The sword light instantly landed, causing a violent explosion. Within this space, stones shattered and dust rose. Yet, “Amazing martial skill. Hehe, it should be at the Earth Tier level, right? It seems you are the descendant of a prominent family from Zhongzhou. No wonder your strength is extraordinary.”
As the commotion subsided, the dark cultivator’s black robe was torn to shreds, revealing several gruesome wounds that bled profusely, dyeing the ground beneath him crimson.
Li Tan took a deep breath and exhaled, feeling utterly helpless. The evil cultivator before him was undoubtedly a Master-level expert; otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived Li Tan’s previous strike.
He took a half-step back cautiously, waiting for the opponent’s next move while quickly assessing the current situation between the two parties.
After that last strike, his spiritual power had consumed a full half, and his true qi had dwindled to less than a third, barely enough to use the Panlong Fist twice more.
As for the condition of the evil cultivator, it was unclear, but judging by his current disheveled appearance and the fact that he hadn’t immediately counterattacked, Li Tan’s previous strike had also inflicted significant damage on him.
“Hehe, this move is indeed formidable. I could barely withstand it. If you were a Grandmaster now, I might have already turned into a corpse. But unfortunately, you’re merely at the Innate Realm at present, and this martial technique shall become the offering for my rebirth!”
The evil cultivator’s lips twisted into a sinister smirk. His figure flickered as he swiftly retreated dozens of steps backward, then hurled out several blades of true qi.
“Damn it,” Li Tan muttered under his breath as he swiftly dodged using the Moye Steps.
This was the last scenario he wanted to see. Previously, the evil cultivator had been somewhat arrogant, confronting him head-on, which allowed Li Tan to directly unleash Tianjuluo Heng. Now, however, the evil cultivator had clearly become serious, immediately increasing the distance between them.
The greatest disparity between a Master and an Innate cultivator lay in their mastery over true qi. To put it simply, an Innate cultivator could only manipulate true qi within a short radius around themselves, whereas a Master could slay an enemy from a kilometer away with a flying sword.
His previous victory over Zheng Kaishan was largely due to the opponent’s arrogance. That guy had been blinded by rage, probably planning to kill Li Tan in the cruelest way possible, only to end up sealing his own fate.
Moreover, the trouble didn’t stop there. The evil cultivator was a member of the Black Robe Organization. From the previous true qi blade, it was evident that his true qi was equally bizarre. If struck directly, not only would it cause severe injury, but worse, the opponent’s true qi would wreak havoc inside one’s body, causing fatal damage.
However, it wasn’t all bad news. At least this underground space wasn’t very large, so the evil cultivator couldn’t retreat too far, giving Li Tan an opportunity.
Honestly, if this were happening in a forest, Li Tan would definitely run away without hesitation. Also, even here, if it weren’t for his unwillingness to abandon Zhang Cong, he would have chosen to retreat.
Engaging a Master head-on was undoubtedly a very unwise decision.
Now, Zhang Cong was beside the cauldron, terrified by the horrifying sounds around him. Eventually unable to resist, he slowly opened his eyes a crack and began secretly observing.
However, even with his eyes open, he couldn’t comprehend anything. In front of him, true qi danced and sword lights flashed, with both fighters moving so fast that he could only see afterimages.
So, these are cultivators?
Zhang Cong’s face showed admiration, yet he also felt deeply helpless.
Becoming a cultivator had always been his dream, to wield a sword across the land, helping the oppressed and fighting injustice. However, reality was harsh—he could practice cultivation, but his talent was abysmal. Starting at age twelve and continuing until now, he still hadn’t broken through the early Foundation Building stage.
The reason he had stepped forward when everyone else was afraid was actually a secret he hadn’t told anyone, a reason that made him feel ashamed just thinking about it.
He thought that perhaps this would leave a good impression on Li Tan, giving him a chance to become his disciple, or at least learn a few techniques from him.
However, once he actually started, he became confused.
Even if Li Tan were willing to take him as a disciple, with his pitiful talent that even beggars would mock, how much could he achieve?
In the end, he still couldn’t do anything. The battle kept changing rapidly, and the shockwaves even reduced several zombies on the ground to pulp. But the problem was that Li Tan was nearing the end of his strength, while the evil cultivator seemed to still be in good condition and had decided to engage in a war of attrition, refusing to get close to Li Tan at all costs.
This couldn’t continue. He had to find a breakthrough.
The more critical the crisis, the calmer Li Tan became, his mind racing to devise a strategy.
After dodging a series of consecutive attacks, Li Tan made a firm decision—he would risk everything, endure the danger of injury, get close, and use all his remaining true qi to unleash the Panlong Fist.
Roughly estimating, he had a seventy percent chance of failure. However, if he didn’t take this risk, he’d have no choice but to retreat, leaving Zhang Cong to certain death. If he continued to deplete his resources, his failure would be one hundred percent certain.
Just as Li Tan was about to put his plan into action, the evil cultivator suddenly let out a piercing scream of agony. He recklessly charged toward the cauldron and flung open its lid. The resentment of the deceased surged into the air, their mournful wails sending chills down the spine. Ignoring everything else, the evil cultivator—his eyes bloodshot—thrust his hand directly into the cauldron and pulled out a mass of black, slimy flesh. Embedded within it was a pitch-black pill.
Although unaware of the specifics, Li Tan instinctively sensed that the dark cultivator must not be allowed to consume that pill. He charged forward at full speed, yet judging by the distance, it appeared he wouldn’t reach in time.
But unexpectedly, something strange happened. The evil cultivator, completely absorbed in grinning foolishly at the pill, failed to notice that Zhang Cong had crawled up right next to his feet.
Zhang Cong’s expression hardened. In a flash, he snatched the pill and, before anyone could react, swallowed it himself.
Li Tan was stunned, and the evil cultivator went mad.
“Aaaaaaah!”
The evil cultivator slapped Zhang Cong, sending him flying backward with a spray of blood from his mouth. However, his strength seemed somewhat restrained, as Zhang Cong could still barely move.
A Master-level cultivator’s slap could shatter stone, so how could it fail to kill an ordinary person’s head?
As Li Tan rushed forward, puzzled, he suddenly stopped.
The answer had already been revealed.
The evil cultivator let out a piercing scream, writhing in agony as he clawed at his own flesh until his skin split open, exposing grotesque wounds. Then, eerie fissures resembling parched, cracked earth spread across his face, pulsing with a sinister crimson glow.
“Could it be…” Li Tan recalled how the Black Robe man had died back at the Tianlang Sect, his expression instantly changing. He grabbed the unconscious Zhang Cong with one hand and sprinted desperately toward the exit.
The moment he left the tunnel and reached the outer chamber, a deafening explosion roared from below, shaking the ground like an earthquake.
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