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What kind of monster was this?
In such a short period, Qi Yuan had cultivated to the late stage of the Foundation Establishment realm.
Moreover, the twelve top-grade flying swords under his control were exceptional in quality. His spiritual awareness must have been incredibly powerful to command twelve magical weapons with such precision, moving them as effortlessly as flowing water.
Duobao had enjoyed the support of her great-aunt, a Jindan stage ancestor of the Yanyue Sect. With abundant resources far surpassing her peers, she dedicated herself to relentless cultivation, often neglecting sleep and food. Despite this, she had only recently reached the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.
Even with her rapid progress, Duobao never imagined she'd be so easily suppressed by Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan glanced at her, noting her growth with interest. Her progress was impressive — not far behind Han Li's own advancement.
Han Li possessed the Palm of Heaven Bottle, which allowed him to cultivate spiritual medicines and refine pills, giving him a significant advantage. Yet, Duobao had climbed the ranks through sheer determination and the resources her sect had poured into her.
Still, Qi Yuan knew that strength alone wasn't enough. Even if Duobao had a powerful backer, excessive reliance on resources could spell disaster in the chaotic world of cultivation. Investments that failed to yield results often led to tragic ends.
Duobao's fate had shifted in the bloody forbidden land, possibly granting her unexpected fortune — or what some called good luck. Whether that fortune would carry her further remained to be seen.
"I went out of my way to find an antidote to cleanse the toxins in my body," Duobao said suddenly, her voice low. "Please punish me, Master."
Qi Yuan's gaze sharpened. The unique poisons and antidotes from Huadaowu's disciples were not easy to obtain. Clearly, Duobao had been risking her life to kill Huadaowu's elite disciples, securing those antidotes to survive.
His expression remained unreadable as he replied coldly, "You're quite sensible. If you were a few breaths slower, my Poison Dragon Swords would've claimed another life."
The twelve swords hummed lowly in response, their sinister energy pressing down on Duobao like a suffocating wave.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, trickling down her face. She dared not wipe it away and instead knelt lower, repeating her plea for forgiveness.
Moments earlier, she'd seen those swords in action — their lethality left no room for doubt. Even with half their number, she knew she wouldn't have survived their assault.
Suddenly, Qi Yuan sensed a group of ten cultivators in the late stage of Foundation Establishment rapidly approaching.
"Get up," Qi Yuan said quietly. "Prepare to welcome our friends from the Six Sects of the Demonic Path."
"Thank you for your forgiveness, Master," Duobao murmured, her face pale and uneasy.
Moments later, ten streaks of light landed in the Black Fire Sect's marketplace. At the center stood a young man in a silver mask, his unstable aura revealing his recent breakthrough to the late Foundation Establishment stage.
"Master Wang, we meet again," Qi Yuan said, coughing lightly and forcing a faint smile.
Wang Chan's sharp gaze locked onto Qi Yuan. After a long pause, his eyes darkened.
"It's you," Wang Chan said coldly.
His subordinates quickly surrounded Qi Yuan and Duobao, cutting off their escape.
Seeing this, Duobao braced herself defensively.
Qi Yuan studied their faces before speaking. "It's a pity my junior brother didn't keep you back then. Letting you slip away was quite unfortunate."
Wang Chan sneered. "Your junior brother wanted to stop me? Dream on."
His gaze flicked toward the corpse on the ground, then back to Qi Yuan's pale face. His eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
Three demonic cultivators rushed forward, their magical weapons gleaming as they targeted Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan's fingers moved, and five Poison Dragon Swords shot out like venomous serpents. They twisted through the air with alarming speed, bypassing the three cultivators' defensive spells with precision.
Two of them fell from the sky, clutching their chests in agony. The remaining demon cultivators narrowly evaded the deadly blades.
"Killing two isn't bad," Qi Yuan said calmly. His face turned even paler, and the light around his magical weapons dimmed.
Duobao, instead of feeling relief, grew more anxious.
Wang Chan's eyes narrowed. "Together! Kill him now!"
Seven or eight demon cultivators surged forward. Their weapons buzzed with power, glowing brightly as they charged.
Qi Yuan's face remained calm. He raised his hand, and a wave of colorful light burst from his body, enveloping the approaching enemies in an intricate web of energy.
The cultivators flinched as their spells faltered within the shifting light.
Qi Yuan pointed his sword at one of them. His twelve Poison Dragon Swords shot forward like golden dragons, each strike ruthless and precise.
Within moments, bodies began to fall.
"Retreat!" one demon cultivator shouted, panic setting in.
Qi Yuan took seven slow steps — each step claiming a life.
Wang Chan, now terrified, unleashed a surge of blood mist and activated his Blood Spirit Technique. The crimson fog enveloped him as he fled.
"Think you can escape?" Qi Yuan whispered, transforming into a blur as he pursued Wang Chan.
The twelve Poison Dragon Swords closed in on the blood mist, clashing with a massive crimson hand that emerged from within. Sparks flew as the two forces collided.
"Not bad," Qi Yuan muttered. With a flick of his fingers, he unleashed ten Sky Thunder Seeds into the mist.
The crimson skull within the blood mist swallowed the lightning seeds, but the arc of lightning weakened the mist considerably.
Wang Chan staggered inside the dissipating fog, blood pouring from his mouth. Desperate, he smashed several vials containing a monster's heart blood, reinvigorating his blood mist with renewed power.
Qi Yuan frowned as the crimson mist flared stronger than before. He drove his twelve swords forward in a flurry of attacks, slicing through the mist.
"Die!" Wang Chan roared. Thousands of blood threads shot out, writhing like venomous serpents.
Qi Yuan activated his Thousand Mountains Tower, which grew over ten feet tall, forming a barrier of golden light.
The blood threads coiled around the tower, their corrosive power eating away at its defenses.
Suddenly, a blood lotus bloomed atop the tower, its roots creeping downward.
"So this was your plan," Qi Yuan murmured.
He reached into his robe, producing a snake-headed cane. Drawing his own blood across its surface, he activated the sealed spirit within.
A fierce yellow dragon surged forth, tearing through the blood mist. Wang Chan barely had time to scream before the dragon's maw engulfed him.
When the mist cleared, only Wang Chan's storage bag remained, drifting silently to the ground.
Wang Chan was dead.
(End Of Chapter)