Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

To complete the task, Yi Yang squatted on the ancient pine tree all night.

The morning dew soaked through his outer robe, but he remained motionless, his breathing long and shallow, the Concealing Breath Technique suppressing his presence to the extreme.

Deep within the giant rock cave seven zhang below him, the target's breathing was even and steady.

Although there was no fluctuation at all, Yi Yang still decided to wait.

What Yiyang had in abundance was patience; his forty-four years as a woodcutter had taught him this precious quality.

Finally, the dawn broke in the distance and came into Yi Yang's view.

A thin mist rose from the valley floor, enveloping the entire valley in a layer of grayish-white gauze.

Just as the first rays of sunlight were about to pierce the mist and fall on the top of the giant rock, a sound finally came from the cave that had been quiet all night.

A rustling sound followed by a muffled thud as someone pushed themselves up on their knees.

After a while, a figure emerged from the cave.

He was dressed in a martial arts outfit that allowed for easy movement, and he was thin, but his complexion was not bad.

The man was bent over, clutching something in his hand, busy working on the open ground in front of the cave entrance.

Upon seeing the target appear, Yi Yang's pupils contracted slightly, and he activated his internal energy perception to lock onto the figure in front of him.

The other person was bent over, stretching out their arms, doing something that completely exposed their back, their attention completely occupied by the work in their hands.

Completely unprepared.

"The time has come."

Without hesitation, Yi Yang, having made his decision, lightly touched the ground with his toes and instantly left the tree branch, pushing his water-crossing technique to its limit.

Yi Yang's figure swept through the mist at an extremely fast speed, covering a distance of seven zhang in a moment with his mastered movement technique.

The figure landed.

The right fist, already brimming with the full power of the second level of internal energy, slammed fiercely towards that bent spine, driven by the condensed internal energy.

The punch arrived in an instant, leaving the opponent no time to react.

But the moment his fist touched the opponent's back, Yi Yang's expression changed.

The texture doesn't feel right.

The vibrations transmitted back from the bones were not at all the hardness one would expect from someone at the sixth level of Qi and Blood cultivation.

The tendons and bones beneath the opponent's muscle layer seemed to be cast in iron, and the rebound force of the qi and blood far exceeded the "sixfold perfection" marked on the file.

puff--

Manager Huang, who was ambushed by Yi Yang, spat out a large amount of blood mist. He was blasted into the air by the punch and flew three zhang away. His back crashed into a huge rock and smashed into a pile of rubble.

But he didn't die.

Upon seeing this, Yi Yang wanted to give chase.

But after crashing into the stone wall, the other person immediately rolled over and stood up. Although their legs were trembling and blood was still trickling from the corner of their mouth, their eyes revealed...

Fierce.

Violent.

A murderous intent, completely incongruous with his frail body, burst forth from his pupils.

"This guy is hiding his true strength."

Yi Yang's judgment came to mind: the opponent's strength was at least above the sixth level of Qi and Blood, only then could they possibly survive his attack.

Yi Yang didn't have time to think it through; he pushed off with his feet and was about to chase after him to finish him off.

However, Steward Huang was even faster.

As the seemingly life-threatening man was blasted away, his right hand had already reached into his clothes.

As Yi Yang took his first step, a bright red whistling arrow was already launched into the air from the opponent's hand.

laugh--!

A sharp whistle ripped through the silence of the valley in the early morning, and a column of red smoke exploded in mid-air, looking particularly dazzling against the backdrop of the thin mist.

Upon seeing Yi Yang, I immediately sensed something was wrong; my first mission had gone awry.

That should be a distress signal.

Once this piece of junk is launched, it can't be taken back, no matter who it's aimed at.

Whether it was the garrison of the Yamashita Evil Division or their accomplices lurking in the mountains, the window of opportunity left for Yi Yang had changed from "ample" to "limited".

"We can't delay any longer." Yi Yang made the decision in an instant. He reached his right hand behind his back and drew the Tiger Roar sword.

The 72-pound black fire iron heavy sword twirled in his hands, its weight giving Yi Yang a solid sense of control.

He touched the ground with his toes, his figure turning into a blur as he rushed straight towards the seriously injured Steward Huang.

Manager Huang leaned against the stone wall, panting heavily. His left hand was clutching his chest, and a short blade had appeared in his right hand. It seemed he still wanted to struggle.

