It was an unparalleled saber strike. The True Qi condensed through the Grand Desolation Heaven-Devouring Instruction was dozens of times stronger than ordinary True Qi.
With his body transformed by the mysterious liquid, aided by his Immortal Emperor soul and Ghost Pupil Technique, this strike locked onto three fatal points on Xu Yilin's body.
The fierce saber force cleaved through the air and reached Xu Yilin, making his expression change abruptly. His Spirit Cleansing presence enveloped his body to prevent the saber Qi from striking him. This strike had no openings. How had he accomplished this?
A Spirit Cleansing Realm cultivator could find no opening in a Xiantian Realm cultivator's saber technique. No one would believe it if word spread. At the second level of the Xiantian Realm, he unleashed power comparable to the peak of that realm. Xu Yilin's eyes held both delighted surprise and shock.
Stepping along the Seven Stars, Liu Wuxie became an afterimage. His body vanished from its original position and appeared without warning within five meters of Xu Yilin. At such close range, it was already too late to dodge.
"Blazing Sun Palm!"
Left with no choice, Xu Yilin unleashed his signature technique. Like a great sun rising, it filled the entire hall with intense light. Blazing suns churned around him, releasing endless waves of heat and blocking Liu Wuxie's saber force.
"Father-in-law, be careful!"
A smile appeared at the corner of Liu Wuxie's mouth. He suddenly activated the Ghost Pupil Technique, and the surrounding scene slowly decelerated. He saw every movement his father-in-law made with perfect clarity. His saber technique abruptly changed, taking an inconceivable angle as it sliced toward Xu Yilin's right armpit, one of his fatal points.
Anyone who practiced martial techniques had fatal points, and Liu Wuxie found them with ease.
"You..."
Xu Yilin's shock turned to fear. What appeared to be a single strike contained countless variations. The seven forms of the Blood Rainbow Saber Technique had long since fused into one, allowing Liu Wuxie to wield any move at will.
With no time to speak, his other hand moved. Another blazing sun rose, pressing back against Liu Wuxie.
He stopped defending. Liu Wuxie had firmly locked onto the fatal points throughout his body. Continuing to defend would leave him passive; only by turning defense into offense would he have a sliver of opportunity.
Although he had suppressed his cultivation to the lower Spirit Cleansing Realm, a Xiantian Realm cultivator had forced him this far. Xu Yilin was more than shocked-this somewhat exceeded his understanding.
Xu Yilin swept his right palm toward Liu Wuxie's left shoulder. His combat experience was extremely rich, yet compared to Liu Wuxie's, it fell far short. A trace of amusement appeared at the corners of Liu Wuxie's eyes, and his body abruptly vanished. His father-in-law's right palm struck empty air.
"This is bad!"
Xu Yilin immediately realized something was wrong and retreated at full speed, but he was still a step too late. A streak of cold swept beneath his arm. He reached up and touched it; it was wet. His clothing had split, and a trace of blood flowed out.
It was only a tiny cut, yet it still startled him into a cold sweat. Had this been a life-and-death battle, he would already have been a corpse.
"Father-in-law, you lost!"
Liu Wuxie put away his saber and stood without attacking again, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. He had not fully unleashed the Ghost Pupil Technique just now. At full strength, it could instantly pierce the opponent's sea of consciousness. It was far too lethal, and unless facing a mortal enemy, he would not normally use it.
"Wuxie... you... tell me, when did you become so formidable?"
Xu Yilin's words were somewhat incoherent. Whether from excitement or shock, his eyes were full of doubt, and he thought Liu Wuxie had been possessed by a thousand-year-old fiend.
"Rest assured, Father-in-law, I'm still myself. I had some fortuitous encounters that aren't convenient to disclose. Time is pressing, so I'll head to the purple gold mine right now. Even against someone in the upper Spirit Cleansing Realm, I can protect myself. The Pill Treasure Pavilion will send someone to collect these pills in a couple of days. Tell him I won't be back for a while."
The eight-day deadline was drawing ever closer. He would resolve the mine's problem first and set aside the Pill Treasure Pavilion's affairs for now. These pills could last a few days.
