Han Li and Qu Hun hastily flew out from Little寰 Island, but just as they had flown more than ten miles away from the island on their artifacts, Han Li suddenly halted the Divine Wind Boat, his expression darkening.
“Stop hiding. Come out!” Han Li said calmly, gazing ahead.
“Huh?” A surprised sound came from the void. Then, with flashes of multicolored light, seven or eight Foundation Establishment cultivators revealed themselves not far ahead.
“Han Li, you and that cultivator surnamed Qu killed Junior Brother Mao and others under Island Master Wei Xing for the sake of the Condensation Dust Pill. The matter has been exposed. We law-enforcing cultivators, under the orders of Island Master Mu, are here to capture you and hand you over to Island Master Zhan Tai for judgment. You’d better surrender quickly!” one of them, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, shouted arrogantly as soon as he appeared.
To avoid drawing attention, Han Li and Qu Hun had been suppressing their cultivation, leading these cultivators to misjudge their strength and act so boldly. Although they were somewhat surprised that Han Li had detected them early, foiling their ambush, they believed that with their numbers and cultivation levels, dealing with a Qi Condensation and a Foundation Establishment cultivator would be a simple task. Thus, they weren’t overly concerned and decided to attack directly.
Han Li calmly examined them before speaking indifferently, “Are you cultivators from Kuixing Island? You accuse me of killing other cultivators—do you have any evidence?”
Hearing this, the white-haired elder who had spoken was momentarily stunned but then sneered, “What, are you still going to quibble even with Elder Miao of the Six United Palais testifying against you? Don’t harbor any delusions of luck! Island Master Mu has already given the order: you two, master and disciple, are exceptionally cunning. Upon discovery, your cultivation is to be abolished immediately.”
At these words, Han Li’s expression shifted slightly, and a chill settled over his face. “Abolish our cultivation? Island Master Mu doesn’t intend to let us say a word in our defense?”
“Heh! You’ve been hiding guiltily for years. The evidence is already irrefutable. What is there to defend? Everyone, attack! Quickly capture these two and take them back for the reward!” The white-haired elder glared, impatiently turning to order the others. Immediately, the cultivators attacked without another word, summoning a variety of magical artifacts. Multicolored glows menacingly shot toward Han Li.
Han Li’s eyelids twitched. This formation was clearly not meant to merely capture and abolish their cultivation; given the murderous glints in their eyes, they intended to kill them outright.
Though unsure if there was some other scheme at play, Han Li couldn’t help but feel a surge of killing intent.
“Qu Hun, kill them all! Don’t let a single one escape!” Han Li’s voice was quiet but icy.
Qu Hun, who had been standing silently behind him, stepped forward without a word. A startling blood light erupted from his body, and in an instant, he transformed into an intensely dazzling sphere of light. With a low roar, yellow light flashed under Qu Hun’s feet, and he charged toward the group of artifacts.
After a few flashes, he vanished into the multicolored lights of the artifacts. But then, blood light surged, enveloping the numerous artifacts within a blood glow spanning eighty to a hundred meters, causing them to slow down significantly.
Qu Hun’s figure reappeared at the center of the blood light. Expressionless, he formed a hand seal with both hands and uttered the word “Restrain.” Immediately, the artifacts, as if pushed by some force, obediently shot to Qu Hun’s side. With a wave of his sleeve, they all vanished into thin air, seemingly collected.
Then, Qu Hun turned his head and stared woodenly at the law-enforcing cultivators, who were already stunned by what they had witnessed.
“Core Formation! He’s a Core Formation cultivator!” someone finally exclaimed, realizing Qu Hun’s true cultivation level now that he had unleashed his full power, their face turning ashen. The other cultivators panicked upon hearing this; two quick-witted ones immediately turned and fled on their artifacts.
The white-haired elder, who had been so arrogant earlier, now wore an expression of utter disbelief.
Having received Han Li’s order, Qu Hun had no intention of letting any of them escape.
His eyes suddenly turned blood-red, and he emotionlessly glanced at the two fleeing cultivators before raising both hands without a word. Two crimson blood pillars shot violently from his palms, incredibly fast, disappearing in a flash and reappearing behind the two cultivators who had already fled several dozen meters.
One of the cultivators wore sparkling, earthy-yellow armor, while the other was wrapped in a blue light chain that clearly was no ordinary item. But the blood light barely hesitated before obliterating both the artifacts and the cultivators into nothingness. Seeing this, the other law-enforcing cultivators who had considered fleeing turned pale.
