Chapter 110: Chapter 108: Killing Innate
Weii Fei wrung her hands, pacing back and forth around a boulder, looking up the mountain from time to time.
"Junior Sister Weii, no need to worry."
Seeing her restlessness, Huang Er offered some words of comfort:
"This Zhu Ju has no significant background. He’s just the son of an Acquired Elder from San Fen Hall in the Mortal World."
"His Talent is decent, but he’s too young and inexperienced. He’s no match for a disciple of the Five Poison Sect."
"Even so," Weii Fei stopped walking, her face clouded with worry, "I can’t help but worry. I feel so anxious, like my heart is in my throat."
"..." Huang Er secretly shook his head.
’Her mentality is terrible.’
’Getting this worked up over a trivial matter... Even with two Innate Pills, she might not succeed in breaking through.’
’Young people... always lacking composure.’
"Hm?"
As if sensing something, Huang Er’s eyebrows twitched.
"He’s here!"
"Huh..."
"What’s going on?"
In the distance, a disheveled figure was sprinting wildly toward them, waving his arms as he ran.
"It’s Erzhi!"
Huang Er’s eyes flickered.
"It seems the operation failed."
Many disciples of the Five Poison Sect were natives of the Ten Thousand Mountains. Erzhi was one of them, which was why his name was so strange.
"Ah!"
Weii Fei’s face paled when she heard this.
"What do we do now?"
"Don’t panic," Huang Er said, now displaying the composure of an Innate Qi Refiner, with none of the fawning demeanor he showed in front of Cao Xiong.
He watched the approaching Erzhi, his eyes narrowing.
"Let’s see what the situation is first."
A figure appeared behind Erzhi, charging forward with a long saber. As he closed in, he swung it viciously.
SLICE!
A head slid from its neck.
The saber was so fast that Erzhi’s body continued running for more than a hundred feet out of sheer momentum before collapsing to the ground.
"Senior Sister Weii!"
"Senior Brother Huang!"
Zhu Ju looked surprised to see them and leaped over.
"What are you two doing here?"
"Patrolling the mountain on orders," Huang Er said coldly, staring directly at Zhu Ju.
"Who was that man? Junior Brother Zhu, why did you kill him?"
"I don’t know who he was," Zhu Ju said, shaking his head.
"I was practicing my techniques when several people suddenly appeared and attacked me. Their methods weren’t those of the Bright Void Sect."
"Fortunately!"
He said with a look of relief:
"I have some experience in the Martial World, and my Earth Evil Mysterious Skill has seen some success. That’s how I barely managed to turn the tables and kill them."
As he spoke, he glanced at his disheveled clothes, seemingly lamenting his sorry state.
"Oh!"
Huang Er sized Zhu Ju up and down, his gaze pausing on the scrapes and torn clothes.
A subtle sneer appeared on his face.
"Junior Brother is quite capable. I’m afraid you must have provoked some outsiders to bring this trouble upon yourself."
"But..." Zhu Ju frowned.
"Ever since I arrived, I’ve never left the mines, except for one trip to the Marketplace with Senior Sister Pei."
"How could I have provoked any trouble?"
"An innocent man gets into trouble for the treasure he carries," Weii Fei interjected.
"Junior Brother, are you carrying something valuable?"
"Something valuable?" Zhu Ju thought for a moment, his expression changing slightly.
"The Innate Pill!"
Their hearts pounded, and their eyes suddenly lit up.
No!
It was the gleam of a saber!
Huang Er’s skin and flesh trembled uncontrollably, his pupils contracting as the sharp glint of a saber filled his vision.
Demon Saber—Shocking God!
The wild fluctuations in his opponent’s emotions were the perfect opening for the Demon Saber to strike.
"AHH!"
At the critical moment, Huang Er roared at the sky, breaking free from the Saber Intent’s lock. He forced himself to step back, but he was a step too late.
The saber fell.
Cleaved in two!
The Cross and Vertical Saber sliced down from Huang Er’s chin, through his chest and abdomen, gutting him completely.
But then a terrifying scene unfolded.
Huang Er’s skin and flesh twisted like living things, the raw meat writhing and intertwining like tentacles.
It actually managed to hold his spilling organs in place.
Although he was grievously wounded,
the blow was...
not fatal!
