Fallen on the Dao

"Ninth Uncle, I'm going to chase after those two little thieves." The Lin Household archer fired an arrow at the Gray Spirit Falcon but missed. Frustrated, he was about to cross Han Yundao to pursue Duan Anle and Wei Gu.

A crimson sword light circled them back. Han Yundao lowered his head, held his breath, and remained silent. More than a dozen crimson Sword Qi shot out, forcing several members of the Lin Household to take another step back.

Uncle Jiu looked displeased. This young thief wasn't highly skilled, but his swordsmanship was quite impressive.

Even if it hasn't grasped the true meaning, it's still far superior to those charlatans who think they're sword cultivators just because they have a flying sword.

"A swift and decisive battle is needed; we can't let them escape into Tanggu County." The ninth uncle, who was leading the Lin Household, glared fiercely and shouted in a low voice.

The Lin Household cultivators sprang into action. The two leading figures, one tall and one short, wielded a short staff and the other a long halberd, both at the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer, similar in cultivation to Han Yundao.

These two are no pushovers; their short clubs are heavy and their long halberds are sharp, and their attack is fierce and not to be underestimated.

Han Yundao took half a step back, silently recited the Mnemonic, and the flying sword in his hand leaped into the air.

When metal clashes, the Sword Qi endures.

The two Lin Household cultivators looked grim as they were forced back to their starting point by a single sword strike. The force of the recoil they felt was something they only experienced when receiving guidance from their elders in the clan.

"What a pity," Han Yundao without showing any emotion on his face, but sighed inwardly.

If I were to master the fundamental principles of the Three Yang Scripture, the power of the Three Yang Sword Instruction in my hands would definitely increase significantly. At least one of the two Lin Household cultivators, one tall and one short, would have died on the spot.

"Attack together!" Uncle Lin Household was shocked, but the handsome young man in front of him was far from being powerful enough to make him tremble with fear.

The Lin Household cultivators responded and moved. The archer took the lead, and the Gray Spirit Falcon followed Duan Anle to retreat. His spirit bamboo arrow pierced the right eye of the Fire Jackal that was pouncing on it.

After a piercing sound of bones cracking, the shattered skull fragments immediately embedded themselves in the spirit beast's head, killing the poor creature on the spot.

Han Yundao had no time to worry about the spirit beast that Duan Anle had just acquired. With only a three-foot-long green sword as thin as a cicada's wing, he first parried the club and halberd, then repelled the axe blade, which made the Lin Household cultivators feel slightly wary.

But Lin Household's Ninth Uncle, being a late-stage cultivator from Foundation Establishment clan, was naturally not intimidated by this sword-wielding junior.

A golden melon in his hand burst forth with spiritual light, unleashing layers of restrictions. He first lifted the hammer, forcefully pushing away Han Yundao's thrusting sword, then smashed it down with the hammer, the gleaming golden melon about to crack open Han Yundao's skull.

The latter's waist flashed, and another fire spirit shield appeared.

When the golden melon is thrown into the fire, sparks fly everywhere.

The Fire Spirit Pendant worn by Han Yundao suddenly cracked, and the broken jade pieces fell to the ground, causing the withered grass on the ground to burst into flames with joy.

Although the Fire Spirit Pendant that Jiang Qing gave to Han Yundao wasn't bad, it was just a common mid-grade magic Law Artifact that they had found together in Xuanwei City years ago. It was normal that it couldn't withstand the angry attack from Lin Household.

However, Han Yundao managed to break free during this opportunity. He had only taken half a step back when a gust of wind swept over the back of his head.

Han Yundao blocked with his sword, and three Sword-Ray shot out, blocking all the clubs, halberds, axes, and tactical weapons behind him. The longsword groaned, and a crack the thickness of a cow's hair appeared on its blade.

Han Yundao's face was flushed, but he didn't care at all. His fingers moved quickly, and instead of turning around to protect himself, the flying sword turned and stabbed at Uncle Lin Household.

