81: Chapter 81: Feigning Weakness, Turning the Tide in a Desperate Situation, Encountering a Mysterious Sword Cultivator

Great Yu Cultivation World, periphery of the Qingmu Cliff ruins, dry riverbed.

Boom!

Gu Shen slammed heavily into the bottom of the dry riverbed, kicking up a cloud of dust. Instead of springing back up, he rolled clumsily twice through the rubble and coughed up a large mouthful of fresh blood.

The moment he landed, he suppressed his mana fluctuations to Qi Refining Stage 4. His whole body shook like a sieve, looking exactly like a low-level herb gatherer injured by the pressure of a high-stage Cultivator.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Three blood-colored figures landed firmly at three points around Gu Shen, completely blocking all his paths of retreat.

"Run? Why aren't you running anymore?"

Xue Ming held a blood-colored flying fork, looking at the shivering Gu Shen on the ground with a mocking expression.

Captain Shen Kuo held a blood-colored long saber, his face dark and sinister. The pressure of Qi Refining Level 8 crushed down on Gu Shen without mercy. "A mere Qi Refining Stage 4 who can't even maintain a steady protective spiritual light, and you dare to charge through the blockade at a time like this?"

"Three Seniors, please spare my life! Spare my life!"

Gu Shen lay prone on the ground, his voice trembling with extreme terror, not even daring to lift his head. "This Junior is just a Loose Cultivator who picked up some scraps in the ruins. I was in a hurry to go to Yunze Immortal City to exchange them for some herbs to treat my internal injuries... I never intended to offend your noble Sect!"

"Cut the damn crap!"

Zhou Tong shouted coldly and stepped forward, his eyes greedily fixed on the shriveled Storage Pouch at Gu Shen's waist. "Take off that Storage Pouch and throw it over! If you dare to hide even half a Spirit Stone, I'll extract your soul and use it to light a sky lantern!"

Gu Shen nodded like a chicken pecking at grain, his hands trembling as he reached for his waist to untie a non-existent knot.

Time ticked away, second by second.

Though Gu Shen appeared panicked, his Divine Sense was actually retracted to the extreme. He was waiting.

The positioning of these three was very deliberate. One Qi Refining Level 8 for the main attack and two Qi Refining Level 7 for support. If he acted rashly, he could at most kill one person instantly; the remaining two would immediately pull away and release a Sect distress signal.

He had to wait until they completely lowered their guard or a flaw appeared in their formation.

"Hurry up! What are you dawdling for!" Xue Ming grew impatient and kicked Gu Shen hard in the shoulder.

Bang!

Gu Shen let out a scream in perfect coordination and rolled on the ground. His disguised, sallow face was covered in mud, making him look even more pathetic.

But that heavy kick left not even a hint of pain on his body.

"Senior, please calm down... It's untied, it's untied!" Gu Shen humbly held up a worn-out Storage Pouch (a disguised empty bag) with both hands, offering it tremblingly to Xue Ming.

Xue Ming snorted coldly and reached out to grab it.

Captain Shen Kuo and Zhou Tong's gazes also subconsciously fell upon the Storage Pouch, and their mana shields showed a very slight moment of laxity.

At that critical moment!

Boom!

From deep within the distant Qingmu Cliff, a world-shaking explosion suddenly rang out. Immediately after, a blinding beam of blood-red light shot into the sky, illuminating half the night.

"That's... the direction of the White Bone Forest Blood Sacrifice Array?!"

Captain Shen Kuo and the others jolted, and they instinctively turned their heads toward the beam of light.

"Now!"

Gu Shen, who had been lying on the ground like a dead dog, saw the cowardice in his eyes instantly transform into a terrifying, violent killing intent!

The suppressed dark-gold iron bones erupted with a terrifying force like a flash flood breaking a dam! He stomped a deep pit into the dry riverbed beneath his feet.

"Die!"

Gu Shen's figure was like a bolt of black lightning, instantly closing within three feet of Xue Ming.

