Clatter! Clatter! Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!
The dry bones that remained of the consumed vampires fell from the sky.
As Gu Hai held up his Life Ender Saber, he looked coldly at the flustered Xi Yan.
Although Gu Hai did not successfully execute the Third Cycle, its saber aura had shocked Xi Yan, stripping him of all confidence of victory.
If the saber did not explode earlier, would I have turned into a shattered corpse already?
“Gu Hai!” Xi Yan roared with a furious glare, venting the huge fright in his heart.
It was not just Xi Yan. Gu Hai’s saber strike had startled the others as well.
——
In the ritual array:
Fairy Waner’s zither puppet and Qin Zibai stopped fighting.
“How can that be? What fortuitous encounter did Gu Hai meet? What saber technique is this?” Qin Zibai’s eyelids twitched wildly.
However, Fairy Waner felt slightly excited.
After consuming the vampires, the Life Ender Saber fed back a thousandth of the energy to Gu Hai. Although it did not completely replenish his energy, he recovered sixty percent. Superficially, no one could make out anything different.
Holding the Life Ender Saber, Gu Hai looked at Xi Yan coldly. “Xi Yan? Ha! Undo the ritual array. You can’t stop me. Also, Qin Zibai is in there as well, right?”
“Huh?” Qin Zibai’s expression suddenly changed.
Gu Hai knows that I am here? How does he know? Why does he dare to come despite knowing about my presence?
However, Xi Yan frowned heavily. “How did you know? Qin Zibai, did you leak the information?”
“You bastard, how could I have leaked anything?” Qin Zibai’s furious voice came from the ritual array.
Strong winds suddenly blew in all directions. The various experts rushing over from Dragon Vein City finally arrived.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The experts quickly occupied the summits of the various mountains in the surroundings. They held up their weapons and coldly surveyed the valley.
After all, these experts had felt the threat of death even from a distance when the saber conception appeared earlier. As a result, they were all already on edge when they arrived, ready to attack at any moment.
Xi Yan’s expression changed as he took in the surroundings.
——
A purple-clad cultivator rushed towards the mountain summit where the white-clad youth was.
“Scram!” the purple-clad cultivator shouted coldly.
The white-clad youth simply ignored that purple-clad cultivator, continuing to look at the valley.
That purple-clad cultivator immediately swung his sword at the white-clad youth and Qing Feng. He brought out a ferocious manifested saber, sending nearly one thousand sword qi into the surroundings, apparently wanting to chop down the white-clad youth and Qing Feng.
The white-clad youth did not bother at all. However, Qing Feng narrowed his eyes and grabbed the sword handle on his back with his right hand.
Shing!
Piercing azure light appeared in the world, forcing many of the cultivators to shut their eyes.
When everyone’s vision recovered, Qing Feng’s sword had already returned to its scabbard on his back. Then, he turned his head away, dismissing that purple-clad cultivator to look back at the valley.
Bang!
The purple-clad cultivator’s manifested sword and sword qi exploded. He goggled, despair filling his eyes.
Blood started seeping out of the purple-clad cultivator’s forehead.
Thud!
The purple-clad cultivator split in half vertically and fell to the ground.
Gasp!
“That purple-robed person is a peak Nascent Soul Realm cultivator! Yet, all it took was one sword strike?”
The initially ferocious cultivators in the surroundings were horrified into profound silence.
“Qing Feng? Isn’t that someone from Fairy Waner’s sect? So, he was already here much earlier?” Li Shenji narrowed his eyes slightly.
On the other side, Xi Yan also raised his eyebrows.
Not just Li Shenji recognized Qing Feng, but Xi Yan and Qin Zibai did as well.
“Someone from your sect?” Qing Zibai’s expression changed.
“Ah!” Fairy Waner just showed a faint, cold smile, not saying anything.
Someone from Fairy Waner’s sect? Previously, I was thinking of secretly dealing with Fairy Waner to prevent her sect from knowing. Now, not only does Gu Hai know, but her sect’s people have also been waiting here, waiting for me to do something inappropriate so that they can openly deal with me with justification?
Qin Zibai’s and Xi Yan’s eyelids twitched wildly.
“Where is the dragon vein?”
“Is it in the ritual array? Are they using the ritual array to capture the dragon vein?”
“There must be something in the ritual array!”
“Should we try breaking the ritual array?”
Excitement flashed in the eyes of the surrounding cultivators.
These cultivators had waited in Dragon Vein City for a long time already. Furthermore, as time went on, an increasing number of experts arrived. More clans started to station people in the city. The longer this went on, the smaller their chances of obtaining the dragon vein.
When these people suddenly heard information about the dragon vein, they naturally felt thrilled. They wanted to break the ritual array to investigate it.
“Qin Zibai, this is enough. Is there any meaning to hiding in the ritual array?” Gu Hai said coldly.