The flying sword was as swift as a shooting star, but Lin Household was prepared. He summoned a white jade Buddha amulet, with a smiling Buddha statue pushing his hand. From the palm-sized amulet, a giant hand, ten feet tall, emerged to grab the flying sword.

"Buzz buzz buzz!" The flying sword ignited with the heat of the sun. Although Han Yundao had only learned the basics of the "Three Yang Scripture", it still scorched his Buddha's Hand red and forced him to retreat.

Lin Household showed a hint of dissatisfaction. He had long ago told his twelfth brother that he wanted to reforge his damaged high-grade defensive magic Law Artifact, but his brother always said "no space" and "no space," making it difficult for him to subdue even a junior in the Middle Qi Refinement Refining.

Lin Household was furious and threw a golden melon, which Han Yundao narrowly dodged.

His teachers have always disliked his efforts in studying scriptures, but he has made good progress in practicing various Technique Method.

In just a few years, he has mastered the "Cloud Crane Roaming" technique, a Desolate Rank, Supreme Grade, to the Minor Accomplishment Realm. Not to mention that several of the younger members of the Lin Household who are about his age are not as good as him, even the footwork of the Lin Household's Ninth Uncle, who leads the team, is inferior to his.

This is why Han Yundao still had a chance to dodge and maneuver even when surrounded by the Lin Household cultivators.

However, the Lin Household is one of the most renowned weapon-refining Aristocratic Clan in Cloud Horn Prefecture. Their Lineage possess formidable Law Artifact, and as Lineage with Foundation Establishment lineage, their methods are certainly not weak.

This meant that Han Yundao was already in grave danger and drenched in cold sweat after only a few exchanges with them!

Although he has experienced many battles over the years, and was even present when the patrol team surrounded and captured some powerful rogue cultivators in the Late Qi Refinement of Rogue Cultivator, most of the time he was doing light work under the protection of his superiors.

Having had so many smooth-sailing days in the past, this kind of difficult and dangerous situation is truly a first for me!

Little did he know that Han Yundao's performance was already remarkable in the eyes of Lin Household, who was on the other side.

Family members know their own affairs best.

Those who dared to follow Uncle Lin Household out to pursue Han Yundao and his group during the previous chaos on the spirit boat were certainly no ordinary people in the Lin Lineage.

However, even with Lin Household Ninth Uncle, a late-stage cultivator, and his nephews and nieces, they were unable to defeat a Qi Refinement Fourth Layer junior!

This infuriated the most impatient and reckless cultivator in the Lin Household. With a swipe of his jade axe, Han Yundao dodged with his left and right feet, a crescent-shaped burst of energy passing by his side.

"The sword can be used at any time." Han Yundao's sword technique had ended, and he should have been able to move around freely, but he suddenly remembered Jiang Qing's teachings. He made up his mind, raised his sword and swung it. A wonderful feeling that he had never experienced before appeared.

The most reckless cultivator with thick eyebrows suffered the consequences. Han Yundao's longsword was not as aggressive as before, and only calmly cut a red line on the cultivator's forehead.

The red line appears on the forehead and then reappears on the back of the head.

The thick-browed monk's head was neatly sliced open, with not a single bone fragment or piece of flesh remaining, as if it had been meticulously crafted by a master artisan.

Lin Household's Ninth Uncle immediately flew into a rage and swung his golden melon, but it was blocked by Han Yundao's horizontal sword. The latter felt that he had never been able to use the Three Yang Sword Instruction as skillfully as he had today.

"If my third uncle were here, he would surely praise me for finally getting it!"

The flying sword deftly deflected the force, and Uncle Lin Household's charged attack failed to achieve its intended effect, which greatly excited Han Yundao.

When he looked at the two cultivators holding halberds and staffs, there was no fear in his eyes. His flying sword was covered with blazing sun energy, and he slashed fiercely at the two cultivators.

If Sect Leader Kang Da were present to witness this, he would most likely think that his eldest disciple had indeed acquired a bit of Jiang Qing's former flair, and shared the same recklessness.

If Kang Dabao were in that situation, he would have seized the opportunity to rush out through the gap the moment the thick-browed cultivator's head was half-fallen off the ground.

