As for Zhao Ya...
Whether he lives or dies has nothing to do with me; I didn't ask him to save me.
Yang Sansi comforted himself with these excuses, while already retreating to the edge of the hillside.
He only needed to wait until no one noticed, then he could slip into the forest and escape.
But just at that moment, a cold voice came from behind him.
"Uncle Yang, where are you going?"
Yang Sansi froze, turned his head, and saw Hong Xu standing behind him with a knife in his hand, staring coldly at him.
Yang Sansi was shaken inside, but managed to squeeze out a smile.
"I have an urgent need, planning to find a spot to relieve myself first."
"Is that so? Then relieve yourself right here." Hong Xu grinned mockingly.
Yang Sansi inwardly lamented, and chuckled dryly, "Well... never mind, I suddenly feel less urgent after being startled by you!"
Hong Xu inwardly sneered, knowing this old fox planned to flee, and decided to keep a close watch on him, not letting him run away.
After all, this was the best evidence of loyalty!
Just then, the battlefield changed again.
Fu Tingyuan was panting heavily, a huge saber wound lay on his chest.
He was fortunate to have reacted quickly, dodging in time; otherwise, this strike would have cleaved him in two.
But after being wounded, Fu Tingyuan's strength plummeted to the bottom, at any moment he could be slain by Zhao Ya's saber.
At this moment, Fu Tingyuan suddenly shouted loudly.
"Golden Silkworm Gu Master, are you just going to sit and watch? If I die, Zhao Ya won't spare you either. Why don't we team up, take care of this kid first, then discuss other matters, what do you say?"
The Golden Silkworm Gu Master was quite tempted.
Indeed, he was thinking of letting Zhao Ya and Fu Tingyuan fight first, hoping they'd both suffer heavy losses, allowing him to reap the benefits later.
But who could have guessed that Zhao Ya was so fierce, forcing Fu Tingyuan into a defensive struggle, nearly defeated and about to be killed, making the Golden Silkworm Gu Master a bit restless.
He exchanged glances with the other three Gu Masters, then all rushed forward together, launching a siege on Zhao Ya.
"Hahaha, here they come!"
Zhao Ya showed no fear, instead burst out laughing.
He moved like the wind on the battlefield, dodging back and forth, his saber in hand unpredictably appearing and disappearing, remarkably holding his ground against the joint assault from both sides.
At that moment, a puff of gray mist suddenly erupted, aiming straight for Zhao Ya's face.
It was the poisonous powder thrown by the Golden Silkworm Gu Master.
Zhao Ya dodged to the side.
But then, the other three Gu Masters also began their poison attacks one after another.
Clouds of powder exploded around Zhao Ya, sealing off all his possible escape routes.
The Golden Silkworm Gu Master, though pained by the loss of his precious poison powder, laughed heartily, "Kid, aren't you good at poisoning too? Today you shall taste the poison yourself."
Zhao Ya did not rely on his talent of being immune to hundred poisons to withstand the poisonous powder, because even if it couldn't affect him, it'd be troublesome if it got in his eyes.
But at this moment, with the poison powder coming from all sides, his vision was blocked, making it hard to evade easily.
Just at this critical moment, Zhao Ya suddenly stomped the ground, using the leg skills of the Little Five Paths Chasing Soul Leg along with the light as a feather enhancement, shot up into the sky like a giant crane soaring into the clouds, ascending several meters high.
This breathtaking leap stunned many.
Yet Zhao Ya, in mid-air, felt an immense thrill.
He felt a flash of insight, his previously stagnant Lightweight Body Technique suddenly ease through.
[Light as a Feather proficiency increased by 2, advanced successfully]
[Current Level: Returning to the Essence]
In an instant, Zhao Ya felt his whole body lighten.
If previously, when Zhao Ya was utilizing his Lightweight Body Technique, he still needed to intentionally maintain a certain state.
Now, Zhao Ya had fully integrated these techniques into his being.
Even some of the microstructures in his body underwent changes and adjustments.
It was a rebirth-like experience.
