In the distance, Di Kan’s follower had a mocking look on his face. “Is that a Holy Son or a rabbit?! He sure runs fast!”

Another follower shook his head repeatedly. “The way I see it, they shouldn’t have bothered with those three from the start. Had they attacked together, they could’ve worn this guy out even if it took a while!”

Di Kan said mockingly, “What the hell do you know?! You saw it too! His power and techniques are the peak of all peaks! Attacking him together would only play into his hands! Unburdened, he’d only be harder to deal with. With his movement, it’d be lucky if even a third of these people survived! Even then, they might not necessarily be able to kill him!”

The follower scratched his head. “Young Valley Master, you’re making him sound so powerful, I’ve lost confidence. How about we go back?”

Di Kan laughed coldly, unrelenting. “Like hell we will! He absolutely won’t be coming out of this unscathed. Besides, I’m not greedy. I only want half the stuff.”

The follower’s jaw fell open, but he didn’t dare speak the truth. He felt that Di Kan was a bit overconfident.

***

Gu Han was secretly relieved when Qi Jun fled. He flicked his sword, pointing it at Chu Kuang. “You’re next!”

The bulk of his injuries came from Chu Kuang. From start to finish, the saint’s reincarnation remained the greatest threat.

Chu Kuang was filled with indignation. “Gu Han!”

He knew that his plan for the day had been ruined. Without Wu Han and Qi Jun, trying to capture Gu Han would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Of course, Gu Han wasn’t going to waste words with him. “Kill!”

He flickered, already closing in. Following the momentum, the sword swung down, and an unrivaled sword light descended once more.

Chu Kuang gritted his teeth, roaring, “Devour the Heavens!”

Ignoring his old injuries, he summoned the massive, gaping maw. A squishing sound echoed. The maw was slashed to pieces. As it turned out, his severe injuries did take their toll after all. Gu Han wasn’t in great shape either, but he clearly held the upper hand.

Chu Kuang erupted with a battle qi and collided against the incoming sword light. “Battle!”

He was sent flying backward. However, he was clearly much stronger than Wu Han and Qi Jun. Even while mid-air, a strand of powerful divine sense still surged toward Gu Han.

Gu Han grunted as he went pale. Blood even trickled from his mouth and nose. The divine sense attack had dealt the most damage. Though it was only a remnant soul, it had once belonged to the Saint realm after all. Fortunately, Gu Han’s soul power was formidable. Anyone else would have long been blasted by the impact.

Forcefully enduring the dizziness, Gu Han raised his sword and closed in. “Cough... cough... You lost again! How many of my strikes could you have withstood without your divine sense?”

Chu Kuang did not answer, but his face darkened like the bottom of a pot. He knew he had lost. In fact, he could only contend with Gu Han by relying on a fragment of his previous life’s foundation.

Gu Han slowly raised his sword. “What about your Saint Weapon? Are you going to threaten to self-destruct again? I’ll cut you down today!”

A trace of madness flashed in his eyes. Even his sword vibrated violently, as if sensing his bloodlust.

He roared again, “Kill!”

Another strike descended.

Upon seeing this, Yuan Gang no longer cared about dealing with Murong Yan and the others, quickly rushing toward Chu Kuang. “Junior Brother, quick!”

His few followers understood the situation and rushed to his aid as well.

“Never mind them! Save Junior Brother!”

Upon seeing this, Murong Yan’s hand went limp, and her hammer fell to the ground. “T-that bastard Yuan! Next time, I will fucking kill him!”

Although she was still defiant, she was completely spent, trembling from head to toe. As for Yang Ying and Shen Xuan, they were covered in large and small wounds, some deep enough to show bone. Their auras had withered to the extreme. If not for relying on the Emerald Condensation Pill, they would have died three times over already.

In the distance, a dazzling sword light flew toward Chu Kuang—vast, unparalleled, filled with murderous intent. In terms of momentum alone, it rivaled the sword strike he had delivered outside.

Chu Kuang’s expression changed drastically. “You!”

A trace of fear flickered in his eyes. It was the first time since his many clashes with Gu Han.

Not far away, a few people were chasing with all their might.

“Junior Brother!”

“Holy Son!”

However, the sword light was slightly faster. A huge noise erupted, and the sword light exploded. A deep pit opened where Chu Kuang had stood.

Yuan Gang’s heart sank. Oh no!!! Is he... dead...?

However, Gu Han’s eyes held not a trace of joy. He gazed toward the sky above. “See that? You lost again.”

As the smoke and dust dispersed, Chu Kuang reappeared. He was drenched in blood, his aura diminishing. His peerlessly handsome face was also crisscrossed with bloody marks. Above all, he was floating! It was the Soaring realm! Gu Han had forced him to break through realms!

Gu Han stared at him. “You. Lost.”

Chu Kuang understood that he was referring to this battle and to the Supreme Stage. They had been suppressing their realms, aiming for the Divine Connection Supreme Stage. The Divine Connection Supreme Stage relied on the heart and mind. One had to place themselves in a desperate situation and find a way to survive. Yet he had broken through, ultimately losing his heart and mind. Even if he returned to the Divine Connection realm, there was no hope for him.

Gu Han’s sword momentum rose again. “Do you still want to fight? Even if you’re in the Soaring realm, I can still kill you!”

