69: Chase

Ten years later.

Purple Mist Mountain Range.

At this moment, a tall young man with a rugged appearance was frantically fleeing on a Flying Sword.

Behind him, four or five Foundation Establishment Cultivators were in hot pursuit.

He was also a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, but for some reason, his aura had drastically weakened, showing signs of potentially falling in Realm.

"Meng Qian, stop running. Hand over the Flameblade Grass obediently, and I might spare your life!"

"Heh, you Purple Mountain Five Bandits are murderous and ruthless by nature! I don't believe a single word you say.

If I truly surrendered, you'd probably kill me on the spot to silence me, wouldn't you?"

"Heh, Fellow Daoist, even if you don't surrender, in your condition, you can't run far. Once we kill you and destroy the evidence, even the Xuanxiao Sect won't be able to find us!"

The man being pursued was none other than Meng Qian. Ten years ago, he had joined the Xuanxiao Sect as a Disciple with a special Spiritual Root, possessing a Thunder Spiritual Root. He was now one of the nine True Disciples of Xuan Xiao Peak.

His strength ranked among the top three.

Second only to his younger sister, Meng Qian, and that Heavenly Spiritual Root Disciple.

This time, he ventured out for training, hoping to break through the Bottleneck of the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment and step into the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment.

His journey had taken him to the Purple Mist Mountain Range, a million miles away from the Xuanxiao Sect.

While hunting Yao Beasts, he had even discovered a peak second-grade Spirit Medicine, the Flameblade Grass.

This was the primary material for refining the Flaming Embryo Consolidation Pill.

The Flaming Embryo Consolidation Pill was a Spirit Medicine that assisted Cultivators in condensing their Golden Core. Combined with the Dustfall Pill, it could increase the probability of Core Formation by as much as thirty percent!

Just this single Spirit Medicine was worth around two hundred thousand Spirit Stones!

It was precisely because of this Spirit Medicine that he had attracted the attention of the notorious Purple Mountain Five Bandits.

All five of them were Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and their leader, the First Bandit, was even at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment.

He was no match for them at all.

After a fierce battle, he managed to escape at the cost of severe injuries.

He had been pursued all the way here.

However, given his current condition, he probably wouldn't be able to escape much further before being caught.

"I have no choice but to fight!"

Meng Qian gritted his teeth, turned to face the five, and with a slap on his Storage Pouch, a brilliant golden Talisman flew out.

Seeing this, the Purple Mountain Five Bandits frowned inwardly and immediately tried to interrupt Meng Qian from activating the Talisman.

"Not good, run! This is a Golden Severance Talisman, a third-grade Low Grade Talisman! It's indiscriminate and powerful enough to kill Foundation Establishment Cultivators!"

The First Bandit of the Purple Mountain Five, seeing the golden Talisman, suddenly remembered something and immediately shouted to the other four.

He hurriedly controlled his flying Magical Artifact to retreat.

Hearing this, the others also panicked, but before they could flee,

Meng Qian had already torn the Golden Severance Talisman apart.

The next instant, a surging, dense golden light exploded outward from the Talisman's center.

It was so fast that in just a moment, it engulfed everyone.

The golden light of the Golden Severance Talisman devoured everything within a hundred-zhang radius, obliterating all in its path.

Even Magical Artifacts, when engulfed by the golden light, were reduced to fragments.

After a short while, the golden light dissipated, and a bloodied figure fell from the sky, crashing heavily to the ground, blood gushing from his mouth.

This person was none other than Meng Qian, who had been engulfed by the golden light after using the Golden Severance Talisman.

Given the power of the Golden Severance Talisman at such close range, not to mention a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, even a Core Formation Cultivator would be severely injured.

Fortunately, before his training journey, Meng Qian had heeded Senior Martial Uncle Su's advice and exchanged a large number of contribution points at the Sect's treasure vault for a Blood Spirit Jade, which had saved his life.

As for this Golden Severance Talisman, it was a treasure bestowed upon him by his Revered Master after he achieved Foundation Establishment.

"Cough, cough. Truly worthy of the Blood Spirit Jade, which is like a second life for Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Without it, I might have perished."

