Supreme Sword Exalt

Gu Han glanced over briefly, then withdrew his gaze and continued on his way.

Having known Liu Ying since childhood, he was well aware of her character. Beneath her unparalleled beauty laid a heart as cold and ruthless as it was devoid of empathy or sentiment.

Although Liu Ying was beautiful, in his heart, she could not compare to even a fraction of Ah Sha’s radiance.

Once, one of them was Tianwu City’s greatest genius. The other was Tianwu City’s most beautiful girl.

Everyone thought they were a pair. Even City Lord Liu Yan seemed intent on bringing them together. She even took the initiative to establish a deep friendship with Gu Han.

But of course, all this was before Gu Han was crippled.

“Hmm?” Her expression was caught by the man beside her. “What’s this? Do you know him?”

“Not really.” Liu Ying shook her head, as though unwilling to elaborate on Gu Han. “But as a person of such noble status, it’s quite unexpected for you to visit a humble place like Tianwu City, Seventh Prince.”

“Cough, cough...” The Seventh Prince coughed a few times.

“Tianwu City may be small, but the Wild Forest stretches for thousands of miles. Its abundance of spirit materials and precious herbs is unmatched. Since Elder Xue is here seeking medicine... cough, cough, I simply tagged along to see the excitement.”

“Elder Xue? Could it be the renowned Divine Physician Xue?”

Liu Ying’s composure finally broke. Divine Physician Xue was widely acclaimed throughout the Great Qi Dynasty for his profound cultivation, extraordinary medical skills, and gentle, benevolent nature.

“Indeed.” The Seventh Prince coughed a few more times, his face sickly pale. “The one and only.”

As he spoke, his deep and somber gaze turned toward the direction of the Wild Forest.

Let’s hope that Elder Xue finds a way this time. The cold poison within him had left him with no more time to spare.

***

As night approached, Gu Han pressed forward while carefully attuning himself to the changes within his body.

Although his cultivation had regressed to the fourth stage of Qi Condensation, the miraculous nature of his newly reborn meridians had also significantly refined the spirit qi within him.

Naturally, the strength he could exert now far surpassed that of an ordinary fourth-stage Qi Condensation cultivator!

“Roar!”

Suddenly, a beastly roar resounded not far ahead. This made Gu Han freeze in his tracks. A demonic beast!

The next moment, a ferocious demonic wolf over three meters tall appeared before him!

Its eyes gleamed with bloodlust and savagery. Its saliva was dripping from its fangs as it locked its gaze onto Gu Han.

A Tier 1 demonic beast!

Just like humans, demonic beasts also had their own tiers of cultivation, although they were just known as Tier 1, Tier 2, and so on. These tiers were equivalent to the realms of human cultivation.

It was said that if a demonic beast evolved to higher tiers, it could take on a human form, becoming part of the demonic race. In addition to their innate talents rooted in their bloodline, such beings could also cultivate human secret techniques to become immensely powerful.

Of course, Gu Han had never witnessed such beings. The highest-tier demonic beast he had encountered in the Wild Forest was a Tier 3 one, which matched the Acupoint Unsealing Realm of the human race.

“Roar!”

The demonic wolf let out another roar, its figure turning into a blur as it lunged at Gu Han!

“Ah!” Ah Sha was startled awake and cried out in panic. “Young master, be careful!”

“Don’t worry!” Gu Han replied calmly, “Hold on tight!”

As he spoke, he raised the sword in his hand and slashed directly at the charging demonic wolf. A flash appeared on the blade, and a faint and almost imperceptible light streaked across its edge.

Before the demon wolf could even let out a whimper, it was sliced cleanly in half by the sword. The cut was extremely smooth, like a polished mirror!

Gu Han lifted his sword and studied the pitted blade thoughtfully.

This broken sword was found beside him when Gu Tian rescued him all those years ago. It was the only clue to his origins. Thus, he had always regarded it as a precious treasure, and never let it leave his side.

And just now, the spirit qi within him had faintly resonated with the sword! The truth could not have been clearer. The Great Evolution Sword Scripture had been hidden inside this sword all along!

And that golden seal...

“Young master....” Ah Sha’s face was full of astonishment as she clung to his back. “You were amazing just now!”

“Was I?”

Gu Han snapped out of his thoughts and gently ruffled her hair with a warm smile.

“You must be hungry. Let me... hmm?”

As he was about to tend to the demonic wolf’s corpse, his expression suddenly shifted. He placed Ah Sha down gently, then looked into the distance with his icy gaze.

“Come on out!”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” A mocking voice rang out. “It seems that the pill I gave you worked wonders, Young Master Gu. I wonder how you plan to repay me?”

