But that was hardly a problem. After all, now that they were in Cloud Mist Mountain, it was as if their pursuers had entered a bottomless swamp riddled with traps.

Just as they were about to enter the area covered by the Poison Miasma of Hundred-legged Ridge, Zou Feng suddenly frowned and darted backward.

The women of the Silk Cave behind him, including Zhi Shuang, were all knocked to the ground.

At the same time, several sharp blasts of Sword Qi whistled through the spot where Zou Feng had just been standing.

"Hahaha, what a stroke of luck! Look who I’ve found!"

Along with the laughter, four men in the standard Martial Attire of the Celestial Essence Sword Sect closed in from four different directions, surrounding them.

Zou Feng didn’t recognize any of them; they were all new faces.

But from the looks on their faces, he knew they recognized him and were clearly coveting the reward for the Demon Slaying Order.

It was only natural that they recognized him as the target of the Demon Slaying Order. After all, a realistic portrait of him had been distributed the moment the order was issued.

Thanks to the use of Magical Artifacts, these portraits were nearly indistinguishable from high-definition photographs.

"Is that really him? Excellent! We’re going to make a fortune!"

"Hold on. Have you forgotten how formidable this Poison Cultivator is? Let’s not get careless and screw this up!"

Three of the four Sword Sect disciples were Fourth Grade, and the last was Fifth Grade.

Once the encirclement was complete, they began pointing at Zou Feng and talking amongst themselves without restraint.

Without even turning his head, Zou Feng said in a low voice, "In a moment, just keep running toward Hundred-legged Ridge. Don’t look back."

Zhi Shuang thought Zou Feng was about to sacrifice himself to lead the powerful enemies away, and tears of gratitude welled up in her eyes. "Elder Zou... You... You..."

In truth, Zou Feng had no intention of playing the hero. It was just that these Sword Sect disciples clearly saw him as a walking treasure chest and would prioritize him as a target no matter what.

So, no matter where he ran, they would follow him. For the time being, they wouldn’t bother with the disciples from the Silk Cave.

Besides, it was just three Fourth Grade cultivators and one Fifth Grade thrown in for good measure. A perfect chance to test his recent progress.

He had refined so much Poison of the Gu King, integrated several Evil Skills, and often basked in the freshest Poison Miasma at the Hundred-legged Ancestor’s side...

These Sword Sect disciples were simply courting death.

Ignoring Zhi Shuang’s fussing, Zou Feng shot forward in the next instant, charging the Sword Sect disciple directly in front of him.

A savage grin spread across his face. Empowered by the Drunken Immortal Moon Chasing Step, his figure moved so fast that the space around him seemed to warp, making it impossible to pinpoint his exact location.

His bloodlust surged. Zou Feng shot out a hand, aiming to grab the Sword Sect disciple’s skull and crush it.

The Sword Sect disciple had not intended to underestimate Zou Feng, but he had clearly misjudged the demon’s ferocity. For a moment, he was flustered.

Instinct, however, drove him to swing his sword at once, executing "Sword Eight."

Two ripples of Sword Qi, one high and one low, shot out almost simultaneously, hurtling toward the approaching Zou Feng.

Zou Feng could have dodged the two blasts of Sword Qi.

But doing so would mean he couldn’t maintain his current speed, giving the Sword Sect disciple a chance to catch his breath and escape this attack.

So, Zou Feng chose to face them head-on.

His Tribulation-Indestructible Body, now integrated with both the Scorpio Demon Armor Technique and the Thousand-legged Dragon-locking Stake, was absurdly tough.

The Sword Qi unleashed in haste by a Fourth Grade Sword Sect disciple felt like little more than a scratch.

And so, Zou Feng easily endured the two blasts of Sword Qi and continued his attack on the Sword Sect disciple.

Just as he was about to succeed, a sudden sense of alarm flared in his mind.

Sensing that something was wrong, Zou Feng hastily pulled back his hand, brought himself to an abrupt halt, and rolled to the right without a moment’s hesitation.

BOOM!

A great roar echoed from the sky the moment he hit the ground.

A bolt of Thunder Sword Qi came crashing down from the dark clouds above.

The Wind and Thunder Sword Array had been activated.

Judging by the power of that Sword Qi, even if he could have taken the hit, it wouldn’t have been easy.

After getting to his feet, Zou Feng wondered why the Sword Qi from the Wind and Thunder Sword Array hadn’t struck sooner or later, but had instead been unleashed with perfect timing, just as he was about to land his blow.

’Surely the Sword Array doesn’t possess Spiritual Wisdom, allowing it to independently determine the most opportune moment for a precision strike?’

