17: The enemy has been severely weakened.

Zhang Yizhi's heart tightened, and he hurriedly swung his sword to block.

But with a loud "bang," sword and arrow collided.

In the end, the feathered arrow proved superior.

Just as it was about to pierce Zhang Yizhi's skull, his footwork suddenly flickered.

Swimming Dragon Steps activated.

Whoosh! The feathered arrow, carrying formidable power, shot through an ancient tree as thick as a bucket behind him.

"Fight!"

Zhang Yizhi shouted loudly, his entire Aura exploding as he brandished the long sword in his hand like a torrential rainstorm.

His eyes closed slightly and then snapped open instantly.

A mysterious and supreme Concept coiled around his body.

With a swing of his sword, a sharp and murderous Concept slashed heavily toward the Young Man with the Short Bow.

"Is this the rudimentary form of a Sharp Sword Intent?"

"Could the rumors be true? Including this Sword Intent, he possesses six types of Sword Intent in total?"

The Young Man with the Short Bow drew the sword at his waist to block, his heart filled with immense regret over this operation, wishing he hadn't acted.

The reason why a few mere Cultivators at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining dared to pursue was naturally because they had received insider information.

However, it now seemed the information was wrong. Dammit, they called this "critically wounded"?

Composing himself and gritting his teeth, the Young Man with the Short Bow could only fight a bloody battle with tears in his eyes.

After all, if this continued, they would truly lose their lives.

Meanwhile, Qin Dong and Qin Zixuan were not idle, engaging in battle with the others.

Qin Zixuan raised her fair hand and threw a punch, a rudimentary version of the Mountain Splitting Fist striking an enemy.

"Hahaha, this bit of damage is just like scratching an itch for me."

Boom! Just then, Qin Dong threw a punch, and the man was sent flying right where he stood.

Qin Zixuan was incredibly surprised; the continuous attacks over the past few days had allowed her combat experience to accumulate steadily.

More importantly, during these battles, she discovered that the previously obscure Zhang Yizhi actually possessed terrifying talent.

He was actually able to challenge those above his level with a cultivation of the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining, and had even awakened a rudimentary Sword Intent.

For such a person, only the word "Prodigy"...

...could describe him.

However, Qin Zixuan was even more curious about her Young Lord.

If Zhang Yizhi felt like a newly born, brilliant sun to her, then her Young Lord was like a vast abyss, unpredictable.

"Spare me, I won't dare to trouble you ever again."

The Young Man with the Short Bow was knocked to the ground by Zhang Yizhi, and all the men he brought had lost their ability to resist.

"Speak, why did you come to attack us?"

Zhang Yizhi pointed his sword at him, his slightly ragged breathing appearing domineering and majestic.

Trembling, the young archer spoke about the Butcher's Order; they were indeed Bounty Hunters from Black Blood Mountain City.

It was actually the Black Blood Mountain City Butcher's Order!

Zhang Yizhi's hand holding the sword trembled, and ten thousand Yao Beasts seemed to stampede through his heart.

Once the Butcher's Order is issued, it's a fight to the death.

To be honest, he really wanted to transmigrate back to the day he made his bid and give himself two hard slaps.

"In that case, be on your way."

Killing intent flared in Zhang Yizhi's eyes. With a sweep of his long sword, the many enemies before him were all executed.

"Brother Qin, our location has been exposed; we must set out immediately."

Zhang Yizhi took the reins of the carriage, preparing to continue forward.

Qin Dong nodded, and following the principle of not letting anything go to waste, he looted the air-drops with tears in his eyes, leaving behind a small note as well.

Giddy-up! Giddy-up! Giddy-up!

The sound of horse hooves faded into the distance. Half an hour later, another aggressive group of Black Blood Mountain City Bounty Hunters arrived at the scene.

"Boss, there's a note here."

A certain large-eared, fat-faced man took the note and saw two words written crookedly on it.

Critically Wounded!

"Hahaha, heaven is truly helping me!"

The leader of the Bounty Hunters, with a face full of scars and fat, laughed so hard his flesh trembled.

