Chapter 72

In the early morning, the sound of firecrackers echoed through the streets.

Shops were opening, with the sound of gongs and drums filling the air, creating a lively atmosphere.

This was the people of Niu Family Village.

They had been in Wanggu City for some time and had finally settled down. With Zhao Yun's help, they found many storefronts, mostly not far from the Zhao family's armory, including teahouses, taverns, and noodle stands. Living in exile, they couldn't rely on Zhao Yun's support forever; they had to be self-sufficient and repay his kindness.

Niu Hong was also there.

This little fatty was a business genius, always thinking about how to make money. After all, the whole village had to live, and they couldn't starve. They were grateful to Zhao Yun; without him, they wouldn't have been able to establish themselves here.

Speaking of Zhao Yun, he had already ridden out of Wanggu City.

Wulong Abyss was five hundred miles away, and with a fast horse, he could reach it in at most two days.

Behind him, another fast horse followed.

On the horse was a person in a black robe, whose face was obscured, leaving only a pair of eyes visible, which looked quite sinister and cruel. It was clear that this was someone who had lived by the sword.

"Xiu'er, do you know how to tame spirit beasts?"

Zhao Yun smiled, having called on Yue Shen more than once. He preferred flying creatures to those that ran on the ground, like the white crane of Senior Ziling. If he could tame a flying spirit beast, it would be much faster than riding a horse!

Mainly, it would be more impressive.

Imagine flying in the sky, overlooking rivers and mountains—how exhilarating that would be!

"Yes."

After a long pause, Yue Shen finally responded, her posture lazy and relaxed.

And that was it.

Zhao Yun was waiting for her to teach him the method of taming beasts, but she fell silent.

Or rather, she was too lazy to bother with him.

Zhao Yun coughed, reined in his gaze, and continued on his way. A person with extraordinary talent never stops, practicing both physical strength and sacred techniques as he went.

There were many people on the main road.

Most were escorts, but there were also weary travelers and martial cultivators.

As he moved farther away from Wanggu City, the number of people gradually decreased.

Ahead were many mountain roads and wild forests, ideal places for ambushes and robberies.

Speaking of ambushes and robberies, Zhao Yun glanced back.

Since leaving Wanggu City, someone had been following him. The person in the black robe in broad daylight didn't seem like a good person, and it was likely that they were after him.

Clang!

The sound of a sword confirmed his suspicion. A red light flew out from the black-robed person's sleeve, and upon closer inspection, it was a red sword aimed at him. The power of the sword indicated that it was meant to kill him!

Without hesitation, he sidestepped to avoid the flying sword.

Clang!

The sword, missing its target, flew back and aimed for his forehead.

"Is this Sword Control Technique?"

Zhao Yun's eyes narrowed. At this stage, a sword couldn't attack on its own; someone had to control it. This was the long-lost Sword Control Technique. When mastered, it could decapitate someone from a hundred or even a thousand feet away, making it almost impossible to defend against.

Saying this, he sidestepped again.

Then, he spurred his horse to gallop into the forest.

Clang!

The red flying sword, still diligent, followed him into the forest, humming all the way.

"Good kid."

The black-robed person laughed, following closely behind. He was surprised that a mere waste of a person could dodge his flying sword twice, which was unexpected.

Once in the forest, Zhao Yun was nowhere to be seen.

And his flying sword was also gone, losing contact with him.

"How is this possible?"

The black-robed person frowned, looking around. He understood why Zhao Yun was gone, but why was the flying sword also missing? Did it get lost in flight?

"Looking for what?"

Zhao Yun appeared, holding the black-robed person's flying sword, which he had already unsealed. The Sword Control Technique was impressive, but not yet perfected. With his current level, it couldn't defeat him. The black-robed person was in the True Spirit Realm, at least the sixth level, as indicated by the light of the small spirit pearl.

"Zhao Yun, I underestimated you."

The black-robed person laughed sinisterly, and three more swords flew out from his sleeve, hovering beside him. It was indeed the Sword Control Technique, which could be controlled with the right method and hand seals.

"Who are you?"

Zhao Yun remained calm. He had defeated someone in the Profound Yang Realm; he wasn't afraid of a True Spirit sixth-level cultivator. Even if Liu Ruyue, an eighth-level True Spirit, came, he wouldn't back down.

"Do you want to know?"

The black-robed person's eyes turned cold, and he immediately cast the sword seal, sending the three flying swords toward Zhao Yun.

Whoosh!

Zhao Yun moved, using the Wind God Step, his movements unpredictable like a streak of lightning. The three flying swords all missed him by a hair.

"Such speed." The black-robed person's expression changed.

Before he could react, Zhao Yun was already upon him, slashing him off his horse.

Pfft!

The black-robed person spat blood and fell, a sword wound on his chest, blood flowing continuously. Zhao Yun had held back, wanting to get some information from him.

Otherwise, one strike would have been enough to kill him.

Martial cultivators who practiced the Sword Control Technique were similar to the evil mage from before. They were excellent at support roles, but their physical strength and combat abilities were terrible. Once such a person was close, they were easy to defeat.

