Song Wen used his mana to suspend the Mountain-Devouring Rat's corpse before him and slowly approached the man below, asking as he did so.
"I am Jiang Yushan. May I ask this fellow cultivator's esteemed name?"
"Ji Lin," the newcomer replied blandly.
"So you are the renowned Sword Immortal Ji Lin of the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion. A pleasure, a pleasure."
As Song Wen spoke, he had already come within thirty feet of Ji Lin.
Just as he was about to make a move, a thunderous boom from the west suddenly drew his attention.
The source of the boom seemed quite distant, and it could not be heard clearly.
Ji Lin naturally heard it as well. His expression changed, and without the slightest concern for the Mountain-Devouring Rat that was nearly his, he turned and fled northward.
Watching Ji Lin's receding back, a glint of killing intent flashed through Song Wen's eyes. Yet he did not attack. Instead, he dispersed the Soul-Concentrating Spike that was about to take shape and put away the Soul-Splitting Blade hidden in his sleeve.
Only after Ji Lin had completely left the range of his divine sense did Song Wen turn into an afterimage and pursue him in the direction he had gone.
The booming continued, growing more frequent and clearer.
"Master!" Shadow Void's voice suddenly rang out. "Do not continue forward. That person is less than one hundred and fifty li ahead of you. If you draw any closer, he may discover you."
Song Wen readily followed the advice, stopping in place as he asked, "What is happening over there?"
"There are more than a dozen Mountain-Devouring Rats besieging six humans," Shadow Void said.
"Six people!" Song Wen's eyes lit up. "How strong are they?"
Shadow Void said, "Aside from that Ji Lin from