"Then there’s nothing left to talk about."

Qi Yun’s right hand flashed through a series of Spells. The Hundred-refined Steel Sand suspended in the air suddenly ground together, bursting into flame as thousands of crimson Steel Beads coalesced like a shower of meteors.

With a single, fierce thrust of his palm, the Steel Beads tore through the air, letting out a roar like an autocannon as they rushed toward Yuan Sea’s face, wrapped in a scorching heatwave!

Yuan Sea’s sleeves billowed, and two Magic Corpses shot out.

One of the Magic Corpses, entirely azure, crossed its arms. A torrent of immense frigid energy gushed forth, and an ice wall half a meter thick erupted from the ground with a RUMBLE.

A frosty white aura flowed across the ice wall’s surface, holding back the tide of Steel Beads. Countless craters exploded open amid billowing white steam, as shards of ice and molten iron flew everywhere with a HISS.

The other, a bluish-gray Magic Corpse, actually brandished a sword. The blade trembled, unleashing bone-chilling Sword Qi. With a sweeping arc of light, it caused dozens of Steel Beads to explode into molten iron in midair.

’A Magic Cultivator? A Sword Cultivator?’

Qi Yun’s eyes narrowed. Just as he was rapidly changing Spells to recall the Hundred-refined Steel Sand, a third, semi-translucent Magic Corpse suddenly leaped from the shadows, its sharp claws striking for his heart from behind.

Qi Yun spun and retreated explosively. The Hundred-refined Steel Sand coiled back like a river of stars flowing in reverse to protect him, barely blocking the claw strike with a shower of sparks.

The three Magic Corpses had him surrounded, forcing the defensive sphere of steel sand to shrink ever smaller. The shriek of metal and the crack of ice wove together into a web of certain death.

Yuan Sea stood outside the fray, hands clasped behind his back. A dark light flickered in his eyes, and at his mental command, the three corpses’ assault grew even more frenzied.

"You think you’re the only one with minions? Wangcai, kill him!"

While the Hundred-refined Steel Sand desperately held off the three Magic Corpses’ combined assault, Qi Yun let out a soft sneer. His left hand formed a new Spell as he muttered an incantation under his breath.

The next instant!

The heavy, deafening sound of thundering footsteps rapidly approached.

Yuan Sea’s earlobes twitched. Just as he was about to turn his head, a terrifying Bronze Wolf Dog the size of a calf, looking as if it were cast from bronze, suddenly lunged out. Its fanged maw gaped wide as it snapped directly at his head.

BAM!

The Magic Corpse with the Illusionary Body Concealment Technique instantly withdrew, sweeping its arms to block the fatal bite. However, it was immediately rammed in the side by two other wolf-dogs, its body erupting with a piercing, scraping sound.

Yuan Sea’s expression flickered. He pressed a Finger Technique to the ground and shouted, "Rise!"

The ground shattered in response, sending earth and stone flying!

Over a dozen dark-skinned, muscle-bound Iron Corpses shrieked and leaped out, instantly clashing with the Bronze Wolf Dogs in a tangled melee.

The dogs’ fangs struck sparks against the Iron Corpses’ bodies, while the corpses’ claws tore away flakes of the Bronze Wolf Dogs’ hides. The battle instantly devolved into a chaotic brawl. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Your defeat is certain. Killing a Champion Scholar of the Outer Mansion like you will make this all worthwhile," Yuan Sea said, his tone icy and the killing intent in his eyes intensifying.

But Qi Yun just grinned, his feet gliding in a smooth step.

"Plenty of people want to kill me. Even Masters have to get in line. I’m afraid you don’t qualify."

Before the words had even faded, his figure suddenly blurred, dissolving into a wisp of Clear Wind and vanishing without a trace!

"Trying to run?" A harsh glint flashed in Yuan Sea’s eyes. He quickly raised his hand in a Finger Technique, about to activate a Secret Skill, when he suddenly froze in place.

An impossibly scorching aura washed over him from behind. He slowly turned, his pupils constricting in shock.

There stood a towering, humanoid figure of Demon Fire. Its eyes, also formed from Demon Fire, slowly opened, looking down on him as a god would an ant.

A single drop of cold sweat finally trickled down Yuan Sea’s temple.

