The wind ceased, the rain stopped. The forest was filled with the moist fragrance unique to the aftermath of rain. Droplets of water fell from the blades of grass in utter silence.
Mu Yun rushed along the mountain path, his steps swift as the wind. In half a day, he would be back at his dwelling.
Suddenly, he halted, frowning slightly. He raised his gaze coldly.
Above the sky, four beams of escaping light broke through the clouds, their spiritual radiance churning like thunderbolts, startling countless birds into flapping their wings and fleeing in panic.
"These are… true cultivators! So fast. I wonder what level their cultivation is."
Mu Yun's heart tightened. He instantly concealed his aura and retreated into the dense forest, hiding in the shadows.
His gaze followed the direction in which the escaping lights had disappeared, his eyes gradually turning cold, his brow heavy.
"The direction they are heading… could it be the place where that cultivator fell earlier?"
At that thought, a cold glint flashed in Mu Yun's eyes. His figure, like a ghost, slipped into the sea of trees and vanished.
…
Several hours later, above the Purple Bamboo Grove, the four beams of escaping light slowly descended, landing on the mountainside.
The leader wore a black robe, his aura unfathomably deep, his eyes cold as lightning. The other three wore blue sect robes, their cultivation at the middle or late Foundation Establishment stage. Their expressions were respectful, not daring to overstep.
The four stood on the mountaintop, their gazes fixed on the scattered wreckage and lingering spiritual energy in the forest. They all frowned slightly, the atmosphere heavy.
"Elder Brother Wei, this is where Senior Brother Leng sent his distress transmission," one of the blue-robed cultivators said in a deep voice. "It seems he really ran into a tough opponent."
"Ahead of this place is the outer perimeter of the Demon Sealing Realm. If I am not mistaken, Leng Zuofeng came here to capture a Spectral God Tiger cub." The black-robed cultivator's words were sharp as a knife. His gaze swept around. "Where is the body?"
"Half a month ago, his transmission talisman suddenly showed anomalies. We wanted to come and investigate, but at the time we were engaged in battle with demonic cultists and could not break away. We had no choice but to report it to you first…" Before the blue-robed cultivator could finish, he was cut off by a cold snort.
"Hmph, enough talk."
The black-robed cultivator's expression was indifferent, his gaze icy as it swept over the three.
"Even if the three of you had come when Leng Zuofeng sent his transmission, it would have been a dead end. Do you think I, Wei, am not aware of your thoughts?"
At these words, the three blue-robed cultivators exchanged glances and bowed their heads in silence. The atmosphere turned abruptly cold.
The black-robed cultivator was silent for a moment, his expression grim. Suddenly, he flicked his sleeve, and a vast divine consciousness spread out in all directions, covering the land like a net.
After a moment, he suddenly raised his hand and pointed.
"Below."
As he spoke, an ancient long sword shot out from his sleeve, wrapped in spiritual light, transforming into a dazzling rainbow that stabbed into the ground with a thunderous crash!
Boom—!
Dust and dirt flew as a pit over a zhang deep appeared. At the bottom lay a corpse that had not yet decayed. In its features, one could still vaguely recognize the cultivator surnamed Leng.
"He… is dead."
The black-robed cultivator looked down at the remains, murderous intent surging in his eyes, his voice low as ice.
"Killed by someone else. His Foundation Establishment platform is shattered—destroyed by force. The methods are unfamiliar, the means ruthless."
As he finished, his expression darkened abruptly. His spiritual pressure exploded outward like a raging storm. The other three's faces changed dramatically. They retreated several steps, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.
"Damned!"
The black-robed cultivator growled, his voice like muffled thunder, his teeth clenched as if he wanted to tear someone apart.
After a moment of silence, he spoke coldly, his tone sharp as a blade, as if peeling the skin from their ears.
"Now, there are only two paths."
"First, dig three feet into the ground, find the killer, and return to the sect to report truthfully."
"Second, be offered as a living sacrifice by Elder Leng to repay this debt with your blood."
