Chapter 2: Mysterious Heaven Spirit Insect

The man dressed as a scholar walked step by step toward the Buddha statue, stopping at a distance of three feet away, his tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxing.

He took a small bottle from his bosom, poured out two pills, and swallowed them without a second thought.

Just at this moment, another ray of light flew in from the direction the scholar had come from; this light was incomparably blood-red, extremely glaring in the dark night, and its speed was astonishingly fast. Before the scholar could make any reaction, it had already landed inside the ruined temple.

The light dissipated, revealing a person. This person had a full head of red hair, and faint red light actually flickered within his eyes. His gaze swept over the scholar, and he let out a savage laugh.

"Zhu Tong! Let's see where you can run to now!"

The scholar's body trembled slightly, his just-relaxed brows furrowing tightly once more, while one hand pressed against his waist.

"Who exactly are you? Why do you pursue me so relentlessly?"

"Hehe! Why speak in riddles when talking to an intelligent person? As long as you hand over the cocoon of the 'Mysterious Heaven Spirit Insect', I will spare your life! It is not easy to cultivate to the Golden Core Stage; do not lose your life over a single cocoon!"

The Hongfa Nanzhi let out a cold laugh, and the pale red light in his eyes intensified sharply.

"You..."

The scholar named Zhu Tong's complexion changed abruptly. He had previously guessed the reason he was being hunted, and now that it was confirmed by the Hongfa Nanzhi's words, his heart was clear.

"The Mysterious Heaven Spirit Insect is such a rare treasure; even if I die, I will not give it to you!"

Having said this, Zhu Tong slapped his waist fiercely, and a green light flashed from it; it was shockingly a Flying Sword about three inches long! Wrapped in a faint green glow, the Flying Sword emitted a buzzing sound.

"Hmph! Overestimating your own capabilities! A Heavenly Sky Grade spirit insect is something from the Immortal World; even a true immortal would be envious upon seeing it. However, with your current strength, even if you obtained the spirit insect, I fear you might not have the life to use it!"

The Hongfa Nanzhi let out a cold snort from his nose. He flipped his hand lightly, and a small blood-red blade immediately appeared in his palm. The blade was not large, but it exuded an eerie, bloody aura.

Pushing his palm forward, the small blood-red blade grew in the wind, transforming to three feet in size in the blink of an eye.

"Slash!"

Following a loud shout from the Hongfa Nanzhi, the Blood-colored Long Blade was wrapped in a mass of red light and shot toward Zhu Tong. At this moment, Zhu Tong did not hesitate; he formed a Dharma seal with his hands and pointed out two Dharma techniques in succession, both of which submerged into the Flying Sword before him. Instantly, the Flying Sword's green light flared, and a sound of tearing through the air rang out as it met the Blood-colored Long Blade.

"Boom!"

A sound of metal clashing rang out as the two Dharma Treasures collided. Instantly, Zhu Tong's face flushed red, and blood surged within his body. The Flying Sword was connected to his mind, and under this collision, he also suffered no small impact.

Looking at the Hongfa Nanzhi opposite him, however, there was no change, and the cold sneer remained on his face.

"At the end of your rope; you had better hand over the cocoon of the 'Mysterious Heaven Spirit Insect'!"

Having been pursued by this Hongfa Nanzhi for days, Zhu Tong was clear about the opponent's strength. If he were to fight to the death now, there would only be one path to death. However, a look of determination flashed in his eyes, and he secretly made up his mind: even if he died, he would never hand the cocoon of the 'Mysterious Heaven Spirit Insect' to another.

Just as the two sides were in a standoff, a little boy suddenly crawled out from inside the Buddha statue behind Zhu Tong. The child opened his sleepy eyes and watched the two fighting in the ruined temple, and for a moment, he was actually stunned by the scene.

"Hmm?"

The Hongfa Nanzhi caught sight of Zhang Nuo and let out a soft sound of surprise. But when his Divine Sense swept over the child, a look of disdain appeared on his face. It was just an ordinary child, with no Spirit Power fluctuations on his body at all.

Zhu Tong paid no attention to the astonished Zhang Nuo behind him; he could barely save himself now, so where would he have the time to consider a completely unrelated child?

Once Zhang Nuo saw clearly the two people fighting, he felt a wave of fear in his heart. However, driven by intense curiosity, he did not make the slightest movement, remaining hidden behind the Buddha statue and continuing to watch the two fight. In fact, there was another reason he dared not act rashly: Zhang Nuo understood that the two before him were the same as the disciples of the Divine Sword Sect—they were cultivators who could take his life with a mere gesture, so for the sake of survival, it was better not to make any moves!

Just as Zhang Nuo felt uneasy, the blood-red light in the Hongfa Nanzhi's eyes erupted. At the same time, the three-foot-long blade blurred and suddenly vanished into mid-air.

Zhu Tong's expression changed drastically. He wanted to move from his spot, but it was already too late. The blood-red blade appeared silently behind him, the blade light flashed, and after a soft "swish," one of Zhu Tong's left arms was separated from his body.

"Ah!"

With a miserable scream, Zhu Tong flashed several times and hid in a corner of the ruined temple. His right hand gripped the severed area, and the muscles on his face were twisted and deformed. A pair of eyes, like those of a wild beast in a rage, seemed as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.

"To be able to fight me for so long as a mere Golden Core Early Stage is not easy! Will you not hand over the cocoon of the 'Mysterious Heaven Spirit Insect' yet?"

After severing one of Zhu Tong's arms, the Hongfa Nanzhi was full of triumph. He reached out and pointed at the Blood-colored Long Blade in mid-air, and the blade tip immediately pointed at Zhu Tong.

Even a child like Zhang Nuo could see that Zhu Tong's life and death were completely in the hands of the Hongfa Nanzhi. The waves of Spiritual Pressure coming from the Blood-colored Long Blade made Zhang Nuo feel nauseous, and the blood inside his body rolled incessantly. Slowly, several lines of blood began to crawl within his eyes.

At this moment, Zhang Nuo's capacity to endure was nearing its limit. He had once seen disciples of the Divine Sword Sect use Magic Treasures, but he had never felt this kind of pressure before. He had wanted to turn and run, but his body simply would not obey; he moved a few times but remained stuck in place.

"Haha! You underestimate me, Zhu! If you want to obtain the 'Mysterious Heaven Spirit Insect', you will have to do so over my dead body!"

With a movement of his Divine Sense, Zhu Tong's Flying Sword suddenly circled in mid-air and then flew rapidly back to his side. He slowly moved his palm away from his severed arm, slapped his dantian, and opened his mouth wide. With a flash of golden light, a golden sphere the size of a thumb was spat out from Zhu Tong's mouth. The sphere floated before Zhu Tong, spinning incessantly, and waves of golden light like the sun rippled outward.

"Golden Core! What are you doing?"

The Hongfa Nanzhi, whose face had been triumphant just a moment ago, turned ugly the instant he saw what was spat out of Zhu Tong's mouth, and he involuntarily took a few steps back.