Chapter Fifty-Six: Escape from Danger

Lei Xiang let out a cold snort, and his four fingers, sharp as blades, unleashed the Divine Thunder Slash. At this moment of life and death, he could no longer afford to conserve his spiritual power. The Divine Thunder Slash twisted soundlessly and colorlessly, but failed to sever the blood-red tentacles. Yet, with a thought, Lei Xiang urged his divine sense, and suddenly blue arcs of lightning, as thick as a pinky finger, burst forth, instantly breaking through the entangling tentacles. Lei Xiang was free again.

Hu Fei stared in astonishment at his own blood-red tentacles—this was a divine ability he had cultivated over a century, now not only severed but also seemingly terrified of the electric arcs, swaying from a distance and not daring to approach again.

What amazed Hu Fei even more was that beneath Lei Xiang’s battle boots, four wheels suddenly emerged, aligned in a row, spinning rapidly. Lei Xiang himself slid away, gaining speed with every moment.

All this happened in a flash. By the time Hu Fei had reacted, Lei Xiang had already slid ten yards away. Hurriedly, Hu Fei summoned his power, forcing the blood-red tentacles to surge forward against their will.

Suddenly, there was the sharp sound of “crack” and “snap”—the ancient bell was finally crushed. By now, Lei Xiang had already flown thirty yards away, completely outside the control range of the Blue Lotus Disk. Without looking back, he merely gestured, and the Infinite Sword Formation flew back to his side.

With no obstacles left, the Blue Lotus Disk fell much faster, whooshing down atop Hu Fei as he was forming a spell. Despair washed over his face; he hadn’t even had a chance to use his final life-saving measure.

He knew there was no chance for him now. A sheet of blue light fell, and Hu Fei, along with his primordial spirit, was annihilated.

When the dust settled, only a thirty-yard-wide pit remained here, fragments of magical tools scattered at the bottom. Nothing else was left, not even the blood-red blade that may have been an ancient treasure.

Lei Xiang instantly slid back; the wheels of his Windfire Boots retracted. He gazed quietly at the pit, then shook his sleeve, sweeping the fragments into an empty storage bag, planning to use them in future artifact crafting.

With a thought, the Blue Lotus Disk rapidly shrank back to nine inches and was stowed away. Lei Xiang then rode his Swift Step and flew east.

Lei Xiang grinned, his little tiger tooth showing, and muttered to himself, “As if I’d need you to tell me—if I wish to uncover the secrets of those who laid the ambush, isn’t Soul Searching more direct and accurate?” He pressed his forefinger to the back of Hu Fei’s head, and a blue spell shot in.

Several days later, seventy miles outside the capital of the Eastern Yue Kingdom, two men in red robes streaked toward the city in desperate flight, occasionally casting anxious glances behind—though no one pursued them.

Suddenly, one of them stopped, pale and gasping, “I can’t run anymore. We’ve fled almost five hundred miles—the calamity must have lost our trail. Let’s rest and recover our spiritual power.”

His companion, a burly man with a goat beard, reluctantly halted as well, though he grumbled, “This isn’t a safe place. Another few dozen miles and we’ll be at the capital, where our Blood Fiend Alliance has a Core Formation cultivator stationed. That brat wouldn’t dare approach such a place, so hold out for just another hour or so.”

But the first man had already plopped to the ground, sitting cross-legged, “You run if you want—I’m spent. My spiritual power is nearly exhausted. I don’t believe that kid, only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, has more energy than us at the late stage. I’d bet he’s already hiding somewhere, resting himself.”

He had barely finished speaking when a faint breeze swept past, carrying a subtle blue glow. A voice asked, “Who said so?” And then, as if folded backwards, the man’s upper body toppled away—he had been cut in two at the waist.

The red-robed man had been slain in an instant.

Only three words had been uttered, and a late Foundation Establishment cultivator was silently dispatched—who could possess such overwhelming power?

The goat-bearded man had already whipped out a small black flag, transforming it into a dark curtain that enveloped him before he dared look around.

A burst of golden light exploded in the void, striking the escaping primordial spirit of the slain man. With a sorrowful wail, it was annihilated.

There appeared a golden spear with a dragon’s head, then the figure of an ordinary man, grinning with a little tiger tooth—Lei Xiang.

The goat-bearded man was terrified, his mind racing: “That little devil still caught up to me… What kind of monstrous cultivation does he possess? His escape technique and spiritual power are simply terrifying.”

It was indeed Lei Xiang; these two were the outermost sentries he had tracked down. “You are the last two of this ambush. Once I finish with you, I can move on to the Core Formation cultivators among the Eighteen Blood Killers.”

“You mean to challenge those Core Formation cultivators? You… you’re mad!”

But Lei Xiang was no madman; he understood how to choose his battles. Now that his Heaven-Cloaking Technique was complete, and with Divine Thunder Slash as aid, he was confident he could silently eliminate a Core Formation opponent.

