Chapter 9

The two of them, one in front and one behind, quickly made their way onto the official road outside the town.

Li Wan ran frantically at the front, determined to shake off Fang Ming who was chasing him, but soon he was horrified to find that his pursuer was getting closer.

He had cultivated a spiritual field and advanced to the Qi Condensation stage, experiencing a transformative change in his body and bones overnight. His senses had also become much clearer, and he could faintly sense a danger approaching, knowing it was Fang Ming's aura.

After a while, Li Wan was finally caught and forced to stop in a deserted field by the roadside.

Li Wan stood on a slightly raised mound, panting slightly, and said angrily, "Senior Brother, why must you relentlessly pursue me?"

Fang Ming, who had already prepared to return empty-handed, was overjoyed to have Li Wan back in his grasp. He laughed arrogantly, "Li Wan, stop talking nonsense. Surrender quietly, or I'll have to use more force."

Li Wan spat and said resentfully, "What if I refuse?"

Fang Ming replied, "That's not up to you."

"Then you can try!" Li Wan shouted, "If you take another step, I'll fight you to the death, even if it costs me my life, I'll take a piece of you with me!"

Knowing there was no hope of escape, this outburst also unleashed his long-suppressed resentment.

Fang Ming sneered, "Stubborn to the end!"

Although Fang Ming intended to capture Li Wan, as an outer court disciple, he had a certain pride and did not immediately draw his sword.

With a confident expression, he charged forward unarmed and engaged in combat with Li Wan.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Their fists and feet clashed, breaking the air and creating a series of whistling sounds.

Although Li Wan had advanced to the Qi Condensation stage, he was still at a disadvantage against such an outer court expert, feeling increasingly strained. Soon, he was clearly on the defensive.

He struggled to hold on, feeling like a small boat in a storm, on the verge of capsizing at any moment.

Li Wan had already decided to retreat. Seizing the opportunity to block Fang Ming's punch, he tried to escape backward.

"Nice plan, but can you really escape?" Fang Ming sneered, seeing Li Wan's actions as a last desperate struggle.

Fang Ming's index and middle fingers were pressed together, forming a sword seal, and he shouted.

With a "clank," a simple and unadorned three-foot green sword appeared in the air.

The sword on his back responded and was drawn from its sheath.

"Cut him down!"

Fang Ming, holding the sword seal, pointed at Li Wan, who was turning to flee. A flash of sword light cut through the air, descending sharply!

This sudden attack, accompanied by a fierce wind, was like a bamboo splitting, capable of slicing a person, a lion, a tiger, or even an elephant in half.

Li Wan was horrified: "A magical weapon?"

This sword was not wielded like a common weapon but controlled from a distance, attacking in a bizarre manner. Without the limitations of a human body, the technique was more flexible and unpredictable, making it difficult to defend against.

Clearly, Fang Ming had reached the middle stage of Qi Condensation, where movement and stillness were in harmony. His skill in controlling qi was highly advanced, allowing him to generate innate true essence and manipulate it at will.

The weapon he controlled was not an ordinary sword but a magical tool used by practitioners of the mystic arts, capable of remote control and lethal strikes with a single thought.

In a flash, Li Wan felt a strong warning in his heart. Ignoring the mud on the ground, he rolled to avoid the attack, looking quite disheveled.

But the sword blade immediately turned and came at him again, showing remarkable agility.

In a short moment, Li Wan was forced into an extremely dangerous situation, with one crisis after another.

"This is the mystic art of the mystic sect, which ordinary people cannot resist! Am I going to die here?"

Li Wan felt helpless. No matter how he dodged, the magical sword would follow, and it was faster and more precise than any ordinary sword technique. Clearly, there was no other way out.

But at this critical moment, he suddenly remembered that Fang Ming had been ordered to capture him and would not easily kill him.

There was still a chance! He had to fight!

Taking advantage of a roll, Li Wan gritted his teeth and stood up, not continuing to dodge but instead leaping up, exposing his chest and neck to the magical sword!

Fang Ming was indeed taken aback and quickly redirected the sword, the blade veering off.

But he did not expect Li Wan to take this opportunity to throw a stone he had grabbed at some point, aiming for his face.

Fang Ming had to dodge to the side.

This dodge exposed a weakness, and Li Wan, eyes red, roared and pounced on him like a madman.

Although he wanted to escape, showing weakness and turning his back to the enemy would only result in capture. At this moment, he had no other choice.

Before Fang Ming could react, Li Wan suddenly activated the Phantom Treasure Seal he had just cultivated, feeling a sharp edge and coldness flow through his hand, reaching his ring finger.

"Seal of Sword Qi, strike!"

Without thinking, he flicked his finger, and a white light condensed into a sword qi, piercing through his body!

