Were they fighting over some treasure? I wonder if I could get in on it.
He only needed a few more resources to transform his physique. With an opportunity to obtain treasure right before him, he naturally had to seize it firmly.
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Chapter 24: The Double-Pupiled One Makes His Name
As soon as Shi Qingyun approached the source of the battle fluctuations, he heard a cacophony of voices mingling with the sounds of combat.
The scene was utter chaos, and judging by the commotion, there had to be quite a few people involved. Shi Qingyun approached cautiously.
Peering through the dense forest, Shi Qingyun saw a group from the Primordial Divine Mountain forces unleashing all kinds of Precious Techniques at several members of the Martial King Manor fleeing ahead of them.
The fleeing members of the Martial King Manor had no time to fight back. The Precious Techniques blanketing the sky forced them to scramble for a way out, dodging attacks as they ran for their lives.
Although the Primordial Divine Mountain forces were numerous, their cultivation and strength were unimpressive. So many people chasing so few, yet they had still let them escape for so long.
Shi Qingyun naturally noticed that these people from the Primordial Divine Mountain were all in the Blood Moving Realm, which struck him as rather strange.
He remembered seeing several Cave Heaven Realm prodigies from the Primordial Divine Mountain at the entrance to the Qilin Cave. Their attitude—that heaven ranked first, earth second, and they themselves third—had left a deep impression on Shi Qingyun.
Why were none of them around now? As Shi Qingyun pondered this and watched the situation unfold, he hesitated over whether to help.
Shi Qingyun still decided to lend a hand. They were all from the Martial King Manor, after all, and standing by while they died went against his conscience. Besides, those pursuers were walking resources.
While Shi Qingyun was still weighing the pros and cons, someone eagerly made the decision for him.
Among the Primordial Divine Mountain youths, an Azure Luan youth flying overhead beat his wings furiously, whipping up gust after gust of wind toward the Martial King Manor members.
The moment he spotted Shi Qingyun, he launched an attack without a word.
Shi Qingyun deftly sidestepped the incoming attack, condensed Sun and Moon Seals in his hands, and hurled them into the crowd.
The Sun and Moon Seals traced strange arcs through the air as they rapidly closed in. They collided amid the crowd, setting off violent explosions.
Several Primordial Divine Mountain youths were blasted off their feet, their protective treasured light shattered to pieces.
The explosions came too quickly. Even those with faster reactions barely managed to pull out their Treasure Artifacts and block them.
After throwing the Sun and Moon Seals, Shi Qingyun vanished from where he stood as runes flashed beneath his feet.
The Azure Luan youth seethed. He had never expected Shi Qingyun to retaliate so quickly.
He called down to the others, "There's another member of the Martial King Manor over there! Come with me and chase him!"
The Azure Luan youth led a whole group charging after Shi Qingyun.
With a flicker, Shi Qingyun appeared atop a towering tree and looked back at the crowd swarming toward him.
Shi Qingyun had anticipated this. He had fled farther away precisely to split them up and defeat them piece by piece. The Martial King Manor members should have an easier time now.
Although he could have defeated them head-on, Shi Qingyun had no desire to capsize in a gutter. Better to play it safe.
Soaring through the sky, the Azure Luan youth kept his eyes fixed on Shi Qingyun's escape route, directing the others as they stayed hot on his heels.
Shi Qingyun was not annoyed. A faint smile played on his lips. Although he could not fly yet, he was far from slow.
"Eight Directions Reverse Step, utmost speed!"
Shi Qingyun's figure flickered several times, then vanished.
Following the Azure Luan youth's directions, the pursuing group chased Shi Qingyun to a sheer cliff, only to lose all trace of him. He had clearly been right ahead of them a moment ago. How had he suddenly disappeared?
The Azure Luan youth was equally baffled. His divine eyes had been fixed on Shi Qingyun the entire time. Could his speed have surpassed what those eyes could track?
Absolutely impossible. If it were the Double-Pupiled One, perhaps. At the thought of the Double-Pupiled One, he involuntarily shuddered.
While they were still puzzling over it, Shi Qingyun emerged from hiding and charged into the crowd, a Moon Seal in his left hand and a Sun Seal in his right.
The two seals spun in Shi Qingyun's hands like scythes harvesting lives. His figure flickered through the crowd, leaving several corpses falling behind him.
Only as they fell did blood spurt from their necks. Their so-called protective treasured light had been as fragile as paper.
Seeing some of them draw Treasure Artifacts and grow wary, Shi Qingyun did not linger greedily. After weaving through the crowd a few times, he greased his soles and slipped away again, disappearing from everyone's sight in an instant.
Caught off guard, the others erupted into panic at the sight of their fallen companions. Fortunately, the Azure Luan youth gradually brought the situation under control.
Each of them took out a Treasure Artifact, ready to unleash it at any moment.
The Azure Luan youth leading them was furious. Before they had even gotten a proper look at Shi Qingyun, he had slaughtered so many of them as effortlessly as smashing rotten wood.
He shouted into the air, "If you have the guts, come out and fight! What kind of hero skulks around in hiding?"
Shi Qingyun naturally ignored the youth's impotent fury. He waited for an opening, ready to attack whenever one arose.
After several more attacks and a few more kills, however, he saw that every member of the Primordial Divine Mountain forces was clutching a Treasure Artifact in a bundle of nerves. He knew he had no more opportunities to ambush them.
So he called out, drawing everyone's attention.
