Han Yi was the first to sense something was wrong.
The Giant Tiger's earth-shattering roar was partly due to his Shadowless Sword. With his perfected Sword Control Technique and unwavering focus on manipulating the single Shadowless Sword, he had already sensed unprecedented danger the moment the tiger trapped the sword, rendering it immobile. He quietly retreated a step, two more Spirit Talismans appearing in his hand: a Divine Speed Talisman and a Yin Thunder Talisman.
The Divine Speed Talisman would boost his speed, preparing him to escape. Clutching the Yin Thunder Talisman, Han Yi fixed his gaze on the Giant Tiger. If the beast showed any sign of weakness, he would unleash the First-Tier High-Grade Spirit Talisman without hesitation, delivering a fatal blow on the spot.
In addition, the four Wind Demon Daggers concealed throughout his body trembled slightly. If the Yin Thunder Talisman failed, the daggers would be his next line of attack.
In this critical moment, he resolved to go all out. Continuing to hold back would be suicidal.
However, the very next instant, the Giant Tiger unleashed its innate Divine Ability to imprison space, followed by a ferocious lunge. Han Yi immediately realized that even multiple First-Tier High-Grade Spirit Talismans might not be enough to slay this Tiger Demon with such a potent ability.
He didn't witness the gruesome climax of the Tiger Demon's slaughter. Instead, he swiftly slapped a Divine Speed Talisman onto himself and flashed twenty meters away.
Before fleeing, he glanced back and saw He Fengdi scrambling in another direction, Li Yi and Shen Ru scattering in panic, and Chu Jinmo already standing atop her Silver Spirit Sword.
Han Yi turned his head and never looked back.
If he had been confident he could kill the Tiger Demon, he would have attacked without hesitation. But in this situation, even giving it his all would be futile.
They had no choice but to flee separately and trust to fate.
The fact that he abandoned even his Shadowless Sword showed how desperate he was.
Among the group, Han Yi had the closest relationship with Chu Jinmo. Had he not known she was a Sword Immortal, he would have tried to drag her along as he fled. But knowing her true identity, he understood that she was the safest person present.
The path of the Sword Immortal, characterized by the Sword Control Technique, was inherently a combat skill.
However, the Sword Immortal's path was renowned for its overwhelming offensive power, earning the title of "First in Slaughter." Yet beyond sheer killing ability, their escape skills and defensive capabilities were equally formidable.
After fleeing for a good ten kilometers, Han Yi finally slowed his pace, intending to find a place to spend the night. He planned to return to the Immortal Ship's encampment at dawn and board the vessel back to his Sect.
Earlier, when they had ventured a hundred li deep into the wilderness, they had encountered mostly Seventh-Tier Demon Beasts. His Storage Pouch already contained enough Seventh-Tier Demon Beast Cores to fulfill his Sect's New Policy mission requirements.
The reason they had pressed so far into the wilderness was that they had only killed one Ninth-Tier Demon Beast and needed just one more to complete the entire team's objective.
But none of them had anticipated the ambush by the Giant Tiger.
Still, there was definitely something off about that Giant Tiger, Han Yi mused, his mind racing as he calmed down.
Suddenly, he halted, his gaze fixed ahead. He sensed a cultivator's aura emanating from a point about a hundred meters away.
"Junior Brother Han Nan of the Profound Pill Sect," he called out, deliberately using a false name, "May I ask which Senior Brother is ahead?"
Han Yi avoided giving his real name. If the other party wasn't from the Profound Pill Sect, revealing his true identity would only invite trouble. He had to improvise.
If they were indeed from his Sect, they would respond, and he could explain himself later.
The cultivator's aura bore down on Han Yi, silent and menacing.
A wave of raw killing intent washed over him.
As the attacker drew closer, Han Yi quickly assessed his opponent. The cultivator's aura was stronger than his own but weaker than Liu Ke's—an Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement cultivator.
So, he thinks he has me cornered.
That was understandable. Under normal circumstances, an Eighth Layer Qi Refinement cultivator from the Blood God Sect would have little difficulty eliminating a lone Seventh Layer Profound Pill Sect disciple, barring unforeseen circumstances.
But Han Yi was anything but ordinary.