The blade of the short blade was bluish, clearly indicating that it had been coated with a potent poison.

"Who are you--"

He hadn't finished speaking.

The third move of the Nine Peaks Saber: Sharp Peak.

Yi Yang gave him no chance to speak. Blade energy burst forth from the blade of Tiger Roar. The sharpness of the double-condensed inner energy pierced through the morning mist, and with a deep hum, it went straight for the opponent's throat.

The seriously injured Steward Huang tried to raise his short blade to block.

But it didn't work.

The blade's energy crushed the short blade, pierced through the neck, and a head flew off.

The headless body slid down against the stone wall, blood gushing from the cut and soaking the soil beneath its feet.

From the moment the arrow shot into the air to the moment the head hit the ground, the entire process took no more than three breaths.

After completing the task, Yi Yang sheathed his sword and his breathing became steady.

But his brow remained furrowed, his right hand still gripping the Tiger Roar, his gaze sweeping around.

The whistling of the arrow still echoed in the valley, its lingering sound excessively long.

Who will come? How soon?

Just as Yi Yang was about to crouch down and search the corpse, he heard a whooshing sound behind him.

Still three.

Extremely fast, it came through the fog from the dense forest in the northeast, a speed that no Qi and Blood Realm martial artist could achieve.

That is the Inner Qi Realm.

Seeing that his goal was not achieved, Li Yiyang did not turn around, but his internal energy perception had already locked onto the location and cultivation level of the three people.

The one in the lead had the strongest aura, at the second level of inner energy, and his quality of returning to the origin of purity was exactly the same as his. The two behind him were slightly weaker, both at the first level of inner energy.

The three of them created a gust of wind when they landed, whipping up the surrounding fallen leaves half a foot high.

"Who goes there! Drop your weapons!"

A clear and sharp female voice echoed through the woods, carrying the commanding tone unique to soldiers.

As Yi Yang slowly rose, he could feel a sharp sword intent pressed against his back, less than three inches from his skin.

With just a flick of the wrist, this sword would pierce his heart.

The other two had already circled around from the flank, one with a gun and the other with two knives, forming a very experienced triangular encirclement.

Upon sensing the other party's aura, Yi Yang knew they were from the Evil Exorcism Division, so he did not flee immediately.

They must have come following the whistle of the arrow.

Yi Yang neither took any action nor did he follow the other party's instructions.

He slowly pulled a black token from his waist with his left hand, held it up to his side, and said:

"Youquan Division, mission."

The mere five words caused the sword intent behind him to pause.

After a brief silence, the oppressive feeling pressing against his back receded slightly, and Yi Yang, now temporarily safe, turned around.

The woman with the sword was in her early thirties, with a heroic face and a scrutinizing and wary look in her eyes.

Her gaze lingered on the token for a moment, then fell on Yi Yang's aged face, her brows furrowing slightly as she asked:

"Name, position."

"Yi Yang, Deputy Patrol Chief. Execute the kill order."

After announcing his identity, Yi Yang took back the token, his tone flat.

The woman wielding the sword, Han Yan, exchanged a glance with the two male deputy directors behind her. Both shook their heads slightly, indicating that they had never heard of the name.

However, the tokens of the Netherworld Bureau cannot be faked; the hidden patterns on them can only be engraved using the special techniques of the Judgment Hall.

Han Yan sheathed her sword, but remained wary as she interrogated him:

Who did you kill?

"Huang Yang, the shopkeeper, is a fugitive."

Yi Yang stepped aside, revealing the headless corpse beneath the stone wall behind him.

Han Yan's gaze swept over the corpse, but she didn't say anything more.

Each of the three departments has its own authority, and the assassination orders of the Youquan Department are not under her jurisdiction.

Now that Yi Yang had revealed his identity, he didn't delay any longer and squatted back down next to the corpse to prepare to search it.

When he turned the body over, he noticed something was wrong.

There was a small, furry thing under Manager Huang, covered in blood. It wasn't big, but the wet, sticky feeling slowed Yi Yang's movements down a beat.

He completely dissected the body.

Below is the carcass of a small animal.

Its once bright red fur had faded, and it had a pig-like snout and ears, short and thick hooves, and a body size only that of a domestic cat.

The edges of the four hooves still faintly retain dark patterns, resembling the shape of a fiery cloud.

