In the Monster Suppression Mountain Range, that woman with cultivation in the Primal Energy Realm had planted a good cause.
Xia Wuji had once failed to transcend his tribulation and become an immortal, so he knew the importance of cause and effect all too well. Thus, he had already made up his mind. A cool breeze rippled beneath his feet, and he immediately hurried toward the area where the fierce battle had erupted.
"Boom!"
"Boom, boom, boom!"
Massive explosions rang out without end.
The girl wielded a sharp sword and fought desperately against a group of martial artists in the Sea of Qi Realm.
A large net suddenly descended. The girl let out a cold snort, her sword edge twisting as it burst with fierce radiance and cleaved the net apart!
She tried to break out again, rushing through the opening where the net had been torn apart. But in the next instant, a middle-aged man leaped into the air and appeared before her, blocking her path.
He suddenly struck out with one palm.
The enormous palm imprint seemed almost solid, containing a force that was fierce and domineering.
The girl swept her sword horizontally to block the palm imprint's impact. In the next instant, the force of the palm imprint sent her body crashing back to the ground.
"Hahahaha!"
"Lin Piaoxue, you've already been poisoned. The poison is now raging through your body. I refuse to believe you can hold out much longer!"
The man who had struck her landed and immediately let out a crazed laugh.
The girl named Lin Piaoxue had black blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Her face was deathly pale as she gritted her teeth and said, "Black Wind Dog, you've committed every crime under the sun. I, Lin Piaoxue, will surely get rid of you today!"
Xia Wuji had already arrived nearby, and a peculiar look appeared on his face.
This girl was actually Lin Piaoxue!
The Lin Household of the Great Chu Dynasty far surpassed the Sword Pavilion in both strength and influence.
Lin Piaoxue, the daughter of the Lin Household, had displayed astonishing cultivation talent from a young age, and her reputation had spread far and wide!
As for that so-called Black Wind Dog, Xia Wuji's thoughts shifted, and he immediately understood the situation.
In this region, there was a band of fairly powerful roving bandits. Their leader was none other than the Black Wind Bandit.
The Black Wind Bandit was cruel and vicious, burning, killing, looting, and committing every imaginable evil. Many people had once gone to the Sword Pavilion and asked it to eliminate this scourge.
But the Sword Pavilion was completely powerless to deal with him and could only pretend not to know about it.
That was because the Sword Pavilion's strongest expert, its master Xia Xuan, was merely at the peak of the Sea of Qi Realm.
The Black Wind Bandit, however, was a genuine first-level Primal Energy Realm martial artist.
"Rumor has it that Lin Piaoxue of the Lin Household is chivalrous and hates evil as her enemy."
"She didn't know me at all, yet she drew her sword to help me in the Monster Suppression Mountain Range."
"And now she's trying to eliminate the Black Wind Bandit as well."
"Looks like the rumors are true."
"It's just that Lin Piaoxue has been poisoned, and her condition is terrible. She clearly has no chance of eliminating the Black Wind Bandit. She can barely protect herself."
While Xia Wuji sorted through his thoughts, the Black Wind Bandit had already fought several more rounds with Lin Piaoxue.
The poison in Lin Piaoxue's body erupted, and her condition grew increasingly severe.
The Black Wind Bandit, however, grew more and more ferocious. He drove Lin Piaoxue backward step by step, forcing her to spit out great mouthfuls of black blood.
"Hahahaha!"
"The Lin Household's great prodigy, delicate and tender, one of the Great Chu Dynasty's Ten Beauties!"
"I can't bear to kill you outright. A woman like you deserves to be cherished properly. I'll capture you and take you back to be my bandit-wife!"
"Day and night, you'll serve me!"
"Little beauty, stop resisting. Hurry back with me and taste the most primitive pleasure!"
"I can hardly wait!"
The Black Wind Bandit let out a sinister laugh.
The bandits surrounding him shouted loudly, cheering him on.
"Get lost!"
Lin Piaoxue shouted furiously and slashed out with her sword. Sword light surged like roaring waves, forcing back the approaching Black Wind Bandit. It even carved a bloody wound across his chest.
It had nearly split his chest completely open.
The Black Wind Bandit let out a howl of pain, but his expression became even more savage and excited. He growled, "My good wife, the more fiercely you resist now, the louder you'll scream when I have my way with you!"
At this moment, Lin Piaoxue truly was at the end of her strength. That sword had failed to kill the Black Wind Bandit, and she no longer had the power to strike again.
The Black Wind Bandit saw this clearly. Ignoring his injuries, he lunged forward as viciously as a savage wolf, intending to violate Lin Piaoxue right there in the desolate wilderness!
A trace of despair welled up in Lin Piaoxue's heart, and her expression became utterly resolute.
If I fall into the Black Wind Bandit's hands... I might as well die!
But just as Lin Piaoxue's sword reached her neck—
Whoosh!
A sword aura whistled through the air!
