On their way to the teleportation formation, this man had once made a move. Of course, Wang Ning only heard about this later.
That time, Wuye and his group encountered a scout squad of demonic cultivators on their way. The Golden Core cultivator leading them disdained to act.
Seeing that there were only six scouts, the Golden Core cultivator had six of their own people go out to kill them quickly. This was also meant to test the strength of this group of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Of course, the ones who went out were all Pseudo-Core cultivators, including Wuye, Qiao Baiye, and four other Pseudo-Core cultivators who considered their cultivation to be formidable.
At that time, Wang Ning and Bu Luo had not yet joined the team. It was said that in that skirmish, the six enemy scouts, realizing that escape was hopeless with a Golden Core cultivator present, immediately showed their ferocity after their pleas for mercy were ignored, preparing for a fight to the death.
Under their desperate struggle, of the six on Qiao Baiye's side, only Qiao Baiye and the black-robed youth seemed to have energy to spare while fighting their opponents alone.
The other four, facing the cornered beasts' life-or-death struggle, were beaten back, sweating profusely and retreating step by step.
But the Golden Core cultivator on their side just watched coldly and didn't send anyone else to support them. In the end, the four cultivators on Qiao Baiye's side had no choice but to form a defensive circle and resist with all their might.
This only made the opponents more frantic. In just over twenty breaths, the four cultivators were all injured.
Meanwhile, Qiao Baiye and the black-robed youth, after forty breaths, killed their opponents one after another. In the end, the black-robed youth was a fraction faster. The two immediately returned to help, and only then did the tide of battle turn.
Wang Ning heard that when they were cleaning up the battlefield later, some people discovered that although Qiao Baiye had also killed his opponent, the distribution of his magic power attacks was somewhat scattered, resulting in fatal wounds of varying depths on his opponent's body.
But the black-robed youth, wielding a slender bamboo staff, had left only one fatal wound on the person he killed—a staff through the throat. This was enough to show that his control over Spirit Power was much higher than Qiao Baiye's.
This was enough to catch Wang Ning's attention, but deep down, she still believed there was some gap between him and herself. The opponent was likely an old-timer Foundation Establishment cultivator who just looked young.
The black-robed youth rarely spoke, so no one interacted with him. Now, hearing him announce his name, many people finally knew who he was. Wang Ning then realized that the other party was also an extremely formidable figure of the younger generation.
Wuye, who should also be a cultivator from the region under the Ten-Pace Courtyard's jurisdiction, was someone whose path to cultivation was a mystery to most. It was said that he had once joined a sect, but it must have been an unranked one.
Later, when his fame rose, he was already an elusive rogue cultivator. His only magical treasure was the slender bamboo staff in his hand.
His fame came from a conflict with the Five Tigers of Nine-Block Mountain in a market twenty years ago. At that time, Wuye's cultivation was only at the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.
The Five Tigers of Nine-Block Mountain were also well-known ruthless figures on the evil path, with cultivation levels at the Mid and Late-stage Foundation Establishment. Any one of them was comparable to Wuye in cultivation at that time.
These five had always acted ruthlessly. After the conflict with Wuye, knowing that there was a Golden Core cultivator guarding the market, they didn't act immediately.
Instead, four of them left the market early to set up an ambush outside, while one stayed in the market to keep an eye on Wuye and notify the others.
In that battle, the fighting was extremely tragic. Wuye, under the siege of the five, unexpectedly killed two of them in succession, and escaped after being heavily injured himself.
Afterward, the remaining three tigers of Nine-Block Mountain issued a heavy bounty on the righteous path, which was how many people came to know of him.
Eight years later, when Wuye reappeared, news spread that the remaining three tigers of Nine-Block Mountain had died the previous night. After that, some so-called friends of the Five Tigers of Nine-Block Mountain began to hunt Wuye everywhere.
Their real purpose, of course, was the large bounty. The bounty for the Five Tigers of Nine-Block Mountain had not been canceled for eight years and was increased annually. In the end, although all five were dead, the bounty was still valid.
In the following years, not only did those hunting Wuye fail to take his life, but during the pursuit that lasted more than a decade, people among them kept dying, making Wuye's reputation grow even larger.
Eventually, the number of people hunting him dwindled, and now, he had unexpectedly appeared among the conscripted cultivators.
Li Yan didn't know Wuye's reputation, but seeing many people exclaim in surprise, he knew this person was highly skilled.
"I heard about this Wuye during my travels. Speaking of which, he should be more difficult to deal with than Miss Wang just now."
"But as a rogue cultivator, all his cultivation resources have to be fought for by himself, so his minor realm seems a bit lower than Miss Wang's," said a Malevolent Spirit Sect disciple next to Gong Yuantai. The realm he was referring to was, of course, the minor and major completion stages within the Pseudo-Core Realm.
"Yes, a person who is constantly on the brink of life and death is certainly not comparable to a sect disciple who focuses solely on cultivation," Gong Yuantai nodded. He had also learned of Wuye's background from others, and hope rose in his heart again.
He wanted to personally test this black-robed youth after Li Yan was defeated.
At this time, in the field, Wuye had already engaged Li Yan in battle. Since it was a duel, the two didn't waste words.
Wuye's bamboo staff was bluish-black, and at this moment, it had transformed into a mountain of staff shadows, firmly trapping Li Yan in the center. The moment he engaged Li Yan, he immediately closed the distance, not giving Li Yan any space to pull away, let alone a chance to use poison.