The white-haired elder, terrified, urgently cried out, “Senior, it’s a misunderstanding! This is all a misunderstanding…”
Qu Hun paid no attention to his excuses. With a shake of his shoulders, the blood light surrounding him shot skyward, forming a sizable blood cloud above the cultivators.
Then, Qu Hun raised a hand and sent out a purple spell seal. With a “whoosh,” the blood cloud ignited like oil, instantly transforming into a sky full of purple flames that pressed down oppressively toward the cultivators below.
The white-haired elder and the other cultivators below wore expressions of despair. Unwilling to give up, they summoned their defensive artifacts and begged for mercy. But under Qu Hun’s cold gaze, they lasted only moments under the purple demon flames before being reduced to ashes along with their artifacts.
Qu Hun then flashed forward, scooping up several storage pouches they had dropped.
Han Li had already retrieved the storage pouches of the two initially killed by the blood pillars from a distance. He flew back to Qu Hun’s side on his artifact.
“Let’s go! If a Core Formation cultivator arrives, it’ll be troublesome!” Han Li murmured, glancing around as if speaking to Qu Hun or to himself.
Qu Hun silently flashed back onto the Divine Wind Boat. Han Li immediately urged the artifact onward, transforming into a white streak of light as they fled into the distance.
A quarter of an hour later, two streaks of light—one blue, one red—streaked from the direction of Kuixing Island, arriving in no time at the place where Qu Hun had killed the law-enforcing cultivators. The dazzling lights faded, revealing a cunning-faced old man and a middle-aged man shrouded in gray Qi hovering mid-air.
“This should be the place! The spiritual energy fluctuations here haven’t dispersed yet. It seems the murderer just left not long ago!” the middle-aged man said grimly.
在Little寰 Island执勤的一位执法修士曾是他的弟子！
The moment his disciple died, the soul tablet the middle-aged man kept, infused with a secret technique, showed an anomaly. He immediately knew his disciple had met with misfortune and rushed over with a friend who was visiting his cave abode. Unfortunately, they were still too late.
“Island Master Yuan! I used ‘Floating Cloud Tracking Art’ to check. The one who attacked fled in this direction. If we pursue now, we still have a thirty percent chance of intercepting them.” The old man pointed in the direction Han Li had fled and spoke leisurely.
“Good! Let’s go after them. We must intercept the murderer!” The gray Qi around the middle-aged man billowed as he spoke with a ferocious expression.
“But judging from the spiritual energy collisions here, the opponent is definitely a Core Formation cultivator. Although only one person attacked, who knows if there are others with them? Fellow Daoist Yuan, are you really going to clash with a cultivator of the same rank for the sake of an ordinary disciple?” The old man suddenly changed his tone, earnestly advising the middle-aged man.
Hearing this, the middle-aged man was first stunned, then displeased. “So my disciple died for nothing? If this gets out, wouldn’t I, Yuan, be known as cowardly and afraid of trouble?”
“Hehe, besides Qi, there are no other outsiders here. Since that murderer is a Core Formation cultivator and dared to kill so recklessly near Kuixing Island, they’re definitely not from the southwestern sea region and naturally won’t spread this around. As for Qi, I’m not one to gossip either! That way, as long as we act as if we arrived too late when we return, this matter will naturally blow over. Otherwise, rashly fighting an unknown cultivator of the same rank for an ordinary disciple really isn’t worth the risk!” The old man chuckled, appearing unconcerned.
Hearing this, Island Master Yuan’s anger gradually faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression.
After pondering for a moment, he finally calmed down and cupped his hands toward the old man. “Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Qi. I am deeply grateful. Let’s return now. I’ll just take better care of that disciple’s clan in the future.”
“Now that’s more like it! Those of us pursuing immortality and longevity are worth our weight in gold! How can we take risks lightly? Even if we must take risks, there should be sufficient reward!” The old man chuckled slyly, rubbing his hands together.
“But these law-enforcing cultivators were monitoring the cave abode on that island near Little寰 Island. How did they provoke a passing Core Formation cultivator into such a killing spree? Could it be related to the two cultivators wanted by the three islands and the Six United Palaces?” The middle-aged man still seemed puzzled.
“Forget it. Even if it is related, what does it have to do with us? Island Master Mu has close ties with the Six United Palais, which is why he’s so diligent in pursuing those two. We’re just deputy island masters. Why should we worry ourselves over this?” The old man snorted, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Hearing this, the middle-aged man smiled slightly.
Then, Island Master Yuan and the old man chatted in the air for a while longer before turning back the way they came.
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