Chapter 19

The Ziyun Mountains are often shrouded in mist and clouds. Deep within these mountains, a purple glow emanates, dyeing the clouds a deep purple, hence the name. Now, in the mountains, a young man is crouching in a thicket, his eyes fixed intently on the scene ahead.

There, a tiger crocodile with a formidable armor of scales stands, clearly having reached the peak of the eighth level of the Body Tempering stage.

On a nearby cliff, a purple herb glows faintly, enveloped in a misty aura. A rich essence permeates the air, invigorating the mind and spirit. Just one breath of this essence can refresh the soul, enhancing it significantly.

This herb is a rare spiritual essence known as the Purple Soul Grass.

"With this Purple Soul Grass, my soul power will surely be enhanced," the young man in the thicket thought, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He tightly gripped the hilt of a three-foot-long black iron sword at his waist, his gaze fixed on the tiger crocodile.

This young man is none other than Xiao Yun, who has ventured deep into the Ziyun Mountains.

This area is not yet the deepest part of the mountains, but it is still home to many powerful beasts.

Relying on his strong soul power, Xiao Yun discovered this Purple Soul Grass, but it is guarded by a tiger crocodile.

The tiger crocodile has tough armor and is extremely fierce, resembling both a tiger and a crocodile. If it is not killed in one strike, it will be very troublesome.

Xiao Yun, who is only at the initial stage of the eighth level of Body Tempering, finds it difficult to kill this fierce beast in one blow.

Therefore, Xiao Yun is waiting for an opportunity.

The tiger crocodile's lair is here, and it rarely moves out. Xiao Yun waited for half a day.

Finally, as night fell and a crescent moon appeared in the sky, the tiger crocodile began to sit on a large rock, absorbing essence.

Unlike wild beasts, these demonic beasts can cultivate naturally, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon to strengthen their bodies and alter their bloodlines.

It faced the sky, drawing in strands of essence.

"Demonic beasts can cultivate just like humans," Xiao Yun thought to himself. This was the first time he had seen a demonic beast absorb essence, but although this tiger crocodile had reached the peak of the eighth level of Body Tempering, its ability to draw in the essence of heaven and earth was clearly inferior to Xiao Yun's.

At first, the tiger crocodile was alert, scanning its surroundings, but after a while, it became completely immersed in cultivation.

"It's time to act!" Xiao Yun's eyes narrowed, and he pounced forward like a lurking predator.

Swish!

The young man wielded his long sword, a cold light flashing as he thrust it towards the tiger crocodile's neck like a meteor chasing the moon.

The sword light was blinding, and the tiger crocodile's eyes flashed with a fierce light.

Whoosh!

The crocodile's tail lashed out, tearing through the air with a whistling sound, like a steel whip.

The tail was covered in scales, similar to a crocodile's, and could shatter even the hardest rock with a single strike.

However, as its tail lashed out, the black iron sword in the young man's hand flashed with a cold light and pierced its throat.

Crack!

The armor was pierced, and the sword penetrated, followed by the sound of bones breaking.

Squish!

The tiger crocodile's eyes turned blood red, and it tried to pounce, but as the essence within its body dissipated, its body grew weak.

The young man's right hand moved, and the sword was withdrawn, leaving no trace of blood, showing how swift the strike had been.

Plop!

Blood spurted out, and the tiger crocodile died.

"One strike to kill, indeed, it's well-deserved!" Xiao Yun sheathed his black iron sword, glanced at the dead tiger crocodile, and then walked forward to carefully pick the purple herb emitting a radiant purple glow.

The Purple Soul Grass was entirely purple, shining brilliantly under the moonlight, incredibly beautiful.

Holding the herb, a rich essence permeated the air, invigorating the mind and spirit.

This was a rare herb for nurturing the soul, and Xiao Yun's luck was excellent to find it here.

"If I refine this Purple Soul Grass, my soul power will surely increase significantly," the young man's face, still slightly immature, showed a hint of joy. Once his soul power increased, he could enhance the Soul Destruction section of the Heaven Swallowing and Soul Destroying Technique.

After obtaining the Purple Soul Grass, Xiao Yun released his perception and, finding no demonic beasts nearby, sat on a rock to cultivate the Heaven Swallowing and Soul Destroying Technique. A vortex resembling a black hole appeared in his dantian.

Buzz!

As soon as the vortex appeared, the Purple Soul Grass was drawn into it, beginning the refinement process.

The Heaven Swallowing and Soul Destroying Technique operated, guiding the essence of the Purple Soul Grass into Xiao Yun's mind, gradually being absorbed by his spirit.

As time passed, Xiao Yun felt his soul power surging, almost becoming tangible.

The next day, the young man continued to refine the Purple Soul Grass. He had just started cultivating the Heaven Swallowing and Soul Destroying Technique and could not instantly refine all the essence within the herb. He had to proceed gradually.

