Imperial Scepter

Deep in the dense forest, the vegetation was so thick that it almost blocked out the sun, and a sinister murderous intent lurked in the dim light.

Three figures concealed behind thick ancient trees, their eyes sinister, fixed on the direction of the official road, their profound energy subtly dormant, ready to be unleashed.

The leader was Li Tianjiao. At this moment, his face no longer showed any of his former arrogance and conceit, but only resentment and ruthlessness. The hatred in his eyes was almost tangible.

After being crushed twice by Gao Chun in Lijia Village, the hatred in his heart grew like a poisonous vine, entwining his heart and lungs, and had long since become twisted and insane.

Beside him stood two adult cultivators: a hook-nosed youth with a sinister and vicious expression, and a long-bearded cultivator with a square face and flowing beard, yet his eyes were arrogant, and beneath his righteous exterior lay the arrogance of a noble family.

Li Tianjiao gritted his teeth and said viciously, "Uncle Qing, Uncle Dong, we must eliminate Gao Chun's team today! Gao Chun dared to insult me, which is to insult the entire gentry. We must eradicate him completely!"

The hook-nosed youth's face was grave, his brows furrowed: "These five members of the Gao Chun team are all multi-faceted Daoist cultivators from Gaojia Village. If we kill them, aren't we afraid of incurring Gao Changhe's wrath?"

"The four Silver Realm experts from Gaojia Village are all high-level; if they launch an attack, we simply won't be able to withstand it!"

The long-bearded hermit interrupted sharply, his tone full of disdain: "What are you afraid of? We'll do it in the dense forest, without anyone knowing. Who can find out it was us?"

"Besides, Tianjiao is our Li family's young master. Although we are from a collateral branch of the Li family, we absolutely cannot allow these commoner cultivators to humiliate us at will!"

Li Tianjiao quickly chimed in, a sinister glint in his eyes: "Uncle Dong is right! Uncle Qing, we'll ambush him here, and no one will know. It was precisely because I was wary of the four Silver Realm experts from Gao Family Village that I chose this dense forest."

"To keep this a secret, I've only told the two of you about it; not a word of it has leaked out."

The hook-nosed youth wanted to say something more, but his unease grew stronger.

Just then, a sound of something tearing through the air suddenly rang out!

Four pale purple lightning figures, like divine punishment descending from the heavens, tore through the shadows of the dense forest and rushed into it with lightning speed!

Lightning exploded, air currents surged wildly, and the surrounding branches and leaves were instantly shredded by the violent force, scattering everywhere. Amidst the rampaging purple lightning, even the air seemed to scorch.

Gao Chun's true form stood in the center of the lightning, his profound energy surging like a tide, his eyes as cold as knives, locking directly onto Li Tianjiao, his killing intent chilling.

He wanted to kill all three of them, but his primary target was Li Tianjiao.

Li Tianjiao is the target of their protection. As long as he attacks Li Tianjiao, the two Xuan practitioners will definitely take action, and he will be able to judge their cultivation level instantly.

Without hesitation, Gao Chun, adhering to the assassin's principle of surprise, decided to end the battle quickly.

Gao Chun himself gripped the Xuanqi dagger tightly, and three lightning phantoms followed in sync. A total of four lightning figures, like a thunderbolt piercing the sky, charged towards Li Tianjiao with overwhelming force!

Li Tianjiao and his two companions, who were lying in ambush in the forest, suddenly saw four figures wrapped in purple lightning. They froze on the spot, their faces full of astonishment and their minds blank.

Gao Chun gave them no chance to react, his target was clear, and he went straight for Li Tianjiao, whose cultivation was the weakest, at an extremely fast speed.

"How dare you!"

The other two adult Xuan practitioners changed color abruptly, instantly unleashing their full Xuan power, their bodies radiating intense Xuan light.

One person was surrounded by light purple profound energy, moving lightly and swiftly; the other person was surrounded by light red profound energy, which was fierce and domineering. The two powerful auras spread out with a roar, shaking the surrounding area.

With just one glance, Gao Chun accurately judged from the fluctuations of their profound energy that both of them were at the sixth level of the Bronze Realm!

That's it?

A hint of undisguised contempt flashed in his eyes. Two mere six-stars were not worthy of his fear.

