Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi dodged several more hidden weapons and talisman attacks.

Suddenly, he spun around and hurled a Purple Sun Immortal Fruit straight at the one-eyed man. At the same time, he roared, “One-Eye! You treacherous rat! You swore you’d help me hold them off! I’ll wait at our usual spot. The rest of the fruits are yours then!”

Whoosh!

The fruit streaked through the air and landed neatly in One-Eye’s hands.

He froze, staring at the fruit in shock. He immediately realized that Li Guanqi was framing him.

But he knew explanations would be useless. He turned to his companions and shouted, “Run! Run!”

One-Eye didn’t even try to defend himself further. All he did was turn and flee.

But how could the others let such a chance slip by?

They didn’t care what One-Eye’s connection with Li Guanqi was. What mattered was that he had a Purple Sun Immortal Fruit.

The image of Li Guanqi killing the Tyrant Bear was still vivid in their minds. Though they pursued him, none were foolish enough to face him one-on-one. They all knew better than to cross Li Guanqi alone. Not one of them felt confident enough to kill him single-handedly.Now, with both Li Guanqi and Ye Feng already having swallowed a fruit, waiting any longer could only make things worse for them.

Pfft!

A frigid blade pierced through One-Eye’s chest, the force obliterating his organs. With great effort, he turned his head, only to see the strike had come from one of his own comrades.

The man with monkey-like cheeks and pointy ears kicked One-Eye’s corpse into the air, snatched the fruit, and immediately drew a transporter talisman, his eyes gleaming.

But just as the talisman began to burn, an explosive arrow blasted his hand apart, snuffing out its effect. Before the man could react, the person beside him lunged.

The battle sank into chaos.

Better to fight old rivals than a powerful, unknown foe.

The crowd quickly thinned, leaving only twenty people. These twenty were the ones who had resolved to kill Ye Feng and Li Guanqi.

Li Guanqi’s heart sank. If this went on, he would be driven into the territory of tier-four demonic beasts deep in the forest. If that happened, none of them would leave alive.

With that thought, he turned and charged with his sword.

When the pursuers saw him turning back, their eyes lit up with joy.

Li Guanqi carried two Purple Sun Immortal Fruits, and a cultivator of his level surely held other treasures as well. They knew he was vulnerable: he had swallowed a fruit but hadn’t refined its power, and the youth on his back was locked in cultivation. If Li Guanqi had other tricks left, he wouldn’t have thrown the fruit to One-Eye to mislead them.

The youth with the folding fan called out coldly, “Brothers! Strike together! We’ll divide the spoils later. Be careful, he’s no easy prey.”

Li Guanqi’s eyes flashed coldly. With a flick of his wrist, he created a rope of vital force and tied Ye Feng to his back.

Clang!

His focus narrowed on the fan-wielding youth, a late Golden Core Realm cultivator who was already edging toward the tenth level.

Li Guanqi needed more time. The best way was to make an example of someone.

Vital force surged through him like dragons crashing through his veins. Using the Traceless Darkness Step, he blurred into motion, multiplying into countless afterimages that filled the sky above the forest.

It was difficult to identify the real Li Guanqi. He was incredibly fast, appearing before the youth in an instant.

Several blades shot from the youth’s white fan. He knew he was Li Guanqi’s target and swung hard, aiming straight for Li Guanqi’s neck.

Li Guanqi shifted just enough, letting the blade cut his chest instead of his throat.

Then, his voice hissed in the youth’s ear like a devil’s whisper. “Hunting Slash.”

Boom!

A bolt of purple lightning ripped through the air.

The youth’s world spun. He looked down and saw his headless body in the sky. “That’s… my body…”

Boom!

Li Guanqi swung wildly, parrying every strike hurled at him as the backlash flung him dozens of zhang away. Skidding across the air, his feet carved two white streaks beneath him.

He straightened up from his crouching position. The youth’s blade had shredded half his hood, revealing an old face splattered with blood.

Li Guanqi raised his arms and looked at the circle of people who had surrounded him. With a strange smile on his face, he asked, “Who’s next?”

Wherever his blade pointed, faces went pale.

The strength he had just displayed unsettled them. Many of them were his equal in cultivation, but none could kill so decisively. He was much stronger than they were, and the ease with which he killed the youth sent chills crawling down their spines. If any of them faced him alone, they would surely die.

The dozen survivors exchanged uncertain looks. The matter had escalated too much, and retreating would surely not be easy.

One man drew a deep breath, glaring with killing intent. “What’s there to fear? He’s just one man! If we wait for him to break through, we’ll be at a real disadvantage! Attack together! Once he’s dead, everything is ours! That flying machine on his back alone is worth a fortune by itself! If you hesitate now, you’ll never get this chance again!”

The cold-faced man restored their confidence.

Then again, these were people who lived and breathed violence year-round. None of them thought they’d be the ones to fall.

As the crowd stirred, a sudden surge of power erupted at Li Guanqi’s side. Ye Feng tore free of the rope binding him, his aura pressing heavily on the air. Sword in hand, he stood next to Li Guanqi.

He opened his mouth, his voice low and steady. “Boss… leave it to me!”

Li Guanqi immediately put the Thunder Wings on Ye Feng, then tied himself tightly to Ye Feng’s back with his vital force rope.

Before closing his eyes, he clutched Ye Feng’s shoulder hard and growled, “Thirty seconds.”

Then, he shut his eyes and entered cultivation at once.

Ye Feng glanced around at the dozen enemies who wanted them dead. He drew in a deep breath, gripping his sword until his knuckles whitened.

Do your worst!

Boom!

The true game of cat-and-mouse had begun.