This was merely an ordinary mountain range, one Wu Tao had frequented before.
Back then, it was alive with birdsong, blooming flowers, and scurrying foxes and rabbits. Never had it been this silent and deathly still.
It was evident someone had laid an ambush, having cleared the area beforehand.
...
"Who is playing tricks here? Come out!"
Wu Tao's eyes, sharp as lightning, scanned his surroundings as he boomed his challenge.
Moments later, the quiet, oppressive atmosphere was shattered by a series of eerie cackles.
"A vigilant lad, it seems I cannot afford to conserve my strength. I must expend more effort."
Amidst the laughter, the once placid mountain range churned as if a giant boulder had been dropped into a still pond.
Countless dark shadows erupted from all corners of the mountains, filling the sky. They swirled together like living clouds, vast swathes of them.
These shadows emitted a deafening "buzzing" sound, so grating it made one's ears ache and hands instinctively cover them.
"Flying Water Leeches? So many!"
The moment the countless shadows appeared, Wu Tao recognized their origin.
"Flying Water Leeches are mutated forms of common leech-like monsters. They feed on the blood of land creatures on the ground, fish in the water, and birds in the sky.
They can survive tenaciously in various harsh environments, posing a great threat to all beings in the cultivation world."
...
Each Flying Water Leech was grotesquely shaped, with flat mouths, sharp teeth, and suction-cup-like heads. Their orange-red bodies, when in flight, spread thin membranes connecting their forelimbs to their armpits, resembling insect wings.
While individually weak, these low-level demonic beasts, when gathered in such numbers, could force even high-level demonic beasts to retreat with their unique innate abilities.
Had Wu Tao encountered them a few years prior, he would have had no choice but to flee in disarray.
But now, seeing the sky-choking swarm of Flying Water Leeches attacking him like a frenzy...
...
A cold smile played on Wu Tao's lips. He stood his ground, waiting motionlessly for the master behind these Flying Water Leeches to reveal themselves.
A moment later, a path suddenly parted within the pitch-black swarm of Flying Water Leeches.
A furtive-looking man, less than five feet tall, with a gaunt face, sparse yet long and sharp whiskers, and a pair of prominent buck teeth.
His appearance instantly evoked the image of a scoundrel, a middle-aged rogue.
"Hey, kid, don't blame me. Someone's paid a handsome price for your life. Draw your sword and meet your end.
If I'm in a good mood, I might not feed your corpse to my little darlings," boasted the insectoid cultivator, Ba Lin.
...
"Haha, you want my head? Come and get it if you have the guts!"
Wu Tao sneered, then indifferently waved his hand, his face like ice.
"Hiss hiss, kid, you won't shed tears until you see the coffin. Don't think you're so great just because you're at the late stage of Foundation Establishment."
"I've killed countless brats like you over the decades."
Ba Lin chuckled, his small eyes suddenly flashing with green light.
The next moment, Ba Lin muttered an incantation, as if summoning something, intending to have his little darlings swarm and kill Wu Tao quickly.
The swarm of Flying Water Leeches in the sky instantly boiled.
Tens of thousands of them, like a vast army obscuring the heavens, rolled in like a tidal wave.
Under Ba Lin's command, they surged rapidly towards Wu Tao!
Meanwhile.
With a flick of his storage bag, Wu Tao produced the Myriad Spirit Flying Butterfly Pot, pouring all his spiritual energy into it.
Hundreds of fiery red butterflies fluttered out from the pot.
Though each butterfly was less than a finger long, they rushed towards the swarm of Flying Water Leeches like moths to a flame.
As the fluttering red butterflies landed on the Flying Water Leeches, a series of 'peng', 'peng', 'peng' explosions erupted.
From top to bottom, a blaze of dazzling fire. The hundreds of butterflies detonated, obliterating tens of millions of Flying Water Leeches, leaving not even a trace of ash.
Seeing that Wu Tao had destroyed nearly half of his Flying Water Leech swarm with a mere flick of his wrist, Ba Lin's heart sank. He dared not be careless and immediately unleashed his ultimate technique.
"Kid, let me show you my power."
"Leech Devour!"
Drawing spiritual energy from the surrounding Flying Water Leeches, a massive influx of spiritual energy surged into Ba Lin's body.
The next second, a colossal, sixty-zhang water leech apparition appeared behind Ba Lin.
In mid-air, the sixty-zhang water leech apparition opened its massive maw, as if devouring the heavens. With each inhale and exhale, the air stirred into a hurricane.
...
The power of the water leech apparition reached its peak. The terrifying phantom exhaled and inhaled, drawing in everything around it like a dragon drinking water.
The immense suction from the swirling water leech phantom pulled Wu Tao into the air, his body soaring towards the giant maw...
