「Main World.」

The borderlands between Dazhou and the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Zhu Ju’s figure appeared silently underground.

His Hidden Element Technique and the Four Symbols Star Ban—a technique derived from his Profound Void Dao Body—were already operating at full power, completely concealing his aura.

Theoretically.

Unless he encountered a Dao Foundation Cultivator, it would be impossible for anyone to discover his presence.

After confirming that there was nothing unusual in his surroundings, his Divine Soul Power spread out like a spiderweb, sensing the vicinity through the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.

’No one?’

A month had passed. It was perfectly normal that Fann Ren hadn’t continued to stand guard here after failing to find any trace of him.

However, Zhu Ju didn’t act rashly. Instead, he quietly raised his hand and summoned his Jile Spirit House.

One by one, Papermen and Beast Hide Puppets floated out of the Jile Spirit House, squirming through the subterranean soil.

Time passed slowly.

’Has he really left?’

With a flicker of thought, a Paperman carrying a faint trace of his own aura shot out from underground and darted toward the edge of the dense forest.

SWISH!

Just as the Paperman was about to leave the forest, a flash of saber light descended from the sky, slicing it in two.

That familiar blade light made Zhu Ju’s heart clench.

BOOM!

The ground exploded.

Over a hundred Papermen and Beast Hide Puppets leaped out, transforming into various shapes and opening their mouths in a soundless roar.

Soul-Shocking Sound!

Innate Qi Refiners of the Main World had powerful Physical Bodies and abundant True Qi, but their Divine Soul Power was their one relative weakness.

Therefore,

Divine Soul Secret Techniques were the most effective.

ROAR!

The sound waves that directly attacked the Divine Soul blanketed an area several dozen feet across, causing the saber-wielding figure within to freeze for a moment.

An opportunity!

BOOM!

Zhu Ju burst from the earth, covering a hundred meters in a single step. His body flashed like lightning as he lunged at the figure, his Ghost God Limit technique already charged and ready.

PFFT!

The saber light sliced across the figure’s throat. The head rolled from its neck as blood sprayed forth.

And yet, there was no joy on Zhu Ju’s face.

It was too easy!

This wasn’t the man he was expecting.

"So you really didn’t leave."

Fann Ren’s figure appeared not far away. He held his saber across his chest, his gaze filled with curiosity and scrutiny.

"You vanished without a trace for an entire month. I’m very curious, how did you manage to hide from my senses?"

"A Breath Concealment Technique?"

"Suspended animation?"

No matter how much he wracked his brains, he would never guess that for the past month, Zhu Ju hadn’t even been in this world.

Naturally, it was impossible to find him.

"You’re still waiting here?"

Zhu Ju’s expression darkened as he stared at his opponent.

"So persistent?"

"That’s just my personality. I never give up until I achieve my goal." Fann Ren slowly approached, saber in hand. "But you’re mistaken. I left twice during that time. That Junior Brother Liu you just killed was someone I called over then. It seems you were unaware."

’So his breath concealment method is brilliant, but it also causes him to lose all awareness of the outside world?’ Fann Ren thought.

’It must be some kind of suspended animation technique.’

"Hah..." Zhu Ju scoffed.

"Fine then!"

"Let’s give this another try!"

SWISH!

The Five-Pointed Flying Sword shot out, transforming into five intersecting streams of light that rapidly spiraled down toward Fann Ren.

Thanks to his Cultivation over the past month, his Sword Control Method had improved significantly, allowing for much more refined control over his Flying Sword.

But...

CRACK!

As a dark saber light flashed past, the already damaged Five-Pointed Flying Sword finally gave way and shattered.

Over a hundred Papermen and Puppets swarmed forward right behind it, only to be turned to ash by the seemingly invincible blade light, having no effect on the enemy whatsoever.

However, in the breathing room bought by the Flying Sword and the Papermen, Zhu Ju had already closed the distance.

Ghost God Limit!

Thousand Blades Unending, One Slash Void!

A thousand blade lights blossomed in an instant, completely surrounding Fann Ren, followed by a single, definitive killing blow that slashed down viciously.

CLANG...

Fann Ren held his long saber, his expression unchanging.

His opponent’s Saber Technique was impressive, but his Cultivation was too low to pose a real threat.

If he weren’t trying to capture him alive, he was confident he could end the fight in a few moves.

’Hm?’

Suddenly, the blade light before him brightened dramatically.

Zhu Ju, who originally only had the Cultivation of Breaking Six Acupoints, suddenly erupted with the power of Breaking Innate Eight Acupoints.

The difference of just Two Acupoints might seem small, but it was in fact a world of difference. His True Qi was more abundant and condensed, his blade light sharper and more piercing.