At this moment, Yuan Gang and those followers had also caught up.

“Junior Brother!”

“Holy Son!”

Chu Kuang remained silent. After a moment, he took a deep look at Gu Han and turned to leave. “Let’s go.”

In addition to such devastating loss, his injuries were grave. He had no chance of victory at all. His actions seemed to confirm Gu Han’s earlier words. By living a second life, he was more afraid of death than anyone.

Gu Han watched Chu Kuang leave without pursuing him. As long as he had the Emerald Condensation Pill, any physical injuries were almost negligible. However, the damage to his soul and divine sense was not light. Perhaps only by cultivating to the Divine Connection Supreme Stage could one not fear Chu Kuang’s divine sense.

Suppressing the thoughts, he casually wiped the blood from his mouth and nose. Then, he glanced emotionlessly into the distance. “Come out!”

Gu Han had long known about the arrival of Di Kan and Zhao Mengyou. He hadn’t revealed it earlier to avoid adding two more opponents to the fray. Otherwise, forget protecting the Soul-Nourishing Lotus, he probably wouldn’t even survive. After all, these two were much stronger than Wu Han and Qi Jun.

Zhao Mengyou wordlessly stared at Gu Han, subtly resentful. As for the four female followers, they stared at Gu Han curiously, sizing him up non-stop.

His features were delicate but his temperament was restrained. Although he was a bit disheveled now, he still exuded an overbearing aura, a proud posture of “with me here, there is no enemy.”

Chu Kuang couldn’t even hold a candle against him. For a moment, the women silently cursed themselves for being blind. Why had they fallen for that pretty boy earlier? A fine man like Young Master Gu was a true heaven’s pride, a peerless one!

On the contrary, although Di Kan was an opponent, he still praised Gu Han endlessly, “Impressive! Dao Bell nine rings! Well-deserved reputation! Their greatest sorrow? Not realizing the gap between themselves and you!”

Gu Han was emotionless. “Is that so? And you? Do you recognize it?”

Di Kan shook his head. “Me? I’m not overestimating myself like them. Of course, I won’t belittle myself either. More importantly, you’re injured now!”

Gu Han asked a seemingly unrelated question, “I’m very curious. You two are clearly not in the Heavenly Tribulation realm, so why can you take human form?”

Zhao Mengyou was speechless as she couldn’t figure out Gu Han’s thought process. Clearly, the two of them had come to rob him. Why would he ask such a boring question?

A follower behind Di Kan flew into rage. “How dare you! Are you insulting us? Who are you calling a demonic beast? How can that lowly type of beast be compared to the demon species?” 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Gu Han learned something new at that moment. He had always thought that the demonic beasts were the demon species.

“That’s enough. No need to say more, business first.” Di Kan waved his hand. “Give me half of the stuff, and I’ll leave immediately. If you refuse, don’t blame me for taking advantage of your injuries.”

“Young Master Gu, everyone has the right to compete for opportunities. Although we know each other, I won’t easily let go either. Actually, I’m not greedy either. Same as him, just half will do.” Zhao Mengyou’s tone was calm. For some reason, she paused and bit her lip. “Consider it... compensation for your rudeness towards me earlier.”

Gu Han nearly laughed from anger. You call this not greedy? You take half, he takes half. What’s left for me?

“Enough.” He shook his head, slowly raising his sword. “Ultimately, I still have to let my sword do the talking!”

His Dual Supreme Stage erupted once more. An incredibly powerful spirit pressure descended again. Though not at full strength, it sent the two staggering.

Di Kan’s eyes blazed with golden light. “Fine! Since that’s the case, don’t blame me for bullying an injured person!”

Gu Han’s killing intent gradually rose. “Even though I’m injured, dealing with you—”

He stopped mid-sentence, sensing something was off. The familiar cold aura had returned, far heavier than before. However, the arrow was already on the string, it had to be released. He couldn’t care too much about that now.

He flicked his sword, about to unleash another strike. “Dealing with you is more than enough!”

Suddenly, Di Kan’s expression drastically changed. “Wait!”

He was so frightened his scalp went numb. Although covered by hair, one could still see a thin layer of sweat on his face. Even Zhao Mengyou no longer held the previous calm and confidence. Instead, she was faintly tinged with a trace of terror.

“I-I think... Fighting an injured person really doesn’t look good for me. It’s not the act of a true hero.” Di Kan gulped, rapidly retreating. “G-goodbye for now! When your injuries heal, I’ll fight you again!”

Gu Han’s eyes flashed coldly. “Did I say you could leave?”

He took a step forward, about to give chase. Preventing Di Kan from coming back—or worse, allying with Chu Kuang, was a must. Inflicting an unforgettable psychological scar would do just that!

Who would have thought that before he could even move, Di Kan and his followers were already scared out of their wits.

“F-fuck! D-don’t come over here!” Di Kan stammered.

When did I become this terrifying? Gu Han was baffled. He hadn’t even drawn his sword yet, and they were already reduced into this state?

Even Zhao Mengyou went pale. As a widely experienced and knowledgeable Divine Maiden, she had absolutely never seen such a bizarre scene.

She said with a shaky voice, “Y-Young Master Gu... T-There’s someone... behind you...”