Volume 4 Chapter 73

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Volume 4 Chapter 73: The Wounded Escape

Under the watchful eyes of Xu Qingfan and Liu Ziqing, the figure in purple slowly descended from the sky, standing at a distance of ten feet from the two, each side meeting the other’s gaze.

This figure was small in stature, with a pair of captivating, shiny almond-shaped eyes that, despite their intensity, had a charming allure. Their cultivation seemed to be at least above the Real Golden Core Stage, noticeably higher than Xu Qingfan’s.

Noticing Xu Qingfan’s purple attire, the figure in purple had a hint of confusion in their eyes, not expecting to encounter another person in purple here. They glanced at Liu Ziqing behind Xu Qingfan, confusion deepening, unsure of the relationship between the two.

Just as the purple-clad figure was about to speak, Xu Qingfan, to not reveal any weakness, took the initiative to ask, "Which master’s envoy might you be?"

Xu Qingfan’s words mimicked Liu Ziqing’s tone.

Hearing Xu Qingfan ask first, the figure in purple paused slightly; he couldn’t really avoid answering. Although he was concerned about the threat from "Huang," he remembered that "Huang" and his subordinates always acted independently within the "Ming" organization. Aside from attending "Ming" gatherings, they rarely wore "Ming" clothing. Feeling that his skills were clearly superior to Xu Qingfan’s, he hesitated a bit before saying, "I am Number One, under ‘Zhang.’ Which master do you serve?"

As he spoke, Number One took out a badge engraved with "Zhang Yi" and showed it to Xu Qingfan, proving his identity.

Hearing the name "Zhang Yi," Xu Qingfan was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Number One to appear so quickly and wondered if it was because they had learned Number Four was dead.

What surprised Xu Qingfan even more was that "Zhang Yi’s" voice was that of a young woman—slightly husky, yet uniquely charming.

But Xu Qingfan had no time for surprise now. He forced himself to stay calm and, imitating the cold and indifferent tone of a "Ming" organization member, said, "I am Number Three, under ‘Lie.’"

As he spoke, Xu Qingfan took out the badge from the "Lie Three" he had killed earlier and showed it to "Zhang Yi" to prove his identity, feeling secretly relieved that he had obtained the badge earlier, or he would have been exposed.

Seeing the badge in Xu Qingfan’s hand, "Zhang Yi" felt a slight relief. In the "Ming" organization, "Zhang" and "Lie" had the best relationship. Although she had never seen this "Lie Three" before, the sixteen members of the "Ming" organization often changed due to various reasons, such as mission failures or being schemed against by others in the organization. So, "Zhang Yi" wasn’t particularly suspicious.

On the other hand, since Xu Qingfan was not a cultivator from the "Ming" organization and knew very little about it, he was afraid of revealing his flaws by saying too much. So, after proving his identity, he quickly asked, "What is your purpose for coming here this time?"

"Zhang Yi" hesitated slightly; it’s rare for operatives from different factions within the "Ming" organization to question each other’s purpose. Yet considering her sudden appearance, his curiosity was understandable, so she replied, "Our family master’s Number Four suddenly died. I’ve come to investigate the truth."

After a pause, "Zhang Yi" asked Xu Qingfan, "May I inquire if you have seen any trace of Number 4 in the area?"

Xu Qingfan shook his head slightly and replied in a cold tone, "I haven’t seen it."

Saying this, Xu Qingfan hoisted Liu Ziqing into his hand again and said to "Zhang Yi," "I have other tasks to attend to, so I must take my leave."

With that, Xu Qingfan swiftly flew into the sky with Liu Ziqing. Seeing this, "Zhang Yi" nodded slightly, showing no suspicion, and felt relieved, knowing he had narrowly escaped trouble.

But just as Xu Qingfan flew ten meters into the sky, trying to leave, a sudden change occurred!

"Zhang Yi," who had been still, was watching Xu Qingfan leave when suddenly he raised an arm, pointed into the air at Xu Qingfan, and let out a cold snort.

Although Xu Qingfan was on guard, "Zhang Yi" moved too quickly and unexpectedly. Caught off guard, Xu Qingfan felt a sharp, tearing pain in his mind. His inner Spirit Qi became chaotic, and he could no longer maintain flight, rapidly plummeting from the sky.

