Chapter 406 - 405: Instant Kill
In the midst of their escape, Qin Ya suddenly spotted a mountain range in the distance. His eyes brightened as he led Ling Zhan and Xue Qianlong down into it.
They were too conspicuous high in the sky. The mountain range, however, with its treacherous terrain, dormant Fierce Beasts, dense forests, miasma, and poisonous plants, offered a much better chance of escape.
After the trio plunged into the mountain range, Qin Ya took out three Antitoxic Pills. They each swallowed one and charged into a patch of Poisonous Fog. Moments later, several Elders arrived with Blood Slaves in tow.
The one in the lead frowned.
"This mountain range is extremely dangerous, one of the most notorious treacherous regions in Shuo Province. Everyone, be on your guard. Those kids are cunning, alright, to think of hiding in the mountains."
"Elder, the terrain here is complex. They might try to split up and escape. We should divide into several search parties. We’ll have a better chance of finding them."
"Agreed. Those kids are powerful. Be extremely careful."
With the plan decided, each of the Elders took ten Blood Slaves, formed several teams, and gave chase into the fog. Meanwhile, Qin Ya and his two companions were taking refuge in a cave.
"Quick, take these Elixirs."
Qin Ya took out two Healing Elixirs and gave one to each of his companions. As they recovered, he began to ponder how to escape. One King was already tricky enough, to say nothing of several Half-Step Kings plus a horde of Blood Slaves. This level of threat far surpassed the danger Qin Ya had faced when fighting over a hundred Extraordinaries alone back in Yun Province.
’If I were alone, this would be manageable,’ he thought. ’With my speed, escaping wouldn’t be that hard. But to abandon Ling Zhan and Xue Qianlong... I could never do something that violates my principles.’
"Kid, don’t even think about it."
"Here’s some advice: just run. Save yourself."
The Ting Xiao Sword at Qin Ya’s waist trembled slightly, its voice echoing in his mind via Divine Thought.
"Why?"
Qin Ya knew that given Ting Xiao’s nature, it would never suggest he do something as shameless as abandoning his companions to save his own skin. There had to be a reason.
"I just discovered that Qiann Feng, the Pavilion Master of Linfeng Pavilion, planted a Divine Thought Seal inside you. Even with your mask’s isolating Space, you can’t block his connection to it. At your current level of Divine Thought, removing this Divine Thought Mark will take considerable time—long enough for him to kill all of you seven or eight times over."
Hearing this, Qin Ya’s expression flickered. He finally understood that strange feeling he’d had when leaving Linfeng Pavilion. ’So I was branded with a Divine Thought Seal!’
"If you take them with you, not only will you be unable to escape, but they will die right alongside you. That’s why you’re better off escaping alone."
Qin Ya nodded, knowing there was no time to waste. He immediately turned to Ling Zhan and Xue Qianlong. "Ling Zhan, Xue Qianlong, Qiann Feng has planted a Divine Thought Mark on me. He can sense my location at any time, so it isn’t safe for you to be with me. Here are some Elixirs. Take them. I’ll draw away the pursuing Elders, and you must use that chance to escape and return to the Palace Gate."
Neither of them doubted Qin Ya’s words, but they didn’t accept the Elixirs. Ling Zhan thumped his chest and declared, "I, Ling Zhan, may not be some do-gooder, but I’m not the type to abandon a companion and run for my life."
"I won’t leave either," Xue Qianlong said coolly.
Qin Ya’s brow furrowed, and his tone turned sharp. "If you don’t go, are you just going to stay here and die with me for nothing? Are you just going to let the Blood Nether Association continue its evil deeds in secret? Are you going to let the millions of lives in those thirteen cities have died in vain?!!"
His tone was sharp, his words like daggers. The two of them paled, their resolve shaken. His words struck them to the core, their minds reeling as images flooded their thoughts—the atrocities the Blood Nether Association had committed over the years, the thirteen cities turned into fields of blood and gore, a scene straight from Purgatory! In contrast, Qin Ya’s righteous fury made them burn with shame.
"But... Brother Qin, what about you..."
Seeing that the two of them were still not convinced, Qin Ya decided to deliver the final blow. "There are no ’buts’! With my speed, I have at least a forty percent chance of escaping alone. If I take you with me, it’s certain death. It’s a simple choice. Don’t you know which one to make?!"
Their expressions shifted. Finally, Xue Qianlong took the Elixirs from Qin Ya. She looked at him intently and said, "You... you must come back alive!!"
"Yes, that’s right. Come back alive," Ling Zhan added, his voice hoarse.
Qin Ya gave a heavy nod. Just then, a wave of roars suddenly came from outside. The three exchanged a look, their faces grim, and charged out!
"There’s a ca— They’re in here!"
An Elder from Linfeng Pavilion saw them and roared with laughter. At his back, ten Blood Slaves instantly shrieked, brandishing their claws as they charged the trio like wild animals. These ten Blood Slaves were not as strong as the two Qin Ya had previously slain; their combat power was only equivalent to Celestial Human Perfection. But with their tough bodies and self-healing abilities, they were still incredibly troublesome. The two sides clashed in an instant.
An Endless Thunder-Fire Spear erupted, a massive, mountain-like Fist Seal materialized, and an ice-cold Sword Qi radiated outward. The three streams of energy slammed into the Blood Slaves. BOOM! More than half of the ten Blood Slaves were riddled with holes, but they weren’t dead. Their flesh was rapidly regenerating, a sight that made Ling Zhan and Xue Qianlong’s pupils contract in horror.
"Brother Qin, so these are the Blood Slaves you were talking about!"
"Indeed! This type of Blood Slave is unheard of. Who knows what method the Blood Nether Association uses to create them. We must get back to Kunyun Palace and report this!"
Ling Zhan and Xue Qianlong nodded gravely. The thought that the Blood Nether Association was secretly creating such terrifying monsters was horrifying; the scale of their ambition was enough to make one’s skin crawl.
"Hah! You want to go back? Do you really think you can?"
The Elder let out a great laugh and abruptly unleashed his Dharma Aspect. Its majestic might swept through the entire forest, startling countless birds and beasts as he joined the Blood Slaves in their attack.
"You can try!"
Qin Ya lifted his gaze, and the dark glint in his eyes made the Elder shudder involuntarily.
The Mysterious Speed Second Layer Heaven manifested. His True Essence erupted, and amid bursts of silver light, an eighteen-zhang-tall Dharma Aspect condensed. The Elder was still reeling in shock that someone with a mere Sky-Controlling Cultivation could condense a Dharma Aspect when the Ting Xiao Sword left its sheath. A flash of purple light, accompanied by thunder, lightning, and a Sharp Sword Qi, illuminated the heavens and the earth!
"A Spiritual Artifact!!"
"And a Dharma Aspect!!"
The Elder’s scalp went numb with dread, and he ordered the ten Blood Slaves to attack Qin Ya first.
But a silver light flashed, as swift as a Ghostly Charm. In that instant, ten heads were flung high into the air as ten fountains of blood sprayed forth. The Blood Slaves’ self-healing ability, though strong, had its limits. Once beheaded, their gaping mouths opened and closed, struggling for a moment before their bodies lost all support and crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
With the sharpness of the Spiritual Artifact, Qin Ya had instantly killed ten Blood Slaves in a single strike!
Then, his Four Symbols Mysteries erupted, augmented by the Mysteries of Destruction. The Power of Natural Destruction flowed along his blade. He unleashed the full speed of his Speed Dharma Aspect, transforming into a silver streak of light. In a flash, he shattered the Elder’s Dharma Aspect, his blade cleaving through the man’s body and splitting him in two. It was another instant kill!