The Iron Lion Mystic Beast was a First Level Mystic Beast, over three meters tall. It had the head of a lion, its body covered in thick iron hide, and a pair of blood-red eyes as large as fists.
Yu Yan was somewhat frightened. She slightly tucked her head down, her five slender jade-like fingers tightly clutching Ning Xiaochuan's arm.
Sitting in the Azure Deer Carriage, Ning Xiaochuan sensed the intense killing intent radiating from the five men. They had undoubtedly come for him. It seemed that someone in the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion still wanted to cut the grass at the roots and leave no survivor.
When the Old Marquis sent Ning Xiaochuan to Begonia Manor, he had originally thought it would allow him to stay far away from conflict. Yet he had not expected that the conversation between Ji Bo and Ning Xiaochuan would be overheard by a Martial Dao expert who had cultivated the "Heavenly Ear Spiritual Connection," bringing a deadly calamity upon him.
The five men were entirely clad in black armor, making their appearances impossible to see. Yet Ning Xiaochuan's eyesight was exceptional, and it was as though a voice in his heart told him the level of cultivation of those before him.
Two were at the Profound Qi Sixth Level, two were at the Profound Qi Seventh Level, and the warrior riding atop the Iron Lion Mystic Beast at the front was even more unfathomable—a master who had surpassed the Profound Qi Ninth Heaven.
This is bad! With so many powerful enemies, how can I escape? Although Ning Xiaochuan's heart had sunk to the bottom, his face remained calm, without a trace of panic.
It was a state of mind he had retained from his days as a doctor. No matter how perilous the situation, he had to remain calm—absolutely calm.
Once he panicked first, it would truly be over.
"Yu Yan, get inside the carriage first. No matter what happens later, don't be afraid!" Ning Xiaochuan tightly gripped the whip covered in green scales. It was made from the hide of an Azure Boa Snake, two zhang and three chi long, and was his only weapon at present.
Yu Yan was terrified to the extreme; even her jade-like legs beneath her skirt had gone weak. How could she still move? Hei Lin, seated atop the Iron Lion Mystic Beast, was also somewhat astonished. He had not expected this sickly fellow to possess such courage. Under the powerful aura of their group, even martial artists who cultivated Martial Dao Profound Qi would turn pale and have their legs go weak, yet Ning Xiaochuan could still remain calm!
"Hei Si, go kill that woman and seize the Gold Thread Purple Wood Box." Hei Lin's voice was icy, devoid of any emotion.
"Whoosh—"
Hei Si was covered from head to toe in armor, radiating a chilling aura. He drew a broad-backed battle saber weighing eighty jin, rode the Iron Lion Mystic Beast, and charged toward the Azure Deer Carriage.
Hei Si's cultivation had reached the Profound Qi Sixth Level. A dense layer of Martial Dao Profound Qi surged from within him and wrapped around his battle saber as he slashed down at Yu Yan's head.
Ning Xiaochuan spun around, threw himself over Yu Yan, and rolled into the carriage compartment.
Bang!
With a flash of saber light, the entire roof of the carriage was cut away, leaving a neat incision. Wooden boards flew out and crashed onto the ground.
A trace of surprise appeared in Hei Si's eyes. He had never imagined that his strike would miss. He leaped down from the Iron Lion Mystic Beast, landed beside the Azure Deer Horse, and reached out to yank open the carriage curtain.
Hei Si's vision blurred as he felt a massive gust of air blast toward him.
Boom!
From behind the carriage curtain, a palm wrapped in Profound Qi struck out, blasting the unprepared Hei Si flying.
Even the broad-backed battle saber in Hei Si's hand flew free, embedding itself in the ground some distance away.
"What is going on?"
Fury rose in Hei Si's heart. He flipped himself upright and pushed the Martial Dao Profound Qi within him to the limit. Black Profound Qi enveloped his palm as he struck toward the carriage compartment.
Bang!
Another palm shot out from within the carriage and collided with Hei Si's palm strike.
Sizzle, sizzle!
Within the black armor, Hei Si's expression changed drastically. He felt the blood energy in his body being pulled out by a whirlpool-like force, streaming from the gaps in his armor.
A moment later, all the blood in Hei Si's body had drained away, turning him into a dried corpse. Only because he wore armor could no one see the change in his body.
Hei Lin and the other three warriors clad in black armor all realized that something was wrong. Whether it was that delicate-looking young girl or Ning Xiaochuan, both seemed utterly powerless. How could either of them send Hei Si flying with a single palm strike?
"Hei Si, come back!" Hei Lin shouted coldly.
Bang!
Hei Si had long since become a dried corpse and naturally could not hear his command. His body lost its support and dropped to its knees beneath the Azure Deer Carriage.
The armor still held up his body, but the living man had already become a dead one.
Ning Xiaochuan sat steadily in the carriage compartment and lifted the curtain. "No need to call him. He's already dead."
"Whoosh—"
"Whoosh—"
The remaining four black-armored warriors simultaneously drew their battle sabers and stared at Ning Xiaochuan as if facing a great enemy! Who could have imagined that a notoriously sickly weakling could kill an iron-blooded warrior of the Profound Qi Sixth Level?
Hei Lin's eyes narrowed. "So you have known how to cultivate all along. It seems you have been concealing your talents and biding your time all these years. This was the Old Marquis's intention, wasn't it? No—that cannot be right. The Old Marquis clearly said you only had half a year left to live. That means even he did not know you could cultivate Martial Dao Profound Qi. You actually deceived everyone."
