There were four of the five slayers inside the valley. They were involved in a discussion around an open fire; the fifth slayer watched over the narrow pass. His purpose was to be on guard and attack any enemies.
"Looking at the acquired intelligence, such a large entry of disciples arriving from the Heavenly Sanctuary is a once-in-lifetime opportunity."
"That's right, we can rob them of their jade hammers, then use these spirit elixirs embedded in our backs—we're sure to improve our cultivation bases."
"Hehe... how can that be the only benefit? Don't tell me you haven't thought about it before—once we possess the jade hammers, we can rob and kill other slayers! We too can learn from those disciples—we can rake in the spirit elixirs without restraint, and greatly improve our cultivation bases!"
The eight pairs of eyes glowed. The slayers had no qualms about betraying other slayers.
"Alas, the only pity is that the Nine Deadly Poison Devil did not accept our invitation. With his poison techniques, poisoning a bunch of slayers would be child's play." Everyone nodded and darkly muttered with regret.
Just then, a light chuckle came from the valley opening!
"Since you missed the Nine Deadly Poison Devil so much, I came to deliver him to you!" Su Yu stood with his hands behind his back as he entered the valley.
The four slayers' color changed with a flash of understanding. They glanced over and glared at the young man and the young lady who walked side-by-side; behind them was the poisonous, pus-filled face of a middle-aged man—who else could it be other than the Nine Deadly Poison Devil?
They looked again at that slayer guarding the pass—who had long since been secretly poisoned and had already been reduced into a pile of watery blood.
"Everyone be careful! The Nine Deadly Poison Devil is being controlled!" One of the shocked slayers loudly warned the others when he detected that the Nine Deadly Poison Devil's gaze was slightly lifeless. The Nine Deadly Poison Devil was being controlled? Exactly what type of strange cultivation technique would allow such a strong man to be manipulated?
They'd gathered here for the sake of safety in numbers—but, instead, they had been unexpectedly trapped by the mighty to be killed like fish in a barrel! The only exit was occupied by Su Yu and his company. The four slayers were all cunning individuals.
"To capture the thief, first capture his king! Two of us must catch the Nine Deadly Poison Devil, and the other two—quickly kill those two ignorant kids!" The four slayers exchanged a look, then tacitly coordinated their moves and divided themselves accordingly.
Kill—
Swish, swish, swish—
The terrifying Level Seven Peak power, present in all the slayers, came crashing toward Xia Jingyu and Su Yu! Fortunately, the notorious Nine Deadly Poison Devil, still a fearsome presence among slayers, had distracted half of the enemies!
There were only two remaining Level Seven Peak slayers, each determined to capture and kill Su Yu and Xia Jingyu.
"Reverie of Dewdrops!" Xia Jingyu looked pleased and unafraid as she fought skillfully and easily. Although surrounded by perils, she did not falter. Her ability was not that much lower than a Level Seven Peak.
Another slayer with an ominous glint in his gaze, charged toward Su Yu.
"Boy! I wonder how your ability compares to your girl!" The slayer sneered, staying extremely vigilant.
Su Yu's purple clothes gently fluttered and his ink-black hair blew upwards. His deep eyes reflected self-confidence, "About the same."
"Then you can die!" The slayer, upon hearing the faint mocking tone of Su Yu's words, warily made his move.
"Fiery fists!" Both his fists blasted the air with bursts of sparks, like the air was burning.
Su Yu's eyes flashed and he brazenly counterattacked, "Icy Heart Core!" Su Yu attacked with both fists! Both of his fists were ordinary—without vital energy or skill. Like a fist of a mortal, it was completely without power.
Boom—
Bang—
However, when the four fists collided...
Crack—
The Level Seven Peak slayer was instantly frozen! His body was thickly covered with icicles, and he was unable to move one bit. His entire person had solidified into a crystal-clear ice sculpture! The slayer's breath completely froze!
The slayer in combat with Xia Jingyu gasped! Just one blow had turned the enemy into a frozen ice sculpture! This... What is this horrifying technique?
With a cold flash in his eyes, Su Yu quickly retrieved the spirit elixir and darted over to Xia Jingyu's side in a flurry of purple shadows. He joined forces with her against the enemy.
