Changing The Goal

Seeing Lu Ming resolve his opponent so quickly, Chu Yunxiao was surprised, but unwilling to be outdone, he unleashed even more powerful moves.

His sword moved with his body, instantly condensing three sword energies that shot out.

The main target was the middle-stage Zhen Qi Realm man.

Compared to the previous sword energies, these were clearly faster and more powerful.

"Hmph!"

Seeing the sword energies coming at him, the middle-stage Zhen Qi Realm man didn't dare to be careless. He waved his palms repeatedly, quickly condensing a palm energy. Judging by his stance, he intended to defend.

Soon, the first sword energy arrived. The middle-stage Zhen Qi Realm man, along with his palm energy, was sent flying backward.

Then came the second.

Chu Yunxiao unleashed three sword energies in quick succession and had no time to deal with the other opponent, because at this moment, another person seized the opportunity and attacked from the air.

A massive fist shadow descended from the sky.

"Eat my Corpse King Descends!"

"I know fist techniques too, Hegemon Lifts Tripod!"

Unexpectedly, Chu Yunxiao didn't use sword techniques to defend again. Instead, he unleashed a fist technique to counter.

The two, one above and one below, clashed head-on. Their fists met quickly, and a loud explosion erupted, followed by a burst of energy.

Centered around Chu Yunxiao, the ground beneath his feet seemed to have explosive charges buried within. Amidst the explosions, it kicked up a sky full of dirt.

The two only held their ground for a few seconds before separating.

Chu Yunxiao's feet were completely sunk into the mud, while Chi Wuya was blasted flying backward and, after landing, retreated several steps before stabilizing himself.

He then spat out a mouthful of blood.

The difference in strength was clear.

However, it wasn't over yet. Just as Chi Wuya was struggling to suppress the chaotic True Qi within him, a sharp saber light suddenly came towards his neck.

"It's you!"

Chi Wuya quickly realized who was sneak-attacking him, feeling both anger and panic.

Li Chonghu's death was still fresh in his mind, and even he wasn't confident of defeating Lu Ming so quickly.

He hurriedly used Ghost Shadow Steps to dodge.

However, Lu Ming was not slow either. After the sneak attack missed, he pursued and launched another strike.

"Haha, take this!"

Chu Yunxiao had just dispelled the fist energy when he saw Lu Ming chasing and attacking Chi Wuya. He let out a laugh and went straight for the middle-stage Zhen Qi Realm man.

At this time, the middle-stage Zhen Qi Realm man had already neutralized the three sword energies, but it didn't seem easy.

Seeing Chu Yunxiao coming at him again, and observing the current situation, he gritted his teeth and fled.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Chu Yunxiao quickly saw through the opponent's intention and used his Lightness Skill to its extreme to pursue. Just as he was about to catch up, the opponent suddenly threw a bead.

He didn't dare to be careless and quickly dodged.

Bang!

The bead exploded instantly. It didn't have much power, but it emitted a pungent, emerald-green smoke. Chu Yunxiao didn't dare to touch it and quickly retreated further.

"Hmph, these people's strength isn't much, but their underhanded tactics are endless."

Chu Yunxiao reached a safe distance and looked again. The middle-stage Zhen Qi Realm man was already far away, and he definitely couldn't catch up.

He had no choice but to give up and planned to help Lu Ming.

However, just as he turned around, he heard a scream. It turned out Lu Ming had already finished off his opponent.

"Two defeated in a row, impressive."

Arriving beside Lu Ming, Chu Yunxiao looked at Chi Wuya's corpse and praised him.

To be honest, he really hadn't expected the other party's strength to have increased so much in just over ten days.

"Just picking up scraps."

Lu Ming shook his head, pointing at Chi Wuya's corpse. "This person was already in chaos with his True Qi from being beaten by you, and then his companion escaping disrupted his mind, allowing me to finish him off so quickly."

To be honest, in terms of strength, Chi Wuya, who was also in the early Zhen Qi Realm, was much stronger than Li Chonghu.

And as for their same realm, Chu Yunxiao was a level above both of them. Didn't he see earlier that he could hold his own against two opponents?

Lu Ming estimated that if he didn't use his nascent Saber Intent, he wouldn't be Chi Wuya's opponent.

"Most people wouldn't be able to seize such an opportunity."

Chu Yunxiao also shook his head, then changed the subject. "After that person escaped, we don't know how many people he'll gather. Let's leave here first."

