Qu Hun's Demonic Power

Han Li and Qu Hun shot out from Little Huan Island in haste, but when they had barely flown a dozen li from the island, Han Li’s face darkened and he brought the Divine Wind Boat to a halt.

“Stop hiding. Come out,” Han Li said calmly, staring straight ahead.

“Eh!” A surprised voice rang out from the empty air.

Then, flickering with multi-colored light, seven or eight Foundation Establishment cultivators revealed themselves not far ahead.

“Han Li, your crime of murdering Junior Brother Mao and the other disciples of Tail Star Island’s Island Master for the Drop Dust Pill has been exposed. We Enforcement Cultivators, acting on Island Master Wood’s orders, are here to capture you and send you to Island Master Zhantai for judgment. Surrender now, and spare yourself the trouble!” A late Foundation Establishment cultivator among them shouted arrogantly as he appeared.

Han Li and Qu Hun had been deliberately suppressing their auras to avoid attention, leading these men to misjudge their cultivation levels—hence their bold, casual attitude.

Though they were somewhat surprised that Han Li had detected their ambush in advance, rendering their trap useless, they still thought nothing of it. With their numbers and strength, dealing with a Qi Condensation cultivator and a Foundation Establishment cultivator would be child’s play.

They decided to simply force the issue directly.

Han Li calmly swept his gaze over them, then said flatly, “You are cultivators of Kuixing Island? Do you have evidence that I killed those others?”

The white-haired elder who had spoken first was taken aback, but quickly let out a cold laugh. “What, you still want to argue with Elder Miao of the Six Serenity Hall as a witness? Don’t cling to false hope! Island Master Wood has already passed down the order: upon discovery, you two are to have your cultivation immediately abolished.”

At these words, Han Li’s expression shifted slightly, a layer of frost settling over his face. “Abolish my cultivation? Island Master Wood doesn’t intend to let us speak a single word in our defense?”

“Heh! You two have been hiding out of guilt for years—the evidence is long conclusive. What else is there to say? Everyone, attack! Take them down and claim the reward!” The white-haired elder’s eyes widened in impatience as he barked orders to the others.

Without a word, the cultivators acted in unison, offering up a variety of magical tools in a blaze of multi-colored light that surged toward Han Li in an overwhelming tide.

Han Li’s eyelid twitched.

This posture was far from simply ‘abolishing’ his cultivation. The murderous intent in their eyes was unmistakable—they intended to kill him outright.

He did not know if there was some deeper scheme behind it, but a cold killing intent kindled in his heart.

“Qu Hun, kill them. Don’t let a single one escape.” Han Li’s voice was soft, but utterly frigid.

Qu Hun, who had been standing silently behind him, stepped forward. An astonishing blood-red light erupted from his body, condensing him into a dazzling orb of radiance.

With a low whistle, yellow light bloomed beneath Qu Hun’s feet, and his body shot straight toward the oncoming magical tools.

He flickered several times, vanishing into the glare of the various magical implements. Then, a vast blood-red light surged outward, enveloping the dozens of tools within a thirty-yard-wide halo of blood radiance, slowing them to a crawl.

Qu Hun’s form reappeared at the center of that blood light. His expressionless face set, he brought his hands together in a seal and spat out a single word: “Seal.”

As if pushed by an invisible force, every magical tool obediently flew to Qu Hun’s side. With a flick of his sleeve, they all vanished—neatly collected.

Only then did Qu Hun turn his wooden gaze toward the group of Enforcement Cultivators, who had been watching the scene in stunned disbelief.

“Core Formation! He’s a Core Formation cultivator!”

Someone finally realized the true cultivation level Qu Hun had fully unleashed, and his face turned ashen.

The other cultivators panicked. Two of the quicker-witted ones immediately turned and fled at full speed on their magical tools.

As for the white-haired elder who had been so arrogant, his pride had evaporated, leaving only an expression of utter disbelief.

Since Qu Hun had received Han Li’s order, how could he let anyone escape?

His eyes suddenly turned blood-red, utterly devoid of emotion. Without a word, he raised both hands. Two crimson beams of blood light erupted from his palms, shooting forward at impossible speed. In a flash, they struck the backs of the two cultivators who had fled several dozen yards away.

One of them wore a glistening earth-yellow protective armor; the other had a blue light chain wrapped around him that was clearly no ordinary item. But the beam of blood light shattered both the tools and their bodies, reducing them to ash in an instant.

