Ten days later, in the mountain forest.
Wei Zong's figure darted and weaved through the trees, his sword light constantly flickering.
Suddenly, his ears twitched slightly, as if he heard something.
He hooked a small stone with his toe and flicked it lightly.
Whoosh!
The stone, imbued with spiritual Qi, flew rapidly, piercing the air with a shrill whistle, and smashed into a distant bush.
Bang!
A sound like a watermelon shattering came, accompanied by a scream, and then silence.
Wei Zong sheathed his sword and walked over.
Pushing aside the bushes, what greeted his eyes was the corpse of a Yao Beast. The Yao Beast had light yellow fur all over its body, covered in black spots. Its claws, though not long, were incredibly sharp; no one would doubt their lethality.
This was a low-level Yao Beast, a Black-Striped Leopard.
However, this Black-Striped Leopard could only lie quietly here now. There was no other reason than a bowl-sized hole in its head, with blood mixed with brain matter splattered everywhere... Wei Zong let out a satisfied burp. The entire Black-Striped Leopard was gone, leaving only its skeleton roasting over the bonfire.
He stretched his body slightly, and cracking sounds like popping beans came from his joints.
These past few days, he had been staying near this mountain stronghold. During the day, he would practice his sword in the nearby forest. Sword practice had long become an indispensable part of his life.
When he was hungry, he would catch a few low-level Yao Beasts to eat. Of course, there were also times like today when they ran into him themselves. Although he couldn't provoke mid-to-high-level Yao Beasts yet, killing a low-level Yao Beast was not a problem. Moreover, there were many low-level Yao Beasts on the outskirts of the Tianfeng Mountain Range.
At night, he would sit in meditation and Cultivate. After his unremitting efforts these past few days, his Realm had broken through from the Early Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm to the Middle Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm, only one step away from the Late Stage.
"It's time to go back."
The purpose of coming out had been achieved; his Realm had significantly increased. After returning, he could join the Inner Sect. The annual Inner Sect Disciple Grand Competition was about a month away. After taking first place, the Sect would give him more resources, and he would soon reach the Tiangang Realm.
At that time, he would begin investigating the cause of his parents' deaths.
He tidied up. In fact, there wasn't much to tidy up. He put a few Cultivation Techniques and Blood Condensation Pills into his in arms and descended the mountain.
Soon, Wei Zong emerged from the mountain range and stepped onto the official road leading to the Mysterious Cloud Sect. This was the only way to reach the Mysterious Cloud Sect.
Suddenly, hoofbeats came from afar. Wei Zong frowned and looked in the direction of the sound. Not far away, dust billowed, and several figures galloped rapidly on the official road.
The leading woman was riding a azure-maned horse, her expression flustered, her face pale, and traces of blood faintly visible at the corners of her mouth. Although injured, her delicate beauty was still undeniable, and her injuries only made her appear more pitiful. Three riders were rapidly pursuing her from behind, seemingly trying to kill her.
Wei Zong knew this woman. She was the Inner Sect Senior Sister Ye Muyu, and also the Sect Master's daughter. It was said that she had already reached the Late Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm. He wondered why she was being pursued now. However, he couldn't ignore her. This woman's father was the Sect Master. Saving her would bring many benefits. Thinking this, Wei Zong concealed his aura and walked towards them… Ye Muyu felt a little anxious, desperately whipping the horse beneath her. She had originally taken her Junior Sister to complete a Sect mission, but somehow they fell into an ambush by the Fei Yun Sect. The Fei Yun Sect was clearly prepared. They suddenly attacked when they were relaxed, and her Junior Sister died on the spot, and even she was seriously injured. It was her decisive action, using the life-saving item the Grand Elder left her, that allowed her to escape.
However, not much further was the Mysterious Cloud Sect's territory, and those people should not dare to go deeper. Just as she was thinking, Ye Muyu suddenly saw a figure ahead, and her heart was filled with joy. After seeing clearly, the joy immediately turned into deep disappointment. It was just a young man wearing Outer Sect Disciple attire. Nevertheless, she still shouted to the young man, "Run quickly, they are Fei Yun Sect Inner Sect Disciples."
Seeing the young man unmoved, Ye Muyu gritted her teeth. As she passed Wei Zong, she reached out to grab him, intending to pull him onto her horse. This matter was caused by her, and she couldn't bear to see this Outer Sect Disciple die because of her. The Mysterious Cloud Sect was not far ahead, and she thought those behind her would not dare to continue the pursuit.
