Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Fierce Battle with a Spirit Pupil

’What’s he doing here?’ Shen Haoran was taken aback by Lin Ziqing’s appearance.

Xue Qinghe and his men stopped after reaching the clearing. Following a few words whispered in Lin Ziqing’s ear, he stepped forward and called out, "Brother Leng, I know you’re here. Come on out!"

Hearing Lin Ziqing’s words, Shen Haoran’s heart skipped a beat. ’Have they found me?’ But he couldn’t be sure, so he remained hidden.

Seeing no movement for a long while, Lin Ziqing walked under an ancient tree. He looked up toward a hidden spot and said with a smile, "Brother Leng, the bugs must be biting up there. Why not come down so we can talk?"

Shen Haoran’s expression turned grim. Lin Ziqing was standing directly beneath the very tree he was hiding in. He had truly been discovered!

Since he’d been discovered, Shen Haoran didn’t hide any longer. With a single leap, he jumped down from the tree. He then looked at Lin Ziqing and asked coldly, "How did you find me?" He was certain he hadn’t left a single trace, so he was deeply puzzled as to how they had located him.

"Heh, finding you wasn’t difficult at all," Lin Ziqing said with a smile, stroking a black centipede behind his ear.

Shen Haoran’s eyes were sharp. Upon seeing the black centipede, he instantly realized, "There’s something wrong with the Red Flame Grass!" With that, he pulled the Red Flame Grass from his Storage Ring. A scan with his Spiritual Thought immediately revealed the problem: nestled in the soil at the root of the plant, a tiny black centipede was slowly wriggling!

"Hmph, what a clever trick," Shen Haoran snarled. He plucked the centipede out and crushed it, seething with rage. ’To think I’d fall for such a dirty ploy!’

"Haha, right back at you! Brother Leng, you’re now a lamb surrounded by wolves. You can’t escape even if you sprouted wings. Let’s talk," Lin Ziqing said with a laugh.

"Hmph, talk? What is there to talk about?" Shen Haoran snorted.

"It’s simple. Just give me the Top Grade Spirit Stone and the Red Flame Grass, and I won’t interfere in your business with Xue Qinghe. I might even save your life at a critical moment. How about it?" Lin Ziqing said, his eyes crinkling into a smile.

"That sounds tempting," Shen Haoran said nonchalantly. "But I don’t make a habit of giving away what’s already in my hands."

Seeing that Shen Haoran wasn’t taking the bait, Lin Ziqing shrugged and said no more. He turned and retreated into the crowd, whispering to Xue Qinghe as he passed, "Brother Xue, he’s all yours. Don’t forget our agreement."

"Hmph!" Xue Qinghe snorted and stepped forward.

"Leng Feng. So we meet again," Xue Qinghe growled, his eyes fixed on the man he had been obsessing over day and night.

"Well, I’m doing just fine. But I heard you were disfigured?" Shen Haoran replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

At Shen Haoran’s words, a tyrannical aura erupted from Xue Qinghe, his robes fluttering though there was no wind.

"Heh, I’m just fine, all thanks to you!" With that, Xue Qinghe removed his mask. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Shen Haoran, wanting nothing more than to flay him alive.

Even Shen Haoran was taken aback when he saw Xue Qinghe’s face, which looked like a crumpled piece of paper. Then he burst out laughing. "Haha! What happened to you? Would your own mother even recognize you?"

"Leng Feng! I’m going to make you wish you were dead!" Xue Qinghe said, his expression bone-chillingly cold.

"Men, surround the area! Don’t let a single fly escape! I want him trapped!" Xue Qinghe commanded, then started walking toward Shen Haoran.

"Yes, sir!" Hearing Xue Qinghe’s command, the Blood Skull members immediately fanned out and sealed off the area.

Seeing the Blood Skull members block off every escape route, Shen Haoran’s heart sank. He watched Xue Qinghe approach, his aura steadily climbing. Taking a long breath, Shen Haoran’s own presence began to rise as a towering battle intent erupted from within him. ’If there’s no escape, then I’ll fight! Not even the heavens themselves could make me, Shen Haoran, bow my head, let alone a mere Martial Artist at the Spirit Pupil Tier!’

Sensing the battle intent radiating from Shen Haoran, Xue Qinghe gave a sinister smile. "Hmph, a mere Spirit User. I’ll make you realize just how foolish your decision is!"

BOOM! With that, Xue Qinghe stomped hard on the ground, his body shooting toward Shen Haoran like a cannonball. A long saber materialized in his hand, and he slashed viciously at Shen Haoran’s face.

Feeling the sharp gust of wind from the attack, Shen Haoran used his superior speed to sidestep, dodging Xue Qinghe’s ferocious strike. He then tore the giant Black Ruler from his back and brought it crashing down on his opponent’s head.

"Hmph, too slow!" The rush of wind from above didn’t faze Xue Qinghe in the slightest. He raised his saber, swinging it upward to block.

CLANG! The giant Black Ruler and the long saber collided, sending sparks flying. The crisp sound of metal striking metal echoed through the forest.

After that first exchange with Xue Qinghe, Shen Haoran finally understood the gap between a Spirit User and a Spirit Pupil. The Powerful Qi that traveled up the Black Ruler forced him back more than a dozen steps, while Xue Qinghe, in contrast, hadn’t moved an inch. The difference in their reserves of Spiritual Power was simply too vast!

