After I Play-and-Runned the World's Number One Sword Cultivator - Chapter 5

“How strange, where did this one come from?”

Deep within the yellow sand, Dan Wuning raised his hand and shot out a talisman, which pinned itself against her collar with a “shu” sound. Qin Zhizhi felt her throat tighten instantly as an irresistible force hoisted her up by the collar, lifting her into midair.

Qin Zhizhi tugged at her collar to prevent herself from being directly strangled to death, forcing a smile on her face.

Oh, so the fish that slipped through the net turns out to be myself.

The ordinary people of Fotan had long been refined into corpse-men by Dan Wuning. His purpose this time was to intercept the cultivators of the cultivation world, yet he had never expected that a completely intact, ordinary person was hidden right under his nose and this ordinary person was unexpectedly hiding amongst a group of cultivators.

Seeing Qin Zhizhi get captured, Lu Yuandao forcefully summoned his energy to transmit his voice: “Senior Brother Xie, that is my junior brother’s fiancée.”

The previous wave of counter-shock had been too severe; Lu Yuandao had suffered very heavy injuries and was already unable to look after himself, plus he had to watch over his other junior brothers and sisters, allowing Dan Wuning to exploit this loophole. Qin Zhizhi… after all, held the titles of the Wudu City Lord’s daughter and Jun Wuya’s fiancée. If they could protect her, it was still better to do so.

Dan Wuning fundamentally lacked interest in ordinary people and didn’t care to waste his energy on them, stating indifferently, “Forget it, though she’s a piece of trash, using her to refine a corpse works well enough too.”

Qin Zhizhi: ? You had better consult my opinion first!

Dan Wuning possessed more than one method for refining corpses. Although Qin Zhizhi had never encountered them, she had still heard of them. When dealing with ordinary people, Dan Wuning had plenty of ways. Although a low-grade Corpse-Fixing Talisman was useless against cultivators, it had miraculous effects on ordinary people. Once slapped onto a person devoid of cultivation, it would quickly dissolve into their bone and blood, causing the person to slowly lose consciousness until the rune completely melted away, turning them into a thorough puppet—a walking corpse, neither alive nor dead.

The most terrifying part was that once it dissolved into the bone and blood, even killing the master of the Corpse-Fixing Talisman would be of no avail; it would only cause these corpse-men to lose their lives simultaneously. It was said that at the exact instant the master of the Corpse-Fixing Talisman was decapitated, the corpse-men would regain consciousness. But at the very split-second they regained consciousness, they would walk straight toward death.

“I advise you that it’s best not to…” Qin Zhizhi spoke with great difficulty, yet before she could finish speaking, the talisman at the back of her neck flared up with a wave of burning heat. As though a piece of scalding hot iron were branded onto her body, this searing pain almost bored straight into a person’s heart, like countless fingernails scratching at her heart. Qin Zhizhi clutched her chest, ultimately unable to hold it in, and let out a howl.

Dan Wuning raised his hand and shot out a black talisman, which flew toward Xie Yutai. Sensing Dan Wuning’s agitation, the crowd of corpses previously struck down by Xie Yutai crawled up rockily from the ground even though their bodies were already ruined beyond repair.

Suspended in midair, enduring intense pain while taking in a panoramic view of the scene, Qin Zhizhi felt her scalp go instantly numb at this sight. They’ve already died to this extent, yet they still have to go work for someone else?

She truly could not accept it.

Accompanied by Qin Zhizhi’s howling, Xie Yutai was once again submerged by the crowd of corpses.

Lu Yuandao forcefully circulated his skills to pluck his seven-string zither, yet his spiritual energy could not operate. His fingertips felt exceptionally stiff, producing a sharp “ci-la—” sound as blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth, landing upon the zither body.

With a “shu” sound, the zither bodies hummed, and a sharp sword broke through the air. The sword in Xie Yutai’s hand was so fast it resembled a streak of blue light as it shot out from his hand, piercing straight through the corpse-man blocking the front and flying directly toward Qin Zhizhi.

