"Something's wrong..."
Linghu Yang raised his palm indifferently, as though he would sentence Zhang Junming to death the next moment.
But his brows suddenly rose. "You're too weak. You're absolutely no match for Chunyu... Who else is helping you?"
Just as expected... This man isn't stupid either. It's my turn to make an appearance.
Fang Xi thought it over, then turned and ran!
How keen were the five senses of a True Energy Martial Master?
Almost the instant Fang Xi moved, Linghu Yang noticed something was amiss and chased after him. "You've finally appeared... the real big rat!"
Fang Xi did not slow down.
His figure was like a spirit serpent slipping into the grass. He passed through the gates of Yuan He Mountain and swiftly vanished into a small alley.
After several twists and turns, he arrived at an uninhabited area.
Before a damaged earthen wall, Linghu Yang stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at him calmly. "You move extremely fast, and your leg technique is like a snake... You should have inherited the true legacy of Red Snake Leg? No... The might of your True Energy and blood vitality far surpasses that good-for-nothing Lu She's. You must have practiced multiple martial arts... What a pity—you've ruined yourself!"
In his eyes, practicing third-rate martial arts was tantamount to destroying one's own future!
"Enough nonsense!"
Fang Xi rubbed his palms together, and they instantly turned pitch-black.
He moved, his back curving like a giant python coiling around itself. Then he sprang forward, his palms striking out in a continuous barrage.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Terrifying palm winds swept across the area, even carrying deadly poison within them!
"White Cloud Palm at the Black Cloud level?"
Linghu Yang watched the scene and instead laughed. "Once you reach the True Energy realm, you'll know... The so-called poison arts are nothing at all beneath True Energy..."
He thrust both palms forward as well, like crashing thunder.
Bang! Bang!
The four palms repeatedly clashed, True Energy and true force tangling together...
Fang Xi immediately realized that the poison in his palm force had entered Linghu Yang's body, yet it had not affected him in the slightest.
Not only that, but his opponent's true force came crashing down like a torrential rain, leaving no opening whatsoever.
His own True Energy and blood vitality were routed in a short time!
"What a pity..."
Even amid their fierce exchange, Linghu Yang could still speak. "The vigor of your blood vitality surpasses even mine when I was a Martial Artist. You're probably gifted by nature. But by practicing third-rate martial arts, you're destined to be inferior to me!"
The moment he finished speaking, Linghu Yang's speed suddenly exploded!
The secret transmission of Yuan He Mountain—Thunderclap Step!
He appeared beside Fang Xi, his palm like a divine weapon as it reached for Fang Xi's waist.
By then, even though Fang Xi had noticed, he had already lost the initiative. His fingers were still a foot away from his opponent's palm!
Pfft!
A miraculous scene unfolded!
Linghu Yang seemed to have been struck by a heavy blow, and his entire body shot backward.
"This is..."
He raised his hand and looked at his palm. A red mark had appeared upon it, almost bleeding.
"This is my secret transmission—Innate Formless Sword Qi!"
Fang Xi answered loudly, but inwardly he grumbled: As expected of a body cultivator equivalent to the mid-stage of Qi Refining. What an incredible physique. My Spirit Farmer Weed Removal Spell almost failed to break through his defenses...
Linghu Yang fell silent for a long while before suddenly sneering. "You're lying to me! Do you think you're a True Gang Martial Saint, capable of injuring people with True Gang outside your body? If you were a Grandmaster, I'd already be dead..."
"You're right!"
Fang Xi nodded, once again confirming that there were no living people nearby. "Then... it's time for me to go all out!"
"Go all out?"
Linghu Yang was somewhat puzzled.
After all, from their exchange just now, he had already confirmed that his opponent was only at the True Energy Martial Artist level.
Perhaps Fang Xi was outstanding at this level, even surpassing a sect's true disciple, but he was absolutely no match for Linghu Yang!
In a battle to the death, one could not conceal one's strength!
Yet in the next moment, he saw Fang Xi opposite him pull out a yellow talisman like some divine stick and then... tear it apart?!
Riiip!
A terrifying chill suddenly descended.
Linghu Yang's face filled with shock. He had just tried to dodge when he discovered that his legs had somehow been covered in a layer of ice, stuck firmly to the ground.
"Take this palm!"
Fang Xi shouted and thrust out a palm with all his strength.
Linghu Yang drew a circle with both hands and focused on defense. Suddenly, a martial artist's instinct sensed immense danger. A sound like splitting bones came from his neck, and he jerked his head aside.
Riiip!
A streak of dark light launched a surprise attack from behind him. It narrowly missed his vital point, but still carved a huge bloody gash across his shoulder.
"This... this is..."
Linghu Yang did not care about it in the slightest. He stared at the Green Grain Sword hovering beside Fang Xi, his expression utterly shaken. "This... how is this possible?"
Martial artists in this world simply could not cultivate immortality.
To everyone, immortals were merely stories from novels and scripts.
Yet at this moment, he seemed to have witnessed a genuine sword immortal!
Linghu Yang's expression suddenly became fanatical. "You and I seem to have no grudge between us. You came looking for me, presumably to leave the city... I have a way. I can teach it to you. We can leave together, so long as you tell me exactly what all this is about?"
"Leave the city?"
Fang Xi smiled.
From an ordinary person's perspective, Linghu Yang had just released news that there was a way to leave the city, and Yuan He Mountain had immediately come under attack. It was indeed easy to connect the two.
