By rights, Han Xuanji should have panicked and tried all sorts of petty tricks to escape.
Why was this guy so calm?
Were the Divine Profound Sect's True Disciples really so levelheaded these days?
At that thought, Ye Jiutian immediately revealed a trace of his Spirit Transformation presence and said coldly:
"Kid, if you cooperate, I can spare your life."
His powerful presence was intimidating enough, and he had also used some kind of soul-bewitching technique in his words. An ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator would already have told him everything.
Han Xuanji, however, remained unmoved. He even felt like laughing.
Han Xuanji glanced at the black-robed man before him and said casually:
"You're from the Heavenly Devil Cult, aren't you?"
Han Xuanji's gaze was strange, with even a hint of disdain in it.
Ye Jiutian's eyes narrowed. He, too, now realized something was off about Han Xuanji.
"Putting on an act!"
Devilish markings appeared on Ye Jiutian's forehead, and his Spirit Transformation pressure burst forth in full.
He held two fingers together like a blade and chopped at the crown of Han Xuanji's head, a strand of yin-attribute spiritual power coiling around his fingertips. "Once I extract your soul, I'll see just who you really are!"
"Why insist on courting death?"
Han Xuanji's gaze was icy, as though it could freeze everything in the world, and his entire bearing abruptly changed.
He had not been certain of the other man's identity before, but now he was fairly sure.
The damned Heavenly Devil Cult again.
One day, he would go to their doorstep and tell them:
If you don't court death, you won't die.
The next instant.
The Soaring Firmament Sword appeared. There was no dazzling sword light, only a ripple spreading like water.
Immediately afterward, Ye Jiutian felt a surge of intense pain.
Without his noticing, his left arm had been severed at the shoulder.
"You... who exactly are you?!"
Ye Jiutian staggered and retreated.
"Even a Spirit Transformation sword cultivator can forget about breaking through this Netherworld Blood Robe..."
He frantically formed hand seals to activate his defensive Law Treasure. The phantom of a blood-colored robe enveloped him, casting the surroundings in a glow that made them look like a sea of blood.
Then a flash of sword light streaked past.
Ye Jiutian's pupils contracted. This is bad.
The phantom blood-colored robe held out for a breath, but it was soon torn apart by the powerful Sword Qi.
"Boom!"
With a thunderous crash, the robe shattered.
Ye Jiutian could not help showing his distress.
This was a supreme-grade Spirit Transformation protective Law Treasure bestowed upon him by the cult leader. Normally, it could withstand several full-strength attacks from Spirit Transformation experts. He had not expected it to shatter after a single attack this time.
The remaining Sword Qi also slashed through Ye Jiutian's flesh, sending blood spraying.
Had the vitality of a Spirit Transformation body not far exceeded that of an ordinary person, that single sword strike would probably have killed him.
"Are you the Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable?!"
The words escaped Ye Jiutian's mouth.
But he immediately thought it impossible.
Everyone knew the Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable had only just broken through to Spirit Transformation, while the cultivation of the person before him clearly did not match.
Hearing this, Han Xuanji said with a serious expression:
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Soaring Firmament Sword Instruction-Sword Qi Soaring to the Firmament!
Terrifying sword intent swept over him, accompanied by Sword Qi of incredible speed.
In an instant.
Ye Jiutian hastily summoned a shield Law Treasure to protect himself.
The next second.
The flying sword pierced straight through the shield. Countless streams of Sword Qi slammed into Ye Jiutian's body, crushing it to ash on the spot.
Ye Jiutian's Primordial Spirit escaped his body and shot toward the horizon as a streak of light.
It was a good idea, but under Han Xuanji's Void-Penetrating Divine Eye, the Primordial Spirit's trail was clearly visible. Sword intent surged like a dragon and obliterated it in an instant.
After confirming that both Ye Jiutian's body and Primordial Spirit were gone, Han Xuanji breathed a sigh of relief.
As expected of a Late Spirit Transformation cultivator-he had actually exchanged two moves with him.
He had not really wanted to get involved in these matters in the first place.