"You... your spirit veins are clearly severed."

The black-robed person spat more blood, clutching his chest, his eyes full of disbelief.

What about the waste of a person?

This Zhao Yun was clearly a martial cultivator! His movements and speed were not those of an ordinary martial cultivator; he had taken him down in one move.

Whoosh!

Zhao Yun didn't bother to answer, sweeping out a sword aura to reveal the black-robed person's face. He wanted to see who he was dealing with, for future reference.

He didn't recognize the person.

That made sense; there were so many people in Wanggu City, and he hadn't met everyone.

"Don't kill me, Liu Shiyuan sent me."

The black-robed person stepped back, fear in his eyes, his face pale. He finally revealed his employer, hoping Zhao Yun would spare his life.

"Three thousand taels weren't for nothing."

Hearing the name Liu Shiyuan, Zhao Yun sighed. He knew who it was—the Liu family's steward and Liu Cangkong's confidant. After swindling three thousand taels last night, he sent someone to assassinate him today, and it was a sixth-level True Spirit.

He wasn't sure if Liu Cangkong knew about it.

But in Zhao Yun's view, Liu Cangkong would definitely do it. He didn't care about his son-in-law; his own face was more important.

Unfortunately, they had underestimated him.

Seeing the black-robed person turn and run, Zhao Yun said, "A dark and windy night, a good time to kill."

He sent the person back to the afterlife with a single sword strike.

Afterward, he searched for loot.

This was a skill Zhao Yun was good at. He thoroughly searched the black-robed person, taking everything valuable, like gold and silver ornaments.

Besides money, there was an ancient scroll.

It was the black-robed person's Sword Control Technique, which he had carried with him.

"It's mine now."

Zhao Yun chuckled, not hesitating to take it. He was quite interested in the method of controlling swords.

Clang!

As he was reading, he heard a hum, and a black arrow shot down from the sky.

"Another one?"

Zhao Yun instantly retreated, looking up at the sky.

He saw a bird.

To be precise, a large bird, pitch black, with wings spanning three zhang.

On its back stood a young man in purple.

Even from a distance, he could see a scar on the young man's forehead. He held a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other, and the arrow that had just missed him was shot by him. If he hadn't dodged in time, he would have been killed.

"They're not working together."

Zhao Yun muttered. To kill a waste of a person, a True Spirit cultivator was more than enough. In Liu Shiyuan's view, sending a sixth-level True Spirit was already overkill, so he wouldn't send a second assassin.

This was interesting.

It was rare to come out and have so many people trying to kill him.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The young man in purple drew his bow like a full moon, and the arrows, black as night, turned into a rain of arrows when they shot down from the sky, changing from a single attack to a secret technique that attacked in groups.

Clang!

Zhao Yun swung his sword, the sound of metal clashing chaotic. One wave hadn't finished when the next one came, like a rain of arrows, covering the sky.

"It's my turn."

Zhao Yun coldly said, swinging his sword upward.

It missed.

The bird flew too high, far beyond his attack range.

This was awkward.

The other person was above, and he was below, making him a live target.

"Change the place." Zhao Yun turned and ran into the forest.

The young man in purple was diligent, following him like a shadow, staying on the bird's back, shooting arrows non-stop. The rain of arrows would eventually hit him, wearing him down.

The forest was in chaos due to the rain of arrows.

The arrows were powerful, each one capable of causing significant damage.

"Having a flying spirit beast is really good."

Zhao Yun clicked his tongue, moving like a shadow through the forest, a live target. No matter where he ran, the other person would shoot at him, and his attacks were out of range. He could see the person but couldn't hit him, feeling frustrated.

Fortunately, his movements were mysterious and he was resilient. A few arrows wouldn't hurt him as long as they didn't hit vital points, and he could handle it.

Stop!

As he was running, he heard a light command in the darkness.

He stopped instantly.

Zhao Yun, who was fleeing, froze, his foot suspended in mid-air.

"Body Binding Spell."

Zhao Yun frowned, knowing why. Someone must have cast a Body Binding Spell on him. This was a very annoying secret technique. Being immobilized was indeed annoying. He had underestimated the other person, focusing on the one in the sky and not realizing there was someone else in the dark. He didn't know how many there were.

At that moment, another rain of arrows fell from the sky.

If nothing went wrong, Zhao Yun would be turned into a sieve.

"Break it!"

Zhao Yun shouted, his body immobilized but his true essence still free. His true essence surged, breaking the binding, and he instantly burrowed into the ground.

"Good Earth Burrowing Technique."

A laugh followed, and then a loud thud. Someone in the dark had stomped the ground, forcing Zhao Yun out.

"Three."

Zhao Yun looked around, confirming that there were three people. One was on the bird, one had cast the Body Binding Spell, and one had forced him out of the ground. Their cultivation levels were not low, one at the peak of True Spirit, and two at the eighth level.

Clearly, they knew he was a martial cultivator.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent three people. They were likely a team, one attacking from above and two ambushing from below. Their coordination was good, and if not for his strong foundation, he would have been killed.

"Stop."

Another cold command came from the dark, the Body Binding Spell casting again.