Lu Ming knew the seriousness of the situation, but before leaving, he didn't forget to clean up the battlefield.

Lu Ming found over three thousand taels in gold notes and more than ten thousand taels in silver notes on Li Chonghu. He also found a martial skill, which was Li Chonghu's signature technique, the Human-grade, high stage martial skill, Tiger Fiend Claw.

Chi Wuya, on the other hand, was quite poor, only having seven thousand taels in silver notes on him. He had no cultivation techniques or martial skills at all.

"Major powers usually don't allow their secret manuals to be taken out," Chu Yunxiao explained to Lu Ming.

Lu Ming nodded, intending to split half of what he obtained. After all, he could guess that Chu Yunxiao's appearance this time was to help him.

However, Chu Yunxiao refused, saying he didn't think much of it.

Lu Ming had no choice but to keep it all himself.

Then, the two quickly departed.

"It seems I won't need to make a move."

High in the sky, yes, it was indeed high in the sky, Old Man Zhao stood there, stroking his beard, watching Lu Ming and Chu Yunxiao leave. "But why do I feel like this kid is going to be lured away to the Wuji Sect?"

He then smiled and shook his head. "Wuji Sect or Nine Heavens Sect, it doesn't make much difference. Either is enough to protect him in his early stages."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze back to the fleeing mid-stage Zhen Qi Realm demonic cultivator, intending to deal with him.

However, after thinking about it, he didn't make a move.

"Jade cannot be carved into anything without working on it. Geniuses must face hardships to truly grow. I'll leave those people for you to sharpen your blade."

With a final glance at Lu Ming, Old Man Zhao tore through space and left.

On the other side, Lu Ming couldn't help but glance back. He had a feeling someone was watching him, but he didn't sense any malice.

Is it Old Man Zhao? he thought.

"What's wrong?"

Chu Yunxiao, standing beside him, asked curiously.

"Nothing," Lu Ming shook his head, not answering.

Chu Yunxiao didn't press further but asked another question, "You're going on a long journey this time, where are you headed?"

Lu Ming didn't hide anything, saying he wanted to join the Nine Heavens Sect.

But Chu Yunxiao said:

"We just let that demonic cultivator escape. He might seek revenge at any time. So, we're still in danger along the way."

"Why don't you come back to the Wuji Sect with me first? Along the way, I can gather fellow disciples to help, and then there won't be any danger."

Lu Ming could naturally tell Chu Yunxiao's intentions. The danger was real, but not that great.

After all, the demonic sect was now a pack of stray dogs and wouldn't dare cause too much trouble.

As for joining the Wuji Sect, to be honest, he didn't object. Although there were differences in the overall strength of the three sects, they weren't significant.

Moreover, he had a good impression of the Wuji Sect disciple in front of him.

So, after a moment of thought, he nodded in agreement.

Chu Yunxiao was very happy. He believed that as long as he could bring Lu Ming back to the Wuji Sect, he would have a chance to get him to join.

Thus, the two headed towards the Wuji Sect, located in the southeast.

Along the way, Chu Yunxiao did indeed gather fellow disciples, not for assistance, but to spread the news of the demonic sect's reappearance.

When they reached a city, they switched to horses to continue their journey.

The Green Mane Horse, possessing demonic beast bloodline, ran like the wind and could travel a thousand li a day. Their travel speed increased significantly.

Along the way, Chu Yunxiao continuously introduced Lu Ming to the benefits of the Wuji Sect, naturally aiming to increase his favorability towards it.

At first, Lu Ming listened with great interest, but as time went on, he became annoyed.

He realized how talkative Chu Yunxiao was.

So, in order to have a moment of peace, he directly stated his thoughts.

However, upon hearing this, Chu Yunxiao became even happier and explained with more effort.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.

Having traveled extensively himself, Lu Ming realized how vast this world was. This was just the Zhao Kingdom, and it had already taken him over ten thousand li on horseback.

Adding other countries and places outside the countries, this world was larger than he could have imagined.

"We're finally here."

Looking at the continuous mountain peaks in the distance, Chu Yunxiao reined in his horse and said, "There's a Yangguan Town a few dozen li ahead. After passing the town, we'll reach the mountain gate. The sky is still early, so we won't enter the town; we'll head directly to the mountain gate."

"Okay."

Lu Ming naturally had no objections.

With that, the two sped up again.