No Mercy

"This place was freezing to the bone. There was no need to stay on guard for ambushes."

Shen Yi walked alone through the wind and snow, heat radiating from his body and keeping the storm at bay within three meters of him.

As for everywhere else, Shen Yi did not care in the slightest. Even if there was an ambush, he could only rely on himself. Messages could not be transmitted within the secret realm; only by gathering together might they avoid being ambushed.

The secret realm truly seemed like a world of its own.

Shen Yi wandered aimlessly through the snowstorm toward the distant snowy mountains. He chose not to use his Spirit Wings, unwilling to become the target of all arrows. He stopped at every step, hoping to encounter the so-called catalyst.

"Hey!"

A shout suddenly came from behind him. Shen Yi stopped and turned, seeing five cultivators with blazing flames emanating from their bodies. The wind and snow melted the moment they drew near.

"From the Blazing Fire Sect?"

Shen Yi was slightly startled and decided to wait and see.

"Fellow Daoists, are you from the Blazing Fire Sect?"

"Indeed. Judging by your attire, fellow cultivator, you are from the Qingxuan Sect?"

Shen Yi nodded and replied somewhat helplessly, "Most people in my sect prefer to travel alone. With cultivation like mine, naturally no one is willing to travel with me."

The five exchanged glances, a glint flashing through their eyes.

"Meeting is fate. If fellow cultivator does not mind, why not travel with us? We can look after one another."

At those words, delight appeared on Shen Yi's face, and he readily agreed.

"Wonderful, wonderful. Since you Fellow Daoists do not disdain my low cultivation, I, Kong Ming, am willing to share weal and woe with you all."

"You're Kong Ming!"

The moment they heard Shen Yi's name, their expressions shifted slightly. Yet seeing that he was alone, they immediately relaxed. No matter how formidable he was, he was only at peak Qi Refining. Could he possibly fight all five of them?

The group of six headed toward the distance in single file. The journey remained abnormally quiet, but the five grew more alarmed with every step. In such wind and snow, even the Blazing Fire Sect could only ward off the cold by taking turns releasing heat. Yet Shen Yi, walking at the front, never paused in the slightest. The range in which he dispersed the snowstorm surpassed their methods by an unknown number of levels.

No wonder he had been able to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator. They only hoped Shen Yi would not turn on them.

As it turned out, these five had already joined forces outside the snowstorm and killed two Qingxuan Sect disciples. From them, they had learned of Shen Yi's deeds. They had initially felt indignant, but now that Shen Yi stood right before them, they could only put away their killing intent and obediently follow behind him.

Naturally, Shen Yi had no idea how the five men's thoughts had changed. He simply continued onward, confident that even if he faced all five alone, escaping unscathed would not be a problem.

"Hmm?"

Shen Yi suddenly sensed a disturbance from within his Cosmic Ring. Delight flashed in his eyes. He turned around and said gravely to the others:

"Fellow Daoists, I have something to attend to and must leave. Farewell!"

With that, before their astonished eyes, he did not hesitate to expose his Spirit Wings and shot toward the distance in a single leap.

Little Black had stirred. Ever since Little Black had entered the eggshell, it had remained asleep. Until just now, Shen Yi had clearly sensed a ripple coming from within the shell. That was why he disregarded the risk of exposure and sped toward the snowy mountains.

Inside a cave on the mountain, Shen Yi took out the beast egg and examined it carefully. At last, he discovered a faint crack in the shell. It seemed Little Black was about to awaken. As for what Little Black would look like after waking, Shen Yi's mind was filled with visions.

Since leaving Youjin Mountain Valley, Little Black had already become his companion. Along the way, it was also Little Black's company that had helped him reach this day.

"Senior Brother, there's a cave up ahead!"

A voice came from the foot of the mountain. Vigilance flashed through Shen Yi's eyes as he planted the Coiled Dragon Halberd into the ground and waited for the newcomers.

"Tap, tap, tap!"

The footsteps gradually drew nearer, particularly piercing amid the howling wind and snow.

"This place is truly cursed. The moment we entered, we were met with a sky full of snow and wind that just never ends."

"Isn't it because you insisted on chasing that person? You said he had some great treasure on him, enough even for Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment."

"Do you doubt my, Luo Youdao's, methods? The compass in my hand does not lie."

The man held a compass in his palm, its needle swinging wildly. Yet Luo Youdao was busy explaining himself and failed to notice the strange phenomenon on the compass.

"Ah! Who's there?"

A woman cried out, instantly drawing the others' attention. They looked into the cave and only then saw Shen Yi seated there, the Coiled Dragon Halberd glimmering with black light.

"That egg is extraordinary!"

Luo Youdao spotted the beast egg beside Shen Yi at once. Seeing the runes flowing over its shell, he determined that it was no ordinary egg, very likely an egg of an exotic beast. A greedy, burning light flashed in his eyes.

"Brat from the Qingxuan Sect, leave that egg behind and get out. I'll spare your life!"

Luo Youdao shouted, intending to drive Shen Yi away.

"Oh? You want to snatch treasure from a tiger's mouth?"

Shen Yi cast them a sidelong glance, looking at them with amusement. He seized the Coiled Dragon Halberd and slammed it fiercely into the ground, whipping up a violent gale.

"That halberd is a treasure too!"

Luo Youdao's gaze grew even hotter. Looking at Shen Yi, he saw nothing but a lamb awaiting slaughter. He nodded toward the people behind him, and they immediately spread out into formation, crimson spiritual energy rising around them as the cave's temperature climbed several degrees.

"Die!"

Luo Youdao roared. Red spiritual energy spread outward, forming a domain of fire that surged toward Shen Yi. At the same time, a flying sword shot forth like lightning, wrapped in an illusory firebird that let out shrill cries like the ringing of a blade.

From the other side, several talismans containing considerable power gave off sharp whistling sounds as they suddenly flew toward him.

Shen Yi's expression darkened. His right hand swept up the halberd and unleashed an endless hurricane, crashing outward in all directions like mountains toppling and seas overturning.

His long hair flew wildly, murder in his eyes, his aura towering to the heavens!

In the blink of an eye, the fire domain was scattered. Luo Youdao stared at Shen Yi with a face full of horror. The firebird on the flying sword let out a miserable shriek before Shen Yi cut it apart with one swing of his halberd. With a crack, the sword lost its spiritual energy and broke into two pieces.

The talismans exploded. Though their power was not weak, Shen Yi suppressed them all, and the blasts instead erupted toward Luo Youdao.

Black mist spread through the cave, Shen Yi's figure gradually blurring within it. Yet his aura did not diminish, and his voice echoed through the cavern.

"Those who hinder Little Black will be killed without mercy!"

Every word was thunder, every sound a great bell.

The impacts around them intensified. Amid thunderous booms, the raging winds battered the surrounding stone walls. Shen Yi's golden body stood within the black mist like a god, his ferocity soaring to the heavens. No matter how Luo Youdao and the others resisted, they could not disperse the black fog before them.

"Join forces! Endless Fire Domain!"

Luo Youdao shouted. The others immediately poured their spiritual energy into his body. A blood-red blaze abruptly emerged and swept forward, tangling with the black mist as though it sought to burn it away completely.

This was the Blazing Fire Sect's secret art, Endless Fire Domain. By gathering the spiritual energy of several people, it unleashed their strongest killing move. Back then, Luo Youdao's group had relied on this technique to successfully kill a third-level Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Now that the secret art had appeared again, victory was certain to come at once.