Chapter 110 Harvest of Victory

Holding the Qingyang Sword, her natal sword was vastly different from ordinary spirit swords; her will and the Qingyang Sword seemed to merge into one.

This time, Song Yin didn't give Zhao Laoda a chance to strike first. Her swordsmanship was different from Zhao Laoda's. Although her sword hadn't been tempered in countless battles, her swordsmanship was born from her past combat experience.

Song Yin freely changed different moves, exuding a powerful killing intent, with only Zhao Laoda as her target.

Whether it's the sect's basic sword techniques, the Withering and Flourishing Sword Technique, or his own self-created sword techniques, he uses them all with effortless grace.

Zhao Laoda adopted a defensive stance, constantly responding to the strange swordsmanship.

Old Zhao gritted his teeth, gradually finding it difficult.

What's going on? Her moves have become even more powerful after changing the sword? It's clearly just a broken third-tier spirit sword, so why is it more powerful in her hands than a sixth-tier spirit sword!

"Is this your natal sword?" Old Zhao finally understood.

During the battle, he chuckled, "I was wondering why the sixth-tier spirit sword wasn't your natal sword. Turns out you had already contracted a lower-tier spirit sword."

Song Yin's focus on Zhao Laoda's wrist revealed a flaw!

She changed her tactics accordingly, focusing her attacks primarily on Zhao Laoda's wrist.

With a whoosh, Boss Zhao's sword was knocked away.

For a moment, Old Zhao's mind went blank. His sword had actually left his hand? And it had been knocked away by a Golden Core stage sword cultivator?

He rolled on the ground, quickly retrieved his sword, and swung it at Song Yin with overwhelming force.

"Die!"

For Boss Zhao, having his sword knocked away by a Golden Core cultivator was an utter disgrace.

Boss Zhao is indeed an evil cultivator, but he has all the bad temper that a sword cultivator should have. For example, a sword cultivator should never be without his sword, and should not surrender before the battle even begins, etc.

Of course, he lacked the uprightness, integrity, and selflessness of a sword cultivator; as an evil cultivator, he didn't concern himself with such empty talk.

Oh no, Boss Zhao is angry!

Song Yin's swordsmanship was unpredictable and ever-changing. Facing Zhao Laoda's angry sword strike, she disappeared from his sight in the blink of an eye.

The earthquake caused a lot of mud and rocks to slide down the mountain, and Zhao Laoda directly cleaved off a part of the mountain.

A huge rock fell from the sky and nearly hit the drunken Mei Sanjie.

Sensing danger, Sister Mei protected the wine jar in her hand and flew to a higher place.

Shi Heming's gaze sharpened. Mei Sanjie was always protecting the wine jar in her hand. Why not try to break the wine jar first?

Yu Lao Er: "Wow, Boss's sword strike is incredibly powerful! It cleaved half the mountain in two. No wonder he's the most powerful of the three of us!"

Mei Sanjie laughed, slightly drunk, "That righteous female sword cultivator is finished. The fact that the boss could use this move means that she has completely angered the boss. Not everyone can withstand the boss's wrath. Last time the boss lost his temper and used all his strength, he killed dozens of righteous cultivators. Their corpses became materials for the Vengeful Spirit Bell."

Mei Sanjie was lost in her memories when suddenly, with a loud crash, the wine jar in her hand shattered.

The wine and rainwater mixed together, spilling all over the ground.

Mei Sanjie stared at the remaining shards in her hand, her breathing becoming rapid. "You! You! You broke my wine!"

She rushed down the slope, shouting, "My wine! My wine! I'll get beaten if I don't have any!"

No party, no beating? Shi Heming didn't understand the meaning of this sentence. In any case, Mei Sanjie had shown a weakness, and now was the perfect time to press the advantage!

"Want to kill the third brother? No way!" Yu Lao Er threw his hammer to block Shi Heming's attack.

Who knew that Shi Heming's talismans seemed inexhaustible, densely packed and chasing after Mei Sanjie.

In an instant, lightning crackled and struck Mei Sanjie.

Shi Heming has a lightning spiritual root, so learning lightning-related talismans and spells is easier for him than for others.

