The mountains and forests are green, and the afternoon sunlight is filtered by the layers of branches and leaves into fine spots, falling on the ground covered with rotten leaves.
Three dark blue figures were flying through the forest at an astonishing speed, but strangely they didn't make much noise.
Lei Zheng was walking at the front, with a steady pace and a restrained aura, but there was a faint sense of oppression that made people palpitate.
Leng Ling and Han Yue followed closely behind. The distance between the three of them was always within three feet. They echoed each other and had a perfect tacit understanding.
"Who?"
After chasing for only a few miles, Lei Zheng's footsteps suddenly stopped.
Leng Ling and Han Yue also stopped at the same time, looking ahead along the line of sight of Lei Zheng.
In the middle of the mountain road, there is a person.
This is an old man.
He was wearing a dark green robe, the corners of which fluttered slightly in the mountain breeze.
He has a slender figure, a thin face, deep wrinkles like knives, and a pale complexion that has not been exposed to sunlight all year round.
He just stood in the middle of the road casually, with his hands behind his hands, his posture relaxed, as if he was just taking a walk in the wilderness and happened to come here.
But how could this be a place for walking?
This place has gone deep into the wilderness for dozens of miles, and there is no human habitation within a radius of dozens of miles. Even hunters rarely set foot there.
It is extremely abnormal for an old man who looks like he is dying to appear alone in a place like this.
'This old man is not normal!'
Lei Zheng's brows frowned slightly.
His Spiritual Perception swept across the old man, but captured nothing.
There is no Internal Qi fluctuation, no strong Qi and blood, he looks like an extremely ordinary old man.
But it is impossible for an ordinary old man to appear here.
This is not normal!
Leng Ling's hand quietly pressed on the hilt of the sword, and a trace of vigilance flashed in his stern eyes.
Han Yue was still standing with his hands behind his hands, his face as solemn as usual, but his astonishingly bright eyes were staring at the old man, with light looming deep in his pupils.
The three of them looked at each other and saw the same judgment in each other's eyes - this old man was not normal.
"This old gentleman, for some reason, is blocking my way?"
Lei Zheng took a deep breath, kept a distance, and held hands.
His voice was polite, but there was temptation and vigilance hidden beneath it.
The old man raised his eyes and his eyes fell on Lei Zheng.
Those eyes were very cloudy, as if covered with a layer of mist, no different from those of ordinary old people.
But for some reason, Lei Zheng felt an inexplicable chill rising from his back when being stared at by these eyes, as if he was being stared at by some terrifying existence.
"This road is blocked."
The old man spoke, his voice old and flat, as if he was stating something ordinary.
"This road is blocked?"
Lei Zheng's brows furrowed.
Is this road blocked?
The old man wants to block their way?
He suppressed the uneasiness in his heart and held his hand again.
"Old sir, I have something important to do, so I would like to make it easier for you."
The old man's eyes moved away from Lei Zheng, swept over Leng Ling and Han Yue, and finally returned to Lei Zheng.
There was no emotion visible in those cloudy eyes.
"Keep going, you three will die."
It was still the same calm tone, still as if he was stating an ordinary thing.
But the content of the words caused the expressions of the three people to change slightly at the same time.
"Bluffing."
Leng Ling's brows frowned suddenly, and a trace of anger flashed in his cold eyes.
She has been practicing for decades, reaching the level of First Grade, and holds a high position in the Thunderlight Pavilion.
How dare an old guy appear out of nowhere to utter arrogant words and curse them to death?
Compared with the strength of the old man in front of her, she was more willing to believe that he had practiced Breath Concealment Secret Technique extremely well.
"Huh--"
She snorted coldly.
Press the hilt of the sword with your right hand, and with a "clang" sound, the long sword is unsheathed.
The sword body is dark blue in color, glowing with a cold luster in the afternoon sun. There are several blue gems inlaid on the sword body, and there is a faint thunder light flowing at this moment.
She slashed out with her sword.
This sword was not held back, and the First Grade warrior's terrifying cultivation level exploded without reservation.
The dark blue Sword Qi came out from the sword, faced the storm, and instantly turned into a line of horses several feet long.
With a harsh sound that broke through the air, it carried the power of Mountain-Splitting Stone-Cracking and killed the old man directly.
Wherever Sword Qi passed, the air was torn apart, a deep ravine was plowed into the ground, and the vegetation on both sides broke and fell as if blown by a typhoon.
This sword is enough to split a huge rock several feet high into two halves.
"Buzz--"
Facing this Sword Qi which was enough to Mountain-Splitting Stone-Cracking, the old man did not make any move.
There was no dodging, no blocking, not even raising a hand.
The old man just stood there quietly, with his hands behind his hands, as if the Sword Qi did not exist at all.
Sword Qi roared towards him, and in an instant he was already several feet in front of the old man.
Then--
Disintegrated.
Without any warning, without any sound, the solid dark blue Sword Qi seemed to have hit an invisible wall and disintegrated silently.
The entire Sword Qi was shattered inch by inch, turning into countless tiny light spots that were scattered in the mountain wind.
From beginning to end, the old man never even raised his eyelids.
"You..."
Leng Ling's pupils contracted violently.
Although she didn't use all her strength with that sword, she still used seven or eight points of cultivation.
