Blood Refining

On the plaza, Ning Gongdao didn't hesitate for long.

Sss!

Inner Qi swirled around his fingertips.

It curled like clouds and mist, seemingly alive as it burrowed into the Anomaly Seeking Talisman.

The Anomaly Seeking Talisman was a ranked talisman with the ability to locate anomalies. It was extremely precious.

Whoosh!

The talisman ignited in an instant and crumbled to ash. At the same time, tiny green flecks of light gathered together, forming a small green arrow.

The arrow seemed alive. Its tip spun in the air, pausing in each of the four directions—north, south, east, and west.

"It paused in all four directions. That means anomalies have appeared all around Qingshan Village."

At last, the arrowhead settled pointing due west. Its shaft gave a slight twitch, rippling the air around it. The next instant, the arrow transformed into a thread of green light and shot into the distance.

Boom!

A sonic boom erupted where it had been, and a white shock wave sent dust billowing across the entire plaza.

"Let's go!"

"The arrow can pin down an anomaly for fifty breaths. If we find it before it breaks free, we can kill it easily."

"Remember to drive the villagers away." After giving that reminder, Ning Gongdao's figure drifted forward. He raced after it like a breeze, clearly using a profound movement technique.

If they found the anomaly in time, they could avoid a hard-fought battle. Thinking this, Ning Gongdao sped up.

Boom!

Forty-five breaths later, Ning Gongdao came to an abrupt stop in front of a courtyard with blue-brick walls.

He silently counted the time and sighed. "Too late."

There were still five breaths left, but entering the courtyard and finding the anomaly would take longer than that. If he barged in now, he might be ambushed.

Staring at the courtyard's bright red gate, Ning Gongdao sneered. "Too bad, little thing. You're not getting away."

He yanked the Little Willow Tree from his shoulder and flung it into the sky.

The willow tree rose. In an instant—

Buzz!

Its trunk remained unchanged, but countless hair-thin aerial roots grew at a furious pace, spreading everywhere until they covered the sky.

They filled the air and even burrowed underground, completely sealing off an area roughly three hundred meters around them.

Stepping into the sealed area, Ning Gongdao lightly pinched the lock.

Crack. The lock shattered and fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

He pushed the gate open and went inside.

At the same time, the hollow, carved wooden door at the front of the main house gave a soft creak and opened as well.

Hm?

The courtyard fell abruptly silent.

Ning Gongdao stared expressionlessly at the doorway. The room was dark; he couldn't see a thing.

Creak! Creak!

The door opened wider.

"Hee-hee-hee... Hee-hee-hee."

A shrill, piercing female voice came from inside. "So, you found me again."

The hem of a white dress appeared, followed by a dainty foot stepping out.

Inner Qi flowed through Ning Gongdao's body. He clenched both fists, revealing a pair of transparent, soft leather gloves on his hands.

Those were his weapons.

"Hee-hee... I was going to spare you this time. I already gave you a chance..."

"I already gave you your chance... You didn't leave, so now you can die..."

Boom! Before it could finish speaking, a tremendous force blasted the door to pieces. A large hand shot through the flying splinters and seized it by the neck.

Ning Gongdao looked impassively at the anomaly dangling from his arm, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "When I found you before, you didn't look like this. But it doesn't matter. You're the one I'm after. I just didn't expect you to have a little intelligence."

"Little thing, don't you think you talk too much?"

Without waiting for the anomaly to answer, Inner Qi surged through his body and gathered in his palm.

Sss, sss, sss!

Wisps of black smoke billowed out, the violent reaction caused by Inner Qi clashing with the anomaly's Black Membrane.

Unlike Martial Apprentices, who used talisman power to kill anomalies, even a Blazing Flames Talisman could easily pierce an anomaly's Black Membrane and kill it. Its talisman power was equivalent to Body Refining Inner Qi, and stronger than the Black Membrane of a Slayer Level anomaly.

A Slayer Level anomaly's Black Membrane was as strong as Body Refining Inner Qi. When two forces of the same level clashed, breaking through either the other's Body Refining Inner Qi or its Black Membrane came down to a battle of attrition.

Killing a Slayer Level anomaly with a Blazing Flames Talisman was like slicing tofu with a knife. Killing a Sha-level anomaly was like hacking at a knife with another knife. The difficulty was worlds apart.

Aah! The anomaly in the white dress reacted and began shrieking wildly. Its fingernails grew at a frantic pace, turning black.

A nauseating, rank stench filled the air.

"Go to hell!"

A flash of black light streaked past as its sharp nails stabbed toward Ning Gongdao.

Before they could reach him, Ning Gongdao loosened his grip on its neck.

He raised his palm and struck, slamming it hard in the chest.

Boom!

A force like a collapsing mountain surged forth with a piercing howl, crashing into its chest.

The air exploded, and shock waves burst in every direction.

Along with that overwhelming force came an incredibly violent surge of Inner Qi.

After refining his blood, the quality of his Inner Qi had improved tremendously. Now it rolled like a bomb, exploding in the anomaly's chest.

The anomaly shrieked as the blow sent its entire body flying.

Thump! Its body crashed straight into a wall. Crack! The wall instantly broke into pieces.

Taking a step forward, Ning Gongdao raised his arm and threw a punch.

With the same terrifying force and speed, he struck it again before it could hit the ground.

Boom!

The anomaly was sent flying once more before it could land. The wall collapsed, and with a crash, the entire house began to cave in.

The anomaly could only watch as this Human Race fighter got the better of it. That devastating combination of blows made it feel as though a mountain were bearing down on it.

Sss! Ning Gongdao pressed his palm against the anomaly's head and slammed it hard onto the ground.

His violent Inner Qi continued to batter its Black Membrane.

Aah! The anomaly began to howl and scream. Its hair lengthened, plunging down like countless steel needles.

Shhk, shhk, shhk, shhk! Black spots appeared across Ning Gongdao's body. His protective Inner Qi surged and churned, shielding him. The anomaly's frenzied attacks still hadn't broken through it.

Black specks kept appearing across Ning Gongdao's body, but they did nothing.

"You're weaker than I expected."

"Much weaker. You're nothing like a Blood Sha anomaly—more like an ordinary Severe Sha."

"Tell me, how did you beat a Body Refining Realm martial artist in just a few moves before?"

Watching the anomaly shriek and struggle frantically, unable to break free, a thought suddenly crossed his mind. "Let me guess..."

"You weren't in this form before, and you didn't seem very intelligent either."

He had used the Anomaly Seeking Talisman to find this anomaly before and had sent Xia Fengshe to test it. Back then, it hadn't looked like this.

"Did you gain this pitiful scrap of intelligence, or change your form, at the cost of too much of your power of evolution?"

"Or did you curse too many people at once and spread your power too thin?"

As he spoke, his violent Inner Qi continued to batter the anomaly's Black Membrane.

At last—

Crack!

The Black Membrane shattered.

Ning Gongdao's gaze was cold and impassive. His boundless strength gathered, and an even stronger surge of Inner Qi exploded, striking the anomaly head-on!

"Die, you bastard!"

P.S.: Let's let the anomaly die for a day first. In the meantime, how about a few recommendation votes? I'm sure the readers will give them, right? (＾▽＾) Thanks!