Liu Wuxie bent at the waist and bowed, intending to set off immediately to prevent the convoy transporting the goods from being ambushed.
"Good, good, good! Wonderful! If Brother Liu knew, he would certainly be delighted. Be careful on the road."
Even a Spirit Cleansing Realm cultivator was no match for him. What reason did Xu Yilin have to refuse? With Liu Wuxie handling matters, he could remain in Canglan City and guard the Xu Household.
"Yes!"
The doors slowly opened. Steward Lan was still standing outside, unaware of what had happened in the hall. He watched Liu Wuxie leave, then returned to the hall.
"Patriarch, what happened? Why are all the tables and chairs broken?" Steward Lan asked.
Only the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed, yet the hall had become a complete mess.
"Nothing, nothing. Let's continue discussing the weapons workshop. Go tell those customers that our weapons will be completed on schedule. For every day of delay, we'll pay a thirty-percent penalty."
Xu Yilin laughed heartily, sweeping away all his gloom.
After leaving Canglan City, Liu Wuxie headed straight for the Sunset Mountain Range. From his memories, he knew it stretched for a hundred thousand li.
Many powerful Demon Beasts lurked in its depths. Many martial cultivators from Canglan City liked to train here, hunting Demon Beasts and obtaining demon cores to sell to shops. Demon cores could be used to refine pills, and most flowed into the Pill Treasure Pavilion.
Demon Beast hides, fur, tendons, and bones were all valuable things. Not only could they be used in medicine, but they could also be fashioned into armor worth a fortune.
Most importantly, spirit medicines grew throughout the Sunset Mountain Range, in places of treacherous mountains and perilous waters. A single hundred-year-old spirit medicine was worth a hundred thousand gold coins.
As he entered the rolling mountains, three heads suddenly emerged along the distant mountain path.
"Hurry back and report to the patriarch. That trash has entered the Sunset Mountain Range. This is the perfect chance to kill him. As long as we do it without gods or ghosts knowing, what can Master Huo do to us? Would he really oppose our Tian Household over a dead man?"
Over the past few days, the Tian Household had dispatched many scouts to watch the area around the Xu Household. Not even the slightest stirring of wind or grass could escape them.
Liu Wuxie stood atop a large tree, his eyes glinting coldly.
"Did you really think I didn't know someone was following me? I'd like to see just who you can send to kill me."
Liu Wuxie had known someone was following him when he left the Xu Household. He pretended not to notice and let them trail behind him.
He did not hurry onward. The convoy would not reach the gorge until tomorrow, so arriving early would serve no purpose. He found a secluded place and cultivated quietly.
As he circulated the Grand Desolation Heaven-Devouring Instruction, Spiritual Qi from every direction in the Sunset Mountain Range surged toward him madly. It was more than twice as dense as in Canglan City.
His Dantian was like a Primordial Desolation World, and its speed of absorbing Spiritual Qi could only be described as terrifying. Most of the Spiritual Qi entered the Heaven-Devouring Divine Cauldron and formed more liquid. Once enough accumulated, he could use the liquid to break through.
As his cultivation rose higher and higher, the amount of liquid he needed also increased wildly.
The moon shone bright, and the stars were sparse!
A bright moon rose into the sky. The entire Sunset Mountain Range was quiet, and many nocturnal Demon Beasts were due to emerge to forage.
He opened his eyes and looked deeper into the mountains. Training within a formation was, after all, something arranged in advance and had considerable limitations. Fighting real Demon Beasts involved far too many variables.
Swift as a rabbit springing and a falcon swooping, his body vanished from the spot. He continued deeper into the mountains, using the cover of night to hunt Demon Beasts and hone his saber technique.
There was still considerable room for improvement. He had fully integrated the Blood Rainbow Saber Technique; what he lacked was actual combat to make his saber technique more perfect.
His feet crunched over dead branches, startling a Jue'e Beast searching for food in the distance. It was enormous, standing over two meters tall and more than four meters long. It was a medium-to-large Demon Beast with tremendous strength.
Most people were unwilling to provoke one. Jue'e Beasts had thick hides and tough flesh. Weapons could scarcely scratch them, much less break through their defenses.
