Mountains rose and fell, a gentle breeze stirred the forest, creating a light green wave on the sea of trees.
Beside a mountain stream, Fang Hanyu leaned against a large boulder, while Zhou Xue tended to his wounds, and Zhou Xing Shi stood not far away, vigilantly watching their surroundings.
"Two hours have gone by, why hasn't he caught up yet? Could something have happened?"
Zhou Xing Shi couldn't help but look back and ask; his life was linked to Fang Wang, and he feared most for Fang Wang's safety.
Zhou Xue, while bandaging Fang Hanyu's wounds, calmly said, "Don't worry, he's not dead."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I have my ways, just like how I was sure this guy wasn't dead earlier."
Zhou Xue's response stunned Zhou Xing Shi. He recalled that before they found Fang Hanyu, Zhou Xue had been confident of his survival.
Could it be that she had done something to Fang Wang and Fang Hanyu?
Although Fang Wang seemed stronger in Zhou Xing Shi's heart, he found Zhou Xue more dangerous and unfathomable.
After a while, Zhou Xue stood up, looked down at Fang Hanyu, and said, "Your body is ruined, but I have a way to make you rise from the ashes and become even greater than before. However, it will be extremely painful. Are you willing?"
Hearing this, Fang Hanyu immediately looked up, clenched his teeth, and said, "I am willing! I don't want to be a cripple for the rest of my life! I'm not afraid of any pain!"
"Hmm, once Fang Wang returns, I will take you to a place to treat you," Zhou Xue said and went to the creek to wash her hands.
Zhou Xing Shi was secretly curious. How could Fang Hanyu, injured as he was, rise from the ashes?
He became even more curious about Zhou Xue's background. Clearly, she had a deep cultivation background long before joining the Great Abyss Gate.
Afterwards, Zhou Xue and the others waited by the mountain stream, waiting for Fang Wang to return.
About half an hour later, they finally heard the sound of something cutting through the air. Zhou Xue and Zhou Xing Shi immediately turned to look, and then they both breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
The comer was Fang Wang.
Fang Wang was flying on a sword, holding the Qingjun Sword in his hand with blood on the blade. Moreover, his white garment was now stained with blood, and his waist was festooned with blood-colored pouches, which were storage bags.
He looked very gruesome, but Zhou Xue and Zhou Xing Shi were not worried; as long as he could still fly on his sword, it meant he was not dead.
Fang Wang landed, and the Flying Sword entered his storage bag. Zhou Xing Shi walked up quickly and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"
For some reason, Fang Wang felt a bit awkward. Shouldn't it be Zhou Xue who came up to care for him first?
Why was it a man who came to show concern first?
"I'm fine, not injured, but my Spiritual Power is nearly depleted," Fang Wang replied.
Even the Great Perfection of the Solaris Scripture, after more than two hours of intense battle, was almost exhausted, especially since his opponents were all cultivators.
Zhou Xing Shi nodded and then stepped to the side.
Zhou Xue came over, checked his body, and asked with a smile, "How's the strength of Li Hongshuang? Fighting her should have broadened your horizons, right?"
Seeing Fang Wang return safely filled her with pride. After all, she was the one who had taught him his cultivation techniques, so in her heart, she had already considered Fang Wang to be her disciple.
To be able to escape from the top talent of Green Cicada Valley in less than a year, such a feat was truly fierce!
"Very strong, indeed it broadened my horizons," Fang Wang nodded.
Zhou Xing Shi was inwardly shocked. As a scion of a prominent family, he knew more about Li Hongshuang. She was not of the same generation as them. It was astounding that Li Hongshuang, with her monstrous talent and longer training, could not defeat Fang Hanyu, who had recently reached the Spiritual Refinement stage. This made him respect Fang Wang even more.
After examining his body and ensuring he was not poisoned, Zhou Xue finally felt relieved.
"By the way, is there a way to prevent the head from decaying? I'm waiting to take it back to the Great Abyss Gate to increase my contribution," Fang Wang suddenly asked, then took off a cloth wrap from behind his waist.
