The Forbidden Path to Immortality-Chapter 261

Su Huaiyu's eyes were still glazed over, but the two assassins were taking nothing for granted. They barely moved a muscle, but the faint shift in their stance was enough to feel the threat.

For a brief instant, the world seemed to go silent. And the sense of pressure coming from the Four-Directions Death Seal abruptly vanished.

Every hair on Li Xun’s back stand on end. A thin sheet of cold sweat broke out across his skin.

If they launched an attack now, he wouldn’t have a prayer of seeing the strike coming.

His best-case scenario was to slug it out, a move that would instantly put him on the back foot. From there, the situation would snowball. And he'd just be fighting for his life until they finally finished him.

The Falling Feather Sect really isn’t one to underestimate.

If Li Xun had run into this formation alone, without sensing it ahead of time or managing to summon his two puppets fast enough, he would have lost his life for sure.

With that bitter thought hanging over him, Li Xun brushed past Su Huaiyu, his face cold.

Both of them felt the other’s distinct aura. The only difference was that a moment later Li Xun’s muscles tightened, while Su Huaiyu frowned.

It was then that Su Huaiyu finally turned his gaze onto Li Xun for the first time.

Too bad all he got was Li Xun’s back, stalking off.

“Thanks for ruining my nap,” Li Xun tossed over his shoulder.

Everyone in the forest went silent. Then, CRACK! a dry branch snapped.

On any other autumn day, you'd hardly notice it. But right now, it hit their ears like a bolt of thunder... there was not an ounce of exaggeration in it!

Out of nowhere, what began as a brittle crack exploded into a sky-shaking boom that rattled the whole forest

The last few leaves still clinging to the branches trembled loose and drifted down.

The birds and beasts sleeping among the trees and shrubs jolted awake, scrambling out in every direction. Chirps and cries filled the air nonstop and the forest was thrown into chaos.

Su Huaiyu took his time turning around. His eyes swept around as if searching for something. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

His two subordinates slipped away without making a sound.

Before disappearing completely, a glinting icy thread shot up, and the Soul-Seeking Ice Beetle was in the air.

Su Huaiyu’s eyes tightened and his whole body tensed. He growled, “Pull it ba…”

A sudden gust slipped past his side. The sudden move forced him to swallow the rest of the command, and he seemed to melt into the air and vanish in an instant.

The Soul-Seeking Ice Beetle was a naturally supernatural creature, extremely sensitive to danger. so much so that it reacted even a split second faster than Su Huaiyu’s own command.

It bounced again mid-air, whipping around and diving toward the ground. It barely avoided a streak of icy qi that brushed past it.

That icy aura cut through the air as sharp as a blade.

Only now did the assassin who had released the Ice Beetle realized he’d screwed up. He appeared out of nowhere, let out a sharp whistle, and barreled toward the direction the creature had flown. Clearly, he was determined to snatch the precious spiritual creature back.

But it seemed he had forgotten something. This forest was anything but safe right now.

Sure enough, the moment he moved, a figure shot out from the side and came at him with a surge of killing intent that locked onto him completely.

Sure enough, a figure lunged at him from an angle, radiating a killing intent that pinned him in place.

That killing intent was so sharp that even the Ice Beetle would not have escaped it.

At a moment when his life hung by a thread, a heavy flush rose across the assassin’s face. His eyes blazed like a lunatic’s, and a guttural, crazed chuckle rumbled in his throat. And instead of dodging, he picked up even more speed and lunged straight ahead.

That lunge was all it took. The Four-Directions Death Seal was triggered.

High above, the tightly woven web of gathering qi finally locked onto a real target.

As the assassin was locked onto with killing intent, the "Death Seals from All Directions" stuck to him like a shadow. It coiled like a nimble lasso, binding the figure hidden in the trees tight in just a couple of quick motions.

Wave after wave of bone-chilling Killing qi gathered and converged from all directions, continuously intensifying, ready to erupt at any moment.

But just as it was about to break loose, another person drifted into the air like a wisp of smoke. Under the heavy night sky, they looked almost like a shadow.

In the blink of an eye, the person vanished, reappearing instantly inside the nearly formed vortex of primordial qi. The air screamed open wherever they passed; the violent, surging currents of qi tearing across the sky couldn't slow them down one bit.

Right behind them came Su Huaiyu.

Clad in white robes, he moved like a streak of light. But the shadow he was chasing was faster still.

Seeing the primordial qi in the sky rapidly devolve into pure chaos, Su Huaiyu finally dropped his usual distant, calm expression. Real worry and urgency finally showed on her face.

“Hold your fire...” The words were barely out before he suddenly realized what was really going on. “Pull the formation!” he barked, getting right to the heart of the problem.

Immediately after he yelled that, the night sky roared like a raging western tidal wave. Four people popped out of thin air, only to get instantly blown every which way by a sudden, massive burst of primordial qi.

Shu Die Lan finally revealed herself.

She hovered mid-air, hands clasped behind her back, pale blue lips curved into a thin line. Her stare was cold, unwavering.

But she never once looked at Su Huaiyu. Not even for a second. She stared down silently into the forest below.

Su Huaiyu gave a helpless, bitter smile. He stopped several yards to her side and followed her gaze downward.

