A Pawn's Passage

On the other side, Qi Xuansu had unexpectedly wounded the Bhikkhu with the pistol and fought with the Martial Arts Practitioner.

Qi Xuansu’s skin, especially at his palms, became translucent like a piece of high-quality white jade. This was not the mystical ability of Rogue Cultivators, but a magical power that Qi Xuansu obtained from the Xuan Jade.

His physique was better than that of Martial Arts Practitioners in the Yuxu stage and comparable to that of Martial Arts Practitioners in the Guizhen stage. However, he could not concentrate on merging his mind and body.

Even so, Qi Xuansu’s current physique and cultivation level were enough for him to deal with a Yuxu-stage Martial Arts Practitioner.

Qi Xuansu struck the Martial Arts Practitioner in the chest. At the same time, the Martial Arts Practitioner punched him firmly on the forehead.

Upon impact, the Martial Arts Practitioner stood on the same spot with his body swaying slightly, while Qi Xuansu flew backward like a kite with a broken string. Qi Xuansu’s back hit a pillar supporting the ancient temple, stirring up the dust from the beams.

The Martial Arts Practitioner stared at Qi Xuansu, who was slowly sliding down the pillar, and asked, “Are you a Martial Arts Practitioner too?”

Qi Xuansu shook off the dust on his body and said nothing.

The Martial Arts Practitioner stomped hard on the ground, using the force of the recoil to rush straight toward Qi Xuansu. However, when he was about three meters away from Qi Xuansu, he took one step forward, forcibly stopping his forward momentum. Then he retracted his arm as if he was drawing an arrow.

His fist roared through the air.

Qi Xuansu used his left hand to catch the attacking fist. The force of the punch penetrated his palm, forcing him to fly backward again. But at the same time, Qi Xuansu raised his right hand, shooting a cold beam of light at the Martial Arts Practitioner.

The cold light cut a long and thin gash on the Martial Arts Practitioner’s throat, in which faint traces of blood seeped out.

The Martial Arts Practitioner was shocked and angry for almost dying from a slit in the throat.

Qi Xuansu landed on the ground but stood up almost immediately. His face, which was slightly pale due to the punch, returned to a normal color at a speed visible to the naked eye. Under normal circumstances, the Martial Arts Practitioner’s punch should have seriously injured Qi Xuansu. However, Qi Xuansu had gone through a body transformation from the Xuan Jade, so he was unaffected.

Instead of retreating, Qi Xuansu advanced and closed the distance between the two of them.

With a wave of his sleeve, another knife shot toward the Martial Arts Practitioner again.

However, the Martial Arts Practitioner was on guard this time and blocked the cold light with his arms, finally revealing its true appearance. It was the throwing knife that Zhang Yuelu gave to Qi Xuansu.

The Martial Arts Practitioner calmed down and looked solemn.

Although most people looked down on the Sword Controlling Technique thinking that it was a crude version of the Sword Steering Technique, it was an effective killing move for Xiantian Beings.

Qi Xuansu did not move much when another cold light shot out.

Compared with the Sword Steering Technique, the Sword Controlling Technique was less agile, but it was comparable in speed. The Martial Arts Practitioner was not an invincible Banished Immortal, so he dared not let his guard down, even though he had a strong physique.

The Martial Arts Practitioner suddenly leaned back to dodge the cold light. However, the sword qi still left a wound on his forehead and cut off a large lock of his hair. He knew that he would lose if he continued to be in a defensive position. Thus, he took the risk of having his hand pierced by the throwing knife to punch Qi Xuansu in the forehead, right between the eyebrows.

The gust from the Martial Arts Practitioner’s fist blew Qi Xuansu’s hair back. When his fist was only an inch away from Qi Xuansu’s forehead, Qi Xuansu leaned back, barely avoiding the punch.

He quickly drifted backward, but the Martial Arts Practitioner showed no mercy and followed him closely until they left the cover of the ancient temple and went under the rain.

Qi Xuansu stopped retreating and kicked his opponent. The Martial Arts Practitioner reached out to grab Qi Xuansu’s ankle, but the latter kicked him in the temple again. The two of them were once again in close combat.

Qi Xuansu’s advantage lay in his strong physique, while the Martial Arts Practitioner’s strength lay in his boxing skills. The two of them fought under the rain, scattering countless raindrops and creating a large blanket of fog that surrounded them.

When the two collided with each other, Qi Xuansu slid back, splashing mud everywhere. The Martial Arts Practitioner followed him like a shadow. Although his palms had been pierced through, his arms were still intact. He hammered Qi Xuansu fiercely with a force that could crack boulders.

After dozens of such exchanges, Qi Xuansu used the Martial Arts Practitioner’s punch to float back and distance himself from his opponent.

The Martial Arts Practitioner did not pursue Qi Xuansu this time and did not even speak because his blood qi was chaotic and his face was as pale as paper.

Although it seemed that the Martial Arts Practitioner had the upper hand, he could not defeat Qi Xuansu and could barely withstand the force of Qi Xuansu’s counterattack.

Qi Xuansu, on the other hand, exhaled gently. The surging blood flowed all over his body, making his face flush.

