There was a rustling and five figures burst out the bushes, all dashing straight towards the three teens.

“Tch, attacking right after being found…” Han Ling clicked his tongue in distaste,

Han Ling raised a palm, a purple bolt of lightning bursting from the hand.

“W-What?!” The middle person raised both arms just as the lightning bolt slammed into the him. “W-What is this power?!” The person flew back, slamming onto the ground, his arms smoking and skin burnt.

The other four gulped, stopping in their tracks. In the face of power, there’s nothing much prey can do. “Now, tell me why the Blood Demon Cult wants to attack the Bai clan?”

Han Ling caught the flinches of their shoulders, the widening of their eyes, the quivering in their fingers. “Tell me, why?” Han Ling unveiled his strength, immense pressure pressed on the demonic cultivators’ shoulders.

“Ugh…” one by one they fell on their knees, unable to resist the immense weight. “We will not speak! You’ll have to kill us.” The one Han Ling struck with a lightning bolt screamed out, his eyes a cold fury. “The elders will not let you go!”

“Oh really? Tell him to come and take you away then.” Han Ling walked up to the man, stomping hard on his leg, a distinct crack coming from the bone. “GAHHHHH!!!”

“Willing to talk?” Han Ling stomped on the other leg.

“ARGHHHH!!!! FINE! PLEASE! WE WANT THE TALISMAN! PLEASE!”

Han Ling’s expression darkened instantly, “You’re already going after the talismans?” he accidentally spoke out loud but gladly the man was in too much pain to care. “How many other talismans do you have?”

Han Ling leaned close, but his eyes were extremely cold, lightning arced around his entire body, ebbing into the man, electrocuting him with thousands of volts.

“Ah! AHHH!” The man screamed and screamed, unable to even form words until the electricity vanished. “O-Our Cult… has only…just begun… finding…t-t-the…talismans…”

Han Ling took a deep breath calming himself before pressing a hand on the man’s dan tian. “Absorb.”

“ARGHHHHHHH!!!”

It was as if his very life was sucked out. Han Ling absorbed the man’s element and dan tian.

[Qi points obtained]

[Elemental Zenith: Darkness – 0%...1%...2%...]

“Oh the darkness element? Interesting…”

Han Ling pulled his hand back violently, a wisp of ethereal black lines snapping away from the man’s now missing dan tian. The man plopped lifelessly, mind blank and soul shattered.

“I learned some valuable things today.” Han Ling couldn’t help but smile in relief, the Demonic Cults haven’t obtained the Ten Talismans yet. The Ten Talismans, the keys to unseal a monstrous cultivator that destroyed half of the cultivation world thousands of years ago.

Embodiment of Fiend, Hei Wu.

“He must definitely not be released…”

Han Ling turned to the other demonic cultivators, all looking at him with deep fear in their eyes. “Now, just stay still.” He raised a palm and screams echoed the forest.

>>>

Bai Ye Qing gulped, feeling his sisters arm wrapped tightly around his, her face pale and purely shocked. He could understand why, he sensed every single one of the demonic cultivators lose their cultivation.

This ‘Monster’ in front of them…

Just smiled as if innocent…

“Not bad… a bit more and I’ll reach 5th step.” Han Ling muttered, as if oblivious to the 5 lifeless bodies around him. Then he suddenly turned to the siblings, “Hey, do you know about this talisman they’re looking for?”

Ye Qing tried his best not to flinch, but failed. “I-I don’t know that…”

Then the young man was suddenly right in front of him, pressing his palm on his chest. For a split second, panic enveloped around Ye Qing’s mind, remembering how this man absorbed the cultivation of those demonic cultivators.

But nothing happened…

Ye Qing’s heart was racing, sweat permeated his forehead, his eyes wide and wary. “Hmmm, It’s inside you I see.” Han Ling held his chin, deep in thought.

After a while, he opened his eyes, staring directly at Ye Qing. “Take me to your father, I wish to discuss something with him.”

Ye Qing blinked before nodding quickly before he even realized it. “Umm, why did you suddenly want to meet my father?”

Han Ling opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it. “Hah, evidence just arrived.”

He looked up to see an ethereal palm strike the size of a bus crashing down.

“Looks like the ‘elders’ are here.”

Han Ling launched a fist at the palm, arced with a bright purple beam of lightning, slicing through the palm like a fist through a cement wall. “Now, who do we have here?”

