Chapter 346 - 328: Aura of Death

The journey from Great Rong City to the Wei Kingdom True Hall was about 700,000 li. A Pseudo-Flying Spirit Beast could cover that distance in just two days, but it would take Zhaang Ye four.

After flying for more than 100,000 li, Zhaang Ye suddenly felt as if he were being watched. He was startled and secretly scanned his surroundings as he flew. Finally, his gaze drifted upward.

Zhaang Ye focused his vision and saw several fist-sized birds flying faintly, thousands of feet high in the sky. Their bodies were a vibrant cyan, blending in perfectly with the sky. If he hadn’t looked carefully, he would have never been able to spot them.

’Just as I thought, I’m being watched!’ A glint flashed in Zhaang Ye’s eyes as he abruptly increased his speed.

But the birds were much faster than him. No matter how fast he flew, they followed leisurely, looking as if they weren’t even trying.

’Birds are creatures born to fly, after all. No matter how fast a man flies, he can’t outpace them.’ Zhaang Ye flew for a while longer, but seeing that he couldn’t shake them, he couldn’t help but shake his head as he quickly tried to think of a solution.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhaang Ye suddenly landed on a mountain peak. The peak was covered in towering trees, with a waterfall thundering down its side. The mountain wind whistled, carrying the roars of an unknown number of Fierce Beasts hidden within the forest.

The moment Zhaang Ye’s figure landed on this mountain peak, he immediately disappeared from sight.

When the birds in the sky saw Zhaang Ye disappear, they chirped a few times before slowly descending, cautiously searching for any sign of him.

Ten thousand feet, six thousand, three thousand... nine hundred, three hundred. The birds flew lower and lower, finally landing on a towering tree and chirping softly.

BOOM!

The moment the birds landed on the tree, several Tornadoes materialized out of thin air, descending upon them with lightning speed!

CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP!

The birds reacted with incredible speed. The moment the Tornadoes appeared, they shot into the sky. But as fast as they were, they couldn’t escape the attack. A terrifying Devouring Power erupted from the whirlwinds, instantly sucking in the lightning-fast birds. In a flash, the sky was filled with drifting feathers.

CHIRP, CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP!

Out of the six or seven birds, only a single, slender cyan bird managed to escape the Devouring Power of the Tornadoes with its incredible speed. It shrieked as it flew into the sky and vanished from sight.

’A pity. What a shame!’ Zhaang Ye suddenly appeared at the top of the tree, watching the bird flee with a sense of regret. He had landed on the ground intending to use his overwhelming strength to wipe out all the spying birds in one fell swoop, but he never expected one to get away.

’Even though that bird escaped, it must have been injured by the Devouring Power of the Tornado. Hopefully, it won’t be able to spy on me anymore.’ With that thought, Zhaang Ye activated his Body Technique and continued on his way.

Zhaang Ye had killed six of the birds in his sudden attack. The last one was perhaps frightened witless, because for the next full day, not a single bird was seen spying on him from the sky.

But on the second day, Zhaang Ye suddenly discovered several more cyan birds in the sky, tailing him closely. He couldn’t shake them no matter what he tried.

Spied on again!

Fuming internally, Zhaang Ye landed on the ground again, planning to lure the birds down and kill them. But to his surprise, not a single one descended. They merely circled high in the sky, keeping a close watch on the movements below, causing his plan to fall through.

He couldn’t shake them, and he couldn’t kill them. Knowing he was being spied on but being utterly helpless to stop it left Zhaang Ye deeply frustrated.

’Fine, let them watch.’ Zhaang Ye decided ruthlessly. ’With my strength, not even an expert at the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer can do anything to me. Time is short, so I’d better focus on my journey!’

Having come to this conclusion, Zhaang Ye couldn’t be bothered with the birds anymore. He simply put his head down and focused on his journey, hoping to get back to the Wei Kingdom True Hall as quickly as possible.

After flying like this for over twenty thousand li, the birds tailing him from above suddenly started to cry out. Zhaang Ye looked up ahead and saw eight figures appear on the horizon, flying straight toward him.

The eight figures were incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, they had flown to a spot a thousand feet in front of Zhaang Ye, revealing themselves to be eight Martial Artists brimming with killing intent.

Zhaang Ye’s gaze swept over them. The man in the lead was short and scrawny, his face ashen. His eyes were dull and lifeless. He looked like a pauper who hadn’t eaten in a year, or perhaps a skeleton that had been dead for just as long.

Behind this skeleton-like man stood seven men in red. They were all heavily built with sharp, electric gazes. Each of them held a thirty-foot-long Cold Iron Halberd, and the killing intent pouring from the weapons seemed to freeze the very air.

