492: This kid is really hard to kill!

"Murder! Murder!"

Hei Da Luan shouted as he ran, trembling with fear, yet his speed only increased.

Divine Craftsmanship barely kept up after popping some pills, wondering in his heart: Is this kid really only at the Qi Refining Third Level? How is he so fast?

Divine Craftsmanship immediately recalled the instructions from the Hundred Mechanisms Pavilion, which stated that a child of destiny's cultivation speed was incredibly fast and they often could kill enemies across different Realms, so it was best to treat their cultivation as being several Ranks higher.

With a thought, Divine Craftsmanship didn't approach with his Physical Body immediately; instead, he summoned an iron Flying Sword and hurled it out with a whoosh.

The Flying Sword was engraved with inscriptions and glowed with spiritual light. A Spirit Stone embedded in the hilt cracked and merged into the sword, causing its speed to accelerate even further.

Hei Da Luan glanced back, his expression changing drastically in fear. He hurriedly performed hand seals to guide his wooden sword, striking directly at the Flying Sword.

"Heh, my Flying Sword is a seventh-grade magical artifact. How could a mere wooden sword block it? Hei Da Luan, you're dead!"

Divine Craftsmanship watched from a distance, the corners of his mouth curling into a victorious smile.

Clang!

The sound of clashing metal rang out.

The wooden sword, painted in all sorts of colors, actually knocked the iron Flying Sword away in a head-on collision!

"What?!"

Divine Craftsmanship turned pale with shock once again. He truly hadn't expected Hei Da Luan's wooden sword to be so powerful that it could withstand a second treasure he had brought out.

"Murder! Murder!"

Having successfully blocked the attack, Hei Da Luan didn't taunt him or even smile. He just kept shouting and continued sprinting toward the Nine Swords Dao.

Divine Craftsmanship had no time to think; if he delayed even slightly, Hei Da Luan would escape.

He could only grit his teeth and buy another Flying Sword. This time it was a rank 6 magic item, a fine tool used by Foundation Establishment Cultivators in combat.

The Flying Sword was made entirely of special spiritual ore, with its inscriptions integrated into the blade, unifying spiritual light and sharp edge.

As it flew out, only a flash of sword light could be seen; everything else was invisible.

The sound of breaking air and the wooden sword shattering occurred almost simultaneously.

"Phew..."

Divine Craftsmanship finally relaxed. At best, that wooden sword could clash with a seventh-grade magical artifact, but it was still insufficient against a rank 6 magic item.

"Now you're definitely dead!"

Divine Craftsmanship revealed a victorious smile once more.

Hei Da Luan was just a minor Qi Refining Cultivator after all. Having one treasure that could stand against a seventh-grade magical artifact was already impressive; he shouldn't have any more.

Even a child of destiny must have a novice period, right?

However, beyond all expectations, the Flying Sword suddenly slammed into a Black Pot, being stopped dead in its tracks, unable to pierce it no matter what.

Crack!

Suddenly, the Flying Sword let out a crisp snapping sound and actually broke in two.

"What?!"

Divine Craftsmanship was shocked once again, staring intently at the Black Pot that had suddenly appeared on Hei Da Luan's back.

The pot was pitch black, looking as if it were used frequently for cooking, yet also resembling a tortoise shell, giving off a strange sense of security.

For it to break a Rank 6 Flying Sword in one hit meant the strength of this Black Pot was terrifyingly high. Even if it lacked the Laws a Magic Treasure should have, it was definitely at the Rank 5 level.

But... Divine Craftsmanship observed closely, and indeed, no matter how he looked at it, it was just a Black Pot. The design was incredibly rustic, the kind of thing that wouldn't even be noticed if left in a Kitchen.

This thing could be Rank 5?

Most fifth-rank magic treasures used by players were Flying Swords, perhaps out of some sort of sentiment.

Others were bells, cauldrons, plates, flags, and so on—all of which had a certain Concept that made one look impressive.

