A terrified scream came from beside the late-stage God Transformation cultivator: “The boss is dead—”
Not far away, another demon cultivator at the God Transformation stage shouted in fear, “We’ve run into a tough one, set up the formation—” In an instant, he transformed into a turtle even bigger than the one Bao Gu had just killed.
The moment he turned into a turtle, Qu Yirou, who had just chopped off the “boss’s” head, suddenly appeared behind him in a flash.
The turtle shell was suddenly sliced off at the very top, the cut neat and bloody.
As the shell fell, a turtle head with wide, disbelieving eyes rolled out.
In the blink of an eye, both the boss and the deputy boss leading the team were dead!
The surrounding cultivators and demon cultivators were filled with shock, fear, and disbelief.
Especially the deputy boss—he was a thousand-year-old giant turtle who had achieved enlightenment, and his shell was his strongest defense, yet it was sliced open like tofu…
As the bisected bodies of the “boss” and “deputy boss” fell, blood sprayed nonstop among the small squad from Qianlongyuan, each burst of blood marking another life lost, another head separated from its neck—
The enemy was among them, moving like an invisible ghost.
Many demon cultivators and cultivators were still reeling from the shock of the “boss” and “deputy boss” losing their heads in an instant, when their own heads were also separated from their necks…
Bao Gu coughed for a long while before she caught her breath.
When she looked up, she saw the two hundred Qianlongyuan people above the Youjiang falling into the river like dumplings, splashing water everywhere.
The river, which had just cleared up thanks to the upstream current, was once again stained red with blood!
From the moment the “boss” and “deputy boss” were killed to the moment everyone was stunned, only a few breaths had passed, but over thirty people in the two-hundred-strong Qianlongyuan squad had died.
Those who came to their senses, leaderless and terrified by the slaughter, turned and fled! Some even used “Divine Movement Talismans” or “Teleportation Talismans” that cost a fortune.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that these talismans can only be used once or twice—a regular “Divine Movement Talisman” or “Teleportation Talisman” costs over a hundred mid-grade spirit stones, and the better ones are even more expensive.
The materials are costly, and these escape talismans, which can instantly break through space and take someone hundreds or even thousands of miles away from the battlefield, are much harder to make than other talismans of the same level.
Since they’re a matter of life and death, the price never drops.
In the cultivation world, Nascent Soul cultivators from various factions earn between five and twenty mid-grade spirit stones a month, so it takes months of saving to buy a single “Divine Movement Talisman.” These talismans are single-use, turning to ash as soon as their energy is spent.
As for those teleportation platforms that can be used unlimited times and cost thousands of high-grade spirit stones, ordinary cultivators can’t even dream of them.
But when they tried to escape with their talismans, they were horrified and desperate to find that Jade Shura and “Yu A Guai” from Soul Chasing Pavillion each threw out a teleportation platform, chasing after them on the platforms. Those who tried to escape first with “Teleportation Talismans” and “Divine Movement Talismans” were the first to die.
The cultivators on the boats in the Youjiang were completely stunned by the slaughter above.
They clearly saw people use “Divine Movement Talismans” and vanish into the void, only to fall right back out, blood spraying and bodies in pieces…
What left them speechless was that these two were actually killing people while standing on teleportation platforms! But then again, who was Jade Shura? The young master of Soul Chasing Pavillion, sworn sister of the Blade Gang’s Arrow Envoy—if she could get the Blade Gang’s leader to help, and could use the Soul Chasing Pavillion’s main carriage, why wouldn’t she be able to afford a teleportation platform?
What really sent chills down their spines was that this elite squad of two hundred from Qianlongyuan was wiped out in less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick.
After the massacre, the cultivators’ bodies were dragged together and “Yu A Guai” tossed out a “Divine Fire Talisman” to burn them all to ash, while the demon cultivators’ bodies were all stored away in magical storage treasures.
They watched as the two collected the demon cultivators’ bodies, then looked at the big cauldron on the shore still cooking dragon fish, and fell silent.
In the cultivation world, demons eating humans was normal.
Humans eating demon beast meat was also normal.
But to kill people at someone else’s doorstep and then cook them in front of everyone was definitely not normal.
This style reminded them of Jade Shura’s sworn sister—Fire Dragon! Fire Dragon often killed demon cultivators who annoyed her and cooked them on the spot! No demon she killed ever went to waste.
The tasty ones, or those whose meat could boost cultivation, were eaten; the rest were skinned, boned, and turned into materials to sell for spirit stones! Suddenly, it all made sense—no wonder these two could become sworn sisters, they were cut from the same cloth.
They had wiped out an entire elite squad from Qianlongyuan right on Qianlongyuan’s turf, and were still cooking on the spot—this was a blatant challenge!
But looking at the strength of “Jade Shura” and “Yu A Guai,” they definitely had the power to back it up!
