Three Great Experts

Ning Xiaochuan pursued from behind, murderous intent already rising in his heart.

Although Ning Xiaochuan was a healer, he never showed mercy to his enemies.

Bang!

Profound Qi condensed into a stream of profound force, transforming into a sword that was half tangible and half illusory. It shot through the air and struck Xiao Li in the back, sending him flying forward. He crashed into a great tree like a dog pouncing on dung, smashing his head bloody.

Xiao Li rolled across the ground, cast a terrified glance at Ning Xiaochuan chasing after him, then scrambled up and fled at top speed once more.

Ning Xiaochuan continuously fired streams of sword Qi and profound force from behind, blasting Xiao Li's back into a bloody mess. His body was covered in wounds, with even white bones exposed.

In the end, Xiao Li's injuries were simply too severe. He could no longer hold on; darkness fell over his vision, and he plunged headfirst to the ground, his face smashing into the mud and sand.

He struggled to raise his head, staring in terror at Ning Xiaochuan as he approached step by step. His heart was filled with utter despair.

Ning Xiaochuan condensed a Profound Qi Sword in his hand and walked forward step by step. "It should end now."

Ning Xiaochuan thrust his sword down!

Whoosh!

A finger sword flew out from the dark forest, striking the Profound Qi Sword in Ning Xiaochuan's hand and knocking it off course.

The Profound Qi Sword veered slightly. Rather than piercing Xiao Li's heart, it stabbed into his back and ran through his body.

"Brazen! You dare commit murder in the Imperial City? A crime punishable by death!" A cold voice rang out from the dark night, startling many birds in the forest into flapping away.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Three figures leaped swiftly across the treetops in the night. Each leap carried them more than thirty meters, and they moved as fast as three shadows.

The cultivation of these three was extraordinarily high. From several kilometers away, they had launched a finger sword capable of knocking aside Ning Xiaochuan's Profound Qi Sword. Such cultivation was enough to shock the world.

Ning Xiaochuan saw only three black shadows flying over like specters through the night sky. Every leap spanned more than thirty meters, and the whistling cries they gave off shook his blood and Qi into turmoil, nearly causing his body to explode.

"What powerful people!"

Knowing that experts had arrived, Ning Xiaochuan did not dare linger and immediately fled.

After a while, the three figures drifted down from the crowns of the trees and landed steadily on the ground.

Each held a long spear as thick as the mouth of a bowl. It was eighteen feet long, five or six times longer than their bodies, and when planted on the ground, it stood taller than a tree trunk. It was practically a pillar carved with mysterious patterns.

These were Dragon Elephant Halberd Spears, weapons only Dragon Elephant Divine Martial warriors could possess.

Dragon Elephant Halberd Spears were Third-Grade Profound Weapons, weighing three thousand eight hundred jin. Only Dragon Elephant Divine Martial warriors with formidable cultivation could wield such spears with ease.

When a long spear swept out, it could sweep through three armies. With the strength of one person, it could crush thousands of soldiers.

Powerful fluctuations of Profound Qi flowed around all three of them. Their martial cultivation was unfathomably deep, making them figures every martial cultivator had to look up to.

Standing at the front was a peerlessly beautiful woman with blue hair and emerald eyes. Her bearing was cold and proud, her figure slender, her legs straight and fine. Her long hair cascaded like a blue waterfall, giving her an indescribable sense of soft beauty.

Two streams of profound radiance, each three feet long, shot from her bright eyes. She merely glanced at Xiao Li lying on the ground before saying, "A genius. He possesses a Gluttonous Heart Palace, shaped like a beast. What a pity that a villain pierced his lung and inflicted grave injuries."

Her pupils were green, pure and clear as emerald jade.

"The Gluttonous Heart Palace is considered a top-tier Heart Palace even among Variant Beast-Shape Heart Palaces. His future martial achievements will be impossible to measure. Captain, shall we recruit him into the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion?" Zuo Jinfeng crouched and lifted Xiao Li up. White Profound Qi burst from his palm as he helped Xiao Li stabilize the injuries within his body.

These three were precisely the three great experts of the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion: Ji Hanxing, Zuo Jinfeng, and You Zui.

Ji Hanxing held her spear horizontally, her curvaceous body standing straight. Her eyelashes were long, her delicate nose crystalline, and she said icily, "High talent alone does not qualify one to enter the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion. But the Gluttonous Heart Palace is indeed rare, and his potential is immense. Send him first to the Vajra Martial Academy of Heavenly Emperor Academy. Let Dean Yan train him for a time, then we shall see whether he is qualified to enter the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion."

