The third stronghold.

The sky was filled with flames and there were constant shouts and cries of killing.

The entire area where the stronghold was located was actually covered by a golden energy barrier.

This was obviously some kind of seal or restriction, or perhaps a trap of a fairly high grade.

Qin Chuan held a long sword in his hand, breathing heavily, and scanned the surroundings, alert to the humanoid puppet not far away.

Bang~!

With a dull thud, a disciple from Qingluan Peak was knocked away by the puppet.

His ribs shattered immediately, his blood flowed backwards, he vomited blood, and smashed towards Qin Chuan.

Qin Chuan jumped up, caught his fellow disciple, and then landed on the ground.

"Junior Brother Wang, hold on."

“Cough cough cough…”

"Brother Qin, avenge me!"

Thick blood gushed out of Junior Brother Wang’s mouth, mixed with broken internal organs.

After he finished speaking, his head tilted and he died with his eyes open.

"Damn it, why did dozens of mysterious killers suddenly appear!"

Qin Chuan looked around.

There were eleven people in total on the other side, wearing the same black cloaks and the same shape of ghost masks on their faces.

Everyone is powerful and has a high level of cultivation, and there is no one below the sixth rank!

More than half of them have reached the fifth level, and two of them have auras as thick as the abyss, which is completely impossible to see through.

Qin Chuan suspected that the realm of these two people was likely close to or even reached the fourth level!

Earlier, Liang Meng spread the news that a mysterious killer appeared on the Trial Road.

This made many disciples panic and they chose to act in groups.

There were hundreds of people in their group, including disciples from several lineages including Qingluan Peak, Punishment Hall, Dan Peak, Jinguan Peak, and Baihua Peak.

Led by Liang Meng from the Punishment Hall and Li Changfeng, the senior brother from Danfeng, they practiced together and searched for Tianling Crystal and Yunjiao Stone.

They arrived at the third stronghold early this morning, and after carving their names on the stone tablet, they began to rest.

Unexpectedly, just a quarter of an hour ago.

Eleven men in black suddenly rushed out and caught them off guard.

In just one encounter, dozens of disciples died on the spot!

By the time everyone reacted and fought back together, they discovered that a huge trap had appeared here at some point, trapping them all inside and making it difficult to escape.

At first, Liang Meng, Li Changfeng and Senior Sister Mingzhu led several disciples to hold back the three strongest opponents.

The rest of the disciples also banded together to deal with the remaining eight people.

Two fists are no match for four hands, and they have a huge advantage.

Unexpectedly, this group of people suddenly threw out a bunch of puppets.

The strength of these puppets varies, and their grades range from ninth to fifth.

There are a huge number of them, and most of them are around the sixth grade.

In the inner sect, most of those who had reached the sixth level were direct disciples. The number of direct disciples here was limited, and their good situation was turned around in an instant.

In just a few minutes, the situation became one-sided.

The fellow disciples fell one after another, either killed in action or seriously injured and losing their combat effectiveness.

Now, one third of their hundreds of people have been killed.

If they continue like this, they will be wiped out by the eleven people in an hour at most!

Bang bang bang~!

There were three more muffled sounds, and three disciples from Qingluan Peak were knocked away by a man in black who had reached the sixth level of perfection, and they all fell beside Qin Chuan.

Qin Chuan looked at his fallen fellow apprentices, clenched his fists, and became filled with anger.

He was targeted by this man in the first confrontation and suffered serious injuries.

Upon seeing this, several fellow apprentices came together to stop this man and buy themselves time to recover.

"It seems that except for Li Zhiming, the rest of the people in Qingluan Peak are just trash!"

The man in black sneered, his tone full of disdain.

"Originally, you trash are not worthy of our attack."

"If you want to blame someone, blame Li Zhiming. He actually caused us to lose nearly ten good fighters. This huge loss can only be made up with the lives of rubbish like you."

After the man in black finished speaking, he walked towards Qin Chuan with two iron spikes about one foot long in his hands.

“…”

Qin Chuan was stunned when he heard this, and then he laughed out loud.

"Hahaha, good kill!"

"Well done!"

"No one here will blame Li Zhiming. We will just think that he didn't kill enough of you and didn't catch you all in one fell swoop!"

Qin Chuan's voice was cold, and the true energy in his body surged, causing gusts of strong wind.

"At the early stage of the sixth rank, just an ant!"

"Since you are in a hurry to reincarnate, I will send you on your way."

"Your name is Qin Chuan, right? I remember that you have a close relationship with Li Zhiming. If I kill you, Li Zhiming will surely be very angry."

The man in black flashed and disappeared on the spot.

He is very fast and his figure is extremely ghostly.

It was difficult for Qin Chuan to capture it and he could only sense the general direction.

“What a fast speed!”

Qin Chuan's expression became extremely solemn.

This person was actually holding back before, and now we see his true strength.

The sixth level is perfect, it is indeed powerful!

Qin Chuan gritted his teeth, then bit his tongue, and a rune lit up between his eyebrows.

