A slightly disheveled white figure flashed out from the bushes.
It was Shen Hanyi.
Her face was pale, her breathing unstable. Her clothes were torn in many places and stained with blood. Her right hand, gripping the sword, trembled faintly. Her condition was clearly terrible. That single strike just now had already consumed enormous effort.
After landing the blow, she did not even glance at Zhou Kai. Her cold gaze locked directly onto Chen An.
After her fierce battle with the Celestial Spring Sect disciples that day, she had been heavily injured and exhausted her spiritual power, fainting on the spot.
Not long after, more Celestial Spring Sect search disciples arrived.
She forced herself, grievously wounded, to fight several more while retreating step by step.
She knew her condition was dire. There was no way she could break through the net spread across Hidden Beast Mountain. So she took a gamble and played a trick known as hiding in plain sight.
After maneuvering carefully and shaking off pursuit, she secretly returned to the original battlefield, dug a shallow but extremely concealed pit, suppressed her aura, hid there, and slowly recovered.
Yet in the end, she was still found.
“Shen Hanyi!” Chen An shouted, both shocked and delighted. Shocked because his fellow clansman had been killed instantly, delighted because of the enormous bounty from the Celestial Spring Sect.
As a 6th stage Qi Refining Realm cultivator, his reaction was swift. He immediately summoned a yellow earth-shield artifact in front of himself.
Without hesitation, he pulled out a crimson talisman from his robes, infused it with spiritual power, and threw it high into the air.
Whoosh.
A bright pillar of light shot upward and exploded in the sky, forming a blood-red sphere about the size of a fist. It hovered in the air without dissipating.
He was sending a signal.
Only after doing all this did Chen An fix his gaze on Shen Hanyi and shout sternly, “You really were hiding here! Today you will be captured!”
Shen Hanyi wasted no words. Though severely injured, the sharpness of a sword cultivator still remained.
With a flick of her wrist, she forcibly activated spiritual power. Her flying sword once again turned into a streak of light and shot toward Chen An’s face.
Chen An dared not be careless. He fully activated the shield artifact to block, yellow light blazing from it. At the same time, he formed hand seals and chanted. The ground trembled as several earthen spikes burst upward, crisscrossing to seal off Shen Hanyi’s movements.
Clang, clang, clang.
Sword light and shield collided violently, sparks flying. Shen Hanyi’s figure was agile, like a withered leaf in the wind, weaving between the earth spikes. Her sword light flickered unpredictably.
Originally, Shen Hanyi was at the 7th stage Sword Dominion Realm, equivalent to the 7th stage Qi Refining Realm, higher than Chen An.
But she was now heavily injured and her spiritual power severely depleted. Under such circumstances, she was only barely even with Chen An at the 6th stage Qi Refining Realm. Gradually, because of Chen An’s sturdy defensive artifact and his relentless use of spiritual power to generate earth spikes as interference, she began to fall into a disadvantage.
Zhou Kai stood to the side, his heart pounding.
The opportunity had arrived.
A heaven-sent chance.
Kill with a borrowed knife.
Chen An had to die. Otherwise, once Celestial Spring Sect reinforcements arrived, the storage pouches of the two Chen Family cultivators would be handed over to others.
Judging by Shen Hanyi’s state, her defeat was only a matter of time.
When that happened…
“I don’t care about grand ideals. Resources and beauties are the true principles of the cultivation path.”
He had a Flight Escape Talisman. He could attack or retreat at will.
A sharp glint flashed in Zhou Kai’s eyes as he made his decision.
Seizing a gap in their fight, he suddenly shouted loudly, his voice filled with loyalty and urgency, “Brother Chen, do not panic! I will assist you!”
The shout was powerful, as if he truly meant to risk his life for his comrade.
Chen An, fully focused on resisting Shen Hanyi’s sword, felt a moment of relief upon hearing that. Although Zhou Kai was only at the 4th stage Qi Refining Realm, any help would ease the pressure.
In the instant Chen An’s attention shifted, expecting Zhou Kai’s aid—
Zhou Kai moved.
He did not charge at Shen Hanyi. Instead, he flipped his wrist, and five talismans crackling with lightning instantly appeared between his fingers.
Lightning Strike Talismans.
Though not high-grade, five released at once were still formidable, especially in a surprise attack from behind.
“Go!”
Zhou Kai barked softly and hurled all five Lightning Strike Talismans at Chen An’s back without hesitation.
“Zhou Kai! You—”
Chen An sensed the violent surge of spiritual power and the unmistakable killing intent behind him. His soul nearly left his body. He could not believe that Zhou Kai, whom he had always looked down upon, would strike at him instead of Shen Hanyi.
In a panic, he tried to defend, but Shen Hanyi’s sword was faster.
