Chapter 144: Chapter 139: Is My Head Made of Dough?

Having figured out the reason for the ambush, Qi Yun’s eyes darted about.

The ring’s material was extraordinary. It couldn’t be damaged in the slightest even when burned by Nanming Demon Fire or ground by Abyssal Iron Sand. It was clearly no ordinary item.

’It must be something remarkable. Otherwise, given the Seven Kills Sect’s nature, they wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble to set an ambush for me!’

"However, to think you can take me down with just these mindless Dead Puppets controlled by a Secret Skill... isn’t that a bit of a joke?"

Qi Yun calmly watched the attackers swarming him from all directions as he slowly formed a Spell with his right hand in front of his chest.

The next instant!

A massive amount of Abyssal Iron Sand, like a black flood bursting from a dam, roared out!

The Iron Sand instantly split. One part condensed into countless fine, sharp, black needles, shooting like a torrential storm toward the Dead Puppets casting Long-Range Techniques or throwing hidden weapons.

The other part transformed into agile Sand Iron Chains, coiling like living black vipers around the Martial Artist Dead Puppets charging in for close combat!

At the same time, he activated the Nether Spring Bone Technique!

Eighty-one White Bone Skulls, burning with Glowing Green Ghost Fire, let out excited, cackling laughs and lunged forward ferociously!

The Abyssal Iron Sand and the White Bone Skulls—one was incomparably hard and solid, excelling in both offense and defense; the other was sinister, insidious, and plundered life force.

Working together, they were perfect for reaping the lives of these Dead Puppets, which, despite their numbers, were individually weak and lacked intelligent tactics.

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!—

The black needles easily pierced the Dead Puppets’ Protective Qi Force or their weak spots, causing sprays of dark red blood to blossom.

CRACK! CRACK!

The Sand Iron Chains coiled around and tightened abruptly, snapping the bones of several Dead Puppets and twisting their bodies into grotesque shapes.

TSSST! TSSST! TSSST!—

When the Corpse Poisoning Yin Fire touched the Dead Puppets, it spread like a plague clinging to their bones. Their flesh was quickly charred and melted away, emitting a nauseating, burnt stench.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

The White Bone Skulls gnawed and tore at them madly. At the same time, the Ghost Fire in their eye sockets flared as the Devouring Essence ability activated, greedily extracting the Dead Puppets’ remaining Blood Essence Qi.

As a large—albeit impure—yet considerable amount of Blood Essence Qi was devoured, Qi Yun keenly sensed that the surfaces of the eighty-one White Bone Skulls seemed to shimmer with an extremely faint luster he had never seen before.

The texture of the bones also seemed to have become somewhat harder and denser.

A faint, almost imperceptible sheen flowed across them.

This was the initial manifestation of the Nether Spring Bone Technique’s core mystical property.

Although the quality of the Dead Puppets’ Blood Essence was low.

The sheer quantity still induced a subtle qualitative change.

In the blink of an eye, the dozens of Dead Puppets ambushing the area around the tea pavilion fell like harvested wheat under the efficient slaughter of the Abyssal Iron Sand and White Bone Skulls. Severed limbs and charred corpses littered the ground in a gruesome scene.

But then, something suddenly changed!

The surrounding light vanished, as if snatched away by an invisible giant hand.

The street, still bright with daylight moments before, was plunged into an absolute darkness so deep you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

It wasn’t just sight; even his Divine Sense, when extended, felt like it was sinking into viscous ink, severely obstructed and distorted.

Seven Kills Secret Technique—Light Devouring Kill!

Within the endless darkness, countless blade gleams—condensed to their very limit, silent and soundless, yet fast as lightning—erupted from all sorts of impossible angles, striking at Qi Yun’s vitals.

Each blade gleam contained a bizarre "Chaotic" power.

It could disrupt the flow of True Qi, distort perception, and was specialized in breaking Protective Techniques.

The real killing blow was only now being revealed!

The true elite assassins of the Seven Kills Sect had been hiding in the shadows.

Waiting for the perfect moment to deliver the fatal strike!

