Chapter Sixty-Eight: Ambushing the Man in Red

In the world of cultivation, murder and treasure-snatching were everyday occurrences. If a high-level cultivator set their sights on you, simply fleeing was rarely the wisest choice. Pills and spiritual liquids that could instantly restore one’s cultivation were rare treasures, and ordinary low-level cultivators hardly ever possessed them. Once your spiritual energy was exhausted, your adversary could kill you without effort, leaving you no hope of resistance, let alone a desperate struggle. It was for this reason that Chu Xinger chose to stay and observe, rather than flee.

Her doubts were soon dispelled. From behind, a beam of light streaked across the sky, carrying a pressure even stronger than Huang Yipeng’s—a cultivator at the threshold of Foundation Establishment. Chu Xinger’s heart sank; she realized someone had secretly planted a tracking mark on her. Unless she found and destroyed it, escape was impossible.

Knowing there was nowhere to run, Chu Xinger refused to await her fate passively. She descended gently toward the ground, simultaneously communicating with Xiao Wenzi, her spirit beast within the pouch, informing him of their predicament.

With Xiao Wen and a mid-grade magical artifact as trump cards, Chu Xinger was not overly fearful; she resolved to fight with all her might. Yet, earlier in the marketplace, she had refrained from purchasing talismans in order not to draw attention with her wealth. Had she foreseen such a formidable enemy, she would have spared no cost to acquire high-grade defensive talismans.

As she pondered, the figure within the light grew clearer. Upon seeing the man’s face, Chu Xinger’s brows knitted. She had only a vague impression of this crimson-robed man—one among the many in the first-floor hall of the Marvelous Pill Pavilion.

At that time, his spiritual pressure matched hers; now, he exuded the aura of someone nearly at Foundation Establishment. Clearly, he had concealed his true cultivation with secret arts or talismans.

While Chu Xinger sized him up, the crimson-robed man stared back, surprised that she dared remain and await his arrival. Was there some formidable figure backing her?

His spiritual sense swept outward but found nothing amiss, so he assumed she was bluffing. He sneered coldly, “You’ve got guts, girl, but now that you’ve met me, all your bravado is useless. Surrender quietly, or it will do you no good.”

In the world of cultivation, strength was the ultimate law. Since the opponent had brought the fight to her, Chu Xinger saw no need for pointless words. With a flick of her finger, the flying sword before her burst forth in radiant light, slashing toward him.

The crimson-robed man curled his lips in mockery, forming hand seals to control his own magical artifact, which collided head-on with Chu Xinger’s sword.

A metallic clang echoed through the air.

The crimson-robed man’s cultivation far surpassed Chu Xinger’s. Though his flying sword was also a low-grade artifact, it immediately suppressed hers upon contact.

Seeing that no one came to assist even at such a critical moment, confidence surged within him. While controlling his sword to split Chu Xinger’s artifact, he unleashed a spell—blades of sword energy.

Sword Energy Technique, one of the fundamental elemental spells in the cultivation world, was less potent than the artifact itself, but if it struck a cultivator of the same rank, survival was unlikely.

To casually emit a foot-long golden sword arc revealed he possessed an exceptional gold spiritual root and had mastered the Sword Energy Technique to perfection.

She could not afford to remain on the defensive; otherwise, the situation would grow dire. As his golden sword energy surged forward, Chu Xinger tapped her storage pouch, producing a leaf-shaped flying dagger as thin as a cicada’s wing. She poured spiritual energy into it, and the blade shot toward the golden sword energy like lightning.

With a crash, the seemingly mismatched willow-leaf dagger easily shattered the sword energy, then, its light slightly diminished, continued its unstoppable trajectory toward the man's neck.

“Ah, a mid-grade magical artifact—this little girl truly has wealth,” the crimson-robed man exclaimed, seeing his spell so easily destroyed. Yet, he was not troubled but delighted. So what if she wielded a mid-grade artifact? The higher the grade, the greater the drain on spiritual energy. With her cultivation at the eleventh layer of Qi Refining, she could neither unleash its full power nor sustain it for long. He only needed to endure this wave of attacks; soon, he could capture her effortlessly.

He slapped his storage pouch, summoning another artifact sword to clash with Chu Xinger’s willow-leaf dagger.

This time, however, he miscalculated. Low-grade artifacts could not compete with mid-grade ones, especially when both were pushed to their limits. The difference in quality quickly became apparent.

With a cracking sound, his low-grade sword sprouted spiderweb-like fissures.

Artifacts, unlike true treasures, required the cultivator’s spiritual sense to be attached for perfect control. If withdrawn before destruction, there was little backlash from the severed connection.

He had another artifact sword in his pouch, and if used wisely, it would suffice until her spiritual energy was depleted. Thus, the crimson-robed man felt little concern.

Roars and explosions filled the air; controlling both the willow-leaf dagger and flying sword against her opponent pushed Chu Xinger’s spiritual sense to its limits. She could not activate the mid-grade Vajra Sword artifact as well. After several exchanges, her rosy cheeks paled.

If Xiao Wen had not already left the spirit beast pouch upon landing, hiding in the withered grass nearby to await his chance for a sneak attack, Chu Xinger might have lost hope in this battle.

Xiao Wenzi, bolstered by the Concealment and Invisibility Talismans, crept quietly through the grass. The crimson-robed man’s attention remained fixed on Chu Xinger, and even when Xiao Wenzi was only a few feet away, he noticed nothing.

At the opportune moment, Xiao Wenzi erupted in demonic energy, his wings fanning into a blur as he darted toward the man’s back, the Wing Blade Technique poised for action.

He had reached the peak of the fifth level of the Demonic Qi Realm half a month prior, and while waiting for Chu Xinger, had honed his techniques to perfection. Now, using the Swift Demon Technique at full force, the few feet between them vanished in the blink of an eye.

With a hiss, twin blades of spiritual energy shot from his wings, aiming at the man’s brainstem and heart.

The crimson-robed man sensed danger, but the wing blades were too fast; he had no time to raise his protective aura and could only twist aside desperately.

Blood sprayed. The blade aimed at his brainstem grazed his right ear, slicing off half of it—fortunate, for the other blade, though missing his heart, pierced cleanly through his vulnerable side.

At the peak of the fifth level of the Demonic Qi Realm, Xiao Wenzi rivaled ordinary cultivators of the seventh level; his Wing Blade Technique was now far more formidable than before. Claiming it could split mountains was exaggeration, but ordinary Qi Refining cultivators could not withstand it.

The wound in the man’s side was deep enough to expose bone, blood flowing freely. Pain slowed his movements; the sword fighting the willow-leaf dagger, already damaged, shattered in a burst of dull light.

His spiritual sense, unable to withdraw in time, suffered backlash. He coughed blood, his aura instantly withering.