Alone, Longsword in Hand, Above the Clear Autumn

Behind a huge camphor tree, Zhou Wuji listened closely to the approaching footsteps.

From this position, Zhou Wuji dared not peek out, nor did he need to.

With his keen hearing, Zhou Wuji could hear the faint clinking of the rogue soldiers' armor and weapons, their boots treading on sandy earth, and even their breathing.

From these complex sounds, he sketched a clear, three-dimensional image in his mind.

Seven rogue soldiers advanced along the path, four in front and three behind. The fifth man's breathing was the longest and steadiest, and the clinking of his armor was also the most pronounced. He was clearly wearing a full suit of iron lamellar armor.

This man's footsteps were also the heaviest, yet full of strength.

Clearly, the fifth man had to be an eighth-rank hidden-force martial artist to move freely while wearing dozens of pounds of solid iron lamellar armor.

Only a captain-level officer could afford such armor.

Aside from him, the four men at the very front and rear all had steady breathing and powerful strides. All had reached the ninth rank.

Through the divine aperture between his brows, Zhou Wuji secretly drew in and released Celestial Pivot star power. This star power was unaffected by day or night and pervaded every direction.

The circulation of Qi further strengthened Zhou Wuji's six senses, enhancing his hearing, smell, touch, and sight severalfold.

Through the circulation of Qi, Zhou Wuji could even "see" the almost tangible Blood Sha Qi on the rogue soldiers.

Killing many living beings naturally led to an accumulation of Sha Qi.

Zhou Wuji had heard his master say that most soldiers practiced the Blood Baleful Intent Instruction.

The Blood Baleful Intent Instruction allowed its practitioners to obtain Blood Sha Qi through slaughter and use it to temper themselves. It had originally been a method of the Crimson Blood Sect, modified before being introduced into the army.

This method was vicious. It could rapidly increase one's martial cultivation in a short time, but without a Secret Method or spirit medicine to dispel the Sha Qi, the stronger the Sha Qi became, the faster and more horribly one would die.

For a small squad of rogue soldiers to possess such dense Sha Qi, who knew how many people they had killed?

Precisely because of this, these rogue soldiers were far stronger than ordinary troops.

Having confirmed the squad's true fighting strength, Zhou Wuji also felt much more confident.

With each inhalation and exhalation through his divine aperture, true Qi circulated throughout his body before flowing into the Seven Star Sword, closely binding man and sword into one.

Only upon reaching the sixth rank could martial artists condense a Qi sea and sense the existence of Qi.

Zhou Wuji circulated his true Qi in a self-contained circuit without releasing it outward. Even a sixth-rank martial artist might not detect it.

This was another exquisite aspect of Daoist cultivation methods.

Naturally, the rogue soldiers noticed none of this. The forest path was dark and uneven, but they wore full armor and knew this was merely a small village, so they paid almost no attention to their surroundings.

The four men in front strode past the great tree. None saw Zhou Wuji hiding behind it.

When the captain passed the tree, Zhou Wuji listened to the rise and fall of his footsteps. The moment one foot lifted but had yet to land, just as his center of gravity was about to shift, Zhou Wuji suddenly darted out, drew his sword, and thrust straight at his neck.

The man wore a full suit of iron lamellar armor, leaving only his neck and face exposed.

Zhou Wuji struck from his left, aiming directly at the blood vessels beneath his ear.

The thrust was swift as the wind and extraordinarily sudden, coming from the side of his weaker hand.

The captain caught a flash of cold light from the corner of his eye, followed by a piercing whistle that stabbed into his ears.

He immediately knew something was wrong. Most of his battlefield fighting had been head-on, and he had little experience with the martial world.

Fortunately, his martial skills were well honed. He immediately tucked his neck and drew in his chest while retreating. This move, White Ape Leaps onto a Branch, captured the sudden leap of a startled white ape.

The captain did not actually know where the sword was aimed, but instinctively protected his most vulnerable spot, his neck.

Startled by the sudden attack, he had unwittingly brought out the essence of White Ape Leaps onto a Branch.

The thrusting Seven Star Sword struck the captain's shoulder armor, scraping a string of sparks from the overlapping iron plates.

Zhou Wuji had not expected a soldier to react with such finesse.

But his swordsmanship had reached a realm of refined mastery. When one thrust failed, he immediately withdrew his sword and thrust again.

This method of consecutive thrusts belonged to the Falling Goose Sword, relying entirely on changes in the forearm and wrist to extend and retract with speed and agility.

The dodging captain, however, had an unstable center of gravity. Though he had instinctively evaded the first thrust, his body swayed involuntarily, briefly halting his next movement.

His left was his weaker side, and he could not bring his saber around to defend in time.

The Seven Star Sword slipped through the opening. With a soft puncturing sound, its gleaming blade pierced the captain's neck, and blood gushed out with the flashing sword light.

This thrust was precise and vicious, severing the arteries on both sides of the captain's neck.

As Zhou Wuji withdrew his sword, he turned his wrist and twisted, gouging a hole in the man's neck with the keen blade.

Grievously wounded, the captain's vision immediately darkened and his limbs went limp. He swayed and fell to the ground.

Everything happened so suddenly that when the four soldiers ahead heard the noise and looked back, their captain was already on the ground.

In the darkness, they could not see where he was wounded. They could only hear blood spurting out.

They had seen this often on the battlefield. From the sound alone, they knew a major blood vessel had ruptured and he would die within a few breaths.

They all understood that their captain was doomed!