Facing this sudden, deadly situation, Qi Yun raised a hand and instantly recalled all his Abyssal Iron Sand, condensing it around him into an incredibly thick, rapidly spinning shield of black iron.

TING! TING! TING! TING! TING!—!!!

A sound as dense as rain drumming on banana leaves exploded.

The blade gleams slashed against the Iron Sand Shield, kicking up a shower of sparks!

The "Chaotic" power constantly tried to penetrate and disrupt it, causing the Iron Sand Shield to fluctuate violently. Grains of sand flew off as its defense was consumed and weakened at an alarming rate.

"Do you really think assassins are the natural counter to Mages?"

Standing at the center of the ferocious assault, Qi Yun curled his lip, a savage glint appearing in his eyes.

His hands, hidden in his sleeves the whole time, suddenly formed a complex Spell.

"Explode!"

He spat out a single, cold word.

The next moment—

BOOM!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—!!!

The Glowing Green Ghost Fire in the eye sockets of the eighty-one White Bone Skulls—which were scattered outside, had just devoured the Blood Essence, and whose bones now faintly glowed—suddenly surged to its absolute peak.

Nether Spring Bone Technique—Corpse Explosion.

In that same instant, all eighty-one White Bone Skulls ferociously self-destructed!

There was no sequence, no distinction between strong or weak.

Eighty-one bursts of terrifying, dark green power, filled with dreadful Corpse Poison and Yin Fire, bloomed in the absolute darkness!

A horrific shockwave from the explosion swept out madly in all directions like a tsunami.

The rampaging Corpse Poisoning Yin Fire devoured all light, sound, and life.

The domain of absolute darkness created by the light-devouring Light Devouring Kill was shattered, torn to pieces like fragile glass before this indiscriminate, all-encompassing, destructive explosion.

A few muffled grunts and cries of pain that couldn’t be suppressed rang out amidst the explosions!

Light returned to view, revealing a devastated street that looked as if it had been struck by a meteor.

Several figures in tight-fitting black clothes were sent flying backward wretchedly from the center of the blast zone.

They were all more or less stained with the viscous, dark green Corpse Poisoning Yin Fire that clung to them like an inescapable plague, making a "TZZZ" corrosive sound.

Quickly extinguishing the Corpse Poisoning Yin Fire on their bodies, the few Seven Kills Sect assassins stared with frosty eyes at Qi Yun, who stood calmly across from them.

’Clearly, this target is far more difficult than we anticipated.’

’Go!’

Without the slightest hesitation, their figures twisted and blurred like phantoms, melting into the surroundings as their auras instantly became erratic and indistinct.

This was the very Illusionary Body Concealment Technique that had made the Seven Kills Sect famous!

Seven Kills Sect Cultivators were masters of the assassin’s way.

If the first strike fails, retreat a thousand miles.

They would never get entangled in a fight under unfavorable conditions.

"Oh? You think you can just come and go as you please? Do you really think Qi’s head is made of dough, for you to knead as you wish?"

Seeing this, Qi Yun laughed instead of getting angry. But amidst his hearty laughter, he had already completed a Spell with his hands in an instant.

HMMMM—!

On the ground, a strange phenomenon manifested!

From the earth overturned by the explosion, bizarre, ferocious-looking flowers—multi-colored and shaped like roaring lion heads—burst forth and bloomed instantly.

Wood Element Command Skill—Empty Wail!

"ROOOOAR—!!!"

The next moment, a terrifying roar—one that did not strike the eardrums but directly rattled the Divine Soul and shook the Heart and Spirit—erupted fiercely from those lion-headed flowers!

Visible ripples of sound that distorted the air spread out rapidly like waves on water, instantly covering an area of several dozen yards.

This sonic attack, which specifically targeted the Soul Body, was a natural counter to the Illusionary Body Concealment Technique, which relied on precise control.

"Urgh!"

"PFFT!"

A few grunts and the sound of someone spitting blood rang out almost simultaneously.