His voice suddenly paused, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth. His gaze swept over the three like a viper's.
"…Choose for yourselves."
The three were greatly shaken. They fell to their knees in unison, kowtowing like pounding garlic.
One of them flipped his hand, and three dark red incense sticks appeared in his palm. He chanted a low incantation, his voice like a mosquito's buzz, seemingly connected to some forbidden art.
In an instant—
The three incense sticks ignited without fire, their smoke curling upward, lingering without dissipating, faint spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from them.
The black-robed cultivator's gaze sharpened. He watched coldly. Only when the blue smoke rose to about a zhang in height did his expression ease slightly.
"A tracking technique?" he said flatly, his voice low as ice. "Any leads?"
As he spoke, the blue smoke suddenly trembled, then turned strangely, drifting slowly toward the distant forest—toward the very place where Mu Yun was hiding!
Seeing this anomaly, the three kneeling men breathed a long sigh of relief, the cold sweat still not dry on their foreheads.
"The aura of the one who killed Senior Brother Leng has not faded!" the one who performed the technique said, panting. Clearly, using this art had cost him greatly.
"This smoke can sense residual soul thoughts. If it encounters the person in question, it will gather and linger above his head."
A glint flashed in the black-robed cultivator's eyes, his coldness intensifying.
"Excellent."
His gaze swept over the three, his voice sharp: "You, stay here and continue the ritual to stabilize the connection. The other two, follow me in pursuit!"
Before the words had faded, he did not take to the air. Instead, he glided close to the ground, like a ghost, following the trail of blue smoke step by step as it disappeared into the sea of trees.
…
Deep in the forest, mist wove like gauze, silence pervasive.
Mu Yun hid behind an ancient tree, his gaze deep, the unease in his heart growing stronger.
"This is not good… If they really came for that dead cultivator, they will find me sooner or later."
He frowned slightly, quickly weighing his options.
"If I go home now, I will only implicate Old Man Zhu. And once we fight, I will likely expose the secrets of Earth's technology weapons."
He focused his mind and quietly checked his internal energy reserves.
"The Nuclear Arc Reactor's energy reserves are still sufficient. At the current conversion rate, it can support the main systems for half an hour. That's short, but enough for a tough battle."
"Moreover… the cultivator I killed was only at Foundation Establishment. Those coming to seek revenge probably aren't much stronger."
A cold glint flashed in his eyes, killing intent rising.
"Rather than waiting for them to find me, I should strike first. Eliminate the threat before it grows."
With that thought, Mu Yun's gaze sharpened. He moved, silently slipping into the sea of trees, his figure merging into the mist like a shadow, soundless.
Before the blue smoke could reach him, Mu Yun quickly traveled several li to a narrow valley filled with tangled rocks and vines.
The terrain here was cramped, restricting flight, and the flow of spiritual energy was extremely chaotic—perfect for an ambush.
On the other side, the blue smoke threaded through the valley and slowly came to a halt.
"We've arrived."
Three figures stopped abruptly. The black-robed leader was Elder Brother Wei, his aura deep as an abyss. Behind him, the two late Foundation Establishment cultivators also wore grim, murderous expressions.
Wei swept his gaze around, frowning slightly.
"The smoke is hovering above this ravine. The person is down below."
His gaze fell on a nearby cliff, beneath which spiritual energy faintly stirred.
"You two search here. I will go down."
With that, Wei's figure flickered and descended into the ravine, disappearing in an instant.
The forest fell silent again, leaving only the two Foundation Establishment cultivators looking at each other, neither daring to be careless.
"Something feels off about this mist…"
"Stay alert. Don't let that thief take advantage."
…
They did not notice that, less than five zhang away, an ancient vine hung down, concealing a sloping rock. A figure lay prone on it, his expression calm as water.
"Successfully drawn away."