Even without the Shadowless Sword, he still wielded the Wind Demon Dagger. Moreover, beyond his Magic Artifacts, he possessed a plethora of skills.
The killing intent erupted silently, exploding into action in an instant.
A bolt of crimson light materialized into a deadly arrow, tearing through the night. Before Han Yi could react, it had closed to within three meters of him.
Undaunted, Han Yi raised his hand and pressed down into the void. Mana surged forth, spreading and coalescing into a fiery shield one meter tall and half a meter wide.
The Fire Shield Technique.
Boom!
The blood-red arrow slammed into the fiery shield and shattered violently, dissolving into a shower of crimson mist.
"Hmm?"
The attacking cultivator grunted in surprise. His blood-red robes billowed as six more blood arrows shot forth simultaneously, reaching Han Yi in the blink of an eye.
Boom, boom, boom...
The fiery shield remained steadfast.
Han Yi sensed the cultivator's breath hitch.
Then, to his astonishment, the attacker abruptly turned and fled without hesitation.
The opponent's swift and decisive retreat caught Han Yi completely off guard.
His brow furrowed instantly.
The opponent's combat instincts were undeniably superior to his own, and the ease with which they had located him was deeply suspicious. He couldn't let them escape, lest they have accomplices or hidden tricks.
"Kill!"
This time, it was Han Yi's turn to strike.
He unleashed a rapid series of attacks.
The Fire Shield Technique dissipated as bursts of Spirit Light erupted from his fingertips, streaking forward with blinding speed to overtake the fleeing figure.
Though retreating, the opponent remained vigilant against Han Yi's assault. They hurled a box-shaped Low-Grade Magic Artifact and immediately detonated it mid-air.
Decisive, swift, and utterly unexpected.
Boom!
The explosion engulfed Han Yi's Spirit Void Finger strike in a violent storm of Spirit Qi.
Yet the opponent hadn't anticipated the sheer power of Han Yi's technique. Almost simultaneously, dozens of equally swift beams of Spirit Light pierced through the raging Spirit Qi turbulence and slammed into their target.
Thud, thud, thud...
A series of deafening explosions reverberated through the air as a figure staggered backward, his blood-red robes completely shattered, revealing the black Body-Protecting Inner Armor beneath.
He had been struck by dozens of Spirit Void Fingers in rapid succession.
Even with a Mid-Grade Magic Artifact-level inner armor, this Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement cultivator had sustained grievous injuries.
Whoosh!
A black phantom flashed past, severing his head, which soared into the air. His headless body crashed to the ground with a thud.
The black phantom materialized into its true form: a pitch-black dagger—the Wind Demon Dagger.
The dagger silently retracted.
At that moment, two figures approached with lightning speed, closing within a hundred meters.
"Hmm?"
"Senior Brother Zhou has been killed?"
A voice exclaimed in shock.
"Hmph, killing a disciple of the Blood God Sect? You've signed your death warrant," another cold, venomous voice hissed, dripping with murderous intent.
Han Yi silently drew a second dagger, letting it glide down his leg and emerge from beneath his pant leg. He gripped the Wind Demon Dagger tightly in his other hand.
Just then...
"It's you!" The first man's face twisted in terror as he recognized Han Yi. Even his voice betrayed a hint of fear.
"Hmm?"
"Who's there?"
The first sound came from Han Yi, the second from the approaching figure.
As they drew closer, Han Yi, illuminated by the moonlight, clearly made out the newcomers' appearances.
At first glance, they seemed unfamiliar.
Mentally reviewing his past encounters with the Blood God Sect, Han Yi faintly recognized the man who had exclaimed in surprise earlier. It was the Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivator he had spared in Heavenfall City.
Back then, Han Yi had intended to conceal himself using the Turtle Breath Technique, but the cellar he was hiding in unexpectedly collapsed. He stumbled upon Cui Xingchen, Luo Yunzhou, and Tao Shouhua, who were accompanied by three Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivators from the Blood God Sect.
Han Yi intervened, killing two and letting one escape—the same man now standing before him, who had advanced to the Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement after all these years.
But what difference did the Eighth Layer make? They would all die.
Han Yi shifted his gaze to the second figure, a middle-aged scholar-like cultivator wielding a silver fan that gleamed with a cold, metallic light.