Earth Shrinking Step

"Let me make a move?" that person said. "Do you not know that I am severely injured? Although I stabilized my wounds during this seclusion, my cultivation is currently only at the Body Tempering Middle Stage."

Heavenly Evil Blood Demon hurriedly replied, "That person is also only at the Body Tempering Middle Stage, and he practices an earth-attribute cultivation method. You, Senior Brother, were once a Body Tempering Late Stage cultivator. Even though your cultivation regressed to the Middle Stage due to your injuries, you are still far superior to an ordinary Body Tempering Middle Stage cultivator. Plus, with the few treasures Master left you, killing him should be as easy as turning over one's hand."

That person snorted and said, "In this world, there are countless extraordinary people; who dares to claim they can suppress others of the same rank? The treasures Master left behind are few; I cannot use them unless absolutely necessary. You stay here and recover. Since that person is skilled in tracking, he must have already reached the outside of the cave. If he comes down, the Crow Monsters alone will be enough to finish him off. If he leaves, then so be it. Once I recover my cultivation and advance to the Qi Gathering Stage, it won't be too late to deal with him."

Heavenly Evil Blood Demon said, "But that person is a disciple of the Cloud Soaring Sect."

That person was startled, his voice turning much sterner. "How do you know he is a disciple of the Cloud Soaring Sect?"

Heavenly Evil Blood Demon replied, "He is wearing the attire of the Cloud Soaring Sect."

Yan Chihuo chuckled to himself upon hearing this. To goad his Senior Brother into acting, the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon had actually resorted to lying. Yet, by a stroke of luck, he had guessed his identity correctly.

If he wanted to kill the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon, why would he wear the attire of the Cloud Soaring Sect? It was just that his Senior Brother seemed to harbor deep hatred for the Cloud Soaring Sect; otherwise, the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon would not have falsely claimed he was their disciple.

He heard that person say, "Since you know he is a disciple of the Cloud Soaring Sect, why did you flee here? If he notifies the Cloud Soaring Sect and they send more people, wouldn't we be in extreme danger?"

Heavenly Evil Blood Demon said, "Senior Brother, I had no choice. Along the way, I was only focused on fleeing. My sword wounds not only failed to heal but have worsened."

That person said, "Although the physical body of a Body Tempering Stage cultivator is far inferior to that of the Qi Gathering Stage, it shouldn't have reached this point. Come here, let me examine your wounds."

A moment later, that person said, "So, this person is a sword cultivator. The Sword Qi is still inside the wound. You were too focused on fleeing to drive out the Sword Qi, and without proper rest, it has reached this state."

After another moment, that person said, "I have already expelled the Sword Qi from your body, but since this person is from the Cloud Soaring Sect, you must be careful. Here, go to the Earth Cave and retrieve an Earth Shrinking Talisman. With this talisman, you will be able to kill him."

Upon hearing this, Yan Chihuo followed the sound inside. Since that person was severely injured and was only a Body Tempering Middle Stage cultivator, there was no need to take him too seriously.

The Earth Shrinking Talisman, as the name suggests, is a talisman that can execute the Earth Shrinking technique. Although this Earth Shrinking is only a low-level earth-attribute spell, it is extremely difficult to master; many cultivators only manage to learn it upon reaching the Qi Gathering Stage.

When mastered to its peak, one can instantly traverse nearly a hundred feet. Therefore, in a duel, whoever masters this technique can catch their opponent off guard, even if the opponent is a rank higher, leaving them with no choice but to flee, yet unable to escape within that hundred-foot range.

Thus, how could Yan Chihuo allow the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon to retrieve this Earth Shrinking Talisman? Although he did not know where the Earth Cave was, it was a coincidence that the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon was heading straight toward him. The cave was pitch black and the path winding, but relying on his keen senses, Yan Chihuo could grasp eight or nine-tenths of the situation inside; how could the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon possibly detect him?

Yan Chihuo walked to a rock and stopped. The Heavenly Evil Blood Demon limped over from the opposite side. Just as his body passed the large rock, Yan Chihuo leaped out, his long sword thrusting straight into the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's throat, twisting it slightly.

The Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's eyes widened, his mouth agape, but he could not utter a sound.

Yan Chihuo had killed countless people; this strike had long since severed the opponent's trachea. He lunged forward, steadied the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's body, and laid it gently on the ground. This entire sequence of movements had not made a single sound.

Yet at that very moment, he felt a sense of extreme danger flash through his heart. Having been an assassin for ten years, his intuition was incredibly sharp; relying on this talent, he had escaped death many times. Without a second thought, he lunged forward. With a loud bang, a crystalline Green Jade Staff struck the exact spot where he had just been standing, sinking over a foot deep into the ground.

Yan Chihuo leaped forward several more times, covering over five yards, before turning around to look. He saw a man of about fifty years old. He glanced at the ground and gasped. The floor was paved with extremely hard rock, even tougher than refined steel; the power of that staff strike was evident.

The old man said, "Kid, I didn't expect you to be able to break through those Crow Monsters." Judging by the voice, it was indeed the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's Senior Brother.

The old man looked at the corpse of the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon, his eyes filled with rage, and he hissed, "Kid, you can just pay for this life here." Without any visible preparation, his body instantly appeared before Yan Chihuo, and the Green Jade Staff struck down once more.

Earth Shrinking! Yan Chihuo did not dodge or parry; he thrust his long sword forward, sliding past the man's staff and aiming straight for the old man's throat. This was clearly a move of mutual destruction.

Knowing the old man could use Earth Shrinking, Yan Chihuo knew he couldn't dodge or block, so he had to seek survival through aggression, attacking to counterattack; otherwise, he would never survive three or two of the opponent's moves.

The old man had not expected Yan Chihuo to use such a move. He held his Green Jade Staff horizontally to block the sword. With a clang, the old man felt a jolt in his heart—this person's magic power was incredibly robust, and his strength was shockingly great.

Yan Chihuo seized the initiative. Using the staff as leverage, he vaulted over the old man's head, his long sword continuing to strike down toward the top of the opponent's skull without hesitation.

The old man blocked again with his Green Jade Staff, and Yan Chihuo took advantage of the momentum to slash downward, landing head-first. This change in sword technique was incredibly fast; if it were anyone else, they would likely be in a panic even if they weren't injured.

But this old man was, after all, a former Body Tempering Late Stage cultivator. Although his cultivation had dropped significantly, he was not comparable to an ordinary Body Tempering Middle Stage cultivator. Suddenly, his body vanished from the spot—it was the Earth Shrinking technique—and Yan Chihuo's sword struck empty air.

The old man's figure then reappeared several yards away. He waved his jade staff, and countless millstone-sized rocks began to fall from the air within a ten-foot radius around Yan Chihuo. The power of this Falling Rock Art was far greater than anything Yan Chihuo could have unleashed.