"GAK GAK GAK GAK GAK!" The skeleton-like man sized up Zhaang Ye with his dull, yellow eyes and let out a bizarre cackle, revealing a set of ghastly white teeth. In a hoarse voice, he said, "You must be Zhaang Ye. A moment ago, you killed six of my precious Lightning Cyan Birds. For that, I’m going to tear you into six pieces and drink every last drop of your blood."

Zhaang Ye’s expression remained unchanged. "And who might you be?" he asked in a low voice.

The skeleton-like man looked unremarkable, but the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi faintly swirling around him revealed him to be a powerful expert, one that even Zhaang Ye dared not take lightly.

The skeleton-like man didn’t answer. His dull, yellow eyes fixed on Zhaang Ye as he said sinisterly, "A man about to die has no need to know my name."

Zhaang Ye sneered. "I know who you are even if you don’t tell me. You must be Fu Qingyun, the first disciple of Fu Yuguang, the Great Hall Master of the Moon Country True Hall. I heard you’ve already cultivated a strand of Innate True Qi. I was picturing some handsome, jade-like figure, not a short, hideously ugly skeleton."

Before Zhaang Ye’s voice had even faded, the skeleton-man’s face twisted in rage. A vast killing intent erupted from his body. "You’re at death’s door and still trying to gain the upper hand with words!" he snarled. "If that’s how you want it, then I’ll just tear you to shreds a little faster..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a dark figure flashed before him, and a brilliant golden palm chopped down at his head!

As it turned out, Zhaang Ye had no intention of wasting words with the skeleton-man. While his opponent was still talking, he had crossed the thousand-foot distance in an instant and launched the first attack.

RUMBLE!

Zhaang Ye’s palm strike came down like a thunderclap on a clear day. The air around it exploded, sending visible shockwaves expanding rapidly in all directions. It was as if the very void was being torn asunder by his hand!

"Junior, you’re courting death!"

Seeing Zhaang Ye actually attack first, the skeleton-man shrieked. His emaciated, skeletal frame suddenly bulged as a vast power erupted from within his small body. His own palm shot out like lightning to meet Zhaang Ye’s head-on!

BOOM!

A sharp power, thick with the aura of death, exploded outward. Even with his formidable strength, Zhaang Ye was blasted back over a hundred feet by the terrifying force, and a wave of discomfort washed over him.

’Hm? This power contains a deathly aura! Fu Qingyun is actually cultivating death energy!’ Zhaang Ye was slightly taken aback and immediately grew vigilant. ’Practitioners of such unorthodox Cultivation Techniques are generally more formidable than ordinary Martial Artists. Since Fu Qingyun cultivates the power of a deathly aura, his combat strength must be greater than that of an ordinary expert at the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer.’

Zhaang Ye had been repelled in a single blow. Just as he was about to launch another attack, a tangible wave of killing intent surged toward him. It was vast and boundless, like the waters of the ocean, and it enveloped him completely, sending an icy chill through his entire body.

This killing intent came from the seven red-clothed men. At some point, they had formed a profound battle formation. With their Cold Iron Halberds pointed forward, their endless killing intent locked down an area of several hundred feet, and even someone with Zhaang Ye’s formidable strength didn’t dare to act rashly.

"GAK GAK GAK GAK!"

A hideously ugly smile spread across Fu Qingyun’s skeletal face. His withered arm reached behind his back, and a jet-black, short staff appeared in his hand. "Zhaang Ye," he said grimly, "it’s not bad that you could take a blow from me and remain uninjured. But compared to me, you are still far too weak. I will kill you within three strikes of this staff!"

The moment Fu Qingyun finished speaking, wisps of black, deathly aura began to emerge from his body. The aura surged forth like a tidal wave, plunging the area within a thousand feet into pitch-black darkness. It was a soul-chilling miasma, and even with his exceptional strength, Zhaang Ye felt an unprecedented pressure.

As the deathly aura churned, the jet-black staff struck out at Zhaang Ye without a sound. It was a simple strike, but combined with the endless deathly aura, it held the power to move mountains and part seas.

A grave expression flashed in Zhaang Ye’s eyes. ’This Fu Qingyun is incredibly strong!’ he thought. ’With his power, plus the seven men in red, I’m at an absolute disadvantage. My life is in danger. To win this fight, it seems my only option is to find a way to take Fu Qingyun out of the picture first!’

With that thought, the Dragon Elephant Power in Zhaang Ye’s body began to circulate wildly, and his palm began to glow like the sun. Then, his hand shot out, his five fingers like five dragons, clamping down firmly on Fu Qingyun’s short staff!

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I’d like to recommend a friend’s masterpiece, *Immortal Divine Emperor*. The author, Qi Yue Huo, previously wrote an extremely brilliant fantasy novel, *Star Emperor*. If you’re looking for something new to read, you definitely don’t want to miss it! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)