Mu Yun whispered. The spiritual energy fluctuation he had placed under the cliff was a small-scale spiritual energy disturber, temporarily crafted using the Zeus Creative Neurological System combined with the Antimatter Combat System. Its purpose was to lure the Golden Core cultivator down the cliff.
Once the Golden Core cultivator descended, there would be a window of half an incense stick's time.
—That was enough.
"Now, to deal with these two first."
His right hand gripped his long blade. The Superluminal Amplitude System activated silently, and in an instant, a faint vibration hummed through his body.
He leaped up, and the blade light slashed down!
His target was the blue-robed cultivator surveying the terrain!
Shriek!!
The blade tore through the air. The opponent reacted quickly, summoning a protective spiritual barrier in time—but it was useless.
The barrier tore like paper. The blade ripped through the cultivator's shoulder armor, blood spraying!
"Enemy attack!" he roared, sending several spiritual talismans flying, which transformed into fiery serpents lunging at Mu Yun.
Mu Yun watched coldly, his feet shifting, his body weaving left and right with extraordinary agility, stepping through the flames in a few paces.
"So fast… his speed isn't normal!"
"He's not an ordinary cultivator!"
The two were shaken, but grew even more cautious, joining forces to surround him.
Sword light intertwined, spiritual techniques unleashed. Mu Yun moved among them with his footwork, not seeking direct confrontation, but constantly probing the strength of the late Foundation Establishment cultivators.
After a few breaths, one of them stepped forward again, thrusting his long sword—
At that moment, Mu Yun suddenly accelerated, spun on his heel, and swept his blade upward from below!
He had thought of the Bamboo-Cutting Strike that "Little Mu Yun" had used earlier!
Rip!
The opponent's protective spiritual light was torn apart. His arm, dripping with blood, flew into the air. With a scream, he collapsed to the ground, incapacitated!
The other roared and charged, unleashing a series of sword techniques that forced Mu Yun back several steps.
He pinched his fingers in sword gestures, his true essence surging, killing intent like a tide!
"Seven Swords Splitting the Clouds!"
With a furious shout, his long sword suddenly hummed. Spiritual light churned as seven sword shadows slashed through the air, layering upon one another, interweaving like a net, sealing off all escape!
The first sword howled toward him, carrying powerful armor-piercing force at a tricky angle.
Then the second and third swords followed.
Mu Yun focused, his eyes narrowing, continuing to evade.
With each step back, he shifted away from the landing point of one sword shadow, dodging the deadliest strikes with minimal movement. His steps seemed chaotic but followed a clear pattern.
The fourth sword came—wind blades splitting the earth!
Mu Yun performed a side flip, using the momentum to launch himself into the air. Before he could land, the fifth sword struck like a thunderbolt, completely cutting off his retreat!
"Trying to trap me?"
Mu Yun's body trembled slightly. In an instant, he activated the Amplitude System and shifted a full half zhang sideways!
The sword energy nearly grazed him. Using this displacement, Mu Yun stepped inside the opponent's defense!
"Sixth sword!"
The man roared. A golden sword mark swept horizontally, its spiritual pressure compressing the air, carrying an astonishing momentum straight for Mu Yun's chest!
Mu Yun stared coldly, not dodging. Instead, he crouched low and slid, swinging his long blade horizontally along the ground!
"Bamboo-Cutting."
This move was no longer the straightforward splitting of bamboo, but a borrowing of momentum and force. The blade snaked along the ground like a serpent, tearing through the gap beneath the sword's momentum, aimed directly at the opponent's feet!
Thud!
The sword wind missed. The man's ankle split, blood spraying!
The cultivator grunted, losing his balance. The seventh sword, just about to be unleashed, collapsed as his center of gravity shifted and his spiritual energy became disordered.
Mu Yun's gaze turned icy. He pushed the Amplitude System to its peak, closing in like lightning!
Before the man could steady himself, the long blade was already at his chest.
"Stop—!"
He cried out, but only saw a flash of cold light descending.
The blade fell, stopping at his throat.
Blood gushed like a fountain.