Escape

The female cultivator in the tiger-coat finally caught up with her three junior brothers and they arrived together at a cave outpost they had found on the outskirts of Cold Crow Mountain. She immediately began to berate them. "You men are all unreliable, a bunch of wretched fools!"

The three men broke out in a cold sweat from the scolding, managing only a few forced smiles as they responded.

Tie Liuyun, as a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator the Demon Correction Office Division of Shannan Circuit, still has a certain reputation in the surrounding states, even though the Demon Correction Office's name is far less prominent than it was in the early years of the dynasty. In addition, his own strength is not to be underestimated. If we disregard things like False Core, he can already be considered a first-class Foundation Establishment in Shannan Circuit.

Upon seeing the legendary Xiezhi Iron Guard, who was said to be inseparable from Tie Liuyun, appear, the three of them were so frightened that they fled. This was because the other party's reputation was too great, and they, being such fools, could not help but be afraid.

"It's such a pity about that dish of Sacred Incense. It took my master nearly five years to gather enough scales for his group of Second Tier Mystery Blue Butterfly. And it would take another three years to refine the incense. Now it's all ruined." The short, thin cultivator grinned, heartbroken, as he thought about it.

"Tie Liuyun has no time for us. We're lucky to have come back alive. What are you still complaining about?" The female cultivator in the tiger-coated robe glanced at him and turned to ask, "But isn't he in the Demon Correction Office Division of White Sand County in Jingnan Prefecture? Why is he meddling in our affairs in Cloud Horn Prefecture Pingrong County?"

"Senior sister, you still need to ask? Which corrupt official of the Immortal Dynasty in Shannan Circuit wouldn't want to come to Huo Bing Cloud Horn Prefecture and snatch food from that old devil Huo Bing's bowl? What kind of family is the Xuanwei Niu Household Huo Bing? If it weren't for Huo Bing's good luck in becoming a bird governor here at the time, this piece of fat meat wouldn't have been in his reach to bite. Kuang Liuting is of noble birth, shrewd, and generous. How could Tie Liuyun not be like a pug, looking for opportunities to fawn over him?"

The short, thin cultivator analyzed the situation logically, but the female cultivator in the tiger-patterned coat snorted and grumbled angrily, "I should have listened to the short man and broken the formation sooner. That way, we might have been able to save the beast herd and get back before Tie Liuyun arrived."

However, she thought for a moment, "Tie Liuyun acted so swiftly this time, the team of fellow disciples besieging Lingyun Market above probably won't escape either, and their results might be even worse. In that case, I might not be punished by my superiors."

The four chatted for a short while before Junior Brother Qian, who had been leading the beast alone, returned.

It was truly the protection of the Dao Ancestor; despite facing the Xiezhi Iron Guard personally led by Tie Liuyun, none of the five of them suffered any losses.

Before the female cultivator in the tiger-coat could even ask any questions, she saw that Junior Brother Qian's face was extremely pale. He said in a hoarse voice, "Senior Brother Wu and the other fellow disciples who went to Linghe Market with him were intercepted by Tie Liuyun. The beast herd collapsed, and they couldn't escape. The Second Tier Golden-Clawed Hou that Sixth Uncle passed on to Senior Brother Wu before his death also couldn't escape and was killed by Tie Liuyun."

The other four remained silent. This Tie Liuyun truly lived up to his name; his methods were quite formidable. They were indeed very lucky.

"Fortunately, Linghe Market was destroyed before Tie Liuyun arrived. There are hardly any survivors left in the entire market. We have fulfilled the order given to us by the Upper Sect. We can face the Venerable Envoy with our master and uncles without any problems," Junior Brother Qian added.

"Hmph, the Upper Sect ordered us to destroy all the markets and workshops in Cloud Horn Prefecture that had received the Yue Household's trading licenses. We had already received the order and were prepared to be careful of the Yue Household's people. But it seems that the Immortal Dynasty has intervened first." The female cultivator in the tiger-coat frowned, her fleshy features squeezing together, making her look even more fierce.