The two cultivators, one tall and one short, were not fools. They could see that the awkwardness in Han Yundao's Swordsmanship had become much more refined, so they retreated several feet to avoid his sharp edge.

There are plenty of people in this world with extraordinary talents. Even if Han Yundao were placed in a small pond like Cloud Horn Prefecture, he would at most be considered "not bad".

If the Lin Household cultivators can't defeat him alone, then they should swarm him.

Why can sects and Lineage reap more benefits than Rogue Cultivator? It's simply a matter of numbers bullying the few, and higher cultivation levels bullying lower cultivation levels.

Han Yundao failed to achieve its goal, and he was instead entangled by Uncle Lin Household. Jin Gua, acting aggressively, finally caught up from behind.

Han Yundao was not a pure sword cultivator, but he couldn't bear to see his already damaged flying sword suffer further damage, so he summoned a mid- First-Tier Middle-Grade rock essence shield to block it slightly.

The golden melon was powerful and heavy. Lin Household's Ninth Uncle, whose Qi Refining Seventh Layer of Qi Refining, was far superior to Han Yundao's. He immediately knocked back the Rock Essence Shield, causing Han Yundao, who was controlling the weapon, to stagger.

A bright green bamboo arrow swiftly pierced Han Yundao's right shoulder socket, causing excruciating pain that nearly made him drop his sword on the spot.

The Lin Household archer finally got his chance, but even after wounding Han Yundao, the anger on his face didn't subside in the slightest.

Thinking of his cousin whose neck was covered in bandages, the Lin Household archer gritted his teeth in hatred, and with a fierce determination, fired another arrow.

The arrow missed slightly, only managing to scatter Han Yundao's hair bun.

This displeased the Lin Household archer, who fired another arrow, which missed slightly, severing only a section of Han Yundao's hair.

The archer, seething with anger, cursed, "You little bastard, I'll send you to your grave!"

Before the Lin Household archers could even make a move, Han Yundao had already suffered a loss because of his recklessness.

The halberd-wielding cultivator, whom he had always looked down upon, turned back, the ferocious tiger runes on the halberd blade gleaming brightly.

As the halberd flew from his hand and thrust forward, Han Yundao parried with his sword. The halberd swept across, and Han Yundao flicked his sword, intending to push the halberd back.

The halberd-wielding cultivator had no intention of taking the blow head-on. The halberd spun rapidly, leaving a trail of blood, before steadily returning to his hand.

Han Yundao didn't notice anything unusual at first, until he felt a sticky, warm sensation on his wrist.

Looking down, he realized that his right wrist, which held the sword, had been slashed open, and thick, foul blood was flowing out, staining the clouds on the sword hilt black.

"Poisoned!" Han Yundao suddenly startled. He didn't dare to stop walking for even a moment and hurriedly swallowed a few antidote pills.

Fortunately, the poison on the halberd was not very strong. The pills that Sect Leader Kang Da had prepared for his disciples at great expense were not Spirit Stone. In just a short while, Han Yundao felt much more comfortable.

But he was ultimately just a junior cultivator who had just entered the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer Refining. It was already quite remarkable that he could deal with so many Lin Household cultivators for so long.

He used another talisman to block the sweeping attack of the cultivator wielding the staff. The latter was not one of those local cultivators in Pingrong County who couldn't even recite the Five Elements Spiritual Techniques. His wealth was not much less than Han Yundao's. He also threw out a handful of attack talismans to retaliate.

Just as Han Yundao unleashed his Rock Essence Shield to block a wave of golden spears, fire spears, and rock lances, the Lin Household archers fired three more arrows in quick succession.

The arrow flew like a meteor, aimed straight for the vital point.

The Rock Spirit Shield couldn't withstand the impact any longer and crumbled into dust upon landing.

"It's time to go!" Han Yundao saw that Lin Household's golden melon had come again. He knew that if he stayed any longer, he would probably not survive. After thinking for a while, he drew his sword and leaped to the side of the Lin Household archer.

