Translator: CinderTL
"Killed a Level 23 creature, gained +6102 experience!"
"Killed a Level 22 creature, gained +2163 experience!"
"Killed a Level 22 creature, gained +1921 experience!"
"Killed a Level 22 creature, gained +1974 experience!"
...
[Life Level: 25 (40215/50000)]
...
Hearing that they still needed to intercept and kill a group of Core Formation Great Cultivators hundreds of miles away, Jiang Yuxue couldn't help but say, "Sword Prodigy, should we rest for a moment? According to the information, there are quite a few Core Formation cultivators in that group, more than six."
"No need."
Li Chunjun glanced at Zhang Weiqian and Qin Zhou, who hadn't caught up yet.
He had originally planned to wait for them to arrive before having them assist in cutting off the retreat, ensuring that none of those Core Formation Great Cultivators could escape. But now...
He was on the verge of leveling up.
Before leveling up, he naturally needed to perform a sword ritual, which would be inconvenient with these people following him. He immediately said, "You all wait here for Qin Zhou. Once you regroup, follow me. To prevent those Core Formation cultivators from sensing something amiss and retreating, I'll go ahead and eliminate them one by one!"
"Sword Prodigy..."
Jiang Yuxue was about to persuade him, but Li Chunjun had already taken off on his Flying Sword without another word.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuxue had no choice but to say, "Junior Brother Zhou, hurry and follow him."
"Alright."
Zhou Yuechen immediately took off on his Flying Sword, following Li Chunjun.
Li Chunjun flew at full speed for a while but found that he couldn't shake off Zhou Yuechen; at best, he could only maintain the same speed.
It had to be said that this Golden Core cultivator, who had practiced the Taixu Sword Scripture, had exceptional skill in Flying Sword techniques.
If it weren't for the fact that Li Chunjun's Flying Sword was a Mystic Treasure and had been slightly refined with the profound essence of the Starry Sky Profound Crystal, he wouldn't have been able to match Zhou Yuechen's speed.
Two streaks of sword light tore through the clouds, swiftly traversing the void.
In an instant, they had crossed hundreds of miles.
"Sword Prodigy, we're about to enter Xuanzhou territory," Zhou Yuechen reminded.
Lake Province was still considered a border region.
Xuanzhou...
Was already deep within Great Shang.
Even if the situation changed later, he would still need to fly thousands of miles to withdraw from the Chiyang Sword Sect's territory in Great Shang.
"No matter, if the situation turns unfavorable, we'll just withdraw," Li Chunjun said calmly. "With our Flying Sword speed, there are no more than a handful of Core Formation cultivators in the entire Chiyang Sword Sect who can match us. And if those people dare to pursue us, I'll make sure they never return."
Hearing this, Zhou Yuechen also felt reassured.
Indeed, the person he was traveling with was the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy, whose sword prowess was unrivaled among Core Formation cultivators.
Those who were faster than the Sword Prodigy in sword speed would inevitably be weaker in combat power.
Those who were stronger than the Sword Prodigy in combat power would never match his speed...
Impossible! Even if the Chiyang Sword Sect sent their true disciples to pursue them, they wouldn't be able to harm the Taixu Sword Sect's Sword Prodigy Li in the slightest!
Therefore, even if they ventured deeper into Chiyang Sword Sect territory, the two of them could ensure their safety without worry.
After pursuing for a while longer, Li Chunjun finally sensed something.
"Twelve cultivators have gone missing, and they're already growing suspicious. They're now retreating towards the capital of Great Shang," Li Chunjun said, adding, "Nine Core Formation cultivators, yet they have no courage at all. Pathetic."
Zhou Yuechen was slightly stunned. He activated his Divine Sense to its fullest extent, but in the end...
He couldn't detect even a trace.
For a moment, he couldn't help but marvel, "The Sword Prodigy's Sword Intent has indeed reached a minor achievement. The strength of his Divine Sense is truly astonishing."
After speaking, he turned to Li Chunjun: "The Sword Prodigy has already eliminated twelve of their Core Formation cultivators. With such strength, who wouldn't be intimidated? They probably think that the Sword Prodigy's crossing of the border is a conspiracy, and who knows how many experts are accompanying him. Given the unclear situation, they naturally chose to flee rather than confront us directly."
"Escape? They won't get away!"
Li Chunjun suddenly accelerated: "Chase them!"
...
Over sixty miles away.
Nine streaks of light were rapidly moving away from Lake Province.
The two Golden Core cultivators at the forefront were filled with unease.
"Zhan Feng, what's going on? Jin He has completely lost contact?"
"I'm not sure either. Not just Jin He, but Tie Yi and the others have also gone silent. They were originally tasked with assisting Jin He in ambushing the prey that fell into the Bishui Cold Pool trap. However, when they learned that the prey was that traitor, they chose to take the initiative. Unexpectedly, there's been no word from them since."
The Golden Core cultivator named Zhan Feng responded gravely: "It's almost certain that the traitor's crossing of the border is a conspiracy! The Taixu Sword Sect knows that our Chiyang Sword Sect is determined to kill him, so they've set a trap with the traitor at its center. Jin He, Tie Yi, and the others, eager for merit, walked right into it."
The other Golden Core cultivator and the True Core cultivators largely shared this view.
"For safety's sake, let's head to the capital of Great Shang and regroup with True Disciple Zhou. No matter how many people they've stationed around that traitor, they won't be able to touch our command center in the capital. Once there, we can carefully investigate the specifics of this trap."
Zhan Feng added.
The other Golden Core cultivator nodded: "The Taixu Sword Sect treasures that traitor dearly. Why would they let him out, let alone cross into our Chiyang Sword Sect's territory? It's possible they've just disguised some True Disciple. We mustn't fall for it again."
