Cong Jian raised his head and saw Shu Changsheng dissolve into smoke, drifting off to one side.
He looked to be in extremely poor condition, his form hazy and indistinct, struggling to coalesce.
The Smoke Form Technique was not a Divine Ability he excelled at. Using it at this moment of life and death had still left him badly injured.
Cong Jian was about to pursue him when he suddenly reached behind himself.
"Hmph!"
Elder Qiu, who had raised his sword for a sneak attack, was caught in his grasp and instantly subdued.
"I wasn't going to bother with you, yet you came looking for death!"
With that, he raised his hand and punched straight at Elder Qiu's skull, shattering it like a watermelon.
From beginning to end, this unfortunate Core Formation cultivator of the Merchant Association had managed only that single move before dying on the spot.
Cong Jian tossed his corpse aside and turned his hand into a blade, thrusting his long, pointed nails at Shu Changsheng like sharp knives.
The Immortal Sash Robe blocked this attack again.
But that had not been Cong Jian's true intention. As Shu Changsheng's momentum stalled, he reversed his hand, seized his right arm, and prepared another punch.
His hand was like an iron clamp, and like a long-dead corpse, so cold it made one shudder.
Shu Changsheng struggled several times but could not budge it at all. Left with no choice, he made his body insubstantial and tried to slip free.
For the moment, Cong Jian had no good answer to this technique. But when he suddenly spotted the Incense Path Disciples nearby, he made a feint and lunged toward them.
Shu Changsheng had no choice but to reveal himself to draw the enemy back, allowing Cong Jian to close in