This Sword Qi... Had Eyes?!

"Smart of you."

With a sweep of his sleeve, Qi Yun stirred up a gust of wind and swept the [Golden Light Sword Talismans] into his hand, looking coldly down at Pang Xiao before him.

"Get lost."

"Many thanks, Daoist brother." Letting out a small breath of relief inwardly, Pang Xiao straightened up, his face wreathed in smiles.

"If you ever have any use for me, Daoist brother, just say the word. I'll spare no effort."

If he could successfully build a connection with this man, it would be tantamount to indirectly becoming acquainted with a Foundation Establishment True Person.

Those [Golden Light Sword Talismans] had been well spent.

Imagining how he might get on good terms with Qi Yun afterward, Pang Xiao turned to leave.

But before he could take a step, two streaks of blue-white Sword Qi capable of piercing metal and splitting stone came hurtling straight at the back of his head.

Just as he had previously wanted to smash Qi Yun's head with a single punch.

This time, Qi Yun intended to put a hole through his mongrel skull, too.

The two streaks of Sword Qi arrived in an instant. By the time Pang Xiao heard their shrill hiss slicing through the air and thought to dodge or defend, it was already too late.

Clang! Clang!

Two explosive clashes of metal rang out as translucent orange-yellow magical light flared. Having barely managed to activate two protective talismans to block the head-piercing Sword Qi, Pang Xiao whirled around in shock and fury, staring at Qi Yun in disbelief.

But by then, there was no trace of Qi Yun behind him.

"Not good. The Phantom Body Concealment Method..."

Realizing something was wrong, Pang Xiao immediately circulated all his robust Qi and Blood at the Qi Refining Third Layer, his eyes rapidly scanning his surroundings as he tried to find Qi Yun.

Swish! Swish!

Two more streaks of blue-white Sword Qi shot out like phantoms from his blind spots at treacherous angles.

Prepared this time, Pang Xiao reacted extremely quickly. He kicked hard against the ground and shot into the sky like a cannonball, narrowly evading the Sword Qi's path.

But before he could land, the Sword Qi that had just flown beneath his feet traced bizarre arcs through midair, defying all reason, and stabbed toward him again.

"What the hell? This Sword Qi has eyes?!"

Watching the Sword Qi he had dodged actually turn, Pang Xiao's eyes widened abruptly.

He was in midair, his previous force spent and fresh force yet to arise.

He could only grunt, frantically driving his Qi and Blood as he chanted rapidly:

"Giant spirit, heed the decree; black iron casts the sinews;"

"Blood courses through the eight wilds; the soul quells the nine nether depths."

"Descend!"

Crimson blood mist erupted from the pores of his arms. His bulging veins rose like chains, and his skin turned blue-black, countless scriptures faintly appearing across it, like an ancient demon god.

A martial arts technique-Giant Spirit Blood Decree!

Activating the technique, Pang Xiao's eyes turned icy. He reached out with his large hands and forcibly caught both incoming streaks of Sword Qi in his palms, then clenched his fingers hard.

Crack! Crack!

Two sharp cracks rang out like shattering glass.

He crushed the two streaks of Sword Qi with his bare hands, reducing them to scattered specks of spiritual light!

"It seems you're determined to kill me today, Daoist brother..."

His expression cold and stern, Pang Xiao was about to deliver a threat when two more streaks of blue-white Sword Qi attacked from some unknown location, their angles treacherous and murderous intent spilling forth.

"Daoist brother, you..."

The corner of his mouth twitched, and Pang Xiao tried to speak again.

But after those two streaks of Sword Qi came another two, and after those two, another two.

In just a few breaths!

A full ten streaks of Sword Qi surged forward one after another like a school of piranhas that had scented blood. From every direction, at utterly treacherous angles, they carried chilling, bone-piercing killing intent, weaving an impenetrable net of death that ruthlessly closed in to shred him!

"Your mother..."

