Li Qing cautiously advanced through the shadows, making his way down a narrow alley.
He kept glancing behind him, alert to any danger that might appear.
I hope no one followed me.
Suddenly, he stopped.
A figure cloaked in black stood in his path.
Li Qing narrowed his eyes. "You came after all. What a nuisance."
A low voice rang out. "Friend, why are you blocking my way?"
The black-robed figure's eyes were filled with beastlike pupils, and a low, hoarse growl sounded.
"Because... your flesh... smells so sweet."
"Let me eat you... Ah!"
As soon as the words fell, he lunged ferociously.
Rushing water.
A surge of black water, steeped in bitter cold, billowed from his hands and swept toward Li Qing.
Li Qing's expression tightened. He flickered away, slipping through the wall beside him.
The Shadow Art could pass through any obstacle. He wasn't about to fight his opponent to the death here.
He silently slipped into the shadows, the blackness of the Shadow Art blending into the darkness around him.
A chill swept in from all directions, gradually draining the Shadow Art's vital essence.
A figure vaulted over the wall and landed inside. Behind his strange cloak, two bizarre black tentacles stretched out.
The tentacles twitched strangely, as though sensing something in the air.
A pair of beastlike pupils glimmered beneath the black hood, seemingly searching for a target.
Silent killing intent filled the backyard of an ordinary home.
Seeing the two strange tentacles extending from the black-robed man's back, Li Qing's expression grew grave.
"He's the one from that street."
"He came specifically for me. Is my flesh his target?"
"Looks like cultivators in this world turn into monsters once something goes wrong. They even become bloodthirsty. They seem to enjoy slaughtering their own kind."
Li Qing quietly gripped the Hundred-Forged Steel Blade at his side, waiting for an opening.
The man had tracked him here, which meant he clearly had some ability to follow his prey.
Li Qing couldn't stay in the shadows forever.
Suddenly, the figure on the wall flickered and vanished. A low growl rang out.
"Found you!"
The figure came straight at him, its two tentacles shooting forward first and whipping toward Li Qing.
Li Qing narrowed his eyes. His surging vital essence poured into the Hundred-Forged Steel Blade in his hand.
The blade flashed. In an instant, a streak of blood-red light sliced precisely across the two tentacles.
Clang! Clang!
The astonishing sight made Li Qing's expression shift.
The opponent's tentacles were like metal, clashing with his blade at least ten times in an instant.
Sparks burst out. They were evenly matched.
His left hand had already taken hold of the Spirit Summoning Tablet without a sound.
He poured vital essence into it, and a dragon-shaped phantom instantly lunged out.
"Moo!"
The Flood Dragon's roar exploded through the air. Its natural pressure made the man freeze.
The Flood Dragon pounced at him, and the man cried out in alarm.
"A magical artifact!"
He spun and leapt aside, dodging the Flood Dragon's attack, then raised his hand and shot out a Jade Talisman.
The Jade Talisman flashed and transformed into a hazy green glow.
The Flood Dragon had already turned and was charging at him again, landing directly on the green light.
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The green glow wavered under the Flood Dragon's attack. The mysterious man sent another surge of black water sweeping toward Li Qing.
The air filled with a bone-chilling cold. Li Qing narrowed his eyes and pointed a finger.
A burst of blood-red flame surged out, colliding with the black torrent in an instant.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.
The air filled with the sound of water and fire meeting.
Gripping the Hundred-Forged Steel Blade, Li Qing moved into an intricate stance. With a flicker, he crossed several meters and brought down a dazzling slash at his opponent.
This strike carried Weapon Spirit Connection, its blood-red light boiling to the utmost.
The black-robed man's scalp went numb. The two tentacles behind him had already moved to block the blade.
Crack!
The strike was ferocious. The instant it crashed into the tentacles, the Burning Blood Flame erupted once more.
In a flash, it swept off the blade and completely engulfed the man.
"Ah!" A bloodcurdling scream rang out.
Then it stopped abruptly. The blade had cut him in half from head to toe.
"Haah... haah..."
Li Qing panted heavily. Everything had seemed to take a long time, but it had all happened in just one or two breaths.
He had already spent most of his vital essence. He had used every means at his disposal to win.
He waved his hand, extinguishing the Burning Blood Flame.
The Flood Dragon's phantom had already flown silently back into the Spirit Summoning Tablet.
Li Qing tore open the black robe. Beneath it was a twisted, horrifying corpse.
At first glance, his scalp had prickled. The corpse's face was covered in countless black pustules, and the tentacles had grown from either side of his waist.
He quickly searched the corpse from head to toe, soon finding a cloth pouch about the size of a human head. It seemed to contain quite a few things.
Li Qing glanced at the house behind him. It was quiet inside, but he knew someone seemed to be watching him.
He bent down and grabbed the corpse. The Shadow Art quietly activated, blackness shrouding him and the body. With a flicker, they vanished.
Only then did the family of three inside the house finally breathe a little easier.
The man of the house looked frightened. "He's gone."
"Let's hurry and get some sleep. It'll be all right tomorrow."
The woman, also frightened, nodded and led her child back to bed.
Li Qing carried the corpse and casually tossed it into the alley. Someone would find it tomorrow and take it away.
He quietly left with the cloth pouch.
A quarter of an hour later, he returned to his own courtyard at the All-Under-Heaven Escort Agency.
He lit the lamp in his room, brought over the cloth pouch, and emptied it all onto the table.
Several items came into view.
A black sphere about the size of a thumb. He weighed it in his hand; it was at least a pound and clearly no ordinary object.
A transparent stone, exactly like the one left behind by the monster he had killed at the relay station.
A hint of delight showed in his eyes. "This is a good thing. It can increase my vital essence."
Two books, a white Jade Talisman, ten Dharma Coins, and a black medicinal herb shaped like a mushroom.
There was also a stack of silver notes, worth at least a thousand taels.
Looking at the items, a smile appeared on Li Qing's face.
"Horse feed at night fattens no horse; murder and arson make a man rich. Build bridges and pave roads, and you'll be left with corpses. I've fattened up again."
He tucked away the silver notes and arranged the other items neatly.
His eyes flickered faintly as he looked at the two books.
He reached out and touched them. New text soon flashed across the Jade Tablet in his mind.
One was a diary, its contents unchanged. The other was a cultivation manual.
It was originally called the Black Water Profound Yin Art. Its cultivation method left him clicking his tongue in surprise.