It was evident that the magical power of the Xuan Jade had increased Qi Xuansu’s combat power significantly.

Qi Xuansu changed to an offensive position and punched the Martial Arts Practitioner in the face, which was unbelievable.

The Martial Arts Practitioner stretched out his hand to block the punch and was about to fight back, but Qi Xuansu swung out his right palm, which he had gathered his qi into.

The Martial Arts Practitioner raised his hand to block the attack, but he did not anticipate a burst of qi from Qi Xuansu’s palm. Due to the force, the Martial Arts Practitioner’s palm and Qi Xuansu’s palm landed on the Martial Arts Practitioner’s chest at the same time. This force penetrated his body, and a series of cracks were audible.

Even a Martial Arts Practitioner in the Flesh and Blood Realm would have damaged internal organs from such an impact. It was not possible to recover from such injuries quickly.

Qi Xuansu wanted to keep his opponent alive for questioning. He took out the Divine Dragon Pistol and reloaded it. But unexpectedly, this Martial Arts Practitioner was extremely brave. Even with so many broken ribs, the Martial Arts Practitioner found a sudden burst of energy to grab Qi Xuansu’s right leg.

Startled, Qi Xuansu did not even bother to reload his gun and broke free from the man’s restraints by kicking him. However, this Martial Arts Practitioner was a good grappler. He extended his right arm to grab Qi Xuansu’s left leg, then rolled on the ground, bringing Qi Xuansu down with him.

At this moment, the Bhikkhu, who was seriously injured by Zhang Yuelu, walked out of the ancient temple and staggered toward Qi Xuansu with his sword in hand, looking like a zombie.

“Don’t blame me for killing you, since you’re seeking your own death.” Qi Xuansu was not a saint. He pulled out his spiritual short sword and stabbed the back of the Martial Arts Practitioner who was hugging his legs.

Even Desmond, the vampire leader, was killed with this sword, not to mention a Martial Arts Practitioner in the Yuxu stage. This Martial Arts Practitioner was stabbed in the heart, which was a vital organ for Martial Arts Practitioners. He died in an instant and no longer had the energy to hold Qi Xuansu’s legs.

Qi Xuansu kicked the Martial Arts Practitioner away, making the latter fly back, breaking his neck.

Seeing this, the Bhikkhu holding the sword quickly turned around and staggered back into the temple.

Qi Xuansu put away his short sword, Qing Yuan, before loading the Divine Dragon Pistol.

The Bhikkhu had just gotten to the door of the ancient temple when Qi Xuansu aimed the pistol at the back of his head. Qi Xuansu pressed down the hammer with his thumb and pulled the trigger with his index finger. Following the gunshot, a deep, bloody hole appeared on the back of the Bhikkhu’s head. The Bhikkhu fell face-first to the ground, dying instantly.

Qi Xuansu paused for a moment to reload the gun before strapping it to his waist. Then he pulled out Qing Yuan again.

At this moment, Zhang Yuelu, who had manifested a Spiritual Statue, crashed through the wall of the ancient temple with her back. The Qi Refiner and the Rogue Cultivator followed closely behind.

The three of them rushed into the dense forest outside the ancient temple. Zhang Yuelu tried to use the trees to block the flying swords, but the swords were so sharp that they cut down the thick tree trunks wherever the sword light passed.

Qi Xuansu did not rush to help Zhang Yuelu. Instead, he walked into the ancient temple first.

At this time, there were three other people in the ancient temple, namely the first Bhikkhu whom Qi Xuansu shot earlier, and the Martial Arts Practitioner and Diviner who were seriously injured by Zhang Yuelu.

Although the three of them were still alive, they had lost the strength to fight. They were all shocked when they saw Qi Xuansu entering the ancient temple with a sword in hand and a murderous look on his face.

The Martial Arts Practitioner, who was bleeding from all his orifices, was the least injured among the three. He immediately wanted to get up and run away, but Qi Xuansu did not give him a chance to escape.

Qi Xuansu stepped forward, grabbed the Martial Arts Practitioner’s back collar, and stabbed him in the back. The sword protruded from the front of the Martial Arts Practitioner’s chest, killing him instantly.

Seeing this scene, the other two injured assassins felt horrified even though they were accustomed to killing. After all, fighting to death and helplessly watching someone being slaughtered were completely different. They were flustered and frightened, with nowhere to run.

Qi Xuansu pushed away the Martial Arts Practitioner’s body and came to the weakest Diviner, who was stabbed by Zhang Yuelu earlier. At this time, he was almost dying, so Qi Xuansu stabbed him in the chest and twisted the sword into his heart, ending his life.

Immediately after, Qi Xuansu withdrew his sword and strode toward the injured Bhikkhu. The Bhikkhu stood up with a sudden burst of energy and barely managed to dodge Qi Xuansu’s sword.

Qi Xuansu tripped the Bhikkhu, reached out to grab the latter’s helmet, and pulled it back to expose the throat. With one clean cut, Qi Xuansu slit the Bhikkhu’s throat, killing him.

In the blink of an eye, only two out of the seven ambushers were left. They were both outside, fighting with Zhang Yuelu.

However, Qi Xuansu also knew that these two opponents were the most difficult to deal with, so he had to think of another way.