Whoosh!
Daoist Dragon Profound brought the two rapidly descending, landing in a forest of towering ancient trees.
The descent was swift, the rush of air stinging their eyes. Goudan could not see their surroundings clearly and asked in confusion, “Headmaster, have we already reached the Heavenly Profound Sect?”
“Heavenly Profound Sect?”
Daoist Dragon Profound laughed heartily. “If you do not know where this is, you can ask your companion. I believe he knows very well.”
Perplexed, Goudan wondered why Shu Han would recognize this place.
Shu Han remained composed, answering calmly, “Replying to the Headmaster, of course I am familiar with this location. After all, you chased and tried to kill me here years ago. This is the Rear Mountain Forbidden Ground of the Dragon Profound Sect.”
Goudan was utterly bewildered.
Were they not heading to the Heavenly Profound Sect?
Why had they returned to the Dragon Profound Sect?
And what did the Headmaster hunting down Big-Head Brother mean?
Amidst his laughter, Daoist Dragon Profound stared fixedly at Shu Han. Seeing the boy’s unwavering composure, a trace of suspicion arose within him: Why is this brat so calm? Did he truly fail to see through what happened back then? Then again, had he suspected anything, he would not have dared to follow me here. Truly a foolish child.
Standing with his hands behind his back, Daoist Dragon Profound looked leisurely and relaxed, resembling a hunter observing two prey stretching out their necks for slaughter. He said softly, “Do you know why I brought the two of you to this forbidden ground?”
Before Goudan could voice his confusion and ask for answers, Shu Han pulled him firmly behind his back.
A faint smile touched the corner of Shu Han’s mouth.
“It is nothing more than a life-and-death struggle, Headmaster!”
Suddenly, Daoist Dragon Profound’s eyes flashed with a piercing light. His brows furrowed deeply as he asked in astonishment, “You knew?! Knowing this, you still dared to come! Are you deliberately seeking your own death?”
“If I did not come, how could I bypass all the elders and disciples of the Dragon Profound Sect and seek guidance from the Headmaster alone?”
“Hahaha!”
Daoist Dragon Profound burst into wild laughter.
“I often heard Yu Tiancheng and Shu Sheng speak of your intelligence, but it is truly laughable! You wish to fight me, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, while sitting at the Qi Condensation Sixth Heaven? A fool’s dream!”
This exchange drained the color from Goudan’s face.
“Big-Head Brother… Headmaster… What on earth are you talking about…”
Shielding Goudan behind him, Shu Han tightened the straps of the bundle on his back. With one hand, he drew the Spirit Serpent Sword, which immediately erupted with a dazzling golden radiance. Two white spheres fell into his other hand. Raising his spirit, Qi, and essence to their absolute peak, the sudden surge of spiritual pressure radiating from Shu Han made Goudan tremble behind him.
“This… Big-Head Brother…”
“Goudan! Once the fighting starts, run out of this forest immediately! Staying here will only burden me further!”
Daoist Dragon Profound clapped mockingly. “Not bad at all! A Top-Grade Magical Artifact-that senile Second Elder truly invested heavily in you! Bring out whatever other trump cards you possess. Do not blame the Headmaster later for not giving you the chance to show them!” Follow the newest chapters on novelping(.)com.
“Run!”
The two white spheres smashed violently into the ground.
In an instant, a furious wave of air accompanied by thick white smoke swallowed the dense forest.
Amidst the swirling white mist, Goudan was shoved hard from behind.
Though his mind remained in complete turmoil, the immediate danger was painfully clear: for reasons unknown, the Headmaster intended to kill them! He dared not ponder the cause further, instinctively obeying Shu Han’s command and running for his life in the opposite direction.
Watching the rising smoke and seeing Shu Han vanish into the haze, Daoist Dragon Profound laughed wildly.
“Brat, do you truly believe that obscuring my vision with smoke will prevent my Blood Soul Sword from locking onto you? Let me teach you a lesson: we cultivators rely on Divine Sense to wield Dharma Treasures! Obstructing my sight is entirely-what? This smoke can interfere with Divine Sense?!”
Attempting to probe with his Divine Sense, Daoist Dragon Profound found the surrounding area blurred. Though he could sense Shu Han lurking in the vicinity like a predator, he could not pinpoint his exact position.
