"There is no mistaking that commotion, someone is definitely dueling!"
Numerous cultivators flew through the air, their eyes and ears alert to all directions as they searched for the direction where Old Man Longsword might be. However, Old Man Longsword truly lived up to his reputation as an old fox who had managed to survive in hiding for hundreds of years; his concealment skills were particularly superb. They had chased him all night without catching a single glimpse of his shadow.
Back in the day, Old Man Longsword had sneaked into the Void Mystic Realm and plundered an untold number of treasures. If they caught him, he would naturally have to "gift" all those treasures on him to them.
This was exactly why so many cultivators flocked here to join the fray the moment they heard traces of Old Man Longsword appearing in this remote place.
At this moment, a fragrant breeze wafted by, and everyone's attention was drawn to the figure of a woman in red.
Hong Fu's graceful figure hovered in the air, her veil fluttering gently in the wind. Her eyes radiated spiritual energy as she searched the surrounding mountain peaks for any signs of movement.
Old Man Longsword used to be her martial uncle and was very familiar with her methods, so naturally, he wouldn't be easily found by her. But with this entire vicinity surrounded by cultivators, Old Man Longsword definitely hadn't escaped yet.
Remembering something, Hong Fu manifested a bead of blood in her hand.
This was the blood that Old Man Longsword had shed when he was injured during their fight in the Void Mystic Realm all those years ago.
For cultivators, anything that fell from an opponent's body was worth collecting, as it might come in handy someday. Now, this drop of Old Man Longsword's blood was exactly what she needed.
That chubby little wooden chicken took to the air.
Many were puzzled, wondering what kind of magical artifact Fairy Hong Fu had just taken out.
After the wooden chicken "tasted" the drop of blood, it opened its beak and gave a little chirp, then fluttered its tiny wings and flew off in a certain direction.
Hong Fu followed after it without a word.
Yue Qingfeng was originally ordered by his sect to assist Fairy Hong Fu in capturing Old Man Longsword. Seeing this, he hurriedly followed behind her.
Old Man Longsword was hiding in a temporarily found cave, meditating and regulating his breath.
He was filled with such bitter resentment that he practically gnashed his teeth to pieces.
The heavenly treasures he had collected over hundreds of years had been snatched away just like that by someone who hadn't even shown their face. It meant all his efforts over the years had been for nothing. What was even more infuriating was that the Cosmos Bag contained many magical artifacts he had seized from the Void Mystic Realm—treasures he had betrayed his sect to obtain—which would have been of great benefit to his future breakthroughs.
He had offended so many people and plundered so many resources precisely because he had been stuck at the Nascent Soul stage for a long time. Just as he was seeing the hope of breaking through his current realm by piling up magical artifacts, he was robbed blind in a single night. How could he not be filled with hatred?
He did not know who he had crossed blows with that night, but that person was truly insidious. They came with the sole purpose of murdering him for his treasures without a single word of unnecessary nonsense. This sinister way of doing things could not help but remind him of The Green-Clad Guest he had encountered in the mystic realm two hundred years ago.
Could it be that The Green-Clad Guest, who had vanished without a trace for two hundred years, had heard of his appearance in this remote backwater and come to join the fun?
Old Man Longsword recalled how he had been sneak-attacked by The Green-Clad Guest in the mystic realm back then, sustaining severe injuries that had yet to heal even now. Pressing a hand against his injured chest, his heart wavered with alarm and suspicion.
However, before he had time to think any further, a clumsy little wooden chicken suddenly flew into the cave and stopped right in front of him.
The spiritual energy of this wooden chicken was so faint that it could hardly be considered a magical artifact, and it was precisely because of this that it was so difficult to detect.
Old Man Longsword could not discern the origin of this wooden chicken, but he quickly felt a sense of foreboding.
He got up to flee, only to run headlong into a fiery red whip that lashed out at him.
Crimson flames burned along the length of the whip. If one were even slightly careless and took a hit from it, they would be flayed alive, even if they managed to survive.
Old Man Longsword swiftly dodged to the side. The whip struck the stone wall, its crushing weight smashing several deep cracks into the rock.