Seeing the Xiantian Sword rushing straight toward her, Qin Zhizhi clutched her chest, her gaze filled with astonishment. She had seen this sharp sword leave its scabbard countless times. As Xie Yutai’s natal sword, the Xiantian Sword was the most individualistic and heavily malevolent sword on Wenjian Peak; no one besides Xie Yutai could suppress this sword that had once been the number one sword of the mortal realm.

She had seen this sword slay demons and sever monster souls, and she also remembered how this sword’s cold light illuminated the nine provinces while in Xie Yutai’s hands.

Is Xie Yutai trying to kill her?

Qin Zhizhi’s throat tightened, yet she saw the sword’s edge slice open the restraint at the back of her neck. She felt her collar loosen instantly, falling vertically from the sky.

The Xiantian Sword had anticipated this long ago; its hilt caught Qin Zhizhi’s belt to cushion the speed of her descent, carrying Qin Zhizhi to land steadily upon the ground. Afterward, the tip of the Xiantian Sword submerged into the soil, unfurling a barrier that enveloped Qin Zhizhi, Lu Yuandao, and the others within it.

Although the barrier could withstand the corpse-men, it could not resist the talisman. The scalding sensation at the back of Qin Zhizhi’s neck did not diminish in the slightest; instead, it seemed intent on embedding itself into her heart. Right now, there was only one solution: before the rune carved itself into her flesh and blood, killing this avatar of Dan Wuning offered a single ray of hope for survival.

Several small swords condensed from sword intent by Xie Yutai flew out in all directions. The white silk covering his eyes fluttered in the sky, his ink-colored long hair resembling a raised black waterfall. Driven back by the surge of sword intent, the corpse-men retreated one after another. Amidst an expanse of ghostly energy, Xie Yutai pressed his two fingers together, using his fingers as a sword to charge toward Dan Wuning—

Dan Wuning smiled ferociously, “Xie Yutai, as a sword cultivator, you dare to fight me without even holding your sword?”

Behind Xie Yutai, a pale golden long sword gradually revealed its form; though it was still somewhat hazy, its prototype was already established. Qin Zhizhi’s breathing hitched at the sight—manifesting form out of pure energy! This was something only a Nascent Soul cultivator could achieve, yet Xie Yutai clearly possessed only a Core Formation cultivation.

His sword intent had actually exceeded his physical body’s cultivation level, reaching the Nascent Soul stage.

Dan Wuning’s pupils also shrank slightly: “The Qiankun Sword Domain…”

Sensing something unknown, he suddenly knitted his brows and asked, “Where is Jiang Yuanzhi?”

Xie Yutai spoke, his voice sounding like a gurgling spring, tranquil and cold: “Jiang Yuanzhi has already been slain by me.”

“If you return right now, you will still be in time to collect her corpse.”

Qin Zhizhi: …

Wait, did the system give her some incorrect information? Didn’t they agree that this Jiang Yuanzhi was a very important character? Reaching the Nascent Soul stage at a young age to fight ten people single-handedly? She was supposed to have romantic entanglements with the late-stage protagonist, with all sorts of tender moments as he pursued her and she pursued him? And she’s dead? Uh? She’s dead just like that??

Sharing in Qin Zhizhi’s shock was Dan Wuning, who flew into a furious rage: “You killed Jiang Yuanzhi?!”

Dan Wuning found it impossible to believe. Just like Xie Yutai’s status within the cultivation world, Jiang Yuanzhi was merely a youth yet already the Right Protector of the demonic race; neither her strength nor her prestige could be underestimated, and she was his fellow left-and-right-hand man to the Demon Venerable. How could it be possible…

Right at this moment, Xie Yutai had already flown before his person.