Crack—
Inadvertently, the slayer was turned into an ice sculpture! The two slayers who were entangled with the Nine Deadly Poison Devil were horror-stricken!
"You and I will split and run." Su Yu's ferocity made the slayers lose their fighting confidence. After withdrawing from the Nine Deadly Poison Devil, they separated and fled towards the valley pass. This way, there was only a fifty-fifty chance that the Nine Deadly Poison Devil might grab one of them—either way, at least one would escape.
The person on the left side was the unlucky one; he was intercepted by the Nine Deadly Poison Devil, who instantly killed him with poison. The other slayer fled toward the pass. Su Yu's eyes flashed and he gave chase as Xia Jingyu retrieved the spirit elixir from the poisoned slayer.
It was unusual for everything to go without a hitch; the Nine Deadly Poison Devil silently poisoning and killing the slayer on guard had been the key—but, more importantly, they had depended on Su Yu's terrifying ability! Xia Jingyu's beautiful eyes were worried; her ability was holding Su Yu back a bit.
On the other side of the valley, Su Yu sped to catch up with and kill the remaining slayer; once he defeated him, he and Xia Jingyu could collect the fifth spirit elixir—after which, they would only need one more before they could break through to Level Seven!
Swish—
However, just as the Su Yu was about to catch up to the slayer, a fierce red-clad figure suddenly burst into the valley!
Aha—
Ah—
Dozens of feet away, the red-clad figure, with a flex of the finger, sent out a frightening stream of vital energy which sent shivers down Su Yu's spine. The vital energy stream exploded the slayer's flesh and body to smithereens! What level of vital energy had such incredible power?
Su Yu turned and saw a scar-covered face of a thick, large man; the corners of his mouth formed a somewhat evil grin. His ability caused one's hair to stand on end.
"Level Eight Lower Tier!" Su Yu gasped! He was actually a strong Level Eight!
Su Yu did not attempt to retrieve the spirit elixir on the body of the slayer directly in front of him—instead, without any hesitation, he turned and ran back inside the valley!
"Huh! He's pretty sharp." The Level Eight slayer recalled his vital energy with his finger, which was hidden behind his back. If Su Yu had hesitated for a moment, he would have suffered the same end as the slayer—obliteration!
"But now, would my killing him not be like shooting a fish in a barrel? Boy, you all can't escape!" The strong Level Eight man leaned down and ripped the jade bottle from the slayer's back. He had not gotten the jade hammer and, therefore, his next targets were Su Yu and Xia Jingyu!
Xia Jingyu, back with their spirit elixirs, glimpsed Su Yu's grim expression face when he rushed back. She slightly frowned, "Su Yu, what happened?"
Su Yu's heart pounded. Uneasy thoughts rushed forth. If the profile information on each slayer was correct, then that red-clad big man was the extremely savage Thousand-Miles Butcher! Rumor had it that after he'd advanced to Level Eight Lower Tier, he had killed people along a thousand miles—giant saber in hand! Blood had flowed and skeletons littered the thousand miles road!
Of the empire's strong Level Eight men who had pursued him, three out of four died at his hands. One of them was lucky to have escaped and returned with both of his wrists cleanly snapped. The Heavenly Sanctuary dispatched many prospective holy disciples before they successfully seized and captured him. To run into such a savage and terrible person… That was definitely an unfortunate encounter for Su Yu!
Not to mention Su Yu was alone; even if he were to join forces with Xia Jingyu and the Nine Deadly Poison Devil, it would still be difficult to resist a blow or two from the Thousand-Miles Butcher's hands. What made Su Yu's heart feel even grimmer was that they were trapped in the valley!
When he saw Xia Jingyu approach, Su Yu's eyes filled with urgency. Looking around, Su Yu suddenly came up with a solution to this emergency—he would have to take another great risk!
Swish—
It was too late to even waste a second to explain his plan. Su Yu dashed forward and grabbed hold of Xia Jingyu's barely-there waist. Xia Jingyu was stunned and her face blushed crimson.
