Chapter 892: Ambush

Qie Ku was actually somewhat uneasy inside.

When he reached the fifth step of his Dao, his accumulation was already sufficient, and he had even found a half-premium Dao vein in the Ten Thousand Dao Mountains.

Logically, he could have attained the sixth step at any time.

What frustrated him was that no matter how hard he tried, his understanding of the sixth step of the Dao was always just a little short.

But if he wished to force himself into the sixth step, he could succeed by relying on this half-premium Dao vein.

Whether among the Tianmeng tribe or among the human race.

Many people did exactly that.

Yet Qie Ku had never done it; not only had he never done it, he deeply despised those who did.

He knew clearly that on the newly regenerated universe, the laws of heaven and earth were weak.

Not just weak—they were also hollow.

Even if you comprehended the seventh step, after attaining it, you'd find it still fell far short of your expectations.

Many within this universe couldn't understand why, but Qie Ku, as a survivor from the original universe, understood perfectly well.

Such a Dao, even if attained, was far weaker than the same-level cultivators before the Great Calamity.

It was a matter of understanding and mastery over the heavenly and earthly Dao principles.

Qie Ku, when attaining the Dao, would naturally seek the supreme Dao—how could he settle for less?

So he had not rushed to break through to the sixth step; at least until he comprehended the exact Dao principle he desired, he would not choose to break through.

Even the half-premium Dao vein he had obtained, Qie Ku was unwilling to extract it; instead, he had set up concealment seals and spirit-binding seals right here.

When one day he finally comprehended his true sixth-step Dao, he would return here to break through to the sixth step.

Qie Ku himself had never imagined that the sixth step he had long failed to comprehend would suddenly become clear the moment he sensed the divine Dao resonance left behind by Ding Huan's one slash.

Qie Ku knew clearly he should not use Ding Huan's divine Dao resonance to break through to the sixth step.

If he did, he would never again be Ding Huan's equal in the same realm.

But Qie Ku might never attain such a powerful sixth step again.

After hesitating for only half a day, Qie Ku decided—he would use Ding Huan's divine Dao resonance to attain the sixth step.

This opportunity might come only once; if he missed it today, what about tomorrow?

That human cultivator might be strong, but he had not yet stepped into the fourth realm.

As long as his own realm far surpassed the other's, he need not fear being ambushed by Ding Huan.

Though Qie Ku had made his decision, he still layered heavy protections around his meditation chamber, and even used his strongest defensive treasure—the Xuan Zhou Umbrella.

The Xuan Zhou Umbrella's rank was not high—it was merely a primordial treasure.

But this primordial treasure had one unique trait: it could merge with one's own Dao resonance to protect the surrounding space.

Only someone who had mastered spatial laws to the extreme could detect it.

Even if someone discovered his Xuan Zhou Umbrella and tried to tear through its defense to ambush him, it would still alert him.

Qie Ku was so cautious because he understood why the human cultivator had left that Dao trace on him.

It was certainly not to help him attain the sixth step—it was because the other was targeting him.

So Qie Ku decided: the moment he attained the sixth step of the Dao, he would immediately return to the Tianmeng tribe.

The Dao vein he had obtained in the Ten Thousand Dao Mountains was enough for his cultivation—he had no reason to stay here and be watched by that terrifying human cultivator.

At this moment, Ling Zhuzhen was hiding just outside Qie Ku's meditation seals.

He had already sensed all of Qie Ku's protective arrays and warning seals.

They didn't matter—he could tear through them in the shortest time and launch his ambush.

Ling Zhuzhen knew clearly: he had only one chance.

The Po Yu Banner in his hand was not the best ambush treasure, but it was perfectly suited here.

The Po Yu Banner naturally possessed the ability to break seals, and his understanding of heavenly and earthly Dao prohibitions far surpassed that of the target he intended to ambush.

So Ling Zhuzhen had a ninety percent chance of severely wounding the Tianmeng cultivator—or even killing him with a single strike.

As long as he wounded the opponent, even if he couldn't kill him outright, the ambush would have succeeded.

He believed Ding Huan would absolutely not do nothing.

Based on his understanding of Ding Huan, Qie Ku would not escape this time.

Qie Ku was currently comprehending and refining his sixth-step Dao, and had not noticed Ling Zhuzhen lurking nearby.

He was not Ding Huan—he could not sense even the slightest Dao fluctuation around him.

Ling Zhuzhen dared not gather killing momentum through the Po Yu Banner; he knew that if he summoned power through his treasure, he would surely be detected.

So after preparing, the Po Yu Banner merely unleashed Ling Zhuzhen's full Yuan force in one explosive strike, with no reserve at all.

Even though Ling Zhuzhen had not gathered momentum, the full-force ambush with the Po Yu Banner still caused Qie Ku to sense it immediately.

The fierce killing intent poured over him like icy cold water drenched from above.

Without a moment's thought, Qie Ku surged outward in a frenzy.

Before his meditation, he had long prepared for ambushes, so his preparations were extremely thorough.

Thus, when ambushed, his first instinct was to flee as he had planned.