To her surprise, Wei Zong's figure flickered slightly, dodging her hand.
Then, Ye Muyu watched as Wei Zong walked towards those people behind her.
Not far away, among the people pursuing Ye Muyu, the leader was Changsun Zhi, an Inner Sect Disciple of the Fei Yun Sect. At this moment, Changsun Zhi was extremely annoyed. They were ordered to ambush Mysterious Cloud Sect's Inner Sect Senior Sister Ye Muyu, but she escaped, and they had been pursuing her ever since. If she ran a bit further, it would be Mysterious Cloud Sect's territory, and then they would not be able to continue the pursuit. If they botched this mission, he didn't know what kind of punishment they would receive when they returned.
Then he saw a young man appear in front. Judging by his attire, he should be an Outer Sect Disciple of the Mysterious Cloud Sect. Originally, his goal was only to pursue and kill Ye Muyu. He didn't have time to bother with a mere Outer Sect Disciple. To his surprise, this young man, unaware of the danger, walked towards him.
"Hehe, if you're looking for death, you can't blame me."
Changsun Zhi revealed a bloodthirsty smile, his face extremely ferocious. When his horse reached Wei Zong, he pulled the reins, and the horse's front hooves rose, intending to kick Wei Zong to death.
Then he saw the young man's figure flash, and the horse's hooves landed in empty space.
He dodged it. How was this possible? The horse he rode was called Chasing Wind Steed, and like the Azure-Maned Horse, it was a low-level Yao Beast. Although not good at attacking, its running speed was extremely fast. At such a close distance, that young man was actually able to dodge it. Was this really an Outer Sect Disciple?
Before he could finish his surprise, he saw Wei Zong's figure appear at the side of the Chasing Wind Steed. He hesitated whether to deal with this strange Outer Sect Disciple first or continue pursuing Ye Muyu, but then he saw the young man's sword-wielding hand flash slightly.
Changsun Zhi was about to channel all his spiritual Qi for defense, but found that nothing happened. As he wondered, the Chasing Wind Steed beneath him suddenly fell forward. Changsun Zhi was greatly alarmed and was about to jump off the horse, but his vision went black. Vaguely, he heard the exclamations of his Junior Brothers behind him, and then he lost consciousness.
For Wei Zong, what he did was very simple. Just a flash, then a sword strike, and the person in front of him, along with his horse, was split in two.
Everyone stared blankly at the four halves of the corpse on the ground. The air was as silent as death.
Ye Muyu's beautiful eyes were wide open. She hadn't expected this seemingly frail young man to easily kill Changsun Zhi. One must know that Changsun Zhi was among the top-ranked Inner Sect Disciples of the Fei Yun Sect, and he was at the same Late Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm as her. Even if she were at her peak, it would take hundreds of rounds to defeat him, and killing him would be even more difficult.
She hadn't expected this seemingly unremarkable young man to kill the opponent with such ease.
This scene, for Ye Muyu, was surprising with a hint of pleasant surprise. For those few Fei Yun Sect Disciples, it was utter terror. Even the strongest Senior Brother Changsun was dealt with in one move, so they were even less of a match.
So they abruptly pulled their reins, turned their horses around, and tried to escape.
But how could Wei Zong give them a chance to escape? Just three Early Stage Qi Condensation Disciples, he didn't even need to draw his sword to deal with them. Wei Zong channeled Qi into his feet and lightly stomped. The originally flat road was instantly shattered by him, and three clods of earth flew up. Wei Zong waved his hand, and the clods of earth, imbued with spiritual Qi, flew rapidly towards the three Disciples.
Puff, puff, puff!
With three soft sounds, those Fei Yun Sect Disciples fell to the ground.
This demonstrated the terror of the Taichu Sword Scripture. Ordinary spiritual Qi does not have such terrifying lethality. The spiritual Qi of the Taichu Sword Scripture is different; even a small blade of grass, when infused with spiritual Qi, will be as sharp as a sword. So even clods of earth easily killed these Disciples.
Wei Zong didn't pay attention to these people. He turned back and walked towards the young woman not far away.
As he approached, he saw the young woman's astonished expression, and Wei Zong smiled slightly.
"Senior Sister Ye, long time no see."