Meng Qian coughed dryly a few times, his face showing the excitement of a narrow escape from death.

He summoned his Flying Sword, jumped onto it, and planned to fly to a place rich in Spiritual Qi to recuperate.

"Fellow Daoist Meng truly lives up to being a True Disciple of the Xuanxiao Sect. You have far more tricks up your sleeve than us Loose Cultivators!"

Just then, an untimely voice, sinister and cold, rang out.

Hearing this, Meng Qian turned his head sharply and saw Luo Du, the First Bandit of the Purple Mountain Five, glaring at him with murderous intent.

He had almost been killed by the Golden Severance Talisman!

Fortunately, he had obtained a life-saving item in his early years, which had preserved his life. His other brothers and sisters weren't so lucky.

Even so, one of his arms had turned to ashes under the Golden Severance Talisman's blast.

"Luo Du, you're actually not dead!"

Meng Qian exclaimed in disbelief.

After all, this was a third-grade Talisman, possessing the power of a Core Formation Cultivator's casual strike.

And it was pure destructive force!

If he hadn't had the Blood Spirit Jade, he would have died long ago.

Yet Luo Du was still alive!

He now wore a bitter smile. He thought he had been careful and cautious enough, but he hadn't expected these Loose Cultivators to have so many tricks up their sleeves.

It seemed he was about to capsize in a ditch today.

"Heh, you Disciples of major Sects have no idea about the survival methods of us small-timers.

If Fellow Daoist Meng has no other tricks, then you can die!"

Luo Du didn't waste any more words with Meng Qian.

Although he had lost an arm, his cultivation hadn't fallen much. In contrast, Meng Qian was already severely injured and had suffered from the indiscriminate attack of the Golden Severance Talisman. Even with the protection of the Blood Spirit Jade, his spiritual power was significantly depleted.

At this moment, his attack on Meng Qian had already formed an overwhelming advantage!

Luo Du raised his hand and waved out a small black banner. The banner was thick with black Qi. Luo Du pointed with a single hand, and the black Qi swirled, expanding to a size of ten zhang.

"The Black Soul Banner! A Black Soul Banner that requires the lives of hundreds of Cultivators to refine!

Luo Du, you actually refined such an evil Magical Artifact! Aren't you afraid of being backlashed one day?"

As if remembering something, Meng Qian suddenly widened his eyes in fury, staring at Luo Du with a mix of shock and fear as he shouted sternly.

"Backlash? As long as I, Luo, am careful, where would the Black Soul Banner get a chance to backlash?"

A cruel smile curled at the corner of Luo Du's mouth.

As he activated the Black Soul Banner, hundreds of fierce ghosts roared out from within it, each one ferocious and terrifying, shrouded in Yin Qi. Any living person who got close would lose years of their lifespan.

Moreover, every fierce ghost had cultivation at the Late Stage of Qi Refining, and there was even one at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment.

The spectacle was imposing, like a hundred demons parading at night!

"Damn it!"

Meng Qian cursed angrily, ignoring the injuries in his body, and mustered all the meager spiritual power from his Dantian.

Then, with both hands forming sword seals, a faint cyan Flying Sword instantly shot out from behind him, slashing fiercely at the hundred fierce ghosts before him.

The Cultivation Technique he practiced was the Profound Thunder Slaying Firmament Sword Art, which inherently strongly countered ghostly beings.

The Flying Sword moved as if through an unguarded territory, instantly annihilating dozens of ghosts.

After destroying dozens of ghosts, the Flying Sword lost its momentum and could only tremble before falling to the ground.

Seeing this, Meng Qian could no longer maintain his flight and also began to plummet toward the ground.

Luo Du wouldn't let this opportunity slip. He controlled the remaining fierce ghosts to charge at Meng Qian.

A mocking expression appeared at the corner of his mouth.

After killing Meng Qian, he would use the Black Soul Banner to absorb his essence and soul. That way, he could obtain a second Foundation Establishment ferocious ghost!

And it would be one at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment!

Then, after sacrificing another hundred Cultivators, he could raise the Black Soul Banner's grade by another level.

Turning it into a magic treasure prototype!

By that time, among Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, he could walk sideways!