"Stop!"

Two figures leaped out from behind a large rock, one wielding a saber and the other a sword. They charged forward, cruel smirks on their faces.

"You brat from the Bright Void Sect! Die!"

Fierce saber light and Sword Qi crisscrossed toward him, but this was merely a Blinding Technique. The real Killing Move was the Gu Insects.

Blood Leeches!

This was a special type of Gu Insect.

As thin as a hair and extremely difficult to detect, they would burrow into a victim’s skin and flesh, latching onto blood vessels to feed on their essence and blood to grow.

The essence and blood of Innate Experts were their favorite meal.

"Remnants of the Five Poison Sect?"

"Get lost!"

Zhu Ju lowered his gaze. His Cross and Vertical Saber trembled, and its gleam instantly intensified.

Ghost God Limit!

The First Limit—Thousand Mountains Locking Mist.

The light of his saber wove into a net that covered an area several dozen feet wide. The ferocious Sword Momentum made the two attackers’ faces pale, and they scrambled to retreat.

HISS...

Dozens of Blood Leeches were instantly sliced to bits.

SWOOSH!

Zhu Ju blurred into an afterimage and charged forward. His Body Technique was graceful and swift, completely different from the others.

With his Five-Pointed Flying Sword for long-range attacks and his Cross and Vertical Saber for close-quarters combat, he broke through the encirclement in just a few breaths.

However, such a commotion naturally attracted the attention of experts.

Immediately, two blurry figures rushed over from a distance, their auras roiling the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, indicating they were at least at the Breaking Five Acupoints level.

"Don’t you run!"

SWISH!

A cone-shaped Magical Artifact, reeking of a foul stench, shot forth like lightning.

If even an Innate at the Two Acupoints level like Zhu Ju could assemble a full set of Flying Swords, then of course others could as well.

CLINK... CLANG...

The Five-Pointed Flying Sword returned to block, its Five Elements Sword Aura crisscrossing to forcefully knock the incoming Magical Artifact away.

"Eh?"

A person in a black robe spoke, their voice laced with surprise and suspicion.

"What a powerful Sword Control Method. Could this person be a disciple of the Celestial Sword Lineage?"

The Black Cone he was a Spirit Binder for was a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact with the ability to corrupt other Magical Artifacts, yet it had been suppressed by a Low Grade Flying Sword.

Even if it was a complete set of Flying Swords, one could still see it was extraordinary.

"He’s a disciple of the Dragon Head Lineage."

A cloud of Five-Colored Poisonous Miasma flew over from nearby, revealing the face of the Five Poison Sect disciple, Weii Ning, which was covered in venomous sores.

Weii Ning stared daggers at Zhu Ju, her eyes filled with vicious hatred.

"So this man has a set of Flying Swords. It must have been him who killed my sister, Weii Fei, and Cao Xiong!"

"Stop him!"

Auras surged all around as seven or eight figures pounced from all directions, their Hidden Weapons and Flying Swords arriving first.

CLANG...

The Five-Pointed Flying Sword and Cross and Vertical Saber spun around him, deflecting one attack after another, but Zhu Ju was still forced to land.

Seeing his enemies closing in, he pulled out a palm-sized banner and gave it a gentle shake.

The Blinding Banner!

WHOOSH!

A halo of light swirled, and in an instant, four identical versions of Zhu Ju appeared, each running in a different direction.

Not only did they look the same, but even their auras were identical. For a moment, even the Innate Experts couldn’t tell which was real.

"Huh?"

This scene stunned the surrounding group, who subconsciously lunged for the figures closest to them.

The encirclement immediately broke.

SLASH!

Someone’s saber struck one of the Zhu Jus squarely in the back, causing a puff of white smoke to rise. On the ground lay a torn piece of paper.

"It’s a Paperman!"

By the time they came to their senses, the real Zhu Ju was already far away.

...

SWOOSH!

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Zhu Ju moved like a willow catkin, fast as a sharp arrow, skimming across the forest floor. He covered a hundred meters in just a few flickers.

With the help of his Outer Pill, he could barely be considered a Five Acupoints Innate.

Aided by the methods he had learned from the Magic World, it wasn’t long before he had left his pursuers far behind.

However, he was still far from safety.

Never mind the Dao Foundation Cultivators battling in the distance, or the Nine Acupoints Innate experts like Li Yi and Qiu Qi who dared to ambush Pei Jingque.

If any Late-Stage Innate expert managed to free themselves up to pursue him, he would be utterly powerless to fight back.

’Soul Control Technique!’

As he ran, he formed a Spell, and a goshawk slowly materialized on his shoulder.

"Go!"

With a thought, the goshawk flapped its wings and soared into the sky. The surrounding scenery was immediately reflected in his ’mind’s eye’.

In the distance, the earth shook and the mountains trembled.

Towering ancient trees fell one after another amidst roiling dust, as several beams of light clashed relentlessly in the chaos.