In the midst of thunderstorms, it is the perfect time to use a lightning-attracting talisman.

Lightning has always been the bane of evil, and so are evil cultivators. Countless bolts of lightning struck down, and Yu Lao Er's hammer could not withstand the lightning; after a moment, it turned to ashes.

"My earth hammer!" Yu Lao Er cried out in anguish.

Then look at Sister Mei. She's lying on the ground, trying to gather up the dirt that's still smelling of alcohol. Lightning strikes her, tearing her skin, but she's oblivious, her only thought is to hold the wine back in her arms.

Yu Lao Er was heartbroken over his lost magical artifact. Seeing Mei San Jie disregarding the battle, he rushed over in a few moments to help her withstand the countless heavenly lightning bolts.

"Third brother! Forget about your damn liquor! Your alcoholic father is long dead. He wouldn't have killed you without alcohol. Sober up!"

Yu Lao Er threw Mei Sanjie out of attack range and rushed towards Shi Heming, saying, "You're just a formation cultivator. There will always be a time when you run out of talismans. I don't believe you have an inexhaustible supply of talismans."

His entire body was enhanced, and his fierce fists attacked Shi Heming directly.

Shi Heming looked in the direction of Boss Zhao and flew towards him.

Without a second thought, Yu Lao Er chased after him.

After being thrown out, Mei Sanjie crashed into a rock, her mind clearing up a little. She lay on the rock, raised her hand, and countless roots burst from the soil, all aimed at Shi Heming.

Upon noticing Shi Heming's arrival, Song Yin immediately understood what he was about to do, abandoned her attack on Zhao Laoda, and flew towards Shi Heming.

Boss Zhao: "Trying to escape? Don't even think about it!"

As Zhao Laoda and Yu Laoer closed the gap between them, Song Yin and Shi Heming nodded in tacit agreement.

Shi Heming suddenly changed direction and flew towards Mei Sanjie, with Song Yin in pursuit as well.

In the blink of an eye, Zhao Laoda and Yu Laoer were about to catch up with Song Yin and Shi Heming.

Zhao Laoda's sword was once again aimed at the two fleeing men.

With their swordsmanship unleashed, Song Yin and Shi Heming separated to the left and right in an instant, flying away at top speed.

At the same time, Shi Heming held a top-grade spirit stone in his hand and shouted, "Annihilation Array of Myriad Phenomena, activate!"

In an instant, the delicate silk threads, unaffected by the weather, filled the entire formation, floating and swaying seemingly disordered yet orderly, and Zhao Laoda and the other two were all trapped within them.

Song Yin and Shi Heming turned around and reunited.

Yu Lao Er's little finger broke instantly when it touched the silk thread; Mei San Jie lay on a rock, and the silk thread fell on her, quickly causing her to lose half of her left foot; and Zhao Lao Da lost his right ear.

"Boss, you can't touch this thin thread!" Yu Lao Er was starting to have second thoughts; he didn't want to lose another finger.

Boss Zhao: "You bastard, what tricks did you use!"

Shi Heming's hands kept changing, ignoring Zhao Laoda, and focusing on applying other formations to the Myriad Annihilation Formation.

Song Yin gave the order: "Kill them."

Shi Heming completed the final step, and the top-grade spirit stone in his hand turned into powder. "Yes."

The silk threads surged and multiplied again, and various wind blades appeared within the formation. To avoid the wind blades, one would touch the silk threads; to avoid the silk threads, one would have to take the wind blades head-on.

Zhao Laoda panicked. These two Golden Core stage righteous cultivators were completely different from the righteous cultivators he had encountered before. Their moves were varied and complex, and more importantly, their moves were very powerful.

Zhao Laoda and the others had to use their spiritual energy to protect themselves. Mei Sanjie lay on the rock, not daring to move, her mind wandering between thoughts of wine and battle.

Everyone has different inner demons, and the way they manifest when these demons erupt varies. Mei Sanjie's inner demons stemmed from her childhood father, an alcoholic and gambler. When no one gave him alcohol, he would beat every family member indiscriminately, with the vulnerable Mei Sanjie being his primary target. At seven or eight years old, she was the youngest and powerless to resist or escape. Mei Sanjie's ultimate fate was to be sold to pay for alcohol. Then, her master saw her and, taking pity on her, led her into the path of immortality.