"Hold on tight!" Su Yu shouted. The entwined dragon silk in his fingers suddenly flung out, three-hundred feet long and transparent. Su Yu cast it toward the top of the valley.
Aha—
The end section of the entwined dragon silk fiercely shot to the top of a wide-barreled tree at the peak of the valley and twined itself around a thick branch. Lightly tapping his toe tip, Su Yu pushed his Floating Light Shadow to the limit. Su Yu stepped on the sheer cliff and precipitous rock face like a parkour warrior and climbed towards the top of the valley.
Su Yu's body was as light as a bird. The light and graceful Xia Jingyu in his arms did not affect Su Yu's movement technique! Xia Jingyu's heart was in her throat as she held on tight to Su Yu, her petite head buried deep into his chest. She only dared to open one eye and saw they were dozens of feet away from the ground; her heart started beating wildly.
What truly terrified Xia Jingyu, however, was the sight of a red-clad hulking figure who charged into the valley. The Nine Deadly Poison Devil, defying life and death, charged forward and fully unleashed his range of poison techniques!
As powerful as the Nine Deadly Poison Devil was, however, he was still instantly obliterated by the red-clad big man. With a snap of his fingers, the Nine Deadly Poison Devil was exterminated with a blood-curdling scream on the spot!
"Thousand-Miles Butcher!" Xia Jingyu's pretty face turned pale; she knew the origins of the red-clad big man, considered an extremely dangerous slayer among all slayers!
Thousand-Miles Butcher looked around and was surprised to see there was no trace of Su Yu! Then he glanced up and was astonished to discover Su Yu holding Xia Jingyu as he gracefully climbed upwards—he was nearly three hundred feet from the top of the valley, he had nearly escaped!
"Such a powerful movement skill! What a tough and durable silk thread!" The Thousand-Miles Butcher looked astounded. Immediately after, his look was replaced by a savage glint in his eyes. He grinned evilly as he lifted his finger and a frightening vital energy launched towards them, "If I let you escape, wouldn't I become a laughingstock?"
Rumble—
Feeling the frightening vital energy, Su Yu felt a sense of foreboding send chills down his spine! Just things seemed hopeless, Su Yu's suddenly exerted more force into his technique. Su Yu and Xia Jingyu, under the pull of the entwined dragon silk, swung mid-air in a semicircle.
Bang, boom, pow—
As they swung away their original position was blasted by vital energy, leaving a huge gaping hole ten feet in diameter! The solid rock wall was cracked into countless pieces and several boulders tumbled down three hundred feet below and smashed on the ground; it sounded as if the sky itself had collapsed.
If they had stayed where they were, they would have been struck and sent to the ground along with the rockslide—they would have been crushed!
Taking advantage of the blast, Su Yu and Xia Jingyu glided to the peak of the valley. Su Yu gave the entwined dragon silk a pull, taking advantage of their momentum as he pulled them from the air back to a boulder above valley!
"Quickly go!" Su Yu's head felt numb. They made their escape out of the valley—but that did not mean that everything was over. The horror of Level Eight was definitely not something Su Yu had anticipated.
"Floating Light Shadow!" Su Yu carried Xia Jingyu as they leaped through the forest to the mountains, a span of thirty feet with a light tap. The two of them left a bit of thread in the air...
"Want to run? Huh!" The Thousand-Miles Butcher looked savage. He was faster than Su Yu by a hair's breath—he dashed out of the valley to pursue Su Yu!
Half a day later, Su Yu and Xia Jingyu had fled to the outer periphery. Su Yu looked back, activated his enhanced sight, and was slightly surprised. "Three miles away, still in pursuit!"
It seemed that the Thousand-Miles Butcher was an expert in tracking; he'd chased them for dozens of miles and had not lost their trail. Su Yu and Xia Jingyu's mood was tense—they were on edge. Once he caught up, both of them would have no chance of survival!
As for calling for help—among the ten great prospective Holy Disciples, only the top three could stand a chance against the Thousand-Miles Butcher. There was no one they could ask for help! The distance between them and the Butcher was closing fast.
"There's only one thing left to try!" Su Yu said through clenched teeth.
An unprecedented enemy had left Su Yu with no choice but to give his all and put everything on the line!