As the legitimate descendant of an aristocratic family, how could he not have some means to protect his life?

"Secret method, Wind Attraction Technique!"

“Third floor!”

Qin Chuan muttered a series of incantations, and as the last note fell, the blood in his body surged violently, his true energy expanded instantly, and his realm jumped to the late sixth level!

"Is that the clan emblem?"

The man in black glanced at the rune that flashed across Qin Chuan's brow, his tone a little solemn.

Generally, the direct descendants of aristocratic families with strong heritage will have family crests.

Once the clan emblem is activated, it will burst out with combat power far beyond its own realm, which can be regarded as a powerful trump card.

"You kid, your identity is not simple."

"But I just like killing you guys from aristocratic families!"

The man in black flashed and approached Qin Chuan within ten feet, holding the iron spike tightly with both hands, leaning forward with his back straight, his movements like a falcon locking onto its prey, ready to pounce.

Brush~!

The man in black rushed out and stabbed Qin Chuan in the middle of his eyebrows with the iron spike in his right hand.

Qin Chuan briefly reached the late sixth level, and his reaction speed also increased.

He took a step back and dodged sideways.

The whirlwind around his body suddenly expanded, and the wind-attributed true energy stirred rapidly, shocking the man in black and making him take a step back.

Immediately afterwards, Qin Chuan turned from defense to offense and slashed out with a sword.

The pale green sword light, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind, shot towards the man in black.

The man in black dodged by looking up, and the sharp sword energy brushed past his mask.

"Haha, it's quite something, but how long can this secret method of yours last?"

The man in black sneered, dodged and avoided the oncoming whirlwinds, then turned around and stabbed Qin Chuan in the face!

Qin Chuan took a step back and blocked his face with the sword.

Ding~!

With a crisp sound, the black iron spike hit the sword in Qin Chuan's hand.

A powerful force surged out, and Qin Chuan's sword bent into a terrifying arc. He kept retreating, and after sliding for several feet, he finally got rid of the opponent's force.

“Get lost!”

Qin Chuan roared and shook the sword violently.

The man in black took a step back, but without stopping, he turned around and stabbed Qin Chuan again.

In an instant, offense and defense changed.

Qin Chuan fell into a passive defensive situation.

The man in black kept waving the iron spike in his hand at an incredibly fast speed, and every attack brought out a sharp cold light.

The fierce attack suppressed Qin Chuan, making him exhausted from defending and his breath rapidly decreasing.

"Your secret time is up!"

"Don't resist any longer!"

The man in black burst out with fierce true energy and knocked Qin Chuan away with one blow.

Then he jumped up, followed Qin Chuan, and stabbed towards his heart.

Just then, his boss's voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"Qin Chuan must be alive. We need him to contain Li Zhiming!"

"clear!"

The man in black put away his killing move, turned around and kicked out with his legs.

Qin Chuan suffered a heavy blow and fell heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

He tried to stand up, but he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen and was unable to move.

All his ribs are broken!

"Why did he stop just now?!"

Qin Chuan gritted his teeth, feeling puzzled.

Then, he suddenly understood.

"Damn it! This guy wants to capture me alive and use me to threaten Li Zhiming!"

Qin Chuan had a quick mind and immediately figured out the reason why the other party was holding back.

"No, we must not let it fall into the other party's hands."

Qin Chuan gritted his teeth and dragged his body backwards.

"Congratulations, you have won the golden medal of immunity from death."

"However, I will destroy your cultivation, cut the tendons of your hands and feet, and make you wish you were dead but unable to live!"

"Haha, you want to capture me alive? It's not that easy!"

Qin Chuan sneered.

He clenched the long sword in his hand. If all else failed, he would just commit suicide to avoid causing trouble for Li Zhiming.

"You are already at the end of your strength, where do you get the courage to speak so arrogantly!"

The man in black disappeared in a flash, and when he appeared again, he was less than one step away from Qin Chuan!

“Damn it!”

Qin Chuan's pupils constricted. This man was too strong. It seemed that he really had no way out.

However, he was somewhat unwilling.

He had a fiancée waiting for him to come back. His wonderful life hadn't even begun yet, but he died just like that. It's so fucked up!

"Watch this, you bastard."

Suddenly, a beam of iron light came rushing towards them.

The man in black stopped where he was, not moving at all, allowing the iron light to hit his face.

But his mask wasn't even broken and he was directly flung away.

"who!"

The man in black turned around and saw a masked man dressed like a disciple of the Punishment Hall not far away.

"Early seventh rank?"

"You useless thing, are you worthy of wearing a mask like me?!"

He sneered and decided to deal with this ignorant guy first.

"Run, go to Senior Sister Mingzhu!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Chuan gathered all his strength, endured the severe pain in his abdomen, stood up, and retreated to the rear.

"You ant, you dare to disturb my interest, you are seeking death!"

The man in black came in front of the Punishment Hall disciple in an instant.

Before the man could react, he grabbed his neck with one hand and inserted the iron spike into his chest with his other hand.

Once, twice...