At first, Sister Mei lived a peaceful life. Later, Sister Mei, along with Zhao Laoyu and Zhao Laoer, killed their master over some matters, and from then on, they became evil cultivators.

Zhao Laoda and Yu Laoer worked together to protect Mei Sanjie with magic, while simultaneously resisting the formation's attacks.

Zhao the eldest looked at the second and third brothers and thought to himself that this couldn't go on. The spiritual energy would be exhausted sooner or later, and the rate of absorption couldn't keep up with the rate of release.

He cannot die here. He still has a bright future ahead of him. The spiritual marrow in the cave can continue to help him cultivate. He has not yet become a powerful figure who can control everything!

Only a special secret technique can be used to rapidly increase one's cultivation level in a short period of time! The secret technique is very simple: it involves absorbing the cultivation level of others.

Zhao Laoda was trapped in the formation, and it was too late to absorb the cultivation of the people in the dungeon. He could only absorb the cultivation of his close relatives.

He quietly modified his release technique, changing it from protecting Sister Mei to absorbing her cultivation.

"Ugh..." Mei Sanjie let out a muffled groan.

When Mei Sanjie was conscious, she could feel her cultivation rapidly dissipating. She panicked, so panicked that she had no time to think about her inner demons.

Given her talent and comprehension, reaching the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm was no easy feat; she couldn't allow all her cultivation to be absorbed. At this moment, the intense desire to retain her cultivation even overwhelmed her inner demons.

She tried to regain her cultivation, but to no avail.

"Boss...why..." Why did he have to take away her cultivation? He knew perfectly well how difficult it had been for him to cultivate to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

Yu Lao Er: "Boss, what should we do... Ahhh, what are you doing, Boss?" His expression changed from normal to anxious and puzzled.

Zhao the eldest: "Second and third brothers, I will definitely make it up to you after we get out. Give me your cultivation now, otherwise, if this continues, we will all die."

Yu Lao Er looked at his boss in disbelief. Could something as important as cultivation be given away so easily?

Back then, they witnessed their leader absorbing the cultivation of others more than once, and at those times they remained indifferent to the cultivators' pleas for help. Who would have thought that today, the boomerang from back then would pierce their own backside?

Song Yin and Shi Heming were also surprised that Zhao Laoda was so ruthless as to forcibly absorb the cultivation of others. They didn't know what kind of cultivation technique he practiced, it was too strange.

"It would be bad if he broke free. His inner demons have greatly increased his combat power. If he absorbs the cultivation of his teammates, his strength will definitely reach a new level, making him even more difficult to deal with," Song Yin said nervously. "Kill Boss Zhao first."

Upon hearing this, Shi Heming controlled the Myriad Annihilation Array, and most of the threads flew towards Boss Zhao.

Protected by spiritual energy, even though some injuries were inevitable, Boss Zhao brandished his sword, determined to sever these troublesome threads.

Shi Heming continuously used spirit stones to maintain the array's energy consumption.

Yu Lao Er's cultivation level plummeted to the Qi Refining stage. He was completely distraught and would have to spend several hundred years to cultivate back to the mid-Golden Core stage.

He stared intently at Zhao Laoda's back, using his remaining cultivation to channel his spiritual energy and chant incantations.

Mei Sanjie had also reached the Qi Refining stage. She saw Yu Lao Er doing something and wanted to say something. But the next second, she was shocked, and her anger surged.

"Second brother! You actually secretly made a contract with the Vengeful Spirit Bell!"

Once the truth came out, Yu Lao Er no longer hid it, saying, "The Vengeful Spirit Bell has long been my magic weapon. I just didn't tell you because I was afraid you would be sad."

Mei Sanjie: "What happened to fair competition?"

Yu Lao Er didn't feel guilty at all, saying, "We are evil cultivators, fair competition is not suitable for us."

After saying that, he shook the Vengeful Spirit Bell, and layers of sound waves attacked Song Yin and the others.

