"Swish, swish, swish."
Several black shadows suddenly emerged from the jungle and landed in front of Li Taihang.
"Who are you?" Li Taihang materialized the Qingyue Sword in his hand, his eyes narrowing as he regarded the black-clad men before him with wariness.
"Mortal?"
"No, you actually have a top-grade spiritual weapon in your hand. You should not be a mortal."
"You are the one who killed my Black Soul Hall?" One of the figures stepped forward, an edge of hostility in his voice.
Li Taihang furrowed his brow. "Hehe, Black Soul Hall? Are you referring to the Jindan realm expert who tried to kill me before?"
"He wanted to kill me, why shouldn't I defend myself?" Li Taihang shot back.
"Humph! Regardless of your reasoning, for killing my Black Soul Hall, you will definitely die." The leader's voice dripped with menace.
Li Taihang sensed the pressure around him; it was clear that their strength was likely on par with Jindan realm experts. Damn, I'm at the ninth level of the Foundation Building realm, but I have to face these people at the Golden Core realm. This is stressful.
"Then come at me," he replied nonchalantly, his confidence unwavering.
With that, he teleported away, his form flickering like a ghost as he vanished from their sight.
"Don't let him escape! Chase him!" the leader commanded, urgency in his tone.
"Yes!"
They scattered, pursuing Li Taihang through the dense foliage. However, he was quick on his feet, teleporting again, leading them in the direction he had chosen.
"Where did he go?" one of the shadows asked, frustration mounting in his voice.
"This kid is really strange!" another murmured.
"Hey, why are you here?" one shadow spoke to another.
"I saw you here, so I came to see. Didn't you see him?"
"No."
"Okay, let's look for him again."
"Yeah."
Just then, when their backs were turned, Li Taihang seized the opportunity to strike. He appeared right behind one of the black-clad men, thrusting the Qingyue Sword forward.
"Puff."
"You!" The man's eyes widened in disbelief as he fell, lifeless, to the ground. Li Taihang quickly snatched the man's ring and muttered, "Since you are here, it's only fair I take a few gifts."
He vanished into the shadows once more.
Meanwhile, the remaining black shadows continued their fruitless search for Li Taihang, oblivious to their fallen comrade.
Suddenly, from the depths of the forest, a cacophony erupted.
"Come on, the feast of ten thousand crocodiles!"
Out of nowhere, thousands of giant crocodiles surged forth, snapping their massive jaws.
The black shadows were instantly thrown into confusion.
"WTF! Why are there so many giant crocodiles? They're Giant Crocodile Kings!"
"Help!"
Screams filled the air as the shadows were overwhelmed, reduced to nothing but bloodstains on the ground. Once their task was done, the giant crocodiles vanished as if they had never been there.
Li Taihang, who had transformed back into a little bird, flapped his wings, soaring high above the chaos.
However, it wasn't long before another threat loomed. Several black shadows descended rapidly, the remaining operatives who had heard the commotion.
As they reached the scene, they found nothing but carnage.
"Looking at the chaos here, it seems like they were attacked by many large beasts. But we didn't find any nearby," one shadow remarked, bewildered.
"And even if there were, they couldn't have disappeared so quickly!" another added.
"Captain, Amin is missing," said a third shadow, panic creeping into his voice.
"What?" The captain's expression shifted as he scanned their surroundings, counting heads. Only three remained. They had lost two men in mere moments.
"This is bad. It seems like the opponent is far stronger than we anticipated," the captain said, concern gnawing at him.
"Is this guy's strength beyond the Jindan realm? Could he be a Yuanying realm expert?" The realization made him shudder. Had they known the danger they faced, they would never have approached so recklessly.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, Li Taihang, now safely nestled in the trees, eyed the shadows below with keen intent.
"There are still three left. I can't leave any of them alive." He understood that allowing even one to escape could lead to dire consequences.
As he transformed back into a bird, he focused on the three figures below. Their sense of impending doom was palpable.
"Captain, I feel like we're being watched," one of them said, gripping his sword tightly, glancing nervously around.
"I know. I feel it too. Stay alert and rely on each other," the captain ordered, keeping his senses sharp.
They spread out slightly, positioning themselves defensively.
Li Taihang let out a soft chuckle, positioning himself for a surprise attack. His wings flapped lightly as he hovered over the weakest point in their formation.
"Captain, there's a strange little bird over there," one shadow pointed, his brow furrowed.
"What's so strange about it?" the captain asked, still focused on the task at hand.
"It seems to be pointing at us, but I can't figure out why."
Li Taihang's heart raced as he heard their chatter, his presence unwittingly raising their suspicions. These Jindan realm experts are sharper than I thought. I must be cautious.
"That's nonsense! It's just a little bird!" the captain retorted dismissively, ready to attack.
In that moment, Li Taihang darted back to the trees, evading their attack.
"No, he can transform!" The captain's disbelief was evident as he recognized Li Taihang.
"Even if you know, it won't save you," Li Taihang taunted, keeping his distance.
Suddenly, an ominous roar shattered the tension.
"Roar!"
Bear spirits erupted from the trees, charging at the three remaining black shadows.
"Where did so many bear spirits come from?" one shouted in horror.
"Ah, it hurts!"
Screams echoed through the forest as the shadows were brutally overwhelmed.
Li Taihang watched as two of the three fell, leaving only the captain, who was seriously injured and barely clinging to life.
Li Taihang approached the lone survivor, a glint of determination in his eyes. The bear spirits restrained the man, preventing any chance of escape. Li Taihang activated his telekinesis, ready to extract the information he needed from this last remnant of the Dark Soul Palace.
"Now, let's have a little chat," he said, his voice cold and steady.