Hong Fu's figure appeared, her voice ice-cold. "Old Man Longsword, two hundred years. I've finally found you."
At the same time, a flying sword lunged at him, nearly skewering Old Man Longsword straight through.
Yue Qingfeng stood by Hong Fu's side. "Martial Aunt, your disciple is here to assist you."
Seeing that Hong Fu's two handmaidens were also blocking the way, Old Man Longsword thought to himself in dismay that his life was in danger!
"Martial Niece Hong Fu, I did guide you in your cultivation back in the day. Are you truly going to disregard our past ties and refuse to let this old man off this one time?"
If Old Man Longsword hadn't sneak-attacked her back then, Hong Fu wouldn't have been injured and subsequently saved by The Green-Clad Guest. If she hadn't been saved by him, she wouldn't have let her guard down around a man for the first time in her life, and naturally, she wouldn't have been ridiculously thrown into an array by that very man to act as a human meat shield!
Hong Fu viewed the events of two hundred years ago as a humiliating disgrace. If she did not kill Old Man Longsword and The Green-Clad Guest, this knot would forever remain in her heart, leaving her with no hope of ever breaking through to the next realm.
What past ties?
She only wanted to kill!
"For the sake of our past as fellow sect members, I will leave you an intact corpse."
Before Hong Fu's words even faded, she exerted a sudden force from her wrist. The crimson whip lashed out with a sharp, piercing crack through the air. The whip, covered in barbs tempered with a cold poison, spun and danced, drawing several arcs of blood-red flowers in the air.
Yue Qingfeng followed closely behind. His sharp green sword left its sheath with a sound like a dragon's roar. The sword light was as chilling as frost, and his strikes were fast, precise, and ruthless, every move aimed directly at the old man's major acupoints.
Between the whip and the sword, Old Man Longsword was trapped dead in the center.
The old man had already depleted most of his cultivation base. Facing the combined assault of the two, he was quickly overwhelmed. His longsword knocked away the tip of Hong Fu's whip and barely parried Yue Qingfeng's throat-piercing thrust. The webbing between his thumb and forefinger split open, blood sliding down the blade of his sword. Stumbling backward continuously, his back slammed against the freezing stone wall. He had no more room to retreat.
His face was as pale as paper, and extreme terror and unwillingness flashed in his eyes. He knew that if he continued to fight, he would undoubtedly die a violent death right then and there. With trembling fingers, he reached into his robes and tightly gripped his last life-saving escape talisman.
Old Man Longsword bit his fingertip, exhausting the last of his internal energy to activate the talisman. A golden radiance suddenly burst from the paper, and a pale golden light of evasion enveloped his figure, about to tear through the air and carry him away.
In that split second, an invisible burst of energy shot out from the shadows. It was so fast that not even light or shadows could catch up to it. Carrying a ruthless force capable of shattering mountains and cracking stones, it smashed violently into the old man's kneecaps!
"Crack—"
A crisp, horrifying sound of breaking bones pierced the air. The old man's legs bent backward at the impact, the bones shattering inch by inch. The excruciating pain tore a heart-rending, agonizing howl from his throat. The talisman slipped from his grasp instantly, and the evasive light surrounding him abruptly dissipated.
With a flick of her whip, Hong Fu accurately wrapped it around the old man's neck, pulling it viciously tight. Meanwhile, Yue Qingfeng pressed his longsword horizontally against the old man's heart, its cold gleam menacing.
With that, Old Man Longsword lost any chance of escape.
He screamed, "Don't kill me, I have information on The Green—"
He wanted to say that he had clues about The Green-Clad Guest, but another streak of extreme chill emerged from the shadows and slit his throat. Blood poured out of him like a fountain as he collapsed to the ground, twitching.
Hong Fu hurriedly used her spiritual energy to stop the bleeding and protect a sliver of Old Man Longsword's soul.
Old Man Longsword harbored numerous treasures. Before he handed them all over, she couldn't let him die just yet.
Yue Qingfeng had already chased after the direction from which the chilling intent had struck. Beneath a tree, only a trace of cold aura remained. He returned to Hong Fu's side with a grave expression. "The person in the shadows is gone."