Yu Mi and Qu Yirou didn’t care what the cultivators on the passing boats thought.
After finishing off the “people” and washing their hands, they went right back to eating dragon fish.
Dragon fish were famous delicacies in the cultivation world.
Those that hadn’t become demons were considered fourth-grade spiritual treasures, but this one, which had cultivated to the God Transformation Stage, was seventh-grade.
They only grew in underwater dragon veins connected to rivers, lakes, and seas, absorbing the power of the dragon veins and the essence of heaven and earth.
The meat was delicious, but more importantly, it was packed with spiritual energy that turned directly into pure power in the body, with no need to worry about overeating.
Given Qu Yirou’s cultivation and ability to absorb spiritual energy, she had no problem absorbing all the essence from this dragon fish by eating it.
As for Yu Mi, her primordial spirit had been scattered, her soul damaged, and her cultivation had dropped—she needed a big boost.
With her physique as a peak artifact refiner and God Transformation cultivator, eating this dragon fish was no problem.
Bao Gu needed it even more—she was a five-element root cultivator who needed tons of spiritual energy, and after merging with the Xuantian Sword, an upper-realm immortal weapon, her need for energy was even greater.
So the three of them became true gluttons.
Before long, the huge cauldron of dragon fish was completely devoured by the three, not even a drop of soup left.
This fish, enough to help a Nascent Soul cultivator advance, went into their stomachs, and they still felt unsatisfied.
Yu Mi stared at the cauldron, sighing wistfully, “Too bad there was only one dragon fish.” Most of the “people” from Qianlongyuan just now were demon cultivators—plenty of fish, shrimp, crabs, turtles, loaches, frogs, and water monkeys, but only one dragon fish, and it wasn’t enough.
Bao Gu tried to comfort her, “Doesn’t Qianlongyuan have tons of dragon fish? We’ll go catch a hundred or so next time and eat our fill!”
Qu Yirou laughed, “Even in a place famous for dragon fish, there aren’t that many.
Most get eaten before they grow up, and ones that reach the God Transformation Stage are extremely rare.”
Yu Mi washed the cauldron and bowls and put them away.
Bao Gu packed up the jade table and stools.
Qu Yirou said, “Let’s go.
The ones who came just now were the squad stationed at Linjiang Town, thirty miles away.
They were wiped out here, so Linjiang Town should be defenseless right now.”
The three used a teleportation platform and quickly arrived at Linjiang Town.
Linjiang Town was small, with only a few thousand people.
In the cultivation world, almost no one wanted to mess with Qianlongyuan.
Even if Qianlongyuan suspected Bao Gu might come to cause trouble, they only took minimal precautions.
After all, the Blade Gang had bigger enemies, and Qianlongyuan was much less of a threat compared to the cultivation world’s alliance.
Bao Gu was more likely to show up behind the alliance attacking Yue Country than in Qianlongyuan, and Linjiang Town wasn’t a fortress, so there was no need to guard it heavily.
Only two hundred people were stationed there to “manage” the town.
Those stationed at Linjiang Town had all been wiped out on the Youjiang, so the town was left defenseless, not even the city’s protective array was activated, and the three entered easily.
Because Linjiang Town wasn’t important, there was almost nothing to loot.
Yu Mi and Bao Gu searched the garrison’s compound, but found no warships, not even a single war chariot or merchant ship, not a single spirit stone, and the armory was empty.
All they found were a few dozen women who had been captured and abused, some so traumatized they were barely sane.
These women were all ordinary mortals, many of them residents of Linjiang Town.
After the three let them go, some ran home, and when their families saw their daughters and sisters in such a state, there was a lot of crying and hugging.
Probably out of fear of Qianlongyuan, they kept their distance from their three “saviors,” not daring to approach or even say thank you, fleeing in a panic, some even packing up and leaving town altogether.
After rescuing the women, the three ran into a small Qianlongyuan squad that had come through a teleportation array to investigate—twelve Nascent Soul demon cultivators.
As soon as they appeared, Yu Mi and Qu Yirou drew their blades and attacked.
In a flash of cold light, all twelve demon cultivators were beheaded, and their bodies were taken away.
There were quite a few cultivators in Linjiang Town, many attached to Qianlongyuan, and Qianlongyuan had businesses there.
Cleaning all this up would be tedious and wouldn’t affect the bigger picture, so the three didn’t risk being surrounded by Qianlongyuan’s main force just for a little profit.
After all, the materials from all the demon cultivators they’d killed were already a nice haul.
After finding nothing in the garrison’s compound, they left a few clues for Qianlongyuan to track them and left.
Qianlongyuan had been entrenched in the Youjiang region for years, with eyes everywhere, so their brazen provocation quickly brought Qianlongyuan’s pursuit.
A squad of two hundred Nascent Soul cultivators was no small force.
In a war between two major factions, losing two hundred Nascent Soul cultivators would be expected, even considered a minor skirmish.
