Chapter 99: Senior, Spare Me!

He spoke too late, and it was already too fast.

Cao family head Cao Hao suddenly burst onto the scene, joining the battle.

It seemed a golden light rushed straight toward the white‑haired old woman, apparently to rescue Xiao Zhangqing.

But in Xiao Zhangqing's eyes, this person was clearly colluding with the white‑haired old woman, intending to eliminate him.

Otherwise, how to explain the two arriving together outside his cave, one bright and one dark? If Xiao Zhangqing were unaware that Cao Hao had been lurking outside the cave in secret, he might still have believed that Cao Hao happened to pass by and came to help him.

The current scene looks more like Cao Hao seeing that he was about to die at the hands of the white‑haired old woman, so he grew impatient and tried to intervene to claim some credit! The white‑haired old woman's illusion was so strong, masquerading as Ruan Qingzhu, that even a Nascent Soul‑level spirit eye could not discern anything.

Compared with that, Cao Hao's shouting that he was coming to save himself was a clumsy act! But what he didn't know was that Cao Hao truly intended to rescue him…

Cao Hao unleashed an attack like a golden blade of light, slashing horizontally at the white‑haired old woman, its might not to be underestimated.

The white‑haired old woman had been preparing to kill Xiao Zhangqing with all her strength, but Cao Hao's sudden appearance startled her, causing her heart to tremble as she sensed the powerful surge; she immediately activated a second‑tier defensive Talisman Script, forming a protective shield around her.

She couldn't make sense of the situation.

She slipped silently into Nanshan Fang, making barely any noise, presumably without drawing anyone's attention, yet she was still ambushed in advance? To wield a spell attack of this level already exceeds the scope of a second‑tier low‑grade attack Talisman Script; in the entire Nanshan Fang, aside from Xiao Zhangqing, only the mid‑Foundation Establishment Cao family head was present.

She had gathered the intelligence clearly beforehand; the Cao family head always cultivated in secret at the Cao family mansion, a distance away from Jia Yi Cave, and even a Foundation Establishment cultivator could not arrive instantly.

Moreover, she extracted information from the cultivators attending Xiao Zhangqing's Foundation Establishment celebration, learning that Cao Hao did not come to the banquet today.

But now that Cao Hao has appeared, it proves he must have anticipated his own assassination of Xiao Zhangqing in advance.

Could it be that he had discovered her long ago?

If he had indeed found her early, why didn't he strike sooner, waiting until she was about to kill Xiao Zhangqing before emerging? "No matter what, Xiao Zhangqing must die today!"

The white‑haired old woman's expression hardened, and she still swung her white‑bone Magic Treasure at Xiao Zhangqing with full force.

Even with Cao Hao's attack incoming, her second‑tier defensive Talisman Script could not hold, and she would be injured as a result.

She came on a mission; failing to complete it and return would bring a punishment that would make her life worse than death.

"Stop it!"

Cao Hao saw it with his eyes and felt urgency in his heart.

He hadn't expected the Evil Cultivator's murderous resolve to be so firm; even if he might be gravely injured, he wouldn't dodge or defend, solely intent on slaying Xiao Zhangqing.

He now only wanted to probe Xiao Zhangqing's background, not have him killed just yet! But the next moment, Cao Hao stopped being impatient.

And turned into shock!

His eyes widened, staring ahead in disbelief.

The white‑haired old woman, still charging at Xiao Zhangqing, wore a ghost‑stunned expression, her wrinkled face flattening a few degrees from the tension of terror.

What did she see? Solid magical power, only attainable at the Nascent Soul level, poured into six swords, causing the one‑rank‑lower blades to suddenly unleash a terrifying pressure comparable to a third‑tier artifact! If Xiao Zhangqing hadn't carefully controlled them, the six swords might have failed to sustain!

Even a fraction more would cause them to explode! Nonetheless, all six swords definitely reached Nascent Soul‑level killing power!

The white‑haired old woman had only felt such crushing pressure on Yin San Gongzi before!

Even cultivators in the late Foundation Establishment or even those who have achieved Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment could not give her such a strong sense of oppression.

"This kid, is he a Nascent Soul cultivator? Didn't he just finish Foundation Establishment? Who can tell me what's really going on!"

The white‑haired old woman was terrified, her heart filled with resentment at being deceived.

She, a mid‑Foundation Establishment cultivator, was sent to assassinate a Nascent Soul cultivator? How dare they! Ridiculous that she spent the past two days stealthily lurking, searching for the perfect moment to strike…

In the end, her actions now seemed as laughable as a brave egg smashing into a stone! Six Flying Swords, three aimed at the white‑haired old woman.

The other three were thrust toward the rushing Cao Hao, who feared being too late.

"No matter what tricks you use, you won't leave alive tonight!"

Xiao Zhangqing's expression was cold.

Boom! The white‑haired old woman's magical power surged to its limit; realizing she was at a life‑or‑death turning point, she spared no cost to unleash an unknown secret technique, her aura skyrocketing to the true late‑Foundation Establishment level. She flung her skull Magic Treasure, turning it into an earth sword, while she fled desperately.

Unfortunately, her staff was snuffed out as soon as the massive sword light struck it; the Magic Treasure's own pristine white radiance dimmed, and Xiao Zhangqing's magical power coiled around it, seizing and suppressing it.