The two Bronze Realm Six-Stars could put some pressure on him, but they were far from enough to make him back down.

He was absolutely certain that he could kill all three of them here.

In this unsupervised, dense forest, he had already sentenced the three to death.

Previously, he dared not act recklessly within the territory of Lijia Village, but here, he had no more scruples.

"Li Tianjiao only dared to bring two trusted confidants, which precisely shows that he was wary and dared not make a big fuss. He was also wary of Gaojia Village and his own relatives."

"Even though he only revealed his Bronze Realm Level 4 cultivation to the outside world, and his teammates were only Bronze Realm Level 3, Li Tianjiao directly invited two Bronze Realm Level 6 experts. He was extremely cautious."

"If I hadn't had a hidden trump card, I probably would have been defeated here today."

Gao Chun sneered inwardly. It was precisely because Li Tianjiao dared not make a sound and only led his trusted men to secretly ambush and kill the three of them that he could do so without anyone noticing.

Gao Chun didn't stop, the tip of his dagger flashing coldly. He continued to charge towards Li Tianjiao with the dagger in his main body. The power of thunder made his movements swift. After a few flashes, he was already close to Li Tianjiao's throat.

The other three lightning phantoms rushed towards the two adult cultivators, interfering with their judgment.

Just then, the middle-aged Xuan master with the hooked nose suddenly used the Swift Wind Movement Technique.

Enveloped in a pale purple aura, his speed suddenly increased several times over, like a gentle breeze, instantly appearing in front of Gao Chun, his palm forming a blade as he slashed straight at Gao Chun's wrist.

The high-purity lightning attack was abruptly stopped.

Only then did Li Tianjiao see the person's face clearly, and his eyes instantly widened in fury.

"Gao Chun! How dare you attack me!"

He was initially shocked and furious, but the next second he revealed a sinister and triumphant smile, as if victory was assured.

"Fine! Very well! I was going to take your life anyway, and now that you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, you won't leave alive today!"

"You dare humiliate me twice! You're nothing but a fourth-star Bronze Realm cultivator, a grassroots genius with only a three-colored Dao Seed! Today I've brought two sixth-star Bronze Realm elders with me; you're doomed!"

Li Tianjiao's eyes were bloodshot, his resentment almost overflowing, and his tone was frantic.

While Gao Chun calmly dodged the hook-nosed youth's attacks, his figure moving like a ghost, he intentionally led the three into the depths of the dense forest, and at the same time spoke in a low voice:

"Li Tianjiao, this is just a squabble between peers, why are you determined to kill me?"

These words completely ignited Li Tianjiao's anger.

He roared, his eyes filled with extreme malice: "A fight between peers? You humiliated me twice in public, making me lose face!"

"Though you possess the talent of a three-colored Dao Seed, you are nothing but a lowly commoner! Do you know who I am? I am the young village chief of Li Family Village, and my Li family is a branch of the Li clan, a powerful family in Jiuyang Town!"

"Do you even know what the gentry are? Almost all the officials in Jiuyang Town come from gentry families! You, a mere commoner cultivator, dare to insult me? You are disgracing the entire gentry family!"

"Therefore, you must die!"

The long-bearded Xuanzhai who was guarding Li Tianjiao also spoke coldly, his tone full of condescending arrogance: "Tianjiao is right. You dare to insult the gentry, which is already a death sentence for you."

"Even the most talented cultivator must recognize their own identity. You are a commoner, while we are aristocrats."

"The gentry are the rulers, sitting at the table; while you commoners are nothing but rags on the ground, only fit to be used and trampled by us."

"Someone as lowly as you has no right to insult our gentry."

Gao Chun was so angry that he laughed, but his laughter was cold and chilling.

He already harbored murderous intent, and now he had another reason to kill Li Tianjiao.

Today, none of these three will survive!

Gao Chun led the three into the depths of the dense forest until they could no longer see their four teammates. The ancient trees blocked out the sky, casting deep shadows, and the wind howled before they finally stopped.

This is the perfect battlefield for clandestine battles, and an ideal burial ground.

He no longer had any scruples; his eyes turned cold, and he placed one hand on his abdomen.

"untie!"