As Gu Hai spoke, he looked at Xi Yan coldly as though warning him.
Indeed, it was already pointless to try hiding this. Initially, Qin Zibai wanted to do this covertly. Now, everyone already knew about it. The failure of his plans infuriated and frustrated Qin Zibai greatly.
Boom!
Qin Zibai flung his sleeves out, and the ritual array exploded.
Whoosh!
When the dust scattered, it revealed Qin Zibai, Fairy Waner, and her zither puppet.
Upon seeing that Fairy Waner was fine, Gu Hai inwardly released his bated breath.
“Where’s the dragon vein?”
“Isn’t the dragon vein in the ritual array?”
“Fairy Waner? Qin Zibai? Why is there no dragon vein?”
The surrounding cultivators immediately clamored anxiously.
Qin Zibai raised his head and looked at the surrounding mountain summits. Then, he said, “Everyone, are you here for the dragon vein?”
“That’s right. Some information appeared in Dragon Vein City that the dragon vein appeared here. Qin Zibai, why is it not here?” a red-clad cultivator said.
Everyone looked at Qin Zibai.
Qin Zibai shook his head and said with a cold smile, “Dragon vein? I think everyone has been fooled. How can there be a dragon vein here?”
“Huh?” Everyone’s expression sank.
Over the past few months, these cultivators had thoroughly explored the surrounding mountains. However, the terrain here was unchanged. This meant that the dragon vein never appeared at all.
There was no dragon vein?
The surrounding cultivators appeared unsightly. Was I fooled? Did I come here for nothing?
Seeing that everyone no longer believed that the dragon vein was here, Qin Zibai showed a faint cold smile and looked at Gu Hai.
“Gu Hai? Ha! We meet again!” Qin Zibai said with a sullen expression.
“Gu Hai, quickly leave! I’ll help you block him!” Fairy Waner immediately exclaimed.
Qin Zibai’s eyes are filled with murderous intent. Does he want to kill Gu Hai?
Since Fairy Waner could tell, how could Gu Hai not figure it out? In fact, before coming, he already guessed that he would have to face Qin Zibai.
Gu Hai could temporarily scare Xi Yan into not making any rash moves. However, it was different for Qin Zibai. Qin Zibai was a Middle Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator. Although Qin Zibai was just an initiate Middle Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator, he was still a powerful expert. There was no way for Gu Hai to fight him.
Previously, Gu Hai could resist Qin Zibai at Chaoge City and even frightened him because he had the power of the Han Nation, the strength lent by the citizens. But now? That was impossible. While his treasures could deal with a Lower Heavenly Palace cultivator, even scare them, a Middle Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator was on a completely different level.
Furthermore, Gu Hai knew that Qin Zibai bore him a grudge, wishing to kill him so that the Yuan Nation could easily snatch his cities away.
Hence, even before arriving here, Gu Hai had anticipated that Qin Zibai would want to kill him.
However, since Gu Hai guessed that Qin Zibai trapped Fairy Waner, how could he just feign ignorance? How could he not help Fairy Waner?
Gu Hai had come.
Fortunately, Long Wanyu had predicted Qin Zibai’s presence, giving Gu Hai time to prepare.
Gu Hai’s preparation was the various experts that came over from Dragon Vein City.
“Gu Hai, quickly leave!” Fairy Waner said anxiously.
“Ha? Thinking of leaving only now? Isn’t it already too late?” Qin Zibai revealed a ferocious smile.
Turning his head, Qin Zibai looked at Xi Yan and said, “Ha! Xi Yan, you are not frightened by Gu Hai, right?”
“Humph! Gu Hai only got lucky earlier. How can I be afraid?” Xi Yan immediately rebutted.
“Ha! Is that so, Xi Yan? Should I execute my Third Cycle again?” Gu Hai showed a ferocious expression as he stared at Xi Yan.
Xi Yan’s eyelids twitched wildly.
Qin Zibai smiled coldly. “There’s no need to push yourself. Xi Yan, you don’t have to deal with Gu Hai. Just block Fairy Waner. Third Cycle? I want to see how powerful his Third Cycle can be before he dies!”
Qin Zibai took a step forward.
“You bastard!” Fairy Waner’s eyes sparked with rage.
Whoosh!
Xi Yan’s figure flashed, immediately blocking Fairy Waner’s zither puppet.
——
On a mountain summit, Li Shenji narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Milord, how powerful is that Third Cycle? Can it deal with Middle Heavenly Palace Realm cultivators?” one of Li Shenji’s subordinates asked with a blank look.
Li Shenji shook his head. “It is still not enough. There is a great difference between the Middle Heavenly Palace Realm and the Lower Heavenly Palace Realm. If Gu Hai does not have the power of his nation, it would be useless no matter how capable he is.”