CLANG!

The saber hummed softly.

"Die!"

The killing intent he had long suppressed erupted like a volcano, and for a moment, nothing existed in the clearing but the light of the blade.

Fann Ren felt an inexplicable chill shoot up his spine to the back of his head, and the Skin and Flesh all over his body tensed instantly.

Danger!

’I could die!’

But he was, after all, a battle-hardened veteran. His Saber Technique had reached a state of perfection. With a flick of his wrist, his True Qi surged to its peak.

Black sand filled the sky! The raging sands danced wildly!

CLING CLANG...

Blades collided, sparks flew.

Fann Ren managed to block the entire incoming assault, but a dreadful feeling rose in his heart.

’This is bad!’

As he feared.

Zhu Ju’s eyes lit up. Two foot-long beams of white light materialized from thin air, ignoring the intersecting blade light and slashing into Fann Ren’s Sea of Consciousness.

Soul-Stabilizing and Soul-Slaying Divine Light!

After advancing to a True Man, his Divine Soul Power had skyrocketed, far surpassing the Nine Acupoints Innate Realm. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a Pseudo-Dao Foundation cultivator.

As the divine light struck, Fann Ren’s eyes instantly went vacant, and his body stiffened.

SWISH!

The Cross and Vertical Saber flashed out.

PFFT!

The blade cut into his throat, tearing through Skin and Flesh as blood seeped out. But just as it was about to go deeper...

BOOM!

Fann Ren’s entire body suddenly exploded, scattering into a storm of sand.

Black Death Divine Skill!

This skill possessed the wondrous ability to shift between illusory and real.

The Cross and Vertical Saber sliced into the sandstorm, its Powerful Qi dissipating in all directions. It was like striking empty air, meeting no resistance.

WHOOSH...

Zhu Ju had anticipated this. He let out a long, turbid breath and unhurriedly swept the area with his Divine Soul Power.

The Primordial Energy flowing through the world was reflected with perfect clarity in his senses.

The Power of the Five Elements rose and fell like tides, and within it, the sand swirled and settled, with faint glimmers of Spiritual Light flashing intermittently.

’Shifting between illusory and real?’

’No!’

’It’s more like he cultivated his Physical Body to have characteristics similar to a Magical Artifact, allowing it to turn into sand, gathering and scattering without a trace.’

’As expected of a top-tier Secret Technique. It’s truly impressive!’

’But it’s still a bit lacking compared to the Celestial Spirit Technique.’

Fann Ren, now transformed into sand, suddenly swept past a large tree, which was instantly corroded into nothingness.

With another swirl, the sandstorm lunged directly at Zhu Ju.

"You actually broke through eight Acupoints?"

A voice filled with astonishment, surprise, confusion, and greed came from within the sandstorm, mingled with a low, whistling wind.

"In this past month, your Cultivation didn’t regress, it advanced. No, it advanced by leaps and bounds. I’m even more curious how you managed that."

"Hand over your secret, and I can spare your life!"

"Black Death Divine Skill?" Zhu Ju ignored him. The Five Elements Ring shot out, and a five-colored halo enveloped the entire area.

The charging sandstorm collided with the five-colored halo, immediately producing a series of sharp CRACKLES.

"Turning your body into sand and dust, scattering into nothingness... it’s truly powerful."

"However..."

"Ultimately, there are still traces to follow!"

A month ago, he couldn’t have seen through its workings, but now he could ’see’ the secrets of the sandstorm’s movements.

Slash!

The Cross and Vertical Saber flashed out, piercing into the heart of the sandstorm. The blade light flashed again and again, unleashing a thousand slashes.

BOOM!

The sandstorm in the clearing shuddered violently.

"You can actually see my true body?" Fann Ren’s voice was laced with surprise. Then, the sandstorm began to coalesce.

"It seems I can’t let you live!"

WHOOSH...

The Black Death Divine Skill was an extremely unique Method.

Once mastered, the Physical Body could transform into a sandstorm, avoiding most forms of damage. If one advanced to the Dao Foundation Realm, one could even transform into a Black Wind that corroded bone and melted the soul.

At that point,

a single sweep of the Black Wind could annihilate all things!

Fann Ren naturally couldn’t achieve that. He couldn’t even fully transform his body into sand. But it was still enough to crush opponents of the same rank.

At this moment, the sandstorm enveloped his long saber. Achieving Human-Saber Unity, he slashed down viciously at Zhu Ju, unleashing a torrential wave of Powerful Qi.

CLANG...

The Five Elements Ring trembled violently, gradually failing under the assault.

