Chapter 55: One Against Four

As they had just separated, it was inconvenient to act immediately. It was a good opportunity to take these few people for a stroll around the palace complex. While searching for opportune locations or treasures, he could also get a clear understanding of the underground palace's situation.

Perhaps there were even formations or restrictions he could leverage.

Of course, it didn't matter if there weren't any such aids. He was confident he could eliminate these four individuals. Although his cultivation had not yet reached an invincible state, few in the Qi Refining realm were truly his match.

His perfected spells and secret techniques all contributed to his formidable combat power.

Especially the power he had gained after reattaching his severed limb completely transcended a previous level. If not now, when was the time to unleash it?!

Three incense sticks later.

The moment he swept past a palace corner, Wang Yu, hidden in the shadows, fully activated the Night Stealth Charm. His presence instantly vanished, and his entire being seemed to transform into shadow, achieving a visual invisibility effect.

He pressed tightly against the palace wall, even holding his breath. In just a moment, Su Qingshan and the three others rushed around the corner, their faces grim.

"That crafty brat, how can he run so fast!"

"And his presence has vanished."

"Did we lose him?"

Su Qingshan's face darkened. As he turned his head to speak, his pupils constricted. Known in the outer sect for his combat prowess, he suddenly felt a prickle on his skin, an intensely dangerous sensation originating from his neck.

He immediately flew backward, simultaneously conjuring a top-grade magical artifact in the shape of an ice-blue longsword, holding it upright in front of him as a defensive measure.

The next instant, his pupils constricted even further.

A colossal ice sword, nearly three zhang (ten meters) long, swept toward them, aimed directly at their heads. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the sword's hilt.

It was Wang Yu, wielding the sword with his left hand and swinging it with tremendous force.

This was another manifestation of the perfected Ice Sword Art, consolidating dispersed ice into a single form, its power far exceeding that of ordinary top-grade spells.

Some reacted in time, falling backward to dodge, but their chests were still covered with patches of frost.

Others, touching their toes to the ground, performed exquisite movement techniques to also evade the sudden assault.

However, one Qi Refining level 7 cultivator, in a panic, chose to resist like Su Qingshan, summoning a middle-grade blade-type magical artifact.

Then, everyone witnessed a horrifying scene.

The colossal ice sword was unstoppable; it shattered the precious blade, and the cultivator exploded into a mist of blood, scattering numerous body parts and organs. The sheer power was utterly horrifying!

"Cough, cough—"

Su Qingshan, who had used his artifact to resist, knelt on one knee, coughing up a few mouthfuls of blood, and stared at Wang Yu with a wary expression.

He could roughly guess how Xu Jiaojiao had died.

It was clearly a clash of strength where one side made a single misstep. Besides his wariness, greed also welled up within him for Wang Yu's left hand. Its abnormal swelling and potent corpse energy strongly resembled a unique magical artifact.

"This young man is exerting his full power; his stability must be insufficient."

"Attack!"

The cultivator with exquisite movement techniques left trails of afterimages as he lifted his leg and swept it horizontally, kicking out a visible nine-foot *Bugang*, like the autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves.

This was a body-refining spell unique to Savage Ghost Peak:

Rending Wind Bugang.

The Spirit Reversing Blood Sect wasn't entirely composed of dark cultivation methods; it also possessed normal techniques. As the attack approached, Wang Yu swayed, instantly splitting into three figures that rapidly dispersed.

The perfected Illusionary Step was so realistic it blurred the line between truth and deception. One figure actively met and withstood the force of the Rending Wind, while the other illusions flitted like butterflies, closing in on the opponent.

In an instant.

Wang Yu's left hand seized the kicking leg. With a shake of brute force, there were several snapping sounds as bones dislocated, and he slammed the person into the ground.

*Splat—*

The cultivator was directly smashed into three segments, his upper body pulverized into a bloody mess. Such ferocity made everyone gasp in shock!

The one with the frozen chest felt a surge of fear, and when Wang Yu's dark, greenish eyes swept over him, his legs trembled, and he instinctively wanted to retreat.

"Die!"

Just then, Su Qingshan, wielding his ice-blue longsword, brought it down with full force. Under the enhancement of spiritual energy, the artifact emitted a shimmering wave, surprisingly sharing the same profound principles as the Ice Sword Art.

