Chapter 199: Chapter 163: Must Be a Demon Cultivator from an Ancestral Sect

A smug look crossed Kang Lanyun’s face. He immediately sealed off his senses to avoid falling victim to his own attack.

The Three Sounds Soul Falling Skill could only be used once. If an opponent was prepared, it was unlikely to succeed.

With a flick of his fingertips, three azure beads shot out like Iron Pills, flying straight for Jiang Yi’s face!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The air trembled as three explosive bangs echoed across the land.

Kang Lanyun opened his eyes, ready to savor the sight of Jiang Yi—his prized Cultivation Furnace—being blown to smithereens from the inside out.

Instead, a fist grew ever clearer before him, and a deafening ring filled his ears, as if a thousand bronze bells were toppling at once!

THUD!

The woman in the long dress, who had been tossed aside, stared wide-eyed. The figure in the flowing, wide-sleeved robe slowly retracted his fist. A headless corpse plummeted from mid-air, but before it could hit the ground, it exploded into a shower of crimson mist.

Jiang Yi flicked his sleeve, and raging flames swept outward, incinerating everything—even Kang Lanyun’s Primordial Spirit and Qi Mechanism.

"Senior Brother Kang..."

The woman in the long dress was stunned speechless, her face a mask of disbelief.

Then, a light, casual voice drifted to her ears:

"Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer. Nothing special."

The raging flames flowed like water, plucking a small Sleeve Pouch from the ashes and delivering it into Jiang Yi’s palm with a swirl.

’Finally, I won’t have to use that Five Yin Pouch anymore.’

The golden glint in Jiang Yi’s eyes receded. It was clear that while fending off Kang Lanyun’s Kui Water True Qi, he had already consulted the Celestial Book to learn his opponent’s methods.

’I suppose I can’t completely underestimate a Direct Lineage disciple from a Branch Sect,’ he mused. ’Their Magical Combat skills really are a cut above those of ordinary Cultivators.’

’But Kang Lanyun was far too shortsighted, actually believing I was on the path of Body Refinement.’

’Little did he know, my Primordial Inner Mansion is a seamless whole, and my Dao Embryo is unbelievably resilient. As if the Three Sounds Soul Falling Skill could ever hope to shake it.’

’Hilarious. He thought he was a master strategist, deliberately sealing off his own senses. All it did was let me finish him cleanly, shattering his physical body with a single punch.’

’Seventh Grade True Qi, a Branch Sect background, and barely any Magical Artifacts... Truly not worth a second glance.’

Jiang Yi took the Sleeve Pouch. With a quick sweep of his Divine Sense, he broke the restrictive seal, briefly inventoried the contents, and tucked it away. He then sauntered over to the woman in the long dress and asked with a smile,

"Do you have any other sect-mates?"

’This man must be from the Direct Lineage of an Ancestral Sect!’

’To kill and plunder with such clean efficiency... he’s the very model of a top Demon Cultivator.’

’Cultivators from Branch Sects and Grand Sects usually aren’t this... practiced.’

The woman in the long dress shrank back like a frightened quail, her voice trembling as she answered,

"In Hanyang Prefecture... there’s also an Elder Huang."

Having witnessed Jiang Yi shatter Kang Lanyun’s physical body, she was terrified of being killed in the same way. Death was one thing, but to suffer such an ugly fate, with no corpse left intact, was something she absolutely could not accept.

"Elder Huang? The Qi Cultivation Twelfth Layer?"

Jiang Yi raised an eyebrow. Once she confirmed it, he abandoned the thought of reeling in a bigger fish.

Kang Lanyun’s True Qi was of a low grade; Jiang Yi could fight him by relying on the resilience of his Dao Embryo and the profound power of his Combined Refining of Bingding Fire.

But a Cultivator at the Twelfth Layer of Qi Cultivation would have already birthed Profound Light and refined their essence into true Magical Power, wielding the immense might to move mountains with the palm of their hand.

No matter how peerless one’s own foundation was, a Cultivator two full layers higher in their Realm could suppress and crush them with ease!

"You heard me claim to be from the Qianji Sect just now, didn’t you?"

Jiang Yi asked softly.

’Is he going to kill me to silence me?’

The woman’s delicate body trembled. She immediately fell to her knees, prostrating on the ground and begging for mercy in a pleading wail,

"Please, Upper Cultivator, spare this humble woman’s life! I won’t say a word, I can make a blood oath! If I ever reveal anything about you, may my internal organs instantly dissolve into a pool of blood!"

’Demon Cultivators are so full of schemes.’

Jiang Yi sighed to himself. ’She hears the name Qianji Sect, an Inner Sect Dharma Lineage, and thinks she can fool me?’

’Does she really think I don’t know that once one’s [Blood Qi] has been suppressed, oaths and pacts lose all binding power?’

"Miss, to be playing such tricks when you’re at death’s door... It shows your lack of sincerity. It seems you deserve to die after all."

Jiang Yi said with a smile.

The woman’s heart seized in terror. ’How can he say such cruel things in such a gentle voice?’

’With an aura like that, how could he possibly be a Demon Cultivator from a mere Inner Sect Dharma Lineage?’

"The Celestial Lord values all life."

Xiaoqiao slowly approached, taking off her wide-brimmed hat. Her dark hair cascaded to her waist.

Jiang Yi’s brow furrowed slightly, thinking Xiaoqiao was about to plead on the woman’s behalf. But then he heard her add in a soft voice,

"Leave a wisp of her Primordial Spirit, so she can become a Ghost Cultivator. It would be a way to accumulate some nether-virtue for yourself."

The woman’s eyes, which had been bright with hope as if she’d grabbed a lifeline, went dim. The words of the green-robed girl were like a splash of ice water, chilling her to the bone.

’This pair!’

’Both of them are utterly vicious!’

’Damn that Kang Lanyun for insisting on causing trouble! He had to go and run afoul of these two monsters!’

The woman nearly ground her teeth to dust. She put on a piteous, tear-streaked face—a picture of fragile beauty—wanting to try a few more soft words.

"The True Master of Harmony is as beautiful as she is kind. I think that’s a marvelous idea."

Jiang Yi said with a grin, then turned his gaze to the woman in the long dress.

"Miss, your crying is wasting time. I’ll give you ten breaths to consider: stay in [Fengdu] and become a ghost, or pass on to the netherworld with a smile."

The woman’s heart turned to ash. She didn’t dare run, and though her heart was filled with hatred, she didn’t dare show a trace of it. Finally, with a long, desolate sigh, she said,

"Please allow me to compose my appearance."

Jiang Yi nodded.

’Such vanity, even at a time like this. Truly a rare sight.’

The woman ran her fingers through her hair like a comb, smoothing the messy black locks. She wiped the tear stains from her face, along with the few specks of dirt clinging to her skin.

She slowly rose to her feet, formed a hand seal, and began to circulate her power.

A moment later, a brilliant red flame emanated from her. Countless sparks of fire shot from her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. The flames suddenly swelled, and in an instant, consumed her physical body from the feet up, turning it to ash.

Only a single, flickering wisp of a Primordial Spirit remained, drifting out from the cinders.

Xiaoqiao gently raised a hand, collected it, and then said to Jiang Yi,

"A Primordial Spirit that loses its physical body has nothing to anchor it. If it becomes tainted by turbid yin and baleful energies, it will transform into a Fierce Ghost or some other kind of vengeful spirit."