Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 281 I'll Kill You in a Breath
Xiao Ju held an array plate in her hand and stood atop a pavilion in the valley: "Master, all fifty-two demonic cultivators in the valley are here."

Song Yan nodded, his lips moving slightly.

"kill."

On a rainy night, on Crane Rock Mountain, the sounds of countless magical artifacts colliding and exploding, along with shouts of battle, suddenly rang out.

Dozens of Qi Refining cultivators, ready to pounce, led by a few leaders, charged towards the scattered demonic cultivators in the valley.

The valley instantly descended into chaos.

Caught off guard, the demonic cultivators hastily engaged in battle, clashing with the righteous disciples.

On the high platform, the three Foundation Establishment stage demonic cultivators paid no attention to the life or death of the demonic cultivators in the valley.

The astonishment on Peony's face lasted only a moment before it was replaced by deep excitement.

Her gaze was fixed on that solitary figure.

Song Yan actually came, and he was the only one at the Foundation Establishment stage!

"Hehe~" Peony's laughter was sharp: "Young man, you're very brave, daring to come all by yourself~"

"I just wonder how brave you are in bed~"

Standing behind Mudan, Zheng Daming frowned, as if facing a formidable enemy.

He already assessed Song Yan as extremely dangerous, and seeing Song Yan standing calmly on the high place now made him feel a little uneasy.

Looking at Song Yan's somewhat thin figure and youthful face, Zhuo Hong's face revealed a greedy and bloodthirsty glint.

Perhaps he alone is no match for Song Yan.

But with Mudan and Zheng Daming, two cultivators from the Demonic Ruins, here at this moment, they might be able to kill this great prodigy of the sect today.

The scarlet demonic energy emanating from Mudan had already surged and spread into the air, swirling around Song Yan.

"Look at you, you're so lovable."

Peony slowly floated into the air, but her gaze glanced at Wu Shuangzhi on the ground.

"She was just being so arrogant..."

Peony deliberately dragged out her words, her eyes flashing with malice: "You say Song Yan can kill me with just one move! Hahahaha..."

Wu Shuangzhi was covered in blood and was panting heavily.

But from the very beginning, he felt a gentle spiritual energy slowly healing his injuries.

A thick feathered cloak fell down and covered her, concealing her body, which was soaked with rain and blood.

Along with it, a familiar ray of moonlight also fell.

She had seen this moonlight once before in that valley of the Yanran Mountains.

I didn't have the strength to turn around, nor the strength to lift my head.

Just by looking at the flying sword stuck in front of her and at the moonlight, Wu Shuangzhi already knew who had come.

"Yes. My junior sister is right..."

Song Yan finally spoke.

Immediately, the spiritual energy on Crane Rock Mountain surged and converged towards him.

As he spoke, he extended a finger, and a faint purple aura surged at the tip of his finger.

His indifferent gaze fell upon the peony.

"I'll kill you in a breath."

hum-

In that instant, a surge of purple energy suddenly erupted from Song Yan's body, flowing endlessly like a celestial river pouring down from above.

Song Yan is like a furnace, where spiritual energy distorts and fluctuates.

The alluring expression meticulously painted on Peony's enchanting face froze at the corner of her mouth when illuminated by the purple light.

Her pupils contracted sharply, a sense of danger rose from the bottom of her heart, and a chill ran down her spine.

However, before anyone could even react, they saw a dreamlike color suddenly appear deep within Song Yan's golden eyes.

Two ancient lotus petals slowly rotated in the golden light.

thump...

Like a drop of water falling into a calm lake.

Only now did the three Foundation Establishment stage demonic cultivators awaken from their daze.

Suddenly, several flying swords appeared around the high platform, their light surging amidst the rolling purple aura.

A solitary moon hangs above the high platform.

"The moon sets."

"..."

Before the last trace of surprise on Peony's face could fully unfold, her entire field of vision was completely filled by the pure, bright moonlight.

The scarlet demonic vines on her body surged up, attempting to protect her, but like winter snow meeting boiling water, they were shattered into fine dust the moment the moonlight fell, before they could even struggle.

It hissed and steamed away.

She instinctively tried to call for help, but no sound came out.

What disappeared next was her magnificent, bright red robe...

Her skin, shimmering with a delicate, magical glow; her long, slender yet stiff limbs…

All that belonged to her was erased in the setting moon.

There was no roar of an explosion, only countless beams of moonlight crisscrossing and eroding each other.

The peony's body disintegrated in an instant, turning into a cloud of scarlet blood mist.

The blood mist burst into flames with a bang, and a jade bracelet emerged from it, falling to the ground.

"..."

Zheng Daming was stunned and speechless for a moment.

From the moment Song Yan finished speaking until the peony vanished into thin air, only a single breath had passed...

Before he could even feel ashamed of the other party's boast, it became a fact right before his eyes.

At the initial stage of Foundation Establishment, this level of strength difference...

