Release

What kind of sorcery was this?

Watching Qi Yun's figure dissolve into wisps of breeze and vanish without a trace, then feeling the searing sting of the wound on his cheek, Tang Shun was shocked and horrified. Cold sweat seeped from his forehead without his realizing it.

This little bastard... had someone backing him too?

Otherwise, how could a mere Qi Refining First Layer cultivator command two such wondrous Law Techniques at once?

The gloom and agitation of recent days were suppressed by an icy chill. His intelligence reclaimed the high ground, and Tang Shun's eyes flickered rapidly as he immediately spoke:

"I never imagined you'd hidden yourself so well, Brother Qi.

I, Tang Shun, have lost this time. I don't want the things anymore.

I can even swear never to mention this again.

As long as you spare my life, Brother Qi, name your terms. I won't haggle."

Facing Qi Yun, who could turn intangible and wielded that uncanny Sword Qi, Tang Shun knew perfectly well that he had no chance of winning. He promptly admitted defeat.

Face and dignity were worth nothing before life and death.

Backing down to save his life was his only way out now.

"Heh heh heh, you really do know when to pick something up and when to put it down, Brother Tang. Unfortunately, I personally witnessed you lure your former companions to their deaths.

A dagger hidden behind a smile-still fresh in my memory."

Qi Yun's words made Tang Shun's face twist sharply. He said in a low voice, "What do you mean by that, Brother Qi? Are you going to seek justice for those people?"

At the same time, an inexplicable bewilderment arose in his heart.

Buddy, if you have such a strong sense of justice, why join a demonic sect? Hurry up and abandon the darkness for the light.

Besides, what did those people have to do with you?

"Of course not."

Having turned into a breeze, Qi Yun stood quietly to one side, gazing impassively at the vicious man who had once nearly slain him as a sacrifice to his sword.

"What I mean is, since you're so good at pretending to be a decent man and tricking fellow disciples to their deaths, Brother Tang,

naturally, once you escape, you can treat today's oath as so much bullshit, then turn around and stab me in the back!

So tonight, you really do have to die here."

At these words, Tang Shun's expression gradually turned cold. He knew full well that tonight could no longer end peacefully.

In that case, let's see who dies first!

After a moment's silence, Tang Shun abruptly raised his head, a vicious light blazing in his eyes. He rapidly recited an incantation, and the two streaks of blood-scarlet [Red Night Sword Qi] in his palms condensed and swelled wildly, radiating a ferocity that made the heart tremble!

He swung both arms out to either side with all his strength!

Two streaks of scarlet Sword Qi several feet long swept outward in a fan, like blood pythons, with shrieks that tore through the air.

Wherever they passed, trees as thick as bowl rims snapped, branches and leaves flying wildly.

And this was only the beginning.

The True Qi remaining in his body surged recklessly into his hands, condensing into Sword Qi once more for an indiscriminate bombardment of the surrounding area.

He tried to use this blanket attack to force his invisible, hidden enemy out, or... land a lucky hit.

The struggle of a cornered beast!

When Qi Yun noticed Tang Shun's expression go still, he had already retreated dozens of meters away, hiding behind an ancient tree so broad it would take three people joining hands to encircle it.

Someone like Tang Shun would never let himself be captured without a fight. In his dying counterattack, he would certainly throw all caution aside.

Rather than rush to strike back, Qi Yun watched the desperately resisting Tang Shun calmly, like the most patient of hunters, waiting for the best moment to act.

Sword Qi crisscrossed the woods, leaving devastation in its wake.

After several rounds of frenzied outbursts, Tang Shun's presence visibly weakened. His chest heaved violently, and his face was pale from overdrawing his True Qi.

A ruthless gleam flashed in his eyes. He abruptly halted his sword attacks and shot off like an arrow loosed from a bow, enduring the agonizing pain in his left foot as he hurled himself desperately in one direction.

Run!

I have to get out of here!

But Qi Yun, who had long been watching him, acted with a thought. A streak of keen Sword Qi condensed in an instant, shrieking viciously through the air and slicing across Tang Shun's ankle with unerring precision.

Blood spurted out like a fountain!

Tang Shun gritted his teeth and grunted as he crashed awkwardly to the ground. On his left ankle was a ghastly wound so deep it exposed the bone, almost severing his heel.

White tendons and stark white bone lay exposed to the air. Blood gushed out, instantly staining the soil and fallen leaves beneath him red.

His Achilles tendon had been severed...

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-

Without giving Tang Shun any chance to catch his breath or struggle, another three streaks of Sword Qi came flying through the air.

Enduring the excruciating pain, Tang Shun tried to roll aside, but his broad-area Sword Qi attacks just now had consumed a great deal of his True Qi and stamina.

Now his left foot was gravely wounded as well, restricting his movements. Even if he wanted to dodge, he could not.

Pfft, pfft, pfft!

Three blossoms of blood burst open. Tang Shun's face was deathly pale, and he no longer had the strength to struggle. He fell facedown, barely able to move his shoulders as he crawled forward.

Tap!

The sole of a boot, flecked with a little mud, planted itself firmly on his back.

Tang Shun's body abruptly stiffened, and a bleak smile tugged at his lips.

This scene was so very familiar.

In a daze, Tang Shun seemed to hear the voice of Zhou Ling, whom he had tortured to death.

Your glabella is dark and dull, red threads run through your pupils, and a bluish-red cast floats over your face. You are certain to suffer a bloody calamity...

"Fuck, was that bastard's mouth blessed or something...?"

Slash-

Sword Qi sliced across his throat. A great gush of warm blood instantly sprayed from the wound, staining a broad stretch of ground red. The light went out completely in Tang Shun's eyes, filled with unwillingness and desolation...

At last, he was dead.

Lowering his eyes to look down at Tang Shun's gradually cooling body, Qi Yun slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

Ever since successfully mastering [Basic Sword Qi] and updating and upgrading it through the Law Technique Panel,

he had been searching for an opportunity along the way to eliminate the hidden threat that was Tang Shun.

After all, judging by Tang Shun's behavior over this period, the things in the Storage Bag were definitely outrageously valuable.

Otherwise, he could not possibly have kept pursuing the matter, trying every conceivable means to find them.

So if he did not eliminate Tang Shun,

once they reached the Holy Sect's gates, this madman would certainly expose the matter, regardless of the consequences!

Shen Fan and the others, who likewise had backing, might be fine.

But as a mud-legged nobody with no connections whatsoever, he would certainly attract that great cultivator's attention.

This was a demonic sect. There was a ninety-nine percent chance they possessed methods of searching souls and extracting memories. When the time came, even if mouths sprouted all over his body, he probably would not be able to argue his way out of it.

He had been searching for an opportunity all along the journey, but Tang Shun was extremely vigilant, and the others were always nearby. There had never been a suitable moment.

Only after they entered Anping County and the black-robed cultivator told them about the Holy Sect's market had a perfect plan instantly taken shape in his mind.

Tang Shun was sinister and cunning. He would certainly think that the person who had stolen his Storage Bag might take this opportunity to dispose of the stolen goods through the Holy Sect's market.

So Qi Yun had deliberately exposed his whereabouts for Tang Shun to discover, luring him out of the city and setting up an ambush to kill him.

At this point, he had finally taken down the sharp sword hanging over his head.

Glancing at Tang Shun's corpse, Qi Yun considered for a moment, then bent down and grabbed one of Tang Shun's still-warm ankles. He turned and walked farther into the deeper, darker reaches of the mountain forest.

He was not practiced at destroying corpses and erasing traces.

But the "little animals" in the mountains would probably be happy to help.