His moves were relentless. To an outsider, it looked as if Wuye had forced Li Yan into a corner where he could only dodge continuously without any chance to counterattack.
"Wuye is indeed extremely skilled in dueling. This kind of attack is especially effective when facing a siege by several people. One person can charge directly into a crowd, forcing others to worry about their high-powered spells harming their own companions when they attack."
Many people with extraordinary insight saw the trick at a glance.
"This is also an unconventional approach. One wrong move and he could easily be surrounded and killed even faster. However, Wuye's movement skill is light and versatile, which is why he dares to get close to his opponents and entangle them in a fight," someone else softly agreed.
Li Yan dodged left and right amidst the bamboo staff, looking quite wretched, with barely any opportunity to even cast a spell.
Regarding Wuye's elusive movement skill, Li Yan had already understood it in his heart. He was sure that the other party had cultivated an incredible cultivation method, but it was still far from a match for his "Phoenix Soars to the Heavens."
Furthermore, Li Yan's Divine Sense far surpassed Wuye's. With every move Wuye made, Li Yan could predict his next position. If he wanted to, he could intercept Wuye's attack at any time.
If it were a long-range magic attack, Li Yan would actually have to consider how to win. The True Scripture of Gui Water he cultivated was powerful, but the number of spells provided by each layer was too limited.
So far, it had only provided two auxiliary arts: "Stealthy Night Art" and "The Five Elements Return to Primordial Genesis." It didn't even have a spell for direct close-range attacks.
Now that Wuye had chosen to rely on his movement skill for a close-quarters fight, it was like he was serving himself up on a platter. Of course, Li Yan wouldn't let the other party know that he could see through his movement skill.
So, every time, just before Wuye's bamboo staff was about to hit him, Li Yan would "hastily" dodge just in time.
But Wuye was also a veteran of countless battles. After only five breaths, he noticed something was wrong. Although Li Yan's dodging looked pathetic, he hadn't even managed to touch a corner of his clothes.
A bad feeling arose in Wuye's heart. Having walked the line between life and death for so long, he sensed a trace of danger.
'This person is strange!'
This thought arose in Wuye's mind. He was also decisive. The moment he felt something was wrong, he immediately retreated, planning to switch to a long-range hit-and-run tactic. It could be said that Wuye's reaction was extremely fast.
But just as his figure began to retreat, a strange smile flashed in Li Yan's eyes. Li Yan waved his sleeve, and a series of "Quicksand Arts" appeared again. Only this time, they didn't just appear in the air; large and small quicksand vortexes, like dimples in a wine vat, appeared one after another on the ground of the courtyard.
This caused Wuye's retreat to falter. The air and ground behind him had been blocked by seven or eight Quicksand Arts.
"Quicksand Art again!"
This thought not only arose in Wuye's mind, but many of the surrounding cultivators also let out low cries, their voices tinged with helplessness.
This Li Yan seemed to be unfamiliar with any other spells, and was singularly fond of the basic "Quicksand Art." Every time he attacked, it was with the "Quicksand Art." And Li Yan's "Quicksand Art" was indeed fast, numerous, and incredibly powerful.
Wuye's body was suspended in the air, about a zhang off the ground. He was protected by a crimson glow. He held his staff in one hand, sending a mountain of staff shadows forward to block Li Yan from getting close.
At the same time, Wuye slightly turned his body and kicked out his leg in a sweeping motion, creating a powerful whistling wind. Wherever it passed, the quicksand vortexes were kicked and exploded one by one, instantly neutralizing the attack from behind.
At the same time, he had already held his breath. He didn't want to repeat Wang Ning's mistake.
He naturally didn't know that Wang Ning had been sneak-attacked and poisoned while under the protection of her Spirit Power shield. But his long-standing caution made him spread his Divine Sense in all directions to prevent any hidden traps Li Yan might have set.
The bamboo staff in his hand protected him like a mountain, not letting Li Yan get close. It could be said that Wuye had achieved a comprehensive defense.
As the "Quicksand Arts" behind him exploded one by one, the courtyard was once again filled with a cloud of yellow mist, forcing the cultivators to take to the air again.
They all felt helpless at how much Li Yan loved to use the "Quicksand Art" to administer poison.
In this live duel, everyone was watching. A trick that works once won't work twice. After Wang Ning had suffered an inexplicable loss, who wouldn't be on high alert? It was as if this was the only move Li Yan knew.
What first puzzled Wuye was that he didn't feel anything wrong with the exploding yellow mist. Some of the yellow mist came into contact with the crimson glow around his leg but had no attacking effect. His Divine Sense didn't detect any hallucinogenic effects either.
Confused as he was, these thoughts only flashed through Wuye's mind for a moment. He continued with his original plan to quickly distance himself from Li Yan and then look for an opportunity to find his weakness.
Wuye retracted his sweeping left leg, took a step in the void, and crimson ripples spread out from under his feet. The staff-mountain-like shadow in front of him splashed out, but his body was already shooting backward.
But just as his figure began to move, he suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his mind. In an instant, his consciousness became blurry. His retreating body stumbled, and the staff shadow he had thrown out also paused for a moment.
'Not good, I'm poisoned!'
Countless life-and-death situations had made Wuye's reactions extremely fast. He fiercely bit his tongue, trying to clear his head.
But another sharp pain shot through his mind. Instantly, Wuye could no longer hold on. His body could not stay afloat in the void and immediately began to fall to the ground.