Two escape lights, one after the other, maintained only basic invisibility as they flew frantically toward the border between Chu Country and Yue Country.
They had no other choice.
Returning to the war-torn Northern Plains would be even more dangerous.
As for other places, beyond this world of cultivators, aside from the Northern Plains, lay nothing but the desolate Spiritless Gobi, where, even if one expended all their Life Energy, they might not be able to find another cultivator's domain.
Neither Hua Xue Palace nor Qiyu Sect were easy to deal with.
"This time, our brothers have hit bad luck."
Yellow Leopard said with great resentment, "The Tushan sword cultivators are too deplorable, that Triple Grade Superior Spiritual Vein was vast enough to accommodate many Post-Golden Alchemist cultivators with plenty to spare, and he couldn't use it all himself, so why wouldn't he share even a little?"
"Just wait, as the conflicts in the Northern Plains become more frequent, more fellow cultivators will come, and I don't believe he can keep monopolizing a spiritual vein by himself."
"We'll discuss it then."
Cold light flickered in the eyes of the bearded elder.
Yellow Leopard was one thing; he was the one who taken direct action, suddenly finding himself with such a deadly enemy. If he wasn't removed, Yellow Leopard might one day be killed by a flying sword without ever knowing from whence it came.
The two escape lights suddenly stopped.
They revealed their forms, their faces ugly as they looked ahead.
"How did you find us?"
In the void, an ordinary-looking young man gazed at them indifferently, the aura of an early Golden Pill cultivator about him, as if he had been waiting for quite some time.
"Dual cultivation of Law Body, middle Jindan stage, not bad."
Jiang Ding nodded towards Yellow Leopard.
This was his first encounter with this Golden Pill monk, but upon scanning with his Sword Intent, he immediately discovered that the information from Armor-25 was incorrect— the other party had concealed his cultivation base.
"I've seen fellow Tushan."
Yellow Leopard's heart chilled, and he squeezed out a smile, "The two of us brothers were just joking with your disciple, and are willing to compensate your disciple with two million low-grade Spirit Stones. What do you think, fellow cultivator?"
"I know you're a Sword Intent Sword Cultivator and can fight above your level, but we cultivators still prize peace as the most precious."
"Being from the same Northern Plains, we should help and lookout for one another."
Having been exposed, he no longer hid his true nature, revealing the imposing aura of a Middle Jindan Stage cultivator. While giving ground, he implied a veiled threat.
The bearded elder's face was somber as he looked ahead.
"Two million Spirit Stones?"
Jiang Ding chuckled wryly.
"Fellow cultivator is confused, unaware of the situation. Both of you are mine to claim, how could two million Spirit Stones be enough?"
Eyebrow center, the crisscrossed magnetic array patterns flashed, deploying rings of virtual line-shaped Magnetic Field Spirit Power Gathering Formation array patterns.
An Azure Flying Sword emerged within them,
It disappeared into the sound of an explosion, and the terrifying Sword Intent of Destruction spread in all directions, firmly locking onto the Divine Souls of the two Golden Pill cultivators, leaving them no escape, whether to heaven or earth.
Yellow Leopard flew into a rage, tearing off the facade he had maintained, and with a flash of Spiritual Light in his hand, a golden, shimmering broadsword appeared. His wrist flicked, and dazzling golden Sword Qi sprayed out, forming a dense array of blades that flew towards their opponent.
His body, too, underwent a transformation; bones rattled, muscles bulged, fangs protruded, and a layer of golden fur emerged on his skin, turning him into a ten-foot-tall golden fierce ape.
"You're nothing but an early Golden Pill cultivator. You've been given face and yet refuse to accept, seeking your own death!"
Yellow Leopard growled lowly, lifting the golden broadsword with both hands, leaping hundreds of yards forward, an unstoppable ferocity in his aura.
Compared to ordinary human cultivators, his body was no longer frail but a strength, with immense advantages in defense and melee combat.
Unlike ordinary cultivators engaging in long-range attacks with treasures, they preferred to get close to their opponents and tear them to pieces with their immense physical power and magic.