The crushing pressure made the forest below groan under the weight. Hundreds of trees were snapped and toppled by the torrent of primordial qi raining down from above. The birds and beasts in the woods, faced with this catastrophic scene, didn’t even have the courage to flee.

For a moment, the entire forest reeked of blood and rot.

“Hey, just joking. No need to get all tense! Uh… I’ll hang on to this little thing for a while, alright?”

In front of that reckless “bait” assassin, Li Xun caught the Soul-Seeking Ice Beetle with ease. A little squeeze, and the restless little creature froze stiff in his hand.

The “bait” had just teetered on the edge of life and death, then skidded across the ground in utter humiliation. He’d come back empty-handed, and his nerves were already in shreds. Seeing Li Xun’s grin was the last straw. He let out a roar, coiled his body, and lunged straight at him.

“Qing Si!”

Su Huaiyu’s low shout came from behind, but the “bait” was already too far gone to pull back.

Li Xun faced the Four-Directions Death Seal again; but this time, he was truly facing it head-on.

When his opponent finally came into full view, the crushing force that should have torn his organs apart felt like... nothing more than a light gust of wind.

“I figured you people were only good at striking from behind.”

With that cold laugh, Li Xun twisted. His limbs twisted and pulled in mid-air at angles no human body could manage.

For a moment, his body seemed to dissolve into a mass of black mist... no longer solid, looking ready to scatter in the wind, yet able to effortlessly slip through even the tiniest gaps.

Faced with such a bizarre movement technique, the “bait” was dumbfounded. The fierce momentum he’d whipped up in his anger drained away by more than half.

Right then, his mind reacted in the worst possible way to Su Huaiyu’s shout. That brief moment of hesitation was all it took for Li Xun to suddenly barrel straight into him.

The impact hit him like a hammer to the chest. Pressure spiked inside, squeezing at his blood like it wanted to burst from his throat. Then a sudden, searing heat slammed through him, scorching every inch in an instant. The temperature shot up so violently, so utterly, it burned away every errant drop of blood before it could even think of spilling.

Blood rose to his lips, but all that came out was a low, choking “ugh.”

His eyes bulged. He gaped, but his throat betrayed him. His body tumbled backward like a ragdoll, smashing into a tree with a thud that rattled his bones. He hit the ground, limp and defeated.

A heavy silence settled over the forest.

Li Xun didn’t follow through. He just held up his hands, all innocence and charm, and took Su Huaiyu’s icy gaze from above without flinching.

Another assassin who had been hiding in the woods revealed himself and rushed over to check the “bait’s” pulse.

There wasn’t a single mark on the “bait’s” body and no real damage to his organs either. Even so, his complexion couldn’t have been worse, and even his skin had lost all its color.

Li Xun’s burst of Burning Blood Primordial Breath didn’t harm the man’s flesh, only his blood essence. With one strike he wiped out at least a century of cultivation. It was vicious to the extreme, the kind of technique that hit below the belt. And it vented a bit of the rage he had carried since that day he was left gravely injured and near death.

Li Xun ignored the venomous glares like they were flies. He flicked a look over the ruined forest and frowned, then launched himself into the air. Unlike Su Huaiyu's cautious distance, Li Xun casually came to hover right beside Shui Dielan as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“You can actually stand being in this place?”

Li Xun was referring to the strong, rank smell left that the panicked beasts left behind.

He happened to remember that Shui Die Lan was especially sensitive to smells. Even though he was kind of putting on an act, she really appreciated it and gave him a little smile back.

“I’ve been sick of it for a while now, but… White-Hair’s being surprisingly sincere this time. Might as well hear him out.”

“White-Hair?”

Li Xun finally couldn’t keep pretending not to notice and began eyeing Su Huaiyu with a very strange look. Su Huaiyu was studying him back with clear interest.

It was obvious that this sect leader, nicknamed "White-Hair," was quite interested in the relationship between Li Xun and Shui Die Lan.

Shui Die Lan took in the expressions of both men. She said, “Remember this when dealing with the Falling Feather Sect. They embrace the idea of 'killing to seek Dao'. Why’d you hold back just now? Kill, and get it over with. Business goes on, deals get done. A few bodies, what’s that to anyone?”

Li Xun curled his lip and drawled, “I see.”

Su Huaiyu looked like he genuinely didn’t mind, but Li Xun felt a glance flash his way. a look as sharp as a needle or a razor. It disappeared instantly though, swallowed up by his ever-changing expression without a trace.

Su Huaiyu finally let out a laugh, clapping his hands. “Looks like Senior Sister Shui’s been at the Vermilion Hook Sect too long. Picked up a bit of worldly habits and forgotten that our sect seeks the Dao through killing. Since when do we deal in business and trade?”

He didn't bat an eye when he flat-out denied using the word "business" that he'd said himself earlier. Yet his face slowly turned serious, making it impossible to ignore his attitude.

“Besides, times change, right? Heh. Right now, aside from big players like the Northern Alliance or Western Union, or the likes of Mingxin and Xingji who just mess around challenging each other for fun... nobody else’s got the stones.”

Mingxin? Xingji? Li Xun’s heart skipped a beat, but he knew this definitely wasn't the time to ask questions, so he held his tongue.

Li Xun held himself back, but Shui Die Lan, who shared a telepathic bond with him, had no such reservations. She casually asked, “Oh? These two big sword sects are really going at it?”