CHAPTER 494

Creak... Creak...

As the three eerie black Corpse Fiends were beheaded, frost began to form at their necks, swiftly spreading downward.

In an instant, their headless bodies were completely encased in ice, even the sinister black mist surrounding them was frozen solid, unable to move.

Then, with a flick of her sword technique, Xiao Yan directed the silver sword light that had been roaming the battlefield toward the frozen Corpse Fiends.

With several thunderous explosions, the three black Corpse Fiends were blasted apart, their shattered remains falling to the ground.

The residual sword light did not dissipate but continued to weave through the air like a silver net.

Wherever it passed, the remaining ordinary Corpse Fiends were instantly pierced through the head, turning into ice sculptures.

Even the black glow of the formation enclosing Qiu Clan Village was riddled with countless holes, gradually unraveling.

The Corpse Refining Formation that had trapped Qiu Clan Village was unable to withstand Xiao Yan’s peerless assault and was collapsing.

As the silver sword light transformed back into a treasured sword and returned to Xiao Yan’s hand, she sheathed it gracefully.

Mu Tian and the others had been left completely dumbfounded.

They could scarcely believe their eyes as they looked at the fearsome Corpse Fiends that had moments ago filled them with despair—now utterly annihilated by Xiao Yan in just a few breaths' time.

Yet, the ones most in disbelief were the evil cultivators lurking in the shadows.

Those three Iron Corpses had been painstakingly obtained—stolen from the ancestral tombs of certain noble families. In life, they were all Peak Innate Realm warriors.

Through arduous effort, the evil cultivator had refined them into Iron Corpses, their strength now comparable to Foundation Establishment cultivators.

He had been confident that these three trump cards would easily subdue this group of "brats."

Yet, shockingly, this seemingly teenage girl had effortlessly destroyed his painstakingly crafted Iron Corpses.

Even the grand formation he had spent so much effort setting up had been severely damaged and was now beyond repair.

"Foundation Establishment Perfection! Flying Sword Technique! Who is this girl?!"

"And that young man! How could he use life-filled talismans within my death-aura-laden formation?! Who is he?!"

A chill ran through the evil cultivator’s heart, and a sense of retreat arose within him.

His own cultivation was only at the Initial Innate Realm.

Though devouring the blood essence of the Qiu Clan villagers had given him signs of a breakthrough, even if he succeeded, his realm would still be on par with Xiao Yan's.

Moreover, with his Iron Corpses destroyed, his strength had been drastically diminished.

Under these circumstances, there was no way he could defeat this girl who wielded such a terrifying Flying Sword Technique.

Not to mention, someone as young as her already at Foundation Establishment Perfection surely had an unimaginable background.

Even his master might not dare to provoke such a person!

And the young man who could use talismans filled with life energy amidst the deathly formation—just the thought of him sent shivers down the evil cultivator’s spine.

As thoughts raced through his mind, his actions did not slow.

With a flurry of hand seals, he pushed the crumbling formation to its limits.

Black mist surged from the ground, swallowing the entire Qiu Clan Village in darkness.

At the same time, the evil cultivator’s body transformed into a shadow, frantically fleeing toward the village outskirts.

He knew that the formation’s last remnants could not harm Xiao Yan and her group.

But harming them was never his goal.

He merely wanted to use the death aura to mask his escape.

Death aura could block divine sense perception. As long as he could delay Xiao Yan for even a moment, he would be able to flee.

With his secret escape technique, once he reached the forest, even a Golden Core cultivator would struggle to catch him!

The plan was sound.

Using the death aura as cover, he successfully made it out of the village.

Just as he was about to step into the forest and breathe a sigh of relief, a deadly presence surged toward him from behind.

His heart pounded in terror as he attempted to dodge, but it was too late.

Pain shot through his chest.

A silver flying sword had pierced through his heart and continued forward, cleaving through the forest ahead.

His protective techniques, armor, and spiritual defenses—everything crumbled before the sword’s terrifying power, as fragile as paper.

Only then did the deafening roar of rolling thunder reach his ears.

His eyes widened in horror, and he murmured, "Sword Qi Thunder Roar… so the records were true."

Feeling his life force rapidly draining away, despair consumed him.

This sword strike had not only shattered his heart, but the sword intent within it had extinguished all traces of his vitality.

Unless a great power intervened personally, he was doomed.

"Master… I should have listened to you."

As his consciousness faded, he recalled his master's warnings before he had left.

His master had advised him that the world had changed and that reckless slaughter was no longer tolerated.

He was told to lay low and cultivate in hidden lands of death, where progress was slower but far safer.

Yet, after experiencing the rapid gains of devouring life essence, he could no longer endure the slow cultivation of absorbing death aura.

So, he had ignored his master’s words and continued his predation.

He had thought that by coming to the remote Northern Border, he could avoid the notice of righteous cultivators.

But in the end, he had still been hunted down.

"Perhaps this is the fate of us demonic cultivators."

"Master, do not seek revenge for me. We cannot afford to provoke them."

With that final thought, his consciousness sank into eternal darkness.

…

"That was the hidden evil cultivator?"

Back in Qiu Clan Village, Mu Tian and the others gazed at the distant fallen figure in black robes, overwhelmed by shock.

For a long time, no one spoke.

Only after a while did someone finally break the silence.

Moments earlier, when the black mist had engulfed them, they had been gripped with fear.

Then, they had seen Xiao Yan unleash an overwhelming power.

With a single sword gesture, her sheathed sword had flown out once more.

A thunderous roar had shaken the heavens, scattering the black mist before her.

The same sword had then streaked across the village and pierced through the rapidly escaping figure in the distance.

Wherever the flying sword passed, its overwhelming Sword Qi had gouged deep trenches into the ground.

Now, a massive sword scar—more than three meters wide—ran from within the village all the way to the depths of the forest.

The sight was beyond words. It was utterly awe-inspiring.