"Boom!"
The violent explosion echoed through the skies, rubble piercing the air, dust billowing, followed by four figures emerging.
"Zhong Jinliu! Senior Sister Gu had long suspected that you, the Spirit Treasure Sect’s chief true inheritor, had ulterior motives. As expected, not only did you secretly cleanse the sect of those close to my Huayue Mansion, but now you even dare to mingle with this group of culverts rats from the Formless Ghost Collection?"
He Qinyuan narrowed her eyes, focusing on Zhong Jinliu and the cultivators behind him, and spoke coldly.
She had long known what this person was plotting.
Originally intending to first slay the Lingyin cultivator before killing this beast.
Unexpectedly, these people gathered together, saving her time—earlier, she had spent too much time investigating various places, and with the closure of Luoxiao Grotto Heaven imminent, time was running out.
Hearing He Qinyuan’s declaration, Zhong Jinliu’s face turned ashen, confirming his worst fears.
Indeed, Huayue Mansion had been watching him all along!
"He Qinyuan, stop spouting nonsense here!"
Zhong Jinliu sneered repeatedly, the compass in his hand radiating golden light,
"This Luoxiao Grotto Heaven is within the borders of the Yan Kingdom. You want to kill me? Let’s see if you four vicious dogs have the teeth for it!"
"Facing death, yet still so defiant."
He Qinyuan’s gaze turned icy.
Behind her, someone roared in fury: "Wretched girl, was it you who injured my brother?"
This person roared, summoning a long blade infused with murderous intent—precisely Zhong Shan.
Hua Wuyin touched the still-unhealed sword scar on his cheek, his once handsome face twisted like a demon’s: "Lu Zhiwei... good! Very good! Today, I will personally peel off your skin!"
"Zhong Jinliu."
Zhong Yue spoke calmly,
"Committing such atrocities, Huayue Mansion can no longer tolerate you."
No sooner had the words fallen, than murderous intent erupted!
"Take action! You go kill those three girls, while I alone will deal with these demon cultivators!"
He Qinyuan shouted coldly and her figure darted out rapidly, leaping into the midst of the cultivators in an instant.
The expression on Taoist Chen Shu from the Ghost Collection changed; the Xuan Yin Array was disrupted by her in mere moments, and one cultivator had already met a tragic end at her hands!
"Damn it! Kill! Xuan Yin Evil Ghost, devour them!"
Chen Shu gritted his teeth and blocked with a long banner.
Dozens of Ghost Collection cultivators erupted in overwhelming ghostly energy, transforming into ferocious ghostly shadows, sweeping forward to slaughter.
But the Four Heroes of Huayue, each a prodigious talent of the Ruins Country with profound heritage and domineering cultivation techniques, were far from ordinary cultivators.
"Trifles."
He Qinyuan sneered repeatedly. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her sword intent condensed, splitting into three shadowy figures, each wielding a sword to kill.
"Puff—"
Another Ghost Collection cultivator’s head was severed.
Chen Shu was horrified: "What cultivation technique is she using?!"
"Taoist Friend Chen! Let me assist you!"
Zhong Jinliu knew things weren’t going well. Chen Shu, also a Foundation Establishment Sixth-Layer cultivator, was utterly powerless in front of He Qinyuan.
Even with his own help, it seemed unlikely they could subdue this woman!
This woman’s combat power clearly surpassed other Huayue cultivators!
But at this point, there was no room for regret.
Zhong Jinliu gritted his teeth, waved his large sleeve, and twenty-four magical treasures flew out, forming an array to trap He Qinyuan!
"Spirit Treasure Ultimate Killing Array! Subdue for me!"
Zhong Jinliu shouted in anger.
These twenty-four magical treasures were all carefully refined through extensive effort, all Second Tier Middle Period, and unleashing them together was immensely formidable.
Though He Qinyuan’s escape techniques were extraordinary, she was now hindered, with her three shadowy figures trapped in the array, unable to escape.
However, using twenty-four magical treasures simultaneously was incredibly taxing; after just a brief moment, Zhong Jinliu’s complexion started turning pale.
"Ha, worthy of the Spirit Treasure chief, such grand ambitions, but how long can you hold out?"
He Qinyuan’s expression remained unchanged, she remarked,
"The Yan Kingdom truly is vast and sparsely populated, with abundant resources... Even I find it hard to acquire ten superior magical treasures."
The price of these twenty-four magical treasures could easily reach one hundred thousand spirit stones, something even an ordinary Fake Pill cultivator from the Ruins Country might not afford.
