The high-speed pursuit in the sky raged on; the figures of Elders Ye Ziwei, Ye Zihao, and Nie Kong vanished into the distance in the blink of an eye. Across the mountains, the disciples of the Lingyu Sword Sect finally snapped out of their shock, but the profound astonishment in their hearts lingered.
News of the Great Yan Spirit Venerable issuing the "Blood Slaughter Edict" had already swept through the entire Lingyu Sword Sect, yet they never imagined that mere hours after the Sect Master and the six Elders had departed, Nie Kong—the very person meant to be hunted—would audaciously sneak into the Lingyu Sword Sect to provoke them. Did he have no fear of never returning?
In a concave valley on the mountainside, nestled among towering trees, an ancient, rustic hall materialized faintly.
On the roof, two old men and three middle-aged men all gazed upward, yet they could see nothing, only faintly catching the sound of distant scolding. After a moment, the five men withdrew their gazes, smiling as they floated down to the neatly paved flagstone clearing before the hall.
“This Nie Kong, daring to come to our Lingyu Sword Sect. Does he think we’ll show him leniency because he’s a War Clan disciple?”
“Haha, so what if he’s from the War Clan? Under the ‘Blood Slaughter Edict,’ there are no favors granted. If that boy had that idea, he’s destined to be disappointed.”
“Well said. Senior Brother Ziwei and Senior Brother Zihao rank among the top five strongest Elders. Even with a ninth-tier peak Flying Nether Beast, Nie Kong will likely struggle to escape the grasp of those two. Once we reclaim the Great Yan Spirit Venerable’s incarnation, our Lingyu Sword Sect will soon have a Spirit Venerable. Then, let alone the War Clan, even the Duntian Sect will have to watch their step.”
“…”
The five conversed with easygoing nonchalance, their laughter flowing freely. Behind them, the plaque carved with the characters “Dan Cao Dian” (Pill Herb Hall) glowed brilliantly under the sunlight.
Just then, a flash of purple darted by the eaves of the Dan Cao Dian…
Xiang Xiang suddenly burst out from behind the leftmost large round pillar, her roots wriggling rapidly as she quickly concealed herself behind the next pillar.
Seconds later, half of a small flower bud poked out, peeking around furtively.
Seeing that the five men in the clearing remained completely unaware, the little creature zipped out like lightning once more, silently scurrying behind the third pillar. Next, the purple flashes accelerated, and in mere seconds, she whisked past the main entrance and slipped inside the Dan Cao Dian.
As soon as Xiang Xiang vanished, Qing You transformed into a crimson streak, rushing out from the forest and arriving on the eaves. Her small, delicate body became thin as a cicada’s wing, and she slipped effortlessly between two planks, passing through the minuscule gap to enter the wooden edifice.
Qing Yue came last. Unlike Xiang Xiang’s evasiveness or Qing You’s search for a hidden passage, she swaggered along the eaves, occasionally sticking out her tongue and making faces at the backs of the five men before the hall. Unfortunately, she received no response until she finally crossed the threshold.
The first floor of the hall housed rows upon rows of wooden shelves, laden with a dazzling array of medicinal herbs.
Qing Yue, Xiang Xiang, and Qing You silently converged, circling the shelves at maximum speed before heading for the stairs. The herbs on this floor were rather common; robbing them would be a sheer waste of their time.
The second floor was also deserted. This level contained not only herb racks but also numerous jars, bottles, and alchemy cauldrons—clearly the refining site for the Lingyu Sword Sect’s Nether Alchemists.
“Aiya ya!”
Xiang Xiang let out a sound so faint it was almost inaudible, cheerfully hopping onto the wooden rack where the Nether Pills were kept. Coiling her root around a stopper, she gently tugged it open. Then, with a flick of the vial, six dark Nether Pills shot out of the opening, speeding toward Qing You like a string of arrows.
Qing You’s belly first inflated nearly twofold, then deeply concave, resembling a bowl lying on its side, catching the six surging Nether Pills.
The entire process occurred without a whisper of sound. However, when the Nether Pills reached the bottom of the indentation in her belly, a bizarre sight unfolded: the pills met no resistance and passed straight through her abdomen, dropping into Qing You’s transparent torso, which contained no discernible organs.
In the next moment, Xiang Xiang opened a second vial and repeated the procedure.
Qing Yue’s eyes lit up, and she immediately imitated Xiang Xiang’s method, joining the raid. In less than two minutes, all the Nether Pills and herbs on the second floor were swept clean, loaded entirely into Qing You’s stomach, making her abdomen bulge roundly, like a gigantic water balloon.
The massive haul from the plunder energized the three little beings, causing them to dance with excitement as they proceeded to the third floor. To their surprise, the entire third floor was bare—nothing was there.
“Aiya ya?”
Xiang Xiang’s small flower bud twisted in confusion.
“An illusion?”
Qing Yue curled her small lip disdainfully. A surge of cyan energy erupted from her body, spreading outward in all directions. Wherever the energy passed, wooden cabinets materialized. In just a few moments, all nine meter-high cabinets were exposed to the air.
Xiang Xiang impatiently wiggled her roots, yet she bypassed the first eight cabinets and darted straight toward the last one.
“Oh?”
Qing Yue followed, slightly astonished. Before Xiang Xiang could act, she eagerly extended her small arm.
