Outside Qu Lin City.
Yu Yang Daozi raised his head slightly to glance at the scorching sun, then took a deep breath.
It had been some time since he last came out. Even though he was here on business, a change of pace was always welcome. The tasks he needed to handle were tedious and rather dull.
Chen Xingchen's targets had not yet revealed any cultivators of profound strength. They were simply scattered and in hiding, making them difficult to track down.
If only there were a clear target, things wouldn't be this troublesome.
In the Eastern Divine Continent, apart from the other eighteen Immortal Sects, every enemy could be obliterated with a flick of a finger.
Behind Yu Yang Daozi stood dozens of cultivators dressed in plain clothing, their faces hidden beneath special masks that could block spiritual detection.
These cultivators were all confidential operatives of the Tai Dao Sect, commanded and controlled solely by the Sect Master himself. Their identities were kept strictly secret.
This group of cultivators had many strengths. Their cultivation was high, they struck ruthlessly, and they obeyed orders without question.
Chen Xingchen had mentioned this classified operation, and Yu Yang Daozi had taken it seriously. He had gone back and earnestly pleaded with his own master for quite some time before finally managing to borrow these men.
Once the task was done, he would absolutely drink his fill of Tian Yan Sect's Spring Warmth wine to make it worth the trouble.
Yu Yang Daozi reined in his thoughts and looked toward the modest-sized Qu Lin City ahead, asking:
"Have you memorized all the portraits Chen Xingchen drew? Especially that dark-skinned farmer."
A cultivator wearing a painted mask stood behind Yu Yang Daozi with hands clasped in salute:
"All have been memorized. Shall we begin the capture according to plan?"
Yu Yang Daozi nodded slightly. "I cannot show myself for now. Proceed with the capture as planned."
"There are quite a few of them, but don't let a single one slip through. We can't afford any leaks that would make us a laughingstock among the other Immortal Sects."
With those words, the masked cultivator clasped his hands in acknowledgment once more.
In the next instant, every cultivator behind Yu Yang Daozi vanished from sight.
Yu Yang Daozi stood in place, gazing at Qu Lin City beneath the warm sun, which seemed as calm and undisturbed as ever.
Chen Xingchen's targets had gathered here. Likely, apart from the advantage of numbers for concealment, they probably also harbored thoughts of using mortals as hostages.
Unfortunately, such tactics were utterly useless before absolute power.
Still... what method had Chen Xingchen used to submit so many portraits in just a few days? It was as if he had infiltrated their den and become their leader.
At this thought, Yu Yang Daozi shifted his gaze southward toward the Silent Bone Forest.
Chen Xingchen had dumped all the affairs here onto Yu Yang Daozi and personally gone to the Silent Bone Forest, even though Li Xingtian already had hidden Tai Dao Sect cultivators protecting him.
This matter was also classified information, both a trump card and a backup plan. Chen Xingchen's words might not always be reliable, but his actions were always meticulous. Neither Yu Jing nor Wen Zuo knew of this, and Li Xingtian hadn't been informed either.
Chen Xingchen's reasoning was that knowing might prompt them to take more radical actions.
Even so, Chen Xingchen still worried about unexpected incidents on Li Xingtian's end.
The general outline of this affair had already taken shape in Yu Yang Daozi's mind. Whether the specifics were accurate would depend on what they could extract from the batch of captives they were about to bring in.
——————
Silent Bone Forest.
The Silent Bone Forest was no longer the lush landscape of green hills and clear waters it had once been. Several peaks had been slashed into unrecognizable shapes, with shattered stones scattered all around, burying the original paths entirely.
The once-dense forest stretching for a hundred li had now withered completely. Not a single green leaf could be seen, nor any color besides black, gray, and red.
The Silent Bone Forest, which used to echo with insect chirps and beast roars, no longer carried such sounds.
No wild beast dared to set foot in this land devoid of any trace of life.
The only sounds in the Silent Bone Forest now were the violent clashes of spiritual energy, shattering the earth and leveling the peaks.
Crimson blood qi surged from the ground, blotting out the sky. It constantly condensed and reversed its attacks, moving like controlled ocean waves.
At the same time, a ghost-headed broadsword hid within the blood qi, occasionally flashing forth. Compared to the massive blood qi, it seemed almost insignificant. Yet whenever the broadsword flashed close, it delivered a deadly strike.