"Senior sister, don't think about these things. We should escape as soon as possible!" The short, thin cultivator's face was full of anxiety. This tiger woman usually doesn't have much of a brain. Why is she thinking about these important people's affairs now? We should just escape.

"Yes, senior sister, we need to escape for our lives right now."

"Senior sister, even if Master and Uncle were present, that scoundrel Tie Liuyun could only flee."

"Let's run, senior sister!"

The female cultivator in the tiger-patterned coat frowned even more, annoyed, and said impatiently, "I know, I know, we'll take a detour and meet up with the Feng Prefecture Ge Household. Tie Liuyun will definitely arrange for the Demon Correction Office- Suppressing Division's hounds to search the vicinity, so we'll split into pairs and dress as ordinary Rogue Cultivator to avoid drawing too much attention and getting caught."

"Senior sister is absolutely right!"

"Senior sister is right!"

Upon hearing this, the four men immediately split into two groups and fled without even saying goodbye.

"You damned thing!" The female cultivator in the tiger-coat stared blankly for a moment before gritting her teeth and cursing. She then chose a route and used the Divine Movement Talisman to flee at top speed.

They hadn't gone far when a clear voice came from behind them. "Fellow Daoist, please wait."

The female cultivator in the tiger-patterned coat looked doubtful and dared not linger, but the Divine Movement Talisman beneath her feet was only of low grade and could not outrun the crimson flying sword of the cultivator behind her.

A handsome young man carrying a sword stood before the female cultivator in the tiger-coat, his face as white as powder, his eyes bright and his eyebrows delicate. Even though the female cultivator was facing death, her heart still fluttered at his sight.

Fortunately, she was a Late Qi Refinement at the Foundation Establishment stage, so she wasn't truly blinded by the beauty before her. After only a moment, she regained her composure and asked sharply, "Fellow Daoist, are you stopping me to steal?"

"No, that's not it. I'm looking for a few lost juniors and was just about to ask if you've seen them." The handsome young man gently raised the tip of his flying sword, revealing a sharp, cold glint.

"The mountains are quiet; I haven't seen anyone," the female cultivator in the tiger-coat replied in a gruff voice.

"Fellow Daoist, you look unfamiliar. You must have just arrived here to cultivate. May I ask where your immortal home is?" The handsome young man's expression remained unchanged. He lowered his sword, changed his incantation, and the flying sword was now horizontal in front of him, pointing directly at the female cultivator in the tiger-coat.

"This young man is no ordinary person," the female cultivator in the tiger-patterned coat said, her eyes flashing with a sharp glint. Her right hand, hidden in her sleeve, subtly formed a magic seal, yet she still answered, "Rogue Cultivator from Xuping County, visiting a friend."

"What a coincidence, I know someone very well nearby. I wonder which friend you are looking for? I happen to have some free time, so taking you there will be faster." The handsome young man's voice suddenly turned cold, and the flames on his crimson flying sword dissipated, with a faint spiritual light gathering.

"His sword strike is faster than mine!" The female cultivator in the tiger-coat thought to herself, "This is bad. I should have known better than to hold back and just take the initiative to kill this pretty boy."

Now, however, she had no choice but to continue with the pretense, replying in a hoarse voice, "There's no need for you to trouble yourself, fellow Daoist. I'm not in a hurry to travel."

"Since you're not in a hurry, why are you using Divine Movement Talisman, fellow cultivator?!" The handsome young man shouted, startling the female cultivator in the tiger-patterned coat. She then saw a flying sword, wreathed in flames, hurtling towards her. Startled, she quickly abandoned the hand seals hidden in her sleeve and instead conjured two defensive magical Law Artifact. At the same time, she cursed inwardly, "Are all the Rogue Cultivator in Cloud Horn Prefecture so stingy? They're all late-stage cultivators, yet they can't even afford a low-grade Divine Movement Talisman when traveling!"

