Earth Shrinking Step

The man said, "You want me to make a move? Don't you know I'm gravely injured? Though I stabilized my injuries during this seclusion, my cultivation is only at the Body Tempering Middle Stage now."

The Heavenly Evil Blood Demon hurriedly said, "That man is only at the Body Tempering Middle Stage, too, and he cultivates an earth-element technique. Senior Brother, you were once a Body Forging Late Stage cultivator. Though your cultivation fell back to the Body Tempering Middle Stage because of your injuries, you're still far stronger than an ordinary Body Tempering Middle Stage cultivator. With the several treasures Master left you, killing him should be as easy as turning over your hand."

The man snorted. "There are countless strange and unusual people in the world today. Who would dare say they can certainly overpower every cultivator of the same rank? There aren't many of the treasures Master left me, either. I can't use them unless absolutely necessary. Stay here and recover first. Since that man is skilled at the Tracking Technique, he must have reached the cave entrance already. If he comes down, those Crow Monsters alone will be enough to deal with him. If he leaves, 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."

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

The man froze, his voice turning much sterner. "How do you know he's a disciple of the Cloud Soaring Sect?"

The Heavenly Evil Blood Demon said, "He's wearing the Cloud Soaring Sect's uniform."

Hearing this, Yan Chihuo chuckled inwardly. To get his senior brother to act, the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon had even made up a lie. Yet by a twist of fate, he'd guessed Yan Chihuo's identity correctly.

Why would Yan Chihuo wear the Cloud Soaring Sect's uniform when he was going to kill the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon? His senior brother, however, seemed to hate people from the Cloud Soaring Sect. Otherwise, the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon wouldn't have falsely claimed that Yan Chihuo was one of their disciples.

He heard the man say, "Since you knew he was a disciple of the Cloud Soaring Sect, why did you run here? If he alerts the sect and they send more people, won't we be in grave danger?"

The Heavenly Evil Blood Demon said, "Senior Brother, I had no choice. All the way here, I could only think of escaping. My sword wound hasn't healed—in fact, it's gotten worse."

The man said, "Though a Body Tempering Stage cultivator's body is far inferior to one at the Qi Gathering Stage, it shouldn't be this bad. Come here. Let me look at your wound."

A moment later, the man said, "So this man is a sword cultivator, and his Sword Qi is still in the wound. You were too busy escaping to drive it out, and you haven't had a chance to rest. That's why you've ended up in this state."

After another moment, the man said, "I've driven the Sword Qi out of your body. But since this man is from the Cloud Soaring Sect, you'll have to be careful. Here, go to the Earth Cave and fetch an Earth Shrinking Talisman. With this talisman, you'll be able to kill him."

Hearing this, Yan Chihuo moved toward the source of the voices. Since the man was gravely injured and only at the Body Tempering Middle Stage, there was no need to take him too seriously.

As its name suggested, the Earth Shrinking Talisman could unleash the Earth Shrinking Step spell. Though the Earth Shrinking Step was only a low-tier earth-element spell, it was extremely difficult to master. Many cultivators didn't manage to perfect it until they reached the Qi Gathering Stage.

At its pinnacle, the Earth Shrinking Step allowed one to cross a hundred zhang in an instant. Thus, in a fight, anyone who mastered the spell could catch their opponent off guard even in a head-on battle. Even someone a full rank higher would have no choice but to flee—and within a hundred zhang, escape was impossible.

How could Yan Chihuo let the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon get the Earth Shrinking Talisman? He didn't know where the Earth Cave was, but as luck would have it, the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon was coming straight toward him. The cave was pitch-black, and its passages twisted and turned. Thanks to his keen hearing and sharp eyesight, Yan Chihuo could make out most of what lay inside. How could the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon possibly spot him?

Yan Chihuo stopped beside a boulder. The Heavenly Evil Blood Demon limped toward him from the opposite direction. The instant his body had just passed the boulder, Yan Chihuo sprang out, thrust his sword straight into the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's throat, and gave it a slight twist.

The Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's eyes bulged. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Yan Chihuo had killed countless people. That single strike had severed his opponent's windpipe. He darted forward, caught the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's body, and gently lowered it to the ground. The entire sequence of movements made not the slightest sound.

But just then, Yan Chihuo felt an intense sense of danger sweep through his heart. After ten years as an assassin, his instincts had become extraordinarily keen. That gift had saved his life more times than he could count. Without a moment's thought, he lunged forward. With a crash, a translucent Green Jade Staff struck the spot where he'd just been standing, plunging more than a foot into the ground.

Yan Chihuo leaped forward several times, covering a good five zhang before turning around to look. He saw an old man in his fifties. Glancing at the ground, he drew a sharp breath. It was paved with rock harder than fine steel by a third. One could only imagine the force behind that staff.

The old man said, "Kid, I didn't expect you to make it through those Crow Monsters." The voice was the same as that of the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's senior brother.

The old man glanced at the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's corpse, fury in his eyes, and barked, "Kid, you're going to leave your life here." Without even making a gesture, he appeared before Yan Chihuo in an instant and swung the Green Jade Staff at him again.

The Earth Shrinking Step! Yan Chihuo neither dodged nor retreated. He thrust his sword forward, sliding it past the man's staff and straight toward the old man's throat. It was clearly a move that would leave both of them dead.

The old man could use the Earth Shrinking Step. Yan Chihuo knew he couldn't dodge or block his attacks. His only chance was to fight his way out of a desperate situation and meet offense with offense. Otherwise, he wouldn't last more than a few exchanges.

The old man hadn't expected Yan Chihuo to make such a move. He swept the Green Jade Staff across and blocked the sword. The clang rang out, and the old man's heart jolted. This man's magic power was astonishingly strong, and his strength was incredible, too.

Having seized the initiative, Yan Chihuo used the staff to give his sword a slight push, then leaped over the old man's head. His sword didn't pause for a moment as he thrust it toward the top of his opponent's skull.

The old man blocked again with the Green Jade Staff. Yan Chihuo's sword followed through, slashing downward as he dropped headfirst. The change in his sword's direction was lightning-fast. Against anyone else, the move would have left them flustered, if not wounded.

But the old man had once been a Body Forging Late Stage cultivator. Though his cultivation had fallen sharply, he was still far beyond an ordinary Body Tempering Middle Stage cultivator. His body suddenly vanished from the spot—that was the Earth Shrinking Step. Yan Chihuo's strike cut through empty air.

The old man appeared several zhang away. He swung his jade staff, and countless boulders the size of millstones rained down from the sky within a three-zhang radius of Yan Chihuo. The power of this Falling Rock Art was beyond comparison with Yan Chihuo's own.