The death of Serpent Scale, a late-stage Qi Condensation Hall Master, was like a massive boulder thrown into a rippling lake, setting off sheer chaos and absolute terror. The grunts of the Black Dragon Stronghold, already bewildered by the Illusionary Array, now saw their leader killed in such an inexplicable manner; their remaining will to fight utterly collapsed.
"The Hall Master is dead! Demons! There are demons in this mist!"
"Run! Get out of this accursed place!"
They no longer had the presence of mind to search for the enemy. Shrieking, they abandoned their formation and fled madly back toward the entrance, trampling over one another in their desperation to escape. However, the ambush set by Tran Kien and Ly Tin was easy to enter, but difficult to leave. In their panic, the fleeing men continuously stepped into spike pits and became entangled in vines. Bloodcurdling screams echoed endlessly.
Up in an ancient tree, Tran Kien observed everything with cold indifference. He did not make a move to pursue and kill. His target was not these small fries. He was waiting. Waiting for the bigger fish to reveal itself.
And he did not have to wait long.
"A BUNCH OF TRASH! HALT, ALL OF YOU!"
A mighty roar, carrying boundless spiritual energy, boomed from deep within the mist. This roar was like a sledgehammer smashing directly into the minds of the panicking grunts, forcing them to a dead stop, their legs trembling.
From within the fog, three figures slowly emerged.
In the lead was an old man garbed in blood-red robes, gripping a black iron snake-headed staff. He was emaciated, his face wrinkled like dried bark, but his eyes glowed fiercely like a serpent's, exuding an insidious and perilous aura. His cultivation base had actually reached the early Foundation Establishment realm!
He was the Serpent King, one of the two Vice Grotto Masters of the Myriad Snake Grotto.
Following behind him were two Protectors, their statures tall and burly, their auras having reached the peak of the Qi Condensation realm.
"A mere shifting Illusionary Array was enough to scare you witless," the Serpent King glanced at Serpent Scale's corpse on the ground, his hoarse voice dripping with disdain. "Serpent Scale truly grew more foolish the longer he lived."
He showed no signs of grief over his subordinate's death. He merely raised his snake-headed staff. The iron snake atop the staff suddenly seemed to come alive, its ruby eyes flashing with brilliant light.
"BREAK!"
The Serpent King roared. An invisible sonic wave, carrying a potent toxicity, rippled out from the staff. Wherever the wave swept past, the surrounding mist melted away like snow before fire, revealing the true appearance of the forest. The entire Illusionary Array laid down by Tran Kien had been effortlessly shattered under the absolute power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The traps, the spike pits, all were clearly laid bare. The surviving grunts saw that the only real enemy was Ly Tin standing far in the distance, within an otherwise empty forest; their terror instantly morphed into fury.
"Bastard! You dared to trick us!"
But the Serpent King paid them no heed. His serpentine eyes swept across the forest, stopping with pinpoint accuracy on the exact spot where Tran Kien was concealed in the ancient tree.
"Sly junior, have you hidden enough?" he sneered, revealing yellowed teeth. "Your concealment technique is excellent, enough to deceive Serpent Scale. But you cannot hide from this old man's eyes. Come out and face your death!"
Discovered!
Tran Kien was inwardly shocked. He hadn't expected the Divine Sense of a Foundation Establishment cultivator to be this formidable, able to pierce through even the aura-concealing properties of his Primordial Qi.
He knew that remaining hidden was no longer viable. There was only one path left: fight!
Without a moment of hesitation, Tran Kien dropped from the tree, but he didn't charge toward the Serpent King. He dove straight into the gathering crowd of grunts! He wanted to create chaos!
"Kill him!" the Serpent King commanded.
The grunts bellowed, brandishing their weapons as they rushed at Tran Kien.
However, the current Tran Kien was no longer the Tran Kien from the Phong Van Inn. With his cultivation at the peak of the Qi Condensation realm, combined with his Saber Intent - Thousand Hammers, Hundred Refinements, his combat prowess had risen to a completely new level.