It was they who forced Boss Zhao to absorb his cultivation. If it weren't for them, Boss Zhao wouldn't have gone mad. He should have dealt with the enemy first before discussing cultivation with Boss Zhao.

Song Yin: "Quickly shut off your hearing!"

She removed the hairpin from her hair, infused it with spiritual energy, and struck the vengeful spirit bell within the formation.

Passing through the threads, the two magical artifacts collided, resulting in a stalemate.

The Bell of Vengeance absorbed enough resentment and soul energy, and was forged from the blood of countless people, making it extremely powerful. Unfortunately, the person who controlled it had fallen to the Qi Refining stage, greatly reducing the power of the magical artifact.

Song Yin exerted her strength, and the hairpin went even further, piercing directly through the old man's palm.

Yu Lao Er, in pain, released his grip, and the magical artifact, having lost its spiritual power, fell to the ground.

With lightning speed, Song Yin retrieved the Soul-Bell from afar.

There was still Yu Lao Er's contract mark on it, but it didn't matter. As a Golden Core cultivator, she forcibly erased Yu Lao Er's contract, which belonged to a Qi Refining cultivator.

The contract was forcibly erased, and Yu Lao Er was immediately injured by the backlash, falling straight backward, with a silk thread swaying behind him.

Originally angry about the vengeful spirit bell, Sister Mei San, seeing her companion of hundreds of years die from being torn apart by the silk threads, cried out in fury, "Second brother!!!"

Mei Sanjie's shout that pierced the clouds caught the attention of Zhao Laoda.

Zhao Laoda's hand, which had been cutting the silk thread, didn't stop. Seeing Yu Lao Er dead, he also shouted, "Lao Er!!"

Taking advantage of their distraction, Shi Heming controlled the wind blades of another formation and concentrated them on attacking Mei Sanjie.

"Pfft!" Sister Mei sensed the danger and tried her best to resist, but she failed and the powerful attack pierced through her body.

"Boss..." Mei Sanjie's last gaze fell on Boss Zhao.

If he hadn't drained her cultivation, she wouldn't have been unable to withstand the wind blades' attacks; after all, she was a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator...

After witnessing the deaths of two people, Boss Zhao went completely mad and rushed out of the formation without regard for anything else.

"I'll make you pay with your lives!!!"

Zhao Laoda's strength has reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm in a short period of time.

Shi Heming controlled all the silk threads within the formation to attack Zhao Laoda, wrapping Zhao Laoda up layer by layer, like a silkworm cocoon.

Song Yin promptly removed the remaining souls of the two.

Song Yin: "Brother Zhao, stop making futile resistance. The threads in the formation are so strong that even a Nascent Soul stage sword cultivator cannot break through them. If you are not careful, your limbs will be broken, or your head will be separated from your body."

The inner demons would make Elder Zhao's battle strength stronger, but fortunately it's raining now, so the powder of the Illusionary Heart Demon Pill in the Myriad Manifestations Annihilation Formation can't float up.

She said this to crush Zhao Laoda's fighting spirit and confidence. If he continued to cut, the threads in the formation would be severed, and the regeneration speed would not be able to keep up with the speed at which they were severed.

I just hope that Boss Zhao is as easily fooled as the Nascent Soul stage cultivators I've encountered before, and that he easily believes in the effects of the formation.

Unfortunately, Song Yin's wish was dashed, and Boss Zhao completely lost control of his emotions. Unlike the cultivators Song Yin had encountered before, who still retained some rationality and dared not act rashly, Boss Zhao now had only two thoughts: kill the two people in front of him to avenge his second and third brothers, and then take the spiritual marrow to hide in some other remote place.

Even though he was trapped inside, Zhao Laoda continued to swing his sword.

Song Yin saw a silken cage resembling a silkworm cocoon, from which several beams of light shone, and then the beams of light continued to increase in number and size.

In an instant, the cocoon exploded, and the powerful impact sent her and Shi Heming flying backward.

Song Yin saw the sharp blade aimed directly at her brow. She controlled her body, turned in mid-air to dodge, and at the same time, thrust the Qingyang Sword toward Zhao Laoda's back.

Zhao Laoda also turned around and used his sword to block Song Yin's attack.

