Chronicles of Heaven's Chosen - Chapter 44

The five itinerant cultivators exchanged glances, then surrounded Yuan Yao with practiced ease.

She swept her gaze over them without the slightest hint of panic.

She had read about scenes like this in storybooks. This was called—murdering someone for their treasure!

One of the cultivators openly leered at her, looking Yuan Yao up and down in a way that made her profoundly uncomfortable. Clicking his tongue in wonder, he said, “Well, well! Who would’ve thought our Ninth Continent could produce such a ravishing little beauty?”

Another cultivator joined in, his face twisted into an equally obscene grin.

“Heh heh. Don’t be scared, little girl. Just be good and come with us big brothers. We promise you’ll taste every pleasure this world has to offer.”

Yuan Yao was visibly bewildered, but she soon recovered and answered without expression, “No, thank you.”

“Grab her first!” the leader barked.

“Right!” the others chorused.

As soon as the words left their mouths, three of them charged at Yuan Yao.

She summoned the Phantom Spirit Sword at once and slashed!

Boom!

As they reeled in shock, Yuan Yao darted forward and plunged her sword into the belly of the man who had first harassed her, driving it straight through his body.

With a wet rip, the blade tore through flesh.

Scalding crimson blood gushed from the wound and splattered across the ground.

“Juncai!” The other four itinerant cultivators’ pupils contracted. None of them had expected such ruthlessness from a seemingly delicate young girl.

Yuan Yao yanked her sword free, then kicked Sun Juncai hard.

Bang!

He flew backward and rolled several times across the ground, blood pouring endlessly from his mouth.

“You little bitch!” The leader flew into a rage. Eyes bulging in fury, he raised his saber and hacked at Yuan Yao!

She retreated without changing expression.

“Kill her! Avenge Juncai!”

“You’re not worth winning over,” Yuan Yao said coldly. One look was enough to tell that these men were scum. They had tried to violate her the moment they met.

If they had merely intended to murder her for her treasure, she might still have considered whether to win them over.

But these men were clearly human filth.

Who knew how many female cultivators like her had already fallen into their hands?

The cultivator who had hurried over to check on Sun Juncai went pale when he found no trace of breath. He looked up at the leader.

“Big Brother, Juncai… is dead!”

The news sent the leader into an even greater fury.

“Stinking whore! You’re courting death!”

Clutching his saber, he attacked Yuan Yao like a madman.

The leader was at the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, while the others were at the early stage.

Yuan Yao fought all four alone.

Her Myriad Wards Robe had already shattered, so every wound she suffered now was painfully real.

“First Form of Xiaoyao—”

“Sword Arcs to the Heavens!”

Yuan Yao swung her sword. Blade-like sword qi erupted forth and crashed into the four itinerant cultivators in an instant.

The leader narrowed his eyes and sneered. “The Xiaoyao Sword Art?! So you’re a disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect. All the more reason you cannot be allowed to live!”

They unleashed one technique after another, encircling Yuan Yao.

Within moments, several bloody gashes marred her body. She frowned at the pain, gritted her teeth, and slashed. White light blazed like the sun as a blade of sword light shot forth like an arrow!

Boom!

Two of the cultivators staggered backward, blood trickling from their mouths.

Rip!

The leader carved a deep slash across Yuan Yao’s back.

Blood soaked instantly through her white robes, spreading in a broad crimson stain.

Yuan Yao winced and spun around, raising her sword to meet his next attack.

“Myriad Arts of a Thousand Mountains—”

“Sword Subdues All Creation!”

At her shout, the massive phantom of a sword appeared. With the might of a thunderbolt, it bore down upon the leader!

His pupils contracted. Terror crossed his face as he desperately raised his saber to block.

Crack—

Bang!

The saber shattered, and the colossal sword phantom sent him crashing to the ground.

A wound so deep the bone showed had opened across his body. He lay there coughing blood without end.

Yuan Yao flashed to his side and gripped her sword in both hands. Then she drove it down into his chest!

Squelch!

Blood sprayed through the air, accompanied by a scream.

Warm droplets of blood flecked Yuan Yao’s pale face.

She looked up, pulled the sword free with one hand, and stared coldly at the remaining three itinerant cultivators.

Alarm seized them. They turned and fled.

They had made it only a short distance when a multicolored gleam flashed past. Their bodies went rigid. After stumbling a few steps, they toppled to the ground, eyes wide in death.

Yuan Yao rose and lifted one hand.

The Phantom Spirit Sword quickly returned to her grasp.

Blood welled from the corner of her mouth. She wiped it away with her other hand.

This was the first time she had personally killed anyone.

【Targets Sun Juncai and his four companions have died. Replacement targets are being selected.】 System 250’s voice sounded.

“Are targets who can’t be replaced important characters in the original book, while replaceable targets are cannon fodder or minor characters?”

This time, System 250 gave her a definite answer.

【Yes, Host.】

“What role does Xie Yan play in the original book? Is he a devoted supporting male character too, or the devoted male lead?”

【Host, you are not yet authorized to unlock Xie Yan’s character information.】

“I can unlock it after I win him over?”

【Yes, Host.】

Yuan Yao fell into thought.

A searing pain suddenly radiated across her back. She could almost feel her torn flesh pulling apart.

Had the slash gone even a little deeper, it would have taken her life.

She swallowed a third-grade healing pill, left the scene, and found a quiet place to tend to her wound.

She had Phantom Spirit transform into various tools to help her treat the injury on her back.

An hour later, Yuan Yao crouched on the ground, poking listlessly at the dirt with a dry twig she had picked up.

She was advancing far too slowly in winning people over.

What was she supposed to do?

Yuan Yao sighed. Worry clouded her beautiful, pallid face.

She was beginning to miss the days when she could simply lie around and do nothing.

Resting her chin on one hand, she suddenly caught hold of an idea flashing through her mind.

Her eyes lit up at once.

“That’s it!”

She leaped excitedly to her feet, but the movement was too sudden and forceful. It tugged at the wound on her back and tore it open again.

“Hiss…” Yuan Yao sucked in a breath through her teeth.

She had no choice but to dress the wound again.

A short while later, she headed toward the forest while studying the formations in the *Heaven-and-Earth Formation Diagram*. Every so often, she stopped to busy herself with something in the surrounding area.

Time passed bit by bit. Before long, she had covered nearly the entire forest.

In the blink of an eye, night fell again.

At the forest entrance, a youth in green stared with his mouth agape.

“What in the world? Why are there so many formations in this forest?!”

He looked ahead and saw formation light glowing almost everywhere. Dozens of cultivators were trapped inside Mist Formations. The moment they broke free of one, they stumbled unwittingly into another.