Watching Shen Haoran regain his footing, Xue Qinghe sneered, "Is that all you’ve got? You might as well surrender quietly!"

Shen Haoran ignored him, merely shooting him an icy glare. Then, he stowed his giant Black Ruler, exhaled a long, cloudy breath, and slowly closed his eyes right in front of Xue Qinghe.

Seeing Shen Haoran’s bizarre behavior, Xue Qinghe was taken aback for a moment before sneering, "Whatever you’re planning, it’s just a futile struggle. The outcome is already set in stone!"

With his eyes closed, Shen Haoran completely emptied his mind. His Spiritual Thought descended to his Dantian, focusing on the three floating Spirit Pills. He took a deep breath and then violently drew upon the Spiritual Power within all three Spirit Pills at once. A turbulent river of Spiritual Power surged out, flooding into his meridians.

If anyone else were to witness this, they would have called him a madman. It was common knowledge that a person’s body could only handle the explosive release of Spiritual Power from a single Spirit Pill—that was why every Martial Artist could only possess one. For Shen Haoran to unleash the power of all three at once was undoubtedly a suicidal act.

But Shen Haoran had no time to consider the consequences. He had to risk it all. Otherwise, there was no way he could defeat Xue Qinghe, a cultivator at the Tier Four Spirit Pupil level.

"Hm?" Xue Qinghe, who had been waiting to see what trick Shen Haoran was playing, suddenly sensed a dangerous aura from him. His expression immediately grew grim.

’I can’t wait any longer!’ Xue Qinghe thought. He charged toward Shen Haoran, gathering his Spiritual Power into his palm.

"Six Harmonies and Eight Desolates Palm!" Xue Qinghe roared, striking out at Shen Haoran with his palm.

The Six Harmonies and Eight Desolates Palm, a Profound Tier Low Grade Martial Skill, was Xue Qinghe’s strongest technique. Sensing the increasingly dangerous aura emanating from Shen Haoran, he had unleashed it without a moment’s hesitation.

As the Profound Tier Low Level Martial Skill emerged, a storm of Spiritual Power visible to the naked eye formed from Xue Qinghe’s palm. The immense pressure it generated left the surrounding mercenaries gasping for breath.

"Die!" Xue Qinghe roared, seeing Shen Haoran was now within reach.

In that critical instant, Shen Haoran’s tightly shut eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within them. He raised his right fist. The three tyrannical streams of Spiritual Power within him surged through a specific set of meridians and erupted from his fist in an attack with an aura no less powerful than the Six Harmonies and Eight Desolates Palm.

"Heaven-Breaking Kill!"

The next moment, fist met palm. A terrifying shockwave of Spiritual Power erupted from the point of impact, tearing up the ground beneath them. A figure was sent flying, tumbling across the ground until he slammed into a towering ancient tree. The massive tree instantly burst apart, and only then did the figure come to a stop.

Everyone stared intently and gasped in shock. The figure sent flying was none other than the Tier Four Spirit Pupil, Xue Qinghe!

Seeing Xue Qinghe’s deathly pale face, the onlookers felt their heads spin. A Tier Two Spirit User had actually reduced a Tier Four Spirit Pupil to such a sorry state!

As the dust and debris in the air slowly settled, Shen Haoran’s figure was revealed.

Shen Haoran’s condition was far from good. His face was just as pale, a trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, and his right arm hung limply at his side, apparently dislocated. Despite this, he was inwardly ecstatic. By relying on the explosive power of three Spirit Pills and a Profound Tier High Grade Martial Skill, he had actually managed to bridge the gap between himself and Xue Qinghe!

"I’ll kill you!" Xue Qinghe roared, violently shoving aside Xiang Tian who had rushed to his side. He glared at Shen Haoran with a savage expression. A moment ago, he had wanted to humiliate his opponent, but now he didn’t dare. The strength Shen Haoran had just displayed had left him terrified.

"Hmph, you want to kill me? Let’s see if you have what it takes!" Shen Haoran snorted. He raised his left arm, and from his sleeve, a swirling ball of red and blue Spiritual Light slowly emerged.

As the Spiritual Light Ball floated out, Shen Haoran’s face grew even paler. His body swayed, on the verge of collapse, looking even more debilitated.

"This... This is..." Seeing the Spiritual Light Ball, Xue Qinghe’s face filled with terror. He recognized the familiar aura it was emitting.

"I didn’t manage to blow you up last time. Let’s see how you like a second taste!" With that, Shen Haoran hurled the Spiritual Light Ball directly at Xue Qinghe.

"Flame Sun Burst!" At Shen Haoran’s low shout, the Spiritual Light Ball detonated. A blinding light flashed, and a Spiritual Power storm even more terrifying than the last one formed, instantly engulfing everything in its path. Some of the weaker Martial Artists were immediately blasted to smithereens by the shockwave.

Shen Haoran used the force of the blast to make a swift escape. He knew that if Xue Qinghe could survive it once, he could survive it a second time. This attack still wouldn’t be enough to kill him. Shen Haoran’s true intention was simply to create enough chaos to get away. As for Xue Qinghe and his Blood Skull Mercenary Corps...

’Hmph, I’ll settle this score sooner or later!’ Shen Haoran cast one last look at the chaotic scene, then turned and plunged deep into the Profound Spirit Mountain Range.