Lin Piaoxue's sword was instantly knocked away!
Immediately afterward, Lin Piaoxue felt a wave of wind surge before her. Accompanying that wind was the back of a man. It seemed vaguely familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before!
Xia Wuji slashed out with his sword!
Sun Above!
Sword light and flames intertwined. Scorching heat and fierce sharpness converged, resembling the blazing splendor of the great sun.
The Black Wind Bandit, who had been charging forward, furrowed his brows and struck out with both palms at once, shattering Xia Wuji's sword light and sending rolling waves of energy billowing outward.
Xia Wuji stepped on the waves of energy and flew backward. With one hand, he seized Lin Piaoxue's arm and carried her far away.
"It's you!"
Lin Piaoxue's beautiful eyes widened. No wonder that sense of familiarity had appeared earlier. It turned out to be the young man she had encountered in the Monster Suppression Mountain Range some time ago.
She immediately reacted and said, "Thank you for your help, Young Master, but this fiend is a first-level Primal Energy Realm cultivator. You aren't his match. Leave quickly!"
"Leave? Dream on!" The Black Wind Bandit's face twisted savagely as he roared, "You little brat who doesn't know your own limits! Don't you know how much you weigh before trying to play the hero and save the beauty? I'll chop you into pieces and feed you to the dogs!"
Xia Wuji's expression remained calm. "Then let me see how much you weigh."
"Arrogant!" the Black Wind Bandit roared. His first-level Primal Energy Realm cultivation erupted without reserve, and a layer of energy condensed around him, as thick and heavy as battle armor!
He charged forward madly, striking with both palms!
The force of his palms thundered!
Within Xia Wuji's dantian, the Sword Seed hummed and the Sea of Qi seethed. Fierce Sword Essence poured forth!
True Sun Swordplay, Three Suns Opening!
In an instant, three suns appeared together atop the sword's edge. After reaching the first level of the Sea of Qi Realm, he could finally unleash the ultimate move of this top-grade Yellow-Rank sword technique to perfection!
As Xia Wuji brought his sword down—
His body, mind, and sword became one, no longer distinguishable from one another!
Man-Sword Unity!
The sharpness of this sword surged once more!
At this moment, it was as if only three dazzling suns of sword aura remained between heaven and earth!
"Boom, boom, boom!"
The three suns of sword aura crashed down. The Black Wind Bandit, a first-level Primal Energy Realm cultivator, was torn into pieces in the blink of an eye and then burned to ashes!
The spot where the Black Wind Bandit had stood was blasted into a massive pit. The pit was charred black, thick smoke billowed, and dust filled the air.
At this moment, Lin Piaoxue was stunned.
She stared wide-eyed at Xia Wuji's back, her heart utterly unable to calm down.
As for the group of bandits in the Sea of Qi Realm, they were terrified to the extreme. Someone suddenly shouted, "Run!"
The group scattered in all directions like startled birds.
Since they were bandits and outlaws, every one of them was steeped in evil. Xia Wuji rode the clear breeze, his figure shooting forward as his long sword swept up streak after streak of sword light, harvesting them like blades of grass!
In only a moment, every bandit who had followed the Black Wind Bandit had died beneath Xia Wuji's sword.
Following the principle that even a mosquito's leg was still meat, Xia Wuji worked swiftly to collect the spoils of battle. He then arrived beside the enormous charred pit and slightly furrowed his brows.
The Black Wind Bandit had been obliterated so thoroughly that not even dregs remained. The money and pills on his body had been destroyed as well.
But suddenly, Xia Wuji's eyes lit up.
A strand of spiritual power plunged into the charred pit, swept up a fist-sized ore, and brought it out.
The ore shimmered with multicolored radiance.
"A mid-grade first-order spirit ore, Radiant Crystal Profound Stone. Its value isn't low. It can be used to raise the grade of the Jinghong Sword!" Xia Wuji put away the Radiant Crystal Profound Stone.
"Young Master..." Lin Piaoxue's weak, feeble voice rang out. With the danger gone, she collapsed directly onto the ground and leaned against a stone.
At the same time, she felt deeply annoyed.
When a hero saved a beauty, shouldn't he have immediately asked about her injuries?
But this fellow had been having the time of his life collecting the spoils...
Xia Wuji looked toward Lin Piaoxue and was just about to speak when several figures suddenly rushed over from the distance.
Lin Piaoxue said, "Young Master, there's no need to worry. Those are people from my Lin Household..."
Xia Wuji nodded and said, "You helped me before, and now I've helped you. This cause and effect can be considered settled. Farewell!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately used his movement technique and swiftly departed.
Since people from the Lin Household had arrived, Lin Piaoxue would no longer be in danger.
Although the Lin Household of the Great Chu Dynasty possessed considerable strength, Xia Wuji's ambitions did not lie in the Great Chu Dynasty. His next destination was the Azure Star Academy, so he was unwilling to develop any further entanglement with them.
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