Flying Leaves Slay the Enemy, Such Overbearing Sword Qi

Cicada Concubine ignored Li Ya, her gaze fixed on Li Xuanyu as she laughed enchantingly: "Li Xuanyu, aren't you the proud daughter of heaven? How did you end up in such a sorry state? It seems you and your brother are no match for us."

Xu Ruye stepped forward toward Li Ya.

Li Xuanyu abruptly threw the sword in her hand; as the blade flew, it suddenly split into four sword shadows, all striking toward Xu Ruye.

Xu Ruye reacted with lightning speed, waving his right hand as purple energy erupted like a raging flame, forcibly intercepting Li Xuanyu's sword.

Cicada Concubine appeared behind Li Xuanyu like a ghost, a red fan appearing in her hand. She fanned it with force, sending rolling waves of red poisonous mist surging out, forcing Li Xuanyu to leap away.

The red poisonous mist spread rapidly through the mountain forest, and a faint, giant python could be seen darting through the fog. Wherever it passed, red mist billowed, surrounding Li Ya and Li Xuanyu in a very short time.

Li Xuanyu landed beside Li Ya, her eyes scanning the surroundings, but Cicada Concubine was nowhere to be seen, while Xu Ruye hovered above the forest, looking down at them.

"This is the territory of the Taixuan Sect. Do you dare to harbor murderous intent?" Li Ya asked in a deep voice.

Xu Ruye's lips curled upward as he mocked: "I have long heard that the Taixuan Sect is vast and expansive. Ever since the current Sect Master took office, the sect's control over the borderlands has continuously weakened. It seems they want the disciples to resolve conflicts in these outer regions themselves. The Eight Outer Sect Cities are like a wall; inside the wall are the righteous sects, but outside, it is a place where the strong prey on the weak, no different from the Demonic Path."

"We have been fighting for this long, yet no one has come. It seems the Taixuan Sect hasn't even stationed guards outside the outer sects. If I kill you today and abduct your sister, the worst that happens is I don't attend the World Outer Sect Assembly. How about that?"

"And those people in Medicine Valley will be killed as well. To have Princess Li come personally to protect them, they must have a deep connection with you."

Xu Ruye seemed to think of something and licked his lips.

"Buy me some time," Li Xuanyu whispered. She sat down cross-legged and began casting a spell with her hands, a golden flame flickering and fading between her brows.

Li Ya's eyes narrowed. He suddenly crouched and then leaped up, his long sword held high. Sword Qi rose from the ground like a pillar, piercing the clouds. The violent energy caused the mountain forest within dozens of feet to shake violently, stirring up the rolling red mist. The momentum was massive, appearing spectacular under the twilight.

Xu Ruye smiled with disdain. He quickly took a Purple Great Banner from the storage bag at his waist. Embroidered on the banner was a ferocious vicious ghost, appearing as if it might leap out from the fabric at any moment.

He struck down with his left hand, his spiritual power erupting to form a massive palm print that crushed downward, forcibly suppressing Li Ya's Sword Qi.

Li Ya frowned; his spiritual power was far inferior to Xu Ruye's and could not contend with it at all.

Under his gaze, the Purple Great Banner in Xu Ruye's hand erupted with a purple whirlwind, causing his soul to feel disoriented.

Not good!

Li Ya's expression changed drastically as a wave of intense dizziness struck him. What terrified him most was that his body could not descend.

"He intends to seize your soul! He is truly audacious!"

The Old Ancestor's voice rang out in Li Ya's mind, his tone filled with shock and anger.

Upon hearing this, Li Ya became even more panicked.

"Let me taste the soul of the Taicang Imperial Lineage!" Xu Ruye laughed hideously, his eyes filled with greed.

Whoosh—

A sharp, piercing sound tore through the air from afar, causing Li Ya, who was frozen in mid-air, to instinctively glance over. Even Li Xuanyu, who was meditating, could not help but look up.

A single leaf, carrying sharp Sword Qi, streaked across the sky like lightning, striking directly toward Xu Ruye.