His expression changed completely. Pang Xiao dared not meet them head-on and turned to dodge. He only had two hands; how could he contend with so many streaks of Sword Qi?

Yet that very dodge plunged him into a death trap.

Over a dozen meters away, Qi Yun watched closely.

Since killing Tang Shun outside Anning County, this was his second true battle of magical techniques to the death.

The two encounters on Drifting Remains Mountain did not count. He had simply been chased around, utterly powerless to fight back.

Against tracking Sword Qi, fighting head-on might offer a sliver of survival.

But if you tried to dodge, sorry-the Sword Qi's built-in tracking would show you what it meant to have no road to heaven and no door into the earth.

Sure enough, the instant Pang Xiao abandoned a head-on clash and tried to evade instead, the sword light interwove into a net, completely engulfing his figure and sealing off every escape route.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Sword Qi swept over him, the muffled sounds of blades piercing flesh merging into an unbroken barrage!

In an instant, Pang Xiao became a blood-soaked gourd, his entire body a ghastly sight.

But just as Qi Yun pierced the space between Pang Xiao's brows with a sword strike, about to finish him off.

His body exploded without warning.

There was no spray of flesh and blood, only countless tiny, ink-black feathers glimmering with eerie light. Like a startled flock of crows, they scattered explosively, then turned into specks of black light and vanished completely into the air!

"Hmm?"

Revealing himself, Qi Yun strode over. Looking at the mess of bloodstains and the few black feathers slowly drifting down, he narrowed his eyes. After a moment's silence, he looked up.

Vaguely, he seemed to "see" a pair of cold, indifferent, narrow eyes above the dome, silently looking down over the entire Mirage Thousand-Faced Realm.

Sure enough, not a single truthful word comes out of the mouths of us Holy Sect people!

What nonsense about no restrictions on life and death. That Foundation Establishment greater demon has actually been watching the entire maze all along.

When someone truly reaches the brink of death, he casts a spell to rescue them.

If those outer manor disciples who gave up the assessment out of concern for their lives knew this, they'd probably grind their teeth to pieces.

Meanwhile, at the entrance to the Jade Blood Hall.

Covered in blood, Pang Xiao was forcibly ejected from the emerald-green vortex. Bewildered, he looked at True Person Ling before him. Before he could speak, the other man raised a hand and pointed.

The next second, his Great Void Jade Tally appeared.

Two glaring scarlet characters were branded hard onto it.

[Bottom tier]!

At the sight, Pang Xiao's already pale face grew even gloomier. Boundless humiliation and towering hatred burned in his chest. Clenching his fists, he forced a name out through gritted teeth:

"Lu! Ren! Jia!"

Having discovered this new rule of the assessment, Qi Yun narrowed his eyes and began calculating how to use it to stir up something big!

But just as the thought stirred.

The entire [Mirage Thousand-Faced Realm] shook violently without warning!

A pure-white pillar of light several zhang in diameter, so dazzling that no one could look directly at it, suddenly erupted from somewhere deep within the maze.

The pillar tore through the hazy mirage Qi and shot straight toward the dome. Its brilliance was clearly visible even from dozens of li away!

Almost simultaneously, every outer manor disciple in the maze raised their head and looked toward the conspicuous pillar of light.

At the same time, the Great Void Jade Tally at Qi Yun's waist trembled slightly. After he took it out, a line of small text slowly appeared on its surface.

[The first Crystal Key has been found!]

Looking at the words on the Great Void Jade Tally, then at the rising pillar of light, Qi Yun wore an odd expression.

"Is this... real-time location reporting?"

Good grief, they're really putting people straight over the fire to roast, huh.

And not long after the first pillar of light rose.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Four more pillars of light shot up from the ground.

By now, five Crystal Keys had been found.

More than half!

For a time, the atmosphere throughout the Mirage Thousand-Faced Realm grew tense and strange.

The real assessment, it seemed, from this moment on.

Had truly begun!