Nine Nether Demon Lotus

The man in black drove his magic artifact, shooting straight toward Lu Lin's position like a streak of blood-red light, his speed frighteningly fast.

When Lu Lin saw this, instead of being startled, he was delighted.

His goal had been to stall the man in the first place. Now that the man in black had taken the initiative to chase him, it was exactly what he wanted!

He immediately used Spirit Cat Step, his figure flitting through the dense forest like a ghost, leaving trail after trail of afterimages behind him.

In just a few breaths, the man in black had already closed in on the great tree where Lu Lin had been hiding moments ago.

Without the slightest hesitation, he slashed out with his sword. Dozens of sharp sword beams poured down like a tide, instantly grinding the branches and leaves in that area into dust.

But when the sword beams dispersed, the space below was completely empty. Where was there even half a person's shadow?

"Hmph, slippery, aren't you! Let's see how long you can hide!"

The man in black gave a cold snort and rode his magic artifact high into the air, his eagle-sharp gaze sweeping over the ground below, not letting the slightest movement escape him.

Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a figure racing through the forest.

"Found you!"

Killing intent surged in the man in black's eyes. He dove downward, formed a sword art with his hand, and the blood-red flying sword howled as it stabbed toward that figure.

That figure was Lu Lin!

"Hmph!"

Lu Lin abruptly stopped, his expression calm as still water, while the qi and blood within him roared like an enraged dragon, surging madly into his right arm.

"Demonic Ape Dragon-Capturing Hand!"

He gave a low shout and reached out with a claw through the air.

In an instant, his surging qi and blood condensed into a gigantic demonic ape's palm. Bloodlight coiled around its center, its lines distinct, and it gave off a terrifying aura as if it could seize a mighty dragon!

The next moment, the blood-colored ape palm accurately caught the blood-red flying sword, and its five fingers suddenly clenched!

Bzzz!

The flying sword trembled violently, struggling madly like a trapped venomous snake.

The man in black drove it with all his strength. Sword beams hacked down one after another onto the ape palm, yet they could only leave shallow sword marks and could not break free at all.

"Get lost!"

Lu Lin swung his arm, actually hurling the blood-red flying sword dozens of meters away by force!

"You..."

The man in black was both shocked and furious.

He had never imagined that there would be such a powerful martial artist under Luo Siqing's command. That earlier sword strike would have meant certain death even for a tenth-level Body Tempering martial artist, yet not only was this man unharmed, he could even counter his flying sword... Such strength had already far surpassed an ordinary tenth-level Body Tempering cultivator!

"A martial artist is still just a martial artist! So what if you're strong? Die! Dark Snake Sun-Swallowing Sword!"

The man in black shouted fiercely, recalled his flying sword, and rapidly formed seals with both hands. Spiritual power boiled around him, turning into strands of black haze that poured into the sword's body.

Bzzz!

The blood-red flying sword trembled incessantly, its light swelling wildly, dense black qi mingling within the bloodlight.

Then the flying sword shot into the air and transformed midway into a dark-red giant snake, opening its bloody maw as it lunged at Lu Lin!

This was an extremely profound sword art of the Blood Baleful Demon Sect, the Dark Snake Sun-Swallowing Sword Art.

Under normal circumstances, only Foundation Establishment cultivators could master it, but this man in black had exceptional talent and had also received guidance from an expert, allowing him to master the first form while still in the Qi Refining stage.

The dark snake howled, swallowing and spitting out sun and moon, its might astonishing. Wherever it passed, plants withered, rotted, and then burst apart.

Against such a strange spell, Lu Lin naturally would not choose to meet it head-on. He used Spirit Cat Step with all his strength, darting nimbly through the mountains and forest as he dodged the opponent's attacks.

The man in black drove the sword art and attacked seven or eight times in a row, but none of them struck Lu Lin; Lu Lin dodged them all with agile movements.

This made him grit his teeth in fury. Then he slapped his storage pouch, and two talismans flew out, igniting without flame and turning into two bolts of lightning as thick as arms, which struck down at Lu Lin head-on.

Their speed was so fast that Lu Lin had no way to dodge. In an instant, they had reached the top of his head.

Lu Lin could only erupt with all his qi and blood, spreading it over his entire body.

Bang! Bang!

The two bolts of lightning struck with perfect accuracy, blasting Lu Lin's qi and blood into turbulence around him, crackling and hissing.

The powerful impact made Lu Lin stagger several steps and nearly fall, but after only a few stumbles, he steadied himself. He was actually completely unharmed and continued sprinting.

"He blocked even that?!" The man in black was dumbstruck.