The Seven Kills Sect assassins, who had just vanished and were trying to escape, felt as if their Divine Souls had been smashed by an invisible sledgehammer. Their bodies trembled violently, and their state of Invisibility was forcibly broken.

Like fish forced out from the depths, they reappeared on the street in a wretched state.

Each one of them had a deathly pale face and unfocused eyes; their Divine Souls had clearly been severely injured.

Qi Yun himself was a master of the Illusionary Body Concealment Technique, so he naturally knew its strengths and weaknesses.

To break it as quickly as possible, directly attacking the Divine Soul was the most effective and direct method.

’Flush out these rats who hide their heads but show their tails.’

Qi Yun gave them no chance to catch their breath or hide again.

He took a step forward, and the very ground seemed to tremble beneath his feet!

BOOM—!

A violent, wicked, violet-black Demon Fire erupted from his body, instantly engulfing him.

His figure grew blurry and distorted within the Demon Fire.

Only his pupils transformed into a pure, burning dark red—cold, tyrannical, and devoid of any human emotion.

Sword Qi raged all around him, weaving with the Demon Fire to produce a hiss that made one’s scalp tingle.

His strongest form—Nanming Sword Demon!

As his Cultivation grew, especially after entering the Qi Refining Seventh Layer and initially opening his acupoints, Qi Yun’s control over this Sword Demon state had become increasingly adept.

He could transform into Demon Fire, gathering and dispersing at will, no longer filled with the uncontrollable rage of his first transformations.

In the unseen world, a ceaseless stream of insights into the Sword Dao seemed to flow from this Sword Demon form and merge with his heart.

It made his use of Sword Skills and control over Sword Qi all the more masterful and refined.

The next instant.

The violet-black Demon Fire figure that was Qi Yun moved.

Fast!

Incredibly fast!

As if teleporting, he appeared directly in front of an assassin who had just regained his footing.

The Demon Fire condensed into an extremely refined violet-black Sword Qi, ignoring the defensive slash of the opponent’s blade and piercing straight through!

PFFT!

The assassin’s movements froze. A small, charred hole appeared between his eyebrows. The light in his eyes instantly faded, and he fell down stiffly.

The Demon Fire flashed, reappearing beside another assassin who was trying to retreat.

Qi Yun held his fingers together like a sword, Demon Fire dancing on their tips.

A strand of Sword Qi, as thin as a hair yet incomparably sharp, shot out and, like a hot knife through butter, easily severed the opponent’s sword arm.

Immediately after, the Sword Qi circled back and pierced his heart.

The third assassin roared, unleashing the Seven Kills Sect’s secret Chaotic Blade Skill. Gleams from his blade fell like a waterfall as he tried to defend by attacking.

But Qi Yun raised a hand and annihilated him with a terrifying beam of Sword Qi over ten meters long!

Seeing their companions slaughtered like melons and vegetables, the last two assassins were scared out of their wits and fled for their lives in two different directions.

Qi Yun snorted coldly. His Demon Fire Body abruptly split into two smaller Demon Fire Arrows that, despite starting later, arrived first, instantly catching up to the two men.

The Demon Fire coiled around them, not burning them directly, but instantly immobilizing them. A powerful Demon Fire Sword Qi then charged into their bodies.

It brutally sealed their Dantian Purple Mansions.

And crippled the meridians in their limbs!

THUD! THUD! Like two broken sacks, the assassins fell from mid-air and slammed heavily onto the ground. They were charred black all over, their meridians shattered, and their Dantians destroyed.

They were left barely clinging to life, their eyes filled with endless terror and despair.

The Demon Fire flowed back, re-forming into Qi Yun’s figure.

The Demon Fire around him slowly receded, and he returned to his original appearance.

His face was slightly pale, but his aura remained sharp and tyrannical.

He slowly walked over to the two survivors he had intentionally left alive and looked down at them with cold eyes.

’I need to know just how much manpower the Seven Kills Sect has invested for that Golden Ring,’ he thought, ’and... if there are any more troublesome characters waiting in the wings.’

’More importantly...’

’What is the true value of that Golden Ring!’

...