Slaughter

Yan Nu circulated his cultivation to heal his injuries for a day and a night. He ate grass twice along the way, and his true qi grew steadily, already several times more profound than the previous fort master, Zhang Xu.

Shen Leling was immersed in cultivation and never checked Yan Nu's true qi from beginning to end. Her last check of Yan Nu was at the third-rate level, so she assumed he was still third-rate.

She had also asked him about the matter of sweeping through Tea Mountain Fort, but Yan Nu could not explain it clearly either, only saying that it was a matter of dancing wildly and smashing things along the way.

She still thought Yan Nu was a martial arts prodigy, instinctively learning and launching many exquisite moves from others.

In truth, Yan Nu had only cultivated the Emperor Tai's White Jade Technique for three days, so there was nothing much to examine regarding his true qi.

This divine art required at least a year of practice before one could even hope to enter the fold, and she figured Yan Nu was still pitifully and slowly extracting essential qi from his bodily apertures.

Eat a peach.

Yan Nu finished practicing until his true qi was depleted, and after eating a lot of grass, he felt his mouth and throat parched, so he stood up to pick a peach.

Hiss... His injuries were not fully healed, and he winced in pain as he walked, but there was nothing critically wrong.

Shen Leling had used her natal living water and countless fine medicines to pull him back from the brink of death, which was already a miracle. She said he still needed at least two more days of healing before he could stand and walk, otherwise his meridians and bones would snap again.

Little did she know that Yan Nu's hammer true qi was endlessly generating, infinitely supporting the qi vortex's demand for foundation-consolidating pills. As a result, after this full day and night, the healing efficiency of the Emperor Tai's White Jade Technique far exceeded Shen Leling's expectations.

Yan Nu could not only stand and walk, but he could even engage in strenuous exercise! His martial prowess had also made great progress!

Mmm-mmm... He gnawed on a peach, jumped onto a large boulder, and while eating, gazed out in the direction of Tea Mountain Fort.

Suddenly, he caught sight of figures stirring in the darkness in the distance.

Eh? Yan Nu remembered Shen Leling saying that the Zhang family members were searching everywhere for him to kill him.

So he immediately ran back to Shen Leling's side and shook her hard. Stop sleeping, someone is coming.

Shen Leling opened her eyes, brilliant light flashing within them.

She looked at the sky; it was indeed about to dawn, and the essence of the moonly splendor was already very faint, so she withdrew her cultivation.

Since I remained in the mountains, I naturally had certainty. If not for cultivators, it would be wishful thinking for the Zhang family members to track me down by demonic aura.

Even as she said this, she was not overconfident. Sitting motionless, she swept her spiritual sense around.

Yet this sweep ruined everything. Her expression changed as a supremely chilling force injured her primordial spirit, making her see stars, feel flustered, and even grow so dizzy and unsteady that she listed to the side and collapsed.

Yan Nu hurriedly steadied her. What's wrong with you?

Dreadful! There's a ghost! Shen Leling's mind was in a haze as she spoke with hatred, finally realizing how the Zhang family members had found her—they had raised a ghost cultivator!

A ghost? Yan Nu looked blank.

Shen Leling's mind was unsettled, and she irritably said, Thirty-six martial artists, plus a ghost, they used a shady trick to injure my primordial spirit!

Although she was injured, her previous brief sweep had also revealed that the enemy had already surrounded this place and made thorough preparations.

While this force was not strong, their disgusting aspect was that fighting martial artists yielded no benefits whatsoever, instead drawing mortal world fire to burn one's dao karma.

Now that her primordial spirit was injured as well, executing spells was extremely difficult. If she wanted to break out, she would likely suffer heavy trauma even if she survived.

Injured your primordial spirit? Is that a severe injury? Yan Nu saw her in pain and knew immediately this must be a very serious wound.

Shen Leling shouted, Nonsense, the primordial spirit cannot heal itself.

Then what should we do? Are there any pills? Yan Nu asked with concern.

Yet when Shen Leling heard these words, she stared fixedly at Yan Nu. There are... I can absorb your essence soul, and that will be enough to cure it!

Humans were great nourishing entities. She remembered that the one holding her right now was none other than a human! Yan Nu lacked mortal world fire, was a young martial artist, and was even a virgin! Absorbing his essence soul would make this minor injury amount to nothing!

Must she eat him?

Shen Leling struggled for a moment, her jade hand forming a claw that reached toward Yan Nu's face.

Yan Nu was completely oblivious to her malice, instead saying with great joy, As long as it can cure you, then hurry up and absorb it!

*...* Shen Leling's hand stopped right before Yan Nu's eyes, mere inches away, yet it froze.

H-hurry up and absorb my essence soul to heal your injuries. I can endure the most, I'm not afraid of pain! Yan Nu did not know that the essence soul was the foundation of one's life, and still urged her with concern.

Seeing him care for her with such innocence, Shen Leling's gaze shifted again and again before she finally lowered her hand.

