Chapter 85

"I killed you."

In the moonlit mountain forest, it was quite serene, but a shrill scream broke the silence.

It was the woman.

Taking advantage of the moonlight, she had come to the lake to bathe, feeling quite comfortable, when she was suddenly hit by something from the sky. If it had been a woman, it would have been fine, but it was a man.

"I... didn't see anything."

Zhao Yun emerged from the lake, turned, and ran, escaping in a panic. What a disaster! This was truly an accident; who would have known someone was bathing in the lake, and it was a woman, no less.

"Where are you going?"

Behind her, a woman in red robes, sword in hand, pursued relentlessly. Her long hair was still wet, her clothes clung to her slender figure, highlighting her exquisite body and beautiful face, which was flushed with anger. Her clear, beautiful eyes sparkled with a fierce light. She didn't care if it was a coincidence or an accident; anyone who saw her body must die.

"I didn't see anything."

Zhao Yun, ahead, didn't even look back as he fled, perhaps out of guilt, or perhaps because of the woman's cultivation. She wasn't a True Spirit Realm but a genuine Profound Yang Realm, and although only at the first level, she was far beyond his match. One strike from her would be enough to finish him.

"Stay."

Zhao Yun's words only made the woman in red pursue him more fiercely. She chased and attacked, her sword energy slicing through the air, cutting down many ancient trees.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The once serene mountain forest was now in chaos, with beasts roaring and birds flying in all directions.

"Where are you running?"

The woman moved like the wind, catching up and slicing through a large rock with her fierce red sword energy.

Zhao Yun narrowly avoided being hit, but a deep gash appeared on his back, a result of the shockwave.

"I really didn't see anything."

"Still trying to argue? Leave your life behind."

"Let's talk this out."

Zhao Yun, in a sorry state, still fled, rolling and crawling. Using the Wind God Step, he narrowly avoided a sword strike and then attached a speed-enhancing talisman to his leg.

Whoosh!

When someone uses a speed-enhancing talisman, they run incredibly fast. With a whoosh, Zhao Yun was gone, the talisman's speed was powerful, leaving the woman far behind.

"Good speed-enhancing talisman."

The woman coldly snorted, and with a flick of her hand, a speed-enhancing talisman appeared in her palm.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Now there were two black shadows, one in front and one behind, darting through the dense forest.

Boom! Crack! Bang!

The noise was constant, as the woman, unfamiliar with the speed-enhancing talisman, crashed into many trees and shattered many rocks. Her once graceful posture was now in disarray.

Compared to her, Zhao Yun was much better at using the speed-enhancing talisman, skillfully avoiding every obstacle.

The more she saw this, the angrier she became.

While she was furious, she was also surprised. In her memory, no one had ever used a speed-enhancing talisman as skillfully as Zhao Yun. What surprised her even more was that Zhao Yun had many speed-enhancing talismans. Over a hundred miles, he had used at least three, while she had only one, which was now exhausted, relying solely on her own speed.

"Good thing I was prepared."

Zhao Yun coughed, and with a flick of his hand, another speed-enhancing talisman sent him into a valley.

Whoosh!

The woman followed, but Zhao Yun was nowhere to be seen. Who knew where he had run off to.

Ah...!

The woman, in a rage, stomped her feet. She had chased him all day but couldn't catch up. It wasn't that her speed was lacking, but she didn't have as many speed-enhancing talismans as that boy.

"Don't let me see you again."

Under the moonlight, the woman in red coldly said, her cheeks flushed, whether from anger or embarrassment.

Late at night, Zhao Yun emerged from the ground, looked around, and, seeing no one, climbed out, his face embarrassed.

Under the moon, he ran back with all his might, having escaped the chase, he needed to deal with the young man in white.

When he reached the forest, he saw the blood eagle, which had been smashed to pieces. The young man was nowhere to be found.

"You can't run."

Zhao Yun coldly said, following the blood trail, knowing the young man was badly injured.

Indeed, in the depths of the forest, he found the young man, sitting on a rock, his face pale, clearly injured internally, blood trickling from his mouth, and his body in a sorry state.

"Damn."

Even in this state, he still cursed, whether at Zhao Yun or his blood eagle. This was a truly miserable situation. In the past, with his mount, he had been a star, but today, he had been betrayed by his blood eagle. If it hadn't tried to eat Zhao Yun and the mixed-breed bird, he wouldn't have ended up in such a dire situation. Not only had he lost his mount, but he was also severely injured. His blood eagle was truly a master at betraying its owner.

Who?

Suddenly, he sprang up, but, due to his injuries, he almost fell off the rock, coughing up blood.

"What do you think?"

Zhao Yun, sword in hand, emerged from the darkness.

"You...!"

