Eternal Heavenly Emperor

Because of the special nature of the environment, Chu Hao and Qin Yulian were also unable to rescue them. However, everyone was originally a temporary team formed to eliminate the Gloomy Wind Vine, and after completing this task, the team had essentially disbanded.

So Chu Hao naturally had no obligation to save them.

On the contrary, from the perspective of territorial and Sect interests, weakening the geniuses of other Counties actually helped his own County and Sect. However, Chu Hao came from the Lower World and had no sense of territorial belonging, so he would definitely not start a massacre because of this.

—Unless someone provoked him first.

For example, the Life-taking Three Talented now wanted to take his life, so he would take theirs first.

The mist in this area was quite strange, impossible to walk out of no matter how they tried. Chu Hao simply sat cross-legged, placing the Grey Rock Sword on his knees, like an old monk in meditation, appearing calm and composed, without a hint of tension.

Qin Yulian was equally calm. As a girl, she wasn't as casual as Chu Hao and didn't sit on the ground. She stood holding her sword, with the breeze blowing her white dress tightly against her body, showcasing her perfect and enchanting figure, making people's hearts race.

"The flags they planted earlier are key, forming this mist. However, such a Formation is temporary and cannot last long," she analyzed calmly.

Chu Hao nodded, saying, "Indeed, we just need to wait."

After a while, the screams became fewer and fewer, with none heard for several minutes.

But just then, swoosh, a small blue pellet was suddenly thrown over.

Chu Hao slapped his palm on the ground, bouncing up instantly, while Qin Yulian's reaction was not slow either. Her figure moved, her white dress fluttering beautifully.

"Boss, this woman's too beautiful to kill!" someone said in the mist, their voice suggesting the white-clothed youth.

"Fool, there are plenty of beauties!" another voice replied immediately.

"But if she surrenders, we could spare her life. We're not heartless, after all!" the third person added.

Then the voice returned to the white-clothed youth, "Beauty, take off your clothes and walk out slowly, we'll spare your life!"

"Third Brother, you can never change your lecherous ways!"

"Hehe, I just love it!"

Qin Yulian remained expressionless, saying coldly, "Which one of you wants to die first?" Naturally, as a woman, she wouldn't be happy being humiliated like this.

"Still so mouthy!"

"Alas, you force me to break the elegant things, I hate that!"

"Kill!"

Swoosh swoosh swoosh, three more pellets were thrown simultaneously, one red, one white, and one green, exploding together with a bang. Flames roared, frost spread, and countless Golden Needles shot out.

Chu Hao dodged while waving his long sword, creating a defensive layer around him to block all the flames, frost, and Golden Needles. Qin Yulian also used all her abilities, her figure floating like an immortal, offering supreme beauty.

"Beauty, you still have one last chance to be my woman! Otherwise, once you're dead, you'll just be a skeleton, no matter how talented you are, you'll be nothing!"

Qin Yulian didn't respond, only dancing her figure, searching for the Life-taking Three Talented.

"Third Brother, give up. She's determined to die with that pretty boy," the purple-clothed youth laughed.

"Damn it! Damn it! Then you can die together!" the white-clothed youth fumed.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh, more pellets were thrown over.

Chu Hao leaped up suddenly. Instead of dropping down, his feet tipped on the air as if he flew again, far exceeding the expected distance. When he landed, he was right in front of the white-clothed youth and the other two.

"How did you find our position?" the purple-clothed youth asked in surprise, all three looking incredulous.

—This was the first time anyone had caught them.

Chu Hao smiled lightly and said, "You've thrown enough trash, I can figure out the pattern."

You monster!

All three looked like they'd seen a ghost, wishing Chu Hao had been guessing at random. But he observed for a while and deduced the pattern of their moves—Are you sure you're human?

Such an opponent chilled their hearts.

Chu Hao tapped his feet lightly, leaping out, his long sword waving, flashing with sword light.

Anyone who wants to kill him, he will kill, simple as that.

The white-clothed youth and the other two teamed up immediately, three against one fearing nothing, using the Formation to split their enemies and gain the advantage of numbers. Chu Hao's deduction ability was terrifying, but it didn't mean he was smart. Look, now he was attacking them alone; wasn't that courting death?