Xue Ming whipped his head around, only to see a fist reflected in his pupils.

Without any fancy Spells, Gu Shen clenched his left fist, carrying the ten-thousand-catty force of his Major Achievement Bone Refining Art, and smashed it ruthlessly into Xue Ming's chest!

Crack!

The mana shield on Xue Ming's body shattered like paper. His entire chest cavity collapsed from the punch, his heart exploded instantly, and before he could even scream, he was sent flying.

"Xue Ming!"

Zhou Tong was horrified. He frantically formed hand seals, about to manifest a Magical Artifact.

Gu Shen flicked his right wrist, and a first-grade mutated bone spike shot out like a heavy crossbow bolt.

Whoosh!

The bone spike tore through the air with a shrill whistle, accurately piercing Zhou Tong's throat and pinning him firmly to the rock wall behind him!

In the blink of an eye, two elites of Qi Refining Level 7 were dead!

"You're looking for death!!!"

Captain Shen Kuo of Qi Refining Level 8 finally reacted, his eyes nearly bursting with rage. He never expected that this herb gatherer, who seemed like an ant, was actually a Vicious Beast in sheep's clothing!

Captain Shen Kuo roared, and his blood-colored long saber brought forth a terrifying three-zhang-long blade light, hacking down toward Gu Shen's head.

"Soul-Shock!"

Gu Shen didn't dodge at all. His Qi Refining Level 7 Divine Sense transformed into an invisible spike and stabbed viciously into Captain Shen Kuo's Sea of Consciousness.

Soul-Shocking Spike!

Captain Shen Kuo's body suddenly stiffened, and the descending blade light immediately dissipated by more than half.

However, a Qi Refining Level 8's Divine Sense foundation was deep after all. Captain Shen Kuo bit the tip of his tongue, spat out a mouthful of essence blood, and forcibly broke free from the dizziness. He saw the shimmering deep-blue thunder pattern gold-slaying blade in Gu Shen's hand, and an uncontrollable surge of extreme fear rose in his heart.

A dual Cultivator of body and magic! A top-grade lightning-attribute Magical Artifact!

"Unbeatable!"

Captain Shen Kuo did not hesitate and retreated decisively. Taking advantage of the gap as Gu Shen retracted his saber, he transformed into a streak of blood-red light and fled toward the blockade.

At the same time, he pulled a blood-colored bone flute from his sleeve, intending to crush it and release the highest-level distress signal.

"I can't let him call for help!"

Dark light erupted beneath Gu Shen's feet as he prepared to give chase with his saber.

At that moment.

Clang—!

A cold, silver sword light, like autumn water, suddenly lit up from the darkness ahead.

The sword light was incredibly fast, without any flourish, only pure slaughter.

"Who's there?!"

Mid-air, Captain Shen Kuo let out a scream of absolute horror. Before he could crush the bone flute, the silver sword light had already swept across his wrist.

Thud.

The severed hand clutching the bone flute fell to the ground.

Then, the sword light continued unabated, tracing a perfect arc and gently circling Captain Shen Kuo's neck.

Pfft.

Blood geysered. Captain Shen Kuo's head soared into the sky, and his headless corpse slammed heavily into the rubble of the dry riverbed.

Gu Shen stopped in his tracks, his pupils slightly contracting as he stared ahead with a grave expression.

In the darkness, a mysterious Cultivator wearing a bamboo hat and a green coir raincoat slowly stepped out from the shadows. A hiltless flying sword, thin as a cicada's wing, spiraled nimbly around his fingertips like a swimming fish.

"A Sword Cultivator?"

Gu Shen tightened his grip on his saber hilt, a faint green light appearing on his body.

In the Great Yu Cultivation World, Sword Cultivators were the most lethal. This mysterious person could kill the Qi Refining Level 8 Captain Shen Kuo in one strike; their strength was definitely not below his own, and perhaps even higher.