204: Chapter 204

Thinking of this, Yun Jian immediately prepared to rush back to the Sect as quickly as possible.

Along the way, he saw corpses everywhere; before he had flown even a few miles, a blood-red blade suddenly shot out from mid-air and charged toward him.

Yun Jian narrowed his eyes. Seeing the blade's aggressive momentum, he hastily used his sword to defend. Their Spiritual Qi collided, instantly blowing away the surrounding buildings.

"Isn't this Senior Yun Jian of the Qingyun Sect? How do you have the time to visit such a desolate, impoverished place?"

After Yun Jian blocked the attack, a disdainful voice drifted leisurely from mid-air.

A man with a withered face, clad entirely in black robes, stepped forward, followed by dozens of black-robed subordinates.

Recognizing the blood blade, Yun Jian narrowed his eyes. "Xuan Ming, it's you! Your Xuanyou Sect is actually so arrogant as to dare to slaughter wantonly within the territory of the Qingyun Sect!"

Xuan Ming laughed loudly. "Qingyun Sect? What is there to be afraid of? With that Sect Master of yours who always acts like a shrinking turtle? Our Xuanyou Sect has already wiped out several of your great noble families, and you didn't dare to say a word!"

"You!" Yun Jian gritted his teeth and immediately swung his sword to attack. "Demonic Path evildoer, how dare you be so impudent!"

His sword suddenly left its sheath, the flowing azure Spiritual Qi surging like a river. The sword technique was as fast as lightning, striking directly at Xuan Ming's face.

Xuan Ming showed disdain. Without dodging or evading, he raised his hand to grip the ghost-head blade. Blood-red Spiritual Qi, carrying a pungent scent of blood, crashed violently into Yun Jian's Spiritual Qi.

With a loud "clang," the sound of metal clashing sent bone fragments and debris flying through the air, and several cracks split across the ground of the dried-up Blood Pool.

Yun Jian felt his arm sink. He was secretly alarmed; Xuan Ming's strength was actually on par with his own. Could he have already reached the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation?

"What's wrong, Senior Yun Jian? Having not met for a few years, you seem to have become increasingly incompetent."

Xuan Ming let out a strange laugh, and his blood blade swept out, forcing Yun Jian to retreat.

Yun Jian pressed against the blade and said coldly, "The Xuanyou Sect slaughters Mortals and invades the territory of the Qingyun Sect. Today, I shall act on behalf of Heaven and eliminate you, you monster!"

"Act on behalf of Heaven?" Xuan Ming reacted as if he had heard the world's greatest joke.

"Yun Jian, stop putting on an act! Our Xuanyou Sect has killed so many Mortals and destroyed so many nations, yet your Qingyun Sect hasn't shown much of a reaction. To talk to me about acting on behalf of Heaven now—don't you think you're being too shameless?!"

Yun Jian gritted his teeth. "Speak! Has your Xuanyou Sect discovered the entrance to the Minghai Realm!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a fierce light appeared in Xuan Ming's eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, "You actually guessed it. In that case, I cannot let you live!"

The moment Xuan Ming finished speaking, ghost heads surged around him. Dozens of black-robed Cultivators used their Spiritual Qi simultaneously; streaks of black-red Demonic Qi soared into the sky, condensing into a massive blood-evil net in mid-air that descended toward Yun Jian.

Yun Jian's expression changed drastically. Azure sword light swirled around him, forming an impenetrable wall of swords.

But those black-robed Cultivators were clearly well-prepared. Their Spiritual Qi and Devilish Qi stacked layer upon layer, forcibly suppressing his Sword Qi and causing it to constantly shrink.

"Yun Jian, you are quite clever to actually guess the matter of the Minghai Realm." Xuan Ming carried his ghost-head blade, stepping through the air one pace at a time, his face filled with a cruel smile.

"Unfortunately, people who are too clever do not live long."

Yun Jian gritted his teeth and shook off the two black-robed Cultivators near him. A flash of determination crossed his eyes. He slammed his left hand against his chest, forcing out his lifeblood essence and quickly swiping it across the blade.

In an instant, an azure light sword dozens of feet high condensed from the clouds. Its Sword Intent was awe-inspiring, piercing straight into the sky. Even the ten Xuanyou Cultivators were intimidated by this powerful Sword Intent.

