Just Killing

"Which rats dared set an ambush here, skulking with their heads hidden and tails tucked, too afraid to show themselves!"

Xu Qianhuan's face was as dark as water, his tiger eyes glaring ahead. He had sensed something amiss long ago and had never let down his guard. Though furious, he was not alarmed.

Silently, he drew a three-inch flying sword from his storage pouch and flicked it toward the woods on the left.

"Screech!"

The flying sword flashed away, transforming midway into a massive sword half a zhang long as it crashed into the tangled branches.

Two screams rang out, and blood spurted like fountains, splashing across the leaves before slowly dripping down.

That sudden strike had killed at least two people.

"Bold!"

The trees shook violently as nine cultivators flew up from the forests on either side, all with their faces concealed.

Judging by the aura of their spiritual power, five were at the Qi Refining Middle Stage, while three were at the Qi Refining Initial Stage.

The burly male cultivator leading them grinned viciously, a long spear in hand. His cultivation was actually at the Qi Refining Late Stage as well—the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.

The Xu Family's hearts sank to the bottom.

If it came down to an even match, the Xu Family's three Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivators would have to face five opponents!

The extra two mid-stage cultivators could either assist the late-stage cultivator in surrounding and killing Xu Qianhuan, or slaughter the elderly and weak among the horse convoy.

The situation was terribly dire!

"Attack! End this quickly and kill every last one of them here."

The burly cultivator did not waste words or indulge in verbal sparring. He immediately ordered his men to attack while charging straight at Xu Qianhuan himself.

"Boom!"

The burly cultivator struck. Dazzling blood-red light erupted from his spear, condensing into the phantom of a blood python formed from spiritual power. Its huge jaws opened as it lunged for Xu Qianhuan's throat!

The others acted as well.

Four masked bandit cultivators brought out their artifacts and clashed with the Xu Family's three Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivators.

The remaining masked bandit cultivator at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer did not join the battle. Instead, he sneakily circled around behind Xu Qianhuan, planning a surprise attack!

Facing the assault, Xu Qianhuan naturally did not dare be careless. He first activated a talisman, and a hazy curtain of water instantly formed around him.

At the same time, the green light shield produced by his jade pendant artifact contracted around the surface of his body.

Only then did he send out his flying sword again, colliding with the blood python phantom.

For a time, neither side could gain the upper hand.

"Perfect!"

Suddenly, the masked bandit cultivator at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, who had been waiting like a venomous snake lying in ambush, attacked. A streak of flying light flashed through the air.

With a "puff," the outer water curtain was shattered.

The abrupt change threw Xu Qianhuan's focus into slight disorder.

Almost at the same instant, a "boom" rang out. The burly bandit cultivator coordinated his attack and landed a hit!

Xu Qianhuan's jade pendant artifact immediately let out a mournful cry, its green light shield swaying on the verge of collapse.

The deadlock began to tip.

Meanwhile—

The Xu Family's three Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivators were also in grave danger as they fought four bandit cultivators. They were one man short, after all.

Seeing this, Master Mo gritted his teeth, slapped the Jiao Horse, and charged into the battle.

Master Mo's foundation of cultivation was at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, but his body was aged and burdened by old injuries. Even he did not know how much strength he could still wield. Yet he had no choice but to act now.

Once any of the Xu Family's Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivators was injured and forced out of the battle, the entire situation would likely collapse at once. Who would survive?

Master Mo had roamed the cultivation world for many years. His eyes were sharp and his mind clear, and he acted with decisive resolve.

At their original position, Shopkeeper Xu, Master Mo, and Lin Changheng had been joining forces against three bandit cultivators at the Qi Refining Third Layer. The first two, equipped with several artifacts, weaved through the front lines in direct combat, while Lin Changheng attacked and harassed from the side with the Fire Bullet Art and the Entanglement Art.

Now that Master Mo had left, the pressure on Shopkeeper Xu, a veteran of the Qi Refining Third Layer, surged sharply.

"I'll go crush that annoying little bug in the distance."

Unable to bear it any longer, one of them shot Lin Changheng a cold glance, killing intent chilling the air. Leaving those words behind, he withdrew from the battle and controlled a hammer artifact as he charged toward him.