The two fighters' moves accelerated, and the flashing blades made it impossible for onlookers to see their attacks.

Boss Zhao: "Even within the same realm, there are differences. I admit you are the strongest Golden Core cultivator I have ever encountered, but I am not a Golden Core cultivator but a Nascent Soul cultivator. You will eventually be defeated by my sword."

Song Yin blocked his attack: "Then you must be the weakest Nascent Soul stage cultivator, otherwise how come you can't beat me?"

"Hmph, this is just the beginning." Boss Zhao changed his moves again and continued to attack.

Shi Heming brought his index and middle fingers together and drew talismans on the spot. The traces left by the spiritual energy were like ink. He drew several third-level frost talismans and threw them at Zhao Laoda.

Zhao Laoda created distance to avoid the talismans, but his spirit sword struck one, freezing the entire blade.

At the same time, Shi Heming took out the array plate and unfolded a new existing array, the Demon Extermination Array, which contains the power of pure Yang to suppress evil spirits.

The formation created a cage, trapping Boss Zhao inside.

"Here we go again! I'll cut this cage down!" Boss Zhao's sword multiplied into several, attacking the spiritual energy cage.

As soon as the Qingyang Sword left her hand, Song Yin used magic to make the sword grow larger and larger, aiming it directly at Boss Zhao.

At the same time, Zhao Laoduo used his sword to break through the formation and confront Song Yin's enlarged version of the Qingyang Sword.

The two controlled the spirit swords, and the two sides were locked in a stalemate. The spiritual energy fluctuations continued to spread in all directions, and all the surrounding trees were broken. A huge crater was even created under their feet.

Song Yin was sweating profusely; going head-to-head with a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator was truly a difficult task for her.

Boss Zhao: "I told you, your Golden Core is no match for mine."

Song Yin secretly continued to exert her strength, "That's not necessarily true. You're not the first Nascent Soul cultivator to die at my hands."

Old Zhao frowned. He had never had such a difficult time fighting against cultivators of the same level. This person had even killed other Nascent Soul cultivators before; no wonder he was so troublesome.

Zhao Laoda focused all his strength on the sword, and raised his other hand backward to block the flying talisman and magic weapon.

"Ha!"

Zhao Laoda broke through the two-pronged attack.

The standoff between the two sides has escalated into direct combat.

As Song Yin continued playing, she relied entirely on her willpower to sustain herself.

Just as she felt her speed was slowing down and she was about to be outmatched by Boss Zhao—

In a daze, she felt that Zhao Laoda's movements had slowed down, and every move seemed to her to be in slow motion.

The rain was still falling rapidly, but Zhao Laoda's movements slowed down.

She could even predict Zhao Laoda's next move and react in advance. Even if Zhao Laoda changed his moves at the last minute, she could adjust her response immediately.

With each swing, she couldn't tell whether she was controlling the sword or the sword was guiding her to execute the moves.

In Zhao Laoda's eyes, her change meant that her swordsmanship had suddenly become stronger, and her moves were unpredictable and hard to fathom, while his own swordsmanship was completely suppressed.

Zhao Laoda's heart skipped a beat: Damn it, she actually had an epiphany during the battle, and her swordsmanship has reached a new level. This person must not be allowed to live. He must kill her as quickly as possible, otherwise he was not sure how much her swordsmanship could improve.

Song Yin felt that she had gained a deeper understanding of her self-created swordsmanship.

This state of mind made her gradually get carried away in the game.

Every move she made was effective, and when she saw Zhao Laoda retreating, she intensified her attack with unstoppable momentum.

The situation changed instantly, and the scales of victory tipped in Song Yin's favor.

As Zhao Laoda moved in slow motion, Song Yin changed the direction of the Qingyang Sword and lifted her wrist upwards.

With a clang, Zhao Laoda's natal sword broke in his hand.

"Pfft! Cough cough!" If a magical artifact with a contract is damaged, its owner will suffer a backlash.

"My sword! My sword! How could your broken third-tier sword cut through my sixth-tier sword?!"

"Your sixth-tier sword will never be as good as my natal sword!" Song Yin threw the Qingyang Sword, aiming it at Zhao Laoda's chest.

