Masters, Masters!

As the mark on his arm grew hot, Xie Yuan's mind buzzed, and countless incomprehensible images and fragments flooded into view.

Endlessly burning pages, ever-changing Black Lotuses, ceaselessly spinning trigrams, weapons appearing in turn, then flames filling the sky, frost stretching a thousand miles...

Countless visions overlapped in his mind, swelling his head with pain.

His hand tightened, instinctively gripping the Treasure Blade he had just acquired at his waist.

The illusory images filling his mind immediately gained something tangible to reference. The Black Lotus and the trigrams flew higher and higher; the former plunged into the pages, while the latter vanished without a trace. The weapons that had appeared while spinning gradually faded away, leaving behind only a long saber dancing within Xie Yuan's mind.

Looking closely, the image of that long saber was precisely the Treasure Blade in his hand!

No one wielded the saber. It danced through the air by itself, elusive and unpredictable, its movements like the wind, endlessly wheeling and turning.

That saber form was like a pack of wild wolves amid the lone smoke of the great desert, charging in from afar and rolling up vast clouds of dust. They ran faster and faster, like a black line on the horizon suddenly rushing before his eyes—yet it was an endless pack of wolves drawing near, their gleaming white fangs already plain to see, enough to freeze one's blood.

The wolves howled and suddenly leaped, pouncing straight at him, their maws already before his eyes!

Xie Yuan jolted awake and gasped for breath, feeling as though something had appeared in his mind.

A saber technique... but aside from the saber technique, there was something else.

Before he could examine it closely, he lowered his head toward the pale, delicate hand resting on his left arm.

The jade hand was slender, faint blue veins visible beneath the skin. Its elegant, long fingers were white and clean, resting upon his arm.

A little thin, but not like dead branches, nor like chicken claws...

Xie Yuan stared at that hand, inexplicably thinking this, when the slender hand seemed to sense his gaze and abruptly withdrew, lifting a corner of the curtain with it.

He looked over with the motion, only to see half of "Lin Zhen's" chin exposed—pointed, pale, and perfectly shaped. Had an oval face become a melon-seed face?

No. This was not Lin Zhen. This was that Black Robed Figure!

That manner of speaking, that way of making his mark react—only that Black Robed Figure could do it.

She had finally appeared again!

Just as Xie Yuan's spirits rose, he suddenly heard an unusual howl, as though something were tearing through the air at tremendous speed, bringing a clamorous whistle of wind.

It was faint when he first heard it, coming from a great distance away. Yet in the next instant, it rapidly grew louder and louder, as if that thing were swiftly closing in. In the blink of an eye, it had become deafening!

Xie Yuan instinctively turned his head and saw a shadow flicker into view on the official road. Within several breaths, it had arrived before them.

"Hahahaha! Miss Yun, you really can run! But I still found you!"

The figure stopped not far in front of Xie Yuan, revealing a rough, scarred face, a body taller than most men, and a Horse Chopping Saber in his hand.

The burly, scar-faced man wore a leopard-skin vest, baring his chest in the cold early-spring wind and displaying extraordinarily developed pectoral muscles. He wore tight cotton trousers below and animal-hide boots on his feet, looking exceedingly lean and fierce.

Xie Yuan felt an undisguised aura pouring from the scar-faced man's entire body. His Blood Qi nearly soared into the heavens, even distorting the air before him as though it were a searing heat wave. From far away, Xie Yuan already found it difficult to breathe.

What powerful presence. What oppressive Blood Qi...

Though the man was not even looking at him, Xie Yuan felt as if a massive boulder were weighing down upon his body.

Such Blood Qi, such presence—he had never seen its equal in his life!

Shen Longteng's Blood Qi had already been extremely intimidating, often making Xie Yuan feel pressured. Yet compared to this man, it was a rock beside a towering peak, a stream beside a mighty river. They were not on the same level at all.

This man's cultivation far surpassed the Chief Escort Leader's.

Qi Blood Three Transformations?

No—even an expert who had opened the Heaven and Earth Bridge!

Xie Yuan's gaze sharpened. This was actually a master.

The man carried his saber casually, yet his eyes remained fixed upon the carriage. He had clearly come with ill intent.

Xie Yuan's expression shifted, but he did not dare move at all.

Before a master, with his current strength, he had no room whatsoever to resist.

The man's aura faintly blanketed the entire convoy. Xie Yuan feared that the slightest unusual movement would bring a Horse Chopping Saber down upon him.

That Horse Chopping Saber was even longer than Xie Yuan was tall. He had no desire to learn what it felt like when it struck a body.

The carriage remained motionless. The guards and coachman were already trembling. Under the man's oppressive aura, they could not merely speak—they could barely stand.

The atmosphere was heavy and still. The man narrowed his eyes and laughed again.

"Miss Yun, you should hand it over. As long as you give me the item, I guarantee I won't make things difficult for you."