With a low shout, and after a series of actions, the Bagua seal on the abdomen was released.

boom--!!!

The violent, pale purple profound energy swept in all directions like a tsunami, causing branches and leaves to dance wildly and dust to fly everywhere!

An aura several times stronger than before suddenly spread out, revealing itself to be... a fifth-level Bronze Realm expert!

Li Tianjiao froze on the spot, his pupils shrinking to a point, his arrogance instantly freezing, replaced by unbelievable terror.

"You...you actually concealed your cultivation level?! Bronze Realm, Level 5? Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

The hook-nosed hermit standing to the side frowned, his relaxed expression instantly turning serious.

This little guy has reached the fifth level of the Bronze Realm at such a young age. He must have awakened or given birth to a bloodline supernatural power, otherwise it would be impossible!

This battle seemed extremely difficult. He abandoned all his contempt and activated his pale purple profound energy at full power, ready for battle.

Another long-bearded Xuan-level cultivator, his face full of disdain and arrogance, scoffed, "Just a mere five-star cultivator, yet you dare to be so presumptuous in front of the two of us six-star cultivators?"

He was arrogant and disdainful, not taking Gao Chun seriously at all.

"Young Master Tianjiao, don't panic, I can take him down in one move!"

"A commoner is still a commoner. Even if he hides his cultivation, he can't overcome the difference in realm."

Gao Chun's eyes were cold and sharp, and he didn't utter a single unnecessary word, only a slight thought stirred within him.

The nearly depleted dantian qi sea was instantly replenished by a surge of profound energy.

At the same instant, the energy in the bloodline crystal quietly decreased by two strands.

"Two strands of energy are enough to restore the dantian to its full capacity... This is a very worthwhile deal."

Gao Chun was secretly delighted. His bloodline crystal still contained twenty-eight strands of energy, and he would wear down the three people in front of him to death, even if it meant exhaustion.

He raised the corner of his lips slightly, once again drawing upon his profound energy to impact the spell seed within his dantian, activating the spell.

"Assassination Technique: Level 3 Thunder Shadow!"

Om-!

Pale purple lightning instantly enveloped his body, and three lightning clones appeared simultaneously, identical to his true form. The four figures shot out at the same time, their lightning shadows weaving through the air at incredible speed!

fast!

It was so fast that only a purple afterimage remained!

In the blink of an eye, Gao Chun had vanished from their sight!

Where are they?!

The hook-nosed Xuanzhe's expression changed slightly. Just as he was about to continue casting spells, he felt a strong wind coming from his left, and the tip of the Thunder Dagger was piercing straight for his heart!

He hastily raised his hand to block, and with a sharp "swoosh," the sharp dagger instantly tore open his arm and penetrated deep into his flesh!

"Such speed... What level of magic is this?!"

The hook-nosed youth's expression changed drastically. He finally realized how terrifying and troublesome Gao Chun was. He pulled out a gleaming dagger from his storage bag and used assassin techniques to pounce on the enemy!

In an instant, two figures clashed wildly in the forest, their blades flashing like lightning and their figures moving like the wind. One attacked while the other dodged, one thrust while the other evaded. The life-or-death struggle between the two top assassins erupted with a thunderous roar!

"Bang bang bang!"

The daggers clashed violently, the ear-piercing metallic clang echoing through the forest, sparks flying everywhere, illuminating the dim woodland with a dazzling light. The dense, crisp sounds made the air tremble; each strike was ruthless and deadly, extremely dangerous!

Gao Chun coldly calculated in his heart:

"As expected, the quality of Xuan Qi at the sixth level of the Bronze Realm far surpasses that of the fifth level. If my Level 3 Thunder Shadow technique weren't a top-tier spell, surpassing the opponent's in rank, I wouldn't have been able to hold my own against it. This hook-nosed fellow is far more troublesome than I imagined!"

"This hook-nosed fellow is indeed troublesome. To deal with the three of them, we must first kill him!"

During a lull in the fierce battle, Gao Chun remained calm and composed. With a slight shift in his mind, two strands of energy from the bloodline crystal quietly merged into his dantian, transforming into profound energy. His nearly depleted dantian instantly surged and became full again!

