Dual Cultivation In Martial Peak

Chapter 67: The Battle Begins

"Senior Sister Hu, here are the Blood Beads from Yao He and Yao Xi." Chen Xue Shu handed two Blood Beads condensed from two 5th Stage True Element Cultivators over to Hu Jiao'er, making the latter nod.

"You guys finished them faster than I had expected." Hu Jiao'er commented, placing both of them inside the Universal Bag.

"Well..." Shu Xiao Yu, who was standing next to Chen Xue Shu, gave out an awkward laugh, and he continued. "Some of us couldn't hold back our anger, and we ended up killing them a bit too early."

It had been a day since the Hu Sisters rescued the group of the Great Han Dynasty Cultivators from Yao He and Yao Xi's captivity before collecting all their Monster Beasts as Blood Beads and handing the two Tian Lang Dynasty Cultivators over to the former, letting them settle all of their grudges and grievances.

Everyone who had entered this isolated place lost their fellow disciples because of the Tian Lang Cultivators, so the torture Yao He and Yao Xi received for an entire day was, by far, one of the worst things the Hu Sisters had ever witnessed.

On the other hand, Zi Mo became even more evident after witnessing her fellow disciples' fate, understanding that the only reason she was safe from the Great Han Dynasty Cultivators was that the Hu Sisters had vouched for her, saying that they still had a use for her against Chi Xue.

Noting that Chen Xue Shu wanted to ask something but was holding back, Hu Mei'er said. "Senior Sister Chen, if there is something you want to ask, there is no need to hold back."

Chen Xue Shu placed her hand over her dantian. "The insects inside us... are they still alive?"

Yao He and Yao Xi were dead, but the Soul Controlling Insects they had left behind were a big concern for the Great Han Dynasty Cultivators.

Hu Mei'er and Hu Jiao'er turned towards Zi Mo, along with the rest of the cultivators present there, and the Tian Lang Cultivator explained. "Yes, they are still alive inside your bodies."

"Is there any way for you to remove them?" Shu Xiao Yu asked.

"They aren't Soul Controlling Insects I planted." Zi Mo slowly shook her head and continued. "However, there is nothing for you to worry about. The insects will only absorb a tiny bit of your True Qi to survive, and with no one to issue them commands, they won't actively harm you. Once you go back to your respective sects, ask one of your elders to do it for you or wait until you reach the Immortal Ascension Realm, cultivating your Divine Sense and extracting the insects yourself, but that'll take some time, so I recommend asking your elders for help."

These were only the lowest order Soul Controlling Insects, so in addition to their fear of heat, one could use their Divine Sense to deal with them.

Hearing her response, the group of Great Han Dynasty cultivators couldn't help but sigh helplessly because while the insects weren't actively harming them, who liked the idea of having a Soul Controlling Insect inside their dantian?

"By the way, Mei'er, did you find any traces of Chi Xue anywhere?" Hu Jiao'er asked, turning towards her little sister.

Ever since they had dealt with Yao He and Yao Xi, Hu Mei'er had been looking around for traces of Chi Xue, the last Tian Lang Cultivator, along with his 6th Order Monster Beast, who had been chasing after Wu Cheng Yi for almost a month.

Now that the threat of Tian Lang Cultivators and their horde of Monster Beasts no longer existed, even Chi Xue and his 6th Order Monster Beast couldn't deal with such a large group of cultivators on their own, especially now that they had started to recover.

"I didn't; if we wait for him to appear on his own, I don't think that'll happen anytime soon, and who knows when this isolated place will close?" Hu Mei'er replied, telling a lie as if she were telling the truth, and her words made something clear.

Shu Xiao Yu understood what Hu Mei'er was talking about, and he asked. "Junior Sister Hu, don't tell me..."

"That's right. We're leaving." Hu Jiao'er replied.

Hearing Hu Jiao'er's words, everyone's expressions changed, and one of the female cultivators asked. "Leaving? Why? Even if you wish to hunt Chi Xue, everyone here can certainly help, and it will be a lot safer."

"We have our reasons." Hu Jiao'er replied with a smile, not explaining further.

Not only were they after the Blood Beads of Chi Xue and his Monster Beast, but the Hu Sisters also wanted to look for the Brilliant Flame Liquid and Soul Cleansing Dew, the main attractions of this isolated place.

