The flying sword in Zhao Qiankun's hand possessed even greater power than he had anticipated; it shattered a water-elemental defense wall, wrecked a low-grade offensive spiritual artifact, and splintered a defensive spiritual artifact.

It was no wonder Zhao Qiankun had been so confident in attempting to seize the artifact.

However, Ye Qin had also discerned a critical weakness in the flying sword during that earlier assault. After every strike, Zhao Qiankun had to endure an extremely brief pause, preventing continuous attacks. Furthermore, the strained look on Zhao Qiankun’s face indicated that just two swings had significantly depleted his magic power. The rate at which this flying sword consumed magic power was likely even higher than his own Bat King Wings, meaning it wouldn't last for many more uses.

Ye Qin mused that a direct, close-range confrontation would offer him absolutely no chance of survival. If he got anywhere near Zhao Qiankun, he would be ruthlessly shredded by that sword. Yet, if Zhao Qiankun’s magic power was completely exhausted by the sword’s demands, then Zhao Qiankun himself would pose no threat.

The key, then, was figuring out how to drain Zhao Qiankun’s magic reserves dry.

Ye Qin’s gaze gradually sharpened. He produced the two Bat King Thorns from his possession, the remnants of Xue Xia’s wings. He had conceived a plan to deal with Zhao Qiankun. If this strategy failed to kill Zhao Qiankun, his only remaining option would be to flee—and to flee as far and as fast as possible.

Zhao Qiankun, just about to give chase to Xue Xia, suddenly felt something was amiss—a faint trace of killing intent lingering behind him. He paused his movement, whirling around violently. There, dozens of feet away in the low air, flew a cultivator clad in blue robes, a pair of enormous snow-white wings beating slowly, silently.

Zhao Qiankun was startled, though he quickly regained his composure.

“Winged Spiritual Artifact!”

He recognized the type of flying artifact immediately. Such artifacts were rare and difficult to obtain. No one in the Qing Dan Sect knew how to forge flying spiritual artifacts; only specialized crafting sects possessed that knowledge. In a moment of passionate impulse, he had even considered hunting down a flying demonic beast in the Lingwu Mountain Range just to obtain a winged artifact for amusement. However, his old man had reprimanded him, stating that after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, one could fly with a sword—a power ten or a hundred times greater—rendering such flashy, decorative flying tools useless. Since he never managed to hunt the beast, the idea was eventually dropped.

Zhao Qiankun’s expression shifted slightly. This blue-robed cultivator had been trailing them all this time, and he had only just noticed. Upon closer inspection, he seemed vaguely familiar—perhaps among that group from earlier? But he hadn't paid him much mind.

A subtle pressure began to build within Zhao Qiankun. He involuntarily bellowed in a coarse manner, “Boy, not bad! You actually have a flying spiritual artifact. Hand over that wing artifact to me, and I’ll spare your life.”

Ye Qin flicked the Bat King Thorns in his hands, gazing coldly at Zhao Qiankun. “If you have the guts, come take it yourself!”

Zhao Qiankun roared in fury. What was happening lately? It seemed every disciple in blue robes was disregarding him. He felt as though he had been slapped across the face—an utter and profound humiliation. His face twisted into a grotesque mask of rage and fury. “You think just because you’re flying in the sky, I can’t kill you? You’ve delivered yourself right here to die; don’t blame my ruthless heart, Zhao!”

With a wave of his hand, a surge of blue sword light shot skyward, hurtling toward Ye Qin in the air.

Ye Qin watched the shooting beam of light calmly. Only when it reached halfway did he abruptly beat his wings. “Whoosh!” His figure vanished from the mid-air position.

The blue sword light executed a swirling, slicing maneuver around his illusory afterimage in the air, but it found nothing but empty space.

When Ye Qin reappeared, he had instantaneously shifted dozens of feet away to another vector.

“Void Warp Flash?”

Zhao Qiankun cried out in utter astonishment, as if witnessing the most unbelievable sight. “You’re only at the Qi Refining stage, how can you possibly execute the high-tier wind-elemental spell, Void Warp Flash? Impossible! Not to mention Qi Refining cultivators, even Foundation Establishment cultivators can’t manage it.” His gaze shifted suspiciously toward the enormous and somewhat ostentatious snow-white wings on Ye Qin.

Then, a possibility dawned on Zhao Qiankun, and his face broke into a look of frenzied elation.

Wing artifacts were wind-elemental artifacts. It must be this Winged Artifact that allowed the casting of the ‘Void Warp Flash’ spell. This was a truly supreme flying spiritual artifact, not much inferior to the low-grade magic tool, the Profound Yin Sword, currently in his hand. If he could seize this Winged Artifact, coupled with his Profound Yin Sword, how many people in this Cave Trial could contend with him? A Foundation Establishment Pill was surely within his grasp.

“Hahahaha! With two magic tools, who do I have to fear!”

In his ecstatic delirium, Zhao Qiankun held nothing back. He commanded his flying sword to ruthlessly strike toward Ye Qin. He intended to seize that Winged Artifact. As for Xue Xia, who had fled, he had completely forgotten about her—the matter had completely slipped his mind.

