C12 The War Had Expanded

"Who are you? Did you kill my senior brother?" Zhu Chi Zi, emboldened by the number of his allies, stepped forward and demanded.

"He had it coming!" Zhou Guangyuan seethed with rage, recognizing that the three cultivators at the second level of Qi Refinement before him were associates of the murderer. He lumped them together in his vendetta. "You'll pay for my big brother's life!"

Convinced by Zhou Guangyuan's accusation, Zhu Chi Zi was certain he had found the killer. "Attack!" he bellowed, leading the charge by conjuring a flying sword and aiming it straight for Zhou Guangyuan's face. Unbeknownst to him, his two senior brothers stood behind him, shaking and ashen-faced. The flying sword, swift as the wind, approached the accused. With a mere outstretched hand, the accused brought the sword to a screeching halt, quivering as if it had met its bane. Then, with a resounding blast, it burst into myriad shards that ricocheted back. Zhu Chi Zi was immediately riddled with bloody wounds from the sword fragments, and his two senior brothers didn't escape injury—one struck by two shards, the other by four—both collapsing to the ground, bloodied and severely wounded.

Zhu Chi Zi was in utter disbelief. What level of cultivation did this adversary possess? He couldn't discern it, but it was clearly at least two tiers above his own. Could it be the late stage of Qi Refinement? And with just one move, his flying sword was obliterated. With his life hanging in the balance, he didn't have time to ponder. Frantically, he retrieved a talisman from his Storage Bag, spat a mouthful of blood on it, and channeled his spiritual energy into it with fervor. The talisman blazed with a golden light and streaked towards the advancing Zhou Guangyuan. "Senior brothers, aid me in vanquishing this villain!"

Bitterness filled the mouths of the two senior brothers. They had realized the gravity of the situation; their adversary was no ordinary foe, likely at the pinnacle of the Qi Training Period. Despite their junior brother's rashness in attacking and their own injuries, they were driven by indignation and joined the fray with their own attacks.

Zhou Guangyuan halted, his gaze fixating on the golden radiance emanating from Chi Zhu Zi's hand, his expression turning grave. "A high-grade, second-level golden sword talisman? How does a mere second-level Qi Training cultivator come by such a valuable charm? Alas, his cultivation is too weak. Were a Foundation Establishment cultivator to wield this talisman, I'd have no choice but to flee."

Disregarding the onslaught from the other two, Zhou Guangyuan flicked his wrist, conjuring two shields of spiritual energy that intercepted the incoming flying swords. He then opened his mouth, unleashing a beam of green light that sliced through the air, clashing with the golden glow of the golden sword talisman.

Clang!

The resounding clash saw the golden sword talisman shatter, while the Green Brilliance Sword was knocked back. A smug satisfaction swelled in Zhou Guangyuan's chest; his Green Brilliance Sword, a premium spirit weapon gifted by his master, had proven its might. As he reached out to retrieve it, an unexpected glint of gold burst forth from the remnants of the talisman, reaching him in the blink of an eye.

"Dreadful, it's the elusive mother-child sword!" Zhou Guangyuan's face drained of color. In desperation, he produced a finely crafted triangular shield, but time was against him. Before he could muster its full defense, the slender golden beam pierced through the shield, entering his chest and exiting his back, trailing a mist of blood. The triangular shield shattered, its fragments scattering to the ground.

Stunned, Zhou Guangyuan stood motionless, realizing his recent breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment level had been brutally reversed, plummeting him back to the peak of the Qi Training realm. With his Qi Sea ravaged, ascending to Foundation Establishment once more seemed an insurmountable challenge.

Chi Zhu Zi, elated at the sight of the assailant's grievous wounds, summoned another flying sword, aiming for Zhou Guangyuan's head. "Fellow seniors, join the fight, quickly!"

Yet, to his bewilderment, the two senior brothers behind him sheathed their swords and fled in disarray. With the enemy so gravely injured, Chi Zhu Zi couldn't fathom why they would pass up the chance to strike a fallen foe.

In the blink of an eye, the assailant who had been before him vanished without a trace. Behind him, two senior brothers emitted harrowing screams. By the time he spun around, their heads were already soaring through the air. The young cultivator's face was a mask of fury, his eyes burning with rage as black smoke billowed from his body, enveloping the two fallen bodies. In a mere moment, as the smoke cleared, the corpses were reduced to mummified husks, their flesh and blood completely stripped away!

