The sun shone brightly in a cloudless sky. The street bustled with people, as lively as ever.
In the Talisman Shop, Li An sat idly behind the counter, reading a book.
"Do you have any Breaking Talismans for sale?"
A customer stepped through the door, dressed in flowing robes, imposing and dignified. He smiled faintly at Li An.
Li An’s heart suddenly sank, but his expression didn’t change. He stood up warmly and said, "Breaking Talismans? Of course. What Grade are you looking for? And how many?"
As he spoke, he set down the book and personally went to pour tea. While doing so, he subtly tapped one of the jade teacups.
"Please, have some tea first..."
He respectfully offered the teacup with both hands.
A trace of mockery flashed through the middle-aged man's eyes. He had noticed the small trick but said nothing, merely replying indifferently, "No need. I want thirty Breaking Talismans. Do you have that many?"
"Certainly. However, I only have five here in the shop. The rest are in the storeroom. Would you mind waiting here—"
"No. I'll go with you."
A trace of hesitation flashed on Li An’s face, but he eventually nodded. “Very well.”
He immediately turned and quickly walked into the inner courtyard.
The middle-aged man followed at a leisurely pace.
Next door.
Ding ding ding!
In a hidden room, Jing Ao snapped open his eyes at the sound of the Spirit Bell.
"The demonic cultivator has entered—and made a move!"
His expression turned grim. The bell was triggered by activity inside the store.
"Surround him!"
He gave the order immediately.
At the same time, outside the market—
Boom!
A blast of black fire streaked across the sky, crashing down toward the city.
The market’s grand defensive array lit up in response, activating on its own.
Bang!
A massive explosion echoed across the heavens.
The entire marketplace erupted in panic.
"What happened?"
"Is the city under attack?"
"Who dares to strike?!"
"That black flame... It’s demonic cultivators! Again!”
The streets were in chaos as everyone looked skyward in terror.
Above, more than a dozen powerful demonic cultivators had appeared, each radiating a terrifying aura.
One among them wore a horse-faced mask, exuding overwhelming might.
“Horse Face of Death!”
“It’s him again!”
“He’s back... Are we done for this time?!”
Cries of alarm rose from all around.
"Horse Face of Death! How dare you trespass here!"
The voice of Foundation Establishment cultivator Yu Xiong rang out as his figure appeared in the sky, commanding the grand array and confronting the attackers.
"It really is a Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator… It’s really him?!"
The moment they clashed, Yu Xiong was shocked.
He couldn't help but think:
According to the sect’s intelligence, wasn’t Horse Face of Death supposed to be targeting the convoy?
Why is he here at the market?
Has the plan gone awry?!
Meanwhile, miles away on a mountain path—
A convoy was slowly making its way along the trail. The horses pulling the carts were mid-grade First-Rank Scale Horses. The team included a Foundation Establishment cultivator as well.
But just as they rounded a bend—
Boom!
A series of explosions erupted on the road ahead, and waves of black demonic qi surged forth.
Rumble!
Ambushing demonic cultivators sprang into action.
Among them was a figure emanating Foundation Establishment aura—also wearing a horse-faced mask.
“Horse Face of Death?!”
The cultivator escorting the convoy roared in shock.
Back at Market—
The defensive array trembled from the assaults above.
In the garden behind the Talisman Shop, just as he stepped into the inner courtyard, Li An suddenly burst into action like a spirit leopard. He leapt forward, kicking over a flowerpot!
Two talismans flew out at once!
First-Rank High-Grade Talismans—Explosive Flame Talismans!
Two fireballs erupted in front of the middle-aged man.
But he merely sneered, raised a hand, and effortlessly dispersed the fireballs as if they were mere sparks.
A Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator?!
Li An’s heart dropped. His face changed.
He had expected, at worst, a Peak Qi Refining enemy.
After all, in this region, the only known Foundation Establishment-level demonic cultivator from the Yin-Yang Demonic Sect was Horse Face of Death.
Could it be—Horse Face of Death had come here, instead of targeting the convoy?