After dozens of piercings, the disciple from the Punishment Hall was stabbed like a hornet's nest, his body soaked in blood.

Snap~!

The man in black exerted force with his palms, and cracks appeared on the masks of the disciples of the Punishment Hall.

"This is the result of seeking death."

The man in black threw the Punishment Hall disciple in his hand out, and he landed right in front of Qin Chuan.

“Ahem…”

The disciples of the Punishment Hall had blood gurgling from their mouths.

Qin Chuan stopped and his pupils trembled.

A disciple he didn't know died to buy time for him. He was moved but more at a loss.

"Don't talk, I'm here to save you."

Qin Chuan looked panicked and hurriedly took out a few pills.

At this moment, the mask on the face of this Punishment Hall disciple completely shattered.

"Peng Li?!"

When Qin Chuan saw the man's face clearly, shock flashed in his eyes.

"Why did you save me?"

"Tell...Tell Li Zhiming that I don't owe him anything anymore!"

Peng Li used up his last bit of strength and died as soon as he finished speaking.

“…”

Qin Chuan clenched his fists.

His fellow disciples fell one by one, and he was powerless to do anything. An unprecedented sense of frustration and despair surged into his heart and overwhelmed him.

"It's useless. Apart from my direct disciples, the rest are trash. I will kill as many as they come!"

The man in black followed closely, landed in front of Qin Chuan, and blocked his retreat.

…

Li Zhiming saw a dilapidated ancient building not far away, with broken walls and ruins.

This place is the same as the center of the first and second areas.

It is obviously the center of the third area, which is also the location of the third stronghold.

“That is…?”

"Array barrier!"

"Everyone, prepare to fight!"

Li Zhiming immediately gave the order and turned himself into a flash of lightning and entered the second stronghold in an instant.

He stood in mid-air and glanced down.

This place was shrouded in a trap array, with eleven assassins surrounding and attacking hundreds of inner sect disciples.

Although there are many inner sect disciples, this killer actually has dozens of puppets of varying grades!

"Qin Chuan?!"

Li Zhiming discovered Qin Chuan's figure, and seven mysterious thunder blades turned into streams of light and shot out.

Boom!

Seven black thunder blades smashed into the barrier of the formation. Li Zhiming's mental strength surged wildly, and the power of the black thunder blades became stronger and stronger.

Boom boom boom~!

The entire area shook twice.

Such a commotion attracted everyone's attention.

The eleven men in black turned their heads and looked upwards, and were all shocked when they found cracks in the formation. By the time they were about to take action to increase the strength of the formation, it was already too late!

Snap~!

A crisp sound was heard.

The formation could not bear the weight of the seven black thunder blades and shattered.

The seven black thunder blades instantly dispersed and locked onto the seven most powerful black-clad killers in the area.

At the same time, Li Zhiming descended from the sky holding a red flame, destroying everything in his path!

The pupils of the man in black who was about to capture Qin Chuan alive suddenly shrank. He immediately came to his senses and reached out to grab Qin Chuan, but it was too late!

Li Zhiming raised his arm and swung his sword, and Chi Yan drew out a flaming sword light, which passed in front of the man in black.

The black-clad man's arm was neatly chopped off, blood spurting out.

He screamed and took several steps back.

"Li Zhiming!"

Qin Chuan was delighted when he saw Li Zhiming coming.

Li Zhiming glanced at the body lying on the ground, "Peng Li?!"

"He died saving me."

Qin Chuan replied.

Li Zhiming squatted down and reached out to close Peng Li's eyes.

"It's okay, leave this to me."

Li Zhiming replied calmly. He turned his head to look at the man in black, a cold gleam in his eyes.

The man with broken arms felt as if he was being stared at by a poisonous snake. The feeling sent a chill down his spine and made him want to retreat.

"You are Li Zhiming!"

The man in black questioned, backing away.

"It's me."

Before Li Zhiming finished his voice, he had already appeared in front of the man in black.

The man in black came face to face with Li Zhiming and was startled.

His pupils suddenly constricted and he wanted to step back, but he couldn't move because Li Zhiming grabbed his face directly!

"You used this thing to kill Peng Li, right?"

Li Zhiming stretched out his hand and an iron spike floated over from the side.

"Then you should try this thing too."

Li Zhiming said in a low voice, holding an iron spike in his hand, and gave the man in black a series of hundreds of attacks.

This person was directly stabbed into a hedgehog.

The mask on the black-clothed man's face was crushed into pieces by Li Zhiming. He could not scream because his mouth was blocked by Li Zhiming's palm. His lower jaw was crushed and blood could only come out of his nose and eyes.

The man in black went limp, his pupils dilated, and his life force disappeared.

Li Zhiming loosened his palms, and flames rushed out, purifying everything.

He looked around and locked onto seven people.

The Black Thunder Blade moved at high speed, as if dancing in the air, and killed the seven people who were targeted in seconds with lightning speed!

At this time, everyone was still in surprise and astonishment.

When they came to their senses, they saw the heads of seven black-clad killers flying out!