An elderly man floated down from the sky, his face an expression of black rage, “You! What have you done to my disciples?” The old man had a grey goatee a face with the expression of distant and cold, furiously bright black eyes.

“I just gave them a little spanking.” Han Ling replied nonchalantly, seeing the old man’s vein bulged on his forehead. “I’ll kill you!” pulling his arm back and pushing it forward, another ethereal palm strike flew towards Han Ling, creating a path towards the young man.

His fingers flinched and a purple sword sliced through the palm, qi dispersing into the air.

“What?!” Elder Shan Bei stammered, “Where did he get that sword!?” But it was too late, Han Ling was right in front of him, blade inches from his neck.

“Die!” A voice sounded above.

Han Ling widened his eyes, using the frozen elder as a launch pad, kicking him and landing softly on the ground.

“Tch, things got difficult…” Han Ling gazed up at the man floating in the air, small wind currents spinning under the man’s leg.

Name: Feng Qu

Physique: Blade Wind Manifestation (Supreme)

Cultivation level: 1st Step Immortal Supreme

Techniques: Sharp Wind. Grasscutter. Gust. Ripping Swirl.

“An Immortal Supreme?” Han Ling frowned, glancing back at the shivering siblings. “You two run, I’ll hold them off long enough for you to get back up.”

Han Ling summoned the Thunder Flash Tiger and instructed him calmly. “Send them there quickly.”

“Not on my watch!” Elder Shan Bei burst forward both palms glowing in a deep green, slamming into the ground shockwaves travelling towards the siblings on top of the tiger.

Midway, Han Ling appeared, stomping on the ground, the same waves of shockwaves slamming into the other, dissipating in an instant. “What?! How is this possible?!” Elder Shan Bei stared at the young man, completely dumbfounded. That was an Earth rank technique!

“Go now!”

The tiger bolted with the siblings on top of it. Great Elder Feng Qu raised a hand, invisible blades of wind firing straight at the tiger. Han Ling’s figure blurred appearing before the wind blade, his soundless sword slicing through the wind. “You’ll have to get through me first!”

Great Elder Feng Qu frowned slightly, “Brother Bei, this young man is a strange one, be careful.”

Han Ling glanced back, smiling to see the Thunder Flash Tiger disappearing past the trees. “Now, its just the three of us.” Shan Bei growled, lifting his hand up, a pillar of earth exploding from the ground under him.

Han Ling reacted, twisting his body and slicing the giant rock pillar in an instant. Then a tornado slammed into Han Ling, his body crashing through trees and slamming into a large boulder.

“Damn it, that hurt.” Han Ling crawled out the crushed boulder, twisting his shoulder and arms to ensure they were still working. “Tch, I can’t fight them both at the same time.”

Han Ling opened his left palm, a rift opening above and a pale white sword landed in his palm.

Feng Qu widened his eyes at that, “Dual swords? Space Element? Which sect does this kid belong to?” “I sent Xiao Bei to capture the talisman, little did I know they ran into this monster.” Shan Bei growled under his breath.

Han Ling raised True Blood Sword over his head, and Obsidian Light diagonally in front. Lightning wrapped around his legs, propelling him forward like a bullet. Shan Bei widened his eyes, pushing both hands upwards a wall of earth forming in front of him.

Shan Bei watched the wall, eyes narrowing as he waited for a collision. But nothing happened.

“Elder Shan Bei!” Feng Qu suddenly called out. The man looked up just in time to see a shower of blood sabres fall on him. Feng Qu moved to save his fellow elder but the young man was suddenly in front of him. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Han Ling slashed down but was blocked by a barrier of air around Feng Qu, at that moment, the barrier shattered. Feng Qu widened his eyes, falling down to the ground gently. “You destroyed my Breathless Barrier? What did you do!?”

Han Ling responded with a palm of lightning, “Thunderclap Palm.” It slammed into Feng Qu’s chest, bolts of lightning exploding out the back of the old man. Feng Qu coughed blood, eyes widened and pain throbbing from his chest. He staggered back, clutching his chest with one hand.

“Elder Feng Qu!”

Shan Bei attempted to help, but he felt an indescribable coldness in his heart, he looked down, and found a palm pressed against his dan tian. The words the young man spoke echoed in his ear.

“Absorb.”