Seeing this sword move, Xuan Ming recognized at a glance that Yun Jian intended to burn his lifeblood essence for a desperate, final struggle.

He immediately unleashed a black Talismanic Incantation from his sleeve. "I won't let you escape!" The black Talisman was slammed into the air; the paper burned, transforming into a mass of pitch-black ghosts that clung tightly to the light sword.

"Boom!"

The sword and the ghosts exploded violently. An airwave swept across the fields, and dust and skeletal remains flew everywhere.

Yun Jian took advantage of this gap. He did not engage with Xuan Ming at all; he frantically circulated the Spiritual Qi in his body, the azure sword light carrying him as he turned into a streak of light, rushing outward regardless of the cost.

At this moment, Yun Jian activated a High Grade Talisman, the Divine Speed Talisman. Once activated, it allowed one to travel a thousand miles in a single breath.

"Trying to run?!"

Xuan Ming roared. He slashed his blood blade, and a blade glow shot through the air, chasing after Yun Jian's back.

Yun Jian didn't dare to look back. He forced himself to dodge, and the blade glow grazed his shoulder as it whistled past.

Enduring the sharp pain, he didn't slow down but instead increased his speed, fleeing for his life in a fixed direction.

Seeing this, Xuan Ming led the group of black-robed Cultivators in hot pursuit, his sinister laughter echoing through the sky.

"Yun Jian! You are doomed today! The matter of the Minghai Realm must never be leaked!"

Yun Jian fled all the way, the Divine Speed Talisman in his hand burning through his Spiritual Qi at an extremely fast rate.

As his Spiritual Qi neared exhaustion, combined with the injuries on his body, his vision began to blur.

Relying on his last shred of clarity, he followed the source of that wisp of Spiritual Qi and plummeted downward.

Finally, a familiar camp appeared before his eyes, and a formation instantly lit up around it.

This formation was specifically set up here for defense and to detect intruders.

As he approached, a wild roar that sounded like a Yao Beast came from within.

A white-haired old man quickly emerged from inside. Upon seeing Yun Jian landing on the ground, his face was filled with great shock.

"Elder Yun?! What has happened to you?"

This old man was Ye Jing. A few days ago, he had received news from Ye Xuan about the discovery of a strange ghostly hand in a Mortal kingdom. Worried about his son, he had rushed over.

Not long after arriving, he found that a Cultivator had triggered the defensive formation he had set up; who would have thought it would be Yun Jian.

Seeing it was Ye Jing, Yun Jian immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. As Ye Jing asked him what was wrong with concern, he hurriedly grabbed Ye Jing's sleeve.

"The Xuanyou Sect's Protector, Xuan Ming, is behind me, hunting me down. They have already discovered the entrance to the Minghai Realm. Quickly inform the Sect Master of this! Quickly!"

The Minghai Realm?! Ye Jing was greatly shocked.

But before Ye Jing could take Yun Jian away from the area, a familiar aura immediately descended from above.

Xuan Ming had already caught up to this place. He grinned cruelly and said, "Yun Jian! Don't even think about escaping! All of you shall die here!"

Their dozen or so Cultivators had already completely surrounded the military camp, sealing it off so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through.

Seeing this, a look of despair immediately appeared on Yun Jian's face.

It was over. Completely over.

Ye Jing was currently only a Qi Refining Cultivator; even with his son, they would be no match for Xuan Ming, let alone with so many Xuanyou Sect Cultivators attacking together.

Ye Jing frowned and handed a healing medicine to Yun Jian. Beside him, Ye Xuan had already prepared for battle.

From above, Xuan Ming saw that Yun Jian had gone to great lengths just to flee to a Mortal military camp. The old man and the young man there were merely Qi Refining Cultivators and were simply nothing to be feared.

Xuan Ming hovered in mid-air, his black robes flapping loudly in the wind, his withered face full of mockery.

He looked at Ye Xuan and Ye Jing as if looking at two ants waiting to be slaughtered.

"Yun Jian, you certainly know how to find a place to hide. Running to this mundane military camp—could it be you're actually counting on these two Qi Refinement Stage trash to protect you?"

The black-robed Cultivators around him also began to sneer. The black Qi on their bodies churned constantly, dyeing the sky above the entire camp a murky darkness.