The formidable Defensive Power of the Earth Evil True Body and the terrifying regenerative ability of Innate True Essence were on full display.
Unlike Jiangg Ke, whom he had fought before...
...Jiangg Ke had been severely injured and couldn’t even use a tenth of his strength. Huang Er, however, was a genuine Innate who had broken One Acupoint.
Even in a sneak attack, he still had the powerful, instinctual defenses of an Innate Qi Refiner.
Zhu Ju’s eye twitched. Without a word, he slashed again in fury.
"Die!"
BOOM!
The saber’s blade was caught between a pair of large hands. The violent Powerful Qi that erupted from the clash also tore apart the clothes on Huang Er’s upper body.
"ARGH!"
Huang Er roared at the sky.
"Zhu, you’re courting death!"
Nine Elements Profound Evil Palm!
Innate True Essence, refined by Evil Qi, transformed into a massive, tangible yet formless hand that shot toward Zhu Ju.
Divine Summoning Skill!
Triple Summoning!
A vein throbbed on Zhu Ju’s brow as he instantly activated the Magic.
Time seemed to stand still. He abruptly pulled his saber back, gripped the hilt with both hands, and unleashed a flurry of slashes.
Triple Summoning completely unleashed his latent potential, allowing him to exert strength far beyond his normal limits in that instant.
Slash!
Slash!
Slash!
BOOM!
The Powerful Qi roared.
Zhu Ju actually managed to slice the incoming Palm Force to pieces.
He then took a step forward, extending his five fingers. Five different types of power intertwined and converged, blasting toward Huang Er.
Five Elements Palm!
PENG!
Huang Er’s body flew backward. The wound that was barely holding together completely burst open, and his internal organs spilled out.
"AAAGH!"
A bloodcurdling scream rang out.
The two figures clashed rapidly.
Huang Er frantically threw out palms, his Mountain Opening and stone-shattering Palm Force bombarding Zhu Ju.
But Zhu Ju was like an immovable rock, meeting him head-on with incredible Saber and Palm Techniques.
For a moment,
he actually held his own.
But time was clearly on Zhu Ju’s side.
As his wounds worsened and blood flowed, Huang Er’s aura rapidly weakened, until a saber finally sliced into his throat.
SPURT!
Blood flew.
The toughness of the Earth Evil True Body was astounding.
A slash that could cut a black bear in half only managed to tear a gash in his neck, and the flesh was already writhing madly.
It seemed to be trying to heal itself.
SLICE!
SLICE! SLICE!
The saber flashed repeatedly.
Several slashes landed on the exact same spot. Huang Er staggered back, clutching the gushing ruin of his neck as he collapsed.
"HUFF... HUFF..."
Zhu Ju stood with his saber in hand, panting heavily. He felt his muscles ache all over, and even the slightest movement was a great effort.
Not far away.
SWISH!
Weii Fei’s face was deathly pale. Her body blurred into a phantom as she fled into the distance.
She knew her limits. If Zhu Ju could kill Huang Er, who had opened One Acupoint, killing her would be even easier.
Flee!
Flee faster!
Behind her.
Zhu Ju watched her figure with icy eyes. He lightly formed a Sword Point and aimed it forward.
SWISH!
The Jade Hairpin shot out as a streak of light, like a phantom illusion, and instantly pierced the leaping figure.
Five Elements Sword Point—Flowing Light!
Using the Artifact Control Method to execute this Sword Point was indeed more powerful.
THUD!
Weii Fei’s lifeless body fell to the ground. A crimson dot appeared between her brows where her skull had been pierced. The Jade Hairpin circled her body twice to confirm she was dead before spinning and flying back.
After composing himself,
Zhu Ju put away the Jade Hairpin and expertly began looting the two bodies.
"Spirit Crystals, Iron Evil Ore, an Innate Pill..."
?
Zhu Ju froze, looking again at what he’d found on Weii Fei’s body. He couldn’t help but frown.
"You already had an Innate Pill. Why did you come after me?"
*
*
*
After disposing of the bodies,
Zhu Ju returned to his residence. He stared blankly at the two Innate Pills laid out before him, and then his expression hardened.
’I can’t wait any longer!’
He had originally planned to lie low for a few more months to solidify his foundation. After all, his Earth Evil True Body had only just achieved some success, and the chances of rushing to break through to the Innate Realm were too low.
