Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Nie Changqing was running away at full speed, yet the three inner-order, purple-robed disciples of Wudi City behind him were getting closer and closer.

It was not because Nie Changqing couldn't run faster than them. Nie Changqing cultivated through the Heavenly Lock Realm. With a dragonlike spine, he cultivated both Qi and blood and Spiritual Sense. His speed and stamina were much better than ordinary Golden Elixir cultivators because of his sustained Qi and blood supply when running.

Even the Golden Elixir disciples in Wudi City were not as good as Nie Changqing when it came to running.

However, Nie Changqing intentionally slowed down so they could catch up with him.

Nie Changqing understood that he needed to figure out a way to kill the enemies instead of just running aimlessly.

“We caught him!”

The three inner-order, purple-robed disciples of Wudi City were excited.

They were all Golden Elixir cultivators, and since some of them were even in the second-level Golden Elixir Realm, they were not worried that Nie Changqing would play tricks with them.

Nie Changqing only moved up to the Golden Elixir Realm recently and had significantly less strength than them.

Therefore…

They were confident of killing him effortlessly.

“Kill!”

Without hesitation, the three inner-order, purple-robed disciples of Wudi City dealt a deadly blow the moment they saw Nie Changqing.

The force of the swords ripped the falling snow into shredded goose feathers.

The dazzling gleams of the swords wove into a giant net and fell upon Nie Changqing!

“You can't escape now!”

The eyes of a disciple of Wudi City brightened up with excitement and greed.

They could have a chance to visit the Scriptures Depository once they killed Nie Changqing and cut off his head. How could they not be swayed by the precious opportunity in front of them?

Nie Changqing stumbled and fell on the snowfield.

The dazzling gleams of the swords enveloped him immediately…

The ground quaked. Snow continued falling down from the sky, each snowflake clear and distinct.

The three inner-order, purple-robed disciples of Wudi City had cheerful expressions.

“Did it work?”

However, soon enough, the expressions on their faces changed.

The snow on the ground blew up and transformed into a lifelike snow dragon. The whiskers, scales, and tail of the dragon all looked vivid and convincing.

Nie Changqing grasped a piece of magic talisman in his hand, his white robe flapping in the wind.

It was the magic talisman Xie Yunling had given him for protection.

It was supposed to be a water dragon once activated. But it turned into a snow dragon in the snowstorm.

The three inner-order, purple-robed disciples of Wudi City didn't take him seriously, since they believed the magic talisman only had the power of a Foundation Building cultivator and couldn't threaten them at all.

Nevertheless, for Nie Changqing…

It was enough.

Nie Changqing put his hand on the Dragon Slaying Knife pinned on his belt.

Once he mobilized the Spirit Qi inside of his body, he steamed like a boiling pot of water.

“Royal Knife,” Nie Changqing shouted in a low voice.

He jumped off the snow dragon the moment it pounced.

The Dragon Slaying Knife was also hurled forward and turned into a golden ray.

The knife charged at one of the inner-order, purple-robed disciples from Wudi City.

The Dragon Slaying Knife released a powerful knife spirit.

The three inner-order, purple-robed disciples of Wudi City were nothing but ordinary. Facing Nie Changqing's deadly attack, they didn't flinch or hesitate.

Without any delay…

Bang!

The three inner-order, purple-robed disciples jumped up…

And fought with the snow dragon.

Their swords dashed against the knife and gave a blinding flash.

However…

The golden ray of the knife eventually tore up everything else and stuck out.

Fizz!

The head of one of the disciples of Wudi City flew in the air.

Meanwhile, the other disciple of Wudi City shrieked in pain. Half of his body had been cut off.

The last disciple was thrown out, coughing up blood. The weapon in his hand had been broken in half.

“Magic tool?!”

“The knife in this guy's hand is a magic tool!” The disciple who fell on the ground shouted in shock.

However, after looking around, he realized that his two buddies were already dead.

Nie Changqing landed on the ground, a blank expression on his face.

He sprinted toward the last living disciple.

With one slash…

A b.l.o.o.d.y slit showed on the disciple's neck.

He killed the disciple and retreated under the cover of the snowstorm.

Nie Changqing moved smoothly and elegantly.

The swirling snow painted a grim scene.

Nie Changqing's white robe rustled in the wind. He took out a sugarcoated Gathering Qi Elixir and put it under his tongue. Then he disappeared in the snow.

Every killer needed to be prepared to be killed.

These people tried to take Nie Changqing's life. He had no choice but to fight back.

Shortly after Nie Changqing disappeared…

A group of black shadows scurried through the snow at full speed and appeared in front of the three bodies.

Looking at the three dead purple-robed disciples of Wudi City, the other disciples were both terrified and enraged.

“Where is Senior Brother Feng Yilou?”