As the sword light approached, the Lin Household archers showed no fear. Their bows were drawn to their fullest extent, and they unleashed a powerful shot without an arrow. The arrows were imbued with spiritual light and their energy was like clouds, even more terrifying than the previous arrows.

Han Yundao was only trying to escape, but the Lin Household archers mistook him for someone who was going to fight him to the death, and used their trump card without thinking.

Han Yundao immediately felt a pang of despair, but since he had lost his defensive magic Law Artifact and had nowhere else to turn, he had no choice but to try his hand at using his movement technique.

"Cloud Crane Roaming" truly lives up to its reputation as one of the best footwork techniques in the Chongming Sect, helping Han Yundao, who was enjoying great fortune today, avoid the signature move of the Lin Household archers.

The sect leader's eldest disciple didn't waste the opportunity. He swept past the Lin Household archer, slashed wildly with his sword, and fled in panic.

"I'll go after them!" The Lin Household archer's right pinky finger was grazed by the Sword Qi, and both knuckles instantly melted away, the flesh turning into a pulp.

"Go!" Uncle Lin Household stopped the Lin Household archer. He had noticed that the boy's footwork was extraordinary and slippery, but his strength was a fatal flaw. He was definitely no match for him, a late-stage cultivator.

"Take these brothers and bring back the other two Chongming Sect disciples. Do not let them escape!" After giving these instructions to the Lin Household archers, Uncle Lin Household Jiu followed Han Yundao in the direction he was heading.

The archer from the Lin Household glared hatefully in the direction Han Yundao had fled, but dared not disobey his clan uncle's orders. He took a few pills, chewed them up, and spat them onto his severed finger along with his saliva.

A refreshing coolness washed over them, and the Lin Household archer's anger subsided slightly. "Let's go. If we can't catch those two villains from Double Brightness, we'll go to Pingrong County and bring back a few more."

----Two days later

Han Yundao dared not stop, and just swallowed the pills haphazardly. He felt as if there was a Pill Cauldron burning with raging fire in his lungs, and the large plumes of smoke he emitted made his chest feel like it was being cut by a knife, as if it were about to explode at any moment.

Lin Household's gaze was gloomy. He hadn't expected that it would take him two days to hunt down a mid-stage cultivator from a Qi Refinement Refining sect!

They haven't caught up yet!

"That kid's footwork and Swordsmanship seem to have improved?!" Uncle Lin Household felt like he had become a whetstone, both annoyed and worried about the safety of the Lin Household's archer team.

"If we keep running, we'll be in Han City!" Lin Household was terrified. That old bastard from the Yue Household dared to kill even False Core from the Two Instruments Sect. He was just a lowly Qi Refinement from the Chang County Lin Household. Even if the Yue Household slaughtered him in the street and bled him dry, would the Lin Household dare utter a single curse?

"Let's keep chasing him. Luckily, that kid's Cultivation Method isn't high-grade. If it were someone with a long and steady breath, he might really be in trouble. Let's chase him for another day!" Lin Household made up his mind and increased the speed of his flying sword.

Han Yundao fled until sunset that day, finding a cave to hide in. By then, the spirit bamboo arrows on his shoulder had been grinding against his shoulder blades, making a hissing sound. His robes were soaked with blood every day, getting wet and then dry, until their original color was no longer visible.

"Anle and the others must have arrived at Tanggu County by now, right?" Han Yundao groaned from exhaustion, leaning against the cliff wall, closing his eyes, no longer wanting to escape.

The excruciating pain in his shoulder kept him awake, so he gritted his teeth and made a desperate move. He grabbed the arrow's fletching with his left hand and pulled it out sharply, drawing out a stream of thick blood and a large chunk of flesh along with the arrowhead.

Han Yundao swallowed several pills of blood-regenerating and muscle-regenerating medicine without paying for them. The fleshy hole the size of a fist on his right shoulder, which had just sprouted new flesh, was swept away by the arrow energy and turned into a pile of minced meat again.

Han Yundao knew that the injury needed to be healed, but he had no time to heal right now. He was too tired, and before he knew it, he closed his eyes.

