Chapter 237: A Divine Skill Revealed, A Thief in the Night

After walking out of the military camp, the three of them quietly went to the left wing of the enemy’s encampment.

There wasn’t a single mortal soldier on patrol outside the left wing. These rogue cultivators knew that mortal soldiers couldn’t detect the movements of cultivators anyway, and even if they did, for a cultivator to kill a mortal was as simple as crushing an ant. So, besides the occasional patrolling team of rogue cultivators, there was usually not even a ghost of a shadow here.

The place where the three of them were was a small grove, overgrown with shrubs, perfect for concealing their figures. Not far away was a small path, one of the necessary routes for the rogue cultivators’ reinforcements to arrive.

After looking around, Qin Yang said to Liao Qiankun and Qin Haoxuan, “We’ll wait here.”

After settling on a hiding spot, Qin Yang took out a Heaven’s Eye Talisman from his robes. Using his own spiritual energy as a catalyst, he activated it. In the empty air, forty-nine dark black specks of light appeared, forming the shape of a human eye. This was the Heaven’s Eye Talisman. As long as someone stepped within its detection range, the number of light specks that lit up would indicate their cultivation level. Because it had no spiritual energy fluctuation, and only the caster’s side could see it, it would not be discovered by the enemy.

After setting up the talisman, the three of them concealed their figures and hid in the bushes. As long as they didn’t actively release their auras, or if the enemy’s strength far surpassed their own, it was impossible for them to be discovered.

Waiting for the rabbit to fall into the trap was a very boring affair. From time to time, Qin Haoxuan could feel the gazes of Qin Yang and Liao Qiankun, intentionally or unintentionally, falling upon him. His intuition told him that these two were hostile towards him. He didn’t believe that Li Jing would be so kind to him for no reason, even going so far as to group him with a Twentieth-Leaf and a Fifteenth-Leaf disciple just to ensure his safety. From their gazes, he was more and more certain that the two of them were up to no good.

What are they planning? he thought. To intentionally put me in a dangerous situation when we’re fighting the enemy? Or to just kill me? Countless guesses flashed through his mind, but none of them seemed to hold water. He was certain that Li Jing having them get close to him was definitely not as simple as just trying to embarrass him. Nine times out of ten, it was for the Qi-Circulating Pills.

He made up his mind. They’re up to no good, but I can’t just kill them. Otherwise, with the abilities of the sect’s elders, if I don’t do a clean job of destroying the evidence, they could find out who the killer was from even a small remnant. So, I must strike first and use absolute strength to intimidate them, so they won’t dare to act rashly.

With his decision made, he and the other two continued to maintain a delicate balance, no one willing to tear the paper window, silently waiting for the enemy’s reinforcements to appear.

As heaven willed it, their luck today was not bad. They had been there for less than half an hour when a cultivator came galloping towards them on horseback. Qin Yang signaled with his eyes for the other two not to act rashly, then watched the rogue cultivator closely. When he entered the range of the Heaven’s Eye Talisman, twenty-two light specks lit up. This rogue cultivator was at the Twenty-Second-Leaf realm. Although he was only two leaves stronger than Qin Yang, the strongest of the three, those two leaves were enough to make Qin Yang and Liao Qiankun dismiss any thought of ambushing him.

A Twenty-Second-Leaf was a cut above a Twentieth-Leaf. In a direct confrontation, Qin Yang had almost no chance of winning. Even with the help of a Fifteenth-Leaf and a Seventh-Leaf, their chances of winning were zero. And even a sneak attack was not guaranteed to succeed. Once it failed, they would be finished.

Qin Yang’s mind raced, and he ultimately decided to give up on intercepting him. He knew very well that with their combined strength, it was completely impossible. So, he signaled with his eyes to the other two, telling them not to make any rash moves.

Seeing the Twenty-Second-Leaf cultivator, Qin Haoxuan quickly calculated in his mind. He had Xing’s armor for protection, and at a critical moment, he could use the Dragon Demon Golden Body to save his life. As long as he was careful, he was confident he could deal with him. Besides, even if he couldn’t win, he could still run away. Since he had decided to intimidate the other two with his powerful martial force, he immediately made up his mind to jump out and kill this person.

The continuous battles of the past few days had unknowingly cultivated a fierce aura in him, and it had also cultivated his courage to fight. He had even dared to ambush an injured Spirit Tree Realm expert. What was a Twenty-Two-Leaf rogue cultivator? At worst, he could still escape with the Thousand-Mile Talisman. What was there to be afraid of?

When Qin Yang’s gaze, which was signaling not to act rashly, fell on him, Qin Haoxuan nodded solemnly, indicating that he understood… and then… the next moment… he immediately put on an arrogant expression and leaped out from the bushes where he had been hiding.

He shot out too fast! So fast that the other two didn’t even have time to react. After all, everyone understood that as long as one’s brain wasn’t broken, a Seventh-Leaf Taichu disciple would not possibly charge out at this time to challenge a Twenty-Two-Leaf rogue cultivator.

“You there, stop! Get off your horse! Do you not know that this is the territory of my Taichu Sect?” Qin Haoxuan said, with an arrogant expression, showing the jade pendant with the “Taichu” characters carved on it, his voice full of disdain. “You bold traitor, quickly dismount and accept your death!”