“Is he not here yet? How many of our fellow disciples did this madman kill? The four guards are dead, plus an outer-order Golden Elixir cultivator. This man is humiliating our Wudi City with no scruples at all!”

“Kill him! Not only for the opportunity to visit the Scriptures Depository but also to avenge our fellow disciples!”

Raving mad, they sent a few people to bring the dead purple-robed disciples' bodies back to Wudi City. The rest of them went after Nie Changqing.

These disciples were much stronger than the dead ones.

There were even some fifth-level Golden Elixir cultivators among them. Nie Changqing would definitely lose if he encountered them.

Feng Yilou sprinted forward yet only fell on the slushy snow.

To his surprise, the tiny person made of Spirit Fluid floated in the air.

A chill went down Feng Yilou's spine. He could vaguely sense danger from this tiny person.

Bang!

Feng Yilou activated his Golden Elixir and emitted brilliant golden light like a blazing sun.

He stared at Lu Fan, who was made of Spirit Fluid.

He took off the bag on his back and took out a collapsible spear and then expanded it.

The point of the spear twitched with terrifying Spirit Qi. Even the wind and snow around it seemed to stopped moving.

He ranked ninth on the top cultivator list. How could he fail to handle a tiny person made of Spirit Fluid?

Feng Yilou was confident, even a little arrogant.

A Golden Elixir cultivator could try to move up to the Nascent Soul Realm when he reached the fifth-level. Only a peculiar genius would choose to go beyond the fifth-level instead of advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm.

From the sixth level to the ninth level, each step was extremely challenging.

Feng Yilou was already the best of the best now that he was a seventh-level Golden Elixir cultivator.

That was why he was confident and arrogant.

He thrust the spear forward, causing a sonic boom. The person Feng Yilou admired the most was Du Longyang, the number one spear user in the world.

Even though he was not Du Longyang's disciple, he was still fortunate enough to receive some guidance from him and had mastered the spear as a weapon.

Tiny Lu Fan looked at Feng Yilou, eyes glistening.

The spear made the snowflakes swirl.

But tiny Lu Fan somehow managed to stand steadily on the tip of the spear.

Feng Yilou's eyes narrowed.

Suddenly, he felt his consciousness flutter.

He bellowed and was about to attack again.

However…

In a trance, he saw a projection behind the tiny person's back. Wearing white clothes and sitting upright in a wheelchair, he held up his sleeve and placed a chess piece on the Go board in front of him.

It was him?!

Feng Yilou's body trembled.

He remembered this person. He was the man who stole the last Heavenly Calamity when Du Longyang was going through the calamities!

He was at the same level as Du Longyang!

Feng Yilou's heart was pounding.

He never expected to run into such a powerful figure inside the barren mountain.

He saw the tiny person walk slowly toward him following the spear.

Feng Yilou was bitter and dispirited.

His arrogance was crushed into pieces at the moment.

Tiny Lu Fan raised his hand.

His fingers tapped in the s.p.a.ce between Feng Yilou's eyebrows.

Feng Yilou felt a shock to his head. His Spiritual Sense was suppressed by tremendous power.

He also lost consciousness and blacked out right away.

Feng Yilou fell on the ground, facedown.

He was motionless with the snow piling up on his body.

After quite some time…

The snow melted.

Feng Yilou sat on the ground and stretched his neck.

His air of haughtiness had vanished. Instead, he looked calm and laid-back.

“Em… Method of Pseudo Possession? To suppress the host's Spiritual Sense and control the body with my own Spiritual Sense…”

Feng Yilou stood up and turned around in place.

He uttered a quiet laugh.

He picked up and collapsed the spear on the ground, carried it on his back, and then walked toward the direction of Wudi City.

Lu Fan didn't care if he would be sensed by Du Longyang in Wudi City.

Lu Fan didn't completely take over the host's body with this kind of method of possession. Feng Yilou's Spiritual Sense could take back control as soon as Lu Fan's Spiritual Sense left. Feng Yilou might feel weak for a few days in the worst-case scenario. But he wouldn't die…

Like Young Master Tianxu from the last time.

Thus, Lu Fan could just detach his Spiritual Sense from the body even if he was detected.

The snow swirled in the wind. Feng Yilou was no longer obtrusive and flamboyant. He slowly and quietly walked in the snow like a lotus flower.

The waterfall cascaded down the cliff…

Creating a deafening sound.

The waves tumbled in the pond. Li Sansi stuck his head above the waves and spat out some water.

He had gone through so much.

He was chased by several people the moment he went through the wall of air and entered the forbidden area. It would have been fine if only Internal Organs cultivators were chasing him. But cultivators in the Golden Elixir Realm and the Nascent Soul Realm were behind him as well.

Li Sansi used to be conceited and thought he would easily be among the top ten cultivators in the world as a peak Internal Organs fighter.

He only understood why Zhu Long said he was weak when he stepped foot in the forbidden area.

