Ambush and Counter-Kill

Chapter 19: Ambush and Counter-Kill

Not long after, a Middle-aged Man with a pair of ten-foot-wide Green Wings on his back soared into the sky. With a light flap of the Green Wings, he pursued Shi Yue, his speed even slightly faster than Shi Yue's Leaf Magic Tool.

Shi Yue frantically poured his spiritual power into the Leaf Magic Tool beneath his feet, urging it to fly faster. As he sped toward the sect, he glanced back. When he saw a streak of green light closing in, his expression shifted.

At this rate, he wouldn't make it back to the sect before being caught. By then, with his spiritual power nearly depleted, he would be no match for his pursuer.

With that thought, a flash of determination crossed Shi Yue's eyes. He formed a single hand seal, and the Green Leaf abruptly changed direction, diving swiftly toward a dense forest below.

Seeing this, the Middle-aged Man was first startled, then a wild joy spread across his face.

To be honest, judging by Shi Yue's flight path, he had vaguely guessed that Shi Yue was a disciple of the Great Void Sect. If Shi Yue had persisted in flying forward a little longer, he would have given up. But Shi Yue's sudden change of mind stoked his murderous intent.

The Middle-aged Man's expression shifted. The Green Wings on his back flapped wildly as he shot down toward the ground.

Soon, the Middle-aged Man landed on the ground. He stared at Shi Yue, who was a hundred zhang away, his face burning with greed.

"This Humble One is a disciple of the Great Void Sect. What business do you have following me?" Shi Yue asked in a deep voice, his expression tense.

"Hmph, I don't care who you are. If you know what's good for you, hand over your Storage Bag obediently, and I might spare your life." The Middle-aged Man snorted coldly.

"If I give you my Storage Bag, will you really spare my life?" Shi Yue asked timidly.

"Of course. This Sun always keeps his word." The Middle-aged Man was taken aback for a moment, then his face lit up with wild joy as he spoke earnestly.

He had no intention of letting Shi Yue go. He said this only to trick Shi Yue into handing over the Storage Bag. He had seen Shi Yue enter the Thousand Talisman Hall to buy talismans, so he still had some reservations. Now that Shi Yue was willing to give up the bag, nothing could be better.

"Alright, I'll give you the Storage Bag. Just don't take my life." Shi Yue said timidly. As he spoke, he took off the Storage Bag from his waist and tossed it toward the other side.

As the Storage Bag flew over, two red-glowing talismans shot out.

With two "puffs," the red talismans burst apart, transforming into two Water Vat Sized Giant Fireballs that hurtled toward the Middle-aged Man.

Before the giant fireballs even got close, an unbearable wave of heat rushed forward.

Seeing this, the Middle-aged Man snorted. His right hand slapped his Storage Bag, and a red light flew out.

With a flash of red, a ten-foot-tall Black Shield materialized.

The Middle-aged Man formed hand seals, and the Black Shield spun rapidly around him, forming a black wind wall.

At that moment, the two giant fireballs smashed into the Black Shield with a fierce impact.

Two thunderous "booms" rang out. The giant fireballs exploded, and Rolling Blazing Flames engulfed the Middle-aged Man's figure.

After a moment, the flames dissipated, revealing the Middle-aged Man unharmed, though the Black Shield's glow had dimmed somewhat.

Just then, a buzzing sound reached the Middle-aged Man's ears. Hundreds of yellow bees descended from the sky, landing on him. The Spirit Devouring Bees' sharp stingers pierced deeply into his skin.

The Middle-aged Man felt sharp pain erupt all over his body, the agony drawing out screams.

He flipped his hand and produced a Black Long Sword, swinging it wildly to slash at the bees, killing many. But still, plenty of bees landed on him, their stingers stabbing into his flesh.

While the Middle-aged Man was busy fending off the Spirit Devouring Bees, Shi Yue's right palm turned over, and a Red Short Sword appeared in his hand.

He slapped the sword's hilt with his left hand, and the Red Short Sword shot out, streaking toward the Middle-aged Man.

The Middle-aged Man's eyes were covered by a dense swarm of bees, and his face was streaming with blood. He didn't notice the Red Short Sword's approach at all.

The Middle-aged Man felt a chill at his neck, and his head tumbled to the ground with a thud. His headless body swayed for a moment before crashing down with a "plop."

Only then did a several-foot-high spurt of blood gush from the stump of his neck.

As soon as the Middle-aged Man died, the Spirit Devouring Bees on his body flew back into the Spirit Beast Bag at Shi Yue's waist.

Seeing this, Shi Yue let out a long sigh of relief. He walked quickly to the headless corpse, suppressed his disgust, collected the Black Shield and Black Long Sword, and also tore off the Storage Bag from the Middle-aged Man's waist.

Shi Yue dared not linger. He released the Leaf Magic Tool, jumped on, and flew toward the Great Void Sect.

Before long, Shi Yue returned to the sect. By then, the sky had fully darkened.

Recalling the day's events, Shi Yue still felt a lingering fear. If not for his hundreds of Spirit Devouring Bees helping him, he wouldn't have been able to break through the Middle-aged Man's defenses. In a war of attrition, Shi Yue was no match for him.

This incident reminded Shi Yue to be more cautious in the future. Besides that, he needed to improve his cultivation and learn a powerful attack technique. Otherwise, he would remain a plump lamb in the eyes of villains, who would pounce at any opportunity to butcher him.

If asked which type of cultivator was the strongest in the Cultivation World, no one could give a definite answer. But if asked which type could dominate those of the same rank, the first thing that came to mind was a Sword Cultivator—a cultivator who dedicated themselves to the way of the sword.

At the same realm, a Sword Cultivator was absolutely the most troublesome existence. No one wanted to offend a powerful Sword Cultivator. However, Sword Cultivators cultivated slowly, but once they achieved success, they could easily crush cultivators of the same rank—this was widely acknowledged in the Cultivation World.

The path of the sword was extremely difficult. Those who practiced it usually had little time to cultivate techniques. Shi Yue wasn't worried about this; at worst, he could practice swordsmanship inside the Mysterious Space.

The problem now was that Shi Yue had no sword cultivation methods on hand. It seemed he would have to visit the Scripture Repository tomorrow to see if he could find one.

The Great Void Sect was famous throughout the Great Tang for its alchemy. Whether the Scripture Repository contained any sword cultivation methods, Shi Yue truly didn't know.

Shi Yue's expression shifted. He flipped his hand and produced a black Storage Bag, the one he had taken from the Middle-aged Man's corpse.

He opened the bag's mouth and poured everything out. A pile of items scattered on the ground.

To Shi Yue's disappointment, the bag's contents were pitifully meager. Aside from the Black Shield and Black Long Sword, which were Mid-grade Magic Tools, there were only two Low-grade Magic Tools and a dozen or so Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Shi Yue thought it over and wasn't surprised. If the Middle-aged Man had been wealthy, he wouldn't have resorted to Murder and Treasure Seizure.