Chapter 55

Qin Xianyu was utterly shocked. Since he began practicing Dao, his true qi had become powerful, and he had almost never suffered a defeat. However, at this moment, he was being carried away by someone and found it difficult to resist.

He tried to circulate his true qi but felt weak all over.

"Boy, even if you have reached the peak of the Qi Practitioner stage, with your true qi reaching nine inches and capable of being released externally, in my eyes, you are still like an ant," the man in gray said coldly, his voice filled with a chill. He held Qin Xianyu under his arm and the cold year grass in his other hand.

Hearing his words, Qin Xianyu was startled again, sensing that this person might be even stronger than Master Guanxu.

"Bad luck, I saw the aura of spiritual energy here during the day and wanted to find an opportunity to break through, to escape from the sword immortal's pursuit. Now I am greatly disappointed," the man in gray sighed. "A hundred-year-old cold year grass and a ghost-sealing seal, though useful, can hardly be of any help in a hurry."

"Li Quan, stop talking nonsense and leave quickly. Don't let him catch up," the man in black said, then left the door.

The man in gray, called Li Quan, shouted, "Bai Mu, at this point, what path is there to take? It's too late to take the road! We can go straight ahead into Yinghuang Mountain!"

The man in black, called Bai Mu, slapped his head and retreated, then crashed into the wall.

Boom!

The wall was suddenly broken, and the man broke through, moving like a gust of wind, disappearing into the depths of the forest, straight into Yinghuang Mountain.

"This is..."

Qin Xianyu's pupils contracted, his eyes filled with shock.

He was gradually becoming more knowledgeable about martial arts.

Ordinary martial artists, with strong bodies and skilled techniques, were already quite good.

Those who could move their blood and qi could increase their strength and use it to protect themselves from blunt objects.

Those who had cultivated inner strength could easily cut down trees with a single sword strike.

But only the grandmasters of martial arts, who could release their inner strength externally, could easily break stones and split rocks.

The man in black, called Bai Mu, broke through the wall with his flesh and blood, which was even more astonishing than a grandmaster of martial arts!

"Grandmasters of martial arts are already the pinnacle of martial arts cultivation. This person, using his flesh and blood to break through the wall, could it be... that he has surpassed the grandmaster level?"

"Is he... a cultivator who has surpassed the external release of true qi?"

Qin Xianyu guessed and concluded, his heart surging with shock.

While he was shocked, Li Quan, holding him, had already followed the hole in the wall, chasing after Bai Mu.

...

The moon hung high, its light cold and clear.

The forest was bright, and with the moonlight, one could see clearly.

Under the moon, the deep mountains and dense forests were like a light veil, with the night mountain breeze blowing, making it quiet and mysterious.

Although Li Quan was holding Qin Xianyu and carrying the broken tripod with the cold year grass, which was very inconvenient, the man in gray still moved as fast as the wind.

The wind rustled in the forest, and the trees kept retreating.

The man in gray moved as quickly as a gust of wind.

After seeing this, Qin Xianyu felt a chill.

In the depths of Yinghuang Mountain, there were countless fierce birds and beasts. Even at night, there were many nocturnal birds and animals, such as eagles, hawks, wolves, and jackals. However, as the man in gray moved, these fierce beasts and birds all retreated.

At this moment, Bai Mu, who had left first, turned around from ahead, his face filled with shock, and shouted, "There are many trees ahead that have been cut down, with smooth cuts. It's likely that the sword immortal used his flying sword to block the way. Turn quickly and escape into Yinghuang Mountain."

Li Quan paused for a moment, then turned east without hesitation, rushing forward, and shouted angrily, "That damned killer!"

"Immortal, flying sword." Qin Xianyu heard these two words and was filled with complex emotions and shock.

These two people must be true immortals, whose cultivation had surpassed the external release of true qi, achieving great Dao.

But seeing these two people move as fast as the wind and break through the wall with their flesh and blood, which was much stronger than a grandmaster of martial arts, yet still being forced to flee by the sword immortal, what level of cultivation could this sword immortal have?

The flying sword techniques recorded in the Daoist books were truly real!

"Damn, no wonder those Daoist friends who went to steal the Immortal Map of the Mountain and River all disappeared mysteriously, like stones thrown into a lake, without a trace. It turns out they were all killed by this killer," Li Quan said through gritted teeth. "This killer has been killing for nearly a month, with countless lives on his sword, and still won't stop, chasing us all the way from the capital."

"This killer is also an immortal, but his killing nature is too strong," Bai Mu said angrily. "Human blood is a filthy thing. Isn't he afraid that too much blood debt will dirty his flying sword?"

Li Quan said resentfully, "With his cultivation, his flying sword must have already been perfected and is no longer afraid of filthy things."

Qin Xianyu, held under his arm, naturally heard everything clearly.

Steal the Immortal Map of the Mountain and River? The sword immortal chased from the capital?

The flying sword is afraid of filthy things?

In a short time, Qin Xianyu had learned many secrets from the two, all related to immortals, which made him both shocked and fully attentive.

Li Quan moved as fast as the wind, like a gust of wind.

Wherever he passed, the trees swayed, the grass bent, and leaves flew.

