On her fourth encounter with the Ghostleaf Mantises, Luo Feiyan moved like a flash of wind—her body blurring as she unleashed the Wind Cutter Step, effortlessly sidestepping to the right and narrowly evading the deadly blade strike that lunged toward her. The mantis, sharp instincts honed by countless battles, immediately flowed with the rhythm of the fight, responding without hesitation. Its left blade-like limb, shimmering with a cold layer of condensed qi, arced through the air in a fierce counterattack, aiming to catch her off guard.
But she remained composed. With practiced precision, she deflected the blow with a swift parry and countered in the same breath—a flawless riposte. Her sword surged forward like a flash of silver light, aimed directly at the creature's eye cluster. In that critical moment, she invoked her Light Gale Pierce, and a sharp gust of wind surged along her blade, adding piercing force to her thrust, threatening to shatter the mantis's vision in a single, decisive strike.
---Wind Cutter Step: The user uses a burst of wind qi under their feet to dash forward or sidestep quickly.---
---Light Gale Pierce: Focuses wind qi on the sword's tip to make a thrust attack faster and sharper, good for piercing through thin armor.---
Just as the Ghostleaf Mantis was about to leap back to evade the incoming strike, a sudden force slammed into its exposed underbelly, halting its retreat in an instant. Caught off guard and with no time to react, the beast was left defenseless. In that fleeting moment, Feiyan's sword pierced forward like a flash of lightning—her blade driving cleanly through the mantis's head, ending its struggle in a single, decisive thrust.
A sickening spray of greenish fluid burst forth, along with fragments of the mantis's head organs.
Without hesitation, Feiyan followed up with a swift Gentle Breeze Slash, her sword arcing upward in a clean, elegant motion. The blade carved through the mantis's torso with refined precision, leaving a graceful yet deadly trail of wind in its wake.
---Gentle Breeze Slash: A simple sword slash that releases a faint blade of wind, extending the sword's reach by a few meters. ---
With that final strike, the Ghostleaf Mantis was cleaved cleanly in two, its sundered body crashing lifelessly to the earth. As the dust slowly settled, Luo Feiyan caught sight of Madara standing just ahead of her. His outer robe hung in tatters, stained with blood—crimson trails flowing from the fresh wounds he had sustained in the fierce clash.
Her gaze dropped to his left hand—blood trickled steadily down his fingers as he tightly gripped his sword. At the tip of the blade, the greenish ichor of the mantis mingled with his own blood, dripping rhythmically onto the ground below.
Their appearances mirrored one another—tattered clothes, bloodied bodies, and battle-worn expressions. Just as Feiyan opened her mouth to speak, Madara beat her to it.
"How many did you kill? " he asked, his voice sharp and direct.
"This was my fourth," she replied, storing the fallen Ghostleaf Mantis into her storage ring.
Madara glanced toward the darkening treetops and continued, his tone grave.
"We need to leave this place quickly… before we're—"
Just as Madara's final words left his lips, a sudden ripple in the air signaled an ambush—another Ghostleaf Mantis erupted from the shadows, its blade-like limbs poised to strike at Luo Feiyan's unguarded back.
Without uttering a single word, Madara moved like a silver streak. He instantly infused his sword with Silver Sword Intent, and in one fluid motion, unleashed a powerful Sword Qi Slash—an upward vertical arc aimed toward Feiyan's position.
Sensing the incoming danger, Luo Feiyan instinctively activated her Wind Cutter Step, her figure blurring as she sidestepped swiftly to the left, narrowly evading the gleaming arc of sword qi. As she turned mid-motion, her eyes caught the aftermath—just behind where she once stood, the Ghostleaf Mantis had been cleaved cleanly in two, one of its limbs severed and flung aside. A spray of greenish blood erupted from its wounds, painting the ground in eerie hues.
The mantis collapsed with a heavy thud, lifeless and mutilated.
But there was no time to linger.
"We're leaving—now," Madara said sharply, not even glancing at the corpse.
Though she hadn't stored the mantis's body, Luo Feiyan obeyed without hesitation. The two dashed through the dense jungle, their figures weaving between trees and vines as the scent of blood still hung in the air.
As they ran, Feiyan's voice, soft and sincere, cut through the wind.
"…Thank you."
But Madara gave no reply—his gaze was locked ahead, his spiritual sense fully extended, scanning the surroundings.
They hadn't gotten far from the place they had just fled when both of them suddenly felt it—a presence, cold and sharp, silently trailing them from behind.
"Shit," Madara muttered under his breath, glancing over his shoulder just long enough to confirm it.
"Luo Feiyan," he said firmly, his tone urgent, "do you have a movement technique you can use?"
