Sword Path Displays Might, True Art Decides Victory

Su Hao was closing in, his sword techniques flowing endlessly, like a raging fire.

In contrast, Zheng Tu strolled leisurely, his body enveloped in protective lightning energy, easily dodging the sword strikes.

The escaping currents, thread by thread, attempted to entwine Su Hao.

After a few breaths, Su Hao's sword momentum grew even fiercer.

Zheng Tu could no longer smile. The invisible pressure was steadily increasing, and a look of horror gradually appeared in his eyes.

The Crimson Flame Sword Art, which was supposed to be a very low-level technique practiced only by the lowest-tier cultivators, was wielded with exquisite skill by Su Hao, containing the essence of sword intent.

Zheng Tu involuntarily zoned out, as if seeing the shadow of the Outer Sect's foremost Sword Cultivator in Su Hao.

Bang~

The protective lightning energy was shattered by a single sword strike.

Zheng Tu snapped back to reality and, without hesitation, detonated several Heavenly Thunder Talismans in his hand. Lightning erupted, and the shockwave destroyed several large trees.

Seizing this opportunity, he managed to create some distance from Su Hao.

Lightning exploded beneath his feet, and using this rebound, Zheng Tu retreated dozens of meters, using the trees for cover.

"Junior disciple, your mastery of the sword path is extraordinary. It seems I underestimated you... You can't possibly be only at Qi Refining Level 7. You're as cunning as He Tieniu. With such talent in the sword path, why bother buying talismans from me? You're truly abandoning the root for the branches!"

Zheng Tu's expression became slightly more serious. Although he felt pressure, it wasn't to the point of fear or the need to flee. If he had enough talismans and could form a talisman array, he could kill this mysterious young man just as he had killed He Tieniu.

However, even without enough talismans, the advantage of being a minor realm higher was evident. Moreover, his cultivation was of the lightning element, a powerful technique known for its domineering might and pure yang energy, no less inferior to sword cultivators renowned for their killing prowess. The only thing he couldn't understand was why, if the opponent was a Sword Cultivator, he would rely on external items like talismans; it didn't fit the style of a Sword Cultivator.

The next second, Zheng Tu suddenly became alert. His secret art sensed the talismans' aura, and their location hadn't changed at all. The opponent remained still; was he waiting for him to make the first move by staying put?

Zheng Tu flashed out, holding over ten talismans. Immediately, his expression changed drastically.

Su Hao was gone!

A storage bag hung from a nearby branch.

Zheng Tu felt uneasy. It was precisely because of the hidden talisman spirit marks on those talismans that he could accurately track Su Hao's location. Even in a place like Tiger Fall Cliff, with its dense malevolent energy, he could always pinpoint the talismans' positions. But now, Su Hao had guessed this method and deliberately left behind the storage bag containing all his talismans. Even if Zheng Tu fully extended his divine sense, the interference from the area's malevolent energy made it impossible for him to determine Su Hao's whereabouts.

He slowly turned in place, his eyes scanning everywhere, alert for any possible sneak attack, while reaching out to grab the storage bag. Most of Zheng Tu's talismans had been sold to Su Hao, leaving him with very few; otherwise, he wouldn't have been at a disadvantage just now. However, if he could retrieve the talismans in the storage bag now, his chances of winning would increase by twenty to thirty percent!

His right hand inched closer to the storage bag. Zheng Tu's gaze swept over the lush, dim vegetation around him as he formed a hand seal to condense his protective secret art again. He was confident that this protective secret art could withstand a sneak attack.

Whoosh...

A sharp whistling sound descended from above.

Tear~

Limbs flew, blood gushed, and a crimson arc splashed across the ground covered in dead leaves. Half an arm landed on the ground.

"Ah!" Zheng Tu screamed mournfully. The protective spiritual energy he had fully activated shattered like paper, offering no resistance to the sword's edge. He instinctively lunged forward, his remaining left hand pulling out a flying magic artifact – the Moon Wheel Flying Shuttle. As long as he could catch his breath, he could directly control the artifact and flee without looking back!

Suddenly, a sword glow, feeling both cold and fiery, sent shivers down Zheng Tu's spine. In his peripheral vision, he only caught a glimpse of a figure like a god of slaughter, his eyes red as fire, one hand enveloped in a flame sword glow, completely engulfing him.

"No..."

Zheng Tu's head rolled to the ground, his eyes wide open in death. His headless body flew several meters before collapsing.

Su Hao's skin was flushed red, veins bulging, making him look like a demon. It was the Extreme Intent True Art activated to its fullest, doubling his strength!