The two clashed again, their attacks and defenses shifting at lightning speed, their figures almost becoming two afterimages!

High-purity lightning-attribute assassin techniques are swift, ruthless, and deadly; hook-nosed assassin techniques are wind-attribute assassin techniques, elusive and unpredictable, as fast as the wind.

One was at the sixth level of the Bronze Realm, and the other at the fifth level. However, due to the difference in the grade of their techniques, their speeds were now neck and neck. Their fighting styles were evenly matched, each move deadly, and they fought to a standstill!

The more he was hit, the more terrified he became.

His internal energy was rapidly depleting, nearing exhaustion, and his breathing was becoming disordered. However, Gao Chun on the other side remained vigorous and powerful, with his internal energy flowing inexhaustibly, showing no signs of weakness whatsoever!

His brows furrowed sharply, his expression turning extremely grave, and he roared inwardly: We've met our match today! We absolutely cannot be careless!

He immediately roared, "Attack together! Join forces to kill him!"

The long-bearded mystic standing to the side instantly dropped all his contempt. Even though he looked down on Gao Chun for his humble origins, he no longer dared to underestimate him in the slightest.

A fifth-level Bronze Realm cultivator was able to fight to a standstill against a sixth-level Hook-Nosed cultivator, and his profound energy seemed inexhaustible. There must be something strange about this!

He forcefully activated his attack technique, and a long spear made of profound energy, its entire body as red as flame and its tip gleaming with a cold light, suddenly took shape.

The Xuanli Long Spear, with its body wrapped in violent Xuanli patterns and its tip emitting a crimson aura capable of tearing through the air, exuded a fierce and domineering aura the moment it appeared in the world, its imposing presence overwhelming and awe-inspiring!

The next second, his wrist trembled violently, and the spear, carrying an overwhelming and fierce killing intent, ripped through the sky with a piercing shriek, aiming straight for Gao Chun's vital heart!

Gao Chun's eyes narrowed. Faced with the two attacking him, he no longer confronted the hook-nosed youth head-on, but instead adopted various tactics.

Feinting to the east while attacking in the west, using deception to create illusions, and striking from the center... all sorts of ingenious tactics are readily employed and endlessly developed!

With his exquisite fighting skills, supplemented by the top-tier bronze-level technique "Level Three Thunder Shadow", he created four lightning shadows that flickered and moved, sometimes separating and sometimes merging, making it difficult for the two to distinguish between reality and illusion, so that the two of them had no way to lock onto his true form!

The two men's ferocious attacks all struck empty air, sending fallen leaves flying everywhere, but they couldn't even touch Gao Chun's clothes!

Meanwhile, Gao Chun used his ghostly movements to constantly dart around and launch sneak attacks. His dagger sliced ​​through the air, and streaks of blood bloomed on both of them. The wounds multiplied, their auras became increasingly chaotic, and their profound energy was consumed frantically like a bursting dam!

The hook-nosed scholar was terrified, his clothes soaked with cold sweat, and a storm raged within him:

"Impossible! He's been fighting fiercely for so long, why doesn't his profound energy show any signs of depletion? We've been pushing our profound energy to its limit, and our dantian and qi sea are almost completely empty!"

Absurd! Horrifying! A chilling coldness spread wildly from the depths of his heart!

"This is impossible... How could he be this strong!?"

The hook-nosed Xuanzhe's face was ashen, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.

He thought he had overestimated Gao Chun, but now he realized with horror that he had underestimated him to the extreme! All that remained in his heart was a deep-seated fear!

But he knew there was no way to retreat now, and that retreat meant certain death. He immediately mustered his courage and roared at the long-bearded Xuanzhai, "Take Tianjiao away! I'll hold him off!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his body erupted with a frenzied surge of light purple profound energy, attempting to self-destruct his dantian and qi sea in a desperate attempt to stop Gao Chun!

Gao Chun would never give him a chance. He activated the Level 3 Thunder Shadow Technique again, and four thunder shadows launched a fearless attack on him, making it difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake.

Even with his extensive combat experience, the hook-nosed Xuanzhe couldn't distinguish between the real and the illusory figures. In his panic, he managed to block one of the illusory figures with all his might.

In that instant, Gao Chunzhen suddenly appeared, and without hesitation, the dagger precisely slit his throat!