With a faint kacha sound, the cabinet was pulled open, and a green light burst forth, instantly revealing three round, verdant Nether Pills.
“Wow, could these be high-tier Nether Pills?”
Sensing the aura emanating from the pills, Qing Yue’s two small eyes shone with a vibrant cyan glow… “En.”
Outside the Dan Cao Dian, an Elder in blue suddenly let out a low exclamation, instinctively turning his head upward toward the third floor, a hint of doubt crossing his face.
“What is it, Senior Brother Dengtian?”
The four others looked at him curiously. All five were eighth-tier Black Spirit Masters, but he was the strongest among them, now extremely close to the ninth tier. If nothing unforeseen occurred, he should break through within a year at most.
The Elder in blue frowned, looking quite suspicious. “Strange, why do I sense the aura of unfamiliar medicinal herbs from the third floor?”
“Unfamiliar herbs?”
The others chuckled dismissively. A middle-aged man said, “Senior Brother Dengtian, you are overly suspicious. There are only so many herbs on the third floor; how could unfamiliar ones suddenly appear? Moreover, the Nether Pills and herbs there are stored in specialized wooden cabinets; the aura won’t leak unless the cabinets are opened.”
“No, the aura of the Nine Profound Green Brow Pill is also present, and also…” The Elder in blue’s expression shifted dramatically. Before he could finish speaking, his body shot toward the third floor.
“Hee hee, you discovered it too late!”
A string of crisp, silver-bell-like laughter echoed from the third floor of the Dan Cao Dian. Then, a mass of cyan light tore through the third-floor window, landing directly upon the Elder in blue who had just reached the window. With a resounding boom, the Elder was instantly forced downward toward the ground.
“Someone is stealing the medicine!”
The remaining four reacted instantly, but before they could make a move, a massive, transparent red water sphere shot out from the third floor, splashing onto the clearing before the hall.
The five men, including the Elder in blue, reflexively focused their gaze. They saw that the rear of the water sphere sprouted two small legs, while the front featured a pair of small arms and a tiny head—it looked exactly like a tiny person whose belly had inflated countless times, comically absurd.
Furthermore, hanging from the arms of this little figure were a small cyan shadow and a small purple medicinal herb. Inside its water-ball-like belly was a pile of various herbs and Nether Pills, some of which even emitted brilliant, multicolored luminescence.
Seeing this bizarre scene suddenly, the five were momentarily stunned.
Thump!
The water sphere bounced once on the ground and began rolling down the mountain.
“Nine Profound Green Brow Pill! That’s the Nine Profound Green Brow Pill! All the herbs and pills from the second and third floors are inside! Don’t let her escape!” The Elder in blue was the first to react, shouting in exasperation, startling the four others awake. They immediately mobilized the Nether Power within their bodies and gave chase.
However, though their speed was fast, Qing You’s speed was faster.
Qing You, having originated as a spirit from the “Nether Fire Dark Spring,” found that no terrain, no matter how complex, could impede her as a mass of water. Trees, stones, and buildings flashed beneath her.
At this moment, Qing You resembled a flood tide breaking through a dam, her body growing larger and larger. Wherever she passed, it was like crushing withered wood: trees were snapped, stones collapsed, and buildings pulverized…
A slick, bare path sloped down from the Dan Cao Dian on the mountainside toward the base. The gushing sound of water alerted the entire Lingyu Sword Sect, and figures flew toward Qing You, only to be cast aside one after another. Even when several eighth-tier Black Spirit Masters struck Qing You, they inflicted no damage upon her.
“Stop! Don’t run!”
“Striking her is like striking water—it’s ghostly!”
“Damn it, what kind of monster is this?”
“…”
Hall after hall and pavilion after pavilion turned into sawdust. The pursuing Lingyu Sword Sect disciples were both amazed and shaken. But when they saw the massive pile of herbs and Nether Pills inside Qing You’s body, their amazement and shock transformed into uncontrollable fury, their curses rising in a continuous stream.
“I understand now! Water Spirit! This must be the Water Spirit mentioned in the ‘Blood Slaughter Edict’! And that other little figure must be the Medicine Spirit!” The Elder in blue, leading the chase, instantly looked grave. “That Nie Kong intentionally revealed himself to draw away the two ninth-tier powerhouses left guarding our Lingyu Sword Sect, all so his Water Spirit and Medicine Spirit could sneak into our sect to loot Nether Pills and herbs!”
“What truly malicious intentions!”
“…”
They finally understood, but alas, they understood a little too late…
Ten miles away, a thousand meters in the sky.
“Elders, thank you for playing with this old fellow for so long. I’ve prepared a grand gift for your Lingyu Sword Sect; I hope you enjoy it, ha ha ha…” Amidst his roaring laughter, the Phantom Eagle King, carrying Nie Kong, weaved between two streaks of sword light, speeding toward the Lingyu Sword Sect.
Having been entangled for so long, both the Phantom Eagle King and Nie Kong were extraordinarily elusive. Ye Ziwei and Ye Zihao hadn’t managed to pluck a single feather, feeling utterly stifled, their inner rage surging. Seeing Nie Kong rush toward the Lingyu Sword Sect now, they were overjoyed and immediately turned back to pursue.
PS: The next chapter will be around 11:30 PM.