Rustle, rustle.
In the woods on the western side of the Northern Spirit Plains, more than a dozen figures were intently searching for something.
Their leader was the eldest young master of the Liu Domain-Liu Mubai.
Some time ago, the Liu Domain had paid an enormous price to obtain a secret treasure, only for word of it to somehow leak out.
The Blood Butcher Corps, an adventuring band infamous throughout the Northern Spirit Plains, had ambushed the Liu Domain's convoy on the outskirts of the plains and stolen the treasure.
Yet even their fearsome reputation could not match the deep reserves of the Northern Spiritual Realm's foremost domain.
The Liu Domain swiftly mustered its forces to hunt them down. Of the entire Blood Butcher Corps, only its central figure, Blood Butcher, escaped alive. All the others were wiped out.
Now even Blood Butcher could only fight like a cornered beast. The Liu Domain had formed an encirclement across the Northern Spirit Plains, driving him toward a dead end.
After Liu Mubai had led the search for a while, a humming sound suddenly came from ahead. It was the signal used by the Liu Domain's teams to communicate.
"Found him. Let's go!"
Liu Mubai exchanged an excited glance with Liu Yang and gave the order.
They swept through the undergrowth toward the humming sound. After traveling some distance, they saw a Liu Domain expert leaning against a tree, his robes soaked with blood.
"Where is Blood Butcher?" Liu Mubai asked, directing his men to bandage the expert's wounds.
"Young master, he fled north," the man answered.
"Brother, should we notify Third Uncle right away?" Liu Yang asked.
Liu Mubai looked north, his expression turning savage. He gave a vicious grin, exposing his stark white teeth. "No. Let's wait a little longer."
"Why?" Liu Yang asked in confusion. Wouldn't Blood Butcher escape if they waited?
"Relax. He can't get away. Our men have already surrounded him. He has no way out."
"Blood Butcher is like a beast trapped in a cage now. He'll bite anything he sees just to vent his rage. Rather than throw ourselves at him, we might as well wait until he's exhausted."
"Besides," Liu Mubai paused, "Su Qing is also to the north."
"As expected of you, Brother. But how can we be sure Blood Butcher will attack Su Qing?" Liu Yang asked.
"Blood Butcher has a weakness for women. Tang Qian'er, who's with Su Qing, is quite a beauty. With death certain now, he'll surely want one last indulgence before he dies."
"And I know Su Qing. He would never abandon Tang Qian'er."
"That's true. And if he dies at Blood Butcher's hands, no one will have anything to hold against us." Liu Yang excitedly punched his palm.
Liu Mubai's expression gradually settled, but hatred and excitement surged like waves in his eyes. With his hands behind his back, he gazed north and murmured under his breath.
"Without you, I'll be number one at the Northern Spiritual Academy."
Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Arts: Shake Mountains and Earth!
Su Qing slammed into the blood-colored figure reaching for Tang Qian'er, his momentum piercing the heavens like a rainbow.
As the shock wave exploded, the blood-colored figure flew backward, snapped a tree in his path, and landed on the ground.
Amid the dust whipped up by the shock wave, Su Qing watched the blood-colored figure with a grave expression. His left sleeve was torn, and blood flowed from his wound, dripping from his fingertips onto the ground.
The blood-colored figure gave a sinister laugh. He first looked at Tang Qian'er and licked his lips, the young girl's innocent allure making his heart itch.
Then he turned toward Su Qing with a depraved expression. "Brat, your reflexes aren't bad. Give her to me, and I'll let you go. Otherwise, hehehe... I wouldn't mind trying something different before I die."
A chill of revulsion swept through Su Qing, and goosebumps instantly covered his skin.
"Ptoo!"
Su Qing spat hard at the blood-colored figure. After briefly searching his memory, he concluded that this must be Blood Butcher. He hadn't expected the man to have tastes like that, too.
"Stay back. I'll give you a live demonstration."
His face cold, Su Qing kept his eyes fixed on Blood Butcher.
Before his words had faded, the aura around him began to soar.
Blood-red incantation script crept across his skin, streaks of lightning lit up his meridians, and wisps of white vapor seeped from his pores.
A crimson sword three feet long appeared in Su Qing's hand. Its name was Kunwu.
