Xie Zhaolin didn't even have time to think.
The instant that gray shadow swept across the treetops, her whole body tensed on instinct. Anyone who appeared in Blackwater Abyss wasn't some good-hearted cultivator!
"Go!"
Three black threads shot from her sleeve. The Shisha Spider Puppet lunged forward, its abdomen swelling like a balloon as all eight legs lit up with blood-red markings. At the same time, Xie Zhaolin pushed off the ground with her toes, retreating thirty feet as her divine sense ordered the Queen Bee, "Cover the retreat!"
Boom!!!
The puppet exploded just three feet from the shadow, bone spikes laced with poison and explosive talisman fire ripping across a radius of thirty feet. Riding the shockwave, she shot back another forty feet, her black robe whipping in the wind.
Not enough. Still not enough!
She knew exactly what this meant. Anyone who could crush a second-rank Three-Eyed Demon Wolf with ease had to be at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, maybe even…
Crack.
The sound of a dry branch snapping came from behind. Cold ran down Xie Zhaolin's spine. Without thinking, she hurled out the rest of her scale darts. Eighteen streaks of icy blue light fanned out like blades—only to freeze midair, as if slamming into an invisible wall.
"Not bad."
A hoarse voice rasped right by her ear, hot breath brushing her earlobe. Her whole body locked up as she watched those poisoned darts crumble into powder under invisible force.
When?!
She twisted sharply, about to summon the Dark Shadow Mirror from her sleeve, but icy fingers clamped around her wrist. That hand looked pale and slender, the grip loose, yet her whole arm went numb in an instant.
"What a shame…"
The gray-robed man stepped out from behind her. His face, revealed in the moonlight, was so ordinary it'd vanish in a crowd. Only the scar at the corner of his mouth ruined the bland perfection.
"…Too slow."
The words had barely fallen when Xie Zhaolin suddenly struck!
Her right wrist snapped out of joint with a crunch, while her left hand completed a teleportation seal. As black qi burst out, she even caught the glint of amusement in his eyes.
Bang!
She didn't slam into a barrier like she'd expected, but into a wall of flesh. The man was already in front of her, his gray robe untouched by even a ripple.
Like a cat toying with a mouse.
That thought drenched her in cold. Stumbling to her feet, her right arm hung limp, dislocated, while her left hand fumbled into her storage pouch for a Swift Step Talisman.
"I'd advise you not to—"
Before he even finished, her storage pouch exploded with a loud bang!
Talismans, pills, and treasures scattered into the air, the Swift Step Talisman igniting midair before it ever reached her hand.
Xie Zhaolin's blood froze.
"…Waste your effort."
The man's voice finally finished, unhurried. He strolled toward her, every step pressing down on her nerves like a hammer.
She spun and slashed her palm, blood welling as she triggered the Blood Escape Technique—
Only to be slammed against a tree before she could vanish. An invisible force pinned her cloak flat against the bark. Even her fingertips couldn't twitch.
A Nascent Soul cultivator!
The realization exploded in her mind.
The man must've read her thoughts, lips curving faintly. "Don't bother. This clone only has Golden Core strength, but against you, that's more than enough."
A clone?!
Xie Zhaolin's mind reeled. Sweeping her divine sense over him again, she finally noticed the subtle stagnation in his aura, like it didn't belong in this world at all.
No wonder neither she nor the Queen Bee had sensed him earlier!
"Senior, who are you?" She forced her voice calm even though her thoughts churned. "I was only passing through…"
"Passing through?" The man chuckled, eyes sweeping the ground. "Not many Qi Refining cultivators can last three days in Blackwater Abyss."
He lifted a hand. Three stalks of Xuanyin Grass and a piece of Water Spirit Crystal rose into the air, spinning lazily above his palm.
"Xuanyin Grass, Water Spirit Crystal…" He nodded. "To snatch these from second-rank Blackwater Fish, you've got some skill."
Xie Zhaolin's heart pounded. Her mind raced, searching for a way out. The Queen Bee and her swarm had been swatted aside like nothing, so they were useless now.
Judging by his actions, he'd only stumbled on her by chance. But if he'd already made a move, then he wanted something.
Normally, a destroyed storage pouch meant everything inside was obliterated too.
The fact that her items were intact meant he'd silently stripped the restrictions before shattering it.
So he was after treasure?
"If Senior fancies these things, take them." She steadied her tone. "I've no complaints."
The man rolled the Water Spirit Crystal in his palm, then flicked his finger.
Crack!
A fine line split across the crystal, pure spiritual energy leaking out. Before it could disperse, a swirl of black qi sucked it into his hand.
"I want you to fetch something for me," he said at last, eyes locking on hers. "At the bottom of Blackwater Abyss… the Rebirth Flower."
"The Rebirth Flower?!"
Xie Zhaolin's pupils shrank. That legendary plant only bloomed once every thousand years at the border of yin and yang. It could rebuild flesh, repair Primordial Souls—she'd only ever read of it in ancient texts in her past life.
"Senior must be joking," she forced out, "I'm only a Qi Refining cultivator…"
"Because only you can enter." His tone deepened. "The Nether River's restrictions reject anyone above Golden Core, and ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators…"
He snorted coldly. "They'd never make it that far."
"And besides…"
A jade slip floated before her.
"Your Xuanyin Foundation Technique can resist the Nether River's yin qi. This is your chance."
Her heart lurched. He'd seen through her cultivation method with a single glance!
Who in the world was this man?
"And if I refuse?" she asked cautiously.
He smiled. That smile was the curl of a viper before striking.
Her vision blurred, his icy fingers already clamping her chin. He leaned so close she could see her pale reflection in his eyes.
"The Rebirth Flower." His thumb traced her jaw with an almost tender tone. "Or…"
His hand slid to her throat, lifting her into the air.
"…your life."
Her vision swam as oxygen drained away. She saw his left hand rise, a spark of eerie blue light forming at his fingertip.
Was this it? Was she going to die?
No… she couldn't. She'd clawed her way back to life, struggled this far. She refused to die here!
"I… I'll fetch…"
Her throat cracked under the pressure. Somehow he heard it. The glow at his fingertip dimmed a little.
But then—
Shhh!
A black ray shot from his finger, slamming straight into Xie Zhaolin's forehead!
"Arghhh—!"