"Escaped… escaped at last…"
Stepping into the dark mist outside the Empyrean Sword Sect, a tiny worn-down skeleton was rolling on the ground. A cloud of vaguely noticeable red mist had it surrounded, reflecting the scrawny face of a dark skeleton.
"He isn't that high in Cultivation Base. However, he is in possession of a Sword Manual that is not low in level and has an extremely high mastery level in it. Five Yin Elements phase, a phase that only a few Mist Dwellers can attain… For that reason, the power that erupted off of him was simply too terrifying. According to my observations, when he breaks into the Divine Bridge stage, I'm afraid that he will leave a mark on the Dark God Stele. Every year, the Dark God Stele halts whoever arrives at the boundary of power. However, should an entity emerge victoriously, they might attract the attention of the Dark Robe and Mist Dwellers. If he joins the Dark Robe or Mist Dwellers… It'll be difficult for me to survive…"
The Dark Robe and Mist Dwellers were unique.
Shen Changge was very young. At the same time, he should have slain a lot of demons and dripped his blood on the stele. In that case, the Dark God Stele would have definitely sensed him and appraised his potential. By then, the Dark Robe and Mist Dwellers would begin their bargaining.
Thinking about the Dark Robe and Mist Dwellers, the skeleton could not help but shudder.
"Before that happens, I must…"
It was a terrifying Mist Dweller that had landed him in his current state.
"With the living souls that kid sacrificed to me, I can already maintain this form for a very long time. I need to get reinforcements…" the skeleton said to itself.
The skeleton immediately morphed into a cloud of crimson mist.
However, right at that very moment!
His pupils constricted and his expression changed drastically!
"This is bad!"
He was discovered!
He seemingly felt something in the dark mist behind him. Like tens of thousands of silvery threads, the dark mist quivered wildly. It throbbed endlessly as if it had sensed something terrifying. The skeleton turned around only to see a gust of monstrous aura surging in his direction. The skeleton could hardly imagine why someone at just the peak of the Liberation stage would exude such a horrifying aura. But unfortunately for him, that aura did exist.
Like a shark swimming in the raging sea, the dark mist rippled with terrifying waves!
Whoosh!
A streak of Swordlight pierced through the layers of dark mist!
Run!
The skeleton felt a terrible sense of crisis. The dazzling Swordlight was wreathed in obsidian Yin Lightning. It was the Five Yin Elements phase, the zenith of Riding Arts!
In fact, he was no archon of the Sacred Dynasty. He had not been lying to Shen Changge earlier. After all, revealing that information would not have had even the slightest effect on him. He was not lying when he said that he had made it up, either.
It was true that he was just uttering nonsense.
The truth was he had not even seen the gates of the Sacred Dynasty before…
The Sacred Dynasty was supreme. His existence was too lowly despite the fact that, in the Mist Ocean's outer periphery and even the Mist Ocean at the lower realm, his past self could easily have been treated as an absolute powerhouse!
But now.
What kind of monster is after me?!
The Swordlight behind him was like a bone-attached maggot, completely locked onto him!
He fled frantically. The Swordlight behind him stirred up a storm!
In just a glimpse, one could see a figure with his hands placed behind his back as he followed closely behind step by step. His movements were leisurely, unrestrained, and seemingly unrushed. However, for every step he took, the area between them would shrink by an inch. That was the extremity of Move Techniques. The light and unpredictable pace seemed extremely out of place in comparison to the scene of someone being hunted by a sword.
The skeleton was about to vomit blood.
Why?!
D*mn it!
I'm almost vomiting blood here because of all the running, and you're over there taking a leisurely stroll with such a joyful disposition? That was the reason why he absolutely detested flashy aces who had a Move Technique trained to an extremity!
You trained in the sword, and so be it, you're powerful and I endured it. But must you pair that up with an extremity of Move Techniques? He suddenly remembered a casual conversation he overheard before the Mist Ocean descended that listed the ranking of several cultivation paths.
Move Techniques were first and sword techniques were second…
In fact, it was useless to cultivate in Move Techniques. Stepping into an extremity was overly difficult. It was basically a one in ten thousand chance. Besides, training must continue all year round. The technique itself being of the Truth Return level was just the prerequisite.
At that moment, Shen Changge naturally would not understand the skeleton's sorrow.
"Why are you chasing me like that? As long as you let me go today, I will forget everything that happened here and not seek revenge. I can even introduce you to the big shots within the Mist Ocean!" the skeleton pleaded.
"I use this trick very often on my junior brother. He's pure and kind in the heart, or in other words, stupid. He might fall for it, but I, Shen Changge, only trust in the sword."
Ka-boom!
"Riding Art: Thousand Miles.
"Assaulting Art: Scarlet Lightning."
Two swords were unsheathed.
One was fast and one was slow. One was as light as the wind and one was burdened with intent to kill. In a fraction of a second, they sliced through layers of dark mist!
Ka-boom!
That place abruptly blew up!
Ripples of shockwave cleaved the dark mist apart, revealing an area of nothingness!
Shen Changge stood there, gently closed his eyes, and channeled Rebirth to its vertex.
"He isn't dead yet…"
In the darkness, a wisp of red mist fled in panic.
"Holy moly!"
The skeleton was going crazy!
Why was this kid that much of a pest!?
With his escape method, beings at an even higher level than the Divine Bridge stage would not be able to find him!
"Does he have mastery over a Simulation technique? But even so, he would have to train it to the very maximum to be able to restore me!" the skeleton said.
The skeleton hurled out a series of curses. On the verge of vomiting blood, he was frantically on the run!
All of a sudden.
The figure suddenly disappeared from behind him.
In a flash, he exploded into infinite amounts of images and at last vanished in entirety. Halting all motion, the skeleton's pupils constricted as a bad premonition arose within his mind. At the next moment!
Whoosh!
The dark mist in front of him was abruptly blasted apart and that figure appeared in front of the red cloud like a demon, hindering his path. The figure's eyes were like an icy pool. All three swords behind his back were completely unsheathed.
They lined up in the air, pulsating with murderous intent!
"Your bullying is beyond the…"
Before the skeleton could finish his words, the area was bombarded by swords slashing around in utter chaos!
Shen Changge stood where he was.
The wind created a gentle breeze.
Then, he heightened his senses slightly, knitted his eyebrows, and vanished into the darkness.
After Shen Changge left, a figure wrapped in a black robe was left trembling and hiding behind a dead tree far away. He grabbed the tiny skeleton in his hand, and all of a sudden, he slowly submerged into the open. His chilling eyes seemed to carry a bit of hatred and fear, and as the wind gently blew away the dark mist, the person's young and immature face was seemingly reflected.
…
"Elder, are you alright?!"
Mo Qingchen ran back with a worried look. As anticipated, he saw the elder and what seemed like drag marks on the ground.
"Who dares to attack an elder of the Empyrean Sword Sect!" Mo Qingchen raised his eyebrows and stared in anger.
"That… that was me, crawling on the ground…" the elder said.
The elder opened his eyes weakly. His expression held a hint of complexity as he looked at Mo Qingchen.
"Elder, are you alright?!"
The elder looked at Mo Qingchen's worried face and sighed.
"Your master always mentions you to me, saying that you are pure and kind in nature. These qualities are certainly valuable, but..."
"Elder, leave the praises for later. Are your injuries alright?" Mo Qingchen could not help but raise the corners of his mouth into a smile when he heard the words, but he hurriedly stopped the elder. Why are you praising me at this moment in time?!
The elder, "???"