Immortals Step into Heaven

Zheng Yuan's brow furrowed, his eyes filled with determination. He knew clearly that in this dire situation, the only option left was a desperate battle with Hu Gui. The air around them seemed to grow heavy with tension, a faint, oppressive atmosphere permeating the air.

His palms were slightly sweaty as his mind raced through countermeasures. Luckily, he still had a talisman in his hand. This talisman was no ordinary one; he had stumbled upon it after a difficult and arduous journey in an ancient ruin. He had always treasured it, never willing to use it unless it was a matter of life and death.

Zheng Yuan was well aware of the power of this talisman. If wielded properly, he might be able to turn the tide in this crucial moment and slay Hu Gui. He had to understand that while Hu Gui was a formidable foe, he was no pushover either. He was now a cultivator who had reached the consummation of the late Foundation Establishment stage, and the power of his full-strength attack could not be underestimated. Even if he couldn't kill Hu Gui with a single blow, he could certainly injure him severely. If Hu Gui were seriously injured, the tide of the battle would instantly change, and his chances of survival would be his.

With this thought, Zheng Yuan's eyes flashed with ruthlessness, and he no longer hesitated. He suddenly unleashed his Earth Escape Technique. A yellow light emanated from his body, and in a flash of light, he swiftly sank into the ground. A moment later, not far from Hu Gui, the earth stirred, and Zheng Yuan emerged from the ground like a ghost.

Hu Gui's flying sword followed suit, gleaming with a cold, sharp light as it shot towards Zheng Yuan like a meteor. Its blade sliced ​​through the air with a sharp hissing sound, as if it would instantly pierce Zheng Yuan. Zheng Yuan hurriedly activated his low-grade spiritual bracelet, which instantly shone brightly, emitting a soft yet resilient spiritual shield. The flying sword slammed into the shield with a deafening roar, sending ripples of spiritual energy flying. Zheng Yuan felt a tingling sensation in his arm, and the spiritual energy within him trembled. But he gritted his teeth to steady himself, his gaze fixed on Hu Gui with even greater vigilance.

Hu Gui stared at Zheng Yuan, his eyes as cold as ice. A chilling curve curled the corners of his mouth as he declared, "You will die today." His voice seemed to emanate from the depths of hell, brimming with undeniable resolve. Every word condensed into a tangible murderous intent, surging towards Zheng Yuan. The air around him seemed to freeze with this killing intent, but Zheng Yuan showed no fear. Instead, his eyes lit up with a sharper alertness, and he clutched the talisman tightly.

Beads of sweat rolled down Zheng Yuan's forehead, his lips trembled slightly, his eyes were full of tension, and he said in a dry voice: "Manager Hu, I wonder if you can let me go next?" He knew very well that he was at a disadvantage at the moment, but he still held a glimmer of hope, hoping that Hu Gui would let him go because of their past friendship or other reasons.

Hu Gui sneered, a smile filled with disdain and mockery, as if he had just heard the world's most ridiculous joke. Without another word, he suddenly drew his sword and charged at Zheng Yuan with lightning speed. The sword gleamed with a cold, eerie light in the sunlight, as if eager to drink Zheng Yuan's blood.

Zheng Yuan watched Hu Gui charging towards him, his heart throbbed with joy, but his face showed no sign of it, still looking terrified and pleading for mercy. His heartbeat quickened as he waited for Hu Gui to approach. In this tense moment, every second seemed stretched out.

When Hu Gui approached Zheng Yuan like a ghost, Zheng Yuan saw the right moment, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he threw the talisman he had been holding tightly in his hand at Hu Gui with lightning speed. The moment the talisman flew out of his hand, it seemed as if a powerful force spread out from the talisman, and the spiritual power around it seemed to be summoned and rushed towards the talisman frantically. The talisman's light became more and more dazzling, and it turned into a giant sword and slashed towards Hu Gui.

Hu Gui was horrified. He had never expected the talisman in Zheng Yuan's hand to possess such formidable power. In this critical moment, he hurriedly mobilized all his spiritual energy, channeling it into the longsword in his hand. The longsword instantly glowed brightly, runes flickering faintly on the blade. He held the sword across his chest, attempting to block the oncoming attack.

"Bang!" The talisman's giant sword clashed fiercely with Hu Gui's longsword, emitting a deafening roar. The powerful impact radiated from the point of impact, uprooting surrounding trees and sending rubble and dust flying everywhere. Hu Gui felt a sharp pain in his arms, as if a tremendous force were bearing down on him. The ground beneath his feet cracked with the shock. His body was pierced by the giant sword, and he slid backward uncontrollably.

Zheng Yuan's blood surged with the recoil, but he fought the pain, his gaze fixed on Hu Gui. Before Hu Gui could regain his composure, Zheng Yuan gritted his teeth and unleashed his Earth Escape Technique once more, vanishing in the blink of an eye. The next moment, he appeared above Hu Gui, unsheathed his Beihai Staff, and unleashed six shadowy strikes, striking him like a rag. Watching Hu Gui slump to the ground in the distance, Zheng Yuan wondered if he was dead or not, and he didn't dare approach to check. He hesitated.

At that moment, a slight movement suddenly came from the spirit beast bag on Zheng Yuan's waist. Although the movement was not loud, it caught Zheng Yuan's attention. He quickly reached out and opened the spirit beast bag. A dark figure rushed out. It was Xiao Hei. Xiao Hei wagged his furry tail happily, like a spoiled child, and kept rubbing his head against Zheng Yuan's clothes, his eyes full of intimacy.

Zheng Yuan carefully examined Xiao Hei and found that its appearance hadn't changed much. However, the aura it exuded startled him. It was an extremely powerful aura. Zheng Yuan had felt a similar oppressive feeling from a second-level lion scorpion beast before. It seemed that Xiao Hei had unknowingly broken through to become a second-level demon beast. This made Zheng Yuan sigh with emotion. He recalled his own journey, the endless struggle to find the ingredients for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill, and even now it was still uncertain whether he could even gather the pill. Yet, Xiao Hei had already reached a new level before him.

As Zheng Yuan lost consciousness, Xiao Hei suddenly turned, his sharp gaze fixed on Hu Gui in the distance. Hu Gui was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but his physical body had been destroyed by the talisman, leaving only his soul. He had hoped to wait for Zheng Yuan to approach, then perform the body possession technique and possess his body, thus achieving rebirth. However, he never expected that what awaited him was not the defenseless Zheng Yuan, but the greatly enhanced Xiao Hei.

Xiao Hei's hooves were like the wind as he ran towards Hu Gui. When he reached Hu Gui, he opened his bloody mouth and sucked fiercely. An illusory figure was sucked out of the void. It was Hu Gui's soul.