A faint smile appeared on Han Yundao's lips as he relived the wondrous feeling of drawing his sword earlier in his dream.

"So that's how it's used! No wonder my third uncle always called me a blockhead! He was right, sword cultivators really aren't just locked up at home."

"Ah, that's how you should strike! A little more force, and I could decapitate that tall guy with the club."

"When we get back, I'll put on a show for Rongquan and see if he still respects me as his senior brother!"

"Anle!! Master!!" Han Yundao, despite being so exhausted, he still couldn't sleep for long and was startled awake from his dream.

He shook his dizzy head, hastily bandaged his wound, walked out of the cave, turned around, and quickly flew away on his sword.

Not long after he emerged from the cave, he felt as if he had been bitten. He turned around but saw no one there. He turned back and saw Golden Light short hammer coming down on his head.

Han Yundao caught it rather awkwardly and landed on a cliff face.

Exhausted and also without rest, Lin Household rushed forward with red eyes, only thinking about smashing this despicable little thief to pieces as soon as possible.

Han Yundao dared not be careless, but as the battle progressed, he realized that Lin Household's golden mace was not as sharp as before. In his eyes, he could see several flaws in Lin Household's weapon.

Even though the opponent's cultivation was profound, I could still fight him to a standstill by using skillful techniques to break through his methods.

"Could it be that dream from earlier?!" Han Yundao seemed to have thought of something, and even in this life-or-death situation, he laughed.

Uncle Lin Household also gradually realized something was wrong. "Oh no! How has this kid's Swordsmanship improved so much! We have to take him down quickly!"

One sought to prove his path through force, while the other sought to break the law through skill. The two fought with bloodlust, showing no mercy, turning this once secluded cliff into a fierce and menacing battlefield.

At this moment, neither of them could see anything else; their only goal was to kill the other.

Han Yundao's battle went more and more smoothly, while Lin Household's Ninth Uncle found it quite difficult. He could already see the slight excitement in the other's eyes, which made him furious!

"Damn it! Are you really using your father as a whetstone?!" Lin Household roared, his golden mace flashing with spiritual light, ready to smash Han Yundao and his flying sword together.

Han Yundao was not angry but pleased. He changed his hand gestures, and although he seemed a little clumsy in his movements, dozens of blazing sword Sword Qi were released from the broken flying sword and intertwined into a net.

"Ha! 'The true swordsman is one who is fearless and Wuwei; Wuwei makes one invincible.' Third Uncle, I think I understand a little bit now!"

Seeing that the Flame Sword Net, which he had been unable to unleash, had finally taken shape, Han Yundao didn't even look at the Golden Gourd Short Hammer that had fallen to the ground or the mangled corpse of Uncle Lin Household's Ninth Family. He was only concerned with admiring his own masterpiece.

"I'm exhausted!" Han Yundao collapsed to the ground, feeling completely drained of strength. He lay on the stone slab, unwilling to move.

" At the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer, I slew a Late Qi Refinement cultivator! Master will surely praise me when he finds out, right?! Hehe, but I'm afraid I'll still get scolded. But it doesn't matter if I get scolded. When I get back, I'll call all my fellow disciples to my little courtyard for a Daoist gathering, and I'll make sure Rongquan sits in the middle to listen to my lecture!"

Whew, I can't rest for too long. I'm the senior brother, I still need to go back to find Anle and the others. It's not safe here either; any random Demon Beast or cultivator I pass by could kill me!

First, open the Lin Household's Storage Bag and see if there's anything good inside. Give it to Master when he returns. So many of our fellow disciples died this time; Master must be worried about Spirit Stone!

Thinking of this, Han Yundao slowly opened his eyes. An old man carrying two swords was staring at him blankly, showing no emotion.

"The Three Yang Sword Instruction, Chongming Sect."

The mountain wind and the old man's words brushed past Han Yundao's ears, and then the flying sword flashed by, leaving a terrifying gash on Han Yundao's fair neck.

Han Yundao didn't feel any pain, but a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, "I won't be able to send ten beautiful female cultivators to my master as his mistresses."

"Channiang, take a look."

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