Chapter 261: Kill the Thief!

For an ordinary man, a blow like the one just dealt would have meant certain death. But this mysterious leader of the Shaman Sect did not fall. Battered and broken, his body swayed unsteadily, and his spirit was gravely wounded, yet he clung stubbornly to life.

The phantom of the cyan-headed, black-bodied Ba snake in the air had dimmed noticeably, its body torn in several places by the divine might of Baxia and Chaofeng.

Yelu Jinke seemed to share a strange symbiotic connection with the Ba snake phantom, maintaining his own consciousness while remaining in perfect spiritual unison with it. It was impossible to tell which was the master and which was the servant.

Now, Yelu Jinke looked like little more than a walking corpse, yet his aura continued to climb higher and higher. The hardened snake fang in his hand turned into a streak of flowing light and fused into his body.

The black qi swirling around him nearly took solid form. Though it could not regrow lost limbs, the dense, chilling black aura nearly restored his broken frame.

Suddenly, he crouched low, and drove his palm into the earth. Five jet-black chains of qi shot forth, forming a sinister formation that locked toward Li Yanchu.

At the same time, several black ghostly hands lunged up from the ground; their targets were Bai Hongtu and Feng Jiu!

Clang!

Li Yanchu’s five senses were razor-sharp, his warrior’s battle instinct honed through countless trials. With a single sweeping slash, the black ghost hands were instantly severed!

The Jiaoslayer, with its innate evil-banishing properties, was especially deadly against ghosts, corpses, and other sinister arts that relied on trickery.

Meanwhile, the five black qi chains closed in on Li Yanchu. Yet before they could touch him, they struck his Qi Shield, which was unyielding and blazing with pure yang.

Szzzz!

The Qi Shield could suppress evil, but the yin qi of these black chains was so heavy it began steadily eroding his defenses.

“Five-Lightning Pure Yang; Heaven and Earth, lend me your power!” Li Yanchu’s voice cracked like thunder.

A bolt of lightning burst from his palm...

Boom!

The black qi chains shattered instantly.

The lightning’s momentum did not stop there, it struck Yelu Jinke’s body full on, blasting him completely apart. Against such a domineering lightning law, all yin spirits and demonic forces had only one fate: death!

The Ba snake phantom, without Yelu Jinke’s support, saw its aura plummet, yet it did not vanish. Instead, a trace of human-like expression flickered in its cold serpent eyes, and it prepared to turn into a streak of light to flee!

The two awe-inspiring beasts, Baxia and Chaofeng, radiated killing intent and surrounded the Ba snake, tearing and rending its body apart!

The Ba snake’s eyes shot out two beams of black light; at the same time, it endured the pain to bite off half of its own body, breaking free of the encirclement and shot toward the distant horizon.

Bai Hongtu and Feng Jiu’s faces changed drastically; if this

Classic of Mountains and Seas

fiend beast escaped, the consequences would be unimaginable!

Li Yanchu drove the Jiaoslayer into the ground, then reached out and drew forth an ancient, massive bow, the Wind Divine Bow!

He nocked an arrow and pulled the bowstring, his explosive, corded muscles straining as he bent the heavy, ancient bow into a full moon. His back was broad and unyielding, like a pillar holding up the sky. The aura radiating from him was terrifyingly domineering.

Boom!

A blinding arrow, condensed entirely from boundless qi, shot through the air, detonating in a burst of terrible light!

The cyan-headed, black-bodied phantom of the Ba snake was blasted apart on the spot!

The two mighty beasts devoured its power, their auras surging. Then, they transformed into two brilliant streaks of golden light and flew back into their wooden talismans.

This battle was earth-shaking and heaven-rending, and it left explosions echoing through the silent Thousand Corpses Ridge.

Bai Hongtu stood there, dumbfounded. Meanwhile, Feng Jiu’s gaze shimmered as her mind recalled the words of this refined yet formidable young master, “Wipe out the Shaman Sect!”