’But now it seems time waits for no one.’
The fact that he had obtained an Innate Pill from Shen Youx was clearly out. Today, it was Weii Fei who hired assassins; tomorrow, it could be someone else at his door.
Moreover,
killing Weii Fei meant offending Cao Xiong.
Given his personality, he would never let this matter rest. Cao Xiong was an Innate Qi Refiner who had completed the Breaking Three Acupoints stage.
He was only one step away from the Middle-Stage Innate realm.
With his current identity and status, offending Cao Xiong left almost no room for reconciliation.
"Break through to the Innate Realm!"
His mind made up, Zhu Ju calmed his spirit and sat down cross-legged. He silently circulated the Five Peaks True Form Force, activating it with the Earth Evil Heart Technique.
’Innate One Acupoint, the Ren and Du Meridians flow freely...’
’Qi travels through Shaoze, Qiangu, Houxi...’
’Five Hearts Facing Heaven, Tendon and Bone Heart and Absolute Thought, Mental Guarding of the Dantian...’
As the Cultivation Technique circulated, Inner Qi flowed through his Meridians. Silently, a single strand began to transform.
The so-called Innate Realm was a metamorphosis from the Acquired.
The Qi within the body transforms from Acquired to Innate. The Innate Qi ignites the flame of life, and the physical body miraculously returns to a state like that of a newborn.
Once one reaches the Innate Realm, a martial artist undergoes a cleansing of marrow and a complete rebirth. Their breath becomes long and unending.
At that point,
when circulating True Qi daily, there would be no more worries about having insufficient energy.
But to break through, one must guide Celestial Qi into the body to wash away the Acquired impurities within, only then can one shed their mortal shell and become an immortal.
This step is extremely dangerous.
The slightest mistake could lead to damaged Meridians and a regression in Cultivation. A serious error could result in the destruction of one’s foundation and immediate death.
With the help of an Innate Pill, however, the chances of success greatly increase, and even if the breakthrough fails, one would not be severely injured.
"Open!"
Zhu Ju activated the Spell, and an acupoint on the crown of his head relaxed, allowing a vast power to surge into his Meridians.
The Power of Heaven and Earth!
The Five Peaks True Form Force circulated rapidly.
The Heart Method shifted.
His Acquired Internal Qi merged with the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy, slowly transforming into Innate True Qi according to the instructions of the Method.
A piercing pain arose from his Meridians.
GULP!
Zhu Ju swallowed the Innate Pill he had been holding in his mouth, and the stabbing pain in his Meridians immediately vanished.
...
「In the early morning.」
Cao Xiong sat on a tiger-skin throne, tapping his fingers on the armrest, his expression growing darker by the second.
"Still no sign of them?"
"None!"
A man below shook his head.
"We’ve searched every possible place, but there’s no sign of Junior Sister Weii or Senior Brother Huang."
"Search again!" Cao Xiong roared, his eyes bloodshot. The furious aura he released made the entire house tremble violently.
"I want to see them if they’re alive, and their corpses if they’re dead!"
"All of you, go find them!"
"Yes, yes." The man below turned pale and quickly agreed.
"Rest assured, Senior Brother, we’ll go now... We’ll go now and we’ll definitely find them."
PENG!
"What are you waiting for?! Go!"
"Yes, yes."
The man scrambled backward and hurried away.
The room fell silent.
"Senior Brother Cao."
A faint voice came from the darkness.
"News from the Five Poison Sect. Their people didn’t return either. It might be related to an Outer Sect Disciple named Zhu Ju."
"Zhu Ju?"
Cao Xiong looked up as if he’d thought of something, then stood and walked outside.
"Then let’s go find him!"
"Be careful, Senior Brother," the voice said again.
"To make Huang Er disappear from the mines without a trace... the perpetrator’s strength should not be underestimated."
"But that Zhu Ju..."
"He’s not even at the Innate Realm."
"I know." Cao Xiong strode forward, heading toward the residential area for Outer Sect Disciples on the mountainside.
"Is Zhu Ju here?"
"Senior Brother Cao," someone answered in surprise.
"You’ve come at an inconvenient time. Senior Brother Zhu reached the Innate Realm, so he was taken away by Senior Brother Shen Youx."
Hm?
Cao Xiong’s expression changed.
