After accelerating, he gently tugged on the reins to one side. The eighteen horses turned their heads accordingly. The arc they curved into was not large, but it was just enough to evade the entire wolf pack ahead.

Seeing this, the four men and one woman all showed shades of despair. The man slightly behind, running a bit slower, was caught by the wolves. With a shrill neigh from his Cloud-Treading Steed, the man and his horse were immediately devoured by the pack. The remaining Cloud-Treading Steeds were also panting heavily, seemingly exhausted.

The woman’s beautiful face immediately turned ashen. Gritting her teeth, she shouted for help, "Friends on the carriage, our meeting in the Marshlands was fated. To watch us die without helping, are you truly so cold-blooded? If you can save my life and the lives of my subordinates, this humble girl will repay you handsomely! I am willing to offer a Sixth-Tier Spirit Beast Soul Stone!"

Already unmatched in beauty, her current anxiety verging on tears made her appear even more pitiful and deserving of compassion.

Chu Xue seemed moved by the woman's words, hesitating for a few breaths. Still, she couldn't help but interject, "Young Master, those people are so pitiful, and they don't seem like schemers. I recall the Buddhist teachings: saving a life surpasses building a seven-story pagoda. It's only a hundred or so Marsh Wolves; Uncle Yin and I don't fear them. If you don't wish to trouble yourselves, our carriage is fast enough to shake them off—"

Zong Shou let out a cold laugh, remaining utterly unmoved. He merely flicked his finger between Chu Xue's eyebrows as a mild punishment. He was completely unaffected by the woman's stunning beauty, acting as if she were invisible, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

Those few riders seemed to realize they had no hope left, and they began cursing one after another. One by one, they were pulled down by the wolves, followed by successive cries of agony.

However, just as the carriage was about to pass the wolf pack, the beautiful woman suddenly whipped her horse’s flank, and the Cloud-Treading Steed beneath her abruptly accelerated. At the very last second, she galloped alongside the Cloud-Topping Carriage. With a leap, she managed, narrowly, to cling to the right wheel shaft.

Chu Xue rushed forward, intending to pull her up. But Zong Shou sneered coldly, drew a sword directly from his side, and flung it out forcefully toward that direction!

A cold glint flashed in Yin Yang’s eyes as well. The saber in his hand suddenly left its sheath, trailing vast swathes of crimson flame, sweeping toward the right side of the carriage shaft.

The beautiful woman was slightly startled, her eyes filled with sorrowful despair. In the next instant, however, a crisp 'clang' sounded. A jade hand, as white and delicate as fine porcelain, shot out and effortlessly deflected the sword Zong Shou had thrown aside. The figure clinging to the wheel shaft seemed to float upward without weight, dancing like a feather in the wind, perfectly avoiding the blade's edge.

The woman chuckled lightly, but just as she was about to land, her expression suddenly shifted. A streak of black light approached almost silently. By the time she noticed it, it was already a away, arriving as fast as a shooting star.

Her slender eyebrows furrowed slightly, and the woman's figure inexplicably shifted in mid-air. As if requiring no leverage, she drifted toward the left. Her movement was just as incredibly fast; one flash carried her a full thirty zhang.

But that point of black light also changed direction in mid-air. Surrounded by a slight breeze, the speed of the saber increased, instantly surpassing its previous velocity severalfold! Its approach was ephemeral and erratic, like a wisp of black mist, making it impossible to discern the true target of the blade's intent.

"Redirecting flying knife? Hmm? This is actually Sword Intent—"

The beautiful woman cried out, losing all her previous casual ease. She hastily landed and darted sideways again, but the black light still caught up. A spot of blood instantly bloomed.

When she stopped moving, the area over her left breast was already stained a deep crimson.

However, her entire aura peaked at that very moment. A chilling power emanated from her, causing the weeds and mud beneath her feet to instantly freeze solid, the ice spreading out for a hundred zhang. An immensely powerful spiritual pressure also enveloped the clearing.

The previously aggressive wolf pack choked, their breaths catching. Under the sudden burst of the woman's power, their bodies trembled, their eyes filled with dread.

And the eighteen Cloud-Treading Steeds before the Cloud-Topping Carriage, for some unknown reason, fared even worse than the wolves. They too stopped, standing motionless. No matter how Yin Yang whipped them, they refused to move a single step.

Su Chuxue stared blankly at the scene, feeling completely unable to process what she was seeing. She was about to offer aid to the woman, but before she could react, the pitiable, weak woman in her eyes had transformed into a powerhouse capable of easily countering Yin Yang's full-strength strike.

Yin Yang had given up trying by then, dropping his whip, his face grim. "Spirit and Martial dual cultivation, Innate Martial Master—"

To easily evade his strike, one had to be at least in the Innate Realm.

Zong Shou also nodded slightly. Although Cloud-Treading Steeds possessed little combat strength, they could tread the air, classifying them as Second-Tier Demonic Beasts. They should not have feared the pressure of an Innate martial artist like the marsh wolves did.

Their sudden stillness clearly indicated that their minds had been seized by a mental secret art.

He only privately regretted that this one strike had failed to take the woman's life. Knowing her strength was unfathomable, he had deliberately aimed for her chest and abdomen rather than vital spots like the neck or brow, fearing that if she were too strong, the attack would miss entirely.

"Interesting, very interesting! Where did you learn that flying knife technique? It actually managed to wound me. And that Sword Intent, it bears a slight resemblance to the Cloud-Shocking Divine Annihilation Sword Intent of the Lingyun Sect—"

The beautiful woman merely glanced down briefly to check her injury before pulling out the black flying knife, turning it over in her hand with an astonished look in her eyes.

"I only just bought it in Xiaoyuan City. But only with material of this quality could it bear such Sword Intent without collapsing. I also tempered it with certain medicinal substances specially prepared for me. Is that correct? Meaning, you noticed me back then?"

Zong Shou’s expression remained unchanged, offering no reply. Indeed, he had mixed several drugs into the beast oil. Coating himself with the oil daily during the forging process allowed the medicinal properties to seep into the blade.

It was a pity Xiaoyuan City was merely a mining town; the selection of herbs available was extremely limited, and few could affect an Innate master.

Seeing this, the beautiful woman's smile widened. She raised her head and fixed her gaze on Zong Shou. "Indeed, choosing you as my Cauldron Furnace Nascent Core was the right decision!"

Hearing this, the pupils of both Zong Shou and Yin Yang, who had been maintaining their vigilance, contracted slightly.

Cauldron Furnace Nascent Core? With that tone, was this woman perhaps not from the Qiantian Mountain, or perhaps from their enemies among the Qiantian Mountain factions?

Observing closely, the woman seemed enveloped in an aura of natural ease and unconstrained freedom. When she spoke eloquently, she was incredibly relaxed and composed. While her appearance was certainly beautiful, it carried a mesmerizing allure hidden within her eyes.

Despite suffering from a toxic injury, she acted as if she had only been bitten by a mosquito, completely unconcerned.

"You are Zong Shou of the Qiantian Mountain? I heard from those people that you are also the heir of a Demon King. The events the day before yesterday were truly fascinating. For a mere Martial Warrior to forcibly slay a Soul Vision Realm Spirit Master—truly impressive. Meeting you today brings even greater pleasant surprise. Not only are you deeply calculating, but this flying knife technique and this trace of Sword Intent are astonishing. Heh, I hadn't planned on revealing myself yet; I intended to follow you a while longer. But since my plan has failed now, I will ask you directly: are you willing to become my Cauldron Furnace Nascent Core?"

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