Carry me to the horse and escape from here, quickly!

With that, she scattered a handful of beans that expanded against the wind, seeming to grow into some kind of humanoid entities.

Monster, prepare to die! A martial artist leaped onto the rock platform, soaring through the air to strike with a palm containing cinnabar. Another sword followed closely, stabbing with a chilling light.

Yan Nu immediately shielded Shen Leling behind him, taking the full force of that palm. Yet this palm power was bizarre, containing a surging, scorching energy that made his blood qi churn.

The sword likewise carried this true qi, and a red sword Qi pierced a bloody hole in his body.

Fortunately, the opponent's true qi was not as abundant as his own. A brief circulation of the Emperor Tai's White Jade Technique suppressed this scorching, fierce poison, bottling it up inside his body.

He even gritted his teeth and struck back with a punch, blasting that person flying and causing him to vomit a mouthful of blood.

Scram! Several more martial artists came up, their long swords stabbing fiercely.

Yan Nu met the enemy directly with his bare palms, using his profound true qi to shake off the sword blades. However, he did not know how to neutralize the fierce poison on the swords, and it continuously invaded his body, accumulating more and more in his Dantian and apertures, making him feel a boiling heat all over, with his internal organs burning as if on fire.

One of the elders leaped over, swinging a sword Qi from a distance that was even more terrifying.

At the critical moment of life and death, a figure suddenly pounced forward to block this sword.

When Yan Nu looked, it turned out to be a soldier clad entirely in vine armor, withered in form, with wrinkled skin and dull facial features!

There were over thirty more such soldiers, crowding the stone platform completely—they had all been transformed from beans!

Scattering beans into soldiers? They're acting so sluggish... Mr. Feng's ghost shadow drifted up, wreathed in smoke as a chilling intent enveloped the entire scene. Don't be afraid, she doesn't dare to hurt you!

With that, he waved both hands, launching thirty clumps of sickly green ghost fire that shot directly into the vine armor soldiers.

Those wooden men withered and faded at a speed visible to the naked eye, looking aged, bleak, and sluggish in their movements.

Sure enough, that martial artist chopped the vine armor soldiers flying with two strikes, turning them into human-shaped, tree-carving-like objects.

The other vine armor soldiers only stepped forward to obstruct, acting as a wall without daring to fight back, and were hacked to pieces.

Taking advantage of this, Yan Nu held Shen Leling and jumped onto the horse's back. But he did not know how to ride, and his force was too heavy, startling the horse!

The warhorse reared and roared, almost pitching the two of them off, but fortunately Yan Nu held on tight.

Good horse, run fast, run fast! Yan Nu urged, one hand tightly clamping the horse's neck while the other firmly embraced Shen Leling. He slumped sideways across the horse's back in this manner, leaving his fate to the panicking, galloping steed.

Mr. Feng suddenly drew his sword and swept it across, unleashing a grey arc brimming with ghastly ghost qi.

Though he wore green robes and a scholar's scarf with a worn sword, he was not truly physical, having been entirely transformed from ghost qi.

That worn sword was refined from his own ghost body, actually being a part of himself; he did so simply because he loved swordsmanship.

The ghost body sword Qi flew out, and the bean-transformed vine armor soldiers sacrificed themselves to block it, successively dissolving into wood shavings in mid-air.

Its momentum was like splitting bamboo, heading straight for Shen Leling!

Hmph! At the critical moment, Shen Leling forcefully concentrated her mind, turning back in the saddle to form a bizarre hand incantation.

Mr. Feng frowned, thinking to himself: Forcing yourself to use a spell? Let's see how many times you can use it!

They saw patches of white light emerge on Shen Leling's body, transforming into the illusory form of bead and jade armor that easily withstood the ghost body sword Qi.

What! Golden Jade Robe! Zhang Quan, you didn't say she had this!

Mr. Feng recognized it instantly. At the critical moment, Shen Leling had used her magic power to activate the defense of the Golden Jade Robe.

This item could fend off evil and baleful spells, serving not only as an exceptional righteous body, but the cinnabar, realgar, and other evil-warding items carried by those martial artists would also become completely ineffective against Shen Leling.

I really didn't know she had this item! Zhang Quan shouted. Not only did he not know Shen Leling possessed this item, he didn't even know she had stolen it from Zhang Xu.

Third Young Master Zhang Xu had unearthed the Golden Jade Robe from tomb robbers and secretly hidden it with plans to use it himself later on, telling no one.

It will be hard to hurt her now! Mr. Feng shook his head.

Zhang Quan anxiously said, Then use your dao arts!

Sigh, I haven't used them in so many years, I forgot! Mr. Feng spread his hands!

Zhang Quan let out a cold snort, his footsteps flashing as he leaped and continuously slashed out three streams of sword Qi, which were even interspersed with realgar and cinnabar.