A blue gleam flashed in his eyes, and he could see clearly through the black mist: the burly man was late Foundation Establishment, activating some secret technique.

The Divine Thunder Slash could not be used again; it had already cost Lei Xiang a third of his spiritual power. Besides, this black mist was peculiar—not something easily dispelled. After a moment’s thought, Lei Xiang devised a plan.

He tapped the Eight-Treasure Dragon Spear atop his head. The spear trembled, then dove into the black mist, sending golden arcs of lightning—born of the dragon-horned spear—scouring the surrounding fog. Lei Xiang then retrieved the Vermilion Banner from his storage bag, grasped it, and with a thought, released the Greedy Maw. The instant it sensed the black mist, Greedy Maw became wildly excited, its huge green fangs grinding as it opened its blood-red lips and swallowed hungrily.

That was not all; Lei Xiang then summoned fourteen flying swords. With a wave of his triangular banner, the swords vanished with a hum, only to appear above the black mist, forming a seven-by-seven Infinite Sword Formation, trapping the black fog within.

Inside the mist, the burly man, focusing on his artifact, cried out in shock, “You… you must be a Core Formation master!” For who but a Core Formation cultivator could control so many artifacts at once, and with such ease?

Lei Xiang, of course, would not explain that it was his cultivation of the Boundless Divine Sea that granted him divine sense far beyond his peers. Instead, he spurred the Infinite Sword Formation. The forty-nine sword beams crisscrossed, soon slicing the black mist into as many pieces.

This made it easier for Greedy Maw to devour, while the Eight-Treasure Dragon Spear periodically unleashed its golden lightning. The green-fanged, red-lipped Greedy Maw abandoned all restraint, gulping down the mist voraciously.

In the forty-nine fragments of black mist, gold, red, and green danced together, creating a unique spectacle.

After half a cup of tea’s time, only fifteen fragments of mist remained. The burly man, desperate, began to beg for mercy, “Senior, please spare me—I’ll surrender to you!”

Lei Xiang paused, genuinely surprised that a late Foundation Establishment cultivator would offer to submit to an early-stage cultivator. He slowed his assault and asked coolly, “Why should I trust you?”

The man seized the chance to catch his breath, sensing Lei Xiang’s wavering tone. “Senior, you can plant a restriction in my body. I won’t resist at all.”

Lei Xiang shook his head, “No, unless you surrender a drop of essence blood and a fifth of your primordial spirit.”

The man was aghast, “How could I? If you wished, you could destroy me with a thought—no resistance at all. That’s too harsh, far too harsh!”

Lei Xiang sneered and resumed his attack. The man immediately felt the pressure mount; another two mist fragments were devoured, his defeat now inevitable.

“Senior, I submit, please show mercy!” When only three fragments remained, the man finally capitulated unconditionally.

Lei Xiang did not withdraw Greedy Maw or the Dragon Spear, merely slowed his spiritual input, making no promises.

The man gritted his teeth and resolved, “Senior, I, Yang Jian, swear to serve you as my master for life, bound by a blood oath!”

Lei Xiang grinned, his tiger tooth gleaming, “To think I’d acquire a late Foundation Establishment slave so casually—how amusing.”

If only he knew the disaster this slave would bring him in the future, he would not be so pleased.

With a single-handed seal, Lei Xiang pressed his fingers to Yang Jian’s brow. Thousands of square seals layered themselves within—having applied the Binding Seal, Lei Xiang recited a true name. Yang Jian obediently complied; a ball of black light shot from his crown and, under the spell’s urging, split off a fifth of his primordial spirit. Yang Jian’s face twisted in pain, while the remainder of the black light quickly sank back into his skull.

The separated fifth flew toward Lei Xiang, who layered it in squares of shimmering light, compressing it to the size of a bean. He then seized it and pressed it into his own head.

In a partitioned corner of his divine sea, the bean-sized black light settled. From then on, Yang Jian was entirely under Lei Xiang’s control; a single thought could destroy the bean-sized spirit, devastating Yang Jian’s main soul and likely rendering him a fool, if not outright killing him.

Only after all this did Lei Xiang withdraw the Infinite Sword Formation and Greedy Maw, snatch up the Eight-Treasure Dragon Spear, and casually flick a shining screen into existence, which expanded and floated overhead.

Names densely filled the screen. With a tap of his finger, Lei Xiang marked a red cross over one. As he continued down the list, Yang Jian, watching in shock, even spotted his own name. He asked timidly, “Senior, are these all elites of the Blood Fiend Alliance, all at Foundation Establishment or above? Were they truly all slain by you alone?”

Lei Xiang smiled faintly, “Does it not seem so?”

Yang Jian hurriedly shook his head, but his inner shock was beyond words. This Lei Xiang was simply heaven-defying. He now truly believed Lei Xiang might even seek out the Core Formation elders.

At that moment, Lei Xiang said, “Tell me about the Eighteen Blood Killers and the personnel stationed in the imperial city.”