Slaying Guard Zi He

Upon hearing the name "Demon-Slaying Bureau," the black-robed cultivator's expression changed drastically. He immediately raised his fist and punched toward Yang Lingrui.

Clang!

However, at this moment, Yang Lingrui's body was already protected by a thick layer of gray-white external manifestation. Even under the black-robed cultivator's full-strength blow, it did not shake in the slightest.

"Damn it!"

He cursed himself for his earlier sadistic behavior; he should have killed this person long ago.

Yet there was no time to dwell on it now. He had not the slightest desire to provoke someone from the Wangchao's Demon-Slaying Bureau, so he could only drop the matter and retreat.

Whoosh—

The black-robed cultivator whipped a steel needle straight at Zi He, then turned and bolted.

Zi He flicked a finger through the air, and the summoned external manifestation instantly batted the steel needle down.

Watching the black-robed cultivator's rapidly fleeing figure, he showed no hurry to give chase, merely reaching back to silently lift the dark red longbow from his shoulders.

Crackle...

Taking aim at the direction in which the black-robed cultivator was escaping, Zi He slowly drew the bowstring.

Swish, swish, swish.

A semi-transparent arrow formed entirely from external manifestation materialized upon the bow.

As he pulled the bowstring tauter and tauter, currents of Qi began to swirl around the body of the arrow.

The black-robed cultivator had already fled to an immense distance, pushing well beyond the range of Zi He's Divine Sense.

Yet Zi He appeared unconcerned. His lips twitched slightly as he muttered a short incantation, causing a layer of purple light to spread across his dark pupils.

"Strike!"

Thrum—

After a brief moment of aiming, Zi He spat out a single word. The external manifestation arrow hurtled forth, accompanied by the sharp rebound of the vibrating bowstring.

Astonishingly, despite the overwhelming ferocity in the arrow's aura, it produced not the slightest sound upon release—not even a faint tear of the wind could be heard.

Having loosed the shot, Zi He paid the distant direction no further mind. He turned, strode over to Yang Lingrui's side, and unhesitatingly fed three pills into his mouth.

"You... didn't die..."

Blood still stained the corners of Yang Lingrui's mouth, making his words thick and indistinct.

The moment he witnessed that external manifestation technique, a guess had formed in his mind. When he heard the man declare his name as Zi He, that suspicion was entirely confirmed.

Take his original name, chop off the head and tail, and that was his current identity.

"Mm. Thanks to the Ancestor's blessing, I managed to hang onto my life."

"Good... good, cough, cough..."

"I'm not dead, but if you keep blathering on, you really will be. Hurry up and refine the medicinal power."

One premium Spring-Returning Pill, one premium Bone-Regenerating Pill, and one premium Yang-Restoring Pill.

With three powerful pills for late Qi Gathering cultivators forced down his throat, Yang Lingrui's body and soul were dragged back from the gates of hell.

This single mouthful alone meant swallowing over two thousand Spirit Crystals.

Three hours later, Yang Lingrui had recovered enough strength to stand with Zi He's assistance.

"This time, I genuinely owe you my life. Thank you," Yang Lingrui offered in gratitude.

"There's no need for that between us."

"Why are you here?"

"The Demon-Slaying Bureau intercepted intelligence regarding the Blood Feather Hall, so I received orders to head for the treasure land. We simply crossed paths—you certainly have a stubborn grip on life."

Yang Lingrui smiled bitterly at the remark.

If Zi He had not appeared, he would surely have perished right here today.

"Then what should I address you as now?"

"There is no longer a Second Young Master Li in this world. There is only a first-rank Slaying Guard of the Demon-Slaying Bureau named Zi He."

As Zi He spoke, a fleeting look of reminiscence crossed his eyes.

After a brief silence between them, Yang Lingrui glanced toward the massive crater blasted out by the Moonfall. "To deal with an insignificant nobody like me, Lone Moon Mountain was truly willing to spend such a massive sum."

"Tch, don't flatter yourself. This Moonfall wasn't meant for you alone."

Zi He curled his lip. "Do you have any idea how many disciples Lone Moon Mountain lost this time?"

Yang Lingrui shook his head in ignorance, whereupon Zi He raised three fingers.

"Twenty-eight people died in total, including three personal disciples. Do you understand what that means? In the past thirty years combined, Lone Moon Mountain hasn't lost as many disciples as they did on this single outing."

Though Yang Lingrui had lacked a clear perspective before, hearing those numbers made the sheer fury of Lone Moon Mountain instantly apparent.

The loss of so many disciples would deal a devastating blow to the Sect's generational succession.