Like a fat pig quivering, his massive body swayed on horseback, as if he might crush the horse at any moment.

"Boys, the enemy is already critically wounded!"

"Pursue them quickly! If anyone delays me from getting that five thousand Spirit Stone bounty, I'll hack them alive!"

...After several more days of fleeing, the enemies pursuing them had become Foundation Establishment Realm existences.

Looking at the five Foundation Establishment Realm Great Cultivators before him, Zhang Yizhi's heart no longer felt even a ripple of emotion.

Because he was completely numb; his clothes were in tatters, blood had scabbed over his body, and even his face looked several years older.

"Enough talk, let's fight."

Zhang Yizhi did not flee. With a sweep of his sword, he fearlessly charged into the crowd first.

After these few days of bloody battle, his cultivation had broken through to the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining.

At this moment, the killing intent of his Rudimentary Sharp Sword Intent was at its peak as he battled the five Early Stage Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators as if no one could stop him.

These people seemed to want to capture him alive, so they did not use too much of their power.

They held back when attacking, not dealing any lethal blows.

(PS: This group of Black Blood Mountain City evil Cultivators used evil arts, consuming massive amounts of Lifespan to instantly reach a Pseudo Foundation Establishment state. They were meant to be used as low-level consumables, so their strength was relatively weak. Coupled with their desire to capture him alive, it's reasonable that they temporarily couldn't defeat Zhang Yizhi, who was fighting for his life with an awakened rudimentary Sword Intent.)

(PS: Also, Zhang Yizhi has gained a lot of combat experience after successive hard battles.)

(PS: So the power balance hasn't collapsed here, QWQ.)

But a battle of this level was no longer something Qin Zixuan could participate in; she could only stand on the sidelines and cheer.

Meanwhile, Qin Dong's Aura shook as he pretended to use some trump card, revealing a cultivation of the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining.

"Brother, I'm here to help you!"

Qin Dong immediately rushed forward, holding back two of the enemies.

Of course, Qin Dong was still slacking off, merely using his movement technique advantage to stall the two Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators.

Mainly, he wanted to see where the limit of this Outstanding Grade Prodigy lay.

Yes, that's it.

It definitely wasn't that he wanted to screw him over.

The two sides clashed. On Qin Dong's side, needless to say, the two Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators couldn't touch him no matter what; he was as slippery as an eel.

In contrast, Zhang Yizhi's battle was truly heart-wrenching to witness.

Their combat was a flurry of blades drawing blood and fists hitting flesh.

Zhang Yizhi's body was already covered in wounds, like a blooming blood-flower, as if every drop of blood was narrating his persistence and unyielding spirit.

However, relying on his rudimentary Sword Intent, he was able to maintain a stalemate.

These Black Blood Mountain City Foundation Establishment Cultivators were death soldiers who had forcibly consumed large amounts of Lifespan to level up.

Although they had the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment Realm, they were very hollow.

Furthermore, their goal this time was only to capture Zhang Yizhi alive, so none of them dealt lethal blows.

But just then, a sudden change occurred.

A figure hiding in the shadows leaped out like a ghost.

"Humph, a bunch of useless trash."

"Just take a corpse back to finish the job."

The figure held a spear and leaped up, throwing it like a bolt of lightning.

Rumble! The spear flashed with lethal black light, piercing toward Zhang Yizhi with terrifying power, like a sinister black serpent lunging at its prey with bared fangs and claws.

"There's another expert?"

Zhang Yizhi's pupils constricted; locked on by this spear, he had no time to dodge at all.

Not good, there's a Late Stage Foundation Establishment Realm schemer.

Qin Dong cursed inwardly. Just as he was about to explode with his full cultivation to save the other...

...suddenly, an ancient coin flew out from Zhang Yizhi's person.

This coin shimmered with purple light all over, like a miniature sun, radiating endless heat and pressure.

This vast pressure swept across the heavens and earth, freezing the time and space of this area.

"What is this thing?"

Countless trillions of miles away in the Void Realm, Li Jinian waved his hand and copied the information of this coin.

