CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 61: LONELY SHADOW ON THE COLD RIVER, THUNDERING THROUGH THE LONG NIGHT_1

He had waited since midday, all the way until sunset. Finally, someone arrived!

RUSTLE! RUSTLE!

The soil beside Gu Ming suddenly gathered into a whirl of sand. This swirling sand gradually coalesced into the figure of an old man in a Daoist robe, with long hair and a white beard.

"The Superior Master has arrived!" Seeing this Daoist, Gu Ming immediately bowed in greeting.

The old man simply nodded slightly and asked in a somewhat gruff voice, "How goes it? How many souls have been subjected to the Blood Sacrifice for my Soul Refining Flag?"

"Reporting to the Superior Master, I have already performed the Blood Sacrifice on 3,731 people. We are just over two hundred short of the number instructed by the Superior Master."

Gu Ming respectfully responded, "At most, it will take two more months to complete the Blood Sacrifice, allowing this supreme treasure to take form perfectly."

"Good, good, good!"

Xuanzhi Superior Master clapped his hands and laughed heartily, repeating the word "good" three times.

All these years of painstaking scheming were finally about to bear fruit!

Originally, he was a mere mortal with extremely poor spiritual root Talent. By chance, he stumbled into a cultivator’s cave mansion and obtained the treasures within. This set him off on his long immortal journey.

As a rogue cultivator, without sect or clan, his path of cultivation was extremely arduous. After many years of stagnation, Xuanzhi Superior Master finally started down the wicked path.

Relying on blood sacrifice magic, he barely broke through to the Qi Gathering Realm. After reaching Layer II of Qi Gathering, his cultivation couldn’t advance any further.

To continue enhancing his combat power and gain the means of self-preservation in the cultivation world, he began planning to forge the Soul Refining Flag! Once the flag was successfully created, it would enable him to fight opponents above his level. Even if he encountered old monstrous foes stronger than him by one layer, he wouldn’t need to worry.

"Rest assured, I keep my word," he said to Gu Ming with a wide grin. "Once the Soul Refining Flag is formed, I will take you as my Direct Disciple and teach you the cultivation method."

"In the future, you and I, master and disciple, will travel the cultivation world together!" Xuanzhi Superior Master said, pausing for a moment before adding, "Right, why have you activated the Dao talisman to summon me? What is the matter?"

"Reporting to the Superior Master, there’s an urgent matter that requires your decision..."

Gu Ming repeated Shen Mo’s words verbatim, intending to lower Xuanzhi Superior Master’s guard and create an opportunity for Shen Mo to launch a surprise attack.

"Wait!"

In the middle of their conversation, Xuanzhi Superior Master suddenly furrowed his brow. His sense spread over the riverbank, locating Shen Mo, who was sitting by the river, fishing in solitude.

"Why is there a bystander present while we are discussing matters?"

Shen Mo had used a technique to restrain his aura, concealing all traces of his Qi Gathering Realm cultivation, making him appear as an ordinary mortal. Thus, Xuanzhi Superior Master didn’t notice anything unusual and simply thought Shen Mo was an ordinary fisherman. However, many years of caution had still fostered in him a secretive nature, unwilling to easily show himself before anyone.

"Kill him first, then we’ll talk in detail!"

With a stomp of his foot, he leaped into the air and abruptly thrust his palm towards Shen Mo.

RUMBLE!

A sudden clap of Heavenly Thunder echoed, and the rain began to pour more heavily. Xuanzhi Superior Master’s palm strike gathered the surrounding rainwater, forming a massive phantom that suddenly smashed down towards Shen Mo.

Just as this enormous phantom palm was about to fall, Shen Mo moved.

CLANG!

A Sword Light pierced the silence of the night. He had been waiting with bated breath for several hours, precisely to maintain his peak state and unleash his strongest sword strike. This was his first attack after advancing to the Qi Gathering Realm. All three Dantians were operating simultaneously, along with his Bloody Dragon-shaped Body and Heaven’s Mandate Blessing. This strike was terrifyingly powerful.

