“Moon Shaking Slash!”
Ye Chu held nothing back. Terrifying murderous qi erupted violently, coiling around the long blade. It exploded with a momentum that shook the very space. The blade chopped straight towards Shangguan Zhi in a single, devastating strike. Radiance surged wildly from this attack. Yin-cold energy rolled forth. As the murderous qi permeated, Shangguan Zhi felt his own primordial spirit being eroded. For the first time, he sensed his power slipping out of his control!
Shangguan Zhi was already no match for Ye Chu at this moment. As the blade descended, he could only hope the city lord of Black Jade City would join him to block it. But the city lord’s face turned deathly pale. He did not dare confront Ye Chu at all. His figure flickered as he shot away into the distance.
With the city lord fleeing, Shangguan Zhi’s last shred of hope was stripped away. His heavy hammer met the incoming blade head-on. It was directly cleaved by Ye Chu’s long blade. The hammer flew from his grasp and smashed into the bluestone, creating a deep crater. Ye Chu’s long blade also shattered.
Yet the murderous qi from Ye Chu’s arm burst forth, instantly wrapping around Shangguan Zhi. Without Ye Chu’s special physique to withstand it, the murderous qi corroded his body. Patches of white bone began to appear through his flesh. He let out a hoarse, blood-curdling scream.
Ye Chu showed no mercy. Murderous qi surged out once more, pouring over the opponent.
A great cultivator, under the terrifying impact of this murderous qi, was quickly reduced to nothing but white bones. They collapsed onto the ground, reflecting the firelight in a sight that was utterly horrifying.
The surrounding cultivators stared in terror at Ye Chu standing in the arena. A chill ran through every heart. A great cultivator had died so gruesomely—this was far too shocking for their minds to process.
Ye Chu’s gaze swept over the crowd. Everyone hurriedly took a step back, not daring to meet his eyes.
Seeing that the city lord of Black Jade City had already vanished, Ye Chu naturally did not bother chasing him. The murderous qi receded back into his body. His expression showed some exhaustion. After all, his primordial spirit had limits. Even with the black iron helping him control the murderous qi, it still left him feeling strained.
“Let’s go!” Ye Jingyun saw Ye Chu standing there and rushed forward to pull him along. “Shangguan Min Da left earlier. He’s probably gone to call for reinforcements. This is his territory. The Shangguan family dotes on him immensely. There’s no guarantee he won’t bring even stronger experts.”
Ye Chu nodded. He also did not want to stir up more trouble. Now that he had the Dark Nether Ink Jade in hand, he had no desire to clash with anyone else.
Since Ye Chu wanted to leave, naturally no one dared block him. The two hurried back to the inn. Ye Jingyun rushed inside and dragged the sleeping Tan Miaotong out of bed. Whether it was to guard against Ye Chu or not, Tan Miaotong had actually slept fully clothed this time. Ye Chu peeked secretly from the doorway and felt it was quite a pity.
Tan Miaotong got up. Seeing Ye Jingyun and Ye Chu both dressed in black robes, she could not help asking curiously, “What did you two go do?”
“I’ll explain later. While Shangguan Min Da hasn’t found us yet, we need to leave quickly!” Ye Jingyun said to Tan Miaotong. She pulled Tan Miaotong and hurried out of the inn.
Ye Chu casually tore off the black robe he had worn over his clothes. He had originally planned to use the black robe to conceal his identity. But knowing he would have to fight a great cultivator, he realised hiding was pointless. Great cultivators could recognise people by their aura alone. Since it was useless, Ye Chu naturally did not keep it on.
“You actually snatched the Dark Nether Ink Jade back? And killed a great cultivator from the Shangguan family?” Tan Miaotong stared wide-eyed at Ye Chu. The news she heard from Ye Jingyun left her utterly incredulous.
Ye Chu shrugged. “That’s why we need to leave this place quickly!”
