The force of the impact was so great that the One-Eyed Moles scattered in all directions. Their instincts had kicked in, and they understood this place was too dangerous for them.
Dan Qing had to admit she hadn't expected such an attack from someone like Lin Han. Judging by his appearance, he must have used a forbidden technique, trading his lifespan for a tremendous surge in power.
This jade talisman was a gift from her mother, capable of withstanding a strike from a peak mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator without so much as a scratch. Yet now there were cracks in the shield.
Even so, Dan Qing didn't panic. Seeing Lin Han's state, she knew he had, at most, one more attack on that level. After that, he was done.
In the blink of an eye, Lin Han appeared before Dan Qing once more. He now looked like a thousand-year-old mummy. He swung his sword again. This time, the Qi barrier shattered like glass, and Dan Qing was flung through the air like a rag doll, coincidentally landing in Xue San's direction.
After landing that blow, Lin Han's body dropped to the ground. He was nothing but dry, withered skin and brittle bones that shattered the moment he fell.
The area now was completely empty, except for the disheveled Dan Qing who struggled to her feet, breathing heavily, her face flushed. "Goddammit, what kind of insane technique was that?" she cursed, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Although Lin Han only managed two strikes before dying, the power behind them was beyond Dan Qing's expectations. As a result, she ended up suffering internal injuries.
This exchange took some time to describe but all of this happened within mere moments.
Xue San was still hiding, scarcely daring to breathe, as Dan Qing had landed only a few steps away.
Suddenly, Dan Qing spun around and threw a pill in Xue San's direction. The moment it landed, it exploded into a cloud of green smoke.
"Hmph, you dare use your spiritual sense on me without even trying to disguise it? I thought you were just some guard these fools brought along to trail us, but since you didn't rush to their aid, it seems that wasn't the case." Her voice was cold.
Xue San felt his whole body growing stiff, his consciousness heavy. "You're really lucky. I've already accomplished my objective, so your death will be a fast one." She approached him, seemingly unbothered by the green smoke a sweet smile across her face.
She stopped two feet (about half a meter) away from Xue San and drew her sword, stabbing it into his leg. Xue San's only reaction was a slight tremble. She wanted to make sure the poison pill had worked. She wasn't foolish enough to get close to an unknown enemy without ensuring he was completely defenseless. Dan Qing was extremely familiar with the Wood-Stone Poison Pill, having used it many times on her enemies. Seeing his reaction, she offered a beautiful smile, as if giving Xue San one final gift before he departed from this world.
She drew closer, raised her sword, and swung it toward Xue San's neck.
Dan Qing's eyes widened so much that they threatened to pop out of their sockets. Her sword had briefly slowed, and every instinct in her body screamed that she now faced a moment of extreme, deadly crisis. She had only ever felt like this once before in her life—during that incident which had set her on the path she walked today.
She mustered all the energy in her body to force her sword forward and sever the young man's head. Unfortunately for her, this was the wrong choice. If she had chosen to retreat instead, she wouldn't have forfeited her life on this mountain today.
Xue San's entire body felt heavy and stiff. When he tried to circulate his Qi, it only got worse. Yet with death looming over him, he had no choice but to summon a Phantom Hand to stop Dan Qing's attack.
Because he was poisoned, the Phantom Hand looked as though it were made of clay or jelly. He saw Dan Qing's sword slow down but not stop entirely. His mind froze; he didn't know what else to do.
But even if his mind was paralyzed, his body still moved on instinct. He lunged at Dan Qing's throat like a vicious serpent and sank his teeth into it. Pinning her down, he bit and tore at her throat with his own mouth.
If anyone had witnessed this scene, they would have thought Xue San was no human, but some sort of demon that craved mortal flesh.
Life began to drain from Dan Qing. She still suffered internal injuries from Lin Han's attack, and what Xue San was doing caught her completely off guard.
Regret—an overwhelming amount of regret—filled her heart at this moment. It wasn't regret for her actions today, she had done worse in the past, but regret that she had been so close to completing her goal. She had sacrificed so much to walk her chosen path, and now it ended because of one foolish mistake.
Had she chosen to retreat instead of pressing on, the outcome of this encounter would have been drastically different, leaving Xue San as the one to lose his life in this place.
In her final moments, before the last strands of life slipped away entirely, Dan Qing glimpsed a strange vision behind the young man: a pair of eyes that seemed to belong to a snake or a dragon. Yet the youth continued gnawing at her throat as if consuming her flesh and blood was his only hope of survival.
Then a beam of golden light entered her body, and Dan Qing ceased to exist from that moment onward.
Xue San noticed none of this. Although it might have looked like he'd lost his mind, he was entirely sane. The reason he acted this way was because, after Dan Qing's initial attack, some of her blood had gotten into his mouth, and he had swallowed it. In turn, it made his body feel lighter and cleared his dizzy head.