"Eh! Captain, come look!" There was a trace of terror in Zuo Jinfeng's voice.

The three great experts of the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion all fixed their gazes on Xiao Li's arm. That arm had withered severely; its blood had been drained completely, it had utterly lost its vitality, and it resembled the arm of a dried corpse.

"The Blood Devouring Demon Art! This was the work of someone from the Demon Sect. The Demon Sect has come to the Imperial City again."

The expressions of the three great experts of the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion changed slightly.

Ji Hanxing frowned faintly. She lightly cut the middle finger of her slender left hand, leaving a bloody mark on her jade-like fingertip. A drop of blood fell from it, giving off a fragrant scent as it landed on Xiao Li's shriveled arm.

Whoosh—

That single drop of her blood erupted with dazzling scarlet light, like a crimson divine lamp. It contained intense life force and blossomed in the air into a blood-colored divine flower.

The blood-colored divine flower fell onto Xiao Li's withered arm, causing the shriveled muscles to rapidly revive. Flesh grew back, and his skin became youthful again.

A single drop of blood transformed into a divine flower.

It completely restored the blood and Qi Xiao Li had lost, regenerating vitality in his arm and making it even stronger! Zuo Jinfeng and You Zui exchanged looks. The captain truly was the captain—her cultivation was unimaginably powerful. A single drop of blood could restore life to someone drained by the Blood Devouring Demon Art. They absolutely could not accomplish such a thing.

The wound on Ji Hanxing's finger healed on its own without leaving even a scar, smooth and lustrous as jade.

Suddenly, her eyes fell upon the footprints on the ground, and three-foot cold radiance burst from her pupils again. "The footprints are exactly the same, and so is the aura."

The footprints on the ground reminded her of those left by the mysterious person in Nanyue Mountain who had rescued Minister Tian.

Ji Hanxing immediately gave her orders. "Zuo Jinfeng, take this youth to Heavenly Emperor Academy. You Zui, report to the Marquis that Minister Tian may have been rescued by someone from the Demon Sect."

Zuo Jinfeng and You Zui both departed at top speed.

Ji Hanxing followed the footprints on the ground in pursuit of the person who had rescued Minister Tian. But when she reached the riverbank, the footprints vanished.

Clearly, that person had already jumped into the river to conceal his aura.

"You think I cannot track you once you jump into the river? You will have to come ashore eventually." Ji Hanxing stared at the surging riverbank. Her skin was like icy jade, her long hair danced in the wind, and spiritual light flickered in her eyes.

Holding the Dragon Elephant Halberd Spear, she released clouds of white Profound Qi beneath her feet. Her body rose into the air and landed steadily atop the river's surface.

Like a beauty capable of toppling a city standing upon a mirror, her body did not sink. She watched both banks of the great river, and the moment anyone climbed ashore, she would discover them.

Only after swimming in the water for six hours did Ning Xiaochuan come ashore along a hidden stretch of river. Looking at a ray of sunlight rising over the distant water, he felt considerably more at ease.

This place was already dozens of kilometers from where he had jumped into the river. Even if someone wanted to trace him, they could not track him down in a short time.

"Good thing I escaped quickly. Those three must all be supreme experts. If they learn that I cultivated a demon art, they will certainly slay me in the name of eliminating demons and defending the Way."

Ning Xiaochuan had not cultivated a demon art, but he possessed the Demon Sword within his body. It could devour human blood, which was no different from a demon art.

He could only hope Xiao Li was already dead. Otherwise, with Xiao Li's vengeful nature, he would become an endless source of future trouble.

Although he had narrowly escaped death over the past two days, his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds. His only regret was likely that cartload of coins.

That had been more than six million Small Coins, over a hundred stalks of Mysterious Medicine, and a branch of Blood Toad Wood, worth absolutely more than ten million. He had no idea which bastard had benefited from it. Two days had already passed, and Ning Xiaochuan no longer hoped to recover those coins and the Blood Toad Wood. He could only admit his bad luck at running into a madman.

Ning Xiaochuan believed he had not offended anyone. Even if he had, it was Silver Pool Madam. What did it have to do with Xiao Li, not even half a copper coin's worth? Ning Xiaochuan sighed and began walking back.

Though he had been cautious enough, he had still underestimated the prowess of the three great experts of the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion. Before long, Ji Hanxing landed at the place where he had just climbed ashore and followed the footprints he had left behind in pursuit.