A cold sneer touched Ye Qin’s heart. He circled Zhao Qiankun, continuously employing Void Warp Flash, shifting left, right, front, and back, constantly changing his position to evade the sword attacks. The magic power consumption rate of the flying sword was clearly exceeding the rate at which he used Void Warp Flash.

By simply competing on magic power expenditure, he could exhaust Zhao Qiankun to death.

However, Ye Qin hadn't intended to use such a straightforward method to drain Zhao Qiankun’s magic.

If Zhao Qiankun realized his magic power was draining too quickly, he would certainly halt his pursuit rather than continue attacking endlessly.

Ye Qin’s real plan involved using the Bat King Thorns in his possession to find the most opportune moment to siphon away all of Zhao Qiankun’s magic power, leaving the foe with a magic tool he couldn't wield.

Zhao Qiankun, failing to strike Ye Qin, was so enraged he almost coughed up blood. Growing desperate, he poured his full magical power into the attack. The flying sword pursued with increasing urgency, transforming into a swift blue streak of light.

Though the flying sword was incredibly fast, covering dozens of feet in the blink of an eye, it unfortunately ran afoul of a supreme Winged Spiritual Artifact equipped with ‘Void Warp Flash.’ Wing artifacts were inherently the most agile flying tools, and when combined with the inherent magic of the Bat King Wings, its maneuverability reached an unbelievable level. A simple beat of its wings allowed for complete, unpredictable teleportation to another location.

No matter how fast the flying sword moved, it still required time to turn and adjust. The sword chased fruitlessly through the air.

Within a radius of several dozen feet in the air, Ye Qin toyed with the flying sword, making it spin wildly.

A short while later, Ye Qin’s magic power was rapidly diminishing, already more than half gone. But Zhao Qiankun was in worse shape, likely having less than a third remaining. Just as Zhao Qiankun hesitated over whether to continue the zealous pursuit for the artifact or retreat,

Ye Qin keenly perceived the brief flicker of indecision in Zhao Qiankun’s heart from the momentary lag in the blue sword light’s trajectory.

This was the turning point in the exchange of offense and defense, the pivot point where the momentum would reverse.

Ye Qin finally struck. A Void Warp Flash suddenly placed him right next to Zhao Qiankun. The two Bat King Thorns in his hands thrust out violently, aiming to siphon away Zhao Qiankun’s scant remaining magic power.

Zhao Qiankun didn’t know what kind of spiritual artifacts those two thorns were and dared not let them strike his protective shield. He had no time to cast a spell to defend against Ye Qin’s attack, so he brought his hands, which were clasped around the blue light, forward sharply, grabbing the two incoming Bat King Thorns. But grasping the two thorns did not—

—save him from disaster. Zhao Qiankun discovered in horror that all his magic power was being drawn out through his palms, sucked away by the two long thorns at a rate faster than if he had been continuously casting spells.

Zhao Qiankun’s expression was one of stark terror.

What kind of spiritual artifact was this, capable of draining magic power? Where had this kid found such bizarre and strange artifacts? The initial joy of discovering the Winged Artifact vanished, replaced by shock and a sliver of fear rising from his core.

He felt a pang of regret.

These two strange thorns, given just a little more time, would drain every last drop of his already meager magic power, leaving him completely helpless. At that point, it wouldn't matter if he possessed one magic tool or a hundred; without any magic power to employ, he would be utterly defenseless, left for slaughter.

Under the threat of death, Zhao Qiankun went berserk. Blocking the Bat King Thorns with his hands, he psychically commanded the blue sword light hovering in the air to snap back, stabbing toward Ye Qin’s back.

“Trying to drain all my magic? Not so easily! Die for me!”

Zhao Qiankun roared hoarsely, his voice tearing out of him. Under the control of his divine sense, the blue sword light swelled to nearly two feet in length, carrying an unstoppable, majestic force as it rushed back, intending to utterly butcher Ye Qin on the spot.

As Zhao Qiankun recalled the sword with his divine sense, he vaguely felt that he might have made a mistake, though he couldn't immediately place what it was.

Ye Qin felt the intense sword aura rapidly approaching from behind and felt a chill, yet his mind grew even calmer in that moment of crisis. He decisively released his grip, abandoning the Bat King Thorns, and gave the Bat King Wings a mighty beat, instantaneously vanishing again via teleportation.

In Zhao Qiankun’s eyes, a blindingly dazzling blue sword light rushed in with terrifying speed, growing larger and larger.

He desperately retreated, fumbling anxiously toward the storage pouch at his waist, attempting to pull out something to defend himself, but it was too late. His mind went blank with confusion, and on instinct, he swung the Bat King Thorns still clutched in his hand to ward off the attack.

Clack!

The ivory-white Bat King Thorns collided with the flying sword and shattered into fragments. The sword continued its ferocious assault, tearing through Zhao Qiankun’s thin protective shield.

“No—!”

Zhao Qiankun screamed in utter horror.