Jiang Ding shook his head.
In the span of a breath, the Azure Flying Sword, carrying the brilliant Sword Intent of Destruction, descended.
Beneath the azure edge of the sword, the layers of golden Sword Qi forming the blade array were shattered, dissipated into nothing, causing not the slightest hindrance. The sword-light shone brightly, and the Sword Intent of Destruction filled the air, striking directly upon the golden broadsword in the hands of the fierce ape.
The golden blade and the Azure Flying Sword made contact.
Yellow Leopard's eyes bulged like copper bells, filled with shock and horror.
A visible crack appeared on the blade edge of the mid-grade treasure, the Splitting Golden Blade, at the moment of contact, almost reaching deep into the middle of the blade.
At the same time, a terrifying force transmitted from between the blade and sword, causing a sweet taste in his throat, a softness in his muscles and bones, and his body to fly backward like a batted ball, spewing out a mouthful of fresh blood in mid-air.
"Are you a Dual Cultivator of Law Body?"
Jiang Ding commented, "That's the choice of a mediocre person. Magic itself includes attack, defense, and movement, so why make an unnecessary extra effort, wasting energy to learn the toughness of a demon beast?"
At the same time, the bearded old man was shocked, flicked his robe-sleeve, and opened his Luo-tian-sleeve, which suddenly swelled to dozens of zhang in size, engulfing the rolling sand and the ground within several li.
A huge tearing force formed, acting entirely on the ordinary-looking Sword Cultivator in the distance, causing his body to sway slightly.
The Taiqing Flying Sword's azure light vibrated, slashing across with a thick Sword Qi tens of zhang in size, destroying the absolute spirit, and forcibly interrupting the enormous pulling force acting on the original body.
No longer able to cause any effect.
"Is this technique called the Luo-tian-sleeve?"
Jiang Ding's stern gaze was drawn, looking in that direction.
The bearded old man's scalp tingled, his Divine Soul trembled, and a small jade knife flew out to meet the one in front.
An Azure Flying Sword arrived in an instant, striking the jade knife.
Between the collision of blade and sword, a terrible sound occurred, the jade knife's spiritual light flickered uncertainly, before it broke into two pieces, and its spiritual light completely disappeared, falling downward.
The bearded old man's face turned pale, his Mana churned within his body, his heart even more fearful. The sleeve robe, dozens of zhang in size, crazily shrank, turning into a black hole the size of a bowl's mouth, blocking in front of him.
The Taiqing Flying Sword plunged into the black hole and after a brief calm, before the bearded old man could exhale in relief, the azure sword-light burst out again, forcefully piercing through the sleeve, aiming for his head.
The bearded old man shouted, biting the tip of his tongue, his body transforming into dozens of lifelike phantoms, retreating backward in a frenzy, his speed almost on par with a Post-golden Alchemist.
The Taiqing Flying Sword passed through the head of a phantom, bringing up specks of brain matter, with Destruction Sword Qi rapidly spreading along the neckline, instantly obliterating the Golden Pill and Divine Soul.
The lifeless body fell downwards.
With one sword, a Golden Pill died!
Jiang Ding sighed slightly in his heart.
Even though it was just an early Golden Pill Cultivator, he was finally able to achieve his original goal.
Forced back hundreds of meters by a single sword, the inherent brutality of the Golden Berserker Ape technique was stimulated, and flames blazed on the golden fur that covered his body. Yellow Leopard was about to roar in a desperate attempt, but seeing this scene, his heart trembled.
It was as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been poured over him.
The innate brutality from his technique and bloodline, the rage that could only be quelled by constant consumption of Calming Heart Pills, dissipated in an instant, and no matter what, it could no longer gather again.
After his moment of reflection, Jiang Ding looked towards the Golden Berserker Ape with its monkey hair standing on end.
Fear appeared anthropomorphically on Yellow Leopard's monkey face, not daring to utter another word, gripping the golden blade with both hands, he ignited his Essence Blood and frantically fled toward the direction of Hua Xue Palace.