Chapter 318: Chapter 316: Ambush After killing the Evil Cultivator two days ago, Lou Yi specifically sought advice from Zhang Zhiqiang on some information about the Tracking Talisman. He learned that the Tracking Talisman belongs to one of the most difficult types of Low Grade Talismans to refine, and very few are skilled in this craft within the sect. Moreover, its price is relatively reasonable, so every time it is available, it is instantly snatched up, and even with contributions, it’s hard to exchange for one. Among the four Inner Sect Disciples present, only Yang Haiying possessed this talisman, which shows its rarity. Upon hearing Du Xing’s promise, the pained expression on Yang Haiying’s face eased a bit, but she said, "It’s not about taking the lead; finding the Evil Cultivator is the urgent matter." She tossed the talisman paper into the air, forming complex hand signs with both hands while chanting. The tail of the talisman paper began to burn slowly. After ’sniffing out’ the scent left by the Evil Cultivator, it shot off into the distance with a ’whoosh’. "Chase!" A stick of incense time later. Following the Tracking Talisman, the group arrived in front of a remote, small dirt hill, intending to cross over it from above. ’Caw!’ Right at this moment, the eagle in Lou Yi’s mind suddenly let out a cry. Its eyes locked cautiously on the area beyond the hill, its feathers bristling as if ready for battle. Something’s wrong! Lou Yi knew that this was his Divine Sense warning him of danger. With his Martial Arts Cultivation already stepping into an unprecedented realm, his five senses were far beyond ordinary. The sixth sense, which could foresee danger, naturally became much keener. "Wait a minute!" Lou Yi called out, stopping the others from proceeding further. "What’s wrong?" Du Xing asked impatiently. "There might be danger beyond this hill." "Danger? Where is the danger?" Du Xing looked at the unobstructed view ahead, sneering, "Or are you Martial Artists endowed with some unique sense, able to see dangers we can’t?" "The Tracking Talisman is almost burned out." Yang Haiying urged anxiously. "Send the Lifebound Corpses ahead to scout, ensuring nothing goes wrong." Zhang Zhiqiang proposed a relatively safe suggestion. "Fine!" The others thought about it and had no objections, so they released their Lifebound Corpses from the Corpse Storage Bag to act as the vanguard. Lou Yi’s eyes flickered with red light, carefully scanning the environment, including the ground beneath, sensing a slight distance. Indeed, he didn’t see anyone hiding; could his senses be mistaken? No, the eyes might deceive, but intuition does not. Lou Yi’s resolve strengthened again as he noticed You Qingyi looking at him hesitantly. He shook his head at her. Seeing this, You Qingyi also slowed her pace. In the next moment. ’Boom!’ The dirt flew up as a massive black light shot into the sky, then split into four slightly smaller black lights that scattered and streaked away! "No, it’s a trap!" "Get out of the way!" Those in Du Xing’s group who had already stepped beyond the hill were struck by the black light in succession, almost unable to react! Yang Haiying, as the owner of the Tracking Talisman, rushed to the forefront. Her body was grazed by the largest of the four black lights, instantly shattering to pieces, dead beyond doubt! Du Xing was quick-witted, hurriedly taking cover behind his Lifebound Corpse. His Lifebound Corpse, tempered by Thunder Techniques, was likely more durable than Profound Iron in the Mortal World. But upon contact with the black light, the Iron Corpse was flung backward as if with no resistance, tumbling for over twenty yards before crashing heavily to the ground. Its exceedingly tough chest had completely caved in, appearing gravely injured and unable to rise. As for the plump Yang Zhigang, he immediately summoned a gray-yellow talisman, seemingly crafted from old sheepskin, that looked quite extraordinary, upon facing the sudden change. The talisman transformed into a semi-transparent yellow light shield that enveloped Yang Zhigang. Even as the black light battered the shield precariously, it found it difficult to threaten his life in the short term. The fourth black light shot directly towards the relatively distant You Qingyi. In this life-and-death crisis, You Qingyi could only instinctively cast the sole Defense Magic she knew, the Yin Light Shield. In front of her body, five feet away, a spot of gray light suddenly appeared. Through her continuous gestures and incantations, the gray light rapidly expanded. It soon formed a semi-transparent gray Qi Shield resembling ordinary armor. The surface of the Qi Shield faintly revealed some blurred runes, emitting a soft light, seemingly in constant motion. ’Snap!’ But under the sharp assault of the black light, the Magic Shield only held for less than a moment before it exploded fiercely. The black light then shot towards You Qingyi without pause! You Qingyi’s face turned pale with fright, her mind going blank. ’Am I going to die? I haven’t even reached Foundation Establishment, achieved a Golden Core, or had the time to elevate the You Family’s prestige...’ In the moment before death, various thoughts flashed through her mind like lightning. ’Boom!’ A loud noise dragged You Qingyi’s scattered thoughts back to reality. In front of her stood a familiar figure. He stood so straight, bringing an unprecedented sense of security to You Qingyi. And in her peripheral vision. She saw him wielding a black axe, forcibly striking the dangerous black light away! The black light dimmed significantly as it was deflected. Only then did the people at the scene clearly see its form, revealing it to be a fist-sized black nail-like weapon! The four black lights indicated that there were four such Black Nail Magical Artifacts, one large and three small, indeed a rare set of Child and Mother Magical Artifacts. After the planned attack, the black light seemed to be exhausted. With a ’whoosh’, it flew back to the dense woods behind, clearly returning to its owner’s side. "Oh?" A surprised voice came from within the woods. Then, a middle-aged man in a black robe, with ordinary looks, emerged, appearing far more innocuous than the previous Evil Cultivator with the scorpion tattoo on his face. Yet, the aura emanating from him caused Du Xing and the others to change their expressions. "Qi Cultivation Level Seven?" Du Xing said, somewhat uncertainly, looking at the Evil Cultivator. Qi Cultivation Level Seven might only seem one level higher than his, but the gap in difficulty was substantial. One was at the Late-stage Qi Refining; the other was at the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage. Middle-stage cultivators have merely connected most of their meridians. Late-stage cultivators, however, have formed a Qi Vortex in their Middle Dantian, with their total Spiritual Power several times that of middle-stage cultivators! "Don’t be afraid of him; he’s just a Loose Cultivator, and that last attack must have consumed a lot of his Spiritual Power. There are so many of us; we can fight!" Zhang Zhiqiang glanced at Yang Haiying’s shattered body, his anger and killing intent boiling over. Moreover, You Qingyi’s eyes had reddened, her grip on a gray talisman tightened, fully prepared for battle. "Is that so?" The Evil Cultivator sneered, then snapped his fingers. ’Bang!’ A yellow shadow burst from the ground. In the blink of an eye, it darted to Zhang Zhiqiang’s side. With two sharp black claws glittering with cold light, it fiercely struck his protective light shield! Due to the passage of time, the light shield had become relatively thin. Adding to Zhang Zhiqiang’s surprise and mental shock, the shield weakened further, and the black claws broke through directly! ’Puff!’ Then, the black claws carved through his left chest as if slicing through tofu. A still-beating, bloody heart was pulled out! ...