Misty Ghost Forest Saves Hu Jie

All three Sword Talismans had been activated—could Hu Jie have encountered some unimaginable danger?

He had left Hu Jie three Sword Talismans, each containing a strand of his own Primordial Sword Qi. Just now, he had felt those three strands of Primordial Sword Qi lose their connection to the talismans.

A flicker of gravity crossed Ye Jing's face. The three strands of Innate Sword Qi within the talismans were of the same origin as the Innate Sword Qi in his own body.

Now that he stood at the Peak of Humanity, the power of those three Innate Sword Qis had multiplied beyond measure.

Even an ordinary Peak of Humanity expert would be no match for those three strands of Innate Sword Qi.

He had no idea what kind of peril Hu Jie had faced, forcing him to unleash all three Sword Talismans in succession.

He also didn't know if Hu Jie had managed to escape the danger.

Hu Jie was his only close friend from the Hanlin Academy. Now that he might be on the verge of overthrowing tyranny—whether for personal or public reasons—Ye Jing didn't want anything to happen to him.

Forget it. He would go and see for himself. If Hu Jie truly could overthrow the Great Li Dynasty, that wouldn't be a bad outcome.

Donning his mask, Ye Jing swept his sleeve. A crack split the void before him, and he stepped into the spatial rift, vanishing from the room.

The night was dark, the wind high, and crows cawed.

"Eunuch Cao, ahead lies the Misty Ghost Forest. That rebel Hu Jie has entered it—his death is certain. Perhaps we should..."

Outside the Misty Ghost Forest, beneath an ancient tree, Commander Lin stared at the forest in the distance, a lingering fear in his eyes.

"What, are you afraid of death?"

"Your subordinate wouldn't dare."

Eunuch Cao shot Commander Lin a glare, sending him to his knees in a kowtow.

A cruel glint flashed in Eunuch Cao's eyes as he said in a low voice, "Those three Sword Talismans Hu Jie carried—I exhausted every ounce of my strength to suppress them. As I suspected, there must be a master behind him."

"For such a powerful figure to create three Sword Talismans of that caliber, who's to say Hu Jie doesn't have other gifts from this master?"

"The Misty Ghost Forest devours life force. Ordinary men who enter are as good as dead, but who knows if Hu Jie still has more tricks up his sleeve!"

"Commander Lin, send troops into the Misty Ghost Forest at once. I want him alive, or I want his corpse. No matter the cost today, that rebel Hu Jie dies here."

"Yes, Eunuch Cao."

Commander Lin wasted no time. He ordered the Great Li Vanguard Camp behind him to march into the Misty Ghost Forest.

The Misty Ghost Forest was perpetually dim, sunlight and moonlight almost never breaking through. Bones littered the ground, and remains were strewn everywhere. Since its appearance, it had claimed countless lives.

Walking through the forest, Eunuch Cao felt a chill of surprise. This place was truly eerie.

He had reached the Peak of Humanity a century ago and had since advanced further to the level of Entering the Dao. His life force should have been surging and vigorous.

Yet, no sooner had he stepped into the Misty Ghost Forest than his life force began to drain. Though the loss was negligible to him, considering his stature and his current peak condition, even someone like him was losing life force steadily. For Commander Lin, it was nothing short of a catastrophe.

Sure enough, he glanced at Commander Lin. The man, who had just been in his prime, now looked visibly aged, with a few strands of white threading through his black hair.

"Eunuch Cao, sh-should we... keep pursuing?"

Clearly, Commander Lin had noticed the change too. Fear flickered in his eyes, but he dared not show it openly, though the tremor in his voice betrayed his terror.

Eunuch Cao's face darkened. These Vanguard Camp soldiers were elite troops of the Great Li army.

With Great Li's forces retreating on all fronts against King Zhennan's army and the rebel forces led by Hu Jie, losing this Vanguard Camp here would only make things worse for the Great Li Dynasty.

"Commander Lin, lead the Vanguard Camp out of the Misty Ghost Forest and wait outside. I'll capture Hu Jie myself."

After sending Commander Lin and the Vanguard Camp away, Eunuch Cao ventured deeper into the forest alone.

The further he went, the more alarmed he became. The deeper he walked, the faster his life force drained.

Only because he was at the Peak of Humanity, with abundant vitality, could he endure. Any ordinary Innate Realm cultivator would have had their life force completely stripped away by now.

What kind of place was this Misty Ghost Forest, to drain life force so ruthlessly?

A flicker of retreat crossed Eunuch Cao's mind, but he gritted his teeth and pressed on.

The rebel army was nothing but scattered sand—yet Hu Jie had somehow bound them into a rope. Only by eliminating Hu Jie would that army crumble back into disarray.

Without Hu Jie, the rebels were no threat. Without the rebels' support, King Zhennan's army would amount to nothing.

Only by killing Hu Jie could Great Li's soldiers turn the tide.

With that thought, Eunuch Cao quickened his pace. But before long, a figure materialized in the void ahead, blocking his path.

"Who are you, to dare block my way? Do you truly intend to offend the Great Li Imperial Family?"

Staring at the sudden appearance of Ye Jing, Eunuch Cao's eyes were filled with wariness. He tried to use the name of the Great Li Imperial Family to force Ye Jing to back down.

Ye Jing descended slowly from the void, his expression calm. "At our level, can the Great Li Imperial Family really do anything to us?"

"This Seat truly doesn't understand why someone of your caliber would still choose to be a lapdog for the Great Li Imperial Family."

"Hu Jie has the people's support. If you leave now, This Seat will spare your life. Otherwise, don't blame This Seat for showing no mercy with my sword."

Ye Jing wasn't suddenly overcome with compassion, sparing this eunuch of the Great Li Imperial Family. Rather, upon stepping into the Misty Ghost Forest, he had already sensed the truth.

Hu Jie was only at the Grandmaster Realm. He couldn't last long in this forest. But this eunuch was at the level of Entering the Dao.

Even though he had already stepped into the Peak of Humanity, eliminating such an existence would still take considerable effort.

Hu Jie had been inside the Misty Ghost Forest for some time now. The longer the delay, the more perilous his situation became. Once the life force within him was completely devoured, even if he intervened, he wouldn't be able to save Hu Jie.

For Hu Jie's safety, Ye Jing hoped this eunuch would back down and had no desire to clash with him.

"Drawing your sword leaves no room for mercy! Could you be the master of those three Sword Talismans?"

"That's right. Since you know This Seat is the master of the three Sword Talismans, you should understand you're no match for me. Leave now, and spare yourself a pointless death."

Hearing Ye Jing's admission, Eunuch Cao's face turned extremely sour. He had long experienced the strength of the Sword Talisman master. Throughout all of Dali, perhaps only the Sword Sect Master could surpass this Sword Talisman master.

With his own strength, defeating this Sword Talisman master was nearly impossible.

Was he really going to let Hu Jie escape this calamity? A flicker of reluctance flashed in Eunuch Cao's eyes. Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, he burst into loud laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha! Sword Talisman master, you almost fooled me. You wanted me to back down so you could hurry and save Hu Jie."

"Hu Jie has already been in the Misty Ghost Forest for a while. With his cultivation, he can't possibly hold out much longer. Given enough time, the life force inside him will surely be devoured completely."

"Sword Talisman master, you've got a clever scheme. But today, no matter what, I won't let you have your way. I'll make sure to tangle with you."

With that, he charged at Ye Jing.