"Dream on."

A cold voice came from within the carriage, and several servants turned back in surprise.

Why did Miss's voice sound wrong?

What was going on now?

The people of Lin Family Estate were completely baffled. Only Xie Yuan's thoughts raced as he guessed that this Black Robed Figure—Miss Yun—had used Lin Zhen's identity to flee with some treasure, only to be intercepted by this man.

Come to think of it, when he had first met her in the mountain forest behind Small Stone Village, she had seemed rushed and flustered, as though she were on the run and hiding.

No wonder "Lin Zhen" had taken so long to get ready at Lin Family Estate half a day ago. It now seemed that Miss Yun had been using the Disguise Technique to alter her appearance!

But Miss Yun and Lin Zhen had completely different face shapes and builds, and their voices were worlds apart. Yet after disguising herself, not only had he failed to notice anything amiss—even Staff Lin had not noticed! She had even imitated Lin Zhen's manner of speaking and behavior. This level of skill was truly remarkable.

Could a Disguise Technique really achieve such an effect?

When he had been in the estate, his arm had grown hot, which should have been caused by her. Yet afterward, it had faded, and even separated only by the carriage, he had sensed nothing until she actively triggered it... But from her words, she clearly had not wanted him to know beforehand. Then she could not have deliberately triggered it in the estate. Why, then, had the mark reacted?

This mark—the Black Heaven Book—could allow him to comprehend saber techniques, and other things as well... There were cultivation arts within it.

A thought stirred in Xie Yuan's mind, and he immediately discovered something new within it.

Heaven Concealing Art · Beginner: (1/1000)

Conceal the workings of Heaven, seize fortune by artifice, deceive Heaven and hide from earth—this is Heaven Concealment.

Conceal the workings of Heaven?

What kind of strange art was this? The description alone was so mystical, and just reaching the beginner level required 1,000 points!

Understanding dawned upon Xie Yuan. This was likely one of the cultivation arts recorded in the Black Heaven Book, and the Disguise Technique Miss Yun used was this strange art. Once she came close, the mark on his arm would naturally react!

A cold snort interrupted Xie Yuan's thoughts. Though countless thoughts had run through his mind, it had taken only an instant.

With a bang, the man removed the Horse Chopping Saber from his shoulder and smashed it into the ground, revealing its immense weight.

His voice darkened.

"Miss Yun, it is only out of respect for my past friendship with your family that I have repeatedly shown you courtesy. Don't tell me you really think Lu Lao San is easy to talk to? I advise you to surrender without resistance, so we can all preserve a little dignity. Otherwise, once I make my move, I'll take the item—and as for you, I'll cripple your cultivation and sell you to a brothel in the Western Desert!"

The carriage was silent. No sound came from within.

Impatience showed on Lu Lao San's face. He grabbed the Horse Chopping Saber and shouted sharply.

"You don't know what's good for you. Do you really think you can be my match?"

From far away, he swung his huge saber in a savage horizontal slash.

Just as Xie Yuan thought that from such a distance, the long saber could not possibly reach them, a blood-red Saber Light suddenly extended from the Horse Chopping Saber and touched the convoy in an instant!

Before the servants could react, they were all cut in half at the waist by that single strike!

Xie Yuan watched that nearly irresistible crimson saber light sweep toward him. Its killing intent was icy and soul-shaking, making every hair on his body stand on end. He could barely move his feet.

At that critical instant, Xie Yuan's Inner Breath roared and his Blood Qi boiled. He unleashed all his potential, diving sideways to the ground and dodging the Saber Light.

That Saber Light was like something splitting heaven and earth apart. It cleaved through the people and horses of the convoy in a horizontal line, even dividing the carriage into upper and lower halves, revealing an utterly empty interior.

Lu Lao San frowned, glanced briefly at Xie Yuan, then ignored him. His large head turned in every direction before abruptly choosing one. He kicked off hard, leaving a deep crater in the official road, and shot away like an arrow into the woods beside the road.

Xie Yuan's heart pounded like a drum. That casual saber strike from the man had nearly taken his life. Had he not unleashed his potential, he would already have been cleaved in two!

The might of a master was beyond measure.

Xie Yuan turned to look and saw what seemed to be two shadows rapidly flickering through the forest, drawing close one moment and separating the next, endlessly entwined. After watching only a moment, his vision began to blur.

Thunderous booms rang out from the forest. Great swaths of trees collapsed, the tremors making Xie Yuan unsteady even on the official road.

"Fighting between masters... I can't even see their movements. This power is far too great! This isn't low martial arts at all...

"That Miss Yun is actually a master too?"

He forced himself to watch for a while longer and gradually made out that the light, drifting shadow was Miss Yun, while the figure carrying crimson light was Lu Lao San.