Chen Shu saw this, a gleam of viciousness in his eyes.
He knew how troublesome this woman was, biting his tongue, spraying a mouthful of blood onto the long banner:
"Xuan Yin Evil Ghost, Soul Devouring Prison!"
The remaining ghost cultivators responded in unison, and thick black ghost hands crazily reached out from the ground, entangling He Qinyuan’s ankles.
Two Sixth-Layer Foundation Establishment experts, plus the support of an array of more than ten cultivators, such a combined assault would make it easy to kill an ordinary Seventh-Layer Foundation Establishment cultivator.
But facing this inescapable situation of slaughter, He Qinyuan’s cold and seductive face instead revealed a trace of mockery.
"Boastful tactics of the Spirit Treasure Sect, plus the Demon Path’s unorthodox tricks, dare to show off in front of me?"
Her toe lightly touched the air, and her figure twisted like the moon reflected in water, transforming into a wisp of smoke, barely perceptible.
"Boom——!!!"
The magical treasure collided with the ghostly energy but only managed to tear apart these three remnants!
"All remnants?! This is impossible!"
Zhong Jinliu was shocked, and at that moment, an ominous killing intent cold as a freezing abyss unexpectedly surged from behind him.
He Qinyuan had, like a phantom, bypassed all the killing moves’ defenses and appeared behind him!
In her hand was a fine sword, thin as a cicada’s wing, with chilling spiritual light flowing over the blade.
"Too slow, you tried to kill my three forms, how will you repay this?"
The cold whisper struck his ear, and the sword light, clear as autumn water, stabbed straight toward the back of Zhong Jinliu’s heart!
"Taoist Zhong, dodge!"
Taoist Friend Chen watched with wide eyes, closest in distance, he surged his spiritual power, summoning a white shield to block Zhong Jinliu’s side, attempting to intercept.
"Screech—!"
A teeth-numbing sound of rending fabric.
That white shield, before He Qinyuan’s fine sword, was easily cut like thin paper!
The sword qi cut through everything, its residual power did not diminish, turning into a sharp wind blade, slashing toward the two cultivators.
"Bang!"
The protective spiritual light shattered.
"Gah—!"
Zhong Jinliu spat out a mouthful of blood, laughing grimly, "Second-tier Top Grade?"
"Oh? Don’t you also have a second-tier Top Grade magical treasure?"
He Qinyuan gently shook her wrist, the fine willow leaf sword transformed into a sword pill, spinning in her palm, sword intent swirling, evolving into a killing move.
Zhong Jinliu remained silent.
Indeed, he had a damaged second-tier Top Grade magical treasure on him, and if not for this treasure’s protection, he and Taoist Friend Chen would already be dead.
He sighed and said, "As expected of Huayue’s prodigy... you have likely broken through to the Late Period of Foundation Establishment in the Grotto Heaven, haven’t you?"
Among the younger generation of Yan Kingdom, Zhong Jinliu had always acted low-key but considered himself a top prodigy.
But now, in front of He Qinyuan, he was utterly crushed!
"Hah, the cultivators of Yan Kingdom are nothing but a bunch who own treasure mountains but have no idea how to use them, mere trash."
He Qinyuan’s tone was indifferent, and she did not respond.
The sword pill buzzing in her palm, with even more terrifying killing intent quickly brewing,
"If in the Ruins Country, scum like you wouldn’t even qualify to become souls beneath my sword. To die by my hand, is your good fortune."
"Arrogant!"
Taoist Friend Chen roared angrily, once more swinging the long banner in a desperate fight.
"Boring."
He Qinyuan shook her head, her gaze sweeping to the battlefield on the other side.
Originally, in her expectations, the joint force of Hua Wuyin, Zhong Yue, and Zhong Shan, three Sixth-Layer Foundation Establishment top combatants should have made short work of those girls, a one-sided massacre without suspense.
Possibly even faster than solving Zhong Jinliu here.
But.
When her eyes fell on that battlefield, she froze.
"How is this possible?!"
He Qinyuan gasped, the sword pill in her palm trembled due to her intense emotional turmoil.
This... only a few breaths of time.
Why, are they the ones winning?!
The previous battle was too intense,
Though it looked like He Qinyuan won easily, she actually exhausted many techniques, even losing her carefully cultivated three forms, leaving her no chance to observe the other side—let alone, it’s been only a few breaths!
At her words, Zhong Jinliu diverted his attention to take a look.
This glance made him delight beyond measure.
"Taoist Friend Hee, it seems your Huayue cultivators are... not as good as our Yan Kingdom’s little girls."