Even watching from so far away made his eyes sting.

’Senior Sister Pei is truly worthy of her reputation, holding off nearly half of the Tribulation Cultivators all by herself. And the power of that Mountain-Shifting Seal is terrifying.’

He shook his head, and the goshawk’s vision pulled back, revealing several Tribulation Cultivators who were tracking him.

SWOOSH!

Zhu Ju executed his Body Technique and sprinted away.

「Half a day later.」

「By a small creek.」

Zhu Ju sat cross-legged on a green boulder, clutching a Spirit Stone and circulating the Five Peaks True Form Force to restore his True Qi.

As he devoured and underwent Refinement of the Spiritual Qi contained within the Spirit Stone, its surface gradually turned a dull gray.

HUUU...

Exhaling a long, turbid breath, Zhu Ju slowly opened his eyes, picked up his Cross and Vertical Saber, and looked toward the dense woods ahead.

"You’re a fast tracker!"

"Hmph!"

A cloud of Five-Colored Poisonous Miasma drifted out of the woods. It seemed to move slowly but landed nearby in an instant, revealing Weii Ning’s figure.

"You, with the surname Zhu! You can’t escape!"

"You know me?" Zhu Ju looked confused.

"Have we met before?"

’Her face is covered in venomous sores, and her aura is sinister and unique. If I’d met her before, there’s no way I would have forgotten.’

"My younger sister was named Weii Fei. She married that waste of a man, Cao Xiong," Weii Ning said coldly.

"Ring any bells now?"

"Oh!" Realization dawned on Zhu Ju.

"No wonder you’ve been chasing me relentlessly."

He had been fleeing for half a day. The others had long given up the chase, but this woman alone had stayed on his tail.

’So that’s how it is!’

"The Bright Void Sect destroyed my Five Poison Sect, and you killed my sister. How could I possibly spare you?" Weii Ning shrieked.

"I’ll make you wish you were dead!"

SWOOSH!

Without another word, Zhu Ju directly summoned his Flying Sword and slashed.

Celestial Escape Sword Ring!

The Five-Pointed Flying Sword shot out like a streak of aurora, crossing a hundred meters in an instant as it aimed to decapitate her.

Powered by the True Qi of a Five Acupoints Innate, the Flying Sword’s speed was astonishing.

WHOOSH...

A five-colored mist suddenly erupted before her.

The mist enveloped Weii Ning like a viscous liquid. The moment the Flying Sword touched it, its speed dropped sharply.

Furthermore, a corrosive force began to seep into the body of the Flying Sword itself.

’Hm?’

Zhu Ju’s expression changed slightly. He controlled the Five-Pointed Flying Sword to shoot upward, simultaneously raining down streams of Sword Qi.

"It’s useless."

Weii Ning sneered, allowing the Sword Qi to fall into the Five-Colored Poisonous Miasma, where it dissolved at a visible rate.

The Sword Qi vanished before it even got close.

"My Five Poison Cloud Miasma is a Magical Artifact passed down by my master. Although it’s not High Grade, it is the bane of Flying Swords."

"What you have is merely a Low Grade Flying Sword. If it falls into my Five Poison Cloud Miasma, its Spirituality will be completely worn away in moments, turning it into a Mortal Grade item."

"Is that so?" Zhu Ju replied noncommittally.

"Then take another one of my moves!"

Burial Sword Peak!

Following his Sword Formulas, a Sword Rain of ten thousand blades fell from the sky like an inverted mountain peak, its might shaking the heavens.

The Five-Pointed Flying Sword danced in the air, stirring the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi and transforming it into a mountain of Sword Qi that pressed downward.

’Hm?’

Seeing this, Weii Ning raised an eyebrow.

"Your Sword Control Method... is truly exquisite. But do you think you’re the only one with a Flying Sword?"

SWISH!

She flicked her sleeve, and more than ten blood-red Flying Needles shot out in sequence, tracing arcs through the air as they sped toward Zhu Ju.

The sharp, red glow of the Flying Needles was especially good at piercing Protective Gang Force.

Even an Earth Evil True Body at the Minor Success stage would have difficulty withstanding it.

TING...

A flash of saber light.

One Flying Needle was knocked away.

Zhu Ju wielded his Cross and Vertical Saber. In his perception, the twelve Flying Needles danced in an orderly fashion, their paths completely under his control.

Time, seemed to slow down.

Ghost God Limit!

CLINK-CLANK-CLINK...

A sound like a torrential downpour of collisions erupted as the Cross and Vertical Saber struck the Blood Poison Flying Needles over a hundred times in a single instant.

"You’re good, kid!"

Weii Ning hissed and lunged forward.

"Who in the world are you?"

"The real Zhu Ju only joined the Bright Void Sect a few years ago. It’s impossible for him to have this kind of power!"

"You talk too much!" Zhu Ju’s eyes narrowed.

"Die!"

He snapped his eyes open, and two inch-long beams of white light shot out from his pupils, slashing through the air like incorporeal blades.