"Her blood is the antidote," was the only conclusion he could reach. Not wanting to lose his life, he did what he had to do to survive.
Since the fight with Bear-Axe, Xue San had gradually become more like a true cultivator. He still maintained his core values, but if someone had told him a year ago that he would one day gnaw at the throat of a beautiful young woman like a wild beast, he would have laughed and called them insane.
He stopped once he felt his body return to normal. Standing up, he looked at the mangled remains of Dan Qing's once beautiful neck.
He should have felt disgust, anger, or even fear at himself—but he didn't. For some reason, none of these emotions arose. This fact unsettled him more than anything else. He began to fear that he was slowly turning into a monster who would one day lose control, like the cultivators described in the books he'd read.
"Now isn't the time to worry about this," he told himself. He knew the sounds of battle might attract other cultivators, or perhaps the smell of blood would draw some powerful beast. It was time to leave.
Before departing, he considered Dan Qing's body and decided to take it with him. He would dispose of it somewhere else, ensuring that she bore the blame for what had happened. After all, people had seen her leave the city with that group of young masters.
He first returned to dismantle the traps he had set, then tied Dan Qing's body to his back, and dashed away. He decided to head to the hidden place that had surfaced in his memory after his fight with Bear-Axe.
Little did Xue San realize that his decision today would not only save his life but also prevent numerous future complications.
Two hours after Xue San left, a group of no more than twelve cultivators rushed through the forest. Leading them was a man in his early thirties.
They stopped at the place where Lin Han and Dan Qing had perished.
The man stood quietly, an air of authority about him. His build was sturdy but not bulky, defined more by sinewy strength and precise movements than raw muscle. His eyes were a deep chestnut color and a prominent chin." He wore robes similar to Dan Qing's, except on his left chest was a small engraving that read "Enforcer," and on the back, a large character spanning the entire length of the robe: "Blood."
These people belonged to the Enforcer Hall of the Spirit Cauldron Sect, the Blood Division. They handled the sect's most delicate matters. The captain of this squad was Qi Honghui.
"Sir, she has already fled the scene," one subordinate reported. "From the looks of it, she collected the last five souls needed for the ritual."
"Damn it! Search this place thoroughly. It seems she was also seriously injured. She couldn't have gone far. We must find her and bring her back to the sect!"
"Yes!" they responded in unison, dispersing in various directions.
"Dan Qing, you wretch!" Qi Honghui seethed, his eyes filled with rage and killing intent. "Your actions have already killed your mother, yet you still chose to walk this path. I will make sure I'm the one to execute you with my own two hands." said Qi Honghui.
Xue San pressed onward for four relentless days, allowing himself no more than a single hour's rest each night. He knew only the vague direction in which to find the hidden cave—just a blurred memory of a moss-veiled entrance tucked into a rugged, humid landscape of smooth, time-worn stone. The place was subtle in its concealment: a dark, secretive entrance amid a spread of round, ancient boulders that seemed like the remnants of some long-crumbled structure. Everything about it blended flawlessly into its surroundings; if one did not search with the utmost care, it would vanish into the wild terrain.
At last, after a grueling journey that wore on his body and mind, Xue San felt a profound relief to have located it. The days had been exceedingly harsh. Along the way, he had disposed of Dan Qing's corpse by casting it to a ravenous wolf pack—an act that struck him as both necessary and strangely foreign, it was as though he had shed his former self, becoming something colder and less merciful, a stark contrast to the person he once was.
The moment he stepped inside the cave, he surrendered to exhaustion without so much as a glance around. He dropped heavily to the ground and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
When Xue San awoke—he knew not how much time had passed—the darkness had softened, allowing him to study his surroundings. What he saw was no ordinary hollow in the earth, but an ancient corridor. The walls, hewn by nature and time, were washed in muted hues of brown, gray, and black. A worn set of stone steps led deeper into the gloom, while a faint, ethereal light from the entrance traced delicate patterns over the rough surfaces.
He decided to explore in search of anything of value, but first, he would examine Dan Qing's spatial ring. Such rings were known throughout the cultivation world, yet rarely owned. They were precious beyond measure, items that even in the entire Soul Saint Kingdom were very rare. Only the most powerful, or influential cultivators possessed one. Yet now, through violence and fate, Xue San had obtained this extraordinary artifact for himself.
A spatial ring operated in an almost mystical fashion. Even a first-stage Qi Condensation cultivator could use it by channeling a strand of Qi inside. Opening it felt like unsealing a vast, invisible box. By concentrating on the desired object, one could summon it forth as if plucking it from thin air. Dan Qing's ring was not large—its interior space measured roughly two cubic meters—but it was a marvel all the same.
Xue San studied the ring for a few moments. It appeared to be fashioned from a blend of jade and metal, and tiny engravings of pill cauldrons adorned its surface. "How beautiful," he murmured in admiration.
He then emptied the ring's contents onto the cave floor, taking his time to inspect each item one by one.