Chapter 336 - 214: Relentless Pursuit, Slaying Sima Rui

Witnessing this, Sima Rui’s pupils contracted, and the color drained from his face in horror.

"Sword Array! You’re Nie Wushuang!"

Many people could use a Sword Array—even his old rival, Li Chang’an. But only Nie Wushuang could control so many swords simultaneously.

"Damn you, Nie Wushuang! When did I ever offend you that you’d disguise yourself just to kill me?"

He frantically activated one Protective Treasure after another, transforming into a streak of light as he fled toward the Ancient Sect Ruins.

He lacked the courage to even consider engaging in Magical Combat with a figure like Nie Wushuang.

Now,

He could only pin his hopes on his Protective Treasures holding out long enough for him to reach the ruins and call for aid from his master and senior martial brother.

But the ruins were so far away—so far, in fact, that despair began to set in.

In the blink of an eye,

the terrifying Sword Array crashed down upon him.

BOOM!

A terrifying blast of Sword Qi erupted. The sword light was brilliant and incredibly violent, threatening to tear the very heavens and earth asunder.

The force of this strike surpassed the limits of the Foundation Establishment Stage!

Sima Rui’s Protective Treasures shattered one by one, ground to dust by the relentless Sword Intent.

In an instant,

all his Treasures were destroyed.

The residual power of the Sword Array slammed into Sima Rui, sending a violent tremor through his body. His spine buckled, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood.

"Daoist Nie, spare my life!"

Sima Rui’s face was ashen. His body swayed, and he nearly plummeted from the sky.

He wouldn’t be able to withstand a second blow from that terrifying Sword Array.

Another attack would undoubtedly kill him.

He had no choice but to beg for mercy.

"Daoist Nie, we met at the last Yellow Crane Immortal City auction. My master and your master have been friends for many years..."

His Qi was in disarray, and his words came out in a frantic rush.

But before he could finish speaking,

his vision suddenly went black. A wave of dizziness washed over him, and he felt himself growing groggy.

’Not good, I’ve been poisoned!’

Sima Rui was horrified. ’When did Nie Wushuang learn to use poison?’

’Could there be someone from the Five Poison Wanderer Lineage nearby?’

He hastily pulled a handful of Antitoxic Pills from his Storage Pouch and swallowed them all, attempting to delay the poison’s effects.

But it was all in vain.

Just a few breaths later, he lost consciousness completely and plummeted from the sky, landing in the Jade Water Ripple Net.

"Come!"

Li Chang’an gestured with a raised hand, pulling Sima Rui into his Spirit Beast Bag.

He quickly cast several Talismans to incinerate the bloodstains and wipe away his aura.

’I can’t stay here long!’

With a flicker of his body, Li Chang’an executed the Five Elements Spiritual Light Escape and sped away.

...

「About two hours later.」

He was now far from the site of the battle. After burrowing deep underground, he took Sima Rui out of the Spirit Beast Bag.

At this moment, Sima Rui was still unconscious.

The cause of his slumber

was none other than the Tier Two Late Stage Ten Thousand Poison Gu!

"Good work, little one. Keep him asleep for a few more days!"

Li Chang’an instructed the Ten Thousand Poison Gu.

The Ten Thousand Poison Gu nodded gently, crawled onto Sima Rui’s arm, and released more of its Sleep Poison.

Then, Li Chang’an removed the restriction on Sima Rui’s Storage Pouch.

The next moment,

one Treasure, in particular, caught his eye.

’This is...’

With a thought, Li Chang’an retrieved the Treasure.

The object was translucent, like a crystal. Inside, a plume of flame resembling a feather burned slowly. It was a peculiar sight.

"Red Feather Crystal!"

A look of delight appeared on Li Chang’an’s face.

This Red Feather Crystal was one of the five primary ingredients required to refine the Five Elements Golden Condensation Pill.

The piece he held was massive—enough for three refining attempts!

’Sima Rui has certainly lived up to his reputation as a long-time auction host. To think he managed to get his hands on a Treasure like this!’

With this,

of the primary ingredients needed for the Five Elements Golden Condensation Pill,

Li Chang’an now had two.

He hadn’t been deliberately searching for them; he had simply acquired two just by settling scores with his enemies.

Besides the Red Feather Crystal, the Storage Pouch contained plenty of other Treasures.

There were even several Tier Three Treasures!

Li Chang’an quickly took inventory of all the Treasures, setting aside any suspicious items.

He placed these items in a separate Storage Pouch and set up a Tier Two Array to protect the Underground Space.

"Dahuang, keep a close watch on Sima Rui!"

Li Chang’an instructed Dahuang before drawing some blood from Sima Rui.

He then used an Escape Technique to leave. After traveling for a full day and night, he disposed of the suspicious items from Sima Rui’s Storage Pouch in a different location.

With that done,

Li Chang’an rushed back to the Ancient Sect Ruins.

Along the way, he took out a fake skin mask and changed his appearance, transforming himself into a perfect likeness of Sima Rui.

He now looked identical to Sima Rui. Even their auras were the same. There was no discernible difference.

’In this state, perhaps not even Huang He Master could tell the difference.’

Li Chang’an was quite satisfied with his disguise.

After returning to the ruins,

he soon spotted a group of disciples from Yellow Crane Immortal City.

He then feigned a serious injury, weakened his aura, and sped past the group of Yellow Crane Immortal City disciples.

"Junior Martial Uncle Sima, what happened to you?"

The disciples asked hurriedly, their faces etched with surprise.

Li Chang’an’s voice was hoarse and weak. "Beware the Five Poison Wanderer Lineage. I suspect they’ve joined forces with that scoundrel, Ye Hao!"

"What?"

The disciples were all stunned.

Before they could ask for more details, Li Chang’an was already far in the distance.

Only a few drops of dark green blood fell from his body, sizzling as they hit the ground and releasing wisps of acrid smoke.

"Be careful! Get back!"

"Junior Martial Uncle Sima has been poisoned! His blood is toxic too!"

The disciples’ expressions grew grim. They held their breath, focused their minds, and took out Antitoxic Pills to consume.

After a long moment,

one of them cast out a strand of Magical Power, enveloping the drops of blood and guiding them into a small, separate Jade Bottle.

...

In the time that followed,