Kill

As Qin Sang’s voice rang out, a wild gale howled, and boundless yellow sand suddenly swirled up from the earth. Kong Xin and the black-robed man found their vision completely obscured by the yellow sand. Reaching out with their spiritual senses, both discovered that their senses were somewhat sluggish as well, and their expressions changed simultaneously. However, they soon noticed that the yellow sand possessed only the power to disorient and carried no lethal force; guarding their minds was all it took to withstand it. “Watch out for their magic tools!” Kong Xin shouted a warning. In the subterranean cavern, their original plan had fallen apart due to Qin Sang’s ebony sword, but they had not come away empty-handed. While fending off the ghost onslaught, everyone's magic tools had been exposed to their eyes, which was why they had been able to capture Cultivator Bao alive so easily. For an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, possessing two or three top-grade magic tools for protection was already an exceedingly abundant fortune. Kong Xin believed he had seen through the depths of Qin Sang and Yunyouzi. Though suddenly ambushed, it was merely two against two, so he did not panic overly much. Amid the yellow sand, all was unknown. The black-robed man was about to meet up with Kong Xin when he suddenly felt a gale of fierce wind sweeping in from his left. Warning bells immediately chimed in his mind. Recalling the magic tools Kong Xin had mentioned, thoughts flashed through the black-robed man's mind. A pale bone staff flew out from his robes, striking toward the direction of the oncoming wind. The bone staff blazed with brilliant light. Amid a series of loud cracks, it separated segment by segment—it had in fact been refined from the spine of a demon python. The bone staff seemed to come alive, transforming into a white python. The triangular python head opened wide, attempting to clamp down on the incoming magic tool. Unexpectedly, this magic tool was neither the Black Dragon Stone nor the Spirit-Binding Cord, but a cloud of black mist—the very poisonous miasma manifested by the Heavenly Poison Gauze! The poisonous miasma was formless. The white python plunged into the miasma and passed right through it. Not only did it fail to halt the miasma's spread, the miasma actually moved even faster, instantly pouncing before the black-robed man. The black-robed man was momentarily stunned. Then, his consciousness blurred, and he inwardly cried out in dismay. He wanted to summon another magic tool to resist the poison, but it was already too late. Abruptly, the shrill whistle of a sword tore through the air. A dull stab of pain prickled at his chest, jolting him awake just in time to see a flash of sword light arrive in the blink of an eye like a startled swan. The black-robed man was terrified and hurriedly urged his bone staff to reverse course. Unfortunately, having just been cast out, the bone staff had exhausted its momentum. Moreover, having just been affected by the poisonous miasma, his movements had been delayed by a fraction of an instant—and that split second sealed an irreversible crisis. Frantic with anxiety and his eyes nearly tearing at the corners, the black-robed man spat out a mouthful of essence blood onto the bone staff in his desperation. Bolstered by the essence blood, the bone staff’s speed surged, and it narrowly swept against the flying sword's tail end. “Ah!” The black-robed man let out a miserable shriek, clutching his right chest as his figure reeled back in disarray. Though pierced and wounded by the sword, he secretly rejoiced. Fortunately, the flying sword had been struck by the bone staff at the last moment and forced off course, missing his heart and vital organs to pierce clean through his right chest instead. A single spirit pill would be enough to recover from this injury. Yet Qin Sang and Yunyouzi coordinated seamlessly, granting him no time to catch his breath. Before the black-robed man could even steady himself, a dark shadow suddenly enveloped him. Looking up in horror, he saw an immense, mountain-like shadow pierce through the yellow sand and come crashing down ruthlessly. The Black Dragon Stone descended from the heavens! “Save me!” The black-robed man screamed in terror, desperately driving his bone staff to intercept the Black Dragon Stone. Unfortunately, after blocking Yunyouzi's flying sword, the bone staff had already exhausted most of its power. Trying to withstand the Black Dragon Stone now was beyond its ability. The white python formed by the