"Cough cough cough..."

The hook-nosed hermit's eyes were filled with despair. He clutched his throat tightly with both hands, blood gushing from between his fingers, and managed to utter two words with difficulty: "Go..."

Gao Chun admired his loyalty to his master to some extent, but an enemy is an enemy after all, and he must be killed without a doubt.

After dealing with the hook-nosed Xuanzhe, Gao Chuntian's Xuan power was almost exhausted. He immediately used two strands of pure energy from the bloodline crystal to instantly replenish his Xuan power, and his aura became full again.

Gao Chun continued to unleash the Level 3 Thunder Shadow technique, like a thunderbolt hunting down the long-bearded Xuanzhe and Li Tianjiao.

As Gao Chun's figure drew ever closer, the long-bearded hermit was terrified and kept begging for mercy: "I'm from the Li family! You can't kill me!"

"Spare me! I beg for mercy! I was forced! I'll never do it again..."

Seeing that Gao Chun was about to catch up, the long-bearded Xuanzhe completely collapsed, his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

With lightning speed, the dagger arrived in an instant, piercing straight into the back of the long-bearded Xuanzhe.

The long-bearded hermit was already terrified, his face ashen, his mental defenses completely collapsed, and he knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly.

"My lord! Spare me! I was wrong! I'll never do it again! I'm willing to submit! I'll serve you like a slave!"

His voice trembled, becoming extremely humble, completely devoid of his previous aristocratic arrogance.

Gao Chun looked down at him, his tone indifferent and ruthless: "Didn't you just say that commoners aren't worthy to speak with aristocratic families?"

The long-bearded man's face turned deathly pale as he frantically shook his head, pleading, "I was foul-mouthed! I talked nonsense! Please, have mercy on me..."

Gao Chun didn't listen to another word of nonsense.

With a flash, lightning streaked through the air.

laugh--!

The dagger pierced cleanly and swiftly, ending his life in an instant.

The long-bearded hermit lay on the ground, his eyes vacant, completely lifeless.

In a short while, both of the six-star Bronze Realm cultivators were killed!

Only Li Tianjiao remained at the scene.

He was so frightened that his body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, his pants soaked and reeking of a foul stench.

All his previous arrogance, conceit, and resentment were completely washed away by the fear of death.

Even in this state, the arrogance of the aristocracy in his bones had not completely faded away.

He watched Gao Chun approach step by step, his voice trembling, yet he still forced a haughty demeanor, roaring with a fierce but cowardly tone, "Gao Chun...you can't kill me..."

"I belong to a branch of the Li family, one of the five great clans of Jiuyang Town!"

"If you kill me, the Li family will not let you off! You will have no place in the entire Jiuyang Town!"

Gao Chun stopped in front of him, his eyes completely calm, as still as a frozen pool.

He slowly raised the dagger, its cold gleam reflecting on Li Tianjiao's despair-distorted face.

Li Tianjiao finally broke down completely, crying out loud with tears streaming down his face: "I was wrong! I shouldn't have messed with you! Forgive me... I'll never dare to do it again!"

laugh--! ! !

The dagger slit the throat cleanly and swiftly, without the slightest hesitation.

Blood splattered all over the ground, staining the decaying leaves in the forest red.

Gao Chun slowly sheathed his dagger, looked at the corpse on the ground, and said calmly, without a trace of emotion: "When I, Gao Chun, kill, I never care about identity, I only care about whether I want to kill."

The dense forest returned to silence, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

The thunder dissipated, leaving only three cold corpses and a tall figure standing in the shadows, like a demon god.

After taking down the three, Gao Chun sheathed his dagger, and the purple lightning swirling around him slowly dissipated.

He first searched and collected all the storage bags in the hands of the three people, as well as the magical artifacts and talismans they used, leaving no supplies behind.

He then took out the Mystic Fire Stone from his storage bag. At this moment, he had not yet mastered fire-attribute magic, so he could only rely on the Mystic Fire Stone to start a fire.

The three corpses were ignited with the Mystic Fire Stone. The Mystic Fire burned fiercely, incinerating the corpses completely without leaving a trace.