Before going into closed-door cultivation, he had long taken precautions against a sneak attack, so his preparations were extremely thorough.

So when he was indeed ambushed now, his first instinct was to follow his own plan and flee at once.

Qie Ku's protective arrays and defense seals shattered like eggshells under Ling Zhuzhen's Po Yu Banner ambush.

The Po Yu Banner, surging with violent killing energy, slammed into the Xuan Zhou Umbrella, and cracks appeared one after another across the space.

The protective array and protective restrictions that Qi Ku had set up were torn apart like an eggshell under Ling Zhuzhen's sneak attack with the Domain-Breaking Banner.

The Domain-Breaking Banner whipped up a violent aura of slaughter and slammed into the Mysterious Universe Umbrella, causing one crack after another to appear in space.

The Xuan Zhou Umbrella was blasted away, and the aura of the Killing Dao exploded.

Qie Ku only suffered minor backlash from his treasure being knocked away, sustaining a slight injury.

But these meant nothing to Qie Ku—he had already burst out of his cave dwelling.

From Ling Zhuzhen's ambush, he could sense that Ling Zhuzhen's strength was not weak; even if inferior, it was not much so.

But no matter what, he must first break out of the opponent's ambush range.

Then speak.

Until he understood the situation, who knew what other tricks the opponent had?

After bursting free from the killing intent space that had sealed his cave, Qie Ku's heart eased slightly.

He was extremely cautious, so he decided to retreat further…

At that moment, a deathly killing aura suddenly drenched his entire body.

Bad! This was the real ambush—the previous one was fake.

Qie Ku frantically burned his essence blood, forcibly teleporting his body out of the space he occupied.

An arrow brimming with endless killing intent pierced through the spot where he had just stood.

Qie Ku shuddered—he had a feeling this arrow could shatter stars and reduce all things to dust.

Fortunately, he had anticipated this and dodged in time.

The laws of space cracked with a sound.

Cracks in space merged together, and soon a black hole formed at the spot where he had stood.

Qie Ku shivered—he knew that if he hadn't frantically moved, he would now be gravely wounded…

But something was wrong—why did that arrow feel like it wasn't meant to kill him, but to force him to move?

Almost as soon as Qie Ku thought this, deathly aura flooded his body and soul—he suddenly felt his Dao aura locked tight.

Did the opponent have a second arrow?

Even as Qie Ku burned his lifespan, he could only escape the death lock.

"Puff!"

A burst of blood erupted—Qie Ku watched helplessly as the Luoyue Arrow tore through his waist, shattering his Dao aura and locking his vitality.

Qie Ku fully understood what had happened—this attack came from the human cultivator who had left a Divine Dao aura on him before.

Indeed, the opponent had been waiting for this moment—but he still couldn't resist, using the Divine Dao aura left behind to validate his Sixth Step Dao.

Qie Ku's regret now swelled like three rivers and five seas.

He clearly understood why the second arrow had wounded him so severely.

The first reason: the opponent's first arrow had merely driven him to the position where the second arrow waited—that was where the killing blow was laid.

The more important reason: his validated Sixth Step Dao had no place to hide before the opponent's Divine Dao technique.

He had used the opponent's Divine Dao aura to validate his Dao.

The opponent knew his Dao too well—he could clearly perceive Qie Ku's foundation.

Perhaps, had he merely endured this period and fully perfected his Sixth Step Dao, this would not have happened.

But the opponent would not allow him to perfect his Sixth Step Dao—he had chosen instead to lie in wait and ambush him here.

No—today, even if he lost his physical body, he must escape.

Qie Shao.

In an instant, his body merged with the surrounding space, gradually fading.

Almost as his form vanished from the spot, a terrifying killing aura locked every trace of his vitality.

Qie Ku's body turned icy cold—he shuddered.

He knew he was locked by the opponent's third arrow—his Dao and vitality, even the space he occupied, now lay under the third arrow's control.

If he moved now, his soul would be utterly annihilated—this was no joke.

Qie Ku's form reappeared clearly—he didn't dare turn his head, yet he knew someone stood behind him, pinning his space and vitality with an arrow.

"Esteemed Daoist, I do not know what grievance I have with you. If you spare me, I, Qie Ku, am willing to offer my utmost sincerity—including all my gains from the Ten Thousand Dao Mountains."

Qie Ku spoke calmly—he never considered stabilizing Ding Huan before fleeing.

His Dao space was under the opponent's control; his vitality was locked by the opponent's long arrow—he could not escape at all.

He never truly believed handing over his possessions would make Ding Huan spare him.

After speaking these words, he resolved to abandon his physical body.

He possessed one innate Divine Technique: Soul Borrowing Position.

The prerequisite for this technique was the collapse and abandonment of the physical body.

Qie Ku had decided: as soon as Ding Huan moved, he would use Ding Huan's own attack to destroy his body, then let his soul flee.

His Soul Borrowing Position was no simple escape—it could use the opponent's killing technique and the destruction of his own body to tear open this plane and flee.

No matter how powerful this human cultivator was, he could not tear open a plane with bare hands to pursue him.