"Ah, it's the Soul Searching Smoke. You, you're from the Absolute Soul Sect!" Chi Zhu Zi's face turned ashen, terror causing him to lose control of his flying sword, which clattered to the ground. Frantically, he retrieved a messenger flying sword, etched a brief message—The Absolute Soul Sect killed me!—and hurled it skyward.

Zhou Guangyuan had intended to exact a torturous revenge on the man before him, especially after his hard-earned cultivation level had been diminished. But catching sight of the messenger flying sword, he realized his mistake. His body shuddered as the Soul Searching Smoke morphed into a black chain, shooting towards Chi Zhu Zi. However, it was too late; the chain was swallowed by a burst of light and vanished into the sky.

The desiccated body of Chi Zhu Zi crashed to the ground with a thunderous thud. Within the Soul Searching Smoke, a soul fought desperately, its wails piercing the air, "Our sect will not let you off lightly, await our vengeance!"

Zhou Guangyuan let out a cold laugh, drew the Soul Searching Smoke into his mouth, and savored the flavor with a smack of his lips. The souls of cultivators were indeed a delicacy. The disciples of the Absolute Soul Sect were known for their potent soul power, gained by absorbing the souls of others to bolster their own strength. This practice allowed them to advance their cultivation at a rate far surpassing others, earning them the label of an evil cult by the entire Cultivation World.

With a swift motion, Zhou Guangyuan gathered the three Storage Bags and leapt into the air. He needed to find a place to heal before pursuing Chi Yangzi and the girl in the red dress from his vision.

......

At the Yin-yang Sect, a disciple on duty had just finished dusting when two sharp cracks echoed behind him. As he turned, the third Destiny Soul Tablet shattered, sending him into a shivering panic. Recognizing the names of the three deceased, he dashed towards the Law Enforcement Hall, exclaiming, "This is terrible, terrible!"

Situ Bei's expression was dark with fury. He had just received an urgent message through Chi Yangzi's flying sword. The audacity of the Absolute Soul Sect to kill his disciples was appalling, and the sparse content of the message indicated a hasty transmission, suggesting that the assailant's cultivation level was significantly higher than that of Chi Yangzi and his two companions. This situation called for more than a Qi Training Period disciple; only those at the Foundation Establishment level or above would suffice. After a moment's deliberation, he dispatched two messenger flying swords.

...

Unbeknownst to Feng Yimo, his actions had sparked a violent clash between two major sects, causing an uproar. Meanwhile, he lay in his carriage, gazing contentedly at the clouds drifting across the sky. The general principles of the Yin-yang Spell had given him new insights, bringing a serene calm to his demeanor that made him seem almost like an ordinary mortal. Regrettably, the text of the Yin-yang Spell was incomplete, providing only the general outline and the incantations up to the fifth level of the Qi Training Period. It appeared to have been altered, losing much of its original depth. Nevertheless, he committed it to memory and practiced it diligently.

To avoid drawing the attention of Ling Ya and her companions, Feng Yimo chose to cultivate at night. He could sense the Spiritual Qi around him transforming into myriad points of light, flowing into his body at a rate three times faster than his previous techniques—a method that would have been considered elite in his past life.

If anyone were to witness the nocturnal display of luminous spots, they might mistake them for fireflies, drawn by the same allure that beckoned butterflies to the Flower Slaves. There was nothing particularly odd about that.

Having reached the pinnacle of the first level of Qi Cultivation, Feng Yimo's Divine Sense had expanded its reach to one and a half kilometers. Lying in the carriage, he abruptly sat up, alerted by his Divine Sense to the presence of dozens of black-clad, masked figures lurking in the dense forest a mile away.

The road ahead was flanked by towering mountains, with only a single passageway through. The ambush was no coincidence; these masked marauders were well-informed of the group's route and had no benevolent intentions. They were undoubtedly bandits, but with their faces concealed, Feng Yimo couldn't help but wonder if they might be individuals familiar to Ling Ya and her party.

Feng Yimo was debating whether to alert Ling Ya and her companions when Xiao He, the captain of the Silver Cloth Guards, abruptly gestured for the convoy to halt. He, too, had noticed the unusual disturbance ahead.