Zhou Xue frowned and said, "In a life and death situation, you still care about these things? Aren't you afraid Li Hongshuang will catch up to you?"
"Not afraid at all."
"Apart from Li Hongshuang, there's no one outstanding among the Green Cicada Valley disciples around here, just small fries under Li Hongshuang's command. It's likely that Green Cicada Valley intended to cultivate forces for Li Hongshuang's cause, so the heads of small fries are useless, just discard them."
Zhou Xue gestured dismissively. She then realized that Fang Wang was just seventeen after all, and a youthful temperament was somewhat inevitable.
"It just so happens to be Li Hongshuang's head."
Fang Wang raised an eyebrow, his face calm but his heart overflowing with joy.
"What?"
Zhou Xue was stunned, and Zhou Xing Shi also turned his head to look at Fang Wang, his eyes wide in disbelief.
Fang Wang flicked his right hand, and Li Hongshuang's head dropped down, landing neck-first on the ground. The eyes were wide open in a death stare that sent chills down the spine.
"Really, Li Hongshuang... you..."
Once Zhou Xue saw Li Hongshuang's face clearly and looked up at Fang Wang, her eyes could not hide the surprise.
Zhou Xing Shi's face showed an expression as if he had seen a ghost.
Li Hongshuang, leading hundreds of Green Cicada Valley disciples, had been beheaded by Fang Wang alone?
How is that possible!
Even after seeing Li Hongshuang's true face, Zhou Xing Shi still found it inconceivable.
"You fought him, how strong was he? Did he use his Lifespirit Treasure, his Lifespirit Treasure is a large flag..." Zhou Xue asked with a frown.
Fang Wang rolled his eyes, saying irritably, "Of course, did you think I killed some impostor? It was not easy to kill him, I fought with nearly all my strength."
Zhou Xue took a deep breath and fell silent. She crouched down, took a vial of medicine from her storage bag, and sprinkled the powder on Li Hongshuang's head.
Fang Wang turned his head to look at Fang Hanyu not far away and asked, "Hanyu, I've avenged you. Along the way, I've killed at least three hundred Green Cicada Valley Cultivators. How about that, brother? I've done well, haven't I?"
Fang Hanyu didn't know what to say. He had already learned how strong Li Hongshuang was; the fact that such a formidable being had been slain by Fang Wang made him feel that thanks were too pretentious and praise too pale, so he could only nod slightly.
Fang Wang watched as Zhou Xue, Zhou Xing Shi, and Fang Hanyu all quieted down and couldn't help but purse his lips.
The reaction isn't strong enough, huh!
Shouldn't you be exclaiming, calling it a terrifying feat?
"By the way, before I left, I burned Li Hongshuang's body. He won't come back to life, will he? After all, Cultivators can seize bodies. I'm worried about techniques resembling resurrection." Fang Wang saw Zhou Xue stand up and immediately asked.
While speaking, he crouched down and rewrapped his spoils of victory.
Zhou Xue replied, "If you have his head, and his body was truly burned to ashes, then he definitely can't be resurrected."
To be entangled by Solaris True Fire from the Solaris Scripture...
Zhou Xue was filled with deep emotion; to be ensnared by Solaris True Fire surely meant that not even ashes would remain.
She had never expected that the future Green Cicada Valley Master would die like this...
Suddenly, she felt that Fang Wang's existence would cause great changes in the future, and with her rebirth, the future would undoubtedly be shaped by them.
After that, Fang Wang washed himself in the river. After putting on clean robes, they continued on their way. Zhou Xue said she would take them somewhere with a significant opportunity and also treat Fang Hanyu's injuries at that place.
During the subsequent journey, the atmosphere was quite peculiar.
Zhou Xue and Zhou Xing Shi frequently looked at Fang Wang without speaking, making him somewhat uncomfortable.
Little did he know that though they seemed calm, a storm of shock and awe had never ceased raging in their hearts.