Impossible…
But then a terrifying realization struck Li An—
All his calculations had been based on the assumption that Horse Face of Death still needed that Third-Grade spirit herb.
But what if he already had it?
Then, Li An, as a heart demon, would become the true target—and the spirit herb would be secondary!
This flipped the entire situation.
Yet despite the dread, Li An felt a surge of courage.
He had reached the Core Formation Realm in his past life, having weathered countless life-and-death trials. Though he preferred cautious cultivation, he wasn’t one to cower before unavoidable danger.
He suddenly stopped running and roared, “Demonic cultivator! Today, you die!”
Gritting his teeth, he threw two more talismans and charged at the man.
The middle-aged man didn’t even glance at him. He simply raised a hand and slapped.
The talisman waves were instantly dispelled.
Li An was smacked through the air, crashing into flowerpots, coughing up blood. His face went pale. He tried to get up, but everything went black—and he fainted.
“You blackhearted talisman master. After what you did to me back then, a quick death would be too kind!”
The man sneered coldly.
But just then—
“Hmph. So you’ve finally arrived!”
A voice rang out.
The man turned and saw Jing Ao entering the courtyard with his men.
He stood confidently, arms behind his back, lips curled in a smirk.
“So Horse Face of Death has more Foundation Establishment subordinates than we thought… All the better. Killing you will make our merits even greater.”
His eyes glinted with smug triumph.
“An ambush… Of course.”
The middle-aged man wasn’t the least bit afraid.
But then his tone turned mocking:
“And yet… the Clear Sun Sect sends a greenhorn like you to stop me? Heh… Since you’re so arrogant, I’ll make sure to slice you into mince and feed you to the dogs!”
“Big talk!”
Jing Ao snapped. “Attack!”
At his command, four Qi Refining Peak disciples closed in from four directions.
Each wielded a Second-Rank Artifact.
Jing Ao himself drew a spear—also a Second-Rank Artifact—and lunged forward, golden flames bursting from its tip.
“Die!”
But the man looked at them with disdain and said calmly, “You? Kill me?”
With a wave of his hand, black demonic qi erupted!
“Something’s wrong…”
All four peak-stage disciples suddenly turned pale. It felt like flames were surging in their bodies, their spiritual energy went haywire, and they vomited blood.
Blue venom tainted their blood.
“You… poisoned us?!”
Jing Ao was horrified. He too felt searing pain in his body. His hands trembled so badly he nearly dropped his spear.
“You really thought that pathetic little Spirit Bell would fool me?”
The man sneered.
From the moment Li An touched the jade teacup, he’d known it was a trap.
So he had already activated a secret poison from the Yin-Yang Demonic Sect.
The poison was colorless and tasteless, and only activated after inhaling demonic qi—allowing it to go undetected.
The hunters… had become prey!
“Clear Sun Sect scum—die!!”
The man dashed forward, claws like blades.
He swept past the four disciples, bursting each of their throats with a single strike—killing them instantly!
He then appeared right in front of Jing Ao.
Claws aimed directly at his heart!
“Senior Brother, help me!!”
Jing Ao screamed in terror.
A protective artifact flared on his body, barely fending off the blow. Even so, he was sent flying, crashing into the ground, motionless.
“Stop!”
A cold voice rang out from outside.
Another Clear Sun Sect cultivator strode in—a middle-aged man.
“Senior Brother! Be careful—he’s poisoned us! Don’t breathe!”
Jing Ao warned him with effort.
The man nodded. He had been observing the battle from the start and knew what had happened.
“Demonic cultivator tricks… But today, you die!”
He said coldly, “The one who’ll kill you—Han Zhong, Chief Inner Disciple of the Clear Sun Sect!”
Han Zhong!
A renowned name within the sect.
A mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, only one step from Elder status!
So… he had been stationed here all along!
The middle-aged demonic cultivator burst into laughter.
“Now this is interesting. Alright, no more games. I’ll introduce myself too. Your killer—Horse Face of Death!”
His face twisted with menace, and a bone banner appeared in his hand!
The moment Han Zhong saw it, his expression changed drastically.
“Horse Face of Death?!”
…
(End of Chapter)