Dan Wuning’s eyes revealed hatred, turning red. Stretching out his hand, he actually seized the small black-and-gold sword behind Xie Yutai directly. That cold, unyielding sword intent shot straight into this physical body; in just an instant, the hand gripping the sword turned into grim white bone. Even so, Dan Wuning still refused to let go. Behind him, even more corpse-men slowly crawled up, surging toward this place.

“How did you kill Jiang Yuanzhi?” After the initial shock and anger, a hint of confusion and perplexity surfaced upon Dan Wuning’s face.

Xie Yutai pursed his lips slightly, offering no response.

Within moments, Dan Wuning’s expression shifted slightly, revealing a half-smiling look: “In truth, you know exactly how that bride of yours died, right? It seems it had nothing to do with Jiang Yuanzhi.”

“You can deceive others, but can you deceive yourself? I saw it clearly with my own eyes; that woman from the Tiantong Sect explicitly died from cutting open her own dantian. She committed suicide.” Dan Wuning licked the corner of his lips, laughing happily. “It was she herself who did not want to marry you, you can’t blame anyone else.”

“Oh right, what was her name again? Qin something Zhi…”

Xie Yutai was only a single step away from him, the white silk covering his eyes making it impossible to see his expression clearly. Only, at the split-second before Dan Wuning could finish speaking, Xie Yutai suddenly struck!

His right hand directly shattered Dan Wuning’s chest, extending into his left thorax to grip tightly.

Instantly, a sharp pain struck the back of Qin Zhizhi’s neck. Her eyes turned black as she plopped down to sit on the ground; that rune had already dissolved into her flesh and blood.

Dan Wuning’s eyes split with rage, his mouth half-open as his body solidified.

Griping Dan Wuning’s heart, Xie Yutai ripped it out from his chest, the white silk gradually stained with a few traces of blood. He lowered his head as if lost in thought. A moment later, the right hand that had once held a sword squeezed fiercely; the already dead heart was left with nothing but foul blood, turning into fine powder within his hand. The blood traces laced with black wound downward along his right hand, splashing onto the white crane feathers embroidered upon his lapels.

The corpse-men lost their vitality instantly, falling down one after another, covering the ground with their ruined shells.

Xie Yutai stood right in the center. The setting sun was as red as blood, setting off his silhouette like a shura walking out from hell.

“It was she herself who did not want to marry you, you can’t blame anyone else.”

It was an unwillingness to marry. For someone who feared pain as much as she did, she could actually bring herself to strike against her own body.

Clearly, at the beginning, she had been so passionate.

Xie Yutai gripped his right hand suspended in the void. Not knowing what he thought of, he let out a low laugh.

He also appeared to have suffered very heavy injuries. Dan Wuning’s act of reaching out to grip Xie Yutai’s sword domain was no different from directly confronting his primordial spirit. Under those few lines of dialogue earlier, the two had unknowingly traded countless hidden strikes.

Seeing that Dan Wuning’s avatar showed no further movement, Xie Yutai staggered a few times to barely steady his frame, raising his foot to walk toward the barrier. He walked extremely slowly, step by step, as if intending to embed himself into the soil.

Looking at his silhouette, a sensation whose nature she couldn’t identify surged up within Qin Zhizhi’s heart for a moment. It was somewhat bizarre, yet it also felt as if a sharp thorn had grown upon her heart; a single touch brought a wave of piercing pain—very small and very thin, yet impossible to ignore.

Next, her hands and feet began to move entirely independent of her will.

Qin Zhizhi: ???

Xie Yutai took a step with his left foot, and Qin Zhizhi took a step with her left foot. Xie Yutai took a step with his right foot, and Qin Zhizhi took a step with her right foot.

Xie Yutai walked over to the side of the Xiantian Sword, standing still without moving.

Qin Zhizhi also walked over to the side of the Xiantian Sword.

Xie Yutai raised his hand, gripping the hilt of the sword.

Qin Zhizhi raised her hand and gripped Xie Yutai’s hand that was holding the sword.