Only those few Daoist disciples had given him a similar feeling.

escape!
After only a moment of hesitation, Zheng Daming transformed into a golden ray of light and soared straight into the sky.

Along with it appeared a pink sword light, which belonged to Zhuo Hong, who was also trying to escape.

Zhuo Hong was terrified and used almost every means at his disposal to escape.

Unfortunately, simply flying on a sword is still too slow.

The Purple Qi Merging Void True Technique had only been running for a breath or two when Song Yan felt that the sword energy within the Zhendao Sword Mansion was inexhaustible and endless.

The Moon Ring Sword Formation was retracted, and the wind and thunder roared even more normally on the blade of the Unmoored Boat.

"go."

With a flick of his sword, Song Yan sent the unmoored boat soaring straight into the sky.

The people on Heyan Mountain only felt a flash before their eyes, as if a bolt of lightning had streaked across the sky.

A straight, thin golden line appeared between heaven and earth, but it disappeared after only a moment.

In the blink of an eye, the unmoored boat was back in Song Yan's hands.

A Qiankun bag hangs from the hilt of the sword.

Moments later, Zhuo Hong's body fell from the sky and shattered into pieces somewhere in the valley.

"..."

Several Qi Refining disciples on the perimeter looked at the figure in the air and exchanged bewildered glances.

Although we know that this senior Song Yan is incredibly powerful, according to intelligence, one of the three opponents is a Daoist candidate, whose strength should not be underestimated.

They originally thought that Senior Song would fight the three of them here until Senior Cong Yuzhen arrived.

As it turns out, Senior Song Yan doesn't seem to be the type to linger in battle...

At this moment, the young figure in the air was slowly descending and landing on the high platform.

Xiao Ju had already leaped onto the spot, picked up a jade bracelet from the ground, and respectfully handed it to him.

"Master, that Zheng Daming."

Song Yan took the jade bracelet, examined it for a while, and then waved his hand, saying, "Never mind it."

“Fellow Daoist Yu Zhen will take action on her own; let’s leave her some merit points as well.”

"Yes."

……

A hundred miles away, Zheng Daming was on the run.

He felt a little relieved; thankfully, Zhuo Hong had escaped slowly.

Even with Song Yan's will to kill Zhuo Hong, he was powerless to catch up with him.

Thinking back on Song Yan, he really felt that this person was a bit too strange.

How could a disciple from a mere border sect be so powerful, almost on par with the geniuses of the Central Region and the Dao Child of the Demon Ruins...?

Although Zheng Daming had previously been unwilling to be enemies with Song Yan, it was due to his own cautious nature.

From Mudan's perspective, it's normal to think that Song Yan could be easily defeated.

It is precisely because they have witnessed the vast gap between themselves and true geniuses that they believe such a person could never possibly emerge from this barren border region.

But he really did appear. "Song Yan..."

hum-

Just as he was fleeing in panic, thinking he had escaped danger, the torrential rain suddenly changed.

The rain poured down, and each raindrop seemed to be pulled by something, its speed increasing dramatically as it fell, changing its trajectory.

Thousands upon thousands of streams of water intertwined, transforming into chains that formed a vast water prison that stretched from the sky to the earth, covering all directions.

Zheng Daming's yellow escape light plunged into the rain-soaked curtain of rain, instantly reducing his speed by more than ten times!
"what?!"

The light froze, struggling and churning as if it were in a swamp.

The light died down in a short while.

Not far away, beneath the dark clouds, a gentle figure silently watched him.

It was Sheyang Sect, from Yuzhen.

A bell hangs beside him, gently swaying.

clang……

Leave the guest in the rain.

"receive."

The torrential rain suddenly subsided, transforming into countless clear and resilient water tendrils that forcefully bound the large, churning mass of blood-red light and the blurry human figure within it.

It eventually transformed into a strange water sphere about ten feet in size, with ripples flowing on its surface and blood churning inside, hovering beside Cong Yuzhen.

With a flick of his sleeve, Cong Yuzhen collected the water sphere and the still struggling phantom of Zheng Daming within it.

Looking towards the direction of Heyan Mountain, even a hint of amazement couldn't help but appear on his usually calm face.

However, she didn't look at it for long before she looked away.

"Let's go."

He then left the place with his accompanying Qi Refining disciples.

……

Crane Rock Mountain.

Song Yan casually sat on the high platform, and the surging purple aura around him began to dissipate rapidly.

The light quickly dimmed.

This Purple Qi Merging with Emptiness True Technique seems to be the first time Song Yan has used it in actual combat.

Shortly after he obtained this method, he began to prepare for foundation building.

After the sect established its foundation, there was the gathering at Dragon Pool Mountain. At that time, demonic cultivators were causing chaos, so there was no attempt to use it.

Come to think of it, today really is the first time.

To outsiders, it appeared that Song Yan had only used two sword strikes to kill two of the three demonic cultivators and allow one to escape.