Throughout five years of preparation, Shu Han had constantly guarded against Daoist Dragon Profound’s ghostly Blood Soul Sword.
Its speed was terrifyingly fast and exceedingly difficult to evade.
If forced into a direct frontal clash, even exhausting every trick at his disposal would leave him struggling to last ten rounds.
That realization had forced him to devise a countermeasure.
He had carefully analyzed the night of the Seven Great Factions’ attack. Back then, Daoist Dragon Profound had not even revealed himself, yet the Blood Soul Sword had precisely executed a thousand people across the mountain without a single error.
Different angles, different locations, with chilling accuracy!
Shu Han had instantly understood that the Blood Soul Sword relied entirely on Divine Sense to achieve such precision.
After searching through numerous medical compendia, he finally discovered Frost Grass.
While intended as a cooling remedy to clear internal heat, its prominent side effect was the dulling of Divine Sense.
When ground into powder and deployed as smoke bombs, Frost Grass could temporarily paralyze an opponent’s Divine Sense, opening a crucial window of opportunity.
Daoist Dragon Profound shouted, “Useless! My Divine Sense vastly surpasses yours! In this environment, even if I cannot lock onto you instantly, you remain entirely powerless against me! Surrender to your fate!”
Is that so?
Calming his mind, Shu Han drove his five senses to their absolute limits.
After a decade of martial training, while ordinary cultivators relied almost entirely upon Divine Sense, his well-honed eyes and ears had long since mastered the ability to discern movement through sound. To Shu Han’s ears, the white-hrouded forest was as clear as a mirror.
This was the fundamental combat principle Sister Wan’er had taught him long ago.
Use one’s strengths and avoid one’s weaknesses, and attack when the enemy is unprepared!
The Spirit Serpent Sword slithered through the air, emitting a faint, hissing sound resembling a viper darting its tongue.
Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine.
A gleaming silver sword pierced through the air, aimed directly at the back of his head-the Chaotian Sword Art’s Break the Firmament!
Clang!
The silver blade struck a mere two inches from Daoist Dragon Profound’s skull before grinding to a halt against a snow-white barrier.
A coiled white dragon materialized from behind him, wrapping around his entire body to form an impenetrable defense.
An Armor Dharma Treasure!
Without hesitation, Shu Han retreated swiftly while hurling two Fire God Talismans behind him.
Boom! Boom!
Colossal cones of fire detonated in his wake.
Brilliant flames bloomed across the forest, momentarily scattering the surrounding frost smoke. As Shu Han fell back, he saw that the white light barrier remained completely unblemished by the Talismans’ blast, causing his heart to sink.
Such astonishing defensive tenacity-was that truly a Dharma Treasure?
Seeing the mist dissipate, Daoist Dragon Profound smiled coldly as the Blood Soul Sword hovered and spun.
Pouring his Spiritual Power into the Spirit Serpent Sword, Shu Han left no opening for a counterattack.
With every wave of his arm, a golden python surged forth from the blade.
In a flash, eight spiritual serpents lashed through the air, baring their massive fangs as they lunged fiercely toward Daoist Dragon Profound!
“Fireball Technique!”
Shu Han flicked his fingers repeatedly.
Ten fireballs fired off in rapid succession!
Daoist Dragon Profound’s expression shifted in shock.
To instantly command a Top-Grade Magical Artifact while simultaneously casting ten fireballs at once-this boy was far more formidable than he appeared!
The golden pythons tangled with Daoist Dragon Profound while the barrage of fireballs kept him occupied, halting his attempt to direct the Blood Soul Sword.
The Blood Soul Sword slashed back and forth in his grasp, cleaving all eight pythons in half, while the fireballs crashed harmlessly against the white dragon armor.
Puff! Puff!
Shu Han tossed out two more frost smoke pellets, instantly replenishing the mist dispersed by the explosions.
Watching the thick white haze roll back over the clearing, Daoist Dragon Profound frowned deeply.
“Troublesome little beast! It is fortunate that I omitted the higher-level techniques from the Longxuan Three Revolutions Divine Art, leaving him lacking in offensive power, or dealing with him would have proven quite troublesome indeed!”