Shi Qingyun appeared where the shout had come from. After those exchanges, he had discovered that although his strength had not increased much,
his five senses had become almost absurdly powerful. In his eyes, those people moved at a turtle's pace.
Combined with his own speed, this had allowed Shi Qingyun to cut down several people as effortlessly as smashing rotten wood.
Shi Qingyun advanced with wondrous footwork, his figure flickering continuously in uncanny movements.
In no time, Shi Qingyun was among them, giving the group a new appreciation of his speed.
Unable to react in time, they could only respond in a panic. All kinds of Precious Techniques flew wildly, plunging the scene into chaos.
The Azure Luan youth had long since lost his composure as well, with none of his initial calm remaining.
Weaving and dodging through the crowd, Shi Qingyun dealt with everyone present.
Before long, Shi Qingyun stood with one foot on the Azure Luan youth's wing, hefting a brand-new storage pouch in his hand.
A tiny Sun Seal appeared in his right hand. A spark fell, and roaring flames immediately engulfed the spot.
Shi Qingyun left at once and retraced his path, finding the Martial King Manor members beside a river.
Along the way, he dealt with a few more members of the Primordial Divine Mountain forces. As for their main group, he had no idea where they had gone.
Shi Qingyun saw no sign of them. Perhaps they had left after failing to find their targets. There was not much time to waste in the secret realm, after all.
The Martial King Manor members panicked at the sight of Shi Qingyun approaching, thinking they had been found.
Only when they recognized Shi Qingyun did they breathe a sigh of relief. He wasted no time and asked what had happened.
One of them finally explained the reason, bitterness written across his face.
It turned out that Shi Yi had fought the Primordial Divine Mountain forces over a treasure, clashing with their Cave Heaven Realm cultivators.
Shi Yi had single-handedly fought numerous Cave Heaven Realm cultivators from the Primordial Divine Mountain and even seized the treasure.
However, Shi Yi had been injured in that battle, so the Primordial Divine Mountain forces were hunting him down. Their Blood Moving Realm members had also begun pursuing the Martial King Manor members, hoping to use them to force Shi Yi's hand.
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Chapter 25: Heading to the Death Swamp
Shi Qingyun nodded in understanding. No wonder he had not encountered anyone else while searching for Treasure Liquid.
He had thought he was lucky and had visited places no one else had reached. In the end, there had been another reason behind it.
So they had all gone after Shi Yi! No wonder they had no time to search for Treasure Liquid.
That meant he had reaped an easy windfall. While everyone else was busy hunting others or fleeing for their lives, he alone had been picking up the treasures they had missed.
It feels pretty good, actually. I hope they can keep at it a little longer and don't give up the chase too easily.
As for Shi Yi, he would simply have to shoulder a little more hardship. His safety was hardly something Shi Qingyun needed to worry about.
Still, so many people pursuing Shi Yi piqued Shi Qingyun's curiosity. Just what treasure had driven them into such a frenzy?
They had even abandoned the other treasures in the secret realm, intent on swarming toward Shi Yi.
That meant whatever Shi Yi held was far more enticing than the Treasure Liquid.
Shi Qingyun suppressed the jumble of thoughts in his head. With his current strength, he had no way to get involved.
They were all in the Cave Heaven Realm, and each was an outstanding prodigy of their own clan. Shi Qingyun had little confidence in facing them as he was now.
That went doubly for Shi Yi, who was on the verge of breaking through to the Spirit Transformation Realm. An entire major realm still separated them.
For now, I should improve my strength before worrying about anything else!
After briefly speaking with the Martial King Manor disciples, Shi Qingyun left. He had no habit of sticking around to play nursemaid to others.
Besides, their ability to escape an encirclement showed that these Martial King Manor disciples had some tricks up their sleeves.
Although the main reason they had escaped was that Shi Qingyun had drawn away most of their pursuers.
They still had some ability, though, or the Primordial Divine Mountain forces would have caught them long ago.
Escaping so far with so many people pursuing them also showed that their strength was not to be underestimated.
They were prodigies selected by the Martial King Manor, after all. Shi Qingyun did not need to worry about such things for them. His sense of urgency deepened further. What mattered most now was increasing his strength as quickly as possible.
Shi Qingyun took out the beast-hide map and checked his final destination.
It was a black swamp marked with two pairs of wings, with a warning specifically written beside it.
"Death Swamp: thirsts for blood and devours flesh. All who enter must die."
Shi Qingyun did not believe that nonsense about certain death. Perhaps it was merely an exaggeration meant to frighten others away.
The Death Swamp was still some distance from his current location. He needed to pick up the pace.
As he thought this, mysterious wisps of black-and-white energy emerged beneath Shi Qingyun's feet.
They wound tightly around Shi Qingyun's feet, and his figure instantly became like a gust of wind.
He flickered constantly through the forest, drifting unpredictably like a phantom.
Every step he took seemed to follow some special pattern.
"Foot Treading Yin-Yang, reversing the eight directions. Utmost speed!"
This was a rough movement technique Shi Qingyun had created from his own understanding of the Meaning of Yin and Yang.
He had named it the Eight Directions Step, hoping that one day he could practice Foot Treading Yin-Yang and traverse the four seas and eight wildernesses.
Earlier, it was precisely the Eight Directions Step that had allowed him to move as though no one stood in his way, cutting down the Primordial Divine Mountain members as effortlessly as smashing rotten wood.
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