Bang!!!
With a sharp, piercing sound ripping through the air, a streak of light ascended above the mountain forest, only to explode violently.
The fireworks formed a special pattern in the sky, remarkably conspicuous even in broad daylight, clearly visible from dozens of miles away.
Meanwhile, in the mountain forest below, the battle was drawing to a close.
A cultivator at the late stage of the Second Realm leaned against a tree trunk with a look of utter despair, his vision filled with devastation.
All eleven of his junior disciples, who had come out with him, lay dead in pools of blood. The young man who had attacked them, however, remained completely unharmed.
It was as if their fierce resistance had barely troubled him. Kuaishuge.
Watching the youth ransack the magical artifacts and other items from the corpses, he couldn't help but let out a bitter smile. He realized he posed no threat in the young man's eyes.
If he had been a genuine threat, why would the youth have been so composed, already beginning to collect spoils and leaving him, still clinging to life, to linger?
"Come! Give me a quick end!"
He staggered to his feet, a look of resolve on his face.
However, Ji Yuan merely glanced at him and saw through his intentions.
Though this man appeared resolute, he had already mobilized considerable spiritual energy. Faint fluctuations emanated from his sleeves, likely some kind of magical artifact akin to the silver needles used previously.
Furthermore, though he thought he was acting subtly, his eyes clearly darted around, searching for a suitable escape route.
Seeing through the man's inner thoughts, Ji Yuan's mind stirred. The white jade flying sword circling him shot out instantly, appearing before the man in a flash.
The palm-sized sword, imbued with strands of sharp sword energy, then unleashed a strike, piercing directly through the man's brow. A torrent of sword energy coursed through his body, extinguishing all life.
He recalled his natal flying sword and sheathed his longsword, 'Yuanbao,' back into its scabbard. He then channeled spiritual energy, plundering everything on the man's person.
Afterward, Ji Yuan turned and left, simultaneously employing his learned techniques to conceal his tracks.
As he traversed the mountain forest, he pondered the fact that he had, in one go, killed over twenty rebel soldiers without accumulating any karma of bloodshed.
Zhao Yuebai had experienced the same outcome when ambushing rebel soldiers. It seemed the heavens would not inflict any sin upon them for this.
Logically, once one embarked on the path of cultivation, direct combat between those of the same realm would not generate sin. However, killing a large number of beings a full major realm below oneself would begin to accrue karmic retribution.
The current situation clearly differed from his understanding.
Soon, however, Ji Yuan grasped the key. These were not ordinary cultivators, but rebel soldiers who had already committed a great many acts of bloodshed.
His act of slaying them was naturally not slaughter, but rather the clearing of karmic sin for the heavens. Consequently, no sin would befall him; in fact, he should be granted some merit.
With this realization, his mind eased considerably, and his concerns diminished. After all, dealing with individuals who couldn't be casually killed but could pose trouble or even threats would be somewhat vexing.
Suddenly, Ji Yuan stopped abruptly, his aura retracting to its absolute limit. Even his spiritual sense within the sea of consciousness was completely withdrawn and held still.
In the very next breath, a spiritual sense descended from the sky, sweeping over an area of several dozen feet.
This spiritual sense scanned back and forth with extreme meticulousness, as if searching for any traces. However, it passed over Ji Yuan's body several times without eliciting any reaction.
He looked up towards the sky, his gaze piercing through the dense branches and leaves, eventually falling upon a middle-aged Taoist.
Despite the distance, he felt a powerful aura, allowing him to ascertain that the opponent's cultivation level was likely at the early stage of the Third Realm.
It seemed he was only a step away from the mid-stage, and with sufficient resources and opportunity, he might take that step within three to five years.
Ji Yuan narrowed his eyes, blending almost seamlessly with his surroundings, revealing not the slightest hint of his presence.
He was like a hunter, patiently hiding in the shadows, waiting for the prey to approach step by step before delivering a fatal blow.
As the Third Realm cultivator in the air slowly flew overhead, the hunter's eyes suddenly blazed with blinding light.
The next moment, a flying sword emerged from Ji Yuan's forehead. He then formed a sword seal, merging with the flying sword, and immediately shot through the air!
To become the sword!
He had immediately employed a technique among sword cultivators that possessed immense killing power, one that ordinary sword cultivators might labor for decades or even centuries without comprehending – becoming the sword!
A blinding sword light surged into the sky, instantly reaching the middle-aged Taoist. Streaks of sword energy were held in reserve, yet no one would doubt the power of this strike!
However, the middle-aged Taoist seemed prepared, his face showing no surprise, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
He immediately extended a hand and pressed forward with great force. A torrent of spiritual energy surged from his body, transforming into waves of scorching flames.
The suddenly attacking flying sword was instantly engulfed in the searing flames. Tremendous power erupted, and a ferocious aura spread outwards in all directions.
The middle-aged Taoist retreated rapidly, simultaneously forming seals with his hands. Flames surged from his body, manifesting as more than a dozen flying birds that unfurled their wings and flew forward.
At the same moment, the fiery cage formed by the intense flames shattered amidst the sword light. A flying sword, carrying countless sword energies, pursued like a shadow.
However, under the onslaught of the more than a dozen fiery birds, the formidable flying sword found it difficult to advance further!
It exhausted all its sword energy just to barely obliterate the incoming birds, and then stopped in mid-air.
With a flash of light, Ji Yuan's figure reappeared, his feet stepping on a flying sword that had expanded several times its original size.
Upon closer inspection, one could discern that the rapidly increasing volume was condensed from spiritual light and sword energy.
"A mere Second Realm attempting to sneak attack this humble Taoist?"
The middle-aged Taoist snorted coldly. He casually extended a palm and grabbed forward, causing vast amounts of flame to appear in the space between heaven and earth.
These flames intertwined, quickly forming a sea of fire, which then surged forward oppressively.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan's heart tightened. He stomped fiercely on the flying sword beneath his feet.
Instantly, the part condensed from spiritual light and sword energy shattered with this stomp, transforming into tiny sword shadows that swept out in all directions.
Under the assault of the numerous sword shadows, the sea of fire was torn apart by more than half before it could even get close, scattering sparks that rained down from the sky.
In mere moments, the mountain forest below was engulfed in a sea of flames!