The Jue'e Beast had a gaping, blood-filled maw that occupied more than half its head. When it suddenly opened its mouth, the opening stood over a meter tall, enough to swallow three adults at once.
Man and beast stared into each other's eyes.
"Roar!"
The Jue'e Beast let out an enraged roar and charged toward Liu Wuxie on all fours. The earth shook, making the surrounding trees rattle. Its massive body barreled forward, smashing several small trees in its path into pieces.
Liu Wuxie remained still, his knees slightly bent and his right hand resting on his saber's hilt. His eyes became devoid of sorrow or joy.
This was a first-tier, ninth-level Jue'e Beast, equivalent to a human at the peak of the Acquired Realm.
Demon Beasts had thick hides, tough flesh, and boundless strength. Under equal conditions, humans were no match for them.
Liu Wuxie suppressed his cultivation to the Acquired Realm without releasing his Innate Spirit. If he revealed his Xiantian Realm cultivation, the Jue'e Beast might turn and flee.
The distance rapidly closed. The Jue'e Beast came within three meters of Liu Wuxie, spewing a nauseating stench from its bloody maw.
At that moment!
Liu Wuxie suddenly pressed down with his right hand. His short saber left its sheath, becoming a streak of cold light, like a flying immortal descending from beyond the heavens. The saber light flashed and vanished into the Jue'e Beast's head.
"Squelch!"
Blood sprayed everywhere. The Jue'e Beast froze in place, unable to move. After roughly a minute, its body slowly toppled over. A foot-long wound gushed blood, staining the ground red.
One fatal strike!
"Boring!" Liu Wuxie curled his lip.
His long saber slashed diagonally, splitting open the Jue'e Beast's body. A demon core the size of an egg appeared in his palm. A peak first-tier demon core was worth a thousand gold coins-better than nothing.
Suddenly!
The Heaven-Devouring Divine Cauldron stirred. The demon core in his hand kept shrinking and turned to powder in the blink of an eye. A gust of wind swept the powder from his palm without a trace.
"What happened? Where did the demon core go?"
Utterly baffled, Liu Wuxie sank his consciousness into his Dantian to investigate the cause, hoping nothing had gone wrong.
"What is this?"
A drop of strange liquid floated above the Heaven-Devouring Divine Cauldron, emitting extremely potent Yao Qi.
"Is this the essence of the demon core?" He was not entirely certain.
The strange liquid merged into his Dantian, producing a violent surge of force. His True Qi increased substantially. His cultivation did not break through, but it improved considerably.
"Devouring matter and transforming it into spirit? It can even do that?"
Liu Wuxie was stunned. Devouring a demon core could strengthen his True Qi. The Heaven-Devouring Divine Cauldron exceeded his imagination. Originally, he had not felt much desire to hunt Demon Beasts; he did not need to hone his martial techniques.
Now things were different. He could hunt large numbers of Demon Beasts, refine their demon cores, strengthen his True Qi, and break through to the third level of the Xiantian Realm as soon as possible.
His primordial desolation Dantian was more than ten times the size of an ordinary person's. Every breakthrough likewise required ten or even a hundred times the Spiritual Qi and resources an ordinary person needed. Cultivating slowly on his own, he might not reach the third level of the Xiantian Realm even in six months or a year.
Filled with excitement, he darted deeper into the mountains, continuing to search for Demon Beasts to test whether he could devour them all.
A group of mysterious people appeared at the entrance to the Sunset Mountain Range. Among them were several traces of Innate Qi, which was highly unusual.
"Are you certain that trash entered the Sunset Mountain Range?"
Their leader was an elder in his fifties with a sinister expression, who asked in a low voice.
"Reporting to the elder, it's absolutely true. We've guarded this place all afternoon, and he hasn't come out. He's still in the Sunset Mountain Range."
The Tian Household disciple stationed here answered truthfully. He had not dared leave for even a moment.
"Very good. That brat is courting death himself by coming to the Sunset Mountain Range. Let's go in."
The Tian Household elder waved his hand and led everyone plunging into the mountains to hunt down Liu Wuxie.