“Doesn’t that mean that Gu Hai is dead for sure?” the other subordinate asked excitedly.
Li Shenji’s eyes narrowed slightly, darkening with some doubt.
——
On another mountain summit, Qing Feng asked with a confused expression, “Young Master, why do Gu Hai’s eyes still appear so calm? He…he is just a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.”
The white-clad youth shook his head and did not say anything. Instead, he continued watching.
Qin Zibai took a step forward, and a horrifying aura pressed down on Gu Hai. The dry bones of the vampires on the ground could not bear this pressure, crackling as fractures appeared in them.
Gu Hai did not back off. Instead, he revealed a faint, cold smile. “Qin Zibai? Xi Yan? Haha! What a show, fooling all the experts and heroes in Dragon Vein City? A dragon vein? Hahahaha!”
“Huh?” The cultivators on the surrounding mountains narrowed their eyes.
Qin Zibai? Xi Yan? How did they fool us? What dragon vein?
“Gu Hai, what are you saying?” Qin Zibai said coldly.
“What am I saying? Isn’t that so? Do you take everyone here for fools? Are you planning to consign everyone in Dragon Vein City to eternal damnation, dying without a corpse?” Gu Hai shouted while glaring.
“What?” The surrounding cultivators stared at Gu Hai.
“What nonsense? What do you mean dying without a corpse?” QIn Zibai glared.
“Isn’t that so? Ha! Xi Yan, what say you?” Gu Hai sneered.
“What say me?” Xi Yan looked at Gu Hai at a loss.
“You used to be the Huang Royal Dynasty’s master, someone with a dragon vein. You already have a dragon vein. Why did you bring your men here to snatch the dragon vein? Haha! Isn’t that contradictory? Don’t tell me that you want to let your dragon vein consume the dragon vein here? If you were that ambitious, how could you have submitted to the Yuan Imperial Dynasty?” Gu Hai sneered.
“Huh?” Xi Yan raised his eyebrows as he looked at Gu Hai in horror.
The surrounding cultivators also narrowed their eyes. That’s right. Xi Yan already has a dragon vein. Why does he need to compete for one?
“Gu Hai, you are trying to mislead everyone!” Qin Zibai said coldly.
Qin Zibai extended his hand and took out his sword, showing a cold look in his eyes.
“Mislead everyone? Humph! You are the one misleading everyone. A dragon vein? The dragon vein here is not newborn. Instead, it is Xi Yan’s. You are the ones misleading everyone. You got Xi Yan to control his dragon vein, occasionally making it roar to create a facade. You did all that to lure everyone over. You are the ones misleading everyone, cheating everyone so you can attain your unspeakable goals!” Gu Hai shouted.
The surrounding cultivators immediately broke out in a commotion.
“You are the one misleading everyone. Gu Hai, you are seeking death!” Qin Zibai roared furiously.
As Qin Zibai roared, he suddenly thrust his sword at Gu Hai. A dazzlingly bright light lit up the place. A ferocious manifested sword appeared, looking like it would chop Gu Hai in half.
“Brother-in-Law!” Long Wanyu yelled in the distance.
“You bastard! Hurry up and run!” Fairy Waner cried out.
On the mountain summit, Li Shenji narrowed his eyes and revealed a cold smile. It seemed he anticipated Gu Hai’s death.
Qing Feng felt slightly anxious. Only the white-clad youth remained extremely calm.
While others watched the sword, the white-clad youth watched the heart, looking at Gu Hai’s eyes.
Gu Hai’s eyes did not contain any trace of fear.
Suddenly, a golden chain shot out from a mountain summit, shielding Gu Hai and charging towards Qin Zibai’s manifested sword.
Boom!
The golden chain and the manifested sword clashed. The tremendous impact instantly sent a berserk storm sweeping out, toppling forests, and kicking up sand and stone into the sky.
One of the experts who came over from Dragon Vein City had made a move.
This was a man clad in golden robes. He showed an extremely ferocious expression, and a bone protruding from his forehead made him look extremely malevolent.
When the golden-robed man made his move, he blocked Qin Zibai’s sure-kill sword strike.
The resultant wind blew around Gu Hai, ruffling his hair. However, he did not move at all. Instead, he showed a faint smile.
As he had expected, someone made a move.
“Who is it?” Qin Zibai shouted furiously with a glare.
“Qin Zibai, Gu Hai has not finished speaking yet, and you are already in a rush to silence him? Ha!” the golden-robed man sneered.
Nearby, Li Shenji’s expression changed as he watched in frustration. Just when it looked like Qin Zibai would kill Gu Hai in the next moment, someone actually shielded Gu Hai?
Li Shenji and Qin Zibai felt anger and frustration, but the expressions of the surrounding cultivators turned cold. They all looked strangely unified while looking at Qin Zibai coldly. It was as though everyone became Gu Hai’s bodyguard in an instant.