At the same time, the sword light flashed, and the white‑haired old woman couldn't evade; her protective defensive spell, which had held for a moment, shattered with a sound.

"Senior, spare me! I am willing to surrender and confess everything…" the white‑haired old woman begged in terror, simultaneously producing a ring‑like artifact in her hand, defensive in nature but only a second‑tier early stage, useless at this level of combat.

The gap between Foundation Establishment and Nascent Soul is truly vast.

It's even larger than the gap between refining Qi and Foundation Establishment! All her trump cards, before Xiao Zhangqing's overwhelmingly crushing power, became paper‑thin, unable to hold, and she could not escape.

But Xiao Zhangqing ignored her pleas; the sword light fell, the ring shattered, and the white‑haired old woman was sliced at the waist into two halves, blood spilling everywhere. Her face showed terror and ferocity, eyes wide with regret and resentment, her mouth opened as if to speak, yet no words came, and she died, her breath extinguished.

There was no trace of compassion in Xiao Zhangqing's gaze.

Having cultivated for over ten years, he had long adapted to this law of the strong preying on the weak.

Moreover, this white‑haired old woman came today intent on taking his life; how could he possibly show mercy?

"Next, it's you…"

Xiao Zhangqing looked at the Cao family head surrounded by three swords; although he hadn't been directly slashed like the white‑haired old woman, his aura was already waning, his complexion deathly pale, clearly on the brink of collapse.

Moreover, Xiao Zhangqing had devoted most of his energy to the white‑haired old woman, merely encircling Cao Hao to prevent his escape.

"Your bones are still quite hard. No wonder you survived Mu Renjie's hand back then." Xiao Zhangqing mobilized three more swords, joining them with the three that were encircling Cao Hao, instantly doubling their might.

Feeling the terrifying sword‑qi pressure, Cao Hao broke out in cold sweat, his shock and confusion no less than the white‑haired old woman's.

He couldn't fathom how Xiao Zhangqing possessed Nascent Soul‑level magical power.

It had only been two months since his Foundation Establishment! The unique celestial phenomena and rainbow clouds that appeared during his Foundation Establishment two months ago couldn't have been faked! Suddenly, Cao Hao considered a possibility.

Mu Renjie?!

Could Xiao Zhangqing, like Mu Renjie, have also taken the path of demonic evil? That didn't fit… The Xiao Zhangqing before him showed no abnormality, unlike the previously brutal, blood‑thirsty Mu Renjie, nor had he lost his mind and become a different person.

Moreover, Mu Renjie hadn't transformed in just two months; he had secluded for several years before attaining a strength comparable to late Foundation Establishment… Indeed, late Foundation Establishment—Xiao Zhangqing at this moment was already nearly at the Nascent Soul level!

If Xiao Zhangqing's strength were only like Mu Renjie's back then, he would be unable to defeat him today but could still flee back to the Cao family ancestral mansion.

Could this person be the reincarnation of the legendary Nascent Soul True Lord?

Or perhaps possessed by the Nascent Soul True Lord?

If it had been before, this kind of story that circulates in novels and picture books, Cao Hao would not have believed it could actually exist. Now he thinks only such a bizarre cause can explain Xiao Zhangqing's strange situation.

"Symbol Master Xiao… no, Senior Xiao! Listen to my explanation, I am not in league with that person! That person is an Evil Cultivator; I discovered she quietly slipped into Nanshan Fang, I kept tracking her, wanting to see what she was doing! When I realized she intended to harm you, Senior Xiao, I acted immediately." Cao Hao, looking at the six spell swords forming a complete sword formation, was terrified to the point his soul left his body and hurriedly explained.

Although he still has some trump cards, they are of no use against a solid Golden Core‑level attack.

If Xiao Zhangqing were to kill him, his fate would not differ from that of the white‑haired old crone.

"Ha!" Xiao Zhangqing sneered, "Did you think I hadn't noticed you were already hiding outside my cave, watching the fire from across the river?"

Cao Hao's complexion changed drastically.

He had already been discovered? Why hadn't he sensed anything?

Is Xiao Zhangqing's spiritual awareness truly this powerful?

Just as Cao Hao was panicking, trying to find an excuse to explain,

Suddenly…

His whole body froze instantly, a look of painful struggle flashing across his face, as if he had recalled something.

"Not good, it's a spiritual awareness attack…"

Cao Hao recovered and understood what was happening.

But in the next instant, the resentment and struggle in his eyes vanished completely, and with a thud he fell to the ground, left with a vacant stare, as if his soul had been forcibly ripped away.

He knew what was happening, yet he was powerless to resist.

"That's more like it. If a mere mid Foundation Establishment could withstand it, then my Nightmare Technique would be far too weak."

Xiao Zhangqing nodded with satisfaction and sheathed the six spell swords.

As for Cao Hao, he now has no strength to resist and can only be at the mercy of others.

If Xiao Zhangqing is unwilling to let him go, he will remain trapped in countless illusion realms until death.

Xiao Zhangqing does not kill him; instead he lets him first endure pain and fear slowly within the illusion, and later will interrogate him about what actually happened today.

Now Xiao Zhangqing is even more eager to know what the soul-path treasure on the white‑haired old crone that can resist his spiritual awareness attack is.

The sword he just used to slay the white‑haired old crone should not have destroyed that treasure, right? If it couldn't kill her, it must have been meant to deliver the treasure to him.

Touch the corpse, touch the corpse!

(End of Chapter)