"No... I only came for your martial arts." He shook his head.
"If you teach me how to control the sword, I'll offer you the Yuan He Five Thunder Hands with both hands!"
Linghu Yang answered without hesitation.
He was a truly ruthless man. For the sake of greater gain, so-called sects and secret transmissions were beneath his notice.
"No need. I can naturally obtain the information I want."
Fang Xi looked at Linghu Yang, then suddenly frowned. "Your injury... is healing a little too quickly."
Linghu Yang fell silent for a moment before casually tearing open his robe.
Across his bare chest were numerous pitch-black tadpole-like runes. They now encircled his wound like a seal.
Within the black rune seal, the bloody gash on his shoulder was healing rapidly.
"A Cursed Person?"
Fang Xi furrowed his brows. "No... You can actually make limited use of demonic Curse Power?"
"Demonic Curse Power... It surpasses the power of martial arts and is difficult for mortals to control. Only by using a large amount of Martial Artist blood essence can it be suppressed temporarily. This is also the secret method of Yuan He Mountain!"
Linghu Yang took out a small bottle and swallowed all the brown blood essence inside. A deeper flush spread across his face. "This is the way to leave the city... The Yao Mo Tree only blocks ordinary people. It won't deliberately obstruct its own kind... So long as we transform into sentient yao mo, we can naturally escape!"
"So you captured Martial Artists on a large scale to refine blood essence and suppress the Curse Power in your body?" Fang Xi slipped his left hand into his sleeve and secretly gripped something. "What about Qiao Wuchang, who ambushed me?"
"He's dead... There's simply been too little blood essence lately. I can feel the Demon Tree gradually eroding my consciousness..." Linghu Yang smiled. "How about it? I've avenged you, after all, haven't I? Can't this become the foundation of our cooperation?"
"You're even more cold-blooded than I am! And you have even fewer scruples!" Fang Xi's expression returned to calm. "Unfortunately, when I came to this world, I swore an oath to fight the fiercest people. You're a perfect fit!"
"That really is a pity!"
The curse marks on Linghu Yang's chest rapidly spread, soon covering his entire body.
Suddenly!
The ground behind Fang Xi exploded. Root after root thrust out densely, each one as sharp as a spearpoint!
This was an ability Linghu Yang had gained after transforming into a half-yao mo!
If an ordinary True Energy Martial Master were caught off guard, they would likely suffer terribly!
But Fang Xi had been guarding against Linghu Yang all along!
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
The earth-hall spear formation stabbed toward Fang Xi's back, piercing through his clothes before being firmly blocked by a layer of golden light, unable to advance another inch!
In Fang Xi's hand, a talisman was rapidly being consumed.
—Golden Light Shield Talisman!
"You're always beyond my expectations!" Linghu Yang gazed at the layer of golden light, deep in thought.
Fang Xi, however, pointed with one finger.
Whoosh!
The Green Grain Sword transformed into a streak of azure light and shot out like a dazzling bolt of silk.
"Secret Technique—Five Thunders Annihilating Extremes!"
Linghu Yang roared. Sparks of electricity seemed to erupt between his hands. With the speed of lightning and flint, he brought them together and actually caught the sword's edge!
Terrifying true force erupted, making even the Green Grain Sword emit waves of mournful cries.
Damn, body cultivators are such a pain!
Fang Xi could see that the Green Grain Sword had already torn through Linghu Yang's flesh, but it was firmly jammed against his bones and could not advance any farther.
His opponent's true force had even formed rings of threads, trying to sever the connection between him and the Green Grain Sword like a silkworm cocoon.
If this man had been born in the Southern Barrens Cultivation World, he might truly have made a name for himself!
Watching this scene, Fang Xi sighed inwardly, but his resolve to kill grew even firmer.
He waved his right hand, producing another talisman kept in reserve.
The surface of this talisman was covered in wisps of electric sparks that flowed like lightning.
The moment it appeared, it carried an even more terrifying aura.
First-grade Mid-rank—Minor Lightning Talisman!
"Go!"
Fang Xi injected his magic power into the talisman and pointed it at Linghu Yang.
Boom!
Thunder rose from flat ground!
A streak of azure lightning appeared, carrying terrifying power. In an instant, it struck Linghu Yang, scorching his entire body black and making him scream. He had clearly suffered an extremely severe injury.
"The Minor Lightning Talisman isn't merely a first-grade mid-rank talisman—it also possesses the Lightning Attribute. It might have a special enhancement against yao mo!"
Seeing this, Fang Xi pondered for a moment, his hands moving rapidly. "Go!"
Freed from restraint, the Green Grain Sword swept back and forth. In an instant, it severed Linghu Yang's hands and feet.
"Ah!"
The man let out a scream and fell completely unconscious.
Fang Xi went over to take a look and saw wisps of flesh sprouting from the wounds. The black, tadpole-like runes continued to stubbornly heal the injuries, preserving a thread of life for him!
"This demonic Curse Power truly is extraordinary."
After sighing, Fang Xi grabbed Linghu Yang, who had been reduced to a human stick, and vanished in a flash.
He needed to find a safe place, then slowly work on Linghu Yang with the Soul Bewitching Technique.
This man had gone completely mad in his desire to escape the city alive, even laying hands on the Martial Artists on his own side.
No matter how Fang Xi dealt with him, he would not feel the slightest psychological burden.
Before you continue