117: Chapter 117 Breakthrough

Black Sand Market, back alley of the inn.

The night rain fell continuously, washing away the mud on the bluestone slabs.

Thud.

A headless corpse hit the muddy water with a muffled sound. The fresh blood from the severed neck looked like a fountain, but it was instantly frozen into frost by a layer of invisible, extreme yin cold energy.

At the other end of the alley.

The Qi Refining Level 8 scout who had just rushed over slammed his feet to a halt.

He stared dead at his companion's headless corpse on the ground, his pupils contracting violently out of extreme horror.

One strike.

He hadn't even seen the traces of mana fluctuations, yet a Sect elite at Qi Refining Level 8 had his head severed.

"You are not Qi Refining Level 3!"

The scout's hair stood on end, his scalp tingling.

He didn't hesitate in the slightest; he couldn't even muster a single thought of avenging his companion. He slammed his chest, conjuring a blood-colored bone shield to protect his front, while the Talisman in his right hand was already primed.

He was going to activate the distress Blood Talisman issued by the Sect!

"Fast reaction."

Gu Shen stood ten paces away, his tone as cold as ice.

"But in front of me, you don't even have the qualification to call for help."

Gu Shen did not draw his blade, nor did he use movement techniques to chase.

He stood where he was, his eyes suddenly narrowing.

Soul-Shocking Spike!

The majestic Divine Sense of a Peak Qi Refining Level 7 Cultivator turned into an invisible, intangible blade at this moment, crossing the ten-pace distance and piercing through the physical defense of the blood-colored bone shield without resistance, slamming fiercely into the scout's Sea of Consciousness!

"Ah——!"

The scout let out a shrill scream.

His movements stiffened, his eyes instantly losing focus, and black, filthy blood flowed from his seven orifices simultaneously. His Sea of Consciousness was torn apart by this strike designed specifically to sever the soul, plunging him into a fatal void.

In that split second he stood rigid.

Gu Shen lifted his left hand slightly and opened his five fingers.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three almost completely transparent Soul-Pulling Threads shot out from his finger bones.

Augmented by the extreme yin energy of the Nine Nether Silkworm, these three thin threads cut through the blood-colored bone shield—which had lost its mana maintenance—silently, as if slicing through thin paper.

Sizzle.

The threads crossed, instantly wrapping around the scout's neck and his right arm holding the Talisman.

Gu Shen clenched his five fingers abruptly.

A sharp edge capable of cutting gold and jade flashed by.

Plop.

The scout's right arm holding the distress Blood Talisman, along with his head filled with horror, fell straight into the muddy water.

Until his death, that Blood Talisman didn't manage to emit a single ray of red light for help.

Two Qi Refining Level 8 Cultivators.

In just a few breaths, both were slain.

There were no earth-shattering Spell bombardments, no dazzling clashes of Magical Artifacts. Only extreme efficiency and cold ruthlessness.

This was the terrifying assassination power of the "Soul-Shocking Spike" combined with the "Soul-Pulling Threads"!

Gu Shen walked forward expressionlessly.

He pressed a single hand onto the two warm corpses.

"Refine."

In his Sea of Consciousness, the [Heaven and Earth Furnace] emitted a low roar.

Pale white flames of rules swept out from Gu Shen's palm. The headless corpses on the ground, the severed limbs, and even the blood splattered on the bluestone slabs were instantly swallowed clean by the Great Furnace.

Destroying the corpses and eliminating evidence, leaving behind no trace of Karma.

[Refinement complete. Obtained: two drops of essence white dew (Low Grade).]

Gu Shen stored the two drops of essence white dew in his Storage Ring.

Then, his Divine Sense acted like a blade, forcibly wiping away the imprints on their Storage Pouches. A rough scan revealed about sixty Low-Grade Spirit Stones inside, along with some standard Medicinal Pills of the Blood Fiend Sect.

He took the Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills, and burned the remaining empty pouches and Sect tokens into nothingness using the [Heaven and Earth Furnace].

"Master, well done. But there are too many Blood Fiend Sect scouts in this area."

The iron buckle at his collar vibrated slightly, and Crab's synthesized electronic voice was kept extremely low, "Sonar detection shows that the demonic Cultivators on the front street and in the inn lobby are converging on the back alley. They are less than twenty zhang away from you."

"Time to go."

Gu Shen reached up and wiped his face.

Thousand Faces squirmed rapidly; the pale face of a rich Young Master instantly faded, his bones elongated, and his skin darkened. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a rugged-looking Loose Cultivator with a beard.

His mana fluctuations also naturally adjusted to Qi Refinement Level 6.

Dark light rippled under his shadow shoes.

Gu Shen merged into the night, followed the shadows of the back alley, climbed over the towering courtyard wall, and fled into another intricate street.

Less than half an incense stick of time after he left.

A dozen demonic Cultivators from the Blood Fiend Sect rushed into the back alley holding Magical Artifacts.

However, the alley was empty. There were no corpses, no traces of fighting, not even a hint of the smell of blood, as if everything had been washed clean by the cold autumn rain long ago.

"Where are they?!"

The lead demonic Cultivator's face turned livid, his roar echoing in the night rain.

...

At the edge of the Outer City of Black Sand Market.

In the rainy night, Gu Shen blended into a group of hurried Loose Cultivators and walked towards the city gate at a leisurely pace.

At the city gate, the blockade of the Blood Fiend Sect was still tight. Because they had lost the location tracking of the white bone yang key, they could only act like headless flies, questioning every Cultivator leaving the city.

"Stop! Name! Cultivation level!"

A Blood Fiend Sect Disciple stopped Gu Shen, holding a small blood-colored mirror, scanning him up and down.

Gu Shen hunched his back, feigning a look of suppressed anger, and handed over two Spirit Stones: "Reporting to Senior, Loose Cultivator Zhang Tie, Qi Refinement Level 6. Came to the market to buy some herbs, rushing back to the mountain."

There was no abnormal reaction on the blood mirror.

The Disciple waved his hand impatiently: "Get lost! The market hasn't been peaceful lately, don't run around!"

"Yes, yes."

Gu Shen lowered his head and quickly walked out of the dim, yellowish light curtain of the Formation.

The moment he stepped out of Black Sand Market, the cold wind of the wilderness blowing in his face made his spirit stir slightly.

The Blood Fiend Seal was broken. The pursuers were eliminated.

This dead end caused by the yang key had been torn open by him using extreme measures.

"Master, where are we going now?" Crab's voice sounded in his ear.

Gu Shen looked up, his gaze fixed on the extremely distant northwest direction.

That was the location of Baiyin Mountain.

"To keep an appointment."

Gu Shen's eyes were as deep as an abyss.

"Now that the yang key has been cleared, I should go and get my share of the Opportunity at the Myriad Insect Tomb."

Gu Shen tightened his rain cloak.

He did not use mana to travel, nor did he use the energy-consuming Blood Burning Evasion. Relying on his own powerful Physical Body, he stepped through the muddy wilderness, moving silently towards the extreme yin land of Baiyin Mountain.