Seeing him, the young man took a step back. In the past, he wouldn't have feared a True Spirit Second Level, but now, with his injuries, he lacked the confidence. His combat ability was greatly reduced, and he couldn't muster much strength.

"I am a disciple of the Tang Clan."

The young man in white shouted, not foolish, knowing to bring in his backing at a critical moment.

Zhao Yun said nothing, taking a step forward.

The Tang Clan, he had heard of, an ancient lineage. In the Warring States period, it was a small kingdom, which was destroyed in the chaos and later retreated to the civilian world, becoming a hidden great clan. Few members of this clan walked the world, and when they did, people avoided them. They were skilled in using hidden weapons, which were unpredictable and could easily catch someone off guard.

But, trying to scare him with this didn't work. In the deep mountains, killing and looting were common, and no one would know if he didn't say anything.

Buzz!

As he walked, a buzzing sound was heard, and a round, ball-like iron object, thrown by the young man in white, exploded in mid-air, releasing a shower of flying needles. Indeed, they were skilled in hidden weapons, and this was a preemptive strike. The flying needles glowed with a sinister light, likely coated with poison.

Zhao Yun ignored it, sinking into the ground.

"Earth遁 (Earth Escape)?" The young man's face changed.

"You guessed right."

Zhao Yun's voice was dry, avoiding the flying needles, emerging from the ground, and instantly summoning his sword. The Longyuan sword, with its dragon's roar, cleaved through the air, followed by the Zixiao, aiming for the young man's forehead.

"Damn."

The young man parried with his sword, deflecting the Longyuan and avoiding the Zixiao. Before he could steady himself, Zhao Yun, like a ghost, struck with the Dragon Power Palm, hitting him squarely in the chest.

Pfft!

The young man spat blood, flying backward.

Whoosh!

Zhao Yun was even faster, grabbing his arm and slamming him into a rock.

Bang! Pfft!

The rock shattered, and the young man spat blood, his bones broken, his tendons severed, and he was left a cripple. He tried to get up but lacked the strength; he tried to speak but blood gushed from his mouth. His eyes bulged, and in them, Zhao Yun saw not a person but a death god.

"May you have a good journey."

Zhao Yun said calmly, and with a single strike, the young man was dead.

Zhao Yun sheathed his sword.

Next, he collected the spoils. He took everything he could, and the young man was indeed a member of the Tang Clan. His bag contained many hidden weapons, like the iron ball, and several others, as well as various types of smoke and mist.

Unfortunately for the young man, he met Zhao Yun, and before he could use his many hidden weapons, he was taken down, dying in frustration.

"Home."

After collecting the spoils, he destroyed the body and disappeared into the forest, heading straight for the Forgotten Ancient City.

In the morning, the warm sunlight shone.

On the road today, there were many people, mostly cloaked figures riding horses at a gallop.

Zhao Yun was one of them.

He saw Han Ming, the young lord of the Gray Wolf City, not wearing a cloak. His mount, a Gray Wolf Beast, a wolf-like demon beast, was impressive and much faster than a horse. Along with him were over a dozen elders, all at the Profound Yang Realm, mostly guards, acting arrogantly, causing chaos and leaving many people in distress, but no one dared to speak out, knowing who he was.

As the young lord of a city, even the Earth Concealment Realm wouldn't dare to provoke him. His father commanded an army, and no matter how strong an individual was, they couldn't match an army. Even a peak Earth Concealment Realm would have to think twice.

"Such a high profile."

Zhao Yun sighed, glancing down and then looking up at the sky, where many birds flew, white cranes, eagles, and hawks, all tamed spirit beasts, each carrying a person on their backs.

Both in the sky and on the ground, they were all heading to the Forgotten Ancient City, more specifically, to the auction.

Zhao Yun had expected this.

The auction in the Forgotten Ancient City, held every three years, was well-known. It was rumored that the owner of the auction house had ties to the royal family, and the items auctioned, whether elixirs, spirit liquids, or cultivation techniques, were all extraordinary. Otherwise, they wouldn't attract so many people. The young man in white he had killed was likely there for the auction, but he met his end halfway, and the money he had prepared for the auction, three ten thousand taels, ended up in Zhao Yun's pocket.

"Is there really a Three-Stripe Silver Pill at this auction?"

"Inside information, it's definitely true."

"I've lived for fifty years and have never seen a Three-Stripe Pill."

On the road, there were many people, and much discussion, with groups chatting and gossiping.

"Three-Stripe Pill."

Zhao Yun muttered, sighing. The auction house indeed had great influence, no wonder it attracted so many people. If it really had ties to the royal family, it made sense. Most alchemists were either in the Heavenly Sect or the royal family, and auctioning items was likely a way to raise funds for military needs. This land wasn't just the Great Xia Dragon Dynasty; there were powerful kingdoms in all directions, and constant warfare required a lot of resources.