Divine Soul Secret Technique—Soul-Stabilizing and Soul-Slaying Divine Light!

Weii Ning’s body froze. She felt completely paralyzed, as if an invisible blade had slashed deep into her Primordial Spirit. The hairs on her body stood on end, and endless terror welled up in her heart.

’What is this?’

Despite her Breaking Six Acupoints strength, despite all the techniques at her disposal, Weii Ning was utterly powerless to resist at this moment.

Ghost God Limit!

The Fourth Limit—Thousand Blades Unending, One Slash Void!

SWOOSH!

The saber’s flash vanished as quickly as it appeared.

Weii Ning swayed, her eyes gradually regaining focus. She felt a cool sensation on her forehead.

The strength was draining from her body at an alarming rate.

Blood from the center of her forehead trickled down to her eyebrows. The corner of her mouth twitched, and a bitter smile appeared on her face.

"Good... good Saber Technique!"

THUD!

Her body pitched forward and fell to the ground.

HUUU...

Zhu Ju let out a long, turbid breath, a weary look in his eyes. He beckoned, and the Five-Pointed Flying Sword returned to him.

’The Soul-Stabilizing and Soul-Slaying Divine Light...’

’It’s powerful, but it consumes too much Divine Soul Power. Even as a Great Mage, I can only use it once.’

’If I want to use this technique to directly slay someone’s Soul, I’m afraid even the Divine Soul Power of a True Man Level expert would be stretched thin.’

But he had forgotten.

Weii Ning herself was a Breaking Six Acupoints Innate Qi Refiner. Even without any special tempering, her Divine Soul Power was comparable to that of a Peak Mage.

With Zhu Ju’s current Cultivation, slaying the Soul of an ordinary person wouldn’t be too difficult.

He quickly gathered the spoils of battle from the ground and waved his palm, conjuring a Fierce Flame that engulfed the corpse.

Just as he was about to leave, a ray of rosy light descended from the sky and landed right in front of him.

BANG!

A shallow crater was smashed into the ground.

Pei Jingque, her face flushed with a strange red glow, lay in the center of it. She looked up at Zhu Ju, a complicated mix of emotions flickering in her eyes.

"Junior Brother."

"Help me!"

Before Zhu Ju could react, a wash of purple light enveloped him, dragging them both down into the earth.

...

"Stop."

Qiu Qi’s figure drifted down from the sky and landed gently. The two people who had been fighting immediately stopped.

"Senior Brother."

Cao Lei cupped his fists, his attitude reverent.

"Mm," Qiu Qi nodded, his gaze toward the other man tinged with jealousy.

"Junior Brother, you’ve hidden yourself well. If the Sect elders hadn’t told me, I never would have guessed you were one of us."

Cao Lei’s status in the Bright Void Sect’s Dragon Head Lineage was extraordinary; one could say he was second only to a few of the Core True Inheritance disciples.

His identity and origins were transparent.

For decades, he had been fiercely loyal to the Bright Void Sect, and the blood of countless people from the Demon Dao and Tribulation Cultivators was on his hands.

A person like this... was actually a mole the Joyful Sect had planted in the Bright Void Sect!

"From the moment I joined the Bright Void Sect, I forgot my former identity. It wasn’t until the great calamity that befell the Bright Void Sect that I was reawakened by a senior from our Sect," Cao Lei said, looking up.

"This time, it is all to obtain the Celestial Spirit Technique."

"Excellent!" Qiu Qi’s eyes lit up.

"Junior Brother already possesses the complete inheritance of the Earth Evil Mysterious Skill. If you can also obtain the Celestial Spirit Technique, you will have a Golden Core Method that ranks in the top five of all Dazhou."

"The merit will be immense!"

For such Great Merit, a Foundation Establishment Pill is a certainty, and you might even be rewarded with a Magical Treasure.

"It is all thanks to Senior Brother’s help," Cao Lei said, cupping his fists.

"How could I have succeeded without you, Senior Brother?"

"Haha..." Qiu Qi laughed heartily.

"Junior Brother, when we return to the Sect, we should become sworn brothers!"

"Right now, Pei Jingque has been poisoned with Yin Yang Marrow. She has to engage in the act between a man and a woman to neutralize the poison, or she will surely die. I just don’t know where she is now."

"Don’t worry, Senior Brother," said Cao Lei.

"I can find her."

"Good," Qiu Qi nodded, his tone laced with envy.

"Pei Jingque possesses the Profound Void Body. If you do the deed with her, Junior Brother, not only will your Cultivation soar, but you’ll also obtain a special constitution."

"In the future, you’ll have a chance at reaching the Dao Foundation!"

"There’s no time to lose." Agitation stirred in Cao Lei’s heart.

"I’ll go right now!"

He used his Body Technique to dart into the distance, stopping shortly after by a small creek, a look of bewilderment on his face.

’How could this be?’

’Where did they go?’