SPLASH!

The Sword Light surged, stirring up great waves in the river. In an instant, it shattered the phantom palm. Then, with the speed of lightning, it slashed towards Xuanzhi Superior Master.

Damn it!

Xuanzhi Superior Master’s face turned ashen as he finally realized something was wrong.

But it was already too late!

SPURT!

Blood rained down. This sword strike had nearly sliced off half of Xuanzhi Superior Master’s body, leaving mangled limbs and a bloody mess of flesh. If a mortal sustained such injuries, they would die on the spot. But Xuanzhi Superior Master, true to his nature as an evil cultivator, surprisingly had not yet breathed his last.

You dare...

Filled with overwhelming fury, he let out a long howl. His body rapidly dissolved into quicksand, vanishing on the spot.

"Immortal Master... he’s escaping!"

Seeing this, Gu Ming became somewhat panicked. He knew Xuanzhi Superior Master’s character well; if he survived this, he would undoubtedly seek an opportunity to kill him, the backstabbing traitor.

"Relax, he can’t escape."

Shen Mo slowly took off his straw rain cape and conical hat, speaking unhurriedly. That sword strike had severely wounded Xuanzhi Superior Master. Even with his evil techniques, he couldn’t get far.

After Shen Mo’s breakthrough to the Qi Gathering Realm, a flicker of his sense could cover a five-mile radius, allowing him to observe every movement. Naturally, he knew the direction of Xuanzhi Superior Master’s escape.

THUD! THUD!

Swift as lightning, Shen Mo executed Rushing Thunder, sword in hand, and gave chase. After his breakthrough, this Lightness magic was also significantly boosted. He could stride more than ten yards in a single step. The grievously wounded Xuanzhi Superior Master definitely could not outrun him.

Damn it... Damn it!

In the forest, Xuanzhi Superior Master, feeling his life force continuously ebbing away, fled in panic, cursing incessantly.

I... I can’t die like this.

A strong will to survive spurred Xuanzhi Superior Master to quicken his pace. But half of his body had been sliced off, with only one leg and one hand remaining. Even if he wanted to run, he was simply unable.

Xuanzhi Superior Master stumbled across muddy, puddled ground, desperately trying to escape with his life.

Suddenly, his expression changed dramatically—he saw a figure holding a sword standing before him.

Shen Mo.

He had already gotten ahead of Xuanzhi Superior Master.

"Stop struggling. I will send you on your way."

Shen Mo walked slowly forward, his sword raised.

"No, I..."

Before Xuanzhi Superior Master could finish begging for mercy, Shen Mo’s Dragon Sparrow Sword lopped off his head, which fell heavily in the forest.

PHEW...

Killing Xuanzhi Superior Master, Shen Mo finally let out a sigh of relief. In all his time cultivating, this was the first time he had truly killed a cultivator. Moreover, the one he killed was an evil cultivator at Layer II of the Qi Gathering Realm. Although everything seemed to go smoothly, he had made many preparations beforehand.

If I hadn’t lowered his guard and critically wounded him with a surprise attack... I probably still could have killed him, but it would have taken more effort.

Reviewing the previous battle, Shen Mo made his final assessment.

Sheathing the Dragon Sparrow Sword, Shen Mo slowly squatted down and began to loot the body. His hand moved over the corpse and quickly found two Universe Bags.

There really is something!

After some searching, Shen Mo had found two Universe Bags.

One of the Universe Bags had a small space; it was of the most inferior quality. Consequently, it didn’t have a mind mark, and Shen Mo could open it easily. It contained some Spirit Stones, as well as various materials and cultivation methods. Although there were many assorted items, their value was not high.

The other Universe Bag, however, looked like it held quite a few treasures.

Unfortunately, with this mind mark, I can’t open this Universe Bag for now.

Shen Mo carefully put away the Universe Bag, shaking his head.