Soul-Severing Banner

At this moment, the Daoist in the tavern shook his head and said, "There is no peace even for a meal. Shopkeeper, settle the bill."

In terms of pure speed, Yan Chihuo was actually faster than these two women, but because he was carrying Shi San, he was slowed down significantly. He had only run for about ten miles before the two women caught up to him.

Ru Shuang said, "Shi San, you have quite the nerve, daring to deceive even me. How did you undo the poison in your body? Could it be this brat?"

The woman in red pulled at Ru Shuang and asked Yan Chihuo with a seductive tone, "Little brother, what should we call you?"

Yan Chihuo cupped his hands and said, "Two fairies, this Shi San is an old acquaintance of mine, which is why I rescued him. His skills are meager; having him around makes little difference, but he does have one merit: he is tight-lipped. Therefore, he will not speak of the affairs at Black Wind Stronghold."

The woman in red replied, "Little brother, although your skills are decent, you are certainly no match for the two of us. I advise you not to be stubborn. Come back with us, and the Mistress will surely be pleased with you." As she spoke, there was a hint of amorous intent in her eyes.

Yan Chihuo realized immediately that these two women likely practiced dual cultivation through plundering essence, which explained their behavior. His expression turned stern as he reached back to draw his longsword. Seeing this, the two women knew a battle was inevitable and reached back to draw a pair of silver hooks.

Yan Chihuo swung his longsword, and a streak of Sword Qi shot out. Ru Shuang's expression changed as she exclaimed, "To think he is actually a sword cultivator."

The two women moved their hooks in unison, one tracing a semicircle from left to right, the other from right to left. They converged, kicking up a sheet of silver light to meet his strike. With a loud clang, Yan Chihuo's sword was deflected, but both women felt their bodies tremble, thinking to themselves, This person's cultivation base is truly pure and profound!

Yan Chihuo felt the blood surging in his chest, knowing that the combined power of these two was formidable. Having failed with his first strike, he dared not linger. He shifted his body, darting to the left, and launched another strike. The two women flicked their silver hooks, slashing from both sides like a pair of shears. Knowing the danger, Yan Chihuo spotted an opening, drifted his body, and hurriedly darted out.

Yan Chihuo knew his opponents were skilled, so he unleashed the Ape Lord Sword Art, shifting his body back, forth, left, and right. Within moments, he was circling the two women, thrusting his sword over a dozen times. Every time the women attempted to transition from defense to offense, he would slip away at the most critical moment. At first, the two women thought it was a coincidence, but after a short while, they grew astonished, thinking, This is the hook technique passed down by the Mistress; how could he possibly know it? Otherwise, how could he dodge so perfectly?

The two women's combined strength was superior to Yan Chihuo's, but because Yan Chihuo constantly seized the initiative, they were unable to unleash the full power of their combined attack, leaving the outcome uncertain for the time being.

Yan Chihuo had been worried about not being a match for them at first, but after a while, he slowly began to relax. His eyesight was sharp; not only could he see through mist, but he could also perceive the openings in his opponents' attacks, allowing him to anticipate their moves during combat. Only then did he understand why he had been able to spot the vulnerabilities of the Ice Poison Scorpion earlier. Now that he had grasped Sword Qi, his swordsmanship had greatly improved. Even though he was one against two, he would not be defeated, even if he could not secure a victory.

Before long, the woman in red gritted her teeth and said, "Ru Shuang, protect me for a moment. I will use the Soul-Severing Banner to capture him."

Ru Shuang replied, "That Soul-Severing Banner is incredibly powerful; wouldn't it ruin him? The Mistress might not be pleased if she finds out."

The woman in red retorted, "This man's swordsmanship is formidable. If we don't use the Soul-Severing Banner, we might be injured by his hand, and we might not even save our own lives. The Mistress won't blame us if she knows the situation."

In the short time they spoke, Yan Chihuo had launched another thirty-plus strikes. Xuan Shuang said, "Fine, hurry up. I fear I cannot hold out for much longer." The woman in red took out a small black banner and began chanting.

Yan Chihuo had heard every word of their conversation. How could he stand by and watch them cast their spell? He attacked with his longsword like a raging storm. Knowing the danger, Ru Shuang focused solely on defense, dancing her silver hooks into a screen of silver light to protect them both.

Seeing this, Yan Chihuo continued to wield his sword while silently reciting a mantra. A moment later, several large boulders fell from the sky, crashing toward the two women.

Ru Shuang was startled and had to exert all her strength to defend. Just as she shattered the boulders, Yan Chihuo's longsword thrust through, leaving Ru Shuang in a panic. A series of clashing sounds rang out, followed by a sharp crack, and one of her silver hooks was snapped in two.

Yan Chihuo followed up with a backhand strike. Ru Shuang dodged in a hurry, but the blade struck her side. With a thud, she collapsed to the ground. Just as Yan Chihuo prepared to finish her, the small banner erupted with brilliant light, spewing out a thick cloud of black mist that condensed into a black cloud, instantly plunging the surroundings into total darkness.

From within the black cloud, dozens of naked, handsome men and beautiful women flew out, embracing each other and striking various seductive poses. Yan Chihuo remained unaffected, but Shi San, whose skills were meager, could not resist. His face turned beet red, and he opened his arms, ready to pounce.

Yan Chihuo grabbed him and let out a thunderous shout in his ear. Shi San felt as if a lightning bolt had struck him out of thin air and immediately regained his senses.

At that moment, a man lunged toward Yan Chihuo. Yan Chihuo struck back with a palm, a faint layer of black light rising from his hand, and landed a blow squarely on the man.

The man let out a miserable shriek and dissolved into smoke. Seeing that his poison technique was effective, Yan Chihuo felt relieved and observed carefully. Although the black mist was thick, it could not block his vision. He saw the two women hiding within the layers of mist. Xuan Shuang had already applied medicine to herself, but she was still in such pain that her face had lost all color. If Yan Chihuo's previous strike had been three inches deeper, or if his Sword Qi had been slightly stronger, it would have damaged her internal organs. She gritted her teeth and hissed, "This wretch hits so hard."

At this moment, Shi San was terrified and completely at a loss. A thought occurred to Yan Chihuo, and he whispered, "You cannot see them? And you cannot hear their voices?"

Shi San cried out, "Everything in front of me is black mist; I can see nothing and hear nothing." Yan Chihuo felt reassured, realizing that the sensitivity of his own senses was even greater than he had imagined. Likewise, the opponents surely did not know he could see through the black mist. What was originally a situation where the enemy was in the dark and he was in the light had now been reversed. However, the two women were at a distance; if he could not strike them down in one blow, they would be on guard, and he would be dragged into a bitter struggle.

He pretended to be oblivious, merely wielding his sword to drive back the handsome men and beautiful women. These figures were souls captured by the Soul-Severing Banner; their strength was not weak, but since one had been destroyed by Yan Chihuo's poison technique, the woman in red did not dare let the remaining souls get too close.