Moving mountains and filling seas—nothing more than a single slash.
Dong Gua's eyes widened, the smile on her face growing ever more ferocious. She gripped her soft-bone sword tightly, watching Li Xingtian ahead, who was practically merged with the blood qi.
What a formidable evil cultivator. What pure blood qi power. And controlling such massive blood qi required only simple movements—it was simply unbelievable.
This was absolutely not a level achievable by absorbing ordinary mortals.
And that top-tier blood qi divine ability with its terrifyingly fearsome power.
Even though Dong Gua was a Deity Transformation cultivator, at this moment she could only maintain a stalemate against attacks of this magnitude.
No wonder this brat spoke so arrogantly. He actually had the strength to back it up.
No wonder he was immune to feminine wiles. A blood qi talent like this would be such a waste if squandered on women.
She shouldn't have been fighting this hard, but unfortunately, her cultivation was sustained by inferior vow power and some mixed spiritual energy. Essentially, she had cultivated a garbage Deity Transformation.
If not for the advantage of her cultivation realm, Dong Gua wouldn't even have the confidence to last a quarter of an hour under these techniques.
However, this person truly didn't care about his subordinates. During his attacks, he showed no hesitation even when his own men were within range. If they couldn't dodge, they died.
It was the style a top-tier evil cultivator should have.
Li Xingtian's calm gaze followed Dong Gua as she shifted and dodged his attacks, his own blood qi swirling around him like armor.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, unable to suppress a sigh of contempt in his heart—what a useless Deity Transformation cultivator, with spiritual energy quality this poor.
A Deity Transformation cultivator's spiritual energy quality was actually being completely outclassed by a Nascent Soul cultivator.
She talked so tough, but when it came to actual combat, how could she be so feeble.
He had used his Spirit Treasure too early. He'd thought a Deity Transformation cultivator would pose a real threat...
If he killed her here today, would it mess up Master's overall strategy?
Dong Gua raised her soft-bone sword, then slashed down against the surging blood qi.
The soft-bone sword instantly extended, piercing through the tidal wave of blood qi, breaking through the killing intent, and striking toward Li Xingtian who hovered in the air.
Li Xingtian finally showed a hint of interest. Though this technique appeared extremely plain, he could vaguely sense a trace of divine ability within it.
He raised his hand slightly, and the Spirit Treasure longblade that had been roaming through the blood qi seeking opportunities swiftly returned to Li Xingtian's grasp, pressing down toward Dong Gua.
Dong Gua twisted her wrist, and the soft-bone longsword instantly coiled. The sword that had been thrusting toward Li Xingtian now transformed into a long whip, binding toward him. The gleaming bone spurs along the blade's edge flickered with a faint green light.
Facing the strangling soft-bone longsword, Li Xingtian's expression remained utterly calm—he simply raised his blade and slashed down.
BOOM!
The soft-bone longsword couldn't withstand the top-tier Spirit Treasure for long before being cleaved in two.
Dong Gua's eyes finally revealed a hint of disbelief. Before her gaze, Li Xingtian's figure was upon her in a blink, and that ghost-headed broadsword had already pressed down to her face.
A bone-chilling killing intent locked onto her in an instant.
However, Dong Gua, who had been dodging attacks all along, didn't dodge this time. Instead, she pressed back toward Li Xingtian. A strange aura surfaced around her, and the soft-bone longsword in her hand was instantly dyed pitch black.
Dong Gua raised her sword to block, and terrifying power crashed against the incoming ghost-headed broadsword.
Her eyes gradually became stained with black, and her voice grew slightly murky:
"I underestimated you."
Li Xingtian's brows furrowed slightly. He could naturally sense a bizarre and domineering force pressing toward him through his Spirit Treasure.
That's more like it... he hadn't become a cult leader just to face small fry like this.
Li Xingtian said in a calm voice:
"Well said. I hope you'll still have the chance to say it next time."
"After all, you know as well as anyone—the dead don't talk."
Master's Combat Quotations, page three, paragraph seven.
Though it had felt somewhat embarrassing and strange when he'd read it, actually saying it in this moment brought an undeniable sense of satisfaction.
Li Xingtian made up his mind. He would memorize all those sayings when he got back. It would perfectly compensate for his weakness of always losing the verbal battle during fights.
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