481: Chapter 481 Xiao Nianyin was secretly shocked: A half-step True Immortal had actually appeared.

That True Qi was different from ordinary spiritual energy.

It was purer, more active, and carried a unique frequency.

That True Qi pulsed within her Divine Sense like a faint flame; although it was on the verge of dissipating, she could still feel its sharpness.

There was also a peculiar attribute within that True Qi, like wind, yet also like electricity, carrying a feeling of tearing everything apart.

Xiao Nianyin's expression changed instantly.

She recognized this True Qi.

This was Xu Ruyu's "Taixu True Qi." In the entire Cultivation World, only he alone knew how to use it.

It was Xu Ruyu who killed Zhao Qian.

Xiao Nianyin stood up, her heart surging with tumultuous waves.

Xu Ruyu had killed Zhao Qian.

A Half-step Saint Realm expert had killed a Saint Realm Peak Sword Cultivator.

This was nothing unusual, for although Xu Ruyu appeared to be at the Qi Refinement Stage, his actual combat power far exceeded his peers.

He could blast Mo Feng away with one shot at the Taihu Clan, and he could set up the Acetylene Great Array to trap Situ E; killing a Zhao Qian was not impossible.

But Zhao Qian's corpse was here, yet Situ E was missing.

More than half of the Jile Sect members were dead, and quite a few from the Tianshu Sword Sect had also died. What exactly had happened here?

Xiao Nianyin's Divine Sense spread out once more, covering the entire cliff.

She carefully perceived every inch of land, every piece of rubble, and every corpse.

Then, her expression became even uglier.

She sensed a remnant of extremely terrifying power.

That power far exceeded the Saint Realm Peak, carrying an aura of world-destroying destruction. That aura contained fluctuations of the Laws of Heaven and Earth, something only those who had touched the threshold of a True Immortal could possess.

That power remained in the air, on the shattered rocks, and in that huge deep pit. It was like an invisible sword, cutting through everything around it.

A Half-step True Immortal.

A Half-step True Immortal had been here.

Xiao Nianyin's heart sank abruptly.

A Half-step True Immortal was the highest combat power that could exist in the Lower Realm.

The Tianshu Sword Sect had one such Half-step True Immortal—Tian Jianzi.

He was Zhao Qian's Junior Martial Uncle and the oldest monster in the Tianshu Sword Sect, possessing the highest seniority and deepest Cultivation.

It was said that he had lived for tens of thousands of years, his sword technique was divine, and with one sword, he could sever mountains and rivers.

His Sword Intent contained the Laws of Heaven and Earth; with one strike, he could even tear apart space.

He had come.

Xiao Nianyin didn't need to think to know why Tian Jianzi had come.

Zhao Qian was his junior martial nephew, and he could not sit idly by. He must have received the news and rushed over to provide support.

But he had come, so what about Xu Ruyu?

Xiao Nianyin's gaze swept across the surroundings, and a sense of foreboding welled up in her heart.

Xu Ruyu had killed Zhao Qian; Tian Jianzi would definitely not let him go.

With Xu Ruyu's Half-step Saint Realm Cultivation, he was simply no match for Tian Jianzi.

Even if he had those Spiritual Artifacts and those Formations, it was impossible for him to defeat a Half-step True Immortal.

Judging from the traces at the scene, a violent explosion had occurred here.

That huge deep pit, those shattered corpses, those melted rocks—all were caused by the explosion.

Xiao Nianyin could recognize that these were the traces left by Xu Ruyu's Spiritual Artifact bombs.

When he was doing Artifact Refining at the Taihu Clan, he had mentioned this thing to her, saying that it involved compressing a large amount of True Qi into an extremely small space and then detonating it, with power ten times that of a psionic rocket launcher.

He had used that kind of bomb.

Yet the bomb still couldn't kill Tian Jianzi. The strength of a Half-step True Immortal far exceeded her imagination.

So, what about Xu Ruyu?

He was either killed or taken away.

Xiao Nianyin looked at Zhao Qian's corpse again.

The corpse was still there; it hadn't been taken away.

If Tian Jianzi had killed Xu Ruyu, why didn't he take Zhao Qian's corpse? Zhao Qian was his junior martial nephew; he should have taken his corpse back to the Tianshu Sword Sect for burial.

Unless—he was in a rush to chase someone and didn't have time to take the corpse.

Chase whom?

Naturally, Xu Ruyu.

Xu Ruyu hadn't died; he had escaped.

Tian Jianzi had gone to chase him.

Xiao Nianyin's heart calmed down slightly.

But soon, it rose again.

Xu Ruyu was seriously injured.

Judging from the traces at the scene, there was a large amount of blood on the ground, extending all the way to the edge of the cliff.

Those bloodstains were Xu Ruyu's; her Divine Sense could recognize the Taixu True Qi upon them.

There was a lot of blood, splattered all the way from the edge of the deep pit to the edge of the cliff, with several obvious pauses in between, indicating that he had stopped to catch his breath more than once while fleeing.

The blood droplets varied in size; some were splashed, some were dripping, and others looked as if they had been flung out.

He was heavily injured. Within those bloodstains were some tiny fragments of flesh; those were traces of bomb injuries.

How could a heavily injured person escape the pursuit of a Half-step True Immortal?

Xiao Nianyin walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. Below was a bottomless canyon, pitch-black, and she couldn't see anything.

The night wind blew up from the canyon, carrying a damp aura and the faint sound of water.

That was an underground river. The sound of water was rapid, indicating that the underground river's flow speed was very fast. If Xu Ruyu had jumped down, he was very likely to have been swept away by the underground river.

Xiao Nianyin stood at the edge of the cliff, silent for a long time.

The night wind blew her robes, and the moonlight shone on her, stretching her shadow out long.

She looked at the dark canyon, at the scorched earth still emitting wisps of smoke, and at the corpses scattered in disarray, and a feeling she had never experienced before welled up in her heart.

That emotion was called anger.

Tianshu Sword Sect.

Tian Jianzi.

You dare to touch Xu Ruyu.

She turned around and cast her gaze to the north. There lay the direction of the Tianshu Sword Sect.

She did not know where Xu Ruyu was now, nor did she know whether he was dead or alive.

But she knew that Tian Jianzi was a member of the Tianshu Sword Sect.

If Xu Ruyu had been taken away, he would definitely be at the Tianshu Sword Sect. If Xu Ruyu had been killed, the Tianshu Sword Sect would also have to pay the price.

She took a deep breath, her figure flashed, and she transformed into a streak of light, flying northward.