Once again, Xu Qingfan had been struck by "Zhang Yi’s" Art of Annihilation.

This marked the ninth time that day Xu Qingfan had been hit by the Art of Annihilation. His mind was on the verge of collapse. If struck again, Xu Qingfan feared he would become a lifeless shell.

If it weren’t for Xu Qingfan forcibly condensing Spirit Qi in mid-air and casting the "Feather Drop Technique" on himself, he might have fallen to his death right there.

Even so, given Xu Qingfan’s current state of mind, although his Spirit Qi runs steadily, he can only exert less than thirty percent of his strength, standing no chance against someone like "Zhang Yi," a real Golden Core Stage cultivator.

Watching "Zhang Yi" slowly walking toward him, full of murderous intent, Xu Qingfan suppressed his panic and quietly considered how he should respond.

"Did I reveal a flaw somewhere?"

While thinking this, Xu Qingfan still spoke in an angry tone, "What do you mean by this, sir? Why did you ambush me?"

But what "Zhang Yi" said next sank Xu Qingfan’s heart to the bottom.

"You’re not an agent of ‘Underworld,’ and you killed Number 4. You also have ‘Lie Three’s badge, so I guess ‘Lie Three’ was killed by you too, right?"

"Zhang Yi" said coldly as he continued to approach Xu Qingfan.

Hearing "Zhang Yi" speak without a hint of probing, Xu Qingfan was secretly shocked, thinking, "How did this ‘Zhang Yi’ know?"

Suddenly, Xu Qingfan noticed that although Liu Ziqing had all his powers sealed, he fell from a great height without a scratch. Liu Ziqing was now looking at Xu Qingfan with interest, and when he saw Xu Qingfan’s gaze, he seemed to guess Xu Qingfan’s thoughts and nodded with a smile.

At the same time, Xu Qingfan suddenly heard Liu Ziqing’s voice in his mind.

"Yes, it’s me."

Hearing the voice in his mind, Xu Qingfan was startled. He didn’t expect Liu Ziqing to still use Divine Sense after being sealed. Generally, a cultivator’s Spirit Qi and Divine Sense rely on each other. Spirit Qi activates Divine Sense, and Divine Sense is based on Spirit Qi. For example, with damage to his Divine Sense, Xu Qingfan’s strength was decreased. Since Liu Ziqing’s Spirit Qi was sealed, he shouldn’t be able to use his Divine Sense.

As if understanding Xu Qingfan’s doubts, Liu Ziqing’s voice spoke again in Xu Qingfan’s mind.

"The 《Art of Heavenly Spirit Alchemy》 of my sect Qingxu isn’t as simple as you think. Most of my magical abilities depend on Divine Sense. Even if you seal all my Spirit Qi, I can still use my Divine Sense freely. Taoist Friend Xu, although I don’t know who you really are, it’s clear you made a misstep this time."

Liu Ziqing’s smile remained calm and serene, but to Xu Qingfan, it seemed infuriating.

"It was indeed my mistake. When Liu Ziqing discovered ‘Zhang Yi’s’ whereabouts before I did, I should have been more alert."

Just as Xu Qingfan was reflecting on this, "Zhang Yi" approached him, staring coldly.

At this moment, Xu Qingfan could no longer hide the truth, so he decided to confess, "Zhang Si, Zhang Wu, and Lie Three were indeed killed by me."

As he spoke, Xu Qingfan’s right hand suddenly turned slightly, and a "Thunderbolt Pill" quietly appeared in his hand.

"Zhang Yi" asked coldly, "Who exactly are you? Why do you keep killing the cultivators of my ‘Nether’ organization? What is your true purpose?"

While speaking, "Zhang Yi" glanced at Liu Ziqing next to Xu Qingfan, hesitated slightly, and then asked, "Is that sword with you?"

Hearing "Zhang Yi’s" series of questions, Xu Qingfan felt a slight sense of relief, knowing his earlier suspicions were correct. "Zhang Yi" had too many doubts and would not simply kill him.

Xu Qingfan smiled slightly and said softly, "If I tell you, will you let me go?"

"Zhang Yi" replied coldly, "I will make your death less painful."