Xu Ruye's gaze instinctively flickered toward it, but the leaf was simply too fast; he had no time to react.

Bang!

His head exploded instantly, blood mist scattering. The red mist shrouding the forest was swept away by a powerful gust of wind. Li Ya was knocked to the ground, and Li Xuanyu channeled her own spiritual power to resist the gale, though she was still forced to stand up in a hurry.

"Brother Xu!"

Amidst the howling wind, Cicada Concubine screamed. Just as she tried to leap up, another piercing sound arrived. She turned her head to look, and a terrifying gale pressed the red poisonous mist across her body. Her robes were pulled back with force, outlining the perfect curves of her figure.

A leaf was reflected in her pupils.

Bang!

The leaf pierced through her skull, blood splattering and spraying across the forest. The leaf continued its rapid flight, snapping tree after tree and kicking up rolling dust before finally embedding itself into the trunk of a large tree.

Thump! Thump!

Xu Ruye's corpse fell to the ground, followed by Cicada Concubine's. Soon, only the sound of the wind remained in the forest.

Li Ya propped himself up. He sat on the ground, his black hair disheveled, staring in a daze.

Not far away, Li Xuanyu was equally terrified. Looking at the corpses of Xu Ruye and the other, she fell into a trance.

"Flying leaves to slay the enemy—what overbearing Sword Qi. This person is at least in the Nascent Soul Realm, and their attainments in the way of the sword are extremely high!" The Old Ancestor's voice echoed in Li Ya's mind.

Li Ya snapped out of it and quickly stood up, cupping his fists and shouting: "May I ask which senior has intervened?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xuanyu also stood up and looked around.

Alas, no one responded to them.

"Kid, go look over there!" The Old Ancestor's voice sounded again, urging Li Ya to walk in a certain direction.

Li Ya walked over immediately, trembling; his injuries and the soul-seizure attempt left him in great pain.

Li Xuanyu went to inspect the corpses of Xu Ruye and Cicada Concubine, stabbing them twice more with her sword to shred their hearts with Sword Qi.

Li Ya walked a full two hundred feet before stopping in front of a tree. His gaze fell upon the trunk, and his expression changed instantly.

"How is this possible..."

Li Ya said in a trembling voice. Following his gaze, a leaf was embedded in the tree trunk. A wisp of Sword Qi lingered on the leaf, and the entire trunk had cracked, as if it might explode at any moment.

"This person struck from ten miles away. I could only capture the direction; I could not capture their aura."

The Old Ancestor's voice was filled with emotion, and he clicked his tongue in wonder: "It seems the Taixuan Sect isn't as bad as all that; there are great cultivators keeping an eye on the outside."

Li Ya looked at that leaf, struggling to calm his emotions.

At this moment, Li Xuanyu walked up from behind him, and when she saw the leaf clearly, she was similarly stunned.

Night fell. In the Mystic Valley, the valley master's pavilion was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers. Gu An and his disciples sat around a large round table, exchanging cups and toasts in a joyous atmosphere.

Xiao Chuan and Tang Yu were engaged in a drinking contest. Xiao Chuan, this martial uncle, was already bright red in the face, but he refused to admit defeat, ignoring the dissuasion of others to continue drinking.

The wine they were drinking was no ordinary brew; it was spirit wine that Gu An had specifically purchased from the Outer Sect. A single jar cost two Low-grade Spirit Stones, equivalent to two months' salary for a servant disciple.

"We encountered two Demonic Cultivators today; surely there won't be more coming, right?" Su Han suddenly asked. As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere at the dinner table turned cold.

The smiles vanished from everyone's faces, and they all began to worry.

Gu An comforted them with a smile: "Don't worry. There are Outer Sect disciples patrolling. Didn't you see them today? Perhaps after this incident, the patrol intensity will be increased."

He wasn't worried in his heart, for he was immersed in joy.