And not only that, the

Bei

, herald of great disasters, and the elephant-devouring Ba snake had both fallen to the hand of this young master.

His killing intent was enough to pierce the heavens!

***

At the Han Fortress, a relay station in this bitter, frigid land beyond the passes...

Even after the murderous chaos caused by evil spirits, its bustling prosperity remained undiminished. After all, this was the largest stopover point upon leaving the northern passes and entering the desert.

Those who could travel thousands of li beyond the pass to do business were not the sort to be scared off by tales of ghosts or demons.

Spirits might kill people, but weren’t the many dangers of the frontier deserts just as deadly?

Today, Han Fortress was especially lively. The fortress master personally hosted three guests, with his eldest daughter accompanying the feast. Beautiful maids with exotic, frontier charm moved about, carrying dishes unique to the lands beyond the pass.

The three honored guests were none other than Li Yanchu, Bai Hongtu, and Feng Jiu.

When the banquet ended, Bai Hongtu mischievously bumped Li Yanchu in the waist. “That Han young lady’s eyes were glued to you just now. Not going to have a little... heart-to-heart with her tonight?”

Li Yanchu chuckled helplessly. “With you, so tall and handsome, standing right beside me, how do I know she wasn’t looking at you?”

Bai Hongtu gave a slight smirk. “Well... that makes sense too.”

Feng Jiu couldn’t help the slight twitch at the corner of her mouth.

Her master was usually so proper, so why was it that the moment he met this pretty-faced Bai Hongtu, he turned into

this

kind of person? The more she looked at Bai Hongtu, the more unpleasant he seemed. Thus, she turned and went back to her room.

Watching Feng Jiu’s retreating figure, Bai Hongtu rubbed his chin. “Why do I get the feeling your disciple’s always itching to hit me?”

Li Yanchu thought for a moment, then mused, “Maybe it’s because you were so useless this time and got yourself captured, and now she thinks you’re some ninth-rate weakling?”

Bai Hongtu was stunned. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

Li Yanchu smiled. “Oh, nothing much. Just... I think Feng Jiu might see it that way.”

Bai Hongtu felt certain Li Yanchu was mocking him. But this time, it

was

true that Li Yanchu had rescued him, and had even come all the way beyond the passes to do so.

If the man wanted to tease him a few times... so be it.

Li Yanchu beckoned with his hand, pulling from his Universe Pouch a short sword whose blade gleamed like rippling light. The blade was thirteen chi long, three fingers wide, ancient in form, and carried a fierce, murderous aura.

“Hongtu, since your Flying Sword was destroyed, take this one for now.”

Bai Hongtu’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help letting out a low exclamation, “What a fine sword!”

He took the weapon, feeling its weight immediately, and his fingers sensed the chilling, righteous killing intent running through it.

With a slight shake, the sword gave a crisp dragon’s cry, its cold gleam almost tangible.

Bai Hongtu was full of praise, as anyone could see at a glance this was no ordinary weapon. On the hilt were a few ancient seal-script characters:

Emerald Abyss

.

Bai Hongtu softly read the name aloud.

“Where did you get this sword?” Bai Hongtu asked.

Li Yanchu then told him about the skeletal remains he had found earlier in the cave dwelling, and the lingering will of the swordsman.

Bai Hongtu was greatly astonished.

“You use this Emerald Abyss Sword for now, consider it yours,” Li Yanchu said boldly.

But to his surprise, Bai Hongtu shook his head. “This sword carries a fierce killing aura. It’s an ancient sword, yes, but I can’t use it.”

“Can’t use it?” Li Yanchu was a little surprised.

“That’s right. My master taught me the art of Flying Swords, which requires a natal Flying Sword. It has to be nourished and refined every day, and only after forty-nine days can it begin to link with my mind. This sword’s killing aura is far too heavy, in fact, most ancient swords can’t be used for that purpose. They have to be forged through special methods.”

Within this lay the subtleties of cultivating the Flying Sword Technique.