Daoist Yan

Of course, Daoist Yan had the capital to be arrogant. His seemingly clumsy swordsmanship was clearly far beyond Lu Bing's level. However, Yu Ci was completely unfazed. His expression was cold and stern. Although unarmed, he still channeled his spiritual energy, preparing to rely on Talisman Arts to launch a joint attack with Lu Bing on this villain.

Seeing Yu Ci's calm demeanor, Daoist Yan chuckled and suddenly shouted:

"Slice!"

As soon as the words fell, Yu Ci saw a red line extend from the void. He opened his mouth, but before he could utter a sound, he witnessed the sky-splitting sword light shatter. Lu Bing and his treasured sword simultaneously cracked, falling onto the burning grass, their lives extinguished.

Yu Ci's hand, which had been drawing talismans in his sleeve, froze abruptly.

All the screams and groans vanished. Apart from Yu Ci, the other twenty-odd herb gatherers had all died at Daoist Yan's hands. The murderer, still unsatisfied, turned his now scarlet eyes, fixing his gaze on Yu Ci's face.

"Pretty boy, why aren't you coming up?"

Yu Ci realized he had severely underestimated Daoist Yan.

In terms of physical cultivation, the difference between the peak of the Long Breath realm and the Bright Aperture realm was not significant. Lu Bing, having refined his swordsmanship, was not much weaker than him in combat power. Yet, such a person was casually cleaved by Daoist Yan's sword. While the peculiar and sharp fire sword certainly played a role, Daoist Yan's own cultivation must have surpassed Yu Ci's estimations.

Surpassing the Bright Aperture Upper Stage, could that mean he was a Spirit 통 cultivator?

Yu Ci remained silent, retreating and leaping thirty feet.

Daoist Yan spat and didn't rush to attack, instead striding forward in pursuit.

Before retreating, Yu Ci had already assessed the terrain, landing precisely at a bend in the mountain path. With a bang, gravel flew from under his feet. He used almost all his strength in his legs, bracing his body and changing direction to turn towards the rear of the layered rocks at an even faster speed.

Daoist Yan laughed heartily, "Can you escape?"

As he spoke, he rounded the corner in a few strides. Turning his head, he exclaimed in surprise.

Within his line of sight, only the swaying shadows of trees in the distant dark mountain forest were visible. Yu Ci had completely disappeared.

Daoist Yan's round eyes widened further, completely bewildered. Although it was late at night, his vision extended about a mile. The woods that could conceal someone were likely around this distance. Even though the pretty boy was agile, he wouldn't be this fast.

From here to the dense forest, the path was flat, with almost no rocks or vegetation to conceal oneself. Even if he tried to hide, the chances of being discovered would be even greater. Daoist Yan stared blankly for a while, then let out a cold snort:

"Slippery brat, do you think you can bully this Daoist?"

He closed his eyes, and under the control of his spirit and soul, an invisible force swept through the area within a ten-foot radius in waves. Soon, his eyes lit up.

Suddenly exerting force with his feet, a loud boom echoed as a rock beside him was kicked over, revealing a cave entrance half a person's height behind it. The cave was naturally formed, but the rock blocking the entrance had been moved from elsewhere and disguised with thatch and low trees, making it appear as part of the mountainside. In reality, one could squeeze through it from the shrubbery in the recessed area below.

This setup completely deceived the eyes. However, for people like Daoist Yan, sometimes they didn't need their eyes to judge!

However, Daoist Yan still had a question: the pretty boy clearly seemed to be just passing through, so how could he have known and prepared such an extremely hidden place in advance?

Unable to resolve his doubts, the more it was so, the stronger his killing intent became. Without hesitation, he lowered his head and crawled into the cave.

"Even if the pretty boy turns into a giant rat, he won't escape this Daoist's sword from above!"

Although the cave was dark and lightless, it couldn't withstand the glow of Daoist Yan's crimson fire sword. He walked a few steps, and the interior suddenly became spacious. There were indeed traces of habitation inside. Daoist Yan even saw scattered debris on the ground.

However, at this moment, his expression changed slightly because he clearly felt a breeze blowing towards him, and there were two more coming from the direction he came from!

This cave actually had three exits. The one he entered was one, and there were two others. Who knew which way Yu Ci had gone.

"Truly a burrowing rat..."

Daoist Yan hated and laughed, "If it were anyone else, they might have truly escaped from you, but unfortunately, you ran into this Daoist!"

He didn't waste any more time thinking. He closed his eyes and activated his spirit and soul again, scanning the two cave entrances. The residual aura left by Yu Ci appeared like a faint flame. Daoist Yan quickly identified one exit and pursued with large strides.

Yu Ci slid down the steep cliff face and rushed forward a few more steps. The aura of Daoist Yan behind him had already disappeared. But he knew that with the capabilities of a legendary Spirit 통 cultivator, escaping through that cave was unrealistic. So, after catching his breath, he continued to sprint, while also trying to calm his mind and draw talismans in his sleeve, temporarily preserving them through the unique power of the bronze mirror.

This was also one of the functions of the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror, although there were limitations on the duration of preservation and the number of talismans that could be stored. He could only store three temporarily, for a duration of about half an incense stick's worth of time.

The talismans he drew were very complex. By the time Yu Ci had fled ten miles away, he had only managed to draw two. Just as he was about to draw the third, the night sky suddenly lit up, and a crimson firelight shone from behind him, accompanied by that intense scent.

Only then could Yu Ci confirm that the scent was the smell of burning blood, mixed with the killer's own killing intent, stimulating his nostrils.

He had expected Daoist Yan to chase him, but the speed of his pursuit still caught him slightly off guard.

He exhaled a breath of turbid air and suddenly, without any warning, flipped over and lunged forward, staying low to the ground. The next moment, a red line streaked past. The two trees, about a bowl's width in diameter, that he had just passed were cut in half five feet from the ground and then crashed down with a thud. Even in the middle of the night, dust and smoke billowed, and leaves flew. Beasts and birds cried out in alarm, and the relatively quiet mountain forest suddenly became noisy.

His attack missed, but Daoist Yan was still laughing happily. His laughter, coming from afar and growing closer, soon caught up with Yu Ci. "Pretty boy, is this Daoist's Nine Yang Talisman Sword sharp?"

"Nine Yang? Wasn't it the Three Yang Talisman Sword?"

It was rare for Yu Ci to ask a question, but this caused him to slow down. Immediately, his head felt hot as Daoist Yan, carrying a surging heatwave, flew past and blocked his path. Yu Ci immediately stopped, assuming a defensive stance. Although his expression was solemn, he showed no signs of panic.

"Pretty boy, you're quite curious..."