When Luo Feiyan answered with a quiet "yes," Madara didn't hesitate. In an instant, he activated his Body Flicker Technique, vanishing from sight in a blur of speed.
Feiyan's eyes widened in surprise—just a moment ago, she had been following right behind him. Now, he was gone.
But she quickly sensed his qi in the distance. Without delay, she activated her Wind Cutter Step, her figure streaking forward through the underbrush in pursuit.
Even though both of them had already used their movement techniques to gain distance, Luo Feiyan could still feel the relentless presence of the Ghostleaf Mantises chasing them—not far behind.
Despite the mounting pressure, Feiyan managed to keep pace with Madara. However, just moments later, she was caught off guard when he suddenly veered off from the path they had originally taken, darting into a denser part of the jungle without warning.
Her hesitation was fleeting. But then, with a resolute breath, she clenched her jaw. One of the core teachings of the sect elders echoed firmly in her mind: Never abandon your partner, no matter the circumstance.
"Damn it…" she muttered under her breath and followed him without question.
"Fuck… where is it? I saw it around here somewhere…" Madara muttered, slightly frantic, his eyes darting from tree to tree, scanning the dense jungle and heavy foliage.
Then—he saw it.
Nestled among the branches of one of the nearby trees were small, greenish-yellow plums, with faint white lines running down their skin like veins.
"Clearheart Plum," he breathed.
---Clearheart Plum (清心梅): A low-grade spiritual fruit used to remove the foul smell of slimy beast meat and neutralize minor toxins. It's also an ingredient in low-grade healing pills to treat deep wounds and stop bleeding.---
As he approached the tree, he swiftly leapt up and swung his sword, infused with silver sword qi, striking the fruits hanging from the branches. Upon landing, he immediately turned his back toward the falling plums and quickly aimed his right hand—wearing his storage ring—to catch the dropping fruits.
Not far away, Luo Feiyan saw Madara running away from the tree and activating his Body Flicker Technique once again. She gave chase, closing the distance with her own movement technique. As she neared him, Madara threw three fruits toward her. Catching them, she exclaimed, "These are Clearheart Plums! "
Madara responded and explained his plan to her.
"Do you think this will work? " Feiyan asked.
"We have no other choice," Madara replied. "Even if we manage to escape the Ghostleaf Mantises still on our trail, we won't survive the other beasts inhabiting Yunwun Senlin Forest—especially with the scent of our wounds attracting them."
Luo Feiyan had no choice but to follow him. Ghostleaf mantises were known to be carnivorous. As they ran, occasionally using their movement techniques to gain distance. Madara swiftly retrieved a Clearheart Plum and his sword from his storage ring.
Without slowing down, he sliced the plum in half with the sword in his right hand. The moment the fruit was cut open, it released a refreshing herbal fragrance into the air.
He immediately began scrubbing one half of the plum across his entire body. Luo Feiyan followed suit, doing the same. They used all three Clearheart Plums to coat themselves completely.
Once the juice had been spread across their skin, a faint pale green hue with a silvery shimmer enveloped their bodies. Alongside the subtle scent of crushed mint that now clung to them, they both felt a noticeable reduction in the pain, bleeding, and stinging of their wounds.
Eventually, the two of them sensed it—the oppressive presence of the Ghostleaf Mantises was waning. One by one, their pursuers withdrew, until not even the faintest trace of pursuit remained.
Still, they didn't relax—not until they had fully escaped the jungle region of the Yunwun Senlin Forest.
Once they were outside, they searched for a place to rest. Upon finding a suitable spot, Madara leaned against a tree, utterly spent. He raised a weary arm and wiped the sweat from his face with the
Luo Feiyan, on the other hand, sat quietly on the grass-covered earth, silently swallowing a low-grade medicinal pill taken from her storage ring.
After a few minutes, the two began to meditate, simultaneously using their Qi Absorption Techniques to restore the qi they had expended. Several minutes later, Luo Feiyan was the first to finish—her qi fully recovered, along with the wounds she had sustained.
While waiting for Madara to complete his recovery, she remained alert, sensing the surroundings. They were deep within a dense, verdant forest filled with thick vegetation and towering trees.
Several more minutes passed before he finally finished. Without any medicinal pills from the Contribution Exchange Pavilion, he had no choice but to rely solely on his Mystical Palm Technique to tend to his wounds.
As he pressed his palm over his injuries, Luo Feiyan silently watched from a standing position. She observed as his wounds gradually faded away.
"I never imagined he had a healing technique," she thought to herself.
That realization brought back the memory of the technique he had used when they were pursued by the group of Ghostleaf Mantises. She murmured quietly, "So he has other techniques besides those he used during the sparring battle."