Just as Xu Qingfan was about to say something, "Zhang Yi" suddenly shivered slightly. Then, with a flick of her finger, a red light shot out quickly from her fingertip, striking Xu Qingfan’s right wrist. The pain caused Xu Qingfan to drop the "Thunderbolt Pill" from his hand.

Seeing the black orb fall from Xu Qingfan’s hand, "Zhang Yi’s" expression changed, clearly recognizing it as the famously notorious "Thunderbolt Pill" of the cultivation world. Her eyes briefly flashed with murderous intent as she turned to Xu Qingfan and said coldly, "Don’t try any tricks. Judging by how you were affected by my ‘Art of Annihilation’ earlier, it seems killing Number 4 wasn’t easy for you, right? In your current state, if I hit you once more with the ‘Art of Annihilation,’ your Original Soul will collapse, and you’ll become a living corpse. Though I’m curious about your purpose, if you try anything else, I won’t hesitate to kill you."

Xu Qingfan didn’t seem to care at all; he just gave "Zhang Yi" a slight smile and asked, "Really?"

Seeing Xu Qingfan’s indifferent attitude, "Zhang Yi" became even angrier and wanted to make Xu Qingfan suffer. But just as he thought this, Xu Qingfan, who had been lying weakly on the ground, suddenly sprang up without warning. His uninjured left hand suddenly moved, and another "Thunderbolt Pill" was thrown from his hand, quickly heading towards the spot where the first "Thunderbolt Pill" had landed.

Xu Qingfan knew his little actions couldn’t escape the notice of both "Zhang Yi" and Liu Ziqing, so he took out two "Thunderbolt Pills" simultaneously. He made the movement with his right hand more noticeable to catch their attention.

When they saw Xu Qingfan throw another "Thunderbolt Pill" towards the first one, both "Zhang Yi" and "Liu Ziqing" were shocked, their faces changing drastically.

"Zhang Yi" originally intended to use the "Art of Annihilation" to kill Xu Qingfan again, but he realized that the moment before and after using the technique, his body would become stiff. In that delay, he might not be able to escape the explosion range of the "Thunderbolt Pill," so after hesitating slightly, he reluctantly glared at Xu Qingfan and quickly retreated backward.

At this time, Liu Ziqing’s Spirit Qi was sealed within him. Although he could still use his Divine Sense, he had no means of defense, and his movement speed was slow. After seeing Xu Qingfan’s actions, he quickly retreated while using some unknown magical ability. He bit his own tongue sharply, spitting out a mouthful of blood that turned into a mist of blood, enveloping his body.

Among the three, it was Xu Qingfan who had prepared in advance and acted the fastest. At the moment he threw the Thunderbolt Pill, he suppressed the sharp pain in his heart and immediately used the "Transform into the Wind" technique, turning into a grey whirlwind and swiftly flying away into the distance.

"Boom…"

Finally, the two "Thunderbolt Pills" collided, creating an incredibly powerful explosion. Everything within hundreds of feet was engulfed in the blast, and a mushroom cloud slowly rose into the sky.

The chaotic fluctuations of Spirit Qi and the turbulent air currents sent sand and stones flying, and smoke blocked out the sun.

The "Thunderbolt Pill" has long been famous in the cultivation world. Created by the small sect "Thunderbolt Gate", whose most skilled expert barely reached the Golden Core Stage, yet it stood strong in the cultivation world for a millennium thanks to this "Thunderbolt Pill".

Even Xu Qingfan, who possessed the "Thunderbolt Pill", never expected its power to be so immense. The collision of two "Thunderbolt Pills" exponentially increased their force.

So neither the swiftest Xu Qingfan, the most powerful Zhang Yi, nor the cunning Liu Ziqing with mystical techniques could escape the force of the "Thunderbolt Pill".

Fortunately, at that moment, Xu Qingfan "Transformed into the Wind", and although the explosion of the "Thunderbolt Pill" was terrifying, it did little harm to the formless "Wind of Desolation". Xu Qingfan endured the intense pain and swiftly fled into the distance.

However, before leaving, Xu Qingfan inadvertently noticed that under the fierce winds from the "Thunderbolt Pill’s" explosion, Zhang Yi’s purple robe fluttered, and his collar was blown open, revealing a stunningly beautiful and charming face.