Mortal's Journey: Reborn as Xin Ruyin, she begins by possessing Qi Yun's body.

Han Li was completely puzzled by Qi Yunxiao's sudden words.

"We don't need to run anymore. Someone is following us, and they're not far away."

Qi Yunxiao spoke calmly, yet with an undeniable certainty.

"Find a place to stop, regulate your breathing to recover your spiritual energy, and prepare for battle."

Before he finished speaking, he found a flat clearing in the woods, landed, finished his practice, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes slightly, and quickly circulated his energy to regulate his breathing.

His spiritual energy gradually calmed down, accumulating strength for the upcoming fierce battle.

Han Li stood there stunned for a moment, his heart filled with surprise and doubt.

He had no idea how Qi Yunxiao had sensed that someone was following him, as the other party hadn't even revealed their presence.

But seeing Qi Yunxiao's unwavering preparation for battle, and the trust that had been built up since they met, he had no doubts whatsoever.

Without asking any further questions, Han Li quickly landed, sat cross-legged beside Qi Yunxiao, closed his eyes, and focused on regulating his breathing.

He also concealed all excess aura around him, while secretly gripping the high-grade flying sword he had just acquired, his fingertips surging with spiritual energy, fully on guard.

The forest was silent, save for the rustling of the leaves in the morning breeze.

After a short period of meditation, Qi Yunxiao slowly stood up, holding the Spirit Detection Disc, his gaze fixed on the increasingly clear points of light on the disc.

The enemy was already close, only a few dozen feet away, their aura sinister and made no attempt to conceal it.

Han Li also stood up at the same time, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the spirit-detecting disc in Qi Yunxiao's hand, a hint of barely suppressed curiosity flashing in his eyes.

He had always wondered why Qi Yunxiao could always so accurately sense danger.

Seeing the disc shimmering with spiritual light, faintly resonating with the surrounding spiritual energy, he had already guessed what was going on, but he also knew that now was definitely not the time to ask.

He immediately composed himself, his spiritual energy surging around him, and gripped the high-grade flying sword at his waist, becoming fully alert.

"Come out, we've found you."

Qi Yunxiao raised his eyes and spoke loudly towards the dense forest indicated by the spirit-detecting compass. His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable confidence, without the slightest hint of panic.

After a moment of silence in the woods, about two or three breaths later, a slight sound of earth shifting suddenly came from the ground.

Clearly, seeing the two men were heavily guarded, the other side realized that a sneak attack was hopeless and there was no point in hiding any longer.

Two figures burst from the ground, and amidst the rising dust, two cultivators dressed in yellow robes were revealed.

On the left was a lean man in his thirties with triangular eyes and a hooked nose. He was thin but exuded a cunning air.

On the right was a burly man with broad shoulders and a thick waist, holding a wide-mouthed long knife in both hands. The blade gleamed with a chilling light, and his aura was several times more powerful than that of the lean man.

The lean man narrowed his triangular eyes, staring intently at Qi Yunxiao, his tone filled with surprise and resentment: "How did you discover us? We both used a concealment technique, hiding underground. Ordinary Qi Refining stage cultivators wouldn't be able to detect us at all!"

They were ordered to track and kill the two men, intending to launch a surprise attack when they were off guard, but they were discovered as soon as they got close, which surprised them.

Upon hearing this, Qi Yunxiao's lips curled into a disdainful smile, his eyes turning cold: "You think I'd tell you?"

Before he could finish speaking, he stopped wasting words, his fingers flashing out a hand seal as he shouted, "Black Cloud Sword, emerge!"

A black light suddenly shot out from the storage bag at his waist, transforming into a long sword that was entirely black and covered with silver patterns—the top-tier magic weapon, the Black Cloud Sword.

The sword trembled, emitting a deep hum, and a sharp sword aura rushed towards the lean man with a world-destroying force.

At the same time, Qi Yunxiao flipped his wrist again, and a shield that was entirely crimson and engraved with black tortoise patterns quietly appeared. It was the Crimson Pattern Black Tortoise Shield.

The shield hovered in front of the two of them. With a flash of light, a thick layer of red light enveloped them, protecting them tightly and completely.

He had anticipated that the other side would send reinforcements and had prepared defenses in advance.

Upon seeing this, the lean man's expression changed drastically. He was greatly surprised, never expecting Qi Yunxiao to act so decisively and to use such a high-quality magical artifact.

He didn't have time to think; his fingertips hastily formed a hand seal, and he uttered a low shout: "Ice Spike Technique!"

Several chilling ice spikes materialized out of thin air and shot towards the Black Cloud Sword, attempting to block this fatal blow.

However, the Black Cloud Sword is a top-tier magic weapon made of mixed iron, and it is extremely sharp. How could an ordinary ice spike withstand it?

With a few crisp "crack" sounds, the ice spike shattered into ice shards the moment it touched the sword energy of the Black Cloud Sword, and dissipated into the air.

The Black Cloud Sword's momentum was unstoppable, showing no signs of slowing down. In the blink of an eye, it caught up with the lean man, its sword energy already tearing through his robes.

"Be careful!"

Upon seeing this, the burly man's eyes widened in fury. He and the lean man were companions, and if he allowed the lean man to be killed, he would be no match for him alone.

Without further hesitation, he gripped the wide-mouthed longsword tightly with both hands, his figure blurred, and he charged fiercely towards the Crimson-Patterned Black Tortoise Shield.

He raised his long sword high, and with a whistling sound, slammed it down hard on the shield.

"clang--!"

A deafening roar erupted as the longsword struck the crimson-patterned tortoise shield, sending sparks flying.

The burly man gritted his teeth, exerted force with both arms, and slashed down with his long sword again and again, the force increasing with each strike.

However, the Crimson-Patterned Black Tortoise Shield remained completely still, only showing a faint red glow on its surface, deflecting all attacks without leaving even a faint white mark.

Han Li was initially worried, fearing that the shield would not be able to withstand the strong man's fierce attack, but he saw that the Crimson-Patterned Xuan Turtle Shield blocked the attack so easily.

A flash of shock crossed his eyes, which quickly turned into intense envy.

With his keen perception, he immediately recognized that the shield was of extremely high quality, far surpassing any superior magic weapon, and was undoubtedly a legendary top-tier magic weapon.

Such a powerful defense was exactly the kind of treasure that rogue cultivators like him dreamed of. He couldn't help but secretly envy Qi Yunxiao and admire his weapon-refining skills.

"Brother Han, stop dazed and attack that burly man!"

Qi Yunxiao's voice came at just the right time, with a hint of urgency. He was currently using all his strength to suppress the lean man with the Black Cloud Sword and had no time to deal with the burly man.

Han Li snapped back to his senses, suppressed his envy, and stared intently at the burly man.

His tone was chilling, tinged with coldness: "Sir, experience my five-shot burst!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he slightly bent the five fingers of his right hand, and the spiritual energy at his fingertips surged.

Five fist-sized fireballs materialized out of thin air, shrouded in scorching heat. They formed a straight line, carrying a howling heat wave, and shot towards the burly man, blocking all his escape routes.

Qi Yunxiao caught a glimpse of Han Li's attack out of the corner of his eye, and the corner of his mouth curled up almost imperceptibly.

While the burly man's attention was drawn to the fireball, she quietly made a hand seal with her fingertips, and three small, sharp golden needles flew out of her storage bag.

Under the cover of the fireball, it silently shot towards the burly man, moving with lightning speed and extremely stealthy.

This was the top-tier flying needle artifact he had previously crafted, specifically designed for treacherous purposes.