What battle experience she had. Though she did not know why Zhou Kai had suddenly turned, an opportunity like this was fleeting.
Almost at the same moment Zhou Kai released the talismans, a cold flash appeared in her eyes as she seized Chen An’s momentary distraction.
Crackle!
Five arcs of lightning struck Chen An’s back simultaneously, violently shaking his protective spiritual light. His body staggered, his vitality surging chaotically.
At the same time, Shen Hanyi’s flying sword slipped around his shield from a tricky angle and pierced straight through his throat.
“You… will… not… die well…”
Chen An’s eyes bulged as he stared at Zhou Kai, gurgling sounds emerging from his throat before he collapsed.
Blood soaked into the earth beneath him.
Silence.
Only the wind through the trees and Shen Hanyi’s increasingly labored breathing remained.
Zhou Kai quickly stepped back several paces. With a flick of his fingers, two storage pouches floated toward him.
At the same time, he checked the Flight Escape Talisman in his robes to ensure everything was ready.
On the clearing lay the two still-warm corpses of Chen Family cultivators.
High above, the blood-red signal sphere still hovered ominously.
Zhou Kai and Shen Hanyi stood facing each other across a distance of more than ten meters.
The other was a gravely injured, cold sword cultivator who had just slain an enemy.
The forest was silent.
The wind rustled through the treetops, carrying the faint scent of blood.
Run.
That was the only thought in Zhou Kai’s mind.
This was absolutely not the right moment to capture her.
He had no intention of trading Shen Hanyi for Foundation Establishment Pills. As for fighting her head-on? Ridiculous. Even wounded and depleted, who could withstand the desperate methods of a sword cultivator?
A dying camel was still larger than a horse. If she had any hidden trump card, his 4th stage Qi Refining Realm body would not survive a single strike.
He had already suffered once before.
Moreover, the signal flare still burned overhead. Celestial Spring Sect reinforcements could arrive at any moment. By then, not only would he lose the beauty, he might even lose the storage pouches.
Without hesitation, Zhou Kai activated the prepared Flight Escape Talisman.
A pale green light suddenly wrapped around him, and he vanished.
A flicker of surprise passed through Shen Hanyi’s eyes. She clearly had not expected Zhou Kai, who moments ago had acted righteous and heroic, to switch faces so quickly and flee so decisively.
In the next instant, Zhou Kai appeared atop the canopy of a large tree over one hundred meters away. He concealed his aura and stared at the clearing.
“That maneuver earns at least eighty-two points,” he muttered inwardly. “The remaining eighteen I’ll award myself as six-six-six.”
“Shen Hanyi may be in poor condition, but she is still at the 7th stage Sword Dominion Realm. She should hold on for a while. If the arriving Celestial Spring Sect disciples aren’t too strong, perhaps… I can return, stir things up, and maybe even snatch that beauty.”
A piercing sound cut through the air. A young cultivator descended onto the clearing.
It was one of the two who had stood beside Chen Xingze at the Chen Family banquet days ago.
“Shen Hanyi? Surrender and return with me to the Celestial Spring Sect. Your safety will be guaranteed. Resist, and do not blame me for being merciless.”
“In your dreams.” Shen Hanyi’s voice was cold. Even in dire straits, the pride of a sword cultivator remained unbroken.
She forced herself to raise her sword. With a clear ringing sound, it unleashed golden sword qi toward the young cultivator’s face.
“Refuse the toast and drink the forfeit.”
The man sneered and summoned a white jade folding fan. With a fierce wave, violent wind surged forth, easily dispersing the sword qi.
His cultivation was comparable to Shen Hanyi’s at her peak, perhaps slightly inferior. But now that she was gravely wounded and her spiritual power nearly exhausted, the situation was entirely one-sided.
“At the end of your strength, and you still struggle?” The young cultivator pressed his advantage. With successive waves of the fan, several green wind blades formed in the air and howled toward Shen Hanyi’s limbs.
Zhou Kai frowned as he watched.
“This fellow is ruthless. Striking so hard at such a beauty? Does he know nothing of cherishing delicate jade?” he muttered inwardly while calculating rapidly.
“This is a top-tier potential confidante. A natural sword embryo, high-grade Metal Spiritual Root. If I could dual cultivate with her, the exchange points would skyrocket.”
On the battlefield, surrounded by wind blades, Shen Hanyi was in grave danger. Several new wounds appeared on her body, blood staining her tattered clothes. Yet her eyes remained stubborn, showing no sign of surrender.
The young cultivator grew impatient. His attacks became more ferocious, though he deliberately avoided vital areas.
“Shen Hanyi! You cannot escape!” he shouted as even stronger wind blades began to form.
“What a pity…” Zhou Kai thought silently.