The artifact whirled through the air, spitting cold light!

"Hyah!"

Lin Changheng was startled, his expression changing drastically as he hurriedly turned his horse around and fled.

"Hahahaha! Don't run, brat! You dared harass me, yet you don't dare offer up your life?"

Lin Changheng's cowardly flight only made the young bandit cultivator more arrogant as he pursued him.

Along the way, he encountered a Xu Family clerk who had fallen from his horse and had his leg trampled broken. The bandit cultivator sneered and casually smashed the man's head apart with his artifact. There was not even time for a cry of pain; red and white matter splashed everywhere, as though he were slaughtering a chicken.

Then, seeing the distance between them widening, his expression darkened. He slapped a Godly Travel Talisman onto himself.

His speed immediately surged, rapidly closing the distance. He grinned viciously. "Die for me!"

Yet Lin Changheng, who appeared to be fleeing in panic with his head tucked down, did not show the slightest trace of fear. His black eyes held only an uncommon chill.

He activated the Fire Bullet Art's hand seals and, with the Fire Control Art: Agility empowering it, formed a fist-sized fire bullet with a one-handed grasp. He turned and fired it behind him.

"So slow... As expected, just a childish trick—and you're using the same old trick again!"

The young bandit cultivator glanced at it with utter disdain. He slightly twisted his body, intending to narrowly brush past the fire bullet with precise control. At the same time, his artifact shot forward, planning to use the opportunity to close in and enter attack range.

Then, consumed by fury, he would smash Lin Changheng's head apart with his bare hands!

"Hm?"

With a clang, the fleeing man ahead suddenly raised his hand and sent out a flying knife, knocking aside his hammer artifact.

The young bandit cultivator froze. He had another artifact?

The next instant, a wave of heat rushed into his face. Only then did he realize in horror, belatedly, that the fire bullet he had clearly dodged had also turned strangely along with his body...

"Boom!"

He did not understand, nor did he have the chance to.

The fire bullet, its power forcibly compressed, smashed brutally into his face and instantly exploded into a dazzling scarlet blaze.

The protective spell he desperately activated was torn apart like thin paper. The high heat melted through flesh and skin, his blood vaporizing with a "sizzle," and his entire body instantly blackened before turning to ash.

Lin Changheng reined in his horse and turned back. Killing someone had been as calm and casual as drifting clouds and flowing water; none of the discomfort he had expected appeared.

He put away the flying knife, bent down midway to scoop up the bandit cultivator's hammer artifact where it had fallen out of control, then returned to Shopkeeper Xu's battlefield.

"Changheng!"

"How is it you?"

While Shopkeeper Xu was overjoyed, the two Qi Refining Third Layer bandit cultivators changed expression dramatically and cried out in alarm.

Lin Changheng did not answer. Instead, he sharply caught that brief lapse in their attention and immediately threw out a talisman.

Ice Talisman!

The talisman exploded, and a burst of bone-piercing cold formed out of thin air. Under his control, it instantly enveloped one of them.

"Crack, crack!"

That person's movements immediately slowed as frost climbed over his body.

"Die!"

Shopkeeper Xu was overjoyed. How could he let such an opportunity slip away? He immediately redirected his artifact to strike, and with a "screech," one arm was severed. Blood sprayed across the ground as the arm fell.

"What a pity!"

Lin Changheng shook his head. He had been just a sliver away from cutting off the man's head.

"Ah!"

Shopkeeper Xu also shook his head at once, sighing mournfully. He had to admit that age had caught up with him, then continued controlling his artifact to pursue the enemy.

But that bandit cultivator had already lost his ability to fight. He could not even spare attention for his severed arm and could only flee desperately.

The sole remaining intact Qi Refining Third Layer bandit cultivator was stunned. How long had it been? What had been a three-against-two battle with the advantage on their side had suddenly reversed into a one-against-two disadvantage!

Just as the choice of whether to fight or flee flashed through his mind, a piercing sound of air being torn apart suddenly came from the direction of the Black Water River. A dharma boat was racing toward them!