After this attack, he immediately felt his true essence depleted, needing rest or cultivation to recover. However, the power of the sword qi did not disappoint, piercing through Fang Ming's body with a "thud."

So sharp.

A blood flower bloomed on Fang Ming's right shoulder, and his body shook violently, his face full of shock and disbelief.

Enraged by Li Wan's actions, Fang Ming had intended to wound him with a single strike but only felt a pain in his right shoulder, causing him to lose his grip.

The magical sword, which had been hovering in the air, clattered to the ground.

"Take this!"

Seeing such a rare opportunity, Li Wan roared and punched Fang Ming in the face!

Fang Ming screamed in pain, clutching his nose and mouth, blood gushing out uncontrollably.

This punch was completely unexpected by Fang Ming. He never imagined that Li Wan would have such determination, willing to be killed by the magical sword to counterattack. He also did not expect that in just one day, Li Wan had broken through the human bottleneck and become a mystic sect cultivator.

Although he was only a low-level Qi Condensation disciple, this step had transformed him, not to mention the increase in speed and strength, which was several times greater.

In this moment, all the intricate sword techniques and moves were useless. He was now completely defenseless.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Fists flew, and the air seemed to explode with the force of Li Wan's attacks, raining down on Fang Ming like a torrential rain.

Fang Ming was hit by several more punches, his body trembling uncontrollably, feeling numb and sore all over, as if his bones were about to shatter.

Li Wan did not show any mercy, letting out a wild growl and delivering a heavy punch to Fang Ming's chin.

Boom!

Fang Ming was sent flying, and then Li Wan mercilessly kicked him in the groin.

Fang Ming let out a heart-wrenching scream, clutching his groin and curling into a ball on the ground.

Li Wan's understanding was correct. Although Fang Ming was a Qi Condensation disciple with strong bones and abundant blood, he did not yet have the abilities of a powerful cultivator. Ordinary human vital points were still vulnerable to him.

Seeing his opponent subdued, Li Wan pounced on him without hesitation, like a street thug, grabbing Fang Ming's neck and legs and rolling around.

Fang Ming, an outer court disciple and a legitimate sect member, was skilled in martial arts, but he had never experienced such a situation. His years of cultivation and mystic techniques were useless, and his control over the sword had been severed.

With his skills, he could not perform any more techniques under such interference, so he could only endure the pain and match Li Wan's brute strength.

At the Qi Condensation stage, the strength and agility of cultivators were not vastly different. They all had a few mouthfuls of true essence, which provided nourishment, and the gap was not as great as those who had cultivated advanced techniques.

Fang Ming was now filled with shame and fear, unable to use his strength effectively, and with his shoulder injured by the sword qi, he was no match for Li Wan.

In a short moment, Fang Ming's neck was tightly gripped, his face turning red, and he was struggling to breathe.

Li Wan laughed maniacally, slamming his forehead into Fang Ming's face.

Fang Ming was hit several times, blood gushing out, and his face was a mess.

"Scoundrel... scoundrel..."

Li Wan sneered, "Senior Brother Fang, cause and effect cannot be avoided. Did you ever think you would be outwitted in a ditch?"

"You... you have already advanced to the Qi Condensation stage and had a hidden weapon... I... I miscalculated..." Fang Ming said with difficulty.

He thought Li Wan had used a hidden weapon to injure him, not knowing it was the newly learned Seal of Sword Qi.

After testing the power of the Seal of Sword Qi, Li Wan, driven by a strange impulse, condensed another one, which unexpectedly came in handy.

"You know it now. If I hadn't stolen the Five Elements Spirit Qi from Yin Shaohua, would the Yin family have sent you with just some worldly wealth?" Li Wan laughed heartily.

His proudest moment was being destroyed by Yin Shaohua but finding a way to turn the tables, even gaining the ability to cultivate the Phantom Treasure Seal.

An eye for an eye, the world's most satisfying thing!

After a moment, Fang Ming, suffocating and dazed, was knocked out by Li Wan's repeated blows.

Li Wan spat out a mouthful of blood and saliva, wiped his mouth, and stood up.

"A mighty Qi Condensation cultivator, outwitted by me. This is the karma of your pursuit. Who told you to bully the weak? You deserve it!"

Li Wan took a few steps, picked up the fallen magical sword, and placed it against Fang Ming's neck, but ultimately did not strike.

Li Wan considered himself a reasonable and rule-abiding person. Fang Ming had only been ordered to capture him, not to kill him, so he decided to spare his life.

After some thought, Li Wan searched Fang Ming's waist and suddenly pulled out his如意囊 (wish-fulfilling pouch).

"Sure enough, as I suspected, outer court disciples really have good things!"

Seeing this, Li Wan could not help but laugh out loud.