Facing Blood Butcher put Su Qing under considerable pressure, so he had drawn his sword.
Although Su Qing could kill the Fire Spirit Ape King in an instant, it was just as he had told Tang Qian'er: "The greatest difference between humans and beasts is that humans have brains."
Moreover, Blood Butcher already had one foot over the threshold of the Divine Soul Realm, while the Fire Spirit Ape King could barely be considered a late-stage Spirit Wheel Realm beast.
Before restarting his cultivation, Su Qing could have killed him with one hand. Unfortunately, his cultivation was low now, leaving him no choice but to reveal some of his trump cards.
Fortunately, no one besides Tang Qian'er could see him. Blood Butcher? A dead man, that was all.
Sword in hand, Su Qing stamped down hard and charged at Blood Butcher.
Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends: Borrow Wind! Spit Flame!
The wind borrowed the flames' momentum, and wind and fire surged toward Blood Butcher together.
Blood Butcher's expression changed. He swiftly dodged, but the wind and flames still scorched his arm.
Before Blood Butcher could steady himself, Su Qing was already in front of him.
Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends: Ascend and Transcribe! Swordsmanship!
The force of wind and fire clung to Su Qing's sword as he brought it down.
With nowhere to dodge, Blood Butcher gritted his teeth and wrapped his arm in powerful spiritual energy, hoping to block the blow.
Clang!
As Kunwu struck Blood Butcher's shell of spiritual energy, a sharp cracking sound rang out.
Blood Butcher screamed and shot backward, putting distance between them.
The lower half of his left arm, already scorched by wind and fire, fell to the ground.
Blood Butcher had never imagined that a brat merely at the peak of the Spirit Movement Realm could inflict such an injury on him.
Wariness and cruelty mingled in Blood Butcher's eyes. No matter what he did, death was his only path today.
If he killed Su Qing, he could still enjoy himself before dying. Besides, being killed by a greenhorn like this would be far too humiliating.
He staked everything on one throw! Dense blood-red sinews bulged across Blood Butcher's skin. Bloody light flowed over his severed arm, and an arm formed from tendons instantly grew in its place. His aura turned frenzied.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. To Tang Qian'er, Su Qing had only just severed Blood Butcher's arm when he dodged away and grew another, his aura surging.
Seeing the change in Blood Butcher's aura, Su Qing did not recklessly advance. The two slowly paced around the clearing, facing off with murderous energy that seemed to pierce the sky.
Su Qing was the first to lose patience. With old injuries still burdening him, he could not drag this out.
He swept his sword around, drawing all its flames into the blade, then spat another mouthful of fire at Blood Butcher. At the same time, he stepped forward and slashed.
Blood Butcher scattered the flames, which lacked the wind art's support, with a wave of his hand. His eyes remained fixed on Su Qing and the sharp sword he held.
Su Qing slashed Kunwu toward Blood Butcher's neck, but Blood Butcher narrowly twisted aside, taking only a bloody cut along the side.
Seizing the opening, Blood Butcher punched Su Qing beneath the ribs. Although Su Qing blocked part of the damage with the Qi-Banning Art, his face still flushed red.
Su Qing did not take the punch for nothing. Seeing that his slash had missed, he immediately turned his wrist, spun Kunwu around, and drove it more than a foot into Blood Butcher's back. He then pulled it free, and the two separated.
After adjusting their positions, they charged at each other again.
This time, the blood-colored runes on Su Qing's skin suddenly dimmed, and a layer of solid blood-black runes spread along Kunwu's cutting edge.
The lightning in his meridians shone even brighter, giving off a purplish glow.
As the distance between them closed, Su Qing suddenly opened his mouth, and a ball of lightning burst forward from it.
The blinding flash robbed Blood Butcher of his sight for a moment, while the remaining lightning struck his body and left him slightly numb.
The instant Blood Butcher saw the lightning ball's flash, he knew he had lost-and the price was his life.
Even in the final moment of his life, Blood Butcher struggled to resist. Unfortunately, it was useless.
Taking advantage of the opening created by the blindness and numbness, Su Qing easily cut off Blood Butcher's head.
Blood Butcher's head hit the ground, and Su Qing withdrew the runes on his skin and the lightning in his meridians.
Then Su Qing spat out a mouthful of blood.