Chapter 292: The Dragon Scale Immortal Sword’s Sneak Attack on the Mountain Hermit Yunhe

What Xi Mufan didn’t know was that just yesterday, Qin Haoxuan and Xing had teamed up to kill four rogue cultivators who had formed a Small Four Symbols Array and merged a Combined Talisman Beast. If he had known, he would have exclaimed in shock, “Even in a direct confrontation, we no longer have full confidence against him now.”

The three of them rode out on horseback, which also attracted the attention of the rogue cultivators ambushing the main road. Because of Qin Haoxuan’s glorious and terrifying battle record from the day before, not a single one of them dared to jump out and launch a sneak attack. Moreover, all the rogue cultivators knew that this Qin Haoxuan had somehow offended the Spirit Tree Realm expert with a true flying sword, the Mountain Hermit Yunhe, and that Yunhe had declared he would personally kill him.

For a Spirit Tree Realm expert with a true flying sword to say such words was tantamount to signing Qin Haoxuan’s death warrant.

No matter how brilliantly talented Qin Haoxuan appeared, he was, after all, just a minor cultivator at the Tenth-Leaf Spirit Sprout Realm. In the eyes of the rogue cultivators, he was already a living corpse.

Qin Haoxuan had no idea that the Mountain Hermit Yunhe had arrived at the rogue cultivator camp, much less that he was waiting for him on the road ahead. At this moment, his heart was filled with joy, because he would soon be able to see Little Sister Xu Yu, from whom he had been separated for several months.

‘A girl changes eighteen times between childhood and womanhood. After several months, Little Sister Xu Yu’s changes must be astonishing. I might not even recognize her!’

He thought back to two years ago, when he and Xu Yu had joined the Taichu Sect at the same time. Back then, Xu Yu was just a small, dark, and skinny girl. After two years and the tempering of cultivation, the current Xu Yu had blossomed into a stunning beauty, with both her temperament and appearance being of the highest quality.

When they parted to enter the mortal world, Xu Yu was already very beautiful. After these few months, would she have become even more so?

Especially when he remembered Xu Yu sweetly calling him “Big Brother Haoxuan,” Qin Haoxuan couldn’t contain himself. If he weren’t still on the Seven Zhang Abyss battlefield, where using a Thousand-Mile Talisman would be too shocking, he wished he could use it right now to rush to the royal capital.

“Wait!” Just as Qin Haoxuan was lost in sweet thoughts of Xu Yu, Xing suddenly reined in his horse and said to Qin Haoxuan and Lan Yan, “Stop, stop!”

Qin Haoxuan and Lan Yan pulled their horses to a halt. Qin Haoxuan looked at Xing with displeasure.

Xing ignored his look and tilted his head, sensing for a moment. He said, “What a dense smell of a cultivator’s blood qi! Not only is it dense, but it’s also very familiar. I’ve smelled this blood before!”

Qin Haoxuan asked in surprise, “Who is it?”

Xing pondered for a moment, then looked at Qin Haoxuan and Lan Yan. “Do you remember the Mountain Hermit Yunhe? This smell of blood qi is his. He should be just ahead!”

“Ah!” Lan Yan, whose expression was always faintly lazy and who rarely cared about anything, suddenly let out a sharp cry, her voice trembling. “The Mountain Hermit Yunhe?”

Qin Haoxuan also asked nervously, “What’s going on? Explain quickly!”

“Isn’t the Mountain Hermit Yunhe seriously injured? I estimate he’s been recuperating for a few months, but his injuries haven’t fully healed yet. He is, after all, a Spirit Tree Realm cultivator. We demons are particularly sensitive to the smell of blood. You two probably can’t smell it, but I can! I’m certain it’s his aura. If I’m not mistaken, he should be waiting for us up ahead.”

After Xing finished speaking, Qin Haoxuan’s face tensed up, and Lan Yan’s usual indifferent expression vanished. Her pretty little face turned deathly pale. She looked nervously at Xing, and then finally at Qin Haoxuan.

The Mountain Hermit Yunhe was a Spirit Tree Realm expert with a flying sword. Not even Master Chi Lian was his match. If it hadn’t been for the sudden appearance of Elder Yu from the Elder’s Council back then, he would have surely been killed by him!

Remembering the Mountain Hermit Yunhe’s terrifying combat strength and the heaven-cleaving, earth-shattering momentum of his sword strikes, Qin Haoxuan couldn’t help but feel his heart pound with fear. He was, after all, just a minor cultivator at the Tenth-Leaf Spirit Sprout Realm. Even with his Dao Heart Seed Demon Art, his Formless Sword, and his powerful Spiritual Sense, all of these were like floating clouds before the absolute strength of the Mountain Hermit Yunhe.

