From head to toe, Zhou Yue emanated an utterly terrifying aura. Its sheer power was horrifying; even a typical expert at the peak of the Fifth Level of the Yin-Yang Realm didn’t possess an aura as potent as hers.

’That’s not the Celestial Profound Technique. There’s something strange about this Zhou Yue,’ Wen Qingye thought to himself.

HUMMM—!

An extreme red light suddenly erupted from the body of Zhou Yue’s sword. With a single slash, she unleashed a Sword Qi dozens of feet long, instantly shredding the surrounding dead leaves and wood into fragments.

"Golden Light Sword!"

Qiann Rong roared, swinging his sword in a rapid flourish. A brilliant golden light hazed over the area, and in an instant, several figures of Qiann Rong appeared on the field. They all swung their swords simultaneously, unleashing an immense golden light that illuminated the dim forest.

But Zhou Yue’s cultivation was far stronger than Qiann Rong’s, and her red Sword Qi was extraordinary. How could Qiann Rong possibly withstand it? As the red light swept past, the golden light instantly dissipated.

BANG!

Qiann Rong’s body slammed heavily onto the ground. The powerful aftershock cracked the earth beneath him.

Qiann Rong slowly lifted his body, his face contorted as he glared at the two. "You... you... do... you know... who I... I’m from the great..."

Before Qiann Rong could finish his sentence, his body collapsed.

Seeing Qiann Rong defeated by a single strike from Zhou Yue, the youth was horrified. His face turned white as a sheet, and he immediately turned and fled.

"Trying to run? Too late!"

Wen Qingye abruptly drew his One Thought Sword. In an instant, the surroundings entered an ethereal state, disorienting and dreamlike, as if raindrops were slowly drifting down.

"Fifth Form of the Four Symbols Sword Technique! Rain Without Interruption!"

With a casual swing, the sword body cut through the illusion of rain.

SHLICK!

The youth, completely unaware of the Sword Qi rapidly approaching him from behind, was pierced straight through by Wen Qingye’s sword, exploding into a shower of blood.

Seeing Wen Qingye, at the Second Level of the Yin-Yang Realm, kill the youth at the Third Level of the Yin-Yang Realm, Zhou Yue showed no surprise. Instead, she quickly walked over to the young girl.

Wen Qingye watched Zhou Yue crouch down, his own doubts deepening. ’With her power, she could have easily dealt with the Black Profound Snake by herself. Why did she invite me to come along?’

Zhou Yue suddenly cried out, "Quick, come look! What’s wrong with this girl? I’m injecting my Primordial Qi, but it doesn’t seem to be working."

Wen Qingye composed his Heart Spirit and quickly walked over to Zhou Yue, crouching down to carefully examine the girl.

"It’s nothing serious. She just took something that induces sleep. Use your Primordial Qi and circulate it through her Celestial Image Acupoint once, and she should be fine."

Zhou Yue nodded at Wen Qingye’s words. Suddenly, as if she had spotted something, she said, "This Jade Pendant is...?"

"What is it?" Wen Qingye asked, puzzled.

Zhou Yue said with a delighted surprise, "This Jade Pendant is the Jade Pendant Nine Profound Light, the Magical Artifact of the Forget-Life Peak Master! There are even engravings on it. Could this girl be Yum Baobao, the Forget-Life Peak Master’s daughter who has been missing for days?"

"If that’s the case, we’ve really hit the jackpot! I’m sure the Forget-Life Peak Master wouldn’t be stingy with a few thousand Sect Contribution Points. And there would be other cultivation resources, Magical Artifacts..."

"Let’s focus on waking Yum Baobao up first," Wen Qingye said with a shake of his head and a smile.

Zhou Yue nodded quickly. "Right, right."

WHOOSH!

In the blink of an eye, a cold glint of light shot toward Wen Qingye’s throat.

SHLICK—!

Wen Qingye had no time to react. He instinctively ducked his head, and a pillar of blood sprayed into the air.

’An expert!’ Zhou Yue was horrified to see Wen Qingye stagger. She immediately looked in the direction the attack had come from.

A young man stood before them. With a flick of his palm, a sword flew back into his hand, its blade dripping with fresh blood.

The young man was exceptionally ugly, with triangular eyes, a very wide forehead, and thick lips that revealed yellowish teeth. He was currently sneering at Wen Qingye. "Kid, you’ve got some quick reflexes."

Zhou Yue’s brow furrowed slightly as she stared at the ugly young man. "Wenn Xing, it’s you!"

Wenn Xing was ranked thirteenth among the Registered Disciples. He was one of the top experts among the several thousand Registered Disciples, his cultivation having already reached the Sixth Level of the Yin-Yang Realm. He was also from the Dayan Dynasty, one of the Four Great Ancient Countries.

Wenn Xing licked his lips, his eyes greedily tracing Zhou Yue’s voluptuous figure. "You discovered something you shouldn’t have. You should know the consequences."

Zhou Yue shot Wenn Xing a look of disgust. "I never thought people from the Dayan Dynasty could be so despicable, to actually practice an Evil Skill."

Wenn Xing snorted coldly. "Hmph, survival of the fittest. If not for this Evil Skill, how would I have ever had the chance to enter the Celestial Profound Sect? How would I have ever risen above the masses?"

"Just now, did you teach those two?"

"That’s right. I obtained it from an Elder of the Liuyu Sect back in the Dayan Dynasty."

Zhou Yue’s heart sank. Wenn Xing’s power was terrifying; she was definitely not his match. It was clear he now intended to kill them to silence them.

At that moment, Wen Qingye slowly raised his head, his eyes locked on the young man before him. That previous attack had been a Sword-Driving Skill, aimed directly at the vital point of his throat. If he hadn’t reacted so quickly, allowing the blade to only pierce the back of his neck, he would be a corpse right now.

Wenn Xing felt a chill run down his spine from Wen Qingye’s gaze and couldn’t help but shout, "Kid, you look at me like that one more time, and believe me, I’ll kill you right now!"

Wen Qingye’s eyes narrowed. He said in a low voice, "You take Yum Baobao first. We’ve discovered his secret, so he definitely won’t let us go. It’s better if we split up."

Without hesitation, Zhou Yue nodded, hoisted Yum Baobao onto her back, and took off into the distance.

Wen Qingye, meanwhile, sped off in the opposite direction, his body moving like a gust of wind.

"Trying to run?" Wenn Xing saw Wen Qingye heading towards Xiebei Mountain and instantly made a decision. ’If I go after Zhou Yue, she’ll put up a bitter fight, and this kid might get away. But if I chase the kid, I can catch and kill him in a moment. Once he’s dead, I can go after Zhou Yue.’

At this thought, a cruel smile appeared on Wenn Xing’s lips as he shot off after Wen Qingye.

Although Wen Qingye was fast, Wenn Xing’s cultivation was, after all, far higher. In just a moment, he had closed the distance and was right behind him.

His hand, shaped like a claw, shone with a faint purple light. A massive claw imprint suddenly materialized in the air and shot toward Wen Qingye’s back.

"Soul-Catching Claw!"

With a deafening boom that ripped through the air, the space within ten feet of Wen Qingye’s back exploded. The air roiled, becoming as thick as water and emitting a powerful suction force. Wenn Xing’s clawed hand was covered in a layer of purple Gang Qi.

POOF!

The purple Gang Qi claw lunged for Wen Qingye, but his body twisted and vanished right before Wenn Xing’s eyes.

"An afterimage?" Wenn Xing’s brow tensed, and he immediately sped forward in pursuit.