Yet Shen Leling was not afraid of these bane-breaking items. Her demon body was protected by the Golden Jade Robe while she simultaneously spat out a curtain of water vapor that enveloped her entire body, blocking all three streams of sword Qi and only stirring up ripples.

As for the sabers and swords of the other martial artists, they were even less capable of breaking through.

Holding Shen Leling, Yan Nu forcefully charged out of the encirclement under the protection of that water vapor.

Mr. Feng, break her water curtain! Don't tell me you can't! Zhang Quan called up a warhorse, mounted it, and gave chase relentlessly, while dozens of retainers also hurriedly mounted up to pursue.

Mr. Feng flew through the air, pondering. Her primordial spirit is injured and her magic power is unstable. If we all strike together, we can break it.

Good! Zhang Quan's body flew out like an arrow, and the steed beneath him could not endure the force, instantly vomiting blood and collapsing dead.

He kept his body and sword level in a single horizontal line, and the fierce sword Qi assaulted like lightning.

This was the Three Essences Body Tempering, where true qi manifested outwardly into substance.

Mr. Feng struck at the same time. Wisps of grey chilling qi surrounded Zhang Quan, spiraling forward before finally converging at the very tip of his sword.

The two forces—one grey, one white—contained formidable destructive power as they fiercely slammed into the water curtain.

Whoosh! Shen Leling's water curtain was instantly torn apart, and the sword Qi even retained residual force, piercing into her chest.

Clang! Rip! A tear was smashed open in the Golden Jade Robe, and countless white jade shards and fragments splattered outward.

At the same time, Zhang Quan also spat out a mouthful of Yellow Springs Water, bundling the water into an arrow that heavily shot into Shen Leling's chest.

Ahhh! You really think I wouldn't dare kill you lot!

Blood and water sprayed from Shen Leling's wounds and her seven facial orifices. Her jade face was painted with murderous intent and irrepressible rage, as she knew that if this continued, she would surely die here.

Without a second thought, thousands of water current tentacles immediately spread outward from within her eyes, brimming with a chilling killing intent.

Those water currents drew upon the water vapor in the air to swell themselves, quickly resembling cascading mountain streams flying through the void, rushing and discharging with massive force among the mulberry trees.

Hanging River Downpour!

Not good! She's going on a killing spree! Retreat, retreat, retreat! Mr. Feng shouted at the top of his lungs, transforming without a moment's hesitation into a wisp of ghost shadow that slipped into the bronze contract held in Zhang Quan's embrace.

Protect me! Realizing that this monster was going to kill people, Zhang Quan frantically fled backward at top speed.

As for the thirty-five retainers, they threw themselves into the slaughter with a fearless disregard for death, acting as if they were simply marching to their graves. They circulated their true qi to the limit while scattering all the various evil-warding items on their bodies.

However, this only slightly weakened the water currents. With a rumbling roar, all the retainers were swept up by the currents and submerged.

Not only did the powerful momentum batter them until they vomited blood, but within that rushing and discharging water was also a force that extracted the vital essence of human bodies.

Before long, they were reduced to withered corpses one by one.

Whoosh! A stream of water shot straight out, extending for dozens of yards to target Zhang Quan directly.

Zhang Quan was filled with terror. His body made popping sounds as he staked his life on an explosive burst of true qi, accelerating his escape speed by several notches.

He did not know how far he had run before discovering that the water current was no longer pursuing them.

Hah... almost died... Zhang Quan felt lingering fear. To save his life, he had used a secret technique to force an explosive burst, and he had already suffered extremely severe internal injuries.

Not a loss, not a loss... Mr. Feng crawled out from the bronze contract and said, This monster went on a killing spree, and the mortal world fire backlash is enough to wipe out twenty years of her dao karma! Right now, she probably can't even maintain the realm of the Spiritual Sense Stage.

Zhang Quan cursed, damn it! Even so, she's hard to deal with. Her dao karma is gone, but her magic power remains, making her all the more reckless.

Mr. Feng gazed at the receding demonic aura and calmly said, Possessing magic power without the corresponding realm is like duckweed without roots. No matter how much of it there is, it is merely of the Mystical Stage quality.

You still say that! If Mr. Feng had given it your all, I wouldn't have almost died! Zhang Quan was furious, seeing that Mr. Feng had been holding back and not exerting himself.

Mr. Feng looked deeply aggrieved. How can you say that? How could I dare let you die? What would I do if something happened to the bronze contract?

Then did the mister refuse to use dao arts because he didn't want the jade marrow? Zhang Quan raged.

Ahem~ Mr. Feng said solemnly, I haven't used them in so long! Besides, only when her realm drops to the same height as mine can I properly fight her! What's the rush?

Hurry up and gather more troops to pursue and kill her. Do not give her a chance to recuperate.

When we find her next time, she will be much easier to deal with. I have my own brilliant strategies!

Zhang Quan said in a deep voice, I hope to witness the mister's capabilities next time!

Certainly, certainly! Definitely next time! Mr. Feng repeatedly agreed.

p.s: Sorry.