Supreme Sword Exalt

Zhao Mengyou had clearly heard the three voices as well. She went pale and opened her eyes.

Immediately after, she met Gu Han’s stern warning gaze. She nodded almost imperceptibly and followed his example. Restraining her aura, she gently placed the bottle of Transcendent Substance into her storage ring.

Gu Han didn’t move a muscle, and his expression remained blank. Yet in that complete silence, a sword appeared in his hand.

“Quick!”

“Hurry inside!”

“Barbarian Ancestor above, we’re finally saved!”

Accompanied by a burst of surprised shouts and clattering bones, three people arrived inside.

Upon seeing the two, the trio froze for a moment. “It’s you?”

Of course, they were no strangers to Gu Han. Since they had fled in panic the entire way, they hadn’t bothered to probe their surroundings. They also hadn’t expected Gu Han to be hiding here as well.

“It hasn’t been that long, but we meet again.” Gu Han sighed and slowly stood up. Upon seeing their condition, he raised an eyebrow. “That’s pretty pathetic.”

Most of their vital qi had been drained away. Although they remained tall, they no longer bore the imposing image of mighty Saint realm experts. With shriveled, loose flesh and matted gray hair, they resembled ghosts.

Their cultivation had also already fallen at the seventh or eighth stage of the Transcendent realm. Before this, even the weakest among them had been at the seventh stage of the Saint realm. Calling them pathetic was honestly still giving them too much credit.

The one in the middle had a hideous expression. His remaining qi shuddered as he prepared to kill Gu Han. “You little bastard, I’ll destroy you! This is all your fault!”

Gu Han was the first to move. A sword cry rang out. He pushed his cultivation to its limit, compressing the invisible sword qi layer to just two chi outside him. Finally, he raised his sword and struck at the skull!

A thin crack, over three cun long and as fine as a strand of hair, ran across the skull. It had been here for many years. Even though it still retained a trace of spirit, it was far less sturdy than it appeared.

Gu Han raised his sword high, ready to strike again. “Move and see what happens. It’s either you kill me first, or I break this thing open first!”

The sword fell again. The crack widened a bit more. Faintly, the three could already sense the devouring force from outside.

Without hesitation, Gu Han raised his sword again.

The barbarian’s expression darkened drastically. “Stop! W-we won’t make a move!”

They could see that Gu Han really intended to take them down with him.

Gu Han paused, then slowly retreated to Zhao Mengyou’s side, sword still raised. The three didn’t make unnecessary moves either. It was a stalemate.

At that moment, a barbarian seemingly sensed something with his brow. “Transcendent Substance!”

Three greedy pairs of eyes instantly locked onto Gu Han and Zhao Mengyou. The two had abundant qi and full vitality, showing no sign of life essence loss whatsoever. Coupled with the lingering, undispersed aura of Transcendent Substance in the space, there was no need to guess who the item belonged to.

As mighty Saint realm experts, they wouldn’t have cared about such things in the past. But it was different now. Having fled the entire way, they had already eaten every last spirit herb they had. Transcendent Substance, especially inside this Dragon Seal, was a divine item that could extend their lives.

As if sensing their intent, Gu Han’s sword lightly tapped against the skull, carving a shallow sword mark. The trio’s hearts sank, and the threats on their tongues were instantly swallowed back.

Gu Han asked, “I’m curious. What are the hall master’s loyal lackeys doing here?”

Their expressions darkened as they ground their teeth. They also hadn’t expected that Yun Ao, whom they had served faithfully for so many years, wouldn’t consider their past bonds at all. To heal himself, he had turned on them and tried to slaughter them.

Seemingly coming to a realization, Gu Han mocked, “How pitiful. Looks like in his eyes, you’re not even worth being called lackeys.”

One barbarian glared hatefully at Gu Han. “This is all your fault! If it weren’t for you, we would not have gone inside this Dragon Seal. We would not have ended up like this...”

Gu Han frowned slightly. “Dragon Seal? What’s that? You seem to know where this place is.”

The barbarian laughed coldly.

“So what if I do?! This Dragon Seal is a place that the hall master specially uses to trap people. Never mind us, just look at it.” He pointed at the skull. With a hint of despair, he added, “Even though it was countless times stronger than us in life, it was still trapped here until it starved to death. As a mere Heavenly Tribulation realm cultivator, you don’t actually think you can get out, do you?”

Gu Han’s heart sank as the barbarian’s words roughly matched his own deductions. The size of this place far exceeded his imagination. He wanted to get out, but he had no leads whatsoever.

Another barbarian said, “How about this? Give us the Transcendent Substance, and I swear on the Barbarian Ancestor’s name that we won’t harm you in the slightest. As soon as the devouring force disappears, we’ll let you leave!”

Gu Han laughed. “Let me go? I’m the barbarian’s sworn enemy—the one your War God Hall wants to eliminate the most!”

The barbarian admitted frankly, “That was before! Now that we’re here, everyone’s a prisoner. There’s no difference between barbarians and the empire anymore. Surviving is our goal!”

As if afraid Gu Han wouldn’t believe him, another also quickly assured him. “Right! Bring out the item. We absolutely won’t harm you!”

Gu Han was full of regret. “How kind of you. A shame that I’ve used up all the Transcendent Substance.“

The trio’s expressions turned cold. They didn’t believe him at all. Even if Gu Han was telling the truth, as a talent whose fame rivaled Feng Xi’s in the empire, he surely had other good things.

This place had neither spirit qi nor vitality. How long they could survive depended entirely on their own cultivation. Nothing was more important than pills. Gu Han understood this as well. He would never be stupid enough to hand over life-saving items to the three.

The three barbarians secretly transmitted messages.

”Don’t push him too far!”

”Once the devouring force disappears, that’s when we make our move!”

”We’ll make sure he regrets being born!”

”That woman’s quite good-looking. We can keep her for entertainment.”

Originally, as Saint realm cultivators, they had resilient Dao hearts and never valued female beauty. After suffering a great upheaval, their cultivation regressed, and they found themselves in this desperate situation, awaiting death. Their temperaments had become twisted as a result.