The abdomen was cut open, and some of the internal organs were missing. The incision was clean, indicating that they had been removed intentionally.

This should be a red porpoise calf.

Yi Yang's brows furrowed deeply.

He had seen records of this in the files of Yunlin County. The red boar is a strange boar-like beast, and its adult form is extremely rare. The meat alone is worth more than three thousand taels of silver, so it can be said to be of extraordinary value.

Could it be that this guy ran into the deep mountains not to escape for his life, but to hunt offspring of strange beasts?

He didn't even have time to look closely—

"Don't move!"

Han Yan's voice suddenly rose, filled with excitement and greed.

A sword aura approached from the side, stopping three inches in front of Yi Yang, the force of which caused the stray hairs on his forehead to flutter.

Yi Yang slowly raised his head, looking at the three of them with a gloomy expression.

Han Yan ignored Yi Yang's displeasure. She strode over, her eyes fixed on the crimson corpse of the young beast on the ground, her pupils churning with complex emotions.

His expression was mostly one of shock, but also contained a hint of urgency that he couldn't quite decipher.

"This monster's corpse is a crucial clue for our operation."

At this moment, Han Yan spoke in a firm tone, exuding official authority:

"From now on, I will be in charge of the site. Deputy Director Yi, your task is complete. Do not touch anything else."

The other party's rank was the same as Qi Shujian's, but one level higher.

Threatened and ordered, Yi Yang stood up, his face expressionless. He simply wiped the beast blood off his hands with his sleeve and walked to the side.

He didn't intend to get into conflict with anyone over this; there was no need. His mission was accomplished.

But he still had to search for the body; it was his spoils.

Ignoring Han Yan's threatening gaze, Yi Yang walked straight towards the head that had rolled down a few steps away.

Pick it up with your left hand, and use your right index finger to feel around on the other person's cheek.

Sure enough, the texture felt wrong.

The skin is too smooth, the pores are too evenly distributed, and there's an extremely fine seam at the edge—

Yi Yang gripped the gap with his fingertips and tore it open with a sudden rip.

The entire sheet of dough was peeled off.

Below was a completely different face: a square face, a short beard, an old scar running diagonally from the corner of his left eyebrow to his cheekbone, and rough, dark skin.

This face bears absolutely no resemblance to "Manager Huang".

Suddenly, a startled cry came from behind Yi Yang:

"Zhao Hu?!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Yang suddenly turned around.

The one who spoke was Zhu Wei, the deputy director behind Han Yan who was holding a gun. He had the cultivation level of the first level of internal energy.

This person had been watching Yi Yang's every move, and now, seeing the head in Yi Yang's hand, his expression was one of utter shock.

Yi Yang placed the head back on the ground and looked calmly at Zhu Wei, saying:

Do you know this person?

Zhu Wei opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbed twice, and he was about to speak—

boom.

A dull thud came from deep within the dense forest, rapid and powerful, and the ground began to tremble rhythmically.

Upon seeing this, Yi Yang's internal energy perception suddenly expanded towards the source of the sound.

But the next moment, his expression completely changed.

Three enormous beastly auras were rushing toward the valley at an astonishing speed.

Two of them possessed the aura of the second level of internal energy.

The last one is even more terrifying.

This huge commotion caused the birds in the forest to scatter in all directions.

The thick tree trunks were violently shaken by the impact, and several broke off directly from the roots, collapsing with a loud bang.

Then the dense forest was violently pushed open.

Three crimson giant boars burst out from the shattered bushes. They were the size of calves, with tusks that curved upwards like two scimitars, and bright fire marks branded on their four hooves, leaving scorched marks on the soil with each step.

The largest of the group was taller than a person, with bristles standing on its back and blood-red eyes scanning everyone in the arena.

Its gaze fell on the carcass of the red porpoise cub on the ground.

The next moment—

A roar shattered the tranquility of the entire valley.

The roar was not the volume that ordinary beasts could produce. Yi Yang felt his eardrums go numb, and the soil beneath his feet cracked from the sound waves.

Upon seeing these three colossal beasts, everyone present paled.

Yi Yang gripped the hilt of Hu Xiao's sword tightly, his knuckles clenching.

Three adult red boars, two of which have the second level of inner energy, and the leader's aura is even at the third level of inner energy.

Their offspring had just been killed by the corpse at Yi Yang's feet.

This is the current situation.

This is getting a bit tricky.