Myriad Daos of the Heaven

Han Qing’s voice came from the woods. The boy was incredibly cunning and didn’t show himself, because everyone present hated him to the bone. If he had appeared, they would have attacked him without a moment’s hesitation.

But to be able to control earthen walls from such a distance showed just how terrifying Han Qing’s awakened Earth Control Power was.

Of course, with Han Qing’s Cultivation Realm, his Earth Control Power could at most hinder his enemies, not harm them.

However, his obstruction briefly held everyone back. By the time they smashed through the earthen walls in front of them, Jiang Jichen had already arrived.

Even the Mountain Sect’s Outer Sect Senior Disciple, an Innate First Realm master, had fallen to Jiang Jichen. These Spirit Cultivators below the Innate Realm were even less of a match. Despite his injuries, taking them down was still an easy task.

Soul Destruction Finger, Seven Stars Sky-Breaking Fist, Ghost Shadow Step Technique!

Jiang Jichen used the three ancient techniques alternately or simultaneously, unleashing a power that made the Mortal Realm Spirit Cultivators tremble in fear.

The Soul Destruction Finger specialized in breaking through defenses. Below the Innate Realm, no defense could withstand the power of his single finger.

The Seven Stars Sky-Breaking Fist focused on inflicting injury. With every punch Jiang Jichen threw, someone would fall, never to get up again.

As for the Shadow Step, he naturally used it in coordination with the other two techniques, weaving between his opponents. His figure moved like a Wandering Dragon, swift as a fleeting shadow; no one could escape.

In just over twenty breaths, a crowd of people lay on the ground.

This time, Jiang Jichen didn’t kill them all. Some were merely injured or knocked unconscious. But for those with whom his grudge ran too deep to be resolved, he showed no mercy and killed them outright.

For example, the people from the Golden Snake Sect and the Mountain Sect. There was no room for reconciliation with them; it was a matter of life and death.

Just then, Han Qing walked out of the woods with a wide grin, laughing heartily. "We hit the jackpot! We really struck it rich this time!"

Jiang Jichen stood to the side and said, "News of this has surely gotten out. Their elders will be here soon. We shouldn’t stay here long!"

Han Qing was well aware of that. However, his movements as he searched the bodies were incredibly practiced, as if he did this often. He quickly collected the pouches from all forty-odd people.

"Let’s go. Hmm, you’re bleeding so much. Are you alright?"

After collecting the spoils, Han Qing looked at Jiang Jichen’s mangled hands, his body stained with fresh blood and his face a little pale, and couldn’t help but ask.

"It’s just a scratch. Let’s go!"

Jiang Jichen had indeed been injured in the last battle, but for someone who practiced the Undying Scripture, such wounds were nothing.

As they spoke, Jiang Jichen had already taken the lead and plunged into the forest. Han Qing followed close behind, and the two quickly vanished from sight.

「Less than half a double-hour after they disappeared,」 several elders appeared here without a sound. Each one of them possessed a startling aura; they definitely had a Cultivation of the Innate Third Layer or higher.

Their expressions changed drastically when they saw the group of people lying on the ground.

A black-robed Elder from the Mountain Sect, his eyes filled with fury, roared like thunder, "What happened? In just half a double-hour, even Yann Hao, who was at the Innate First Realm, was killed? And the rest are either dead or injured? Was this truly all Jiang Jichen’s doing?"

Beside him stood an Elder from the Golden Snake Sect, his expression just as grim. The Golden Snake Sect had also lost two Inner Sect Disciples at the Ninth Grade Middle Stage of the Mortal Realm.

"The message we received said they lured Jiang Jichen here. So it must have been that little bastard’s doing. He’s the enemy of all sects; no one else would dare do such a thing," the Golden Snake Sect Elder said in a hoarse voice.

The few of them here were the cream of the crop among their respective sects’ elders. They had the highest Cultivation and had rushed over at top speed after receiving the news. The others were still on their way.

But they never expected that after rushing here with all their might, this would be the scene that greeted them.

At that moment, a Steward from the Hex Family of Cyan Moon City spoke indifferently, "That little bastard’s blood is still here. If we use the Blood Qi Sensing Technique, we can definitely sense his general location. He won’t be on the run for long!"