Pffft—! A chilling sensation, followed by a spray of crimson mist. Zhao Qiankun’s entire body was shredded into fine pieces by the merciless flying sword, including one of the Bat King Thorns he tightly gripped, which was also pulverized into dust.

Zhao Qiankun had forgotten one crucial fact: though his cultivation level was barely sufficient to launch the flying sword attack, he absolutely lacked the control to recall or stop its momentum. A mere protective shield was utterly incapable of blocking the sword’s assault. He died by his own hand, his spirit essence unable to escape, ground into nothingness by the overwhelmingly powerful magic tool.

This time, the blue sword light finally did not miss its mark, though it struck the wrong target. Losing the control of divine sense, the blue sword light wavered briefly, shrinking back to its original size of a few inches before clattering onto the ground.

Ye Qin, floating in the air, watched the bloody scene with astonishment. He slowly descended to the ground and let out a long breath of relief. His face was somewhat pale, his meridians and magic power entirely depleted. That brief battle had consumed nearly all his reserves. He retrieved a gourd from his storage pouch, took a small sip of Fire Fruit Wine, which quickly nourished his meridians and helped him recover his magic power.

After resting for a while, Ye Qin walked toward the spot where Zhao Qiankun had fallen. He looked with a hint of regret at the two completely shattered Bat King Thorns. Spiritual artifacts capable of siphoning an opponent's magic power were rare treasures; finding another set like them would not be easy. Mutated Bat King Bats were not simple to track down.

However, Ye Qin felt no sorrow now. Trading those two Bat King Thorns for Zhao Qiankun’s life was clearly worth it. Moreover, he had acquired Zhao Qiankun’s flying sword. Ye Qin couldn't suppress his burgeoning delight as he beckoned, drawing the small sword—which barely fit in his palm—into his grasp.

This little sword possessed remarkable spirituality; its blue cold light shimmered, making it almost impossible to hold onto.

Ye Qin scanned it with his divine sense and found only a faint trace of Zhao Qiankun’s magic power on it, curiously devoid of any other cultivator's aura.

This Profound Yin Sword was supposedly Elder Zhao’s renowned magic tool; yet, Elder Zhao’s magic signature was entirely absent.

“Perhaps he used some method to erase Elder Zhao’s magic signature? That’s possible. Since Zhao Qiankun only obtained this magic tool recently, he was likely spending his time trying to scrub away Elder Zhao’s aura so he could use the artifact easily.”

Ye Qin didn't understand the method used, but he forcefully suppressed the artifact and placed it into his storage pouch.

Ye Qin reflected on the preceding battle, finding himself somewhat speechless.

Zhao Qiankun had actually been killed by his own flying sword. This outcome surprised Ye Qin somewhat. Initially, his plan was merely to erode Zhao Qiankun’s magic reserves until the foe was powerless, thus securing victory.

Thinking carefully, Zhao Qiankun had made several small errors.

Despite possessing the magic tool flying sword, he had arrogantly focused only on the frenzied pursuit, allowing the sword to stray too far, neglecting his own defense and providing Ye Qin with an opening to attack. While the magic tool flying sword possessed immense power and great speed, traversing space still took time.

If the sword had remained constantly by Zhao Qiankun’s side, Ye Qin wouldn't have even been able to approach, let alone use the Bat King Thorns to drain his magic.

Then, in his desperation, Zhao Qiankun made an even greater blunder. As his magic power was being rapidly siphoned away, he panicked and directly commanded the flying sword to turn back and attack, resulting in the sword losing control and killing its master. If Zhao Qiankun hadn't chosen this path of 'suicide' and focused entirely on self-preservation in that final moment, killing him might not have been so easy.

With Zhao Qiankun dead, his personal storage pouch was ripped apart, scattering its contents. Most of the items inside—spirit stones, bottles of elixirs, talismans—were easily ground into dust by the flying sword and scattered amidst the blood pool.

However, two spiritual artifacts remained on the ground, unbroken by the sword’s rampage: a mid-grade spiritual artifact, the Flame Blade, and a set of low-grade spiritual artifacts, the Refined Iron Shields, which sustained only minor damage and remained usable.

Ye Qin unceremoniously tucked them into his storage pouch.

Afterward, he unleashed a few Fireballs and Wind Blades onto the ground, incinerating all the bloodstains and traces of combat. Even if the elders of the Qing Dan Sect found this location later, they would never ascertain what truly transpired here.

After completing his cleanup, Ye Qin glanced toward the direction of the Qing Dan Mountain Range; Xue Xia had long since fled. No third party had witnessed what occurred in this strange rock forest. With no witnesses, no one would ever know where Zhao Qiankun had vanished.

Having finished everything, Ye Qin deactivated the Bat King Wings and continued his journey alone toward Wan Ku Ridge. A look of resignation crossed his face. He had originally intended to travel with several fellow sect members for greater safety against dangerous demonic beasts, but in the end, he found himself journeying toward Wan Ku Ridge alone. (To be continued. For the rest of the story, please log on to www**m for more chapters, to support the author and legitimate reading!)

First Published