"I heard that the treasure land you entered also claimed the life of a Lone Moon Mountain Elder's personal disciple. Do you know anything about that?" Zi He turned his head to ask.

Yang Lingrui looked at him in silence.

"What? Don't tell me you're about to claim you did it?"

Zi He shot him an eye-roll. "That fellow knew spirit-control arts and carried numerous Spiritual Treasures and talismans. Even I wouldn't have an easy time with him. You..."

Before he could finish, Zi He noticed that Yang Lingrui still remained completely silent, causing his eyes to widen in shock.

"No way? You actually pulled it off!?"

"By sheer luck, the two of us accidentally stumbled into the inheritance grounds. He lowered his guard, I ambushed him, and all three Mountain-Splitting Talismans struck his vital points."

"Damn! You're utterly ruthless! You even secured the treasure land's inheritance!"

Unable to hold back, Zi He let out a curse. "Then you certainly earned that Moonfall! Do you know how many Spirit Crystals a single strike of that costs? Eighty thousand!"

Yang Lingrui managed a faint smile, preparing to say more when a sudden thought struck him regarding Zi He's earlier words—that the Moonfall wasn't aimed at him alone—and a chill of unease gripped his chest.

He grabbed hold of Zi He. "How was the target for this technique chosen?"

"Lone Moon Mountain's master, the Moon-Grasping Sect, purchased intelligence from the main branch of the Canglan Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. Your household was bound to be on the Wangchao's target list."

Noticing Yang Lingrui's sudden tension, Zi He's expression darkened as realization dawned on him. "Did your elder brother head out this time as well?"

The mere thought that Yang Linghu and the others might have encountered this catastrophe sent Yang Lingrui's mental state into turmoil.

It was possible they had miraculously managed to evade the Moonfall's strike.

Yet there remained the Blood Feather Hall cultivator acting as a backup.

Against a cultivator at the eighth layer of Qi Gathering, the three of them stood zero chance of survival!

Driven by this realization, he lost all desire to linger, instantly channeling his spiritual power to drive toward the direction of the Black Snake Hidden Cache.

"Pfft—"

A mouthful of blood burst from Yang Lingrui's lips.

The wounds that had only just begun to knit themselves together tore open anew under the forced circulation of his energy.

"What are you doing! Have you lost your mind? Your injuries need at least another month of quiet recuperation before they can stabilize!"

"Zi He, take me to the Black Snake Hidden Cache. Now! Immediately!"

"You—!"

Seeing the wretched state of his body, Zi He initially intended to refuse.

Yet recalling the despair he felt when he first learned of his younger sister's fate, he immediately understood Yang Lingrui's frame of mind.

"Fine! I'll take you!"

Catching up his longbow, Zi He hoisted Yang Lingrui onto his back and rushed full speed toward the location of the Black Snake Hidden Cache.

The pair soon passed the spot where the black-robed cultivator had been struck by the arrow.

A single glance told Yang Lingrui that nothing remained above the man's shoulders.

"What a technique. Impressive."

"The Ancestor credited all the merits to Qingwan and me. Both this longbow and the eye technique were exchanged from the Wangchao Treasury."

As the two hurried toward the Black Snake Hidden Cache, Zhao Qi—clutching Yang Linghu's severed right arm—and Liang Yi, still paralyzed by residual panic, finally laid eyes upon the Blood Feather Hall cultivator lying in wait as backup.

"First layer? Second layer? Do I really need to deal with these two?"

Noticing the cultivation realms of Zhao Qi and Liang Yi, the Blood Feather Hall cultivator at the eighth layer of Qi Gathering shook his head in utter disinterest, clearly disappointed by the targets.

What sense of achievement was there in crushing a couple of mere ants?

Liang Yi stared blankly at the newcomer, devoid of even fear, his mind entirely incapable of processing thoughts at this juncture.

Zhao Qi maintained a somewhat clearer head, having experienced his fair share of critical crises.

Yet faced with an insurmountable gap in cultivation realm, his mind raced furiously, finding no alternative save gambling everything on his talismans.

"I can't read his realm, but he's far stronger than Senior Brother Lingrui. Seventh layer? Eighth layer?"

"I can sense a dense surge of blood and Qi. He must be a martial cultivator."

"I still have three talismans left. Can this work?"

"No matter! Even if death is certain, I will never sit quietly and wait to die!"

With that thought flashing through his mind, he recalled Senior Brother Lingrui's approach, hugging Yang Linghu's arm tighter as muffled sobs escaped him while his hand inside his sleeve held a Mountain-Splitting Talisman ready to strike.

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