Only he himself knows the stakes involved.

These people from the Demon Ruins are all unpredictable and cunning. As for fighting and maneuvering, Song Yan is not really confident in his killing efficiency.

Fortunately, most of these cultivators from the Demon Ruins were inexplicably arrogant and conceited.

Therefore, as long as Song Yan judges the relative strength of the enemy and himself, he will immediately use his ultimate move to kill the opponent before they can react.

However, this is also thanks to the advancement of the Observation Sword Eye.

It can make the other party fall silently into a mirage-like illusion.

"call--"

At this moment, his straight back tensed up a little, and a faint fatigue quietly welled up from the muscles and bones of his limbs and slowly spread.

However, this fatigue was not as severe as the effects mentioned in the Purple Qi Merging with Emptiness True Technique.

I don't know what happened.

Song Yan vaguely guessed that it was either related to his foundation in swordsmanship or to the purple aura.

He prefers the latter.

From the moment I entered the path, I followed the unique traditions of the sect, practicing daily and absorbing the vital energy of the rising sun.

This secret method is also known as the Purple Qi Merging with Emptiness, which may be related to it.

In any case, this is a good thing.

His gaze swept calmly across the battlefield below.

Without the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Demon Ruins in charge, where would these Qi Refining demon cultivators in the valley find any fighting spirit?

Meanwhile, the Qi Refining disciples of the Dongyuan Sect and Sheyang Sect on the righteous path have also recovered from their initial shock.

Continue the campaign to eliminate the demonic cultivators.

The few remaining demonic cultivators in the valley were like trapped beasts, scattered by the righteous cultivators whose morale was high, and their defeat was imminent.

Song Yan glanced at it briefly and decided that he didn't need to concern himself with it anymore.

At this moment, contrary to his usual behavior, instead of putting away his spoils and recovering his strength, he immediately began to study the jade bracelet that Xiao Ju had just handed him.

This bracelet is not a magical artifact, but rather a storage ornament for Peony.

Qiankun Bracelet.

In the world of cultivation, magical artifacts used for storage are not limited to the Qiankun bag; bracelets, pendants, belts, and so on also exist.

Many legendary magical artifacts and spiritual treasures that possess spatial abilities also have storage functions...

Thinking about it, the Endless Treasury probably falls into this category as well.

However, Qiankun bags are most commonly seen in the cultivation world of the border state of Chu.

This was also the first time Song Yan had received a similar item.

He immediately erased the spiritual imprint on it, and his divine sense sank into it, searching for something.

Just then, I suddenly felt someone walking towards me.

Song Yan slightly raised his eyes and saw that it was Wu Shuangzhi.

She folded the black feathered cloak neatly and handed it to Song Yan with both hands.

It was taken by Xiao Ju.

"Thank you so much, Senior Brother Song, for saving my life."

Song Yan looked at her and slowly said, "I remember you."

Wu Shuangzhi was taken aback, then slowly nodded.

"Go and recover from your injury."

Song Yan lowered his gaze, about to continue searching for what he wanted.

But then the woman spoke up, her voice firm: "No need. Senior Song just secretly transferred spiritual energy to me, and my injuries have already healed by more than half."

"Shuangzhi still wants to avenge her brother."

Wu Shuangzhi bowed deeply, then turned and left.

For Senior Song Yan, whether it was taking action in the valley back then or saving him today, it was all just a matter of course.

If it weren't for his help back then, he and his younger brother Zilin would have died at the hands of the cultivators of the Mystic Sect long ago.

I don't know how to repay this kindness.

But now, she must kill those two demonic cultivators with her own hands to avenge her brother.

Xiao Ju stood beside Song Yan, gazing at Wu Shuangzhi's back with a look of admiration in her eyes.

"Wait a minute."

Song Yan pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What kind of magical artifact do you usually use?"

Wu Shuangzhi was taken aback.

She was captured by the demonic cultivator, and her Qiankun bag was stolen by him, so she naturally lost her magical artifacts.

"I used to be skilled with flying swords, but after being rescued by Senior Brother Song in the Yanran Mountains, I switched to using a knife."

Sword mastery may require a high level of talent.

A knife, when wielded, must be ruthless enough to protect one's younger brother.

pity……

Knife?

Upon hearing this, Song Yan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

Knives, as magical artifacts, are not very common in the cultivation world. They are too fierce and easily tainted with malevolent energy, which is not conducive to one's state of mind.

In Song Yan's memory, only Gou Sheng, this "vulgar man" who entered the Dao through martial arts, was using it.

I never expected that such a beautiful junior sister would also wield a knife.

I was the one who judged people by their appearance.

"Um……"

Song Yan glanced at the peony bracelet but couldn't find the knife.

After only a moment's thought, he took out a blue and white horizontal sword from his Qiankun bag.

With a casual wave of his hand, Song Yan sent the knife flying slowly toward Wu Shuangzhi.

"Take it."

(End of this chapter)