"That's likely the case."
Zhan Feng nodded. At that moment, a True Core cultivator with sharp Divine Sense suddenly spoke up: "They're here! They've closed in to within forty miles of us, but… strangely, there are only two of them! One of them is that traitor Li Chunjun!"
"Two!?"
"How bold! Just two of them dare to chase after nine Core Formation cultivators!? I'll go deal with them!"
"Wait! Don't you think it's suspicious that only two are chasing us? Especially with Li Chunjun, the traitor, among them! Anyone would see that something's wrong! Think about Jin He and the others who've gone silent. We mustn't fall for their feigned weakness!"
The Core Formation cultivators quickly exchanged thoughts.
None of them were fools, having reached the Core Formation stage.
Jin He, Tie Yi, and the other twelve Core Formation cultivators had already been lured into the "Li Chunjun" trap. How could they make the same mistake? For a moment, the cultivators calmed down.
"Let's go! Full speed retreat! Back to the capital! I don't believe they'll dare to chase us into the capital of Great Shang!"
Zhan Feng gave the order.
However, the True Core cultivator who had sensed Li Chunjun earlier grew tense: "I'm afraid… it's too late… That traitor's sword-flying speed is incredibly fast. It won't be long before he catches up. We… can't escape…"
As he spoke, Zhan Feng and the others looked up toward the horizon.
Despite the clouds, they could now see two figures rapidly closing in.
"Senior Brother Zhan, Senior Brother Luo, there are indeed only two of them!"
"Two chasing nine of our Chiyang Sword Sect, if we keep running, what face will our sect have left?"
"We still need to be cautious. What if he possesses treasures like the Mirror Divine Kingdom? That would be dangerous."
The Core Formation cultivators quickly exchanged their Divine Sense.
Finally, the Golden Core realm "Senior Brother Luo" spoke gravely, "I'll go and confront him. My sword control technique isn't slow, and if there's any trap, I can break out immediately!"
Upon hearing this, Zhan Feng swiftly took out an item: "This is a Divine Shadow Talisman! Use it if the situation turns unfavorable."
After speaking, he added cautiously, "Be wary of his Sword Intent!"
"Alright!"
The Golden Core Luo responded with a shout, mounted his Flying Sword, and charged straight towards Li Chunjun.
Zhan Feng and the others quickly formed a formation to continue their retreat while keeping an eye on Luo's departing figure.
And then...
There was no "and then."
Before Golden Core Luo could get within thirty miles of Li Chunjun, Li Chunjun had already fiercely drawn his sword.
Even from a distance, Zhan Feng could clearly sense the terrifying Sword Intent emanating from Li Chunjun's Flying Sword.
It was a destructive aura that sent chills down their spines, even from dozens of miles away.
Though Golden Core Luo was prepared, he was still inevitably overwhelmed by the Sword Intent. By the time he finally reacted and tried to take action, it was already too late.
The light from the Lifebound Flying Sword directly pierced through his skull.
In their confrontation, Golden Core Luo didn't even have a chance to put up a decent fight.
This scene left Zhan Feng feeling as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.
"How is this possible!?"
A Golden Core cultivator! In a direct confrontation, he was instantly killed without even a chance to fight back! What kind of strength is this!? Since when did the Taixu Sword Sect have such a powerhouse!?
The Tenth True Disciple!? His combat power is beyond that of a True Disciple! Such ferocity reminded him of the scene thirty years ago, when the Flaming Phoenix Profound Light blotted out the sky with black flames.
"The Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy!? Impossible! Li Chunjun has only just advanced to the Virtual Core realm, and it's uncertain if he even has the combat power of a True Disciple. How could he have grown to rival the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy in such a short time!?"
He couldn't believe it! He didn't want to believe it! He couldn't accept that someone could undergo such a transformation in such a short time, becoming a "Sword Prodigy" level expert.
Especially...
This person was an enemy of their Chiyang Sword Sect.
However, whether they believed it or not, the person was right there.
After effortlessly killing Golden Core Luo, Li Chunjun didn't pause for a moment and charged towards them again.
This sight sent shockwaves through the hearts of the True Core cultivators who witnessed Li Chunjun's ferocity.
"Senior Brother Zhan Feng!"
Many eyes immediately turned to this Golden Core from the Zhan family, who shared the same lineage as the sect leader.
Even their brows were filled with fear, their fighting spirit completely shattered.
Zhan Feng's mind was in turmoil!
He wished he could gather the eight of them to surround and kill Li Chunjun, to break free from this nightmare-like "illusion." But reason and the lessons from Jin He and others kept reminding him that if he dared to lead them into battle, none of the eight Core Formation cultivators would likely survive.
Would they die!? The fear of death instantly sobered this Golden Core prodigy.
He gritted his teeth: "Retreat! Scatter and retreat! There are only two of them! We'll retreat to the royal capital a thousand miles away! True Disciple Zhou is stationed there with his forces. Once we reach there, we can rest easy!"
The other True Core cultivators, who were already eager to flee, wasted no time upon hearing the command. They transformed into streaks of light and scattered in all directions at their fastest speed.
Zhan Feng...
He also swiftly fled towards the direction of the royal capital.
"I must report this news to the sect leader. That traitor Li Chunjun... he's growing too fast! We must use the quickest method to completely eliminate him, otherwise... next time we'll face a Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy at his peak!"
Zhan Feng clenched his teeth, his heart filled with resentment.
But when his Divine Sense swept over Li Chunjun behind him, he was instantly chilled to the bone.
Li Chunjun, who was in pursuit, had abandoned the other seven True Core cultivators...
And was heading straight for him, a Golden Core cultivator!
(End of the Chapter)
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