All four were shocked, furious, and afraid. How had someone so skilled been killed so easily?

While those ahead were still trying to understand what had happened, the two behind had seen it clearly: someone had suddenly appeared and killed their captain with a single thrust.

"Captain!" One man was particularly close to the captain. Seeing him fall with a sword wound, he flew into a rage and charged at Zhou Wuji with his saber raised.

The other had no time to think either and followed with his saber raised.

After killing the captain, Zhou Wuji steadied his breathing before taking the initiative, raising his sword to meet the two rogue soldiers behind.

There were still four rogue soldiers at his back. He had to deal with these two as quickly as possible.

Both sabers slashed toward him together. Zhou Wuji swept the Seven Star Sword left and right, his Qi moving with the blade.

The two rogue soldiers were strong, but theirs was merely muscular strength. True Qi held hardness within softness, possessing the might of a thousand jun.

As their weapons clashed, the two rogue soldiers' arms went numb from the shock. Their sabers flew high, leaving their chests wide open.

They watched Zhou Wuji's sword press through the opening, yet could not react.

Cold light flashed and flickered from the Seven Star Sword as it pierced both rogue soldiers' throats in rapid succession.

The two dropped their sabers and collapsed helplessly, clutching their throats. Their mouths worked in agonized gasps, but no cries came out...

Having dispatched three rogue soldiers in succession, Zhou Wuji felt greatly reassured. The remaining four would be easier to handle.

Seeing two comrades killed, the four rogue soldiers grew even more alarmed. Some wanted to raise their sabers and fight to the death, while others feared Zhou Wuji's swordsmanship and wanted to flee.

The rogue soldier at their head saw that the others were wavering and shouted, "We've killed so many people that wherever we run, we'll die. Our only chance now is to fight for our lives and kill this bastard!"

His words brought the others to their senses. Indeed, they had killed their way here. What path of retreat did they have?

"Kill!" The rogue soldiers were vicious to begin with. As killing intent rose within them, it further stirred the Blood Sha Qi accumulated in their bodies.

Through his Qi perception, Zhou Wuji could faintly see a thin veil of bloody mist covering them.

The four rogue soldiers had ample battlefield experience. They knew how formidable Zhou Wuji was. Though they spoke of fighting to the death, they did not simply charge with raised sabers.

Instead, two held their sabers ready while the other two took the longbows from their backs, intending to deal with Zhou Wuji using arrows.

Zhou Wuji would never give them the chance to draw. Gripping his sword, he surged straight forward, pushing the transformations of the Flowing Cloud Sword to their limit. Qi spread and circulated beneath his feet, accelerating him as though he were riding invisible wheels.

Only a dozen or so paces separated them. With a flicker of his figure, Zhou Wuji was already before them.

The two bowmen had already nocked their arrows and drawn their bows. Just as they were about to loose, Zhou Wuji raised his left palm and activated the Golden Light Talisman.

Zhou Wuji had long since silently recited the incantation, waiting only for this moment to activate the talisman directly with Qi.

The paper talisman immediately transformed into a brilliant mass of golden light.

The Golden Light Incantation contained pure Yang spiritual light, specifically meant to ward off evil and drive away ghosts. A low-level Golden Light Incantation had no effect on people.

But the forest was very dark, and all four rogue soldiers were staring intently at Zhou Wuji. The sudden burst of brilliant golden light immediately dazzled them.

Though the two archers had drawn their bows, they dared not shoot blindly. The other two could only retreat with their sabers raised.

Zhou Wuji darted into their midst, the Seven Star Sword thrusting repeatedly in an instant. Its cold light became a sword flower blooming brilliantly in all directions, while both saber wielders instinctively swung at him.

Amid the flashing sword light, all four soldiers' throats were pierced. The two swiftly slashing sabers swept past mere inches in front of Zhou Wuji's chest.

Zhou Wuji's face remained expressionless, but his heart pounded fiercely.

In that fleeting exchange, he had all but brushed shoulders with death.

The danger involved left even him tense.

Yet this kind of battle, where clashing blades decided life and death in an instant, also brought an intense, indescribable thrill...

Only after all seven rogue soldiers lay dead on the ground did Zhou Wuji let out a breath of relief.

Though he had killed them as briskly as chopping melons and slicing vegetables, the battle had in fact been quite dangerous.

With the slightest mistake, he could have been the one to die!

Zhou Wuji silently circulated his Qi to regulate his breathing. That brief battle had consumed nearly thirty percent of his true Qi.

Only after his breathing settled did he proceed along the path with his sword in hand. Upon reaching White Stone Village, he discovered three more rogue soldiers at the entrance, gathered around a heap of assorted valuables they were guarding.

Behind the three lay more than a dozen corpses sprawled in every direction. Judging by their clothing, they were probably villagers.

Though Zhou Wuji did not consider himself a particularly good person, the sight still stirred murderous intent within him.

They were all ordinary villagers, with no money to give, barely scraping by in this world. A band of rogue soldiers had come and simply killed them all, without a shred of humanity.

This time, he did not hesitate. He charged straight over and slew all three with his sword.

When the fighting ended, Zhou Wuji looked at the corpses strewn across the ground, then at the valuables the rogue soldiers had plundered. There was some gold and silver jewelry, along with a portion of copper coins. Altogether, it really was not much.

The night wind swept out through the forest, stirring Zhou Wuji's robes, yet failing to disperse the thick reek of blood.

For some reason, Zhou Wuji no longer felt any pleasure in slaying the rogue soldiers. He only felt that the evening autumn wind was a little cold...