After leaving the Profound Fire Pill Shop, Han Yi hurried straight back to his courtyard. For him, this place and the pill shop were likely the safest spots in all of Mengshan City.
Today's outing had been immensely rewarding. Not only had he acquired a fragmented version of a sword control spell, but after trading pills and purchasing materials, his Spirit Stone savings had finally surpassed one hundred for the first time—a substantial sum of liquid capital.
On Little Spirit Void Peak, only the most elite outer sect disciples at the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Refining could afford such extravagance. As the saying goes, "Money breeds confidence," a truth that held firm in any world.
With his financial foundation secured, Han Yi was already mentally planning how he could now fully commit to his cultivation progress, freely spending Spirit Stones to accelerate his advancement. Insufficient talent? Spirit Stones would compensate. Reaching the third layer of Qi Refining was merely a starting point; the mid and late stages, even Immortal Foundation Establishment, were now just a matter of time.
As Han Yi mused over these possibilities, he had already covered more than half the distance. He was now passing through a narrow alley, just two streets away from his courtyard. This alley was the most secluded route between the Profound Fire Pill Shop and his residence.
As always, Han Yi remained highly vigilant as he traversed the narrow alleyway.
Just as he was about to reach the end, heavy footsteps echoed from behind.
The sound grew closer with startling speed. In less than a breath—roughly three seconds—the approaching figure had closed the distance from tens of meters away to within three meters of him.
Han Yi frowned, his steps faltering slightly. He instinctively sidled against the wall, making way for the hurried newcomer. If they're in such a hurry, let them pass first. This will minimize the risk of a close encounter.
The alley wasn't particularly narrow, measuring about three meters wide. The other person would be through in less than a second, causing minimal delay.
Han Yi had barely flattened himself against the wall when a sharp, acrid, burnt odor assaulted his nostrils.
This... the scent of Medicinal Pills.
Could the passerby be an Alchemist? Only those who practiced the Alchemy Technique regularly, constantly refining pills, carried such a distinctive aroma.
Yet, why did this scent feel so vaguely familiar? Where had he encountered it before?
The question surfaced in his mind.
At that moment, the figure drew level with him, about two meters away, poised to exit the alley.
The thought of that acrid, burnt smell had just surfaced in Han Yi's mind, unresolved and lingering with uncertainty.
In an instant, the scene shifted, freezing on a moment inside the Profound Fire Pill Shop—the very first time he had entered, catching a faint whiff of that same distinctive odor.
The source of the smell was...
Suddenly.
He snapped his head up.
Jiang De.
The man who had brushed past him was Jiang De.
Before he could fully process this, Han Yi's senses picked up a subtle ripple of mana.
This surge of mana erupted from the figure two meters away, now standing level with him.
At the same moment.
A raw, undeniable killing intent exploded into the air.
Instantly.
The hairs on Han Yi's body stood on end, his scalp tingling with dread.
The stench of death hung so close.
In the blink of an eye, Han Yi's mind raced, but his body had already reacted instinctively.
Pfft!
With a swift flick of his right hand, he curled his fingers and snapped them sharply, unleashing a bolt of Spirit Light.
Driven by instinct, the mana compressed within this Spirit Void Finger strike was still only one-fiftieth of his total reserves.
The Spirit Light detonated between the two men, the resulting cloud of Spirit Qi crackling with fiery sparks.
A searing breath washed over Han Yi.
His opponent's spell was fire-attributed.
Han Yi dared not imagine what would happen if he were struck by such a spell—would he be incinerated?
But he could roughly predict that today would likely be his end.
The thought flashed through his mind in an instant.
Before it could fully form, a surge of fury erupted within him.
Yet even before the anger could ignite, instinct took over.
A Spirit Void Finger shot forth, disrupting the opponent's spell. Clearly caught off guard, the opponent had assumed a single strike would kill Han Yi and hadn't prepared their next spell.
Under the threat of death, instinct refused to falter.
Almost simultaneously with the Spirit Void Finger from his right hand, Han Yi's left hand unleashed another.
In a time interval so brief it was nearly imperceptible, the second Spirit Void Finger pierced through the chaotic swirl of fire-flickering Spirit Qi and slammed brutally into the opponent's arm.
Boom!
The opponent's arm exploded at the shoulder.
A cloud of blood mist erupted.
A brief scream of agony pierced the air.
It wasn't over yet.
Thwack, thwack, thwack...
Driven by mortal peril and furious desperation, instinct had initially taken over. Now, reason reclaimed control of his body.
In the span of two breaths—a mere six seconds—Han Yi emptied his entire mana reservoir. Fifty Spirit Void Fingers erupted in the narrow alley like dazzling fireworks, detonating in rapid succession in a furious barrage.
It all happened in an instant.
From the sound of footsteps behind him to Han Yi's reflexive turn, from sensing the mana fluctuations of his opponent to his instinctive finger flick and the complete depletion of his mana, it all transpired in a handful of fleeting breaths.
Only then did the other occupants of the alley react.
The swirling vortex of Spirit Qi still churned as screams erupted from all sides.
Han Yi had no time to dwell on it.
He sprinted toward the alley exit, intent on escaping. Suddenly, his foot struck something. He glanced down, scooped it up without slowing, rounded the corner, and vanished into the distance.
Fifteen minutes later, the official cultivators of Mengshan City finally arrived.
What they found was a mangled corpse, its bones shattered into dust. Calling it a corpse seemed generous—it was little more than a mass of festering, pulped flesh.
A high-level Qi Refining cultivator frowned at the sight.
"The residual aura here suggests the cultivator was roughly at the fourth level of Qi Refining, certainly no higher than the fifth."
"Besides, all that's left is this mangled mess of flesh, with no identifying marks. What's the point of investigating?"
"Cultivator fights are commonplace. And no mortals were harmed."
"Also, the victim's Storage Pouch is missing. It was likely stolen."
"No need for further investigation. Classify this as a Robber Cultivator case."
The high-level Qi Refining cultivator waved his hand, declaring the matter closed, and departed without another word.
Less than an hour later, low-level cultivators arrived to clean up the scene.
Two hours later, only the lingering stench of blood remained, all other traces of the battle completely erased.
Time rewinds.
As Han Yi emerged from the alley, his body trembled uncontrollably. Yet, with immense willpower, he forced his pace to slow, melting into the crowd.
Reaching his courtyard gate, he squeezed the last dregs of mana from his body, channeled it into the Formation Plate, activated the courtyard's defenses, and locked the gate behind him.
Only then did his strength give way.
He collapsed against the gate, his legs giving way beneath him.
Fear, fury, panic, disgust... the emotions churned within him like a storm.
A torrent of emotions, each distinct and overwhelming, surged through him.
Only now, after forcibly suppressing his racing heart, did it suddenly pound wildly, as if his very heart were about to burst from his throat.
"Jiang De wanted to kill me."
"I killed him."