When fighting, shouting "Behold my Four Seasons Bell" was much more elegant than "Behold my Big Black Pot."

"But then again, he's a child of destiny; no matter how weird it is, it makes sense..."

Divine Craftsmanship didn't think further and was immediately overcome by greed. He gritted his teeth, wanting to buy a Magic Treasure to fight, but realized he simply didn't have the financial means.

So he had to settle for the next best thing and bought another Medicinal Pill for a short-term burst of power, swallowing it in one gulp.

His blood surged, as if infinite power were welling up, and his Meridians expanded along with it.

This Medicinal Pill had endless side effects, but he couldn't care less now; he would just restart after killing Hei Da Luan anyway.

Taking advantage of the surging power, Divine Craftsmanship leaped up and sprinted toward Hei Da Luan.

Caught off guard, Hei Da Luan could only clumsily exchange blows with him, lasting for dozens of rounds.

Divine Craftsmanship grew increasingly joyful. Hei Da Luan's strength was indeed beyond expectations, roughly at the Qi Refining Fifth Level; if he hadn't taken the pills, he really might not have been able to take him down.

But now, while the pill's effects were still active, a mere Qi Refining Fifth Level was as good as caught!

"Got you!"

Finally, Divine Craftsmanship pinned Hei Da Luan down with both hands, ushering in total victory.

Hei Da Luan was terrified and could only keep shouting, "Murder! Murder!"

Divine Craftsmanship chuckled. "Go ahead and scream! No one's coming to save you, no matter how loud you shout!"

The Xuanhuan World was a cold and indifferent place. With Cultivators flying to and fro, who would care about a struggle between two Qi Refining practitioners on the ground?

Even at the foot of the Nine Swords Dao's mountain, anyone hearing Hei Da Luan's cries would likely pretend not to hear to avoid trouble.

Not to mention they were still a long way from the Nine Swords Dao in a desolate area; there were simply no variables.

"Kid, this Black Pot of yours is quite something..."

Divine Craftsmanship was sizing up his spoils of war.

Suddenly, an angry shout came from above: "Who dares to act so insolently at my Nine Swords Dao?!"

Divine Craftsmanship's head buzzed as a realization suddenly struck him.

Crap, I underestimated the child of destiny.

These things don't follow logic.

This clearly wasn't Nine Swords Dao territory, and there clearly shouldn't have been anyone to interfere... yet someone had come!

Divine Craftsmanship stiffly raised his head to see exactly who had come to intervene.

He saw an elegant Sword Cultivator descending on the wind, landing gracefully in front of them.

The man had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a well-defined jawline, and a well-proportioned build. Though his clothes were simple, he possessed an extraordinary aura of cultivation.

He stood with his sword in his arms, staring straight at Divine Craftsmanship. Just that gaze alone exerted immense pressure.

Crap! This is really bad!

With just one look, Divine Craftsmanship was certain that this was definitely a fucking "Chivalrous Senior Brother" type character.

These characters frequently appeared in stories of children of destiny, often serving as early-stage investors, Middle Stage beneficiaries, and Late Stage background for showing off.

Divine Craftsmanship groaned inwardly. His mind was in such disarray that he failed to speak first.

Instead, Hei Da Luan hurriedly started shouting:

"Senior Brother! I am a Disciple of the Nine Swords Dao! This person is trying to kill me for no reason; he's likely an enemy of our Nine Swords Dao! Please, Senior Brother, save my life!"

Divine Craftsmanship's expression completely collapsed.

Seeing the Senior Brother's face darken as if he were about to strike, he quickly said:

"Senior Brother! I am also a Disciple of the Nine Swords Dao! I came out this time specifically to apprehend this man! Look at this Black Pot, Senior Brother. It may look unremarkable, but it's a genuine Magic Treasure. Where would a mere Qi Refining Disciple get such a treasure? He stole it, of course!"

"I am acting on our master's orders to capture him and reclaim the Magic Treasure!"

"Please, Senior Brother, see the truth of the matter!"