bone staff wailed piteously, its long form trembling violently. Amid a bone-chilling crunch, the staff shattered segment by segment. With its momentum unchecked, the Black Dragon Stone pressed its advantage relentlessly and slammed squarely onto the black-robed man. Squelch! The Black Dragon Stone weighed thousands of jin. The black-robed man was already injured, so how could his mortal flesh possibly withstand such a devastating blow? Together with his magical robes, he was crushed almost entirely into meat paste, breathing his last on the spot. At this time, Kong Xin had only just summoned a magic tool to protect himself and was contemplating how to join forces with the black-robed man to deal with the two Daoists. He and the black-robed man were hardly close comrades, merely temporary allies who maintained mutual vigilance, tacitly keeping some distance between them as they traveled. Kong Xin had even harbored another scheme. Discovering that the black-robed man had been ambushed, Kong Xin had set off at once to come to his aid, but he had not exerted his full strength, intending to let the black-robed man test the waters first. The black-robed man had spent years drifting through Wuya Valley and earned quite a sinister reputation. His prowess far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators of the same realm; even if he could not defeat the two Daoists, holding out for a while would surely be well within his power. Taking advantage of the chaotic fray, Kong Xin could look for an opening to burst forth and assassinate one of them, reversing the tables in an instant. He had never anticipated that the black-robed man would be so fragile, disposed of effortlessly in just a few exchanges. From the moment he had been ambushed to the black-robed man's death, not even three breaths had passed. There was also another possibility: the strength of those two Daoists was simply too formidable, far surpassing their wildest imagination! Aghast, Kong Xin turned and fled without hesitation. Clang! A ringing sound of metal clashing on metal rang out. Kong Xin tightly gripped his Blue Light Sword, pointing it forward at an angle with a dark expression. His path was barred by a flying sword. This sword was none other than Yunyouzi’s. Right after gravely wounding the black-robed man, Yunyouzi had switched targets, giving Kong Xin no chance to escape. The flying sword hovered midair, pointing straight at Kong Xin from a distance. Behind it, Yunyouzi’s figure slowly emerged. Kong Xin said coldly, “I underestimated you two Daoists. How did you discover us?” Yunyouzi shook his head. “If you wish for no one to know, the only way is not to do it in the first place.” “Why waste words on him, Daoist? A tiger-winged eagle has already noticed the disturbance here. Kill him quickly and let us leave this place...” Qin Sang’s voice drew closer and closer; by the time the word 'leave' sounded, he was already right beside them. Kong Xin's face shifted slightly, his gaze sharp and vigilant as he watched all around. Sure enough, Qin Sang's figure materialized not far away, releasing the Spirit-Binding Cord to form a pincer attack with Yunyouzi. Yunyouzi said no more, immediately driving his sword to attack. Kong Xin’s eyes flashed. He wielded his Blue Light Sword to block Yunyouzi’s flying sword. Just as the two blades were about to collide, he abruptly broke the seal between his brows. As his strength surged explosively, the Blue Light Sword also blazed with dazzling brilliance, seeking to shatter Yunyouzi's attack in one blow and break free from the encirclement. “Fellow Daoist indeed hid his strength,” Yunyouzi laughed heartily, showing no sign of panic. As an experienced elder, how could he be fazed by such a trick? With a flick of his finger, his flying sword unleashed an aura in no way inferior to the Blue Light Sword, meeting it head-on. Although Yunyouzi’s cultivation was slightly lower than Kong Xin’s, he would not be overcome in the short term. Seeing his Blue Light Sword locked tightly in combat by Yunyouzi while the Spirit-Binding Cord drew near, despair gripped Kong Xin, and a look of savage desperation surfaced on his face. Bang! Bang! Bang! Kong Xin's meridians ruptured inch by inch, sending essence blood spraying as he became a man drenched in blood. His aura skyrocketed—this was the ultimate life-risking measure of his cultivation technique. Yet before his secret technique could finish, the void behind his head twisted silently, and a translucent sword phantom slowly emerged. It shot straight through his skull!