"Even if I die, you won't have an easy time." Boss Zhao dragged his heavily injured body, unable to comprehend why he had ended up like this.

Shi Heming: "Oh no, he's trying to self-destruct!"

Song Yin's pupils contracted. "It's too late!"

She pulled out the jade pendant hanging around her neck. It was a sword talisman that Elder Wen had given her years ago, containing the five strongest sword energies Elder Wen possessed back then. She had used one of them, and four remained.

Song Yin unleashed a sword aura that pierced directly through the spiritual energy field formed before the Nascent Soul cultivator self-destructed.

Zhao Laoda was knocked away and pinned to a distant mountainside.

His eyes became unfocused, and blood continued to flow.

"How could this be..."

He died before he could finish speaking.

He was filled with resentment, and after his death, his soul fled far away, seeking to possess a body and avenge himself!

Song Yin pushed off with her feet and quickly caught up with Zhao Laoda, storing his soul into her magic artifact.

She closed the ritual implement and breathed a sigh of relief.

As I relaxed, a wave of pain and fatigue washed over me, so I quickly took out some healing pills and swallowed them.

Shi Heming caught up: "How are you?"

Song Yin: "I'll go back to the ground and heal my wounds first, and so will you. That evil cultivator said that among them, Boss Zhao is the most powerful, and the rest who aren't here are nothing to worry about."

Back on the ground, Song Yin sat down cross-legged and began to regulate her breathing and heal her injuries.

Once the pain subsided, Song Yin stopped healing and got up to walk towards the cave.

Upon entering the cave, Song Yin gasped in astonishment at the sight of the enormous spiritual marrow. She had lived for a hundred years and had never seen such a large marrow; she believed even her master, who was thousands of years old, had never seen one.

Shi Heming then entered, equally surprised. "I'll break the formation under the spiritual marrow first, then you can put it away."

Song Yin: "Okay, it's so big, we'll each have half."

Once the array beneath the spiritual essence is broken, the array on the dungeon side will also become ineffective.

Song Yin stored the spiritual essence in her spatial storage, and the two of them rushed to the dungeon.

The steps opened again, and Song Yin called out to Shi Heming: "Keep putting your cloak on and the hood up."

Shi Heming nodded and hid himself under his cloak.

The two walked down the steps and toward Xiu, who was trapped.

Some people couldn't help but shrink back when they saw it.

They were lost in confusion until Song Yin and Shi Heming broke free of their cage.

Song Yin changed her voice, "The evil cultivator has been killed, you are free. Do you all have the strength to stand up? You can leave now or wait until the rain stops outside."

Several people tried to stand up, but fell down halfway up.

Seeing this, Song Yin took out some pills and gave one to each person to take themselves.

She then went to the three people who were sleeping on the steps and fed them new pills.

The three of them slowly woke up.

Where am I?

Upon seeing their surroundings and the black-cloaked figure before them, the group exclaimed in fright, "Don't come any closer!"

Song Yin: "You were all captured and brought here by the evil cultivator. Now that the evil cultivator is dead, you are safe. You are all people with cultivation, so go back on your own."

The female cultivator, covered in scars, helped Bi Jiangxue over and said solemnly, "Thank you. She should be someone you know. She and another male cultivator named Liu Zhe were imprisoned here. Liu Zhe was seriously injured while protecting her, and the people who captured him thought he wouldn't survive, so they threw him into a pile of bones."

Song Yin was amazed by the female cultivator's keen eye; in just a few glances, she knew that her target was Bi Jiangxue.

However... Liu Zhe was also captured. There were only bones in the pile of bones, so Liu Zhe had probably become a skeleton.

Bi Jiangxue said weakly, "I don't know you, but thank you. What do you want?"

That's exactly the effect I wanted. Song Yin nodded, "I don't need anything, I'm just someone who has received kindness from your master."

She paused halfway through her sentence, then, remembering that Master Fan had given his disciple three hundred years, she added, "Your master is in seclusion and has no time to look after you, so I'm here to save you as a way of repaying his kindness."

Bi Jiangxue nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.

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Author's Note: Song Yin: Your spiritual essence is fine, you'll be mine in the next second [sunglasses]

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[Empty bowl]