"This is... your trump card?" Yuan Sea swallowed hard, a miserable smile on his face.

"Let’s make a deal. I can give you..."

BOOM!

Before Yuan Sea could finish, Qi Yun, now in his Nanming Sword Demon form, abruptly raised a hand. An incomparably tyrannical and terrifying stream of Sword Qi shot out. It was so fast that Yuan Sea only felt a wave of heat wash past his ear before his right arm was severed at the shoulder.

THUD—

The severed arm landed on the ground, its fingers still frozen in the posture of forming a Spell.

"You..."

Not expecting Qi Yun to be so decisive, Yuan Sea tried to speak again, but another wave of heat swept over him. And this time, its target...

was his neck!

After beheading Yuan Sea with a single strike, Qi Yun dispelled his Nanming Sword Demon form. He raised his hand and frowned, looking at a faint wisp of black energy in his palm.

’The True Qi consumption was huge, but it’s still manageable.’

’But the Nanming Demon Fire Sword Qi is too powerful. Every time I use it, it seems to cause a slight backlash.’

’Once or twice is fine.’

’But if I use it too often, I’m afraid it will cause considerable damage to my body.’

’No wonder it’s mentioned in both the True Qi Heart Method and the general outlines for all sorts of Techniques.’

’Never learn Magic that is beyond your Realm.’

’For one, you won’t have enough True Qi. Even if you learn them, you won’t be able to cast them. It’s a waste of time and energy that will only delay your own Cultivation.’

’Second, the higher the Realm of the Magic, the greater its power, and the more immense the Daoist Intent it contains. Without sufficient Cultivation to support it, Magic becomes a double-edged sword.’

’It hurts the enemy, but it hurts you too!’

’My Nanming Sword Demon is a perfect example.’

’This Magic, after its major update, has far surpassed the limits of my current Cultivation.’

’I’m like a child trying to wield a greatsword—I lack the strength to control it properly.’

’To fix this, I have to focus on raising my Cultivation level...’

Tucking that strange feeling away, Qi Yun bent down and began searching Yuan Sea’s body. The man’s Cultivation hadn’t been low, after all.

Even if he couldn’t compare to the direct descendant of a Master like Yue Rong, he couldn’t have been that far behind.

Hm?

No Storage Pouch?

After searching Yuan Sea from head to toe, Qi Yun was stunned to find that the man didn’t have a Storage Pouch on him.

’Damn... What a ripoff!’

Qi Yun, who never came away empty-handed, felt as if something was cosmically out of place. Unwilling to accept it, he searched Yuan Sea’s body inside and out, up and down, one more time.

Finally, on Yuan Sea’s cold left wrist, his fingertips brushed against a bracelet that looked unremarkable, its surface even bearing some mottled copper rust.

As he rubbed and examined the unassuming bracelet, Qi Yun circulated his True Qi, and a stream of purplish-red Nanming Demon Fire instantly enveloped it.

The Nanming Demon Fire excelled at burning away illusions and breaking Restrictions.

Sure enough, as the Demon Fire licked it, an extremely well-hidden mark on the bronze bracelet let out a silent scream before being burned away into wisps of smoke.

Seeing this, Qi Yun’s eyes suddenly lit up.

He sent a wisp of True Qi into the bracelet, and a vast space, more than ten times larger than any Storage Pouch, immediately appeared in his mind’s eye.

"This is... a Storage Magic Bracelet?!"

His breath hitched, and uncontrollable joy surged in his eyes.

’This is a true Storage Magical Artifact, much more advanced than a temporary item like a Storage Pouch.’

’Not only is it easy to carry, but you can also add your own mark to it. No one but the owner can open it.’

’Even in the Holy Sect, teeming with talent as it is, only veteran True Cultivators of the Inner Mansion Realm would have the status and wealth to own one.’

’If he was using a Magic Bracelet, he must have a lot of good stuff inside.’

He sent his consciousness probing into the Storage Magic Bracelet. Before he could even take a closer look, a familiar thrum of excitement bloomed in his chest.

"This trip was definitely worth it."

A satisfied smile spread across his face. With a mere thought, an exquisitely crafted, mysterious wooden box, its surface shimmering with a faint Spiritual Light, appeared in his hand.

This was the source of that exciting thrum.

...