Qin Yun smiled at the thin elder and said, "Daoist Lu, I shall bid you farewell for now."
"You are leaving already? Aren't you going to wait a little longer? The three parties have not begun the fight. Perhaps something major might happen and we can benefit from any opportunities they miss out on?" said the elder immediately. Although he had seen Qin Yun take out his transmission token, he had no idea what Qin Yun's conversation was about since the messages were transmitted with Dharmic powers.
"There's no need." Qin Yun chuckled.
Benefit from missed opportunities? How much could those be worth? Perhaps remnant Dharma treasures from the ancient battlefield would satisfy ordinary mortal Connate Golden Cores.
However, the treasures he eyed were the most valuable ones.
"Whoosh." Qin Yun transformed into a stream of light as he flew towards the mountains.
"Daoist Qin, why are you heading in that direction? Didn't you say that you are leaving?" The elder watched Qin Yun fly towards the mountains, mouth agape and eyes wide.
The gray-robed fiendcelestial who was closest to Qin Yun frowned as he watched him fly over. "Why is he here again? Does he think I won't kill him just because he is mortal?"
Pangs of fury made his eyes suffuse a little redness.
As a fiendcelestial, he was bloodthirsty to begin with. But now, he had no choice but to put up with Qin Yun's antics. It displeased him.
"Mortal punk, get lost! Don't provoke me any further. I will make you wish you were dead!" bellowed the fiendcelestial. However, he was only shooting off his mouth. The tormenting of mortals also resulted in harsh karmic punishments. It was just only slightly smaller than the killing of mortals.
As he roared, the fiendcelestial waved his palm again as he condensed a gigantic palm phantom that struck at Qin Yun.
When Qin Yun flew over, his eyes swept past the two third Firmament fiendcelestials in the distance.
"According to what Lu Fan said, these two third Firmament fiendcelestials do not have strength at the Skyfiend level. That's right, how could two random third Firmament fiendcelestials I encounter match a Skyfiend? Such an unlucky coincidence wouldn't happen." Qin Yun fixed his gaze on the gray-robed fiendcelestial who was closest to him. The fiendcelestial was clearly fuming as he condensed a gigantic palm using his Dao domain to smack him away again.
Such might was naturally sufficient to bully normal Connate Golden Cores.
But Qin Yun?
"Go."
With a beckon of his hand, a wisp of misty rain flew out from his fingertip.
The flying sword looked ordinary, like the most common misty rain. Its might also appeared very typical.
Pew!
However, it easily tore through the gigantic palm phantom that was condensed through a Dao domain.
After tearing through the palm phantom, it appeared in front of the gray-robed fiendcelestial in a flash.
"A mortal punk actually has the strength to match a first Firmament Essence Soul?" The gray-robed fiendcelestial was slightly alarmed but thought nothing much of it. As a second Firmament fiendcelestial, an elite that had been selected for the expedition by his sect, he naturally had strength at the peak second Firmament Fiendcelestial realm! He instantly brandished his claws, sending what looked like a sharp claw covered in azure-colored scales towards the misty-rainlike flying sword.
But at the instant the flying sword struck the claw, a cold glint flashed in the distant Qin Yun's eyes.
"Boom—"
A terrifying might erupted!
With an ear-splitting explosion, the misty rainlike flying sword tore through the void, shattering the gray-robed fiendcelestial's claw, as well as plunging right into his chest. The terrifying might even blasted the fiendcelestial's body apart, leaving behind a hideous void rift in midair.
"What happened?" The gray-robed fiendcelestial could only feel an instinctive disbelief. Before he could have any other thought, his heart which was core to his existence shattered as his consciousness faded away.
It was the Dreamlike Sword's fifth move, Traveling in Solitude!
This strike was like a humongous ax that cleaved open the heavens and ruptured the lands. It had a solitude craziness to it that laid waste to anything in its path.
"Oh?" This caught the notice of the two third Firmament fiendcelestials a distance away. One of them was draped in red robes meditating among the clouds. Another was sitting crossed legged caressing the saber in his hand. At that moment, they could not help but turn their heads over when they sensed the terrifying commotion.
They instantly noticed their fiendcelestial ally being blasted apart, as well as the void rift that lingered from the trajectory of the terrifying sword flash.
"Be careful!"
"Do not clash with it!"
The two third Firmament fiendcelestials were alarmed as they bellowed angrily with a voice transmission. Simultaneously, they transformed into two streams of light to intercept the terrifying flying sword.
Their subordinate fiendcelestials were guarding different areas.
"What is this!?"
"What happened?"
Some of the fiendcelestials had not noticed the clash between Qin Yun and the gray-robed fiendcelestial! Their attention was brought to the matter only when the gray-robed fiendcelestial's corpse blasted apart and they felt the aftershock of the horrifying explosion. They did not even know who had cast the flying sword strike.
"Do not clash with it. Quickly come to me."
"Quick." The two third Firmament fiendcelestials' voice transmissions rang in their ears as well.
They were no fools and naturally did not attempt to intercept the strike. All of them immediately gathered towards the third Firmament fiendcelestials.
Whoosh.
The flying sword that exuded a terrifying might in midair suddenly flashed and tunneled into the void, disappearing from sight.
"What?" The saber-wielding third Firmament fiendcelestial that had charged closer sensed something as his expression changed. He turned to look in a particular direction.