The moment Su Hao landed, he put away the Spirit Snake Sword, pressed down on Zheng Tu's corpse, and employed a soul refining technique to absorb the soul into the Soul Banner.

"Absorb talent power: Talisman Control (Blue), Lightning Palm (Blue)!"

Afterward, he picked up Zheng Tu's storage bag, the Moon Wheel Flying Shuttle on the ground, and the storage bag of talismans hanging from the tree branch. All his actions were fluid and seamless.

He didn't have time to deal with the corpses and fled directly into the depths of the forest.

The Extreme Intent True Art wasn't perfected yet. After using it, there would be a side effect lasting for an hour, during which he wouldn't be able to use spiritual energy.

In a place like Tiger Fall Cliff, cultivators who killed for profit could appear at any moment.

Su Hao didn't want to be the one who profited others, so he quickly fled deeper into the mountains, looking for a hidden cave to hide in.

As expected, the commotion of the battle attracted some disciples from nearby.

They lingered on the outskirts, cautiously moving closer.

Even after seeing the corpses on the ground, those people didn't dare to approach rashly.

The cultivators near Tiger Fall Cliff were, eight or nine times out of ten, habitual killers for profit, deeply understanding the ways of the world.

Was it the mantis stalking the cicada, with the oriole behind?

Who was the mantis and who was the oriole wasn't about the order of events, but about strength.

Approaching rashly could also mean falling into someone else's trap and being dealt with along the way.

After waiting for a while, a black-robed cultivator cautiously approached. Upon seeing the blood-stained head on the ground, he exclaimed, "This person... is this Zheng Tu?"

"Zheng Tu!"

Some cultivators followed.

"Holy crap, it really is Zheng Tu!"

"Senior Brother Zheng could easily earn spirit stones with his exquisite talisman-making skills, so why would he come to Tiger Fall Cliff?"

"He was probably tricked into coming here and became someone else's easy prey."

"Tsk tsk, just recently I saw Senior Brother Zheng display his might, killing He Tieniu while being a level lower. I heard he was heavily injured at the time and even killed some junior brothers who tried to kick him while he was down."

"I didn't expect him to still meet his end."

"..."

There was a wave of sighs and exclamations.

Everyone felt a sense of sadness, as if even a talisman-making genius like Zheng Tu had died, how long could they, struggling disciples at the bottom, survive?

In the end, he was just too foolish. Many people tried to recruit him. Whether it was Heavenly Treasure Pavilion or Hundred Goods Pavilion, as long as he signed a contract, they could guarantee his safety until Foundation Establishment, merely requiring him to supply some talismans periodically.

"I wonder which senior brother made the move."

In the evening, Su Hao waited for the side effects to disappear. His spiritual energy recovered a bit, and he quietly left Tiger Fall Cliff, returning to Heavenly Medicine Mountain.

As soon as he got back to his cave dwelling, he began to inspect his storage bag.

In the forests of Tiger Fall Cliff, Su Hao hadn't dared to make any large movements, so naturally, he hadn't dared to count his spoils.

Now, impatient, he first checked the numerous talismans he had bought with a heavy price.

Fortunately, they all worked normally. His spirit stones and pills weren't wasted.

Su Hao, filled with joy, began to inventory Zheng Tu's inheritance.

The spirit stones and pills acquired through barter returned to his hands, plus Zheng Tu's own savings of over two hundred spirit stones.

This meant he got many powerful talismans without spending a single coin.

There weren't many talismans left in Zheng Tu's storage bag, only 10 Heavenly Thunder Talismans.

There was also a complete set of precious talisman-making tools. The core talisman brush was of extraordinary quality, ancient and exquisitely beautiful, its handle covered with numerous mysterious runes, emitting a faint jade-like glow.

As a Talisman Master, talisman-making tools were of utmost importance.

The talisman brush, talisman paper, and ink materials were extremely crucial. It went without saying that Zheng Tu would have spent most of his savings on them. This set of tools was worth a fortune!

Su Hao couldn't further assess its value.

But the flying magic artifact, he knew its value very well.

Moon Wheel Flying Shuttle! Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's signature magic artifact, selling for 1000 spirit stones!

Adding Zheng Tu's Qi Refining Level 9 malevolent spirit and two blue talents.

This trip was a huge profit!

"This time, I owe it to the burst of power from the Extreme Intent True Art, which allowed me to instantly kill him," Su Hao thought to himself, lamenting his recent complacency in not further refining this secret art. "It's fortunate that I can now continue to attack the spiritual apertures. Two blue talents are enough to open two spiritual apertures."