Among the three, two wielded swords and one a knife, all Three-Hole Treasure Weapons. When activated, they flashed various lights, slashing at Chu Hao.

As soon as the attack began, Chu Hao could immediately gauge their Cultivation, smiling, "I thought you were so arrogant because of your great strength, turns out it's only Eight Meridians Peak!"

The notorious reputation of these three likely came from their Annihilation Bombs, as Eight Meridians Peak cultivators were not rare.

"Hmph, so what, it's more than enough to kill you!" the purple-clothed youth snorted.

As he spoke, their attack struck.

Chu Hao tilted his sword and easily blocked their attacks, then released three palms, aiming at each of them.

The three were terrified. Chu Hao's palm strikes were clear but impossible to dodge or even block.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

All three were struck in the chest, which swelled like balloons and then exploded, with blood and organs splattering. Their faces showed disbelief, unable to accept being killed in one strike, but their bodies slowly collapsed.

Chu Hao also showed surprise. This was his first time using the Sky Wind Eight Styles on those below his Realm, and its destructive power was immense.

But he nodded quickly, knowing that Nine Meridians was a watershed, marking the divide between true talents and ordinary people. Nine Meridians crushing Eight Meridians was natural, and with the Sky Wind Eight Styles, the result was a one-hit kill.

Adding the Shocking Force further amplified its power, directly bursting the inner organs of these Eight Meridians Peak Martial Artists.

"Brother Chu!" Swoosh, a fragrant breeze wafted over as Qin Yulian arrived. She looked around and was surprised; the fight was already over?

So strong!

Chu Hao collected the Treasured Sword, searched the three, and found three Mustard Seed Rings, which he pocketed without checking. He said, "Without them, the Formation should be easy to leave."

"Yes!" Qin Yulian nodded.

They figured out the Mist Array's pattern quickly since without the Life-taking Three Talented manipulating it, it was just a regular Illusion Array. Within ten minutes, they were out.

Chu Hao casually removed a nearby flag, and the mist covering half the valley dispersed immediately, magically.

But the scene inside was tragic, with bodies everywhere and blood staining the ground.

"Hey! Hey!" a fat man ran over, waving his tiny right arm comically.

Tu Mingyuan.

Chu Hao narrowed his eyes, having suspected from the start that out of the original 21, only he, Qin Yulian, and Tu Mingyuan were Nine Meridians. Now only the three of them were alive, confirming it.

"I thought only Fat Brother survived, didn't expect you two as well!" the fat man patted his chest like a drum.

Qin Yulian looked at the bodies and said, "Let's bury them."

Chu Hao nodded. Having fought together, they owed it to their fallen comrades.

They dug a big pit and buried the bodies, though they would ultimately become nutrients for the Gloomy Wind Vines since this was their territory.

Such was the fate of Martial Artists, living gloriously but with unpredictable death, dying far from home.

The three split up, searching for the Gloomy Wind Vine's Mother Root.

Chu Hao had good luck, finding a Mother Root within minutes.

Though the Mother Root was long, only a segment held its efficacy, like a ferocious beast's inner core, storing the essence of the Gloomy Wind Vine.

The segment was as long as a finger, pure white, resembling jade, unlike the Gloomy Wind Vine itself, emitting a sweet fragrance.

Chu Hao covered it with soil and put it in his Mustard Seed Ring to slow its potency's loss.

He continued searching and found a second Mother Root within ten minutes.

After half an hour, a third, and after two hours, six in total.

Qin Yulian approached, and they shared their findings; she had four roots' essence.

By their estimates, there were up to eleven Gloomy Wind Vines, meaning one or no Mother Roots remained.

"How come Fat Brother still hasn't found anything!" Tu Mingyuan's cries came from afar.

Chu Hao and Qin Yulian exchanged looks and laughed.

"Brother Chu, farewell for now!" Qin Yulian said.

Chu Hao nodded, knowing she was going to refine the Gloomy Wind Vine's essence, as he planned to. This required privacy, and their trust didn't yet extend to that level.

"See you in the tower!"