Zhou Xue internally lamented that because of her, a monstrous figure, who had not emerged in her previous life, had now appeared out of nowhere.
For Zhou Xing Shi, it was simply numbing. They had both reached the Soul Sculpting Realm on the same day; how could their gap be so wide?
...
In an inn, Gu Li and three of her fellow Disciples sat around a table, drinking tea, with every table on the first-floor occupied.
"It's really crowded. The Ji Hao Sect's legacy has been thoroughly spread. This is good—the more people there are, the easier it will be for us to accomplish our rescue mission," Zhou Bo remarked.
They were all Disciples of the third branch and had come together as a team.
After Fang Wang had politely declined, Gu Li still felt uneasy, so she followed Zhou Bo's team who were assembling at the time.
She wore a bamboo hat, dressed in a yellow gown, looking very much like a heroine of the martial arts world, with her head hung low to conceal her face.
Just then, a man in plain cloths rushed in, exclaiming, "Big news! Big news! Li Hongshuang, the Direct Disciple of Green Cicada Valley, praised for the best talent among the current generation of Disciples, has been killed by a Tai Yuan Sect Disciple!"
His words set off a stir in the entire inn.
The diners here were not Mortals but Cultivators, mostly Loose Cultivators, who might also be Cultivators from the Nine Great Sects in disguise.
"Li Hongshuang was at the ninth level of the Soul Sculpting Realm, ah, not many Direct Disciples of the Tai Yuan Sect could match him, and to kill him is like declaring war on the Green Cicada Valley!"
"Li Hongshuang is dead, this is a big deal."
"Tsk tsk, behind Li Hongshuang is not just the Green Cicada Valley but also the Li Family. A thousand years ago, the dynasty on this land was established by them."
"Hmph, dead is dead, just a Demonic Cultivator."
The Loose Cultivators in the inn were abuzz with discussion, and some began to ask the man who had delivered the news, "Hey boy, who exactly killed Li Hongshuang, do you have more information?"
The man, who turned out to be the inn's errand runner, placed his hands on his hips and chuckled, saying, "I do actually have more. They say the Tai Yuan Sect Disciple who executed Li Hongshuang employed the Jinghong Divine Sword Art. Do you know the origins of this Sword Art?"
Upon hearing this, someone immediately stood up and said, "I know, it is the unique cultivation technique of Yang Yuanzi, the Peak Master of the third branch of the Tai Yuan Sect. A hundred years ago, he forcefully entered the Green Cicada Valley with this Sword Art and emerged unscathed. Could it be the work of Yang Yuanzi? The Jinghong Divine Sword Art is exclusively mastered by Yang Yuanzi, and I've never heard of any Tai Yuan Sect Disciple being proficient in it."
"Half right and half wrong. The person who executed Li Hongshuang indeed used the Jinghong Divine Sword Art, but he is very young and definitely not Yang Yuanzi. According to surviving Green Cicada Valley Disciples, that man wore white garments and executed the Jinghong Divine Sword Art up to the thirty-second move, surely an unrecognized prodigy of the Tai Yuan Sect. Those Green Cicada Valley Disciples now dub him as White Garment Astonishing Swan, and the Green Cicada Valley has already sent Spirit Elixir Realm Great Cultivators to search for White Garment Astonishing Swan's whereabouts."
The inn's errand runner shook his head, and his words reignited the heated discussions among the Loose Cultivators in the inn.
Zhou Bo turned around and asked in a low voice, "White Garment Astonishing Swan? Who in the third branch received such a legacy?"
He'd been a part of the third branch for over a decade and had never heard of anyone receiving Yang Yuanzi's true inheritance; even the first Disciple, Li Yu, had not obtained the Jinghong Divine Sword Art.
Two of the third branch Disciples shook their heads, and although Gu Li remained silent, for some inexplicable reason, she thought of someone.
Could it be him?
No way...
How long has he been in the Spiritual Refinement Realm?