The man’s face instantly turned ashen at the words, his eyes filled with a deep gloom.
“Fairy, what nonsense are you speaking! I merely thought that as a woman, you might be unable to protect this immortal artifact. It would be better to hand it over to us…”
“Hmph… You are truly hypocritical, a goddamn embodiment of hypocrisy! Hypocritical to the core! If you want to fight, then fight! Stop dithering like a spineless wretch!”
Before he could finish, Jin Bao’er impatiently cut him off. With a slight wave of her right hand, a white light flared, and the pressure of an immortal artifact surged. Everyone present, except Jin Bao’er, turned pale.
Zhan Hun, hearing everything within her consciousness, was furious at these individuals trying to snatch her from Jin Bao’er. Her aura grew more formidable, vowing that no one would ever separate them!
Jin Bao’er was surprised by the immense power emanating from Zhan Hun at that moment, unaware that it was a surge of strength born from Zhan Hun’s rage.
As for the others, upon seeing Zhan Hun, they were a mixture of shock and delight, fear and greed…
Who wouldn’t desire such an immortal artifact?!
The next moment, the leading man, seizing the opportunity when Jin Bao’er lowered her gaze, lunged forward to strike first! In his eyes, Jin Bao’er was a fool! She had obtained a treasure yet chose not to flee quietly, but instead made such a public display, making her death almost inevitable!
Jin Bao’er sensed his movement, her eyes subtly shifting. She gazed chillingly at his approach…
The man thought she was frozen in fear, his heart swelling with arrogance. Then…
*Pfft!*
A long sword flashed through the air, slicing him in two. A white barrier then materialized, enclosing the sprayed blood and preventing it from touching Jin Bao’er in the slightest!
The spiritual energy the man had gathered, now uncontrolled, fell to the ground and exploded, shaking the earth! Its power was evident… Yet, he died beneath the sword without even a whimper, too quick to even cry out…
This display of power sent everyone into a panic, their faces etched with shock!
That was a Heavenly Dao Saint!
And she had cleaved him in two as easily as cutting cabbage?! Her speed was so astonishing, she barely even seemed to use much spiritual energy?!
At this very moment, one individual seemed to snap awake. His eyes widened dramatically, his body trembling uncontrollably, and he stammered,
“You… You you… you are… Jin Bao’er?!”
Clad in blue, with black hair and black eyes, her face veiled, a Heavenly Dao Saint, possessing a cold aura, capable of killing those of higher cultivation levels…
This was precisely the description of the newly ranked number one on the Divine Mortal List, Jin Bao’er, who had recently single-handedly slain two late-stage Heavenly Dao Saints near the marketplace!
He even went to witness the excitement that day! Though he was too far away to see clearly, he never expected to encounter her in person so soon!! His face paled at the thought, and he quickly shouted,
“Fairy, forgive me! I am blind and foolish! I saw nothing just now, I’ll be leaving immediately!”
With that, he didn’t dare to look at Jin Bao’er’s face and vanished into the sky…
Not a few people heard his words. At first, some found the name familiar. But when a second person, their face a mask of shock, begged for forgiveness and fled, everyone else reacted. They turned and ran, and in the blink of an eye, only a few scattered cultivators remained, looking utterly bewildered…
Weren’t they supposed to work together to kill this woman and seize the treasure? They hadn’t even started yet, and just guessing a name had caused them to flee in terror?
So… who exactly was Jin Bao’er? What was her identity? What had she done? Why were they all so afraid?!
It wasn’t until they grabbed an informed individual who was preparing to leave, his face panicked as he glanced at Jin Bao’er. He then quickly shook off their hands and roared,
“Fools! She is Jin Bao’er!! The one who killed two late-stage Heavenly Dao Kings with her bare hands! The number one on the Divine Mortal List! A Heavenly Dao Saint at the fifth realm at the age of forty!”
His roar echoed through the heavens…
Instantly, the surroundings fell silent! They were stunned…
Jin Bao’er, however, frowned. “You are mistaken!”
The man was taken aback. His first thought was, could it be that this wasn’t Jin Bao’er?!
But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the woman in blue continued,
“I am a Heavenly Dao Saint at the sixth realm! Not the fifth!”
Silence… A deathly, profound silence!
The next second, everyone turned and fled as if they had seen a ghost. Several streams of light streaked across the sky, as if pursued by vengeful spirits!
Jin Bao’er felt a pang of unease. She hadn’t said anything wrong! Besides, if she hadn’t killed Su Zi’ang and his wife, she would have been the one dead! Why were these people looking at her as if she were a deranged murderer?!
Unbeknownst to her, beneath their initial fear, having just witnessed her effortlessly kill a Heavenly Dao Saint, their terror had reached its peak. Not to mention, she possessed an immortal artifact…
Jin Bao’er felt a touch of helplessness. The man she had just killed was indeed a Heavenly Dao Saint, but only at the first realm! And it seemed he had forcibly ascended through some method, his strength clearly lacking! Coupled with his attempt to sneak attack and his cautious movements, this had led to her single strike.
For now, her most pressing concern was to find a place to enter seclusion and break through to the seventh realm of the Heavenly Dao Saint.
The Luo Xian Sect would not let her off. Last time it was the four protectors; she didn't know who it would be next time…
She needed sufficient strength and capital to confront the impending dangers.
As she pondered, an incredibly sharp aura suddenly appeared behind her!
She snapped back to attention, her first reaction being to activate her barrier. A light pink glow erupted, deflecting the incoming attack. Simultaneously, she unleashed hundreds of ice blades…
However, her attack missed completely!
A completely transparent butterfly flew from behind her. It appeared utterly harmless, almost dreamlike, subtly emanating a faint blue light!
Inadvertently, it shed specks of iridescent powder that drifted with the wind. The powder passed through the light pink barrier and landed on Jin Bao’er’s hand, the one she had used to channel her spiritual energy.
Everything happened in an instant!
Jin Bao’er hadn’t even clearly seen the butterfly. If not for the absence of any other creatures or humans behind her, she might have dismissed the sudden burst of danger as an illusion.
As the butterfly flew away, she frowned and looked at her hand, finding nothing amiss! With a slight movement of her fingers, spiritual energy rippled…
The next second, the ice blades turned back and shot towards the blue butterfly. Each shard of ice struck, cleaving the butterfly’s body, its wings torn into tiny fragments!
The ice shards received the butterfly’s remains and slowly brought them forward. The tiny body struggled slightly, as if it were just an ordinary life, meeting an inexplicable end…
Jin Bao’er’s brow furrowed. With a subtle shift in her gaze, a blast of spiritual energy erupted, completely obliterating the butterfly.
Concurrently, her hand felt a slight warmth, and the uncomfortable sensation vanished.
She scanned her surroundings, detecting no foreign presence, and then turned to leave! Seclusion, naturally, would be safest within the Dragon Clan.