After all, there were surely quite a few devil-path spies in the Divine Profound Sect.
But letting this guy infiltrate Spirit Elegance Peak was bound to cause an upheaval.
It would not be fatal.
But Spirit Elegance Peak would certainly be alerted afterward, and security in the surrounding area would become even tighter. That would surely affect his sign-in business.
That was something he could not accept.
If the man had gone elsewhere to stir up trouble, Han Xuanji would not have bothered to act personally.
The only pity was that the Soaring Firmament Sword had been too powerful, blasting the man's storage ring to bits along with him.
And that was with Han Xuanji holding back, keeping the Soaring Firmament Sword from unleashing too much power.
If he attacked at full strength, there would be no concealing the presence of an immortal artifact, and the entire Divine Profound Sect would be shaken to its foundations.
Immortal artifacts really are awesome.
Han Xuanji marveled inwardly.
He could have won without the immortal artifact, but it would not have been nearly so easy.
After all, his opponent had been a Late Spirit Transformation cultivator, with a realm slightly higher than his own and quite a few life-saving methods.
After slaying the Devil Cultivator who had courted death, Han Xuanji did not hesitate. With a movement, he vanished from the spot.
Although he had deliberately kept the commotion of the battle down, he had still fought at full strength and alerted quite a few people, drawing Divine Profound Sect disciples over to investigate.
Han Xuanji, however, easily slipped past them and returned to his cave abode.
Under his modifications, this originally low-grade cave abode was now reinforced by various formations and furnished with supreme-grade Spirit Stones. Its Spiritual Qi was incomparably abundant, utterly surpassing that of any high-grade cave abode on Spirit Elegance Peak.
"I've wasted so much time. It's time to take the Spirit Refining Pill."
Han Xuanji sat cross-legged, and with a thought, a small pill appeared before him.
The Spirit Refining Pill was colorless and formless, yet it gave off a presence that soothed the mind. It was profoundly wondrous.
"I wonder how this pill was refined..."
Han Xuanji's thoughts stirred.
In fact, the method of refining the Spirit Refining Pill had been lost. If an alchemy grandmaster saw this, their eyes would surely turn red.
Han Xuanji then drew a light breath and swallowed the Spirit Refining Pill floating before him.
Boom!
In an instant, the Spirit Refining Pill melted in his mouth.
Han Xuanji was not surprised. The Spirit Refining Pill affected the Primordial Spirit in the first place and had no connection to the physical body.
At that moment, he could feel his thoughts becoming more active. The Spirit Refining Pill's medicinal power transformed into a stream of spiritual energy and flowed toward Han Xuanji's spirit.
Several hours later.
Crackle! A sharp burst rang out!
Han Xuanji slowly opened his eyes, and it was as though a bolt of lightning flashed through the secret chamber.
The immense improvement in his spirit had even triggered a phenomenon in the physical world.
At the center of Han Xuanji's brow, the phantom of his Primordial Spirit became more solid and powerful.
"A single pill made my Primordial Spirit thirty percent stronger!"
Han Xuanji carefully sensed the changes and nodded slightly.
That single pill had saved him at least several years of arduous cultivation.
That was measured by his own speed. For someone else, it might have saved several hundred years.
"No wonder some Rogue Cultivators join a faction once they reach a high realm."
Han Xuanji understood it well.
In the later stages of cultivation, without resources, arduous cultivation alone was far too slow.
If he had not obtained so many resources through signing in, he could not have reached Spirit Transformation so quickly through arduous cultivation alone.
Meanwhile.
In the distant Northern Nether Province.
The Heavenly Devil Cult, Formless Hall.
A soul lamp flickered.
Liu Wumie, the master of Formless Hall, wore black robes and had a cold, stern face. An immense dignity radiated from him.
"Ye Jiutian, you've disappointed me greatly."
A phantom appeared within the soul lamp. Its face was blurry, but its features could still be made out. It was none other than Ye Jiutian, the Devil Cultivator Han Xuanji had slain earlier.
The phantom trembled and said rather helplessly:
"There is another expert in the Divine Profound Sect."