"Xiao Shu, dodge!"
Facing the sudden attack, Yun Ze activated his Jianyun Armor at top speed and shielded Xiao Shu behind him, but it was still a step too late!
The opponent flicked his hand, landing on the Jianyun Armor and striking Yun Ze's chest with a palm!
Although the Jianyun Armor absorbed a large portion of the damage, the force of the palm still sent Yun Ze staggering back over ten steps before he could stop!
Yun Ze dared not use his spiritual energy and could only draw out the Mountain Ghoul, wielding his sword in defense!
However, it was strange.
After unleashing that palm strike, the attacker didn't pursue but simply sat down cross-legged on the spot, beginning to absorb the surrounding spiritual energy.
He seemed on the verge of another breakthrough!
No!
He absolutely could not let it reach a realm beyond Foundation Establishment. Once it recovered, the entire secret realm would likely be bathed in its blood!
"Xiao Shu, stay here. If you sense anything is wrong, run!"
"Yun Ge, I..."
Before Xiao Shu could finish speaking, Yun Ze had already charged forward!
So what if he couldn't use spiritual energy? He wouldn't use it then!
Both the Mountain Ghoul and Jianyun Armor were second-tier spiritual artifacts. He refused to believe they couldn't handle a mindless Foundation Establishment cultivator!
Taking advantage of the opponent's meditation, Yun Ze swung his sword down at its head!
A layer of black scab was cleaved open, revealing a bald, golden head. The Mountain Ghoul in Yun Ze's hand could not advance an inch further!
Bald head? A monk?
Yun Ze frowned but did not hesitate, raising his hand and striking the same spot again!
As the sword edge fell, the black scab on the person's head was completely shaken off, revealing a dazzling bald head, adorned with nine burnt ritual scars.
Unfortunately, the Mountain Ghoul still could not penetrate the defense!
This was truly a devout Buddhist!
The Mountain Ghoul was a second-tier spiritual artifact. Logically, it should have been able to cleave a Foundation Establishment cultivator with ease. But in this situation, there was only one possibility!
This person was practicing a Buddhist body-refining technique – the Golden Body Forging!
Yun Ze had heard Dan Chenyu mention that the Buddhist Golden Body had twenty-four grades, with three grades forming one tier. To cultivate to a level capable of withstanding the Mountain Ghoul, one would need at least a third-grade Golden Body, equivalent to the Core Formation stage!
A third-grade Golden Body at the Foundation Establishment stage. Such cultivation potential, if placed within a Buddhist sect, would grant a status no less than Dan Chenyu or Xiu Yun!
No!
Now was not the time to ponder these things. He had to find a way to break through the defense without using spiritual energy, or he could only watch helplessly as it improved.
Since spiritual energy was being absorbed, could pure sword energy also be absorbed?
This was his last resort. If it didn't work, he would truly have to flee with Wei Lanshu!
Yun Ze slanted his sword, continuously infusing sword energy into the Mountain Ghoul.
Then, he struck!
The sword energy descended, and a trace of crimson appeared on the golden head!
It worked!
Yun Ze's heart leaped with joy, but before the elation could spread across his face, the wound instantly healed!
If not for the lingering trace of crimson, Yun Ze might have thought it was a mere illusion.
But as long as the sword energy was effective, that was enough!
He alone was not enough, but there was another person!
Yun Ze turned to look at Wei Lanshu, about to speak, when a buzzing sound echoed from behind him!
"Yun Ge, be careful!" Wei Lanshu cried out instantly!
In the blink of an eye, before Xiao Shu could even speak, Yun Ze had heard the buzzing sound and sensed something was amiss.
He immediately crouched down and covered his head!
After Xiao Shu spoke, he saw a figure soar overhead, a very familiar waist drum hanging from their hip!
This was...
"Junior Brother Yun, you're quite quick on the uptake!"
As the figure landed, Chen Xiao's voice rang out from the front.
He turned to look at Yun Ze, holding a spiritual sword with a smile on his lips, "How is it? Happy to see your Senior Brother?"
