The wooden staircase was quite old, and the dust inside the basement was terrible, causing me to scratch my nose a few times.
"It's right over there," Kang Duyi said, pointing to the door at the end of the tunnel.
He seemed hurried, going ahead without even waiting for me to accompany him. Earlier, when we faced the wolf in the woods, he respected me, thinking my power was far superior to his. But now, he believed I was just a cultivator in the second layer of Qi Condensation.
This small detail, this little lie I told him, was precisely what gave me the confidence to win the fight against them.
I already knew what to expect, and I wondered if it would be wise to enter the room or try to confront Kang Duyi directly in the tunnel.
"This tunnel is somewhat narrow... Damn, I guess I'll have to face them inside the room," I murmured internally.
My eyes never left Kang Duyi's figure as he pushed open the door, revealing the familiar sights I saw on my last visit to that room. However, the woman was nowhere to be found.
Of course, she wasn't foolish enough to show herself right away. Surely, she lurked behind the altar or in one of the corners, waiting for me to enter so that they could both launch their attacks.
"Come on, Tian Li. It's clear," Kang Duyi said.
Instead of entering the room himself, he stood waiting by the doorway. Perhaps it was his way of trying to appear less suspicious, something he failed at earlier.
This was my perfect opportunity! With a deliberately innocent look on my face, I approached him slowly. He seemed confident, almost certain that I was falling for his act like a clueless duck.
And when I was very close to Kang Duyi, close enough to launch an attack, I did it.
"Thundery Palm!" I shouted.
All of my cultivation from the third layer of Qi Condensation was utilized, catching Kang Duyi off guard just like the wolf in our previous encounter.
A thunderous roar reverberated within the basement as Kang Duyi was sent flying to the other side of the room, his back colliding forcefully with the altar. Blood flowed from his head, and his bewildered and frightened gaze met mine.
"Impossible," he managed to say, struggling to speak after the impact.
I refused to stand idly in front of the door, anticipating the attacks of my adversaries. As I entered the room, my eyes swiftly scanned every corner, locating the red-haired woman whom I had suspected to be working alongside him.
She, too, awaited my arrival and rushed towards me with determination.
"Corrosive Black Claw!"
A sinister black claw with a slimy appearance formed around her hand, extending all the way to the end of her forearm. An overwhelming Qi emanated from that attack, originating from the pinnacle of the second layer of Qi Condensation. Even with my higher cultivation, I knew that facing the attack head-on would be unwise.
Despite my limited repertoire of martial techniques, the ones I had mastered were executed with precision, and the Cloud Step was among my finest skills.
"Cloud Step!"
With agile movements, I effortlessly evaded her claw, swiftly appearing behind the woman who was still in the midst of her attack, leaving her vulnerable to my counterstrikes!
"Thundery Palm!" I bellowed once more.
My most formidable offensive technique struck her in the ribs, the sickening crunch of breaking bones resonating through the room. She was sent hurtling, crashing into the unforgiving wall. Unlike Kang Duyi, who managed to survive my assault, she did not share the same fate.
"No!" Kang Duyi cried out, slowly rising while leaning on the altar for support.
"No? Weren't you the one who betrayed me?" I yelled, viciously glaring at Kang Duyi. "You lied to me, lied!"
"You knew?" Kang Duyi's mouth gaped open, and his entire body trembled with fear. He had been overly confident, believing I was unaware of his malicious plans with that woman, but he was mistaken.
"Of course I did! Do you think I'm stupid?" The tension between us intensified as I made my way toward the altar.
"What are your last words, scum?"
Yes, I was prepared to kill him as well. Initially, I doubted my ability to do so, just as I had with the woman. However, I went through with it and felt a twisted satisfaction. She was a murderer, and the world of cultivation was cruel and unforgiving. To survive, one must adapt, and that's exactly what I was doing.
The situation was clearly unfavorable for Kang Duyi, and I saw no way for him to escape, to evade death.
He unleashed all of his power, a cultivation of the second layer! Kang Duyi was weaker than that, and I could only attribute his progress to the devilish technique he was practicing.
"This is not enough to face me," I confidently declared.
I wasn't being cocky; it was simply the truth. With his current level of power, Kang Duyi would surely be defeated.
He started laughing maniacally, and it was at that moment I noticed numerous scattered drawings in the room.
"Hahaha, now that she's dead, her cultivation will be mine!" Kang Duyi exclaimed.
The power emanating from her lifeless body flowed towards Kang Duyi, utilizing the drawings as conduits, causing his cultivation to skyrocket.
Her body transformed into a dried mummy as Kang Duyi broke through the second layer, reaching the third, and his ascension did not stop there. His power soared to the peak of the third layer, surpassing even my own.
That was unexpected. Kang Duyi's cultivation was not the only thing that changed. His face looked twisted, and he didn't seem to be in his right mind.
A cultivator like that, one who did not think about the consequences, was the worst type. He dashed toward me with incredible speed and pierced his hand through my chest.
It hurt, and a lot of blood spurted from the wound. I was sure I would die if he landed one more hit.