Otherwise, the influx of essence would be too strong for his soul to handle.

Sunlight illuminated the forest, and several figures appeared.

"Damn it, the innate demonic beasts from the depths of the Ziyun Mountains have come to the outer regions, nearly costing us our lives."

"Legend has it that there is an ancient cultivator's legacy in the depths of the Ziyun Mountains, which must be related to this." As these people appeared, they were accompanied by rough curses. Seven men in the same attire then appeared near the canyon.

"An ancient cultivator's legacy?" At this, the men's eyes lit up.

"Forget it, our strength is too weak. Even if an ancient cultivator's legacy appears, it will be claimed by the powerful. We should wait for news from our leader in the outer regions. If we rashly enter the depths of the mountains, we might lose our lives without even knowing it."

The men sighed and stopped thinking about it.

"Running for two days and nights, I'm exhausted. We need to find some food." A man in tattered clothes, with bloodstains, complained and began scanning the surroundings, hoping to find some wild beasts to hunt.

The others also looked quite disheveled, with one man's body torn open, revealing white bones.

"Hey, there's someone there."

"That's the corpse of a tiger crocodile."

"Hehe, demonic beasts are great for nourishment. They can help us recover our strength." The men's eyes flickered and noticed the corpse of a tiger crocodile on a cliff, with a young man sitting nearby, his eyes closed.

"That's a fine sword, likely a mystic-grade treasure, sharp enough to pierce the demonic beast's scales."

"The tiger crocodile was killed with a single strike to the throat. What a fine sword, worth a fortune!" The men's eyes gleamed as they saw the black iron sword at the young man's waist.

If they had this sword the day before, they wouldn't have been in such a sorry state!

The men exchanged glances and moved towards the young man.

These men were experienced, carefully spreading out to form a包围圈, slowly surrounding the young man. This way, even if the young man had great skills, he would have no chance of escape. From his aura, he was not at the innate stage.

"Attack!" When they were a few feet away from Xiao Yun, a scar-faced man's eyes narrowed, and he shouted.

The others immediately understood and took large steps to attack.

However, at that moment, the young man's eyes, which had been closed, suddenly opened.

"What are you doing?" Xiao Yun's eyes were like blades, scanning the group, and his voice was like a thunderclap, shaking their souls. The seven men, who were about to attack, trembled and took a step back.

"Is this young man at the innate stage?" The men quickly retreated, their eyes filled with shock. They had just felt a tremendous pressure on their souls, almost causing them to collapse. They were momentarily stunned, staring at the young man sitting on the rock.

Xiao Yun's eyes were cold as he scanned the group. In fact, he had sensed their approach earlier but was at a critical moment in his cultivation and couldn't be distracted. It was only when they were about to attack that he broke through.

Xiao Yun's soul power was now incredibly strong, almost tangible.

"He's only at the Body Tempering stage. He must have used a sound wave technique to shock our spirits," the scar-faced man said with a grim face. "Steady your spirits, kill him. He's just a young boy. Are we afraid of him?"

"Kill!" The other six men's eyes hardened, and they all agreed.

These men were seasoned killers, used to fighting, and had no fear of a young man.

With a cold shout, the seven men attacked Xiao Yun together.

One of them wielded a large axe, another held an iron fork, and their attacks were ruthless, aiming to kill.

"Since that's the case, see my sword!" Xiao Yun's eyes narrowed.

Whoosh!

Xiao Yun leaped into the air, like a great roc spreading its wings, and gripped his sword with his right hand.

Swish!

The sword moved like a shooting star, thrusting towards the scar-faced man.

"Hehe, you're only at the eighth level of Body Tempering and think you can match me?" The scar-faced man sneered. From the force of the sword, he could tell that the young man was not a match for his ninth level of Body Tempering.

With a cold snort, the scar-faced man swung his broad axe, aiming to cut through the sword light.

The axe's momentum was fierce, causing the air to ripple, and a wave of energy surged forward.

The ninth level of Body Tempering was indeed much stronger than the eighth level.

However, before the axe could strike, a sword light flashed and cut the scar-faced man's wrist.

Ah!

A cry of pain echoed as the scar-faced man's wrist was severed, and the axe fell to the ground.

"What incredible speed!" The other men exclaimed in shock. The young man's sword was incredibly fast.

At that moment, Xiao Yun landed, his sword thrusting towards the scar-faced man's throat.

The sword light flashed, and the scar-faced man's eyes widened in terror.

In the sword light, he felt a cold, deathly chill.

The sword light vanished in an instant, and a jet of blood spurted out.

Xiao Yun's figure was light and agile, landing to the side, and the blood sprayed onto the other men.

Thud!

The scar-faced man fell to the ground, dead.

At that moment, the other six men were filled with fear, frozen in place. The sound of their heartbeats was clearly audible in the canyon.

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