Recognizing an Old Friend

Tan Hao fled with all his might, but the difference in their cultivation was simply too great. The masked man easily overtook him. *Whoosh!* A fierce gale surged from behind, striking with the momentum of a rushing thunderbolt. Tan Hao was terrified. Not daring to halt his stride, he hastily unleashed a shield magic tool, hurling it behind him. *Clang!* A crisp ring of metal echoed. The masked man's flying sword knocked the shield aside with ease. After only the slightest pause, it flashed with sword light once more and resumed the chase. Tan Hao cast out one magic tool after another, only for each to be batted away or destroyed outright by the flying sword. Far from widening, the distance between them shrank by the breath. "Keep running! Let's see how much farther you can go..." The masked man's mocking voice rang right beside his ear, horrifyingly close. Having been tricked by Tan Hao into taking such a long, futile detour, the masked man's anger remained unquenched. Adopting the mindset of a cat playing with a mouse, he intended to toy with Tan Hao thoroughly to vent his lingering frustration. A ruthless glint flashed across Tan Hao's face. His escape light halted abruptly, and he whipped around, flicking his wrist with a sharp rustle to toss out a stack of spirit talismans. A chorus of resonant dragon roars tore through the air. Sealed within the talismans was the exact same incantation. As the talismans shattered, more than a dozen dragons formed of pure ice crystals materialized out of thin air, roaring toward the heavens. Howling in fury, they bared their fangs and brandished their claws, lunging straight for the masked man. Fierce and imposing, the ice dragons formed a dragon array, combining their strength to strangle the masked man. Yet the masked man had held strength in reserve all along and was well prepared. At this sight, his figure flickered several times as he calmly wove between the dragons. His flying sword circled his body, slashing out arcs of sharp sword qi, every strike aimed precisely at the ice dragons' weakest points. Amid deafening blasts and helpless roars, dragon after dragon was decapitated by the masked man. Their bodies collapsed, shattering into flurries of falling ice flakes. It was like a night of heavy snow. The spectacle was breathtaking. Tan Hao, however, was in no mood to appreciate the scenery. His final trick had been effortlessly unraveled by the masked man, failing to wound the man in the slightest. Such was the chasm between Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment. Without powerful magic tools or spirit talismans, and lacking bizarre, unpredictable cultivation methods or incantations, bridging this gap was impossible. Tan Hao made no further futile struggles. Raising his head, he gazed toward the southwest, his eyes seemingly piercing through the boundless marsh to see his immortal's cave and the only kin waiting within. He had secured the Spirit-Calming Pill, yet he would never be able to deliver it. From the moment he resolved to enter the Ancient Immortal Battlefield with only a Qi Refinement cultivation, Tan Hao had anticipated this day. Without reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, one had to live in constant fear and trepidation in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Over the years, the mask had helped him scare off foes and turn perils into safety several times, allowing him to survive the peril-strewn Ancient Immortal Battlefield. But the mask was not omnipotent, and this day had finally arrived. There was not much despair in his eyes, but rather a hint of relief and release. Tan Hao let out a faint sigh and murmured silently, *Xiao Jie, your big brother is going ahead first to scout out the path below...* His right hand gripped a dagger—something he had kept for himself. The cultivation world possessed far too many methods of torture, some among the cruelest punishments under heaven, horrifying to even ponder. He could clearly feel the masked man's deep hatred for him; he would rather take his own life than fall into his clutches! Otherwise, he would be trapped in a state where living was impossible and death was denied! Tan Hao had long braced himself for this eventuality. Unexpectedly, just as he was about to raise his arm, an unusually shrill scream rang out from amidst the swirling ice flakes ahead. That scream actually came from the masked man! Tan Hao froze, his expression turning to shock and suspicion. He knew his own limits; those spirit talismans could never have made the masked man scream like that, unless... *Squelch!* A slender, emerald-green spirit sword shot out from the ice flakes, trailing a shower of blood. The moment the warm blood met the ice crystals, it froze as well, turning into crimson ice flakes. With an agile twist, the spirit sword reversed direction. In the next instant— *Thud!* The nearby ancient tree trembled violently. The spirit sword pinned a corpse firmly to the tree trunk. A thin layer of ice had already coated the corpse, while two sword wounds on the chest remained vivid red. The masked man's eyes were wide and unblinking, still brimming with horror and panic. Clearly, upon discovering the sneak attack, he had not even had time to mount any defense before being struck dead by the spirit sword. This was none other than the power of the first divine ability: Shadowless Concealment. The masked man had believed himself entirely secure, focusing solely on toying with Tan Hao. He never imagined that a mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Approached by the ebony sword without noticing, he had met an untimely end. When facing opponents in the same realm, opportunities for the ebony sword to launch a close-quarters sneak attack were rare, but against low-realm cultivators, this divine ability yielded miraculous results! There was no need to deploy a talisman treasure or the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner at all. *Plop!* As if in disgust, the ebony sword cast the masked man's corpse into the mire. Sword qi wrapped around the masked man's mustard seed bag, flying back with it. The putrid mud soon swallowed and corroded the corpse, leaving not a trace behind. At that moment, a figure walked out from behind an ancient tree. He stowed the spirit sword, caught the masked man's mustard seed bag, glanced through it casually, shook his head in disappointment, put it away, and raised his eyes to Tan Hao. From being on the brink of death to the masked man's sudden death by ambush, the situation had reversed in a flash. At this point, how could Tan Hao not realize that he had run into one predator robbing another? Tan Hao's expression shifted uncertainly, unable to tell whether this turn of events was good or bad for him. To kill the masked man so effortlessly, this newcomer was bound to be even stronger. Whether it was the masked man or this mysterious figure, either could easily dispatch him. Yet unlike the masked man, this person had not struck him down on a whim; perhaps there was still a sliver of hope. Feeling the person's gaze fall upon him from beneath the cloak, Tan Hao's heart tightened. Hastily presenting his mustard seed bag with both hands, he bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Senior, for saving my life. Junior has nothing to repay you with, only my meager belongings. I hope Senior will not disdain them." A long time passed, yet the mustard seed bag in his hands remained untouched. The mysterious figure stood motionless, showing no intention of killing him either. This tormented Tan Hao's nerves to no end. Qin Sang looked at Tan Hao and pondered for a moment. In the end, he untied his cloak, revealing his true appearance, and said, "Tan Hao, it has been many years. Do you still remember an old friend?" Tan Hao froze at his words, then snapped his head up to look at Qin Sang's face. Confusion first flickered in his eyes, but it was soon replaced by memories of the distant past. After all, Qin Sang's appearance had barely changed from several decades ago. "You're... Qin..." Tan Hao pointed at Qin Sang, utterly astonished. Qin Sang nodded and remarked with deep emotion, "Separated for several decades, I never expected we'd meet again today. Brother Tan, I trust you have been well."