The True Strong

A flying sword, "Spring," was ahead.

Behind him, two Scorpion Puppets, having already laid an ambush, fired poison needles.

At this moment, Murong Mo had not yet realized the severity of the situation.

He had just been shocked by Li Xuanxiao's cultivation.

Qi Refining Stage, Foundation Establishment Stage.

Golden Core Stage, Nascent Soul Stage.

Spirit Transformation Stage, Body Integration Stage.

Tribulation Crossing Stage, Mahayana Stage.

"..."

A spiritual energy reserve above the third level of Qi Refining could activate low-level Spirit Artifacts and Talismans.

Above the sixth level, one could fly with a sword.

The Foundation Establishment Stage was divided into early, middle, late, and Grand Perfection.

After Foundation Establishment, cultivators' lifespans could reach two to three hundred years.

Their appearance would age, but they could maintain it with elixirs.

They would undergo a transformation, absorb spiritual energy to subsist on air, and no longer need to eat.

They would generate Spiritual Sense and a Sea of Consciousness, allowing them to probe their surroundings and control objects with their Spiritual Sense.

They could use mid-level Magic Artifacts and Talismans, and also high-level Magic Artifacts and Talismans that required little spiritual energy.

It could be said that there was a qualitative change between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining.

If ordinary martial artists could still kill Qi Refiners under certain circumstances.

Then against a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage, they would be utterly defenseless.

And Murong Mo, currently sensing the opponent's aura, found it only slightly weaker than his own.

He's hiding his strength!

He must be wearing some Magic Artifact that conceals his cultivation.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have noticed nothing at all.

Murong Mo felt the killing blows from both front and back. As he was about to summon his Magic Artifact, the poison needles from behind had already struck him.

So fast! Faster than the flying sword.

Murong Mo tried to activate his True Essence, but his right arm suddenly fell limply.

The poison from the needles had sealed three acupoints on his right arm: Ye Men, Zhong Zhu, and Yang Chi.

These three acupoints precisely matched the flow direction of Murong Mo's True Essence when activating Magic Artifacts.

This...

If one were to compare a person's meridians to rivers, then acupoints would be like checkpoints.

They awaited the impact and activation of the True Essence torrent. Only after the True Essence successfully passed through these acupoints could the corresponding magical power be activated.

But at this moment, Murong Mo's crucial three acupoint checkpoints were temporarily blocked, preventing the True Essence torrent from flowing through.

Only then did Murong Mo finally panic.

They came prepared!?

How could Murong Mo know that he had devised the plan to kill Li Xuanxiao at Mount Wu Wang in the Southern Border only after learning that the disciples of Silver Sword Peak had unfinished mission quotas?

He had even smugly thought of himself as the hunter.

Little did he know that the true hunter had been wary of him for over half a year, ever since Murong Mo's relationship with Su Wan broke down and he had glared in the direction of Silver Sword Peak.

From that moment on, Li Xuanxiao had been guarding against him.

Over the past half year, through various means.

Li Xuanxiao knew everything about him, even what flavors of food Murong Mo usually liked to eat and what color underwear he wore when going out.

Not to mention his commonly used Magic Artifacts.

According to Li Xuanxiao's prediction, there was a seventy percent chance that the opponent would habitually use that silver ring Magic Artifact.

This also increased the probability by twenty percent, as it was the best artifact for dealing with flying swords and defending oneself.

The poison needles of the Scorpion Puppets had been modified by Li Xuanxiao. In exchange for power and toxicity, he had gained speed.

They could only temporarily paralyze the Ye Men, Zhong Zhu, and Yang Chi acupoints.

But by chance, these three acupoints were the key to activating Magic Artifacts.

Murong Mo's biggest mistake was overconfidence and underestimation.

After his initial attack, he didn't immediately recall his flying sword.

The second time, facing Li Xuanxiao's assault, he was momentarily stunned because Li Xuanxiao no longer concealed his aura.

This caused him to miss the opportunity to dodge, and he confidently employed his magic artifact.

Then, he had no more chances.

He was facing an opponent who had prepared for a full half-year and knew everything about him.

Spring Thunder.

Known for its speed.

The flying sword pierced through Murong Mo's brainstem.

The light in Murong Mo's eyes flickered for a moment before quickly fading.

The entire battle between the two, excluding Murong Mo's initial rambling, was actually over in a mere instant.

Murong Mo fell backward with a dull thud.

The fallen leaves on the ground were scattered by the impact.

Murong Mo probably didn't understand how he died even in death.

He was still stuck in the moment when his opponent suddenly stopped concealing his strength.

After ending the fight, Li Xuanxiao quickly retracted his aura.

The deceased Sect Leader had once taught him a secret to defeating a powerful enemy.

It was simple: appear ordinary, let the enemy underestimate you, let everyone mistakenly believe you are just a nobody.

The world was never short of powerful cultivators, but many lost their lives due to a minor oversight.

Misjudge the opponent's strength and use their perceived errors to deceive and kill them.

This was the simplest way...

"Hoo~"

Li Xuanxiao let out a breath.

He sheathed the Spring Sword back into its Sword Box. With a soft pop, the two Scorpion Puppets turned into wisps of smoke.

As for Murong Mo's corpse, it absolutely could not be left here. If someone discovered the wound, that his own sword was the cause, it would be impossible to explain.

Even if it could be explained, Murong Mo's family and his friendly Senior Brothers posed a threat.

He would be in danger then.

Li Xuanxiao sprinkled powder that attracted ferocious beasts and poisonous insects on the corpse, then hid himself.

After a short while, a Black Panther appeared.

Li Xuanxiao concealed his aura and watched as the Black Panther devoured Murong Mo's corpse completely.

A cultivator's body was undoubtedly a great tonic for these ferocious beasts.

Seeing this, Li Xuanxiao tracked the Black Panther for another two days before making his move and killing it.

In this era where people would turn dark over a misunderstanding about love and kill everyone in the world, taking countless innocent lives as burial offerings, living and cultivating truly required extreme caution.

"..."

Li Xuanxiao headed in the opposite direction. The most important thing for this trip was to find the essential materials for crafting puppets.

Another two days passed like this.

Li Xuanxiao had collected most of the materials he needed, following his leads.

On this day, Li Xuanxiao stood in a mountain valley.

He habitually cast a divination, using three copper coins.

Throwing one hexagram at a time, six throws to complete a trigram.

This time, as he reached the fifth throw.

Suddenly, an extremely powerful energy fluctuation swept over like a surging tide, a force that seemed capable of tearing the entire world apart.

Simultaneously, a deafening roar, like thunder exploding on flat ground, echoed from afar, striking fear into the hearts of all who heard it.

Looking out, one could see the light of the energy almost filling half the sky, so brilliant it was impossible to look at directly.

It was like a cloud of fiery, blazing clouds, spreading with an unstoppable momentum.

Such an astonishing energy burst and immense sound, could it be that a powerful expert was engaged in a thrilling life-and-death struggle!?

A true powerhouse.

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