A night breeze blew by, and Zhao Ya even had a feeling of returning with the wind.
Is this the Lightweight Body Technique after a breakthrough?
It's truly amazing!
Zhao Ya glanced down at Fu Tingyuan and the others beneath, a cold smile appearing on his lips.
Then suddenly, his form in mid-air made a bizarre return, instantly landing on the ground.
Fu Tingyuan had been waiting for the opportunity, and seeing Zhao Ya land, he thrust his soft sword straight at him.
This was a blow he had prepared for a long time, both in timing and strength, the angle was perfect.
But in the next moment, Zhao Ya before him vanished.
Fu Tingyuan had no time to wonder, only feeling a chill on his back, knowing something was wrong, immediately twisted to dodge.
But it was too late.
After breaking through the Lightweight Body Technique, Zhao Ya's strength was more than doubled.
Even half-step Fifth Realm Fu Tingyuan seemed too weak in Zhao Ya's eyes.
With a puff, the Meteorite Iron Saber pierced through him, emerging from his chest.
Wu Tingyuan then let out a roar of pain, like a dying beast, using all his strength to strike backward without looking back.
This strike was filled with resentment, exceptionally powerful.
But Zhao Ya didn't evade, his hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the nearby Ghost Snake Gu Master and placing him in front.
Bang.
The palm strike landed on the Ghost Snake Gu Master, instantly shattering his body.
Then Fu Tingyuan unwillingly fell to the ground, blood gushing like a spring, dying instantly.
Zhao Ya had chosen a very tricky spot for the saber, right at the large artery of the heart.
He knew that martial artists like Fu Tingyuan, even if their hearts were pierced, wouldn't die immediately.
Especially after expelling toxins from the viscera, making those organs extremely tough; even a wounded heart can endure for quite a while.
But once the artery is punctured, it's different.
Under the high pressure of the blood vessels, the wound can't be sealed, losing at least half the blood in a blink of an eye.
At that point, not even immortals could survive.
In a blink, both Fu Tingyuan and the Ghost Snake Gu Master were dead.
The remaining Golden Silkworm, Celestial Centipede, and the giant spider trio were deeply shaken.
Though they didn't know why Zhao Ya suddenly became so powerful, now wasn't the time to ponder that; survival was key.
So they instinctively turned and ran, fleeing in different directions.
But all was in vain.
Zhao Ya's form darted swiftly, chasing after the Golden Silkworm Gu Master's direction first.
The Golden Silkworm Gu Master heard the wind behind him, feeling bitter inside, not daring to look back, only tossing all his poison powder behind.
Powder clouds exploded, but Zhao Ya didn't dodge, charging through, reaching right behind the Golden Silkworm Gu Master in the blink of an eye.
Zhao Ya didn't use his saber, instead, he reached out and struck the Golden Silkworm Gu Master's neck.
Thud, the Golden Silkworm Gu Master fainted.
Zhao Ya dragged him back down the mountain, then continued pursuing the other two Gu Masters.
In just a short time, the three scattered runners were all brought back by Zhao Ya.
With this, the five great Gu Masters of the Refining World Sect, except the unconscious Golden Silkworm Gu Master temporarily surviving, the other four were all dead.
As for their subordinates...
Many had wanted to flee too.
But there was only one mountain road, and the Cyan Bamboo Ridge people wanted to run as well, so a bloody conflict broke out at the mountain road, with heavy casualties.
The remaining ones, under Zhao Ya's command, Hong Xu led the miners in pursuing, nearly wiping them all out.
The few surviving Village Chiefs or minor leaders were easily dealt with by Zhao Ya.
Thus.
The once-gloried Cyan Bamboo Ridge was utterly destroyed.
And the Refining World Sect was nearly wiped out too.
After finishing everything, Zhao Ya dragged the Golden Silkworm Gu Master up the hill, then tossed him onto the ground without care.
The Golden Silkworm Gu Master groaned in pain, gradually awakening.
Upon seeing Zhao Ya standing before him, he instantly became alert, immediately flipping over and kneeling down.
"Spare me, Master Zhao!"