Inside a dark, dilapidated house.
Squelch!
Holding the Great Cleaver in both hands, Lu Mian thrust straight ahead like a savage tiger tearing out a heart.
The Great Cleaver pierced a rotting corpse clean through, pinning it to the stone wall.
Lu Mian opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of Talisman Water.
Ssssss...
The Talisman Water corroded the corpse, smoke rising from its entire body until it vanished completely.
"Another hundred taels of silver in the bag."
"Once I get back, I'll buy a few more Blood Ginseng Pills and use them to push Iron Shirt straight to perfection."
Lu Mian pulled out the Great Cleaver and muttered to himself.
Now that his Five Tigers Soul-Chasing Blade had reached major mastery, Iron Shirt lagged furthest behind among the three martial arts he practiced.
Lu Mian wanted to bring Iron Shirt to perfection as soon as possible, then enter the first realm: qi accumulation with two martial arts at blood-qi perfection!
When he stepped outside, however, he spotted a white-robed figure in the distance.
It was not Xu Yi, but another man.
The man had not noticed Lu Mian. He was moving quickly, seemingly hurrying somewhere.
After a brief hesitation, Lu Mian put away the Great Cleaver and concealed his presence like a spirit tortoise sinking into the sea, then quietly followed.
Though this man was not as strong as Xu Yi, he was still a qi accumulation realm cultivator.
Moving that fast, he surely had something to attend to. Perhaps he was heading off to kill a Fierce Spirit.
Lu Mian's plan was simple: he would leave the killing to the other man.
If the Fierce Spirit's supernatural ability suited him, he would absorb it. No sense letting it go to waste.
Huo Chengle hurried along, unaware that he had picked up a tail.
Lu Mian's perfected Tortoise-Snake Fist allowed him to conceal his presence to the utmost, and he kept a considerable distance, making him difficult to detect.
About a quarter of an hour later, Huo Chengle arrived outside a gloomy residence.
By then.
Two figures were already waiting outside the residence.
They were Xu Yi and Li Jing.
Huo Chengle ignored Li Jing entirely and turned to Xu Yi. "Senior Brother Xu, what's the situation?"
Xu Yi had just summoned him through a special communication method used by the Demon Extermination Palace.
Xu Yi looked at the gloomy residence before them. "I've been through almost the entire Flying Cloud County Seat... This residence has the densest yin aura I've found. There must be a Fierce Spirit hiding inside, and a powerful one at that."
Huo Chengle's heart tightened.
He had great respect for Xu Yi's strength.
If even Xu Yi said that, the Fierce Spirit inside this residence was certainly no ordinary threat.
"With Senior Brother Xu here, we'll definitely be fine."
Li Jing's faith in Xu Yi was almost blind.
"Junior Sister, remember to be careful. Don't let your guard down."
Xu Yi spoke helplessly.
"Yes, Senior Brother!"
Li Jing nodded.
"Let's go. With the three of us working together, we should be able to deal with this Fierce Spirit."
Xu Yi took a deep breath, approached the residence's red-painted wooden doors, and pushed them open with force.
Creeeak...
The nearly rotten wooden pivots let out a harsh, piercing sound.
The residence was shrouded in darkness, as silent as a graveyard.
With his Long Sword on his back, Xu Yi stepped inside.
Li Jing and Huo Chengle followed close behind.
The three maintained a loose triangular formation, allowing them to respond to any sudden threat from their surroundings.
In a dark corner outside the residence.
So Xu Yi was calling in backup...
If even he doesn't think he can handle this alone, this residence must be trouble.
I'll watch a little longer and sneak in once something happens inside.
Lu Mian did not act immediately.
Going in now would serve no purpose and might expose him to danger.
He waited there for about a quarter of an hour.
There was still no sound from inside the residence. He was about to move when he suddenly stopped.
He saw two mysterious figures appear in the distance. Before long, they reached the residence, paused outside for a moment, then walked straight in.
Who are those two?
They're not from the Guard Hall, and their clothes don't look like those of the Demon Extermination Palace either.
Showing up here out of nowhere... What are they after?
Lu Mian watched the two figures disappear inside the residence, his expression puzzled.
As a rule, those who came uninvited rarely meant well.
Those two were acting furtively. They were clearly up to no good.
Looks like things are about to get lively.
After waiting a little longer, Lu Mian slipped into the residence too.
The residence had three successive courtyards.
Xu Yi and his companions intended to take the passageways straight to the innermost courtyard.
Yet the instant they emerged from the corridor, all three frowned.
"Senior Brother Xu, we... We're back in the outermost courtyard."
Huo Chengle spoke gravely.
"A ghost-veiling illusion...? I didn't notice a thing."
Li Jing sounded startled and uncertain.
First realm cultivators had keen senses. An ordinary ghost-veiling illusion could not deceive them at all.
"Most likely."
"We have to find a way to break this illusion first."
"Protect me while I do it!"
Xu Yi gave the order.
He took a talisman from his waist.
It was a Sunlight Talisman, containing a wisp of yang fire absorbed during the day.
He suspected that the residence's excessively dense yin aura had directly obscured their senses.
Once he activated the Sunlight Talisman, the erupting yang fire should briefly disperse the yin aura and break the ghost-veiling illusion.
Li Jing and Huo Chengle nodded and took up positions on either side of Xu Yi.
"Sunlight shines bright, yang fire blazes..."
As Xu Yi recited the incantation, he infused the talisman with a wisp of his own mystic qi!
The instant he finished the incantation, Xu Yi threw the paper talisman.
Boom!
The moment the talisman left his hand, it became a ball of dazzling white light that exploded in the courtyard.
The scorching white light illuminated every corner of the courtyard, making it as bright as day.
Xu Yi immediately felt as though something had shattered. The scene before him rapidly blurred, then grew clear again.
They were not in the front courtyard at all. They had already reached the innermost courtyard.
A pale-faced, middle-aged man in gray, seemingly no different from an ordinary person, had appeared before them at some unknown point.
He held a dagger and was driving it toward Li Jing.
"Junior Sister Li!"
Xu Yi reacted first, thrusting his Long Sword out in a streak of white light.
Clang!
The sword tip struck the dagger with precision, knocking it off course.
Li Jing finally reacted as well. The Long Sword in her right hand traced a flourish and stabbed toward the gray-robed man's chest.
Huo Chengle also swung his Long Sword, thrusting at the man's temple from the side.
Just then.
A slit suddenly opened between the gray-robed man's brows.
A vicious, gray-green Ghost Eye the size of a copper coin opened within it.
The instant Li Jing saw the Ghost Eye, her mind became dazed, and she inexplicably thrust her Long Sword toward Huo Chengle beside her.
She had mistaken Huo Chengle for the gray-robed man!
Huo Chengle jolted in alarm.
If he failed to block Li Jing's strike, it would surely kill him.
He had no choice but to twist his wrist.
His blade turned and met Li Jing's Long Sword head-on.
Clang...
Sparks flew from the collision.
"Junior Sister Li, snap out of it!"
Huo Chengle let out a low shout.
At the sound of Huo Chengle's voice, Li Jing's mind wavered for a moment.
But dense gray-green specks appeared in her pupils, leaving her unable to tell whether the man before her was Huo Chengle or the gray-robed man.
Then she saw Huo Chengle thrust his sword at her.
Her instinct to survive overwhelmed her control, and she raised her hand and swung her sword as well.
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