"Swoosh!"
The flying sword appeared once again out of the void several kilometers away. It stabbed another second Firmament fiendcelestial in the chest. An expression of pure disbelief was on his face as a huge hole blasted through his chest, his heart already pulverized.
After penetrating the chest, the flying sword tunneled into the void and vanished again.
"No."
"Flee."
The remaining fiendcelestials were appalled. Many of them began to activate their Transference Tokens.
"Hum." "Hum." "Hum." Spatial fluctuations enveloped them and forcibly tore open the void to transport them out.
Out of the nine fiendcelestials, two were dead and three had escaped.
There were two first Firmament fiendcelestials hiding behind the third Firmament fiendcelestial. They were still reeling in fear as they heaved a sigh of relief that they survived.
"Retrieve." With the Two World Picture in hand, Qin Yun put away the treasures the gray-robed fiendcelestial left behind. The Misty Rain Sword also carried the remaining treasures of the other fiendcelestial back.
"What audacity!"
With an angry bellow, the saber-wielding third Firmament fiendcelestial arrived in front of Qin Yun. With both hands clasping his sharp fiendish saber, he cleaved down with impressive might.
Rip!
The void tore apart, revealing a long black rift.
"Oh?"
Qin Yun controlled the Misty Rain Sword to block it with a thought.
The Misty Rain Sword was ethereal and blurry as it instantly formed a gigantic barrier made of sword flashes. When the fiendish saber cleaved down with phenomenal might, the Misty Rain Sword's screen of light was in full circulation. After a slight ripple in the barrier, it returned to normal, easily withstanding the fiendcelestial's strike.
"This saber-wielding fiendcelestial is much more powerful than Old Master Chu or Fiendcelestial Jiwu. His strike… has a strength that matches my Dreamlike Sword's fourth move at the very least." Qin Yun made a quick judgment.
"Oh?" The bloodlust in the saber-wielding fiendcelestial's eyes flared as he brandished his saber once again. "Heaven Askance Fiendish Saber, kill!"
If his first attempt was meant to capture Qin Yun alive to avoid the karmic retributions from killing a mortal, then this strike… was delivered at full force.
The outcome of using all his strength was that he was not confident in capturing Qin Yun alive. Perhaps he would outright kill Qin Yun or force him into escaping with the use of his Transference Token.
"Boom!"
The fiendish saber's might surged through the sky.
It even weighed on Qin Yun's willpower but Qin Yun knitted his brows to resist it.
"Boom!!!"
The saber flashes increased sharply in number as the Heaven Askance Fiendish Saber cleaved down at the Cyclic Sword Flash formed by the Misty Rain Sword. Yet, it failed to crack it open.
"Wow, this strike is actually a little more powerful than my Traveling in Solitude strike." Qin Yun was secretly alarmed. "He lives up to being a third Firmament fiendcelestial of a top sect! However, he can't do anything to my Cyclic Sword Flash."
"Oh?"
Realizing that the strike he had delivered at full strength was useless, the saber-wielding fiendcelestial came to a stop. The distant red-robed fiendcelestial approached with his two junior brothers. They were watching Qin Yun warily and seriously.
"Where did this expert come from?"
"How is he so powerful?"
There were two other factions in the mountain's vicinity. One was dragon experts while the other was Daoist cultivators. All of them were astounded by the strength Qin Yun had demonstrated.
"This level of strength will place him at the forefront of third Firmament Essence Souls that come from our top sects."
"A mortal is able to produce such strength?"
Both parties were astonished as they formed many speculations.
"From the looks of it, there isn't three factions but four now."
"This additional mysterious mortal expert might be a reincarnated Skyimmortal."
Although all three parties had first and second Firmament Essence Souls in their ranks, they were only there to act as assistants, responsible for trifling matters. Those that truly had the qualifications to vie for the treasure trove were the third Firmament Essence Souls! For example, the fiendcelestials' side had two third Firmament fiendcelestials. Although Qin Yun was alone, his identity as a mortal… made him a man of mystery. No one present dared to belittle such a mysterious mortal expert.
To be that strong as a mortal, what sort of background did he have?
Reincarnated Skyimmortal?
And in the periphery of the mountains, the seven mortal Connate Golden Cores were watching everything play out in front of their eyes in astonishment.
"He's also considered a mortal?"
How could a mortal directly finish off two second Firmament fiendcelestials?
"It's Daoist Qin?" The thin elder, Lu You, felt a jolt through his heart. "Such a mighty figure even greeted me so cordially?"
Lu You felt somewhat honored.
Qin Yun activated the Two World Picture and stored away his spoils of war.
By first taking advantage of their underestimation of him, his flying sword would only reveal its true strength when it arrived beside his enemy to slay them in one strike! Following that, he would use the Dreamlike Sword's fourth move, Waning Waxing Moons, to tunnel through the void. The moment it did appear, it would be right in front of the enemy, allowing him to kill another instantly! However, he could only kill two at most using this strategy. After witnessing the capabilities of Waning Waxing Moons, the other fiendcelestials had escaped by activating Transference Tokens or hiding by the third Firmament fiendcelestials' side.
"Good, I killed these two. I chose the second Firmament fiendcelestials, so the harvest I reaped should be quite good. I'll check the items when I have the time," thought Qin Yun.