If it were anyone else, upon hearing that the obstacle ahead was a Spirit Tree Realm expert with a flying sword, they would have fled without a second thought. But Qin Haoxuan did not do so. Even in the face of a seemingly unbeatable opponent, he was still analyzing his own advantages and disadvantages.

A flash of inspiration suddenly struck Qin Haoxuan’s mind. He slapped his forehead and thought, “The Dragon Scale Immortal Sword! I have the Taichu Sect’s treasure, the Dragon Scale Immortal Sword! Since the Mountain Hermit Yunhe is not fully healed, why not take this opportunity to kill him?”

“Why don’t we take advantage of the fact that he’s not fully healed and kill him!” Qin Haoxuan proposed.

Xing and Lan Yan were startled by his insane words. Qin Haoxuan actually wanted to kill a Spirit Tree Realm expert with a flying sword? Wasn’t that just a fool’s dream?

Remembering how terrifying Yunhe was, Lan Yan said bluntly, “What right do you have to fight him? He’s a Spirit Tree Realm expert with a flying sword. One strike from him and you’ll be dead for sure!”

Qin Haoxuan smiled mysteriously. “I have a sword that can kill him!”

“Your Formless Sword?” Xing shot him a look. “How close would you have to get for that to be effective? And your Spiritual Sense attack might not be of much use either. He is a Spirit Tree Realm cultivator, after all.”

Qin Haoxuan smiled faintly, noncommittal. He took out the Dragon Scale Immortal Sword, which had transformed into a protective mirror on his chest, and flashed it before Xing and Lan Yan. “I’ll rely on this.”

“What is that? Can it compare to the Mountain Hermit Yunhe’s flying sword?” Lan Yan could vaguely sense the aura fluctuating from the Dragon Scale Immortal Sword. It seemed very strong, but she still reminded him bluntly, “The power of a flying sword is far beyond what you can imagine. It’s… too strong!”

Qin Haoxuan smiled and said, “He has a flying sword, and so do I! This is our Taichu Sect’s ultimate treasure, the Dragon Scale Immortal Sword. It was awarded to me by the Sect Master specifically because of the great merits I achieved this time.”

“This Dragon Scale Immortal Sword was made from the scale of a true divine dragon. Its power is heaven-shaking. Although it’s only a fragment of a sword, it’s still very powerful.” Qin Haoxuan thought for a moment and said, “The Mountain Hermit Yunhe’s flying sword is carried on his back, unlike superior flying swords that can be stored inside the body. This shows that it is an inferior flying sword. How can it compare to my Dragon Scale Immortal Sword! And I don’t believe that the injured Yunhe can withstand a single strike from it.”

As soon as Qin Haoxuan finished speaking, Xing interjected, “The sect’s treasure, the Dragon Scale Immortal Sword? I heard people talk about this flying sword when I was in your Taichu Sect. Its power seems to be immense. In the hands of your founding ancestor, it once severed Emperor Peak with a single strike. Its power was heaven-shaking. But after your founding ancestor, no disciple has been able to activate it due to insufficient strength. Not even your Dao Fruit Realm Sect Master can activate this flying sword. How can you use it?”

“Others may not have a way, but that doesn’t mean I don’t.” Qin Haoxuan took out a spirit stone and said, “One hundred thousand low third-grade spirit stones can activate the Dragon Scale Immortal Sword once. I have a million low third-grade spirit stones, enough to strike with it ten times. I don’t believe I can’t kill one Mountain Hermit Yunhe!”

Qin Haoxuan’s tone was firm, his killing intent palpable. They had ambushed Yunhe, snatched away the Variant Seed, Lan Yan, and taken his Qiankun Talisman, not to mention killing his four disciples. It could be said that they had already formed a feud with him that could only end in death. As long as Yunhe was alive, he would try every means to kill him. Being targeted by a Spirit Tree Realm expert with a flying sword was not something to be proud of.

“Yunhe won’t let me go anyway. I might as well take advantage of the fact that his injuries have not yet healed and use the power of the Dragon Scale Immortal Sword to kill him directly!” Qin Haoxuan gritted his teeth, a murderous glint erupting in his eyes. “After his injuries are healed, unless I hide in the Taichu Sect and never come out, he will definitely kill me, and you two won’t be able to escape either!”