The female cultivator in the tiger-coat never imagined that she would be found out because of a Divine Movement Talisman. Just as she was feeling frustrated, she saw that the flying sword opposite her had easily sliced her crimson-gold shield into several pieces. She was immediately shocked. Who was this young swordsman? He was even more powerful than she had imagined.

"Could it be a disciple of Tie Liuyun?" The female cultivator in the tiger-coat didn't have time to think further. She turned her hand and pointed, summoning the remaining beast bone banner to protect herself.

The incoming wave of fire was completely extinguished by a wisp of black energy emanating from the beast bone banner. The female cultivator in the tiger-coat looked solemn, realizing that the person before her was no weaker than an ordinary Foundation Establishment True Disciple, and that it would be difficult for her to escape easily.

Having blocked three more blazing Sword Qi, the beast bone banner was already slashed by the Sword Qi energy. The female cultivator in the tiger-coat looked even more ashen-faced. Meanwhile, the young swordsman had already ascertained his opponent's strength and thought to himself, "He's just a bit higher in cultivation, maybe at the eighth or ninth level of Qi Refinement. The rest are just ordinary techniques, about the same as Senior Brother Pei. If their cultivation were equal, he'd probably be far inferior to Senior Brother Sect Leader and Second Senior Brother!"

He then unleashed three more sword flashes and shouted fiercely, "How dare you bluff me! What ordinary Rogue Cultivator has your skills! Speak! You were ordered by the He Household, and why did you use Demon Beast to destroy my Chongming Market!"

"Your Chongming Market." The female cultivator in the tiger-coat thought to herself that something was wrong. The young swordsman in front of her must be Jiang Qing, the only swordsman in the Chongming Sect. Before meeting him, she had cautiously regarded him as a Foundation Establishment disciple of a major sect, just like herself, just in case. However, she did not expect to underestimate his abilities.

The female cultivator in the tiger-patterned robe shook her beast bone banner again, barely managing to block the sword light; the beast spirit patterns on the banner had already broken.

This was a high-grade defensive magic Law Artifact that she had painstakingly accumulated over decades of cultivation to buy with Spirit Stone. While feeling a pang of heartache, she could only utter a veiled sarcasm. "I'm just Rogue Cultivator visiting friends. Who says Rogue Cultivator can't have good methods? Fellow Daoist, you're truly domineering, relying on your superior swordsmanship to bully your fellow cultivators like this!"

"Fine, fine, still not telling the truth? Watch my flying sword teach you how to speak!" Jiang Qing showed no mercy. The Seven Luminaries Heart-Slaying Sword flashed several times, and three waves of Fire Wave Technique rushed towards the female cultivator in the tiger-coat, surrounding her and the beast bone banner.

The female cultivator in the tiger-coat felt that the fire wave in front of her seemed amazing, but in reality it was far less fierce than the sword light before. Although the beast bone banner had been severely damaged, it was still not a problem to protect her. It was quite a case of being strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

Such a lot of noise but little action surprised him.

"Drink!" As Jiang Qing's cultivation advanced from the Late Qi Refinement, the power of the three Fire Wave Techniques that came with the Seven Luminaries Heart-Slaying Sword was still only equivalent to the full-force attack of an ordinary Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivator. For Jiang Qing now, it was as useless as chicken ribs. He only used this move to paralyze the female cultivator in the tiger-coat.

At that moment, his spiritual incantation changed, and all four restrictions on the Seven Luminaries Heart-Slaying Sword— "Sharpness," "Explosion," "Heart-Burning," and "Armor-Piercing"—were activated. The sword was enveloped in a layer of fierce yang energy, breaking through the waves of fire and stabbing straight at the female cultivator in the tiger-coat.

The female cultivator in the tiger-coat dared not be negligent and desperately urged the beast bone banner. At this moment, the black energy emanating from it was almost solidified, mixing with the flames around her, gradually obliterating Jiang Qing's technique into ink, and turning it into her own means to counter Jiang Qing's flying sword, with astonishing momentum.

"Oh no!" Upon seeing the change, Jiang Qing's expression immediately changed drastically, and he exclaimed in alarm.

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