Brilliant Flame Liquit could help a cultivator refine their True Qi, making it purer and denser, while the Soul Cleansing Dew could assist them with the opening of their Knowledge Sea, allowing one to cultivate their Soul and Divine Sense.

When one attempts to break through the True Element Realm to the Immortal Ascension Realm, using a drop of Soul Cleansing Dew can help open their Knowledge Sea without any obstacles.

If a cultivator who was in the Immortal Ascension Realm were to take the Soul Cleansing Dew, their Knowledge Sea would widen, allowing it to become more robust.

A little over two hundred and thirty Blood Beads was a wonderful harvest, but if they could get some Brilliant Flame Liquid and Soul Cleansing Dew, the Hu Sisters' trip would truly be a huge success.

And as long as those two things existed within this isolated place, Hu Mei'er could find them, so moving with such a big group would do nothing but slow the Hu Sisters down.

The moment they had prepared everything they needed, the Hu Sisters, along with Zi Mo, departed from the group of Great Han Dynasty Cultivators.

Noticing that they had travelled a good distance away from the Great Han Dynasty Cultivators, Hu Mei'er turned towards Zi Mo. "You said Chi Xue could sense if one of you guys died, right?"

"Mmh." Zi Mo nodded. "Since Senior Brother Chi Xue was supposed to be our leader, my master had given him a seal to both know our locations and status."

"And since two of his fellow disciples have died..." Hu Jiao'er stopped mid-sentence, knowing that it hadn't even been an hour since Yao He and Yao Xi's deaths.

"... The first thing Chi Xue would do is find the last remaining Tian Lang Cultivator." Hu Mei'er added.

That was also one of the reasons why the Hu Sisters parted from the group right after their deaths, telling everyone that they just wanted their Blood Beads, but it was to know the approximate timing of Chi Xue's return.

That was something the Hu Sisters never told anyone else from the group of Great Han Dynasty Cultivators, knowing that there wouldn't be any benefits.

"Mei'er, go hide." Hu Jiao'er turned towards her little sister, who looked visibly worried, and seeing that, Hu Jiao'er continued. "Don't worry. If I think that I'm not that 6th Order Monster Beast's enemy, I'll escape."

Hu Jiao'er planned on fighting the 6th Order Monster Beast by herself while Hu Mei'er took care of Chi Xue, understanding the fact that the Monster Beast was barely considered a 6th Order if a 7th Stage True Element Cultivator like Wu Cheng Yi could escape its grasp.

And according to Hu Jiao'er, she couldn't think of a better way to check the progress she had made with Su Mu's sword technique, The Heavenly Sword.

"Please be careful, Big sis..."

"Yeah."

Just as that short exchange between the two ended, Hu Mei'er disappeared from her position, causing Zi Mo and Hu Jiao'er to continue their journey.

And so, another day passed.

During that time, Hu Jiao'er had Zi Mo enslave a few Monster Beasts that had survived within the isolated place for their act to look natural, something they didn't do while targeting Yao He and Yao Xi.

While the two of them were on their way, out of nowhere, Zi Mo suddenly exclaimed, turning towards Hu Jiao'er. "My Senior Brother is nearby!"

"Are you sure?" Hu Jiao'er asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Zi Mo nodded. "He's together with a 6th Order Monster Beast, too."

"You know what you have to do, right?"

"I do!" Zi Mo had no plans on not doing exactly what she was told, especially after knowing that Hu Jiao'er and Hu Mei'er were 9th Stage True Element Realm Cultivators.

If Zi Mo tried to act against them, she was sure that the Hu Sisters would have no trouble eliminating her, even with her Senior Brother Chi Xue around.

Shortly after, a giant Monster Beast sprang out of the forest.

The beast looked like a mixed breed between a wolf and a tiger, with a domineering stature, powerful limbs, ferocious claws, and fangs. Its total length was more than ten metres, and even from several dozen metres away, Hu Jiao'er could tell that it was strong.

Although weaker than normal, it was still a 6th Order Monster Beast, someone comparable to the lower ends of the Immortal Ascension Realm.

When it appeared, the Monster Beasts standing beside Zi Mo one by one lowered their heads, like a pack of mice encountering a cat, with all of them humbling themselves before it.

'So that's Chi Xue, huh? Without that Monster Beast, I could've beaten him even at the 7th Stage of the True Element Realm.' Hu Jiao'er thought, looking at the young man, who appeared to be in his middle twenties, sitting on the Monster Beast's back.