Hearing from Qin Haoxuan about the power of the Dragon Scale Immortal Sword and that he had a way to activate it, a sharp light flashed in Lan Yan’s eyes. After Yunhe had captured her, he had treated her like a heavenly treasure, even wanting to use her in medicine to heal his injuries. With Lan Yan’s personality of daring to love and hate, how could she not also hate him to the bone?

The only reason she hadn’t sought revenge was that she lacked the strength and ability. Now that she heard Qin Haoxuan had a miraculously powerful Dragon Scale Immortal Sword, she was the first to agree. “Kill him! Kill that bastard Yunhe, and then give me his head to kick like a ball!”

Lan Yan gritted her teeth, her killing intent as cold as frost, her expression identical to the way Yunhe hated Qin Haoxuan.

Qin Haoxuan gave a bitter smile, not expecting this girl to be so bloodthirsty. He immediately waved his hand, wanting to say heroically, “Let’s go, we’ll go slaughter a Spirit Tree Realm expert with a flying sword! After we kill him, we’ll use his flying sword to cut watermelons.”

But before he could utter these domineering words, he was cut off by Xing. Xing said with a serious expression, “It’s true that one hundred thousand low third-grade spirit stones can activate the Dragon Scale Immortal Sword once, but you cannot truly activate it! Unless you want to die.”

“What do you mean?” Qin Haoxuan looked at Xing in surprise.

Xing said, “It’s simple. It’s like a three-year-old child. Even if someone puts him on a wild horse, can he control it?

A slight stumble from the horse would be enough to throw him off. Your strength is low. You can use one hundred thousand spirit stones to activate a single strike, but have you thought about the aftermath?

After activating the sword, can you withstand the immense recoil force and the sword qi backlash?

This immortal sword is astonishingly powerful, so I believe its backlash is also terrifying! If you forcibly use the Dragon Scale Immortal Sword, in a best-case scenario, you will be severely injured, all the immortal leaves on your seedling in your dantian will fall off, and you’ll regress to the Sprouting Stage, possibly never to advance again for the rest of your life.

In a normal-case scenario, you will be directly torn apart by the immense recoil and backlash. In a worst-case scenario, your soul will be scattered, and you will disappear from the three realms forever.”

“Even if I transform into an armguard to protect your hand, and we both wield the sword together, there is no guarantee of survival!” Xing sighed and said, “The Dragon Scale Immortal Sword was made from a real dragon scale. You don’t know how terrifying dragons are. They are existences that are far beyond what we can look up to.”

Qin Haoxuan noticed that when Xing spoke of dragons, an unconscious reverence appeared in his expression. This self-proclaimed genius demon of the Netherworld rarely showed a hint of powerlessness in his eyes. “So strong that even a single scale is far beyond what we can contend with now.”

“And have you thought about this? You use one hundred thousand spirit stones to activate it once. With your level of strength, you naturally won’t be able to control the sword’s trajectory. The sword qi it releases—which direction will it go? Will it go straight or veer off? Can you control any of that?”

Although Xing was usually a slacker, it was rare for him to speak so seriously, and at such length.

Qin Haoxuan never underestimated Xing when he spoke seriously, because only in truly dangerous situations would he offer such a reminder. Otherwise, the brat would be happy to see him suffer and enjoy the show.

Although he was very unwilling to miss this great opportunity to kill the Mountain Hermit Yunhe, Qin Haoxuan had to admit that Xing was absolutely right. He had never used the Dragon Scale Immortal Sword before and didn’t know how dangerous it was. There was no need to gamble with his own life.

Even if he could withstand the backlash, if he couldn’t control the sword’s direction and couldn’t accurately strike Yunhe, then Yunhe could kill him with a single slash from his own sword.

“It’s too risky. I can’t trade my life for his.” After making up his mind, Qin Haoxuan said to Xing and Lan Yan, “Since we can’t fight, we can only run. Fortunately, that’s something I’m good at.”

Qin Haoxuan gave a bitter smile and took out his Thousand-Mile Talisman. He channeled five hundred low third-grade spirit stones into it and held five low second-grade spirit stones in his other hand, ready to replenish its power once it was depleted.

“Alright, same old plan. Xing, transform into armor and be ready to use the Dragon Demon Golden Body to protect us. Lan Yan, get on my back. We’ll rush past while Yunhe is not paying attention,” Qin Haoxuan instructed, then prepared to activate the Thousand-Mile Talisman.

(End of Chapter)

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