Ning Xiaochuan sat within the carriage with his back ramrod straight. Blood raced through his body, yet there was not a hint of fear on his face. "How did you know the Old Marquis said I only had half a year left to live? And how did you know I had the Gold Thread Purple Wood Box?"
Hei Lin gave a cold laugh. "I have already reached the Divine Body Realm. One of the Innate Divine Powers born within me is the 'Heavenly Ear Spiritual Connection.' My hearing is divine. I heard every word of the conversation between you and Ji Bo."
"So that's how it is. Ning Qianwu sent you, didn't he?" Ning Xiaochuan said.
Hei Lin merely laughed coldly, without answering Ning Xiaochuan's question. "Originally, I only intended to break your legs. But since you can cultivate Martial Dao Profound Qi, you cannot be allowed to live."
Just as Hei Lin raised his hand, he abruptly lowered it again. His gaze fixed on the far end of the road, curiosity appearing in his eyes. "Who is it?"
The temperature in the air plummeted. Cold mist billowed as flakes of white snow drifted down! A woman in white emerged from the snow, her figure peerlessly beautiful, black hair cascading like a waterfall. A layer of white gauze covered her face, revealing only a pair of beautiful eyes.
Behind her, a mass of Profound Qi condensed into the phantom of a seven-meter-tall white qilin. Its head was enormous, its gaze fierce, and its claws sharp.
Hei Lin stared at the veiled woman, disdain on his face. "It is actually a woman. Could it be that you intend to interfere in this matter?"
The veiled woman spoke no unnecessary words. Her Profound Qi condensed into a seven-chi-long sword, and amid snow filling the sky, she slashed at Hei Lin.
Her body was slender, Profound Qi winding around her like a lost butterfly amid the snow. Even the movement of her sword was exceedingly elegant.
"I'll handle her. You kill Ning Xiaochuan."
Hei Lin gave the order, then rode the Iron Lion Mystic Beast toward the veiled woman.
"It's Miss." Delight appeared on Yu Yan's face.
Yet Ning Xiaochuan showed no delight at all. Three Iron Lion Mystic Beasts were already charging toward them, and each of the three pitch-black battle sabers was wrapped in a layer of black Profound Qi.
Ning Xiaochuan flicked his whip and wrapped it around the wrist of the warrior with the lowest cultivation. With a fierce pull of his arm, he dragged that warrior from the Iron Lion Mystic Beast and slammed him heavily onto the ground.
Ning Xiaochuan leaped down from the carriage, picked up Hei Si's battle saber, and sent the blood within his body racing madly. Blood energy surged from his palm and filled the blade.
With a sweep of his arm, the blade carved out a crescent arc!
Splurt!
The head of that black-armored warrior lying on the ground separated from his body, and scalding blood poured from his neck.
After killing the black-armored warrior, Ning Xiaochuan immediately fled into the nearby forest with his saber. Yet one of the pursuing black-armored warriors still struck him across the back, leaving a shallow saber wound.
Fortunately, he had escaped in time. Otherwise, that blow would have split his body in two.
Ning Xiaochuan circulated his Martial Dao Profound Qi, temporarily stopping the bleeding from his wound, and continued rushing deep into the forest.
The two black-armored warriors also leaped down from their Iron Lion Mystic Beasts. With battle sabers in hand, they moved as swiftly as two black specters, weaving through the trees as they pursued Ning Xiaochuan.
I finally got them to jump down from the Iron Lion Mystic Beasts. They are wearing heavy armor, so their speed will definitely be affected.
The reason Ning Xiaochuan fled into the forest was because the trees were densely packed, making it unsuitable for the Iron Lion Mystic Beasts to run.
Once those two warriors, completely covered in black armor, jumped off the Iron Lion Mystic Beasts, their armor would add to their burden and certainly slow them down. They might not necessarily be able to catch Ning Xiaochuan.
However, Ning Xiaochuan had still underestimated the power of Profound Qi Seventh Level martial artists. Even in heavy armor, they were still slightly faster than him and rapidly closed the distance.
Both of them are at the Profound Qi Seventh Level. I am no match for them now. What should I do? What should I do? Ning Xiaochuan clenched his fists tightly. The Demon Sword in his Blood Aperture seemed to come alive again, letting out a joyful hum.
After absorbing all of Hei Si's blood energy, the Martial Dao Profound Qi in Ning Xiaochuan's body had expanded by another measure, but he still had not broken through to the Profound Qi Seventh Level.
Just as the two men behind him were about to catch up, Ning Xiaochuan abruptly halted and slashed backward, cutting at one black-armored warrior's neck.
That black-armored warrior seemed prepared. The battle saber in his hand also came down in a slash.
Bang! Ning Xiaochuan only felt an immense force travel through the saber, numbing his arm and splitting the web between his thumb and forefinger. It felt as though all five fingers were about to break.
So powerful!
The Profound Qi Sixth Level and the Profound Qi Seventh Level truly were not on the same level of strength.
Ning Xiaochuan rapidly retreated.
But another black-armored warrior attacked from behind, sweeping his saber horizontally to sever Ning Xiaochuan's neck.
Ning Xiaochuan sank his legs and narrowly evaded the strike, swiftly retreating three zhang away.
In only a few exchanges, Ning Xiaochuan had hovered between life and death, liable to die beneath the enemy's blades at any moment. Wounds had appeared behind his ear and on the web of his hand, hot blood flowing from them...
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