"I thought that with Yuan Shoufeng of the Astronomical Bureau leaving the capital, it was a great opportunity. Who knew that there was another person of the True Person level in the Astronomical Bureau besides Yuan Shoufeng," Li Quan said in surprise. "When did the Great Virtue Holy Dynasty produce another Dragon Tiger True Person?"

While running, Bai Mu clenched his fists and said fiercely, "Yuan Shoufeng is not an immortal, and I have never met him. But where is there another True Person in the Astronomical Bureau? The other deputy directors and Huoshan Ling are all at our level of cultivation, and they certainly haven't become Dragon Tigers and achieved the True Person level!"

"There are only a few Dragon Tiger True Persons in the Great Virtue Holy Dynasty, all of whom are important figures, and we both know them. But we have never seen such a sword immortal," Li Quan said in a low voice. "Who is this sword immortal? With his abilities, why is he unknown?"

"Who knows?"

Thinking of their recent miserable state, the two felt bitter and sad.

Suddenly, there was an open space ahead, without any trees.

It was a cliff.

"Turn quickly!"

The two did not stop, but changed direction.

At this moment, a sword cry rang out, clear and loud.

Under the moonlight, a white light shone, even more brilliant than the moon, and more ethereal.

Li Quan and Bai Mu stopped at the same time, looked at each other, and showed a fierce expression.

"Who are you?"

Li Quan shouted loudly, his voice full of resentment.

"We have already investigated that Yuan Shoufeng of the Astronomical Bureau left the capital. How can there still be someone like you?"

"With your abilities, why are you unknown?"

Li Quan's voice echoed in the cliff.

The forest was quiet, and the leaves rustled slightly in the night wind.

"Although my brother and I cannot destroy the Immortal Map of the Mountain and River, it can only be opened three times every ten years. We have each used it once during our escape. Now there is one use left. If you push us too hard, my brother and I will have to put this young man into the Immortal Map. Even if you retrieve the Immortal Map, you will have to wait ten years to use it, and you won't be able to attend the capital conference!"

Li Quan shouted, "Let us go, and we will return the Immortal Map of the Mountain and River intact, along with the hundred-year-old cold year grass and the ghost-sealing seal!"

Suddenly, a person walked out of the forest.

Li Quan and Bai Mu were speechless, their faces frozen.

Qin Xianyu also held his breath.

The moon hung high, the mountain wind blew, and the grass and trees swayed gently.

The person walked slowly through the forest, unhurried.

He had a fair face, stood with his hands behind his back, and wore a white robe as clean as snow, his ethereal and transcendent appearance surpassing even the moon.

The moment he stepped out of the forest, the forest fell silent, and the world seemed to lose its color, even the cold moon in the sky seemed less bright.

"Is this the sword immortal?"

Qin Xianyu held his breath.

Qin Xianyu felt that this person was only about thirty-eight years old, with a white robe as clean as snow, a long sword slung diagonally on his back, which must be the flying sword that had just emitted a bright light and a clear sword cry.

Truly a sword immortal!

He exuded the demeanor of a sword immortal.

Graceful, transcendent, and extraordinary!

This sword immortal's demeanor was exactly as Qin Xianyu had imagined.

The sword immortal's face was calm, and he glanced at Li Quan and Bai Mu as if they were nothing, then his gaze fell on Qin Xianyu, his eyebrows slightly raised.

"Attack!"

Li Quan shouted, and he pulled out a scroll from his chest and threw it behind him toward the cliff.

Qin Xianyu had not even seen what the scroll looked like when he felt as if he were riding the clouds, his body becoming light, followed by a feeling of palpitation.

After Li Quan threw the scroll down the cliff, he also threw Qin Xianyu and the hundred-year-old cold year grass down the cliff.

On the scroll, there were undulating mountains, dense forests, rivers, and streams, birds flying in the blue sky, and apes and tigers roaring in the green forests.

What a vivid and lifelike map of the mountains and rivers!

Qin Xianyu only saw the appearance of the Immortal Map of the Mountain and River, and then his head touched the map.

Then, the world spun, and the sky and earth inverted.

His vision went black.

He could no longer see the moonlight or the cliff.

He vaguely heard Li Quan shouting, "Who are you?"

The shout was filled with unwillingness, sounding mournful and sad.

Just as Qin Xianyu's mind went blank and he was about to faint, he heard a calm voice say, "Lin Jingtang."

The voice was calm and indifferent, almost imperceptible amidst Li Quan's mournful shout, yet it was so clear.

"So this sword immortal is named Lin Jingtang."

With this thought, Qin Xianyu lost consciousness and fainted.

On the cliff, the night wind was cold.

Lin Jingtang's white robe fluttered, his face calm and expressionless.

The two opponents, who had reached the peak of their cultivation, were now almost mad, and Li Quan sneered, "The young man has entered the Immortal Map of the Mountain and River, and this map cannot be used for ten years!"

Lin Jingtang ignored him and looked down the cliff, watching the map fly and gradually fall to the bottom.

Li Quan and Bai Mu, seeing his gaze on the cliff, exchanged a look and shouted, "Attack!"

Both used all their skills, their qi overwhelming, and did not hold back at all.

Facing their formidable skills, Lin Jingtang remained calm, as if he did not see them, and simply pointed his fingers and drew a line.

The night mountain breeze became cool, infused with a hint of sword intent, turning into a sword wind.

The sword wind gently rose.

Blood splattered on the cliff.