As the voice fell, a plump figure stepped out from the shadows. It was none other than the shopkeeper from the pill store that Ah Sha had met earlier in the day!

“Eh? It’s you?”Ah Sha immediately recognized him.

“Ah Sha, do you know him?”

“Yes!” Ah Sha seemed rather happy to see him. “Young Master, he’s a good man. He’s the one who gave me that pill...”

As she was completely oblivious to what happened, she recounted the events of the day with excitement, as if this man had truly helped her.

“I see.” Gu Han’s eyes narrowed coldly. “To think you’d even stoop down to deceiving Ah Sha... You’re a real scumbag!”

“Hehe.” The shopkeeper remained unfazed.

“With what you’ve done, are you really in any position to judge me? I didn’t expect that a cripple like you would be able to keep something as precious as demonic beast cores hidden. Hand over the rest of the beast cores now, and I might consider sparing your life. If not...”

As he spoke, he began getting closer. The aura of an eighth-stage Qi Condensation cultivator was radiating from him!

Everyone in Tianwu City knew that Gu Han had been crippled. Confident in his advantage, the shopkeeper was utterly fearless.

“You want the beast cores?” Gu Han’s eyes burned with murderous intent. “Then pay for them with your life!”

Gu Tian and Ah Sha were the only two people Gu Han cherished in this world. To harm them was to provoke his deepest fury and murderous intent!

“You want to trade lives?” The plump shopkeeper sneered while moving toward Gu Han with shocking speed that belied his size. “Then I’ll grant your wish!”

Opposite him, Gu Han pushed his limited spirit qi to its absolute peak, and a faint light flickered on his sword’s dark blade. In an instant, the two figures passed each other!

“You...”

The shopkeeper froze. A thin line of blood rapidly spread across his neck before he collapsed forward, unable to utter a single word.

Behind him, Gu Han swayed slightly.

He hadn’t fully recovered yet, and crossing four small realms to kill his opponent in one strike had pushed him to his limit, leaving him significantly drained.

“Young master!” Ah Sha’s face was full of worry. “Are you okay?”

“Let’s go!”

Without delay, Gu Han retrieved the beast core of the demonic wolf and searched the shopkeeper’s corpse for valuables. He then pressed deeper into the Wild Forest, still carrying Ah Sha on his back.

He knew full well that the plump shopkeeper would not be the only one targeting him.

***

A good while passed after Gu Han’s departure; night fell, and the corpses lying in the wilderness attracted a flock of vultures eager for a meal.

Suddenly, the vultures scattered in all directions, and from the darkness, a dozen figures quickly approached.

“Commander Gu!”

One man examined the bodies of both the shopkeeper and the demonic wolf before turning to his superior.

“The cuts are smooth, just like the wounds of Qian Fu and the others! It’s him!”

Commander Gu’s gaze turned toward the depths of the Wild Forest.

“He’s definitely hiding in there. After him!”

“Commander, the Wild Forest is vast and teeming with demonic beasts. With just our numbers...”

“We’ll pursue him anyway!” Commander Gu took a deep breath. “Have you forgotten the young lord’s orders? Once we find him, there’s no need to hold back. Just kill him on sight!”

“Yes, sir!”

***

The Wild Forest was practically boundless. Even its outer regions were covered in dense foliage overlooked by mountains, and they were crawling with demonic beasts and venomous insects. Every year, countless cultivators lost their lives here.

The deeper one ventured, the greater the danger. As for the innermost regions, no one knew what lay within. Perhaps some had ventured there, but none had ever returned alive.

Of course, it was precisely because of this heaven-blessed, unique environment that the Wild Forest produced countless spirit materials, precious herbs and minerals.

Despite the risks, countless rogue cultivators came here hoping to strike it rich. Even if they couldn’t find spirit herbs, the beast cores alone were worth a fortune.

***

In a secluded part of the forest, Gu Han casually killed another tier 1 demonic beast and claimed its lair as his own. He then carefully set Ah Sha down.

“Young master,” Ah Sha winced in pain, tears streaming down her face. “It hurts so much...”

“Silly girl.” Gu Han’s heart ached as he smiled at her.

She had carried him so far without a word of complaint. But now that they were temporarily safe, her naturally delicate nature began to show.

“Wait here. I’ll treat your wounds right away... Hmm?”

Suddenly, he frowned.

“Young master, what’s wrong?”

“Someone’s talking.”

“I... I don’t hear anything...”

“There is someone!”

As a cultivator, Gu Han’s hearing far surpassed that of ordinary people. He focused his senses with all his might.

“It sounds like someone’s cursing! Damn it!”

As he realized the source of the voice, his face darkened. That voice...was coming from his own mind!