"Found you," Zhu Ju said suddenly. He raised his left hand, and the Five-Colored Divine Light swept into the sandstorm.

BOOM!

A figure was forcibly ejected.

"How?" Fann Ren’s eyes were wide with terror.

"How could this be?"

"The Black Death Divine Skill may be profound, but ultimately it cannot escape the domain of the Five Elements." Zhu Ju spread his five fingers.

"And the Power of the Five Elements..."

"...is held within these five fingers!"

’Now that I’ve seen through the mysteries of his Cultivation Technique, there’s no need to probe any further. It’s time to end this.’ he thought.

Five Elements Palm!

In a single instant, nearly half of the True Qi in his body was consumed.

A Five-Colored Divine Light surged forth, weaving together in mid-air and instantly transforming into a giant hand the size of a palace.

The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi in a hundred-meter radius seemed to be sucked dry in an instant as it converged upon the hand.

The world darkened.

A terrifying power slammed down.

"AHHH!"

Fann Ren roared at the sky, his body once again transforming into a sandstorm.

But it was futile.

As the giant palm fell, it completely enveloped the sandstorm, and the Power of the Five Elements reined in the sand that was desperately trying to escape.

There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

BOOM!

The entire forest shuddered violently.

Dozens of hundred-year-old trees snapped in unison.

A massive handprint, sunk a meter into the ground with fingers over ten meters long, appeared in the center of the forest. The ground for a mile around it continued to tremble.

The might of that single strike...

...was appalling!

Fann Ren, his body tattered and broken, stood in the center of the handprint. He trembled slightly as he looked up at Zhu Ju.

"What... what Palm Technique was that?"

"..." Zhu Ju stared back at him and said slowly,

"The Heaven-Flipping Seal!"

After a pause, he added,

"I created it myself."

"A good Palm Technique." Fann Ren gave a bitter smile, then fell backward to the ground, his aura vanishing.

A Nine Acupoints Innate...

...dead.

*

*

*

「Sometime later.」

In a certain mountain forest.

"So poor!"

Putting away the Qiankun Bag, Zhu Ju shook his head with a helpless look.

Fann Ren was clearly a purist among Cultivators. Aside from his Saber Technique, he disdained using any external items.

Despite being a Nine Acupoints Perfection Cultivator, there was almost nothing of value in his Qiankun Bag.

"I hope he wasn’t a favorite of the Black Death Master. Otherwise, if I kill the junior and the senior comes for revenge, it’ll never end."

"However..."

"My current strength should be at the very peak of the Innate Qi Refiner level, second only to someone like Pei Jingque, who possesses a Sect’s legacy artifact."

After checking his bearings, Zhu Ju flashed toward the Mortal World.

Even while concealing his aura and suppressing his strength, his speed was still astonishing. After half a day, he saw an official road in the distance.

On the official road was a post station that looked like it hadn’t been open for a very long time.

Bamboo Horse Technique!

Conjuring a horse, Zhu Ju disguised himself as a mortal swordsman and rode at an unhurried pace.

At some point, two Curved Sabers had appeared in his hands.

Iron-Winged Dual Sabers!

A Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact!

The items were shaped like Curved Sabers, their surfaces covered in countless fine patterns. Upon closer inspection, they were revealed to be individual feathers.

And the sabers...

...were, in fact, a pair of wings!

’No wonder it felt strange when I wielded them. These must be the wings from the Divine Eagle King’s back,’ Zhu Ju thought, looking pensive.

’The Iron Madman actually forged his own wings into a pair of Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts?’

’How did he do it?’

The Iron-Winged Dual Sabers had moved as he willed in the hands of the Divine Eagle King, the Iron Madman, but in his own hands, they were even less convenient than his Cross and Vertical Saber.

Unless he completed their Refinement anew, they would be difficult to control.

CLANG!

CLATTER...

With a flick of his wrist, the dual sabers in his hand trembled lightly, and the ’feathers’ on their surface all stood on end.

A sharp aura emanated from them.

As he continuously poured True Qi into them, the dual sabers began to tremble faster until, with a violent shudder, they transformed into a wide pair of metallic wings.

The hundred-plus ’feathers’ on the wings trembled lightly, clanging as if they might fly from his grasp at any moment.

"So this is the true form of the Iron-Winged Dual Sabers?"

"A Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact!"

’If I can complete its Refinement, my power will increase even further. Perhaps I won’t be any weaker than Senior Sister Pei.’

"Hm?"

A clamor of voices came from up ahead. Zhu Ju put away the dual sabers and looked up, a puzzled expression on his face.

’This is the Mortal World. Why are there so many Cultivators here?’

’And they’re familiar faces!’