Supreme Sword Master - Chapter 12

"Supreme Sword Master - Chapter 12: Counterattack!"

Chapter 12: Counterattack!

"Master Xue."

Outside the Wilderness Forest, Master Li could no longer contain his doubts. "Forgive me for saying this, but... that medicinal powder was one thing, but the pill personally refined by the Ghost Doctor—how precious it is! You... handing it over to a random little girl like that—isn't that a bit... cough, cough!"

He wanted to say "a waste of resources," but fearing Divine Physician Xue's anger, he held back.

Who was the Ghost Doctor?

Even the royal family of Great Qi had to look up to him.

The pills he refined were naturally extraordinary. Forget about being worth thousands of spirit crystals—even hundreds of thousands wouldn't be enough. There would be countless people willing to fight tooth and nail to buy them.

"It's fine."

Divine Physician Xue shook his head.

"That pill was just sitting there collecting dust in my possession. If it can help that little girl live a little longer, then it's put to good use!"

As he spoke,

He glanced at the storage ring on his finger, his gaze dimming slightly.

"Master Xue."

Master Li was somewhat surprised.

"You..."

"Master Li."

Divine Physician Xue clearly didn't want to dwell on the topic and changed the subject. "Earlier, I overheard some wandering cultivators discussing something. It seems someone in the city has issued a bounty to capture someone. Have you heard anything about it?"

Seeing that he didn't wish to elaborate further,

Master Li naturally didn't press the matter and sneered instead. "Hmph, small ponds have big winds. A tiny place like Tianwu City sure knows how to stir up trouble!"

"Enough."

Divine Physician Xue turned his gaze toward Tianwu City. "Let's head back. We can't delay any longer for the Seventh Prince."

...

Wilderness Forest.

Gu Han carried A Sha on his back, his figure darting through the dense forest with ease.

Along the way,

He encountered several second-tier demonic beasts.

With his current cultivation at the second level of Spirit Enlightenment and the overwhelming power of the Great Yan Sword Qi, those beasts posed no threat to him. They could only offer up their lives and beast cores in vain.

However.

Up until now, he hadn't come across a single spirit herb.

It wasn't surprising.

This area was only slightly deeper than the outermost edge of the Wilderness Forest, so naturally, many people frequented it. After years of harvesting, any herbs or fruits of value had long been picked clean. Finding one here wouldn't be easy.

"Hmm?"

Just as Gu Han was contemplating whether to venture deeper, A Sha suddenly exclaimed from his back.

"Young Master, there's something glowing over there!"

"Something?"

Gu Han paused mid-step and followed the direction A Sha pointed to.

Aside from an ancient tree with an incredibly thick trunk and a tangle of vines, there was nothing else in sight.

"A Sha, are you mistaken?"

"No!"

A Sha's expression was confident.

"It's right under the tree roots—I saw it clearly! Oh, it looks like a chubby baby!"

A chubby baby?

Gu Han walked over.

Brushing aside a foot-deep layer of rotting leaves, he half-believed, half-doubted her claim.

"Here?"

"Yes, yes! Right here, Young Master, dig quickly!"

"..."

Gu Han didn't think A Sha would lie to him without reason, so he reluctantly transformed into a laborer, digging under her instructions.

"A little deeper!"

"Almost there, almost there!"

"..."

Before long,

A pit three feet deep appeared before Gu Han.

"A Sha."

Peering into the empty hole, he thrust his sword into the ground.

"I think it's still... Hmm?"

At that moment,

A surge of dense spiritual energy suddenly erupted from within the hole!

There really was something there!

Gu Han's expression brightened. With a swing of his sword, dirt flew everywhere, revealing a spirit herb about half a foot long, white and tender, covered in roots!

Around them,

The spiritual energy grew even thicker.

"Xuan Shen!"

Gu Han recognized it immediately.

Though this Xuan Shen wasn't as rare as some of the most precious herbs, it was still quite uncommon. This herb preferred dark, damp environments and often grew underground. Without special means, it was extremely difficult for ordinary people to find, making it quite valuable.

Back then,

When Gu Han broke through to the Spirit Enlightenment stage, Gu Tian had spent a great deal to procure one for him. However, both its size and quality paled in comparison to the one before him now!

"A Sha!"

Holding the Xuan Shen in his hand,

The dense spiritual energy caused every pore on his body to relax.

"How did you do it?"

"Huh?"

A Sha scratched her head.

"I don't know... I just happened to look..."

"Just happened to look?"

Gu Han stared into her eyes.

They were clear, lively, and tinged with mischief—but otherwise showed no abnormalities.

The old A Sha

Would never have possessed such an ability.

Could it be...

That this newfound ability was related to her Soul Deficiency Syndrome—or perhaps the pill refined by the Ghost Doctor?

"Young Master!"

Beside him,

A Sha looked eager for praise.

"Am I amazing?"

"You're amazing!"

"Yay!"

A Sha was so excited she nearly jumped up.

"I finally helped Young Master!"

"Silly girl... Hmm?"

Suddenly,

Gu Han sensed a faint disturbance. Instinctively, he pulled A Sha behind him and gazed into the seemingly empty depths of the forest.

His spiritual awareness was sharp,

And he hadn't let his guard down, so he naturally detected the anomaly.

Snap!

Snap!

The sound of breaking branches grew closer.

Footsteps!

And they belonged to humans!

"Who's there!"

A cold glint flashed in Gu Han's eyes as he immediately raised his sword!

"Big Brother, this brat's ears are so sharp—he actually noticed us!"

"It doesn't matter if he noticed. He won't escape this time!"

"Hehe, when Big Brother acts, success is guaranteed!"

"..."

As the voices drew closer,

Their owners finally appeared—led by the scarred man and his group!

"It's you!"

Gu Han immediately recognized the people behind him.

"Big Brother."

The female cultivator's eyes gleamed greedily as she stared at Gu Han's left hand.

"Look what he's holding..."

"Xuan Shen!"

The scarred man's face lit up with joy.

"What a treasure! I didn't expect such an unexpected reward!"

The Xuan Shen in Gu Han's hand was worth at least several hundred spirit crystals—a considerable fortune for them.

"This Xuan Shen is mine!"

Gