Chapter 79: Cultivating Qi
It's all over! It's completely over!
Those originally fierce and formidable bandits, seeing their leader lying on the ground like a dead man, suddenly lost all their ferocity and bravery that had been stirred up by the wine.
"Run, everyone run!"
It's unclear who shouted, but the twenty or so bandits turned around and fled in a panic, some even dropping their weapons on the ground as they desperately scrambled away.
Qin Yun did not rush to chase and kill these bandits, but instead walked in front of Xie Wanqing, preparing to retrieve his own Qinghua Sword.
What he didn't expect was that Xie Wanqing hadn't died immediately.
Her face was as pale as paper due to excessive blood loss, and her originally charming eyes were filled with resentment and despair, staring at Qin Yun without taking his last breath.
"You... you just wait... The Holy Lord will avenge me!"
She mustered up her last bit of strength to squeeze out a few words from her throat, and a look of relief washed over her face, as if death was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to her!
Looking at the lingering smile on her face, Qin Yun's heart involuntarily rose with a chill.
Holy Lord? How can this title be related to Qin Xiao Yue at all?
If Xie Wanqing said before her death that Da Shao or Xiao Ye would avenge herself, Qin Yun wouldn't feel the slightest surprise. But what exactly is this Holy Master?
Is it said that Xie Wanqing had someone behind her back, then why did she become Qin Xiaoyue's concubine?
Qin Yun couldn't think of any leads and he didn't think deeply about it either, because the current matter had yet to come to an end.
He pulled out the Qinghua sword from the opponent's corpse, Qin Yun unfolded his body method and swept towards the outside of Laojun Temple to chase and kill those scattered thieves.
These bandits who fell into evil ways have no clean hands, and are stained with the blood of innocent civilians. Although Qin Yun does not consider himself a chivalrous hero, now that he has encountered these nefarious thieves, there is no way he will let them off.
The green wolf thieves didn't escape far, on this Qingfeng Ridge there is only one road leading down the mountain, and the other three sides are all cliffs, they can't escape even if they want to.
In the blink of an eye, Qin Yun caught up with several thieves and swiftly beheaded three of them.
Killing these thieves who were merely testing his strength was simply too easy for Qin Yun now, and every time the Qinghua Sword struck out, it would inevitably be accompanied by the fall of one or several thieves.
Cries of despair, pleas for mercy and wails rose and fell in succession. Some bandits who were driven to desperation tried to fight back with their lives, but they only brought about even more brutal slaughter.
In less than half a moment, more than 20 thieves were killed by Qin Yun, and some people hiding in the trees and rocks were also found one by one, with almost no escape.
After killing all that could be found, Qin Yun temporarily spared the sentries at the foot of the mountain and returned to the main hall of Laojun Temple to see if there were any more enemies inside.
He had just stepped through the gate and was taken aback.
The great hall was in a state of complete disarray, with overturned wooden tables scattered everywhere, and the wine, meat, bowls, and plates were all spilled all over the floor.
There were no thieves inside, several women who had been robbed huddled together in the corner, crying softly. When they saw Qin Yun enter with a long sword in hand, most of them showed a look of horror.
But in front of the statue, there was another person.
This man was the same middle-aged man in a green shirt who had been sitting to Xie Wanqing's right earlier, and Qin Yun had originally thought he was the strategist or advisor of the Qing Lang thieves.
Some bookworms may fall into a den of thieves due to family misfortunes or helplessness at home, either by their own will or being coerced.
These people may have no ability to tie up a chicken, but they can make plans and strategies for the bandits, and the harm they cause is even greater than that of ordinary bandit leaders.
But this green-shirted guest was obviously not that kind of role, he held a shining long sword in his hand, and his left hand pointed to the surrounding air, making some unknown gestures.
But seeing Qin Yun come in, he didn't show any panic at all, only putting his hands in his sleeves, holding his sword with a proud gaze, calm and composed.
"May I ask who you are and why you want to join forces with these bandits?" Qin Yun asked in a deep voice.
As they spoke, he gripped his long sword and slowly approached his opponent step by step.
He was so cautious because his opponent gave Qin Yun a profound and unpredictable feeling, and he certainly didn't dare to be careless.
The vast nine provinces have many hidden dragons and crouching tigers, with numerous masters beyond count. Even in the wilds and grasslands, there are also dragons lurking in ambush.
The guest in the green shirt flashed his eyes and did not directly answer Qin Yun's question: "Did Xie Wanqing run away?"
"She's dead..." Qin Yun stopped about a dozen steps away from him and said calmly: "Killed by my sword!"
"How is that possible?" The green-shirted guest's expression finally changed: "She has two Qi-refining Seventh Heaven warriors under her command, do you have any accomplices?"
"If you can answer my questions honestly, I'll tell you the truth." Qin Yun waved his long sword: "Otherwise, my sword isn't that easy to talk to!"
The man in the green shirt sneered coldly: "Young people shouldn't be so arrogant, even if you can kill Xie Wanqing, it's not good to think that you are the final winner!"
He suddenly raised his arm, and with lightning speed, his left hand shot out from his sleeve. His thumb, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger curled in, while his index finger pointed straight ahead, swiftly drawing a virtual stroke at Qin Yun!
His index finger drew out dozens of strokes in the blink of an eye, and before Qin Yun could see what it was, a fireball the size of a human head suddenly appeared out of thin air!
"Hah!"
The man in the green shirt suddenly opened his mouth and shouted, his five fingers simultaneously spreading apart. His palm fiercely pushed forward, and the fireball immediately shot rapidly towards Qin Yun!
Cultivator!
Qin Yun suddenly understood, and his opponent was actually a Qi Refining Master!
The Qi Refiners of the Nine States have always been somewhat mysterious, with a number far fewer than that of the Martial Artists. Most of them are in seclusion for cultivation, and many are supported by sects, aristocratic families or imperial courts, rarely appearing before people.
Alchemists cultivate the Longevity Heavenly Dao, and while their combat abilities may not be comparable to those of strong martial artists or swordsmen, they have an advantage in possessing various methods of attack, defense, and evasion. Even ordinary warriors dare not provoke alchemists lightly.
It is said that many Qi practitioners can borrow the spiritual power of heaven and earth to cast spells, and the scene in front of Qin Yun at this moment undoubtedly proves this point.
Qin Yun had never had any experience in dueling with a Refiner before, so he didn't dare to be careless when facing the incoming fireball and hurriedly circulated his Qi to wield his sword to block and parry.
Boom!
The fireball crashed into the sword's defensive net, instantly bursting open and turning into countless sparks that splashed and danced everywhere.
Qin Yun was stunned again.
He was surprised not by the opponent's flame ball being powerful, but rather by it being unexpectedly weak.
The seemingly magical attack actually didn't have much power, Qin Yun felt that he didn't need to use Iron Wall Flaming Sword to intercept it, and a single sword strike would probably be enough to disperse it.
At this moment, he saw Qing Shan Ke take a step back, and his face actually showed a hint of panic.
Is this guy just pretending?
Qin Yun's heart stirred and he immediately unfolded his body technique to press forward towards his opponent.
But he had only taken six or seven steps when he could no longer move forward, as if he had run into an invisible barrier!
The flustered look on Qing Shan's face disappeared, replaced by a triumphant and sinister smile!
Suddenly, thick silver spears rose from the ground around Qin Yun, forming a ten-foot-square cage that trapped him inside.
Qin Yun suddenly felt a huge pressure coming from all around him, invisible and intangible yet pinning him down to the point where he could hardly move.
What is this again?
Qin Yun couldn't help but take a big bite, but before he could exert his strength to struggle, the green-shirted guest raised his long sword and aimed it at his head from afar!
Hurry!
The sound of drinking was like a thunderclap in the great hall, shaking down the dust from the dome above!
Qin Yun only felt a sudden severe pain in his brow, as if a red-hot steel needle had suddenly pierced his skull, and a strange power surged into his mind!
This sinister and vicious power was like a bloodthirsty venomous snake, invading the sea of consciousness to stir up trouble, while Qin Yun was completely at a loss.
He had no idea how to deal with such a bizarre attack.
But once the sea of recognition is destroyed, the consequences are likely to be the extinction of the gods and the death of the body on the spot!
Roar!
At this critical moment, the self-sufficient sword intent silver dragon surrounding the Qiankun Supplementing Heaven Stone suddenly opened its eyes and let out a loud dragon roar.
It burst out of the yin-yang energy ring, with thousands of silver scales flying out from its body, transforming into sharp sword edges that pierced towards the invading dark and cold alien force in the sea of consciousness.
In an instant, the invading foreign power was chopped into powder by the sword's edge, and the Silver Dragon merely opened its mouth to absorb all the scattered powers cleanly!
The sword tip dancing in the sea of consciousness quickly retracted, and the silver dragon slowly returned to the yin-yang energy ring, as if nothing had happened at all.
The crisis faced by Qin Yun has been completely eliminated!
At the moment when the invading alien force was shattered by the sword's edge, the green-shirted guest, who was only seven or eight steps away from Qin Yun, shook his whole body and spat out a mouthful of blood.
His eyes were filled with an unbelievable expression, his long sword trembling as he pointed at Qin Yun and exclaimed: "You, how can you break my Soul-Losing Stab!"
The Soul Piercing Stab is the strongest technique of this green-shirted guest, able to directly attack the opponent's soul, having a very strong power against warriors below the Innate Boundary.
He set up a formation in the grand hall, first luring Qin Yun into the pre-arranged Soul Cage Formation, and then delivering a fatal blow with the Lost Soul Stab, a tactic that had proven effective time and again, causing many powerful enemies to meet their demise on the spot!
But the blue-shirted guest never thought that his proud magic would be easily broken by Qin Yun, who was only at the Qi Refining stage of the fifth heaven, and he himself suffered a severe injury from the backlash!
He didn't know that Qin Yun's sea of consciousness had long been occupied by the Qian Kun Supplementing Heaven Stone and the Great Self-Sword Intention, and it was only after a struggle between the two that the current balance was maintained. How could he allow an external force to enter?
Under the counterattack of Da Zizai's sword intent, Qing Shan Ke's soul-stirring strike could only be in vain.
In a sense, Qin Yun can be said to have the ability to resist all divine soul magic attacks, unless the caster's spiritual power can overwhelm the Qiankun Supplementing Heaven Stone and the Great Self-Sword Intent!