"Judging from the remaining Blood Qi, he’s probably slightly stronger than an average Innate First Realm Martial Artist. He must have also sustained considerable injuries in that last fight," an Elder from the Five Spirits Sect added.

Though the four Innate Realm experts’ faces remained grim, they had calmed down somewhat. The Hex Family’s Steward looked at the Five Spirits Sect Elder and said, "Mr. Feng, does your Five Spirits Sect have some grudge against that little bastard Jiang Jichen? You seem even more eager than we are!"

The elder, whose name was Feng Tiansheng, spoke fiercely, "That brat dared to make a bet with our Five Spirits Sect’s Spirit Maiden, Ouyang Xue, and even boasted about taking her into his harem as a servant girl! Not only that, but Murong Qingshu, a new legacy disciple of our Five Spirits Sect, was also humiliated by that little bastard Jiang Jichen. I’ve come this time precisely to eliminate that arrogant youth and cut off any future possibilities."

The Mountain Sect’s black-robed Elder gave a cold smirk. "I’ve heard the Five Spirits Sect’s Spirit Maiden possesses a mysterious Spirit Vein. If it’s activated, her combat power will be unmatched. Listening to you, Mr. Feng, are you actually worried that your sect’s Spirit Maiden can’t defeat a crippled Body Cultivator?"

Mr. Feng of the Five Spirits Sect heard the sarcasm in the Mountain Sect Elder’s words, and a flicker of displeasure crossed his face. But the other man was from the number one sect in the Celestial Pearl Country, so he didn’t dare offend him easily. In a hard, cold voice, he said, "If it were before, I would have let it be. I wouldn’t have interfered, and that little bastard Jiang Jichen would not have had a sliver of a chance to win. But I’ve heard his Qi Sea has been restored, his Spirit Veins have been reconnected, and he has even broken through his limits to forge a new path, condensing a Golden Spiritual Power Line. If that’s true, then I must strangle this hidden threat in its cradle."

The elders had just calmed down, but upon hearing Mr. Feng mention that Jiang Jichen had condensed a Golden Spiritual Power Line, their expressions turned exceedingly ugly again.

There was no denying it—a Golden Spiritual Power Line represented a legendary Talent Level. When such a genius appeared in the Celestial Pearl Country, they should have been fighting to recruit him into their sects. But Jiang Jichen had already killed their people, and they had declared him an enemy of all sects.

This meant there was no room for reconciliation. If they couldn’t recruit a genius like Jiang Jichen, their only option was to kill him.

Otherwise, allowing such a genius to mature would spell absolute disaster for them.

However, the Elder from the Golden Snake Sect sneered, "I doubt that’s your only goal, is it, Mr. Feng? I’ve heard the Five Spirits Sect possesses a Secret Skill called the Bloodline Stealing Spiritual Technique. Could it be that the Five Spirits Sect wants to capture Jiang Jichen and seize his Golden Spiritual Vein and Qi Sea?"

The Golden Snake Sect Elder’s words stunned the others. A vicious glint flared in Mr. Feng’s eyes, and a flash of killing intent vanished as quickly as it appeared. He then calmed himself and said, "That skill is a lost art of my Five Spirits Sect. You’d best watch your words, Elder Jin. I’ll let it slide this time, but if any of the Supreme Elders of my Five Spirits Sect were to hear you, I’m afraid you’d face a fatal disaster, and no one would be able to protect you!"

This was a naked threat. The Five Spirits Sect was considered the second most powerful sect in the Celestial Pearl Country, strong enough to crush the Golden Snake Sect. Naturally, Elder Jin of the Golden Snake Sect felt the contempt in his words and was about to erupt when the black-robed Elder from the Mountain Sect stopped him. "Everyone, let’s not argue for now. Finding him is the top priority. If we delay any longer, the Blood Qi will dissipate, and I’m afraid that little brat will really get away!"

In the end, the group temporarily ceased their squabbling. They activated the Blood Qi Sensing Technique and gave chase in the direction Jiang Jichen had vanished.