His question was answered a moment later. Zou Feng saw the Sword Sect disciple to his left forming Sword Formulas with his hands and entering a state of Meditation.

Just then, the man’s Sword Formulas changed, and he suddenly pointed his other hand right at Zou Feng.

Sure enough, another bolt of Thunder Sword Qi descended from the sky.

This time, however, Zou Feng saw the disciple point at him and was able to dodge again, evading the Thunder Sword Qi from the Wind and Thunder Sword Array.

’What the hell? So that’s how the Wind and Thunder Sword Array works!?’

’So within the range of the Wind and Thunder Sword Array, any Sword Sect disciple in trouble can just call in a precision airstrike?’

’And it seems that’s not all...’

In the next moment, Zou Feng saw the disciple who had called for support change his Sword Formulas again, frustrated that two consecutive bolts of Thunder Sword Qi had missed.

Immediately, four more bolts of Thunder Sword Qi descended from the sky. However, they didn’t strike at Zou Feng, but landed on the four disciples themselves.

Instantly, the Thunder Sword Qi wrapped around the four men, forming what looked like armor made of Sword Qi.

’Now if I want to get close, I’ll have to break through this Thunder Body Protection first...’

’This Sword Array can even deliver equipment?’

Finding this rather troublesome, Zou Feng shook his head.

No wonder the Celestial Essence Sword Sect dared to charge right into Cloud Mist Mountain. With the support of the Wind and Thunder Sword Array, they certainly had the confidence to back it up.

Of course, the Five Poison Devouring Immortal Array wasn’t just for show, either.

The entire area around Biyou Palace was already shrouded in a colorless, odorless Exotic Poison.

As the Sword Sect disciples charged in, they had to constantly fight against the ever-mutating poisonous gas.

The slightest carelessness could lead to them being poisoned without even realizing it. As the toxins accumulated, their problems would multiply.

Furthermore, using any of Biyou Palace’s Poison Skills within the Five Poison Devouring Immortal Array granted a significant boost in power.

Zou Feng hadn’t yet figured out what other wondrous uses the array might have.

"Zou Feng, your sins have caught up to you!"

Empowered by the Wind and Thunder Sword Array, the four Sword Sect disciples began circling Zou Feng, swinging their swords. They were trying to join forces and form a smaller array.

After all, having just witnessed a fraction of Zou Feng’s power, they had cast aside any wishful thinking. They were now treating him as a Third Grade True Qi Realm expert.

Meanwhile, Zhi Shuang and the other disciples from the Silk Cave had already used the opportunity to flee into Hundred-legged Ridge.

HUUFF—

Zou Feng let out a long breath.

At the same time, he was strengthening his Miasma Domain. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Though their exchange had been brief, it was long enough for Zou Feng to fill the surrounding air with Poison Miasma with just a few breaths.

’In reality, though these four Sword Sect disciples looked menacing, they should already be feeling a little tipsy...’

Tearing off the remains of his upper robes, which had been slashed by Sword Qi, Zou Feng continued to exhale clouds of Poison Miasma. He had already decided there was no need to enter his True Man State. He would fight them just like this!

BANG!

He stomped his right foot forward heavily and formed a hand sign for a Technique. In an instant, profound runes formed from Gang Qi appeared on the ground.

At the same time, a monstrous insect resembling Xiaolv took shape above him.

This time, however, the faint pattern of a beautiful woman’s head was visible on the monster’s abdomen.

Great Universal Hand, Chaotic Stance—Thousand Hands Exorcism.

Zou Feng couldn’t be bothered to fight them for three hundred rounds. The situation was uncertain, and a true True Qi Realm expert could appear at any moment. A swift and decisive victory was the only way.

Once he unleashed Thousand Hands Exorcism, he could clash with and neutralize even the Thunder Sword Qi if it struck at him again.

After completing the Refinement of the Centipede Gu King Poison, Zou Feng could conjure even more arms when he used this move.

Naturally, its power had soared as well.

"Not good!"

"Scatter, quickly!"

The four from the Celestial Essence Sword Sect had been full of confidence, but the moment Zou Feng unleashed this technique, the color drained from their faces.

Although they could slice through Zou Feng’s Palm Force by swinging their swords, and the buff from the Wind and Thunder Sword Array could nullify many attacks...

...the problem was the sheer, ridiculous number of palm strikes. They were absurdly numerous, as dense as a plague of locusts.

AHHHH...

Before long, their battle cries and the whistle of their desperately swinging swords faded away, replaced by waves of bloodcurdling screams.