One pursued while the other fled. Miss Yun's movement technique was graceful and drifting, her figure dark and indistinct. The slightest lapse in attention would lose her trail. Yet whenever Lu Lao San lost sight of her, he merely focused his gaze and found the right direction, exploding forward at extreme speed to catch up.

Whenever Lu Lao San drew close to Miss Yun, he would slash out a blood-red Saber Light that made one's heart tremble. Yet every time it seemed about to cut the slender, tall figure in two, it would inexplicably veer off by a fraction and slash past her edge, as though he could not aim properly at all. Whenever Lu Lao San pressed too close, a black-and-white light would fly from Miss Yun's sleeve, forcing him to dodge at once, not daring to touch it in the slightest.

In an instant, the two exchanged dozens of moves, circling through the roadside forest. Thunderous crashes rang out without pause as trees, earth, and stones flew everywhere, nearly flattening the forest on the left side of the official road.

Xie Yuan watched for several moments, his heartbeat quickening.

"So this is what combat between high-level martial artists is like."

Such power was simply beyond imagination. At his current level, even catching a trace of the aftershock would leave him dead or grievously wounded.

There was no way he could interfere at all...

Xie Yuan cast one more distant glance at the two masters locked in fierce pursuit, then turned and ran in the opposite direction, plunging into the woods on the right side of the official road.

He had no thought of playing the hero and saving a beauty. He was simply following Miss Yun's instructions and running as far away as possible—taking advice when it was given.

Though in that fleeting glimpse, Miss Yun had seemed to possess peerless beauty, Xie Yuan could only silently wish her well.

Other than that, there was nothing he could do. Besides, this had nothing to do with him in the first place.

He had somehow been dragged into a struggle between masters, perhaps over the so-called Black Heaven Book. Xie Yuan was utterly confused.

Thinking of the servants who had been cut in half, he felt that compared to them, he had merely been a little luckier and a little stronger in this situation. He could not help running even faster.

He sprinted with his head down for a long time. Only when he could no longer hear the immense commotion behind him did Xie Yuan slow slightly, get his bearings, and prepare to return to Cloudshine.

After turning northward, Xie Yuan had walked only a short while when the tremendous howl of something tearing through the air sounded once more.

Hearing the wind-splitting roar approach from afar, growing louder and louder as it came directly toward him, Xie Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

He swiftly turned around and saw a streak of red light rush before him in the blink of an eye.

Blood Qi coiled around Lu Lao San's entire body as he stopped before Xie Yuan. He gave him a cold glance and asked, "Where is that woman?"

Xie Yuan once again felt the pressure of a master. The previous time had merely been an aftershock, yet it had already made his chest feel stifled.

This time, however, it was aimed directly at him, making Xie Yuan feel as though even speaking was extremely difficult!

Enduring that undisguised aura, he gritted his teeth slightly and cupped his fists.

"Senior, this junior fled far from the place where you fought. I do not know where she went."

"You don't know? Weren't you together?"

Lu Lao San snorted.

Xie Yuan shook his head.

"I was only ordered to escort a Miss, but it appears this person had long since replaced the target... I do not know her."

Lu Lao San stared at Xie Yuan, then suddenly bared his teeth.

"You're lying."

Xie Yuan was startled. Just as he wondered where he had revealed a flaw, Lu Lao San continued.

"She tangled with me for half the day, circling around the same area. But the instant you ran far away, she vanished without a trace. If you didn't know each other, why would she need to make sure you were safe?"

Lu Lao San gave a sinister chuckle, his long saber swaying as he pointed it at Xie Yuan.

Hearing this, Xie Yuan felt that the reasoning was somewhat forced and could not help frowning.

"Senior, I fear you are mistaken. I truly have no connection to her. Why would she worry about my safety?"

"Mistake or not, won't we know after I cut you down? If it isn't a mistake, she'll come save you."

Lu Lao San revealed gleaming white teeth and slowly raised his saber.

Xie Yuan's entire body tensed as he rasped, "Senior, what if it truly is a misunderstanding?"

"Then you're just unlucky. In your next life, pay more attention."

Lu Lao San grinned, and the Horse Chopping Saber suddenly came crashing down!

Xie Yuan felt as though time had slowed. That huge saber gradually grew larger in his vision, and he could even clearly see the light reflecting from its edge.

The mark on his left arm began to burn hot, but he was completely unaware of it.

Under the pressure of life and death, Xie Yuan's eyes opened wide. His right hand gripped the saber at his waist.

Fuck it. I'm going all out!

Even if his enemy was a master, even if the difference in their strength was as vast as heaven and earth, he would still draw his saber!

Why should that man be able to kill whoever he wanted?

Damn it, even if I can't beat you, before you chop me to death, I'll make you lose a piece of flesh!

Xie Yuan abruptly drew his saber. A sound like the roar of a vicious wolf exploded through the forest.

The woods darkened in an instant. Only a single line of brilliant saber light remained, carrying the charging momentum of a desert wolf pack as it slashed down with fearless ferocity!