Tan Miaotong let out a soft breath, calming herself from the shock of this revelation. Her gaze fell on Ye Chu. She found it hard to comprehend how Ye Chu—who once struggled even against Innate Realm opponents—could suddenly kill a great cultivator.
“Within a thousand li in every direction, it’s all the Shangguan family’s territory,” Tan Miaotong shook her head and said. “As long as the three of us appear in any city along the way and are seen, it will be reported to the Shangguan family.”
“Is the Shangguan family really that strong?” Ye Chu asked in surprise, looking at her.
Tan Miaotong shook her head. Her red lips parted slightly, glistening enticingly. Her voice was clear and melodious. “The Shangguan family’s founder was also a prodigy with immense prestige. He once dominated an entire region. But after the founder died, the family declined generation after generation. Now, there is only one person in the family who has seized the creation of heaven and earth. That’s not particularly strong.”
Ye Chu was startled. Having a cultivator who had seized the creation of heaven and earth was already enough to dominate a region. Yet in Tan Miaotong’s eyes, she actually said it was not particularly strong. It seemed he had underestimated Tan Miaotong’s background.
“Does the Shangguan family have many great cultivators?” Ye Chu asked.
“Quite a few!” Tan Miaotong replied. “Compared to bloodlines left behind by absolute powerhouses, the Shangguan family isn’t particularly strong. But for the three of us right now, killing us wouldn’t be too difficult for them.”
“Can Shangguan Min Da mobilise great cultivators? How many can he call upon?” Ye Chu frowned. Shangguan Min Da was only the heir after all. He could not mobilise great cultivators without limit, right? If it was only a few, with the murderous qi still left in his body, Ye Chu believed he could still deal with them.
“Rumour has it that Shangguan Min Da possesses the purest bloodline closest to the Shangguan founder in generations. He is greatly favoured in the Shangguan family. Mobilising a few great cultivators would be effortless for him,” Tan Miaotong answered. She had no good feelings towards Shangguan Min Da. When she had accidentally crossed paths with him before, he had pestered her relentlessly. Truly a toad lusting after swan meat. He thought that just because he had the purest Shangguan founder bloodline, the whole world should revolve around him.
Seeing Ye Chu frown, Tan Miaotong reached out and gently tugged at the hem of Ye Chu’s robe. She smiled sweetly at him. Her smile was charming and filled with endless tenderness. “Follow me!”
“Hm?” Ye Chu was captivated by Tan Miaotong’s beauty. He followed her curiously.
“I’ll take you through a sparsely populated area. But you must stay close to me. Don’t stray off the path,” Tan Miaotong reminded them.
Ye Jingyun asked curiously, “Can we avoid Shangguan Min Da this way?”
“No! But it will make it much harder for them to pursue us. And within a thousand li, that is the only place the Shangguan family cannot control,” Tan Miaotong said. Then she suddenly blinked her watery eyes and spoke words that made both Ye Chu and Ye Jingyun’s hearts tremble. “Because that place is the Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land!”
Seeing Ye Chu and Ye Jingyun’s eyes widen, Tan Miaotong giggled. Her laughter was pleasant and melodious. “Don’t worry. I’ll steer clear of the forbidden zone and guide you around it. We won’t step into the forbidden land.”
Seeing Tan Miaotong’s smiling face, Ye Chu breathed a sigh of relief. He thought that since Tan Miaotong dared say so, she must have absolute confidence.
“That area is also a place the Shangguan family doesn’t dare approach too closely. It has the sparsest population, so it will be difficult for them to find us,” Tan Miaotong said as she spoke. At the same time, she changed direction with Ye Chu and walked swiftly forward.
Ye Chu and Ye Jingyun hurried to keep up. The three moved quickly.
……
At the same time the three left, Shangguan Min Da had already mobilised numerous cultivators throughout the surrounding area. Groups of people holding portraits of Ye Chu spread out in all directions, informing every force to hunt him down and kill him on sight.