In their hearts, Qin Yang and Liao Qiankun were already cursing his ancestors. To jump out at this time wasn’t just courting death, it would also implicate them. After all, the rogue cultivators also knew that the Taichu Sect operated in teams of three. For one person to suddenly jump out, wasn’t that telling the enemy that there were two others in ambush? Qin Yang had the impulse to just stab him to death. A teammate like this was worse than a pig. How has he lived until today? What kind of luck does he have?

“Could he be an idiot?” Qin Yang and Liao Qiankun exchanged a look, and from each other’s eyes, they could see a mixture of shock, anger, and helplessness.

The rogue cultivator on horseback had not expected there to be an ambush here. He immediately reined in his horse. His gaze swept over Qin Haoxuan, and sensing that his aura was very weak, clearly a junior cultivator, he immediately paid him no more attention and sent out his spiritual energy to probe the surroundings, saying in a loud voice, “Are all the disciples of the Taichu Sect cowards who hide their heads? All of you, come out.”

Qin Yang and Liao Qiankun looked at each other. At this point, even if they wanted to launch a sneak attack, it would be impossible. The enemy was surely prepared. It was better to just come out openly.

The rogue cultivator saw the two of them, and especially since Qin Yang’s aura was not weak, he immediately became cautious. “Are all the disciples of the Taichu Sect like you, ganging up on a single person?” he said, his spiritual energy protecting his body, ready to fight at any moment.

Before they could even speak, Qin Haoxuan had already spoken first, his tone incomparably arrogant. “To kill a Twenty-Two-Leaf rogue cultivator like you, do we need to join forces? I alone am enough.”

The rogue cultivator was taken aback, then began to sneer. If the three of them had attacked together, he would have had to be careful. But a weak little cultivator like him actually dared to speak so brazenly.

Both Qin Yang and Liao Qiankun were now suspecting that Qin Haoxuan’s brain had suddenly gone bad. Is this guy a fucking idiot?

“Prepare to die!” After his incredibly foolish boast, Qin Haoxuan’s figure flashed, and he threw a punch at the rogue cultivator. Seventh-Leaf cultivation, yet his punch carried a whistling wind.

Qin Yang and Liao Qiankun once again exchanged a look, but neither of them had any intention of intervening. The two of them had been grouped with him only to fulfill Li Jing’s request to get the Qi-Circulating Pills from him. If he were to die at the hands of the enemy, and they found the pills on his corpse, it would be much easier than provoking him and then challenging him to a duel. Qin Yang was no match for this Twenty-Two-Leaf rogue cultivator, but he was still confident in his ability to escape.

As long as he completed Li Jing’s request and had an Unsurpassed Purple Seed owe him a favor, what did it matter if he had to flee once? Since Qin Haoxuan was so brain-dead and eager to die, of course they wouldn’t stop him. The two of them exchanged a look, ready to snatch his corpse and run at a moment’s notice.

The rogue cultivator sneered. From his aura, he could tell that this was a kid who hadn’t even reached the Tenth-Leaf. Yet he dared to speak so arrogantly. He could easily kill him with the strength of just the Thirteenth or Fourteenth-Leaf. Immediately, he casually condensed a house-sized Golden Light Hammer, preparing to finish him off when he got close. Most of his attention was on Qin Yang and Liao Qiankun. Although they showed no intention of helping, it was always better to be cautious.

Just as Qin Haoxuan was charging towards him, he suddenly raised his hand and threw something out. Three Talisman Beasts landed on the ground. They were the Red-Blood Ape, the Iron-Backed Centipede, and the Black-Backed Python he had obtained from Xu Changsheng, Hua Yang, and the Pink Immortal.

Seeing him throw out three Talisman Beasts, Qin Yang was greatly shocked. This kid actually has such powerful Talisman Beasts? And he threw out three at once?

His next action quickly explained this doubt. He formed a hand seal, and at the same time, from the base of his shoulders, two more arms suddenly appeared. These two hands also formed hand seals. Instantly, the three beasts that he had just thrown out reverted to their original forms under Xing’s secret control. The Red-Blood Ape, the Iron-Backed Centipede, and the Black-Backed Python all charged at the rogue cultivator, covering the sky and the earth.

From the moment he had thrown out the beasts to the appearance of the two extra arms, to the beasts’ transformation and their attack, it had all happened in an instant. The rogue cultivator had no time to react. He was still wielding his Golden Light Hammer with the strength of the Fourteenth-Leaf, waiting to finish him off with a single blow.

The change had been too sudden. Not only had Qin Yang and Liao Qiankun not reacted, but the Twenty-Two-Leaf rogue cultivator hadn’t either. In his mind, Qin Haoxuan was just a pawn sent out by the other two to draw his attention, not worth fearing at all. The real killing move would surely come from them. Just a Seventh-Leaf… who would really care? Even if he is a Taichu disciple, a Seventh-Leaf is just a Seventh-Leaf.

But he was completely wrong. Qin Yang and Liao Qiankun were hoping he would die. And the one he had disregarded the most had just performed a scene that would shock everyone—sprouting two extra arms as thick as the pillars of a great hall and simultaneously controlling three Talisman Beasts.

CRACK! The Golden Light Hammer was shattered by the first to arrive, the Iron-Backed Centipede, which then slammed directly into the rogue cultivator, causing his hastily formed spiritual energy barrier to ripple violently.