The 6th Order Monster Beast eventually came to a halt about ten metres away from Hu Jiao'er and Zi Mo.

"Senior Brother!" Zi Mo came up and respectfully greeted him, but instead of a reply, all she heard was the 6th Order Monster Beast's loud growl.

Seeing this Monster Beast's reaction caused Zi Mo's heart to jump. She glanced towards her Senior Brother soon after, only to find that he was staring at her coldly as well.

"Yao He and Yao Xi are dead..." After a minute of silence, Chi Xue finally spoke with narrowed eyes. "What do you know of this?"

Zi Mo felt a chill run down her spine, but despite that, she steeled her nerves and declared. "I killed them!"

Chi Xue's narrowed eyes widened, and he asked. "Why?"

"They killed my Monster Beasts, took my Soul Controlling Insects, and destroyed my threads of Divine Sense!" Zi Mo replied with utmost honesty.

Chi Xue frowned and gazed suspiciously at Zi Mo. "Why would they do that?"

Zi Mo just smiled wryly at him. "Senior Brother already knows the answer to that question, so why are you bothering to ask me?"

Chi Xue closed his eyes for a moment, and after a few seconds, he nodded. "Fine. They dared to move against you, so they must accept such a fate."

Hearing this sentence, Zi Mo couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief; things would have become perilous if Chi Xue had taken Yao He and Yao Xi's side. Fortunately, Chi Xue still wanted to maintain his Senior Brother's appearance and didn't indiscriminately punish Zi Mo.

"However, you couldn't have killed them alone." Chi Xue continued with absolute certainty. "Who helped you?"

Zi Mo lightly bit her lip and remained silent.

Seeing her act this way, Chi Xue finally glanced towards the place where Hu Jiao'er was, but the moment he did, his eyes widened in surprise. "Where is she?!"

Hurridly looking around, Chi Xue looked above him, only to find Hu Jiao'er levitating a few dozen feet above him and his Monster Beast with a silver Qi covering her sword.

'Sword Qi?!' Chi Xue recognised the Silver Qi around Hu Jiao'er's sword, but unlike the one he saw on Wu Cheng Yi's sword, this one gave him a bad feeling, and he commanded his Monster Beast to dodge.

While in midair, Hu Jiao'er's whole body rotated sideways, making a silver arc from her sword as she slashed it towards the Monster Beast.

A beautiful, silver arc came out of her sword, charging towards the Monster Beast, who was trying to get away from the attack, but alas, it was one step too late, causing Hu Jiao'er's attack to gaze at its stomach, leaving a painful wound.

"ROOOOOAAAARRRR!!!!"

The Monster Beast roared in anger, glaring at Hu Jiao'er as she landed on the ground, completely ignoring the Monster Beast.

"I guess it won't be that easy..." Hu Jiao'er commented with a smile.

Just now, she had tried to imitate what Su Mu had done at Heaven's Inheritance Cave, and naturally, she couldn't do it.

Not only was her opponent far stronger than Su Mu's opponent, but she also lacked his mastery over the sword, and his otherworldly control over Sword Qi, which was something that fascinated Hu Jiao'er, knowing that there was a lot for her to learn about.

What she had just attempted wasn't even a part of the Heavenly Sword, as it was an attack based on a Sword Cultivator's control over their Sword Qi.

But while condensing her Sword Qi, Hu Jiao'er used the Monster Qi from the Heaven Shaking White Tiger rather than her own True Qi, making it even more effective against a Monster Beast.

But that attack was more than enough to clarify one thing—even though it'd be difficult, she could win this fight without a doubt.

With those thoughts in mind, Hu Jiao'er turned towards Chi Xue and his Monster Beast with a mocking smile. "That wasn't all you had, was it?"

Indeed.

For Hu Jiao'er, Sword Dao was the most fascinating thing she had ever experienced. [1]

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1. That's going to change soon.

A/N:

We are going back to the Mc next chapter (or is he coming back?). Can't believe I wrote seven chapters without him even appearing once.

Right, the Monster Beast is probably around 1st or 2nd Stage Immortal Ascension Realm, so Hu Jiao'er can fight above her realm by that much when serious and using the heavenly sword.

Couldn't upload the fic yesterday cause I fell asleep, sorry.