Those two lightning talismans were astonishingly powerful. An ordinary tenth-level Body Tempering martial artist would die without a doubt from just one, yet this man had taken two in a row and was still safe and sound... Just what kind of monster was he?

"Damn it, my whole body's numb... If I weren't trying not to expose myself, I'd have shot you dead long ago!"

Below, Lu Lin gnashed his teeth.

Fortunately, he had been tempered by many kinds of martial arts, and his muscles and bones were far tougher than those of others at the same level, which was why he could withstand the power of the lightning talismans head-on.

Seeing that the lightning talismans had achieved nothing, the man in black could only continue driving his sword art in pursuit.

But Lu Lin's movement technique was far too agile, and the Dark Snake Sword Art was always a step too slow to catch him.

"This bastard... he's deliberately stalling for time!"

The man in black suddenly came to his senses.

"Killing Luo Siqing comes first! As long as she dies, these guards will naturally be buried with her!"

At that thought, he stopped tangling with him, withdrew his sword art, and rode his flying sword straight toward the mountain hollow.

"Trying to leave?"

Lu Lin bent his bow and nocked an arrow. The bowstring thrummed, and an arrow tore through the air toward the man in black's back.

But the man in black had long been on guard. The skull hovered behind him, protecting his body, while the blood-colored flying sword stood ready at any moment. As the arrow drew near, the flying sword slashed and sent the Spirit-Breaking Arrow flying.

Lu Lin fired two arrows in succession, and both were blocked.

In the forest below, Fang Hong, Lan Zhu, and the others also drew their bows one after another, arrows raining toward the man in black.

However, aside from the arrows shot by the four at the tenth layer of Body Tempering, which required his focused attention to deal with, he could ignore the rest.

The man in black blocked the arrows while closing in on Luo Siqing, and the distance between them grew shorter and shorter.

A cold light flashed in Lu Lin's eyes, and the blood and qi around him began to boil.

He was already prepared to use his full strength, even if it meant exposing himself. If a genius like Luo Siqing were to fall, the fury of the Blood Baleful Demon Sect's higher-ups would make the end of guards like them extremely miserable.

Just as he resolved to strike with all his might, Luo Siqing, who had been breaking through in the mountain hollow, abruptly opened her eyes!

Black flames burned fiercely in her pupils, deep and pitch-dark, carrying monstrous killing intent.

"You're courting death!"

Whoosh!

Luo Siqing rode her artifact into the sky. With a soft shout, a pitch-black demonic saber flew out and transformed into a ten-meter giant blade that chopped down at the man in black!

The man in black was shocked and hurriedly offered up his blood-colored flying sword to meet it.

Boom!

Blade and sword clashed, Sword Qi and saber light sweeping in all directions, but they stalemated for only an instant before the blood-colored flying sword let out a mournful cry and flew backward, its light dimming.

The man in black seemed to suffer a heavy blow and was sent retreating dozens of meters.

"Luo Siqing, you... you've broken through to the ninth layer of Qi Refining?!" His voice was filled with disbelief.

"Whether eighth layer or ninth layer, it's enough to kill you."

Luo Siqing's voice was indifferent, threaded with powerful confidence. The demonic saber rose again, its light even brighter, and went straight for the man in black!

"Arrogant! So what if you've broken through to the ninth layer? We're both at the ninth layer—how could I be weaker than anyone? Dark Snake Sun-Swallowing Sword, kill!"

The man in black shouted, spiritual power boiling as the blood-colored flying sword once more turned into a dark-red giant snake and pounced at Luo Siqing.

"Dark Snake Sun-Swallowing Sword... you're Dong Chuan!" Luo Siqing said coldly.

The man in black did not answer and pushed the sword art with all his strength.

"A mere Dark Snake Sun-Swallowing Sword dares show off its might? Today I'll let you see what true divine ability is. Nine Nether Demon Lotus, rise!"

Luo Siqing's hands flew through incantation seals, and dense black flames spread from around her. As the seals were completed, the black flames rapidly expanded, transforming into a black demon lotus over ten meters in diameter.

In the lotus heart, raging flames burned, giving off an aura that made one's heart tremble!

Boom!

The black lotus and the dark-red giant snake collided head-on, and the giant snake shattered in an instant! That blood-colored flying sword lost all its light and fell to the earth.

"Nine Nether Demon Lotus! You're only in the Qi Refining stage—how could you have cultivated this art?!"

The man in black let out a terrified scream and turned to flee.

But the moment he turned, he discovered that black lotuses had appeared around him at some unknown time, surrounding him completely...