But for “Jade Shura,” a peak Nascent Soul cultivator, to show up with two strong companions and provoke them like this—this was both old and new grudges at once.
Before, Jade Shura had hidden in the Blade Gang’s Yue Country branch, protected by Yue Country and the Blade Gang, so Qianlongyuan couldn’t touch her.
Now she’d shown up in their territory and committed such a massacre—how could Qianlongyuan let her go?
Based on what happened on the Youjiang, Qianlongyuan and the watching cultivators guessed that Jade Shura had probably broken through from peak Nascent Soul to God Transformation.
After all, the Blade Gang’s leader had plenty of treasures, and helping someone break through to Void Tearing from peak God Transformation wasn’t hard, so Jade Shura breaking through was only natural.
As for “Yu A Guai,” she was probably a bodyguard sent by Soul Chasing Pavillion to protect Jade Shura.
In the cultivation world, major factions often sent powerful protectors with their most promising heirs to keep them safe.
These protectors were much stronger and higher status than regular guards, often at least mid-to-late God Transformation, sometimes even Void Tearing.
Given Jade Shura’s status and importance, Soul Chasing Pavillion would never let her show up in Qianlongyuan’s territory without a strong protector.
Some even speculated that “Yu A Guai” was actually Soul Chasing Pavillion’s master, the “Killing Emperor” Qu Yirou.
After Jade Shura stole the Mirage Dragon Pearl, lost the Soul Chasing Pavillion master’s carriage, and the Blade Gang’s treasurer came to Qianlongyuan to demand it back, all the factions watching the Blade Gang knew about it.
A little digging revealed just how favored and troublesome Jade Shura was in Soul Chasing Pavillion, and how protective the “Killing Emperor” Qu Yirou was—it was practically common knowledge.
So Qu Yirou bringing Jade Shura to Qianlongyuan to get the carriage back made perfect sense.
If Qu Yirou didn’t act, that would be the real surprise.
Even rogue cultivators with a bit of information could figure this out, so of course Qianlongyuan, with all its experts, could too.
Less than half an hour after Qu Yirou, Bao Gu, and Yu Mi left Linjiang Town, Qianlongyuan’s seventy-two Heavenly Demon Dragon Riders arrived.
The seventy-two Heavenly Demon Dragon Riders were the personal guard of the Earth Ghost Dragon God, and together with the “One Hundred and Eight Brave Dragon Battle Demons” and the “Thirty-Six Guardian Dragon Envoys,” they were Qianlongyuan’s three trump cards.
Every one of the Dragon Riders was a battle-hardened powerhouse, the weakest at late God Transformation, and their combat record was a history of slaughter.
Even though there were only three enemies, Qianlongyuan took it extremely seriously! They couldn’t afford not to.
Jade Shura might be a minor character, but she was unpredictable, and the “Killing Emperor,” who could kill a Void Tearing cultivator with a single strike, was not someone to take lightly! Not to mention, “Jade Shura” and the suspected Qu Yirou “Yu A Guai” had with them a Golden Core cultivator who had dropped a three-hundred-high-grade-spirit-stone Immortal Binding Rope and didn’t even bother to pick it up, and while “Jade Shura” and “Yu A Guai” were killing people, she was just sitting by the cauldron eating meat and drinking soup—this style really made people think! “Jade Shura” had joined the Blade Gang’s leader, the leader had sent Treasurer Sun Dilong to Qianlongyuan to demand the Soul Chasing Pavillion master’s carriage and failed, and now the Soul Chasing Pavillion master and Jade Shura had come themselves.
The person with them who looked just like the Blade Gang’s leader—who else could she be?
Of course, no one would ever guess that “Jade Shura” was actually Fire Dragon Yu Mi in disguise.
Outside Cangdu City, the bloody battle between the Blade Gang’s leader and the great demon Rong Ruyu had shocked the cultivation world, especially since Rong Ruyu had shattered Yu Mi’s primordial spirit! Everyone knew about it.
Even if the Blade Gang’s leader had immortal pills, there was no way Yu Mi could recover to God Transformation and peak condition in such a short time.
The seventy-two Heavenly Demon Dragon Riders of Qianlongyuan led five thousand elites, following the clues left by the three all the way to a valley about a hundred miles from Linjiang Town.
By a stream in the valley, a pile of firewood was still burning, and there were traces of a cauldron having just been used to cook demon beast meat.
The air was still thick with the scent of meat and spiritual herbs.
The seventy-two Heavenly Demon Dragon Riders and five thousand elites hovered above the valley, countless eyes fixed on the burning firewood and searching the valley.
Everyone was on high alert, instinctively feeling it was a trap! The three had exposed their whereabouts to lure them in, drawing them to the valley, where the Blade Gang’s leader would use her terrifying skill with feng shui arrays to set a trap and wipe them out here.
