Chapter 911: Join Forces and Ambush Him!
Ye Mo knew the Golden Core cultivator wouldn't let him go. He fled desperately, desperately seeking a plan. A large cave appeared. His spirit sense detected the blue python he'd recently fought. Without hesitation, he entered.
The Golden Core cultivator sneered. He wasn't eager to kill Ye Mo; the youth's swordsmanship intrigued him. He, too, saw the python, a peak Level 4 beast, posing no threat.
The blue python, hissing, raised its head at Ye Mo. Fear flickered in its eyes. It couldn't comprehend why the human, having already driven it off, pursued it here. As the python prepared to expel the intruder, Ye Mo pressed deeper into the cave. Before it could react, another figure—even bolder—charged in, attacking with his sword. The python, unable to evade, was pierced. It howled in pain, its massive body collapsing onto the Golden Core cultivator.
Pebbles flew as the Golden Core cultivator sneered. A mere animal daring to defy him! His flying sword, imbued with potent cultivation essence, aimed for the python's head—an unavoidable strike for a Level 4 beast. But something felt wrong. The Foundation Establishment cultivator vanished from his spirit sense. A chill ran down his spine; he'd been ambushed. Fury surged as he attempted to evade, but it was too late. Countless sword-chi whirlpools ravaged his meridians. He spat blood, heavily injured.
"Not good!" He tried to escape, but the enraged python's tail smashed him into the cave ceiling. As he hit the ground, Ye Mo's purple sword struck again. Terror gripped him. He couldn't fathom how the Foundation Establishment Level 7 cultivator had ambushed him. Even without focused attention, he should have been within his spirit sense range. He didn't know Ye Mo could deceive even a Hollow Spirit master's spirit sense.
Ye Mo unleashed the Illusion Cloud Whirlpool Strike. Zi Xu and the Golden Core cultivator's flying sword clashed in a massive explosion, knocking the cultivator from the cave. He breathed a sigh of relief; escape, regardless of his injuries, meant victory.
But as he reached for pills, he felt something enter his body. Ye Mo's Zi Xu returned, a gust of purple death rays. To confront Shadowless meant facing that endless sword ray, fatal even to a Golden Core cultivator. He sent his flying sword to eliminate Ye Mo first. Instantly, Shadowless devoured his essence blood and meridians. Ye Mo intervened before Shadowless could consume the cultivator entirely.
A horrifying cry of pain escaped the Golden Core cultivator as his flying sword shattered, and he was torn to bloody mist. Ye Mo caught the dark golden core and a storage ring. Shadowless returned, growling at the core.
Relieved, Ye Mo acknowledged the blue python's help. "Thanks for saving my life. This golden core is yours," he said, tossing it to the joyful serpent. He then gave the python a medicinal pill. He had another cultivator to kill.
The blue python, still in disbelief, watched Ye Mo leave. Though its intelligence wasn't fully developed, it understood the human had not only aided it, but also gifted it a golden core.
The other Foundation Establishment cultivator waited beneath the Lin Blue Fruit tree, confident in his master's ability.
"Made you wait," Ye Mo's voice rang out. The cultivator whirled around. His eyes widened in disbelief. Where was his master? Ye Mo's next words were followed by Zi Xu's deadly strike. Blood spilled; the cultivator was dead. Ye Mo claimed the storage bag, relieved. He'd have to keep the killing secret, especially if the cultivator had a powerful background.
Ye Mo rested, planning to uproot the tree when three sword rays approached. Three cultivators landed swiftly; none were Golden Core.
"The Lin Fruit Tree," one recognized, eyeing Ye Mo with excitement. "The fruit must have granted him essence blood! He's unbelievably lucky!"
"Not so lucky now that we've found him!" another laughed.
Ye Mo, recovered, recognized Boss He and the bald man. He'd seen no one in the desert. They must have used communication paper runes to form a squad. Their wounds spoke of desert struggles, likely against scorpions. He admired their entrance, but their tone revealed they specifically hunted him. How?
He checked his clothes, his expression darkening. A spirit sense mark—he'd been marked by the sullen Golden Core cultivator at the portal.