"Chen... Xiao..."
Yun Ze gritted out the two words.
He never expected to encounter him here.
Didn't this guy claim his Qi Sea was only at the second realm? Why was he here? Could he be the one who accidentally stumbled into this secret realm?
No, impossible!
He was merely an outer disciple. How could he have any contact with the Xiu family?
"Hey, don't look at me with such deep-seated hatred!"
Chen Xiao teased, "I'm just here to teach you a lesson for breaking the rules and attacking this fellow cultivator while they were cultivating.
You must remember, although we cultivators value wealth, companionship, dharma, and abode, we must not engage in such base acts, or people will become suspicious!"
"Rules?"
Yun Ze's mind was no longer on the monk, his entire focus fixed on the person before him. "You're wearing a demonic artifact at your waist, does that mean you follow the rules?"
"This is different!"
As Chen Xiao spoke, he casually unbuckled the small drum at his waist and played with it, showing it off to Yun Ze. "This is just a trophy I obtained after killing a demon cultivator! I can use this to earn merit. How can it be compared to you, who slaughters fellow disciples?"
"Heh, killing demon cultivators? All lies!"
Yun Ze's eyes narrowed, and he decided to expose him directly. "Chen Xiao, you want to kill me because I stole your opportunities.
Similarly, I want to kill you! Because you killed my parents!
Now that we are both outside the sect, why don't we just fight to the death? What's with all the nonsense!"
"So, you know everything!"
Chen Xiao sneered, continuing to fiddle with the waist drum in his hand. "I thought you were truly that foolish, only knowing to recognize a thief as your father.
However, Junior Brother Yun, you've misspoken on one thing."
His smile gradually turned sinister, and the waist drum in his hand began to be enveloped in a purple light screen. "There will be no possibility of us fighting to the death. There will only be..."
"Me taking your life and sending you to reunite with your family!"
As soon as he finished speaking, countless vengeful spirits rose from the drum. One of them was the main entity, while hundreds of slightly smaller vengeful spirits swirled around it.
Mother!
Yun Ze recognized the main vengeful spirit at a glance!
His heart trembled, but his sword did not falter. He raised it and slashed forward!
"Summon Rain, Manifest!"
Six streams of water swords were unleashed with the sword's edge, transforming into fifty-four water droplets that scattered forward, the sword energy instantly rippling outwards!
This strike had almost depleted all the spiritual energy within Yun Ze!
He still had to deal with the monster behind him and had no time to waste with Chen Xiao. He had to end this quickly!
With the power of his current sword energy, if even one of these fifty-four water droplets struck Chen Xiao, it would severely wound him, and with the sword energy igniting, it would be enough to burn him to death!
But... expectations were just expectations.
"Summon Rain! Manifest!"
The same three words were uttered by Chen Xiao!
Six streams of sword rain instantly poured out, also transforming into fifty-four water droplets that struck forward, even following the same path as Yun Ze's fifty-four water droplets!
The sword energies collided, instantly rippling outwards at the spot, and along with the scattered energy, a surge of spiritual energy followed!
The monster behind Yun Ze's eyes instantly snapped open!
Like a wolf that had smelled meat, it pounced directly!
In an instant, all the surrounding spiritual energy was absorbed by it, and it sat down cross-legged on the spot, continuing its cultivation!
Chen Xiao also sensed something was amiss, but his current thought was singular.
Kill Yun Ze!
Yun Ze's brows furrowed as he sized up Chen Xiao before him.
Cultivation at the ninth level of Qi Refining, at least at the sixth realm of Qi Sea or above, and practicing the same sword techniques as himself!
His only advantages were the spiritual sword in his hand, the spiritual armor on his body, and the hundred pieces of pure spiritual liquid within his spatial ring.
If it were a battle of attrition, he might have a chance to defeat Chen Xiao.
But with the monster present, attrition was clearly not an option, unless...
Yun Ze looked at the golden head, and a plan suddenly formed in his mind!