He glanced around within the heavenly dao origin.

This was actually the key to a Legacy Space, and some kind of existence seemed to reside within it; the creator's cultivation was not too low.

"A wisp of a remnant soul, interesting."

I hope there are more good things in your Legacy Space.

Li Jinian's gaze seemed to pierce through countless trillions of miles of the Void Realm.

As the information on all things within the heavenly dao origin increased, he had a feeling that the day when he, as the Heavenly Dao in the chaotic void, would evolve a Small World was drawing closer.

At that time, he would be the true Heavenly Dao!

...Time seemed to have been paused, and space became stagnant.

The movements and expressions of everyone present were like frozen frames. A spear flashing with lethal black light was less than thirty feet away from Zhang Yizhi.

At such a short distance, unless a powerful Early Stage Foundation Establishment Realm or higher Cultivator intervened, he was undoubtedly dead.

Within the paused time, a figure so weak it was about to disappear emerged. This old man had a kind face, and his white clothes and bamboo crown seemed to speak of his dignified bearing as a Venerable.

"Little fellow, you are very good. You have gained my recognition."

The White-Robed Venerable first praised Zhang Yizhi, then glanced at Qin Dong with a strange expression, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Eh? A miscalculation, a miscalculation."

The White-Robed Venerable shook his head. Oh well, perhaps this isn't the best choice after all.

"You... you child."

"You're not bad either..."

"Regrettably, my Legacy is not worthy of you."

Immediately after, the White-Robed Venerable made a grasping motion in the air.

Crack, crack, crack. The void shattered, and heaven and earth trembled.

A pitch-black, distorted tunnel appeared, connecting to another strange and unfamiliar world.

After doing all this, the White-Robed Venerable's body became even more transparent, on the verge of dissipating completely.

"Little fellow, remember my name, Du Xiuyuan."

"If you step into that supreme Realm in the future, don't forget to reverse time and space to come see this old man."

He had actually perished endless eons ago; now, he was merely a remnant soul used to select a successor.

Crack, crack, crack.

Instantly, the frozen time rapidly resumed.

"Die for me!"

Boom!

"Little Brother Zhang! Get out of the way!"

Should I intervene?

After a brief thought, Qin Dong decided to step in and save him.

After all, the former had even signed an Indenture Contract; he couldn't let him go to waste.

Just as Qin Dong was circulating his Swimming Dragon Steps and preparing to act, a powerful attraction suddenly appeared.

A Secret Realm spatial tunnel, like a giant beast opening its bloody maw, weirdly appeared beside Zhang Yizhi.

After a crashing sound, Zhang Yizhi's figure vanished from the spot.

"There's actually a Secret Realm here."

"Haha, heaven is truly helping me!"

Seeing his strike miss, the figure who threw the spear didn't show much anger; instead, he became even more excited.

This was an unexplored Secret Realm; the value inside was likely not inferior to Zhang Yizhi's bounty at all, perhaps even far exceeding it.

The other five Foundation Establishment Cultivators thought the same.

Of course, if they encountered Zhang Yizhi inside the Secret Realm, they wouldn't mind earning an extra sum.

"Young Lord, let's hurry inside as well."

Qin Zixuan's expression also became excited. The value of a Secret Realm was too great, especially an unexplored one; the treasures, ruins, and even Legacies within were incredibly precious.

"Alright, remember that safety is the most important."

Qin Dong and the other did not dare to delay and entered the Secret Realm one after another.

After stepping into the Secret Realm, the world suddenly spun. Qin Dong felt as if he were being swept into a massive vortex by a mysterious force.

When he opened his eyes again, Qin Dong found himself in a burial ground where paper money was flying everywhere.

He looked around and found that Qin Zixuan was nowhere to be seen.

Only many neatly arranged and luxuriously decorated mausoleums were presented before his eyes, solemn and grave.

Seeing this, Qin Dong only frowned slightly. Before long, he pulled out several iron shovels from the system space.

"Brothers, we're doing a live unboxing of blind boxes now."