Slash! Slash!
The dull black saber in his hand danced, no longer displaying heavy stability, but rather an unfathomable, shifting grace. Every strike was incredibly lethal and precise, without a single wasted movement. He did not clash head-on, but fluttered through the crowd like a butterfly, his footwork exquisitely agile. His blade continuously traced across the throats and windpipes of the grunts. Fresh blood sprayed wildly.
In just a few breaths of time, over ten men had fallen.
He was like a razor-sharp dagger dancing amidst a pack of wolves, conjuring a rain of blood in the mist.
"A bunch of useless trash!" Seeing this, the Serpent King's face turned purple with rage. He could not allow a little brat to slaughter his subordinates right in front of him. "I shall personally send you to the Yellow Springs!"
He swung his snake-headed staff, his body darting forward like a venomous viper as he lunged toward Tran Kien. The two Protectors immediately followed, forming a pincer maneuver.
A terrifying pressure descended. Tran Kien knew the true opponent had made his move. Not daring to linger in battle, he swung his saber to force back the surrounding grunts, then used the momentum to fly backward, desperately trying to widen the distance.
But the Serpent King's speed was simply too fast. Thrusting his staff forward, the iron snake's head opened its pitch-black maw, spewing forth a plume of emerald-green poisonous smoke that shot out at astonishing speed.
Horrified, Tran Kien hastily circulated his Primordial Qi, forming a thin layer of defense in front of him.
Boom!
The poisonous smoke crashed into the defensive layer, producing horrifying sizzling sounds of corrosion. Although the Primordial Qi had the ability to suppress evil toxins, the opponent's cultivation base was simply too high. His defensive layer was rapidly corroded, visibly thinning by the second.
Just at that moment, a loud shout rang out from behind Tran Kien.
"Evil Dao beast! Your opponent is me!"
Ly Tin!
The silver-armored general, after seeing the Serpent King appear, had stopped acting as bait. He had quietly circled around to the rear, and now, he appeared at the most opportune moment.
A resplendent ray of sword light, carrying the righteous aura and murderous intent of the military, slashed out from behind. It did not target the Serpent King, but rather the two Protectors who were preparing to launch a sneak attack on Tran Kien!
Thwack! Thwack!
The two Protectors had never expected an enemy to be behind them. Caught off guard, they were struck by Ly Tin's sword light. One had his arm severed, while the other had his chest pierced by the blade.
"Another annoying fly!" The Serpent King raged, forced to abandon his attack on Tran Kien and turn back to deal with Ly Tin.
Seizing the opportunity, Tran Kien did not hesitate in the slightest, turning and plunging deeper into the forest. He wasn't fleeing. He was looking for "allies."
He dashed to the corpses of the demonic wolves that had been poisoned to death earlier. Using his saber, he sliced them open, extracting several still-warm Demonic Cores.
Then, throwing his head back toward the sky, he let out a long, bizarre whistle that echoed throughout the forest. It was a beast-taming technique he had learned from an ancient tome on communicating with creatures.
A moment later, low growls echoed in response from deep within the mist. Emerald and sickly-yellow eyes began to materialize. The Demonic Beasts of the Misty Forest, drawn by the stench of fresh blood and the aura of the Demonic Cores, had begun to gather.
Tran Kien hurled the Demonic Cores toward the chaotic battlefield.
Upon seeing the Demonic Cores and smelling the thick stench of fresh blood, the wild instincts of the Demonic Beast pack immediately erupted. No longer distinguishing between friend and foe, they charged in a frenzy, attacking every living creature in sight.
The battlefield, in an instant, was transformed into a true Asura's slaughterhouse. The Black Dragon Stronghold, Ly Tin, and the pack of Demonic Beasts all plunged into a bloody melee.
Tran Kien, the one who had ignited it all, once again quietly blended into the mist, vanishing without a trace.
The dagger, having delivered a fatal strike, once more concealed itself within the shadows, awaiting the final opportunity to execute the heavily wounded python.