Even if he is an opponent who is also a First Grade warrior, there is absolutely no way he can be defeated so lightly.
No, this isn't resolution at all - it's sheer disregard.
A chill rose from the soles of her feet, running straight up her spine and into the sky.
The knuckles of the hand holding the sword hilt were slightly white from exertion.
"..."
Lei Zheng's complexion also changed.
He is a First Grade warrior, and his combat prowess is enough to rank among the top three in the First Grade Elder cabinet.
Precisely because he stood high enough, he had a better understanding of what that scene meant.
Being able to cause a First Grade warrior's attack to disintegrate on its own so lightly was beyond his comprehension.
'Zong... master...'
Han Yue's astonishingly bright eyes were full of solemnity at this moment.
He has lived for more than sixty years and has seen many powerful people, and he has even seen a master-level powerhouse take action from a distance.
The scene just now reminded him of those existences that he could only look up to.
A guess that he didn't want to believe emerged in his mind.
The old man in front of me is a master-level powerhouse!
"..."
The old man's eyes swept over the three people.
There is still no terrible aura released, and he still looks like an ordinary old man who is about to die.
But as they were stared at by these turbid eyes, the three of them felt an indescribable chill covering their whole bodies, as if they were being targeted by some ancient ferocious beast.
Leng Ling The hand holding the sword trembled slightly, the anger just now had long since dissipated, replaced by deep fear.
She didn't even dare to look at the old man, her eyes lowered involuntarily.
Lei Zheng's Adam's apple rolled, and cold sweat oozed from his back.
Han Yue took a deep breath and suppressed the turmoil in his heart.
"This road is blocked, you three, please go back."
The old man spoke again, his voice still old and plain, as if he was talking about a trivial matter.
This time, the three of them had no hesitation.
"Yes, I'll leave right away."
Lei Zheng was the first to hand over, and his voice was many times more respectful than before.
After saying that, he turned around and left.
Leng Ling and Han Yue followed closely behind, the three of them walking faster than when they came, as if something terrible was chasing behind them.
Within a moment, three dark blue figures disappeared deep into the dense forest.
The old man stood there with his hands behind his hands, looking at the direction in which the three people were leaving. There was no emotion on his old face.
After a moment, he withdrew his gaze.
"Whoosh--"
The figure flashed and disappeared in the middle of the mountain road as if it had never appeared before.
The mountain wind blew by, picking up a few fallen leaves and swirling them into the distance.
Everything returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
Ran wildly for dozens of miles.
Lei Zheng The three of them stopped and landed on a ridge.
Leng Ling held an ancient tree with one hand, breathing heavily.
That indifferent face was now full of panic for the rest of his life, and cold sweat trickled down from his forehead, soaking his temples.
"That person just now... the powerful master?"
Her voice was hoarse, with an uncontrollable tremor.
"Can't be wrong!"
Lei Zheng said in a deep voice.
His complexion was also not pretty, and the robe on his back was soaked with cold sweat and clung to his body.
The scene just now still flashed repeatedly in his mind.
A Sword Qi that was enough to Mountain-Splitting Stone-Cracking disintegrated silently.
There is no Internal Qi fluctuation, no energy collision, not even a trace of sound.
This was beyond the scope of martial arts and beyond the limits of his understanding.
"Grandmaster..."
Han Yue spoke slowly, his voice was low, with an indescribable solemnity.
Grandmaster.
That is an existence that is superior to First Grade, a person who truly stands at the pinnacle of martial arts.
In the entire Thunderlight Pavilion, there is only one strong master who is in charge. That is the Dinghai Divine Needle in the pavilion, and it is a secret that cannot be easily used.
But the old man just now was actually a master.
"I actually attacked a grandmaster!"
Leng Ling's face turned pale. She had just attacked a grandmaster. She was so desperate.
If the other party didn't mean to hurt anyone, she would probably be a corpse at this moment.
"Is that Grandmaster a strong man from the Azure Profound Sect?"
Lei Zheng asked in a low voice.
"It should be the master of the Azure Profound Sect. I heard that Azure Profound Sect Supreme Elder Gu Changqing likes to wear green clothes, so I'm afraid he is this person."
Han Yue was silent for a moment and nodded slowly.
Lei Zheng was silent, with fear rising in his heart. If they continued to move forward, they might really die.
Facing a grandmaster, three First Grade warriors are no different from three ants.
"This matter needs to be reported to the Pavilion Master immediately."
Han Yue said in a deep voice.
Lei Zheng and Leng Ling nodded at the same time. Without further delay, the three of them unfolded Body Movement and rushed towards the Thunderlight Pavilion.
Silence returns to the ridge.
In the center of the mountain road, the dark blue figure appeared again.
Gu Changqing stood with his hands behind his hands and looked towards the direction where the three people were leaving. There was no emotion in his turbid eyes.
Yesterday, the sect received a request for help from across the county from Chen Wanjun in a special way.
After receiving the call for help, he chose to come to the rescue in person. That's why he appeared here.
Half a day later.
The mountain forests are getting thinner and the terrain is becoming gentler.
Ahead, a huge boundary monument stood quietly beside the official road, with three simple characters engraved on it - "Qingyang Prefecture".
The boundary monument is mottled and covered with moss, and it has obviously been standing here for countless years.