By slaying Xu Ruye and the Cicada Concubine, he had successfully seized one hundred and twelve years of lifespan.

He was currently summarizing the numerical patterns of the lifespan he seized. He could only determine that the amount of lifespan seized fell between half a percent and twenty percent of the target's remaining lifespan. The exact amount was not fixed, feeling quite random and dependent on luck.

Although the lifespan seized from slaying cultivators was higher, Gu An did not look forward to encountering such things again.

If he killed too many enemies, he would run into trouble sooner or later. It was better to accumulate lifespan through medicinal herbs as he was doing now; at least it was safer.

There is always someone better, and there is always a heaven beyond the heavens. Even if Gu An could grow strong quickly by killing enemies, if he encountered a powerful foe far beyond his own level, he would still die.

He could not determine how high the strongest cultivation level in the mortal world was.

But he felt that as long as he kept a low profile for a thousand or ten thousand years, he should be able to become invincible in the mortal world.

Hearing Gu An's words, everyone felt it made sense, and the atmosphere became joyous once again.

Gu An didn't keep thinking about his own affairs; he began to chat with his junior brothers and sisters, asking about their future cultivation goals. The atmosphere continued to rise, and eventually, even he began to drink.

The first Spring Festival in the Mystic Valley was considered a complete success.

It wasn't until late at night that everyone dispersed.

Gu An then went to the Eight Sceneries Grotto-Heaven.

Jiang Qiong was sitting cross-legged under the Azure Vine Tree, circulating her energy. Demonic energy swirled around her body, making her look eerie and terrifying.

Gu An brought the food over to her and said: "Grandmaster, today is the Spring Festival of the Mystic Valley. This is food made by my junior sister. Would you like to taste it? I wish for your early recovery of power."

Hearing this, Jiang Qiong opened her eyes and asked in confusion: "Spring Festival? What kind of festival is that?"

Gu An recited the explanation he had prepared. No matter who asked, his answer was that he had heard it from an old man.

"Hmm, setting a festival is indeed not bad; it can unite people's hearts." Jiang Qiong nodded in approval, then looked at the basket and wooden box in Gu An's hands.

Gu An immediately set the basket down and took out the dishes one by one, along with a small jar of wine.

Seeing this, Jiang Qiong's beautiful eyes lit up. She mused: "Since it is your kind intention, I cannot refuse to eat."

She picked up a bowl of food directly and began to shovel it into her mouth, devouring it ravenously.

Gu An hurriedly poured her wine while curiously asking: "Grandmaster, there is one thing I have never understood."

"Speak..." Jiang Qiong said indistinctly, then took the wine bowl and drank it in one gulp, her mouth covered in moisture, unsure if it was oil or wine.

"The Thousand Autumn Pavilion planted spies; why place them outside the Outer Sect? It feels like the Mystic Valley cannot gather any intelligence at all," Gu An asked.

Jiang Qiong rolled her eyes at him and retorted: "Who told you to gather intelligence? Your role is to guard this place with peace of mind. Once the Azure Vine Tree is fully grown, this place will be a stronghold for the Thousand Autumn Pavilion. There are others to handle the intelligence gathering."

Hearing this, Gu An felt even more uneasy.

What?

It was meant to be a stronghold?

Gu An frowned and asked: "Is the Mystic Valley the only place that can serve as a stronghold?"

"Of course not. Besides the Mystic Valley, at least five other masters of medicinal valleys are spies for the Thousand Autumn Pavilion, though they do not know each other's identities. As early as a hundred years ago, spies from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion had already climbed to the position of True Disciple; by now, they are likely already elder-level figures," Jiang Qiong replied casually.

Gu An fell silent.

Had the Taixuan Sect already become as leaky as a sieve?

Jiang Qiong put down the plate she had finished eating and picked up a large chicken leg, smiling: "The taste is not bad. Although I have long since reached the stage of fasting, it is not bad to satisfy the cravings of the palate occasionally. As a reward, I will teach you a secret technique of the Thousand Autumn Pavilion in a moment."