Then, he pressed his hand to his abdomen and performed a series of operations on the Bagua Seal, sealing away one star of his cultivation again. His own aura returned to the fourth star of the Bronze Realm.

He didn't want his teammates to know he was a Bronze Realm Level 5 for the time being. Firstly, to avoid them overthinking, and secondly, to avoid damaging their confidence, since his progress was simply too astonishing.

After confirming that there were no flaws at the scene and that the body had been completely destroyed, he turned around and quickly returned to the direction where his teammates were waiting.

Before long, the tall, purple figure appeared at the end of the official road.

The four people who had been waiting for a long time looked up instantly, their eyes lit up, and they rushed forward together, full of concern.

"team leader!"

"uncle!"

Li Daoqiu was the first to rush forward, carefully examining Gao Chun from head to toe. Seeing that he was only pale and had some superficial injuries, his heart finally settled down.

His tense brows relaxed slightly, but his tone still carried undisguised worry: "Captain, are you alright? Who exactly is lying in ambush ahead?"

Wang Hu approached in a deep, gruff voice, his burly frame filled with urgency, his fists clenched: "Big brother, is someone trying to cause you trouble? Should I go and teach them another lesson?"

Gao Chengzhi tilted his head slightly, his gaze awkwardly falling on Gao Chun. He refused to say a word, but his eyes were already red. He was clearly worried and scared, but he pretended to be nonchalant.

Huang Xiaoming also breathed a long sigh of relief, his face regaining its charming smile, and nodded repeatedly: "I knew the captain would be safe and sound; no one could harm him in the slightest!"

Gao Chun looked at the four concerned faces in front of him, his expression calm and gentle, his tone steady and indifferent.

He didn't reveal the truth about Li Tianjiao, but simply said casually, "It's nothing serious. We just encountered a group of unknown bandits who wanted to ambush and kill passersby on the way. I've already taken care of them."

Upon hearing this, the four of them were startled at the same time, but then they showed expressions of understanding.

"Bandit cultivators? The area between these two villages is indeed unsafe. Luckily, the captain is here!"

"How dare they attack us? They're asking for death!"

Li Daoqiu frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping over the dense forest with a grave expression. He said in a deep voice, "Bandits and cultivators roam this area, just as I expected. Captain, it's far too dangerous for you to face them alone."

Wang Hu's eyes widened in fury, and he gritted his teeth: "These bandit cultivators are incredibly audacious! Luckily, my brother is strong enough, otherwise we would have been in serious trouble!"

Gao Chengzhi clenched his little fists, tilted his chin slightly, and although there was still a hint of lingering fear in his eyes, he deliberately put on a cool and arrogant look and hummed:

"Hmph, Uncle is already very capable, so it's only natural that he would drive away these bad guys!"

Huang Xiaoming nodded to himself, becoming even more certain that following Gao Chun was absolutely safe, and his smile became even more genuine.

Gao Chun nodded slightly, no longer discussing the matter, and calmly instructed, "The bandits have been cleared out, and there is no longer any danger. This place is not safe to stay any longer; let's set off as soon as possible and head back to Gao Family Village."

He deliberately downplayed the incident, portraying it as a simple bandit disturbance, thus relieving his teammates' worries and completely concealing Li Tianjiao's death, preventing any subsequent trouble from clan revenge or village disputes.

Li Daoqiu took a deep breath, suppressed his emotions, and nodded emphatically: "Okay, I'll follow the captain's instructions!"

Wang Hu, Gao Chengzhi, and Huang Xiaoming responded in unison, their voices resounding.

The five of them walked side by side again on their way home.

Sunlight filtered through layers of branches and leaves, breaking into gentle golden rays that softly fell upon Gao Chun's composed and upright figure, gilding him with a warm yet gentle halo.

His face remained calm and expressionless, as if the thrilling battle had never happened, but deep in his eyes lay a profound depth that no one could fathom.

That ordeal for Li Tianjiao was completely buried deep in his heart, a silent past he would never mention again.

Some secrets are meant to be borne alone; some wounds are meant to heal quietly in the darkness.

The road ahead is long, but the mountains and rivers remain the same.

From now on, he will have to walk his own path step by step.

If anyone stands in front of me...

God, do not spare.

The demons will not be spared.