Seeing this, the other Enforcement Cultivators who had been considering flight lost all color from their faces. The white-haired elder, now terrified beyond measure, hurriedly shouted, “Senior, it’s a misunderstanding! A complete misunderstanding—”

Qu Hun paid no heed to his excuses. He simply shrugged his shoulders, and the blood light surrounding his body shot up into the sky, forming a fair-sized blood cloud above the heads of the remaining cultivators.

Then, with a wave of his hand, he released a streak of purple spell light. With a “puff” sound, the blood cloud ignited like oil-soaked fire, instantly transforming into a sea of purple flames that pressed down upon the cultivators.

The white-haired elder and the others below were filled with despair. Unwilling to die quietly, they hastily activated their defensive magical tools and began pleading desperately for mercy.

But beneath Qu Hun’s cold, blank gaze, they lasted only a few moments within the purple demonic flames before both their bodies and tools were reduced to ash.

Qu Hun’s form flickered, and he snatched up several Storage Pouches that had fallen to the ground.

Han Li, too, had already retrieved the Storage Pouches of the two cultivators who had been destroyed by the beams of light. He flew back to Qu Hun’s side.

“Let’s go. If a Core Formation cultivator shows up, it’ll be trouble,” Han Li muttered to himself, scanning the surroundings.

Whether speaking to Qu Hun or to himself, it was hard to tell.

Qu Hun silently flickered back onto the Divine Wind Boat. Han Li immediately urged the magical tool forward, transforming into a streak of white light that vanished into the distance.

A quarter of an hour later, two rainbows—one blue, one red—shot out from the direction of Kuixing Island, arriving in moments at the place where Qu Hun had slain the Enforcement Cultivators.

The blinding light contracted, revealing a cunning old man and a middle-aged man whose entire body radiated gray mist.

“This is the spot. The spiritual energy fluctuations here haven’t fully dissipated yet. It seems the killer left not long ago,” the middle-aged man said grimly.

One of the Enforcement Cultivators who had been stationed at Little Huan Island was his own disciple.

Not long after the man died, the spirit tablet that held a secret technique beside the middle-aged man showed signs of anomaly. Realizing his disciple had met with misfortune, he immediately rushed over with a good friend who had been visiting his cave. Unfortunately, they were too late.

“Island Master Yuan, I’ve used the ‘Floating Cloud Tracking Technique.’ The one who struck fled in this direction. If we give chase now, there’s still a thirty-percent chance we can intercept them,” the old man said slowly, pointing in the direction Han Li had fled.

“Good. We’ll give chase. We must stop the killer!” The middle-aged man’s gray aura swelled, his face twisting in fury.

“But from the spiritual energy collision here, the attacker was definitely a Core Formation cultivator. Though only one appeared to act, who knows if there are others traveling with him? Fellow Daoist Yuan, are you willing to clash with a cultivator of the same rank over an ordinary disciple?” The old man’s tone shifted abruptly, now advising the middle-aged man with great gravity.

The middle-aged man was startled, but immediately showed displeasure. “Are you saying my disciple should just die in vain? If word of this gets out, won’t I be branded a coward?”

“Heh, besides Qi here, who else is around to spread the word? That killer is a Core Formation cultivator, bold enough to slay people near Kuixing Island—he must be from somewhere outside the southwestern sea region. He won’t be spreading this around. And as for Qi himself, I’m no loose-lipped person. When we return, we can simply act as though we arrived too late. This matter will naturally blow over. Otherwise, starting a fight with an unknown cultivator of the same rank over an ordinary disciple is simply not worth the risk,” the old man chuckled, looking unconcerned.

Hearing this, Island Master Yuan’s fury gradually subsided, replaced by a thoughtful expression.

After a moment’s hesitation, his expression calmed, and he clasped his hands toward the old man. “Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Qi. I am truly grateful. Let’s head back. I’ll be sure to treat this disciple’s clan well from now on.”

“That’s more like it! Those of us who pursue the Dao of immortality have bodies more precious than gold. How can we risk ourselves lightly? Even if we must take risks, there must be sufficient reward!” The old man rubbed his hands together and let out a cunning laugh.

“Still, this group of Enforcement Cultivators was stationed near Little Huan Island to monitor the cave dwelling there. How could a passing Core Formation cultivator be provoked into such a massacre? Could it be connected to the two cultivators being hunted by both the Three Islands and the Six Serenity Hall?” The middle-aged man frowned in confusion.

“Never mind. Even if there is a connection, what does it have to do with us? Island Master Wood has deep ties with the Six Serenity Hall, so of course he puts in the effort to track them down. The two of us are only Vice Island Masters—why should we bother ourselves over it?” The old man snorted, his tone carrying a clear note of sourness.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man gave a slight smile.

Then, Island Master Yuan and the old man chatted briefly in the air before turning back along the same path they had come.