
Being in the sect gave them a strong sense of safety.
Han Yi followed the crowd down from the Immortal Ship and walked in the opposite direction of the market.
"Chu Junior Sister, Shen Junior Brother, Han Junior Brother, you all go back and rest for a few days first. In three days, we'll go to the White Tiger Palace together to submit our tasks and sell the rest of the evil beasts we hunted before, exchanging them for points and distributing them according to our contributions."
He Fengdi said to the trio along the way.
To submit a task, one could choose any management hall within the Inner Peak.
Han Yi had no objections.
In the Evil Mountain Range, they had hunted many low-level evil beasts along the way. In addition to that, they had killed seven Seventh-order Evil Beasts and three Eighth Level Evil Beasts. When these Evil Beasts were exchanged for points and distributed according to the previously agreed-upon plan, although Han Yi had contributed little, he still had his share.
He Fengdi, Chu Jinmo, and Shen Ru were all disciples of the White Tiger Peak. After passing by the White Tiger Palace, the trio dispersed. He Fengdi and Shen Ru went outside, while Chu Jinmo headed to the White Tiger Palace.
Han Yi stood in place, glanced at the White Tiger Palace, retracted his gaze, and walked down the mountain.
An incense stick's time later, he, as usual, went up the Azure Dragon Peak. Along the way, he would nod and greet any fellow disciples he recognized, passing by them.
When he stepped into the courtyard, his body and mind completely relaxed.
A moment later.
He took out four Qiankun Bags and six items from his body and placed them in front of him.
Of the four Qiankun Bags, three belonged to the Eighth Level Qi Cultivator, and the fourth belonged to the burly cultivator of the Ninth Level of Qi Cultivation who held a long halberd.
Han Yi tried for a while, but the restrictions on the bags were firm, and it would take a long time to break them.
However, he was short on time, so he had to temporarily give up and put them away.
Then, he looked at the six items one by one.
The first item was the Wind Demon Dagger. Seven Wind Demon Daggers had a dark, cold glint, flicking lightly at the blade's tip, showing its sharpness capable of cutting hair at a gentle touch.
What satisfied Han Yi the most was the hardness of the Wind Demon Dagger and its inherent wind attribute.
"With four daggers, I could trap and kill that cultivator who dual-cultivated spiritual body. If I truly controlled all seven, I wouldn't even fear Han Xuxiao." Han Yi was overjoyed. This set of magical weapons had played an extraordinary role in the mission at the Evil Mountain Range, giving him immense satisfaction.
Of course, controlling seven daggers was just a thought. In his estimation, a cultivator at the Seventh Level of Qi Cultivation could control at most five daggers. Only at the Eighth Level could all seven be fully controlled.
"It's a pity that the Shadowless Sword only saw one battle before it met its end."
Han Yi shook his head in sorrow. The Shadowless Sword, stuck in the evil tiger's throat, was trapped by its bones, leaving only the hilt. Even he wouldn't dare face the enraged evil tiger, let alone the fact that the evil tiger had a supernatural power for immobilizing space. Even if he went all out and added the Yin Thunder Talisman, Han Yi couldn't see the slightest hope for victory.
In the end, he could only abandon the sword and escape with his life.
Han Yi returned his thoughts to the Wind Demon Dagger.
He really got a great deal on this set of daggers. At that time, he might have wrongly accused He Fangwei of the Nine Dragons Bank. He had genuinely not made much money from this set of magical weapons. Moreover, it was as if he had obtained this set of magical weapons at a low price in the name of the Nine Dragons Bank.
This favor had to be acknowledged.
Next, he put away the dagger and looked at the second item, a long halberd about two meters long, with a golden hue, exuding a supreme and majestic aura.
Han Yi did not forget that the burly cultivator had drawn a golden snake from this halberd, which directly wrapped around his four daggers. The magic skill was terrifyingly strong.
Moreover, it remained undamaged even after being hit by the Yin Thunder Talisman, which meant the material of this halberd was definitely extraordinary.
With Han Yi's discernment, this was definitely a top-grade magical weapon.
"I don't know the name of this halberd, but it is definitely not weaker than the Silver Light Pearl I sold before, and even stronger."
After all, the Silver Light Pearl wasn't the first weapon of the cold-hearted young man, but the Golden Light Shuttle was. And this halberd was the first weapon of the burly young man who practiced both spirit and body cultivation.
Han Yi put the halberd into his storage bag. Although the halberd was extraordinary, it didn't suit him. He planned to sell it and buy a new sword tool, this time a sword tool of higher grade than the Shadowless Sword.
He looked at the third item, a silver folding fan, which was the weapon obtained from the elegant middle-aged cultivator he killed.
This folding fan should also be a top-grade magical weapon. During the fight, the middle-aged scholar could transform it into a sharp disc capable of breaking his full-strength Fire Shield Spell, its power earning Han Yi's admiration.
Han Yi put it away, intending to sell it along with the halberd to earn enough money to buy a top-grade sword tool.
Next, Han Yi looked at the fourth item, a broken Blood Soul Banner, which was the weapon of the cultivator who accompanied the elegant middle-aged man. Although this Blood Soul Banner had lost about half of its value due to the damage, it could still be sold, and Han Yi regarded it as a gain.
After that, Han Yi looked at the fifth item, though "item" might not be the right description, as it correctly referred to three mid-grade Protective Inner Armors.
Two of them were intact, one from the middle-aged scholar with a folding fan and the other from his companion. The third one was slightly damaged and came from the Blood God Sect cultivator killed by the middle-aged scholar earlier.
Since Han Yi already had a protective inner armor of high quality, he decided to sell all the inner armors he obtained this time.
Han Yi looked at the sixth item.
It was a black bag, the size of a palm.
Han Yi suspected that this bag was a Qiankun Bag.
In the Cultivation World, there were various ways to store items. The lowest level storage method was the storage bag, which was used by most Qi Cultivators and even some Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators.
The Qiankun Bag was a more advanced storage method. It was not only larger in volume, but it could also accommodate living creatures such as certain beasts or even people.
However, any living beings placed within it would feel as though they were trapped in a dark space, unable to move their bodies despite being able to think and perceive the passage of time. This imprisonment was even more terrifying than captivity.
This was the Qiankun Bag.
"Based on what I have learned before, the mental restriction of Qiankun Bags and storage bags should be the same. If this bag is a Qiankun Bag, the restriction should also be a mental restriction, and there should be no danger," Han Yi thought.
Han Yi decided to give it a try. He slowly placed his mind on the black bag lying on the ground of the quiet chamber, immediately sensing an invisible force blocking his mind and repelling it back.
Han Yi was not surprised but delighted, "As expected, it's a mental restriction. This must undoubtedly be a storage bag."
"Moreover, the mental restriction on this Qiankun Bag is not strong and is weaker than the storage bags of other eighth-level Qi Cultivators."
What Han Yi didn't know was that this Qiankun Bag was not originally owned by the burly young man, Liao Yan, whom he had killed. Instead, it belonged to a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator of the Blood God Sect.
That Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator had erased his own mental restrictions on this Qiankun Bag for the sole purpose of storing the spirit plants he secretly cultivated in the Evil Mountain Range. Liao Yan, who was entrusted with using the bag, knew that he would have to return it to his senior uncle after storing the items, so he only left a shallow mental restriction on it.
After all, Liao Yan never thought he would die in the Evil Mountain Range. He believed that even if he encountered the higher-ranking Peak Qi Cultivators of the Xuandan Sect, he could retreat unscathed even if he couldn't defeat them.
However, he met the extraordinary Han Yi..