A gigantic ice sword chopped down from behind. Wang Yu's previous strength was exhausted, and new strength had yet to form. Driven by his spiritual sense, he summoned the bronze bell artifact, a spoil of war he had refined earlier.

*Dong—*

The ice sword collided with the bronze bell, emitting a clang of metal against metal. Both were top-grade magical artifacts, but Wang Yu's cultivation was weaker, and in a direct clash, he was actually suppressed by Su Qingshan, forcing him to his knees.

Su Qingshan exclaimed with delight, "Brother Zhicai, attack quickly!"

Xi Zhicai, who had initially intended to flee, saw Wang Yu struggling to resist, and greed stirred in his heart once more. He hesitated for a moment before suddenly making his move.

He was from the inner sect of Evil God Peak. As he channeled his energy, his forehead became covered with eerie black patterns, and a vertical pupil seemed to open, emitting a beam of dark light directly toward Wang Yu.

Wang Yu's pupils also constricted. Although he hadn't been in the Spirit Reversing Blood Sect for long, he couldn't claim to have a thorough understanding of the nine peaks' inheritances.

However, having lived in the Evil God Market for a long time, he did have some understanding of Evil God Peak. This peak's inheritance primarily focused on spiritual sense, cultivating Yin ghosts into ghost gods, whom they reverently called Evil Gods.

They could utilize the Evil God's abilities while in human form, specializing in attacking cultivators' spiritual senses.

Spiritual sense was notoriously difficult to cultivate; typically, Foundation Establishment cultivators would consciously begin to enhance theirs. However, Evil God Peak's profound inheritance allowed for spiritual sense cultivation from the Qi Refining realm, which consequently made its entry difficulty exceptionally high.

Without natural talent in this path, it was very difficult to cultivate to a profound level.

This was also one of the reasons why the peak did not have a Nascent Soul cultivator overseeing it.

Apart from the increase in his spiritual sense during alchemy, Wang Yu had no other foundation in this area. This person had just struck his precise weakness.

Seeing the black light approaching, Wang Yu gritted his teeth and braced himself.

The moment his single palm slapped the ground, his entire body shifted horizontally. Although he dodged the black light beam, the bronze bell was struck flying by Su Qingshan's sword. A large number of ice crystals appeared out of thin air, freezing it instantly.

The opportunity was fleeting. Su Qingshan immediately pursued him, chopping down with his sword once more. The sword gleamed with cold light, and ten-foot-long qi blades continuously materialized.

Wang Yu blocked with his left arm. The mountain-ridged iron armor inherent to his divine strength Corpse Arm screeched as it was struck, allowing him to once again witness the effectiveness of his second-tier Armored Corpse Arm.

Seeing that he was proving difficult to take down quickly, Su Qingshan grew anxious.

Back then, dealing with a Qi Refining level 8 cultivator as a Qi Refining level 6 hadn't been this difficult. Yet now, he was a Qi Refining level 8 cultivator himself, and he still couldn't take down a mere Qi Refining level 5.

He immediately blurted out, "Brother Zhicai, what are you doing?!"

*Boom—*

After a clash, the two separated, retreating a considerable distance.

Su Qingshan's pupils constricted, and he looked incredulously behind Wang Yu. It turned out Xi Zhicai had been trapped and killed by an ice coffin, impaled by three thick ice spears that pierced through the coffin, leaving him drenched in crimson.

"When did this happen...?"

"It happened during our clash and my defense. Senior Brother Qingshan, you didn't actually think I was completely suppressed by you just now, did you?"

Covering his mouth with his sleeve, he swallowed a top-grade Spirit Recovery Pill.

The spiritual energy consumed by repeatedly using top-grade spells rapidly replenished. Wang Yu once again summoned multiple illusory figures, spreading them out in all directions. His right hand formed a spell seal, and hundreds of hiltless ice swords shot forth.

Su Qingshan swept his sword, shattering all the ice swords. With a grim face, he declared, "Don't get complacent. I, Su, am renowned in the outer sect. How could a mere Qi Refining level 5 like you be my match?"

"Profound Yin Hand!"