outlaw in the wilderness
On a small river outside the city of Yanjing, Jiang Yun filled his water pouch and tidied up his backpack before quickly leaving the area. He couldn't afford to stay too long where there was a water source, as he might run into members of the Xiao family.
It wasn't until he reached the forest within the mountains that Jiang Yun felt slightly relieved. The dense forest with towering trees made it difficult to spot anyone in such obstructed visibility caused by branches and foliage. Finding a person in such a place was no easy task.
Jiang Yun proceeded cautiously through the depths of the forest. The Xiao family was one of the most powerful forces in Yanjing City. If he hadn't left the city early enough and encountered the Xiao family members there, it would have been challenging to escape if someone managed to detain him for even a short period of time.
Due to his limited combat experience, Jiang Yun found it difficult to assess his own strength against someone at that level. He believed he shouldn't have much trouble dealing with opponents below the Qi Martial Realm.
Reaching the Yuan Martial Realm allowed for the release of spiritual energy. With his current strength at the Fourth Layer of Body Martial Realm, he might be able to inflict some substantial damage on a Yuan Martial Realm cultivator in a life-or-death battle, but his own safety couldn't be guaranteed.
As Jiang Yun pondered his own strength, he suddenly heard someone nearby say, "It seems like footsteps were heard? Quickly, let's go and check. If we can capture that Jiang family kid, the hefty reward of one hundred taels of gold can buy us a Gathering Yuan Pill."
Jiang Yun swiftly climbed onto an ancient tree, his expression changing slightly. "They found this direction so quickly. With such a tempting reward, there must be brave individuals."
Soon, two figures appeared within Jiang Yun's line of sight. Both were dressed in black attire commonly worn by martial practitioners. The faint aura emanating from them indicated that they were both above the third level of Qi Martial Realm. Their calm demeanor and the unspoken understanding between them suggested that they were well-trained.
The two individuals surveyed their surroundings, and one of them spoke in a deep voice, "We clearly heard footsteps earlier. How come we didn't see anyone?"
The other person frowned and said, "You shouldn't have spoken so recklessly just now. I believe the person must be hiding somewhere, avoiding us whenever they encounter someone. It's highly likely that they are our target. Let's split up and search, and not carelessly let the target escape again."
Jiang Yun pondered in secret that these two individuals were meticulous in their actions and had a cautious mindset. They were likely trained assassins of the Xiao family, and it seemed that it wouldn't be long before they discovered his hiding place.
With perfect coordination, one of them searched the ground's shrubbery while the other kept an eye on the branches and twigs above. In no time, they were only a few meters away from the tree where Jiang Yun was hiding.
With the situation at hand, Jiang Yun had no choice but to kill these two individuals; there was no other way. Surprisingly, this thought calmed him down internally.
However, both of them were experts at the third level of Qi Martial Realm and above. It was uncertain whether Jiang Yun could win against them in a two-on-one situation. Nonetheless, Jiang Yun had an advantage—he was hidden while the enemies were exposed. Crouching on the tree, Jiang Yun held his breath, ready to strike.
As the two individuals approached closer, just about to reach Jiang Yun's hiding place, one focused on the ground while the other looked up at the branches and twigs.
Jiang Yun leaped down, his steel sword unsheathed in an instant, and a fleeting flash of swordlight aimed at the person looking up.
The essence of swordplay lay in the unstoppable momentum at the moment the sword was unsheathed. Although the warrior looking up was somewhat prepared, Jiang Yun's swordlight was too fierce.
He only saw Jiang Yun's figure still suspended in mid-air, but the swordlight had already arrived swiftly. The high-speed sword created a slight breeze, blowing his hair in front of his forehead. Caught off guard, he couldn't block Jiang Yun's swordlight with the knife in his hand and could only raise his left arm to protect his head.
A cold smile curled on Jiang Yun's lips. If a mere mortal body could withstand his meticulously planned unsheathing technique, he might as well headbutt his opponent to death right here. What was the point of discussing the pinnacle of martial arts?
The swordlight descended from above, cleaving the warrior's body in half as Jiang Yun landed on the ground. Blood sprayed out like a fountain.
The other warrior, startled by Jiang Yun's attack, was momentarily shaken. However, being experienced in life and death situations, he quickly regained his composure and drew his long knife, slashing towards Jiang Yun.
Jiang Yun remained expressionless. With his superior skills and audacity, he evaded the warrior's knife by shifting left and right, utilizing the profound movements of the Four Elements Step, leaving him unbeatable.
The warrior's blade technique was ruthless and deadly, but it proved futile against Jiang Yun. Every time the blade was about to strike him, Jiang Yun found an angle to evade the attack.
Jiang Yun swiftly evaded the warrior's attack once again, his eyes shining. His long sword quickly pierced through the gap in the warrior's defense. Jiang Yun's sword technique had only one characteristic—speed.
The warrior watched in horror as the long sword penetrated his chest, his breathing becoming rapid. Uttering words of disbelief, he said, "This can't be... impossible."
Jiang Yun withdrew his long sword, returning it to its sheath, while the warrior fell to the ground with a look of terror and disbelief in his eyes.
Looking at the two corpses on the ground, Jiang Yun felt a slight sense of relief. Based on this battle, he estimated that his strength was probably higher than the Qi Martial Realm. With his profound martial arts and possibly being at the second level of Yuan Martial Realm, he still had the ability to fight.
As his thoughts raced, Jiang Yun noticed something at the chest of one of the warriors. After a brief search, he found a bottle in his hand. Excitement surged within him because the bottle was identical to the one containing Body Refining Pills that Xiao Kuan had.
Opening the bottle, he indeed found a Body Refining Pill inside. Body Refining Pills were of great use to martial practitioners at the Body Martial Realm. It was thanks to these pills that Jiang Yun made a breakthrough to the fourth level of Body Martial Realm last night. After searching the remaining corpse, he found nothing else except some silver tickets.
Dragging the two bodies into the bushes to conceal them, Jiang Yun quickly left the area and headed deeper into the dense forest. Putting away the bottle containing the Body Refining Pill, he couldn't help but develop new ideas.
Initially, he had only planned to utilize his speed and the advantages of the dense forest to delay the pursuers from the Xiao family. After seven days, he would find an opportunity to leave Yan Kingdom and head to Zhao Kingdom.
However, now he suddenly realized that as long as the number of pursuers wasn't too high, he could take them down one by one. Another reason was the Body Refining Pill he obtained from the corpses. If he could acquire more of them, his strength might rapidly improve.
With the temptation of the Body Refining Pill and his confidence in his martial arts, Jiang Yun decided to fight to improve himself. He turned from the depths of the forest and headed towards the outskirts.
The immediate priority was to find a place to take shelter. Without proper rest, his body wouldn't recover, which would affect his combat readiness.
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, until sunset, Jiang Yun did not encounter a second group of people searching for him. After sunset, the forest became almost pitch-black, making it impossible to find any suitable hiding place. Helpless, Jiang Yun could only close his eyes and rest on a tree branch.