At the critical moment, Wu Tao drew his broken ancient sword. A cold glint flashed, and a sword cry ascended. The broken ancient sword slashed down, its innate sword qi bone-chillingly sharp and boundless.
The edge of a sword slashes and cleaves, capable of cutting through anything in the world. Sword qi soared, possessing supreme divine might, instantly splitting the sixty-zhang water leech apparition in two.
Ba Lin, the insectoid cultivator, whose prideful ultimate technique had been so easily broken by Wu Tao, shuddered. He cast a reluctant glance at his beloved Flying Water Leech swarm.
Then, gritting his teeth and issuing a final command to the surrounding Flying Water Leeches to cover his retreat, he turned and fled, his body transforming into a streak of grey light, moving at extreme speed.
"Escape!"
At this point, Ba Lin could think of no other option but to flee. Although his storage bag still contained several top-grade magical artifacts he hadn't used, and other means he hadn't employed.
...
But from their brief confrontation, Ba Lin knew that unless he used his life-saving trump card,
he would still not be Wu Tao's match, even with all his other abilities.
However, he was no fool and was unwilling to expend his life-saving trump card for mere spirit stones.
"You wait!"
"I will return for revenge."
Ba Lin turned his head, watching the Flying Water Leech swarm, which was madly attacking Wu Tao, continuously dwindling.
His heart ached, and he swore inwardly. He poured all his spiritual energy into his body, and his escape light suddenly accelerated by another ten percent.
...
After dealing with the Flying Water Leech swarm, Wu Tao controlled his sword with his mind, executing the unity of man and sword, transforming into a rapid streak of light.
A short while later, Wu Tao caught up to Ba Lin.
Sensing the danger, Ba Lin hastily pulled out dozens of talismans from his storage bag, transforming them into dozens of five-element spells, which he flung at the relentlessly pursuing Wu Tao behind him.
Wu Tao's eyes grew colder. With his broken ancient sword, he unleashed thirty-two sword shadows in a single breath.
*Puff puff!!!*
The sword shadows slashed and attacked, instantly annihilating the dozens of five-element spells. The powerful sword shadows were utterly unhurt, unable to inflict any damage.
Following this, Wu Tao increased his speed, charging directly in front of Ba Lin, blocking his escape route.
With the broken ancient sword in hand, an ancient and weathered sword intent erupted, its dragon-like roar echoing across all directions.
...
Meanwhile.
Seeing that escape was impossible, Ba Lin gritted his teeth and finally decided to reveal his secret trump card.
With a grim expression, he patted his storage bag and produced a mysterious formation talisman, then tapped it several times.
In mid-air, the mysterious formation talisman first flickered with a dim red light, then suddenly blazed with crimson radiance, which continuously expanded outwards.
This crimson light condensed and did not dissipate, spreading outwards and gradually forming a sphere with a diameter of over five zhang, completely enclosing Wu Tao.
This was the Crimson Blood Distortion Array.
The outer edge of this crimson sphere was a thin, mirror-like layer, appearing incredibly fragile, as if it would shatter at a touch, merely for show.
However, as the sphere contracted and closed in, the originally weak crimson light gradually became more solid.
Wu Tao, caught off guard, was instantly trapped within this sphere.
...
Yet, within this crimson sphere, Wu Tao could not sense anything amiss.
Apart from his movement being restricted, the circulation of spiritual energy within his body remained normal.
Seeing Ba Lin still standing motionless outside, Wu Tao felt a sense of confusion. Why wasn't this fellow running?
Wasn't the purpose of creating such a sphere to escape quickly?
Now that the objective was achieved, and he was temporarily trapped here, why wasn't Ba Lin running? Did he have another motive?
With this thought, a sense of unease began to grow in Wu Tao's heart.
Meanwhile.
Ba Lin seemed to have gained immense confidence, a sense of being in control and certain of victory.
He cursed at Wu Tao: "You son of a bitch, weren't you arrogant just now? What's wrong now? Have you chickened out?"
"Wait until I deal with you later. I'll feed you to my little darlings, then extract your soul and burn it with demonic fire."
"I'll make you endure extreme agony every moment, and torture you for a hundred years or so before my hatred can be resolved."
As he spoke, Ba Lin let out a triumphant, maniacal laugh.
Wu Tao's face darkened, a cold glint in his eyes. He stared at Ba Lin and retorted with a sneer, "You are truly overconfident. Just a mere sphere, and you truly believe you can defeat me?"
As if sensing its master's anger, the broken ancient sword vibrated violently, emitting a soul-stirring hum.
The next second, Wu Tao became one with his sword, transforming into a golden-yellow escape light, flying outwards.
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