Nonetheless, Li Sansi didn't regret his decision.

Didn't he come to the forbidden area to become stronger?

Didn't he set off this journey to become stronger?

Li Sansi struggled to get out of the pond. He lay on the ground and stared at the magnificent waterfall for quite some time. Before he jumped into the waterfall, he clearly sensed that Lu Fan negotiated a chance for him.

Even though the Nascent Soul fighters wouldn't chase him now, the Golden Elixir ones would still be after him.

He only had a slim chance of survival with the Golden Elixir cultivators behind him.

He couldn't stay here any longer. He would be doomed if he were captured.

He stood up and used the Spirit Qi to dry the clothes. His wooden sword was already broken. Without a weapon, he lost a third of his power.

He looked around and recognized that he was in a valley.

Thankfully, he could exert the Spirit Qi to protect his body from the miasma in the valley.

Li Sansi was a little confused about which way he should go. He picked up a tree branch and dropped it on the ground. Then he went to the direction the branch was pointing.

The valley was huge. Li Sansi walked for a long while. All of a sudden, he heard some rustling sound.

He saw some black-robed people running toward him.

Li Sansi's face changed. He held his breath and crawled in the gra.s.s.

He didn't think they would find him so quickly.

With Li Sansi's current strength, he would certainly die if he were discovered.

Even the weakest ones among these people from the Supreme Knife School were in the Foundation Building Realm.

Suddenly…

Li Sansi felt a strong breeze behind his head.

A person slammed a knife at him.

It turned out that he had been detected since the beginning. These Golden Elixir cultivators developed Spiritual Sense and were exceptionally perceptive.

Li Sansi's heart pounded. He rolled in the gra.s.s and rushed out.

He remained collected. After all, he was chased many times when he was less strong in the past.

He could only cultivate Qi and blood back then and was much less powerful than the cultivators. He had no choice but to be chased around when he came up against a large army.

Rumor had it that Li Sansi rode the black ox and guarded the three border towns alone with his wooden sword.

It was not free and easy at all in reality.

Bang!

The people from the Supreme Knife School kept waving the knives.

Li Sansi's Daoist robe was torn. He could feel a burning pain on his back, and his wounds kept bleeding.

Suddenly…

Li Sansi sensed the killers from the Supreme Knife School seemed to slow down behind him as if they were hesitating.

Li Sansi turned around and saw the disciples of the Supreme Knife School were glaring at him…

As if there was a line on the ground that they didn't dare to cross.

Li Sansi was encouraged.

It looked like they couldn't step foot in this place freely.

Like the forbidden area in the Daoist Pavilion?

Li Sansi stopped running. He rested his hands on the hips and stared at the disciples from the Supreme Knife School, his face contorting in pain. He raised his hand and wiggled his finger.

“Why don't you come over!” Li Sansi shouted.

The disciples of the Supreme Knife School outside were infuriated.

All of a sudden…

Li Sansi's face became stiff.

He noticed the Spirit Qi of Heaven and Earth was sucked out in an instant…

Withered vines grew rapidly from the ground.

Fizz!

The vines wrapped around Li Sansi's ankles, as well as several disciples of the Supreme Knife School standing in the distance.

Then, the vines pulled back and dragged the disciples and Li Sansi together into the depth of the valley.

The disciples of the Supreme Knife School wanted to cut the vines with their knives, yet only made the vines tie them more securely.

Seeing that, Li Sansi stopped struggling at once.

The vines pulled them into a dark cave.

The cave was gloomy and musty.

The top of the cave was packed with stalact.i.tes of grotesque shapes. Icy water dripped down from the stalact.i.tes and chilled people to the bone.

Some disciples of the Supreme Knife School were yelling in panic.

“We were still outside of the forbidden zone and didn't come in. Why were we dragged here too?”

They seemed to know something was imprisoned in the forbidden zone.

Li Sansi was affected by their nervousness.

Suddenly…

A soft sound came from the bottom of the dark cave. It was eerie and charming at the same time.

“Many things that happened in the world didn't have a reason. The explanation, speculation, and justification are only useless matters, while in fact, I simply do it because I want to.”

Li Sansi shuddered with fear.

He looked into the distance where countless vines twisted together.

A shadow was in the middle.

Then, the vines wriggled and pushed the shadow closer to Li Sansi and the others.

It was a woman—a woman covered in dirt with dry and messy hair. Being pushed by the vines, she came closer to a disciple from the Supreme Knife School. Her trembling hand raised and touched him as if she were admiring a delicate piece of art.

Li Sansi pursed his lips. He closed his eyes and turned his face away.

It was so hard for him. He went from being chased to being captured by an evil woman.

The woman uttered a suppressed laugh. She then opened her mouth and bit hard on the disciple's neck.

Blood spurted out…

And splattered on Li Sansi's face.