Chapter 48: A Notorious Reputation (Part 4)

The dagger at Han Yi's waist shot straight for the opponent's magic artifact, slicing a gash into it before looping back down to strike his head.

Meanwhile, a second dagger, concealed behind Han Yi's back, remained unseen.

In truth, Han Yi had been manipulating both daggers simultaneously from the moment he swung the first. The second dagger skimmed along the ground, its speed and stealth aided by the darkness, silently positioning itself behind the cultivator's anticipated landing spot.

As the cultivator landed, enraged by the damage to his artifact, the second dagger pierced his chest.

Immediately afterward, the first dagger completed the fatal decapitation.

For cultivators, a destroyed heart or a gaping chest wound wasn't necessarily fatal. They could still fight to the death, even detonate their magic artifacts.

Han Yi wasn't foolish enough to give his opponent such an opportunity.

Only a headless enemy is a good enemy.

The second dagger finished the decapitation.

A third dagger, concealed in his pant leg, trembled lightly, ready to strike, but then fell still.

With the enemy already beheaded, there was no need for it to move.

"Low-grade magic artifacts still lack in material quality," Han Yi murmured.

The two daggers hovered before Han Yi. The first, which had sliced through the eerie crimson banner, already bore a small crack in its blade.

Though crafted from materials that nearly reached Mid-Grade quality, the Low-Grade Magic Artifact had still been damaged in the clash, highlighting the critical importance of a Magic Artifact's grade.

Of course, given the imminent danger, Han Yi could only shelve this thought for later. It was a problem to consider only if he survived.

He quickly sheathed the daggers behind his back and at his waist, then rushed forward. He retrieved the blood-red banner from the ground, stuffing it into his Storage Pouch. He also removed the Storage Pouch from the headless corpse. Now, he needed to orient himself and flee, finding a new hiding place.

Suddenly, a figure crashed through the partially collapsed perimeter wall, tumbling over a dozen times before coming to rest ten meters from Han Yi.

Han Yi startled.

To be continued...

Next:

Three more figures burst through the breach in the wall.

Seeing someone standing there, they froze in surprise. But when they recognized Han Yi's clothes, their expressions softened.

"Han Yi?"

"Junior Brother Han, what are you doing here?"

"Quick, come with us! We have to escape!"

Han Yi's expression subtly changed.

He didn't recognize the first person who had crashed through the wall, rolling in unconscious. But the man wore the robes of an Inner Sect Disciple from the Profound Pill Sect, suggesting he belonged to another team.

However, Han Yi recognized the three who followed.

Two of them were at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer. One, clutching his chest and visibly injured, was Cui Xingchen, who had been struck by the Golden Light Shuttle. Han Yi glanced at Cui Xingchen with renewed interest. To be blasted away by a direct hit from a Top-Grade Magic Artifact and only sustain injuries that didn't impede his movement meant Cui Xingchen must be wearing a defensive Magic Artifact or a high-grade, close-fitting magic robe.

The other Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivator was Luo Yunzhou, the Inner Sect Disciple whose voice Han Yi had heard earlier.

The third was Tao Shouhua, whom Han Yi had briefly helped before fleeing.

"Oh, there's someone else here. Perfect, let's finish them all off in one go."

"Leave no survivors."

"Kill them all."

Three Blood God Sect cultivators materialized atop the partially collapsed perimeter wall, forming a triangular formation.

"Hmm?"

One of them caught the overpowering scent of blood. Turning, he spotted a headless corpse nearby, its robes soaked crimson, deepening their already blood-red hue.

His gaze shifted to a severed head, its eyes staring wide in death. He narrowed his eyes.

"Big-Mouth Liu?"

"Everyone, be careful. Big-Mouth's strength rivals ours. This is a tough nut to crack—we can't afford to slip up now."

The other two Blood God Sect cultivators also noticed their fallen comrade. Abandoning their initial disdain, they glanced past Cui Xingchen, Tao Shouhua, and Luo Yunzhou, their eyes locking onto Han Yi.

An invisible yet suffocating pressure, thick with bloody killing intent, washed over him.

The air around Han Yi seemed to thicken, and his body felt as if it were moving through treacle under the weight of the killing intent.

His expression turned grave.

"Three Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivators."

"This is trouble."

"We can't afford to get entangled. We need to end this quickly."

Seeing the situation, Han Yi immediately made a decision. His voice low and urgent, he commanded, "Senior Brothers Cui, Luo, and Tao, the three of you, help me block the one on the far left!"

Before the words had fully left his mouth, Han Yi had already taken a step forward and vanished from his position.

"Junior Brother Han, no!"

"Don't throw your life away!"

"Damn it!"

Cui Xingchen's face paled. With so few Profound Pill Sect disciples still alive, this reckless heroism would only hasten their demise.

Even Cui himself had been injured, surviving solely thanks to a top-grade protective inner armor he had inadvertently acquired—a magic artifact that had shattered under a single strike from the top-grade Golden Light Shuttle.

How dare this junior brother, barely at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, charge alone against two Blood God Sect disciples at the Seventh Layer? Was he truly courting death?

In truth, Cui Xingchen had also noticed a corpse clad in Blood God Sect robes lying not far from Han Yi. But he couldn't determine the dead man's strength. He assumed the most likely scenario was that the corpse's owner, like Han Yi, had been at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining.

Even if Han Yi managed to kill his opponent, it would likely be due to the chaos or the enemy's carelessness. Luo Yunzhou, knowing Han Yi's cultivation realm, held a fixed impression of his abilities and didn't believe him to be particularly strong.

Tao Shouhua was equally shocked, but it was too late to stop Han Yi. He could only watch helplessly as Han Yi charged forward.

Among the three, Luo Yunzhou stood out as one of only two members of their original team (besides Lu Su) who had ventured into the Demon Cave. His combat experience far surpassed that of his companions.

The moment Han Yi's words faded and he surged forward, Luo Yunzhou reacted swiftly.

"We have no choice. We're going all out!"

"Let's seize this opportunity and break through on the left!"

He didn't trust Han Yi's reckless move, viewing it as nothing short of suicide. Profound Pill Sect disciples were inherently weaker in individual combat than members of the Profound Pill Sect itself. Moreover, Han Yi was only at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining. The gap between the Sixth and Seventh Layers—the boundary between the Mid-Stage and Late-Stage of Qi Refining—was no small matter.

To top it off, Han Yi was attempting to take on two opponents simultaneously. What else could this be but a death wish?

Luo Yunzhou's extensive combat experience told him that Junior Brother Han's "suicide mission" could buy them precious time to break through.

Seizing this fleeting opportunity, the three of them might actually escape.

As for Han Yi, recklessly charging forward, and the other fellow disciple lying motionless on the ground, their fates were now in their own hands.

Without a glance to the right or center, Luo Yunzhou charged straight to the left.

Behind him, Cui Xingchen gritted his teeth, clutching a low-grade blade and following closely.

His Sword Pill had been severely damaged by the Golden Light Shuttle and withdrawn into his Dantian, rendering it temporarily unusable. Forced to rely on an old blade from his Mid-Stage Qi Refining days, he retrieved it from his Storage Pouch.

Tao Shouhua hesitated no longer. The relentless pursuit had taught him that a moment's hesitation could cost him his life.

Between life and death lies profound terror.

Yet such life-and-death struggles also forge cultivators into stronger warriors.

Though only at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, Tao Shouhua urged his own low-grade magic artifact forward, determined to break through on the left flank and escape at maximum speed.