"Kid, think you can escape from the palm of my hand? Dream on!"
The killing intent on Qing Mo’s face intensified. He leaped onto a large tree and, stepping from branch to branch, relentlessly pursued Ling Chen.
Ling Chen was merely a warrior of the Nine Heavy Realm, while Qing Mo was a Third Level Martial Artist. The power gap between them was considerable, and in no time, Qing Mo had narrowed the distance to about ten meters.
He’s really persistent.
Glancing back, Ling Chen frowned slightly. It was clear Qing Mo wouldn’t rest until he had taken Ling Chen’s life.
Looking ahead, Ling Chen suddenly veered, plunging into the area to his front right.
At this moment, Qing Mo had caught up and made the same turn.
Just then, two cold glints of light shot fiercely toward Qing Mo.
Qing Mo flicked his sleeve, swatting the two cold lights away. They embedded themselves in a nearby large tree—two hidden weapon Darts.
He leaped and, with a single palm strike, split the tree beside Ling Chen in two.
Dodging the attack, Ling Chen continued to bound along, landing at the foot of a rocky hill.
"Kid, aren’t you good at running? Why have you stopped?"
Seeing Ling Chen halt, Qing Mo cracked a derisive smile.
"As you can see, there’s nowhere left to run," Ling Chen replied. He knew he couldn’t outrun this pursuer indefinitely; trying would only waste his strength. Despite this, his face showed no panic. Instead, he remained remarkably calm. "I’m dead either way. Might as well go down fighting. There might still be a chance."
"A chance?" Qing Mo threw his head back and laughed, his face a mask of ridicule. "You? Fight to the death? Don’t worry, you’ll die so quickly you won’t feel a thing."
With that, he drew the large saber from his back. The aura of the Martial arts triple realm erupted from him, scattering the fallen leaves.
Ling Chen also pushed his aura to its peak, matching the Nine Heavy Realm’s intensity and likewise scattering the surrounding leaves.
"A mere Nine Heavy Realm cultivator intends to contend with me?"
Seeing this, Qing Mo’s sneer deepened. In his eyes, even Xiao Muyu was more of a threat than Ling Chen; at least, the latter was a First Layer Martial Artist.
"Nine Heavy Realm? Open your eyes and look closely!"
An ancient, grand power surged from Ling Chen. He had fully activated the Ancient Saint King Battle Technique.
With the aid of the Ancient Saint King Battle Technique, Ling Chen’s Cultivation broke through a level in a short period, reaching that of a First Layer Martial Artist.
Currently, as Ling Chen had only cultivated the First Layer of the Ancient Saint King Battle Technique, his Cultivation could only be elevated by one level.
Even so, this was an outrageous boost.
He had let Xiao Muyu leave first partly because Qing Mo was formidable, but also because he intended to use hidden methods he didn’t want Xiao Muyu to witness.
A Secret Method to directly boost one’s Cultivation?
Qing Mo’s eyes lit up with excitement. Such a technique was unheard of! If he could obtain it, his strength would skyrocket.
"For such a thing to fall into your hands is truly a waste. I’ll take it off your hands," Qing Mo said, pointing his saber at Ling Chen, his voice laced with envy.
"Let’s see if you have what it takes!"
After Ling Chen broke through to become a First Layer Martial Artist, his internal power surged. The nine rings of True Qi in his Dantian briefly coalesced into an egg-sized Qi cluster—the True Qi Virtual Pill, the mark of a Martial artist.
Only by forming a False Pill could one be considered to have entered the Martial Master Realm.
True Qi flowed endlessly from his Dantian, filling Ling Chen with a sense of immense power. This was the foundation of his confidence to fight Qing Mo.
"Heh, a small breakthrough and you’re already getting ahead of yourself?"
Qing Mo completely dismissed Ling Chen, believing he could easily dispatch a First Layer Martial Artist.
At this thought, the sneer on Qing Mo’s face deepened. He looked at Ling Chen and chuckled maliciously, "I’ve killed many, but never a supposed genius like you. I wonder what that will feel like?"
The instant Qing Mo finished speaking, his figure shot forward. Majestic true energy surged into his large saber as he slashed ruthlessly at Ling Chen.
"Hidden Dragon in the Abyss!"
Facing Qing Mo’s attack, Ling Chen’s expression turned solemn. The True Qi in his Dantian rapidly converged. He then swung the Heavenly Emperor Heavy Sword, which descended like a radiant streak, heavily striking Qing Mo’s saber.
The impact sent ripples of True Qi spreading out like water, blasting away the debris on the ground.
Though the contact was brief, Ling Chen was forced back several steps before he could stabilize himself. Qing Mo, however, had only retreated half a step. The difference in their Cultivation was undeniable.
Though he had only retreated half a step, Qing Mo’s expression grew increasingly grim. During their brief exchange, he had clearly felt an incredibly sharp aura within Ling Chen’s True Qi. The moment Ling Chen executed his Sword techniques, this sharpness had begun to invade and corrode his own body. If not for his own abundant True Qi, that sliver of invasive energy would have caused considerable harm.
I can’t let this drag on. I have to kill him now!
A cold glint flashed in Qing Mo’s eyes. His already large palm seemed to swell slightly as his majestic True Qi surged violently. Then, he stomped heavily on the ground, the force cracking the earth beneath. Propelled by this, he almost instantly appeared before Ling Chen!
"Breaking Wind Blade!"
Qing Mo’s massive shadow enveloped Ling Chen. His saber, radiating terrifying power, suddenly chopped down. For an instant, it felt as though the air itself was torn in two, and a piercing WHOOSH spread out.
The ear-splitting sound reverberated in Ling Chen’s ears. He felt a profound sense of crisis, his eyes fixed on the saber glint rapidly enlarging in his vision. Simultaneously, he frantically drew upon all the True Qi stored in his Dantian, channeling it into the Heavenly Emperor Heavy Sword.
As his Dantian rapidly emptied, Ling Chen frowned. Still not enough! He quickly shoved two True Qi-replenishing Elixirs into his mouth.
As the two Elixirs took effect, pure Medicinal Power swiftly spread through his body. At the same time, Ling Chen activated the Ling Tian Sword Scripture, channeling all his strength to empower his next sword strike.
The terrifying saber glint was upon him. Ling Chen suddenly looked up. The flow of True Qi into the Heavenly Emperor Heavy Sword ceased, and then, with both hands, he swung the Heavy Sword to meet Qing Mo’s attack head-on!
Fourth Sword—Seeing Dragon in the Field!
The shriek had barely registered when an overwhelming shockwave erupted from the point of impact. The very ground was torn up, sending a shower of rock fragments flying.
A figure was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground and skidding to a halt, leaving a stark trail of blood. It was Qing Mo.
"How is this possible?"
Qing Mo’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe it. He, a powerful warrior, had been sent flying by a mere First Layer Martial Artist! If word of this got out, no one would believe it.