Chapter 9: Drawing the Sword to Match Heaven

Yuan Yao dragged her injured leg, constantly rushing forward, and quickly caught up with the cultivator ahead.

At the same time, she opened up some distance from the locust monsters behind her.

However, Yuan Yao soon discovered that the locust monsters originally chasing her suddenly surged in speed, as if they had been greatly frightened.

"Oh no!" Yuan Yao's face changed in shock.

She gritted her teeth, endured the pain in her ankle, and rushed forward like a madwoman.

Not long after, several young cultivators fell behind her.

Immediately after, a shrill scream came from behind.

One of the young cultivators was sucked dry by a locust monster, turning into a husk.

【Target character Aotian dead, Awakening Value erased.】The voice of the 250 System sounded.

Yuan Yao furrowed her brows, her complexion growing even paler.

If she kept running like this, her foot would probably break.

Her breathing became ragged, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

Suddenly, she stopped her steps and took a deep breath.

She turned to look at the cultivators rushing over, raised her hand righteously, and said, "You go first; I'll hold the rear for you!"

Upon hearing that, the cultivators were both startled and delighted.

But in the next instant, they quickly sensed that Yuan Yao's cultivation was only at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

"……"

Is she trying to get herself killed?!

These locust monsters' cultivation had already reached the Second Rank Late Stage, equivalent to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

As a mere Qi Refining cultivator, she dares to think she can handle Second Rank Late Stage locust monsters?!

"Hurry up and run!" a female cultivator shouted, frustrated at her inability to help.

Yuan Yao said resolutely, "No, you run first! Even if I die, I will buy you some time."

The cultivators: "……" Such a beautiful girl, yet she's an idiot.

But somehow, they felt a little moved inside.

【Target characters Duanmu Peng, Li Xun, Feng Lie, Awakening Value reached 38.】

Seeing that Li Xun was about to be sucked by the locust monster, Yuan Yao decisively took out a black longbow from her storage space, quickly drew it, and shouted urgently, "Dodge!"

The instant her words fell, Yuan Yao shot out a fire-attributed arrow.

Whoosh—

The arrow instantly ignited in midair, like a fire dragon.

Boom!

At the critical moment, Li Xun shifted his body, dodging the arrow, which instantly plunged into the giant locust monster behind him.

The locust monster let out a miserable cry.

"Hurry up and go!" Yuan Yao said in a deep voice.

Li Xun and the two others' expressions shifted, their gazes falling on the black longbow in Yuan Yao's hand, filled with suspicion.

It's actually a high-grade magical artifact!

"Thank you, fellow cultivator! Let's escape together!" Duanmu Peng couldn't help but say.

Yuan Yao shook her head with a determined expression.

"Leave this to me!"

Seeing her confidence, Duanmu Peng and the two others finally decided to trust her!

"Fellow cultivator, take care!"

After leaving those words, they went past Yuan Yao and ran to the front.

【Target characters Duanmu Peng, Li Xun, Feng Lie, Awakening Value already reached 50. Congratulations, host, you have successfully captured three target characters, gaining three days of lifespan. Current lifespan is as high as five days and three two-hour periods.】The voice of the 250 System transmitted.

Yuan Yao's mouth corner twitched slightly.

This five-day lifespan actually deserves the words "as high as"?

Yuan Yao's thoughts snapped back to reality; looking at the dense swarm of locust monsters before her, her nerves instantly tensed.

She quickly pulled the bowstring and fired a fire-attributed arrow!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

These locust monsters aren't stupid; while dodging the arrows, they charged over with the speed of a gale.

Yuan Yao gritted her teeth, heart aching, and pulled out a high-grade explosion talisman from her bosom.

She flung it out!

With a deafening "Boom!" explosion, the entire passage trembled, and firelight engulfed this area.

Smoke filled the passage.

Accompanied by waves of miserable cries from the locust monsters.

In the firelight, the locust monsters' bodies were severely scorched, and they instinctively fled to places without fire.

And at the other end of the passage, Xie Yan narrowed his eyes slightly; he had truly underestimated this "Kuang Ni"—the high-grade magical artifacts on her were truly… countless.

But this still couldn't change the fact that she was just petty trash.

Xie Yan felt no goodwill toward those who don't cultivate seriously and rely on external forces to get by.

Just as Xie Yan was about to turn and leave, a flash of white suddenly caught his peripheral vision in the firelight, and his steps hesitated slightly.

The white-clad girl, whose cultivation was only at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, gripped that five-colored longsword and plunged into the locust monster horde.

The longsword swept across, bringing out dazzling firelight, causing her face to alternate between being hazy and clear in its reflection.

At this moment, Xie Yan finally recognized her face.

His finger unconsciously rubbed the jade-green gourd hanging at his waist.

After an unknown amount of time, he let out a light, mocking "tsk," then turned and left.

Meanwhile, Yuan Yao was in the midst of a sea of fire, and taking advantage of the Locust Monsters' injuries, she hurried to deal with them!

Yuan Yao fears no fire, for she has awakened the fire element.

The Locust Monsters flew into a rage, launching a frantic attack on Yuan Yao, and the mighty pressure belonging to a late-stage second-rank spirit beast bore down on them.

Boom—

Yuan Yao was not greatly affected by the pressure, for she wore a high-rank robe that could withstand their pressure.

"Carefree First Form—"

She raised her sword, and the blade in her hand danced, tracing beautiful arcs in the air.

"Wielding Sword to Match the Heavens!"

In an instant, sword qi turned into blades, sword light mingling with scorching flame, and it surged toward the surrounding Locust Monsters.

Yuan Yao's eyes narrowed, she darted forward with extreme speed toward the foremost Locust Monster, seizing the moment of its unpreparedness, and thrust her sword into its skull.

Blood spattered, staining Yuan Yao's clothes red.

Suddenly, Yuan Yao sensed danger, she abruptly drew her sword and turned to block, but with a boom, a giant Locust Monster slammed into her, sending her flying hard into the wall.

At the same time, several Locust Monsters swarmed forward.

One of the Locust Monsters lunged at her ankle, which gave off a strong scent of blood, and latched onto it.

Yuan Yao's face turned deathly pale in an instant, sharp pain shooting from her ankle; she quickly flipped upright, then gripping her sword with both hands, she stabbed fiercely at the blood‑sucking Locust Monster.

With a "splitch," the sound of flesh being torn.

As the Locust Monster winced and opened its mouth from the pain, Yuan Yao instantly lifted her other foot and kicked it with all her strength.

All that was heard was a loud "bang," and the Locust Monster was flung backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

Meanwhile, countless Locust Monsters swarmed in from all sides, all lunging at Yuan Yao.

Soon, Yuan Yao was submerged in the swarm of Locust Monsters.

The surrounding clamor gradually faded, and the area became unusually quiet.

The Locust Monsters seemed to think Yuan Yao had been drained to a husk, and they slowly withdrew, preparing to pursue the cultivators who had escaped.

But just then—

Suddenly, an anomaly occurred!

Countless thin, multicolored spirit ropes appeared like lightning, swiftly wrapping around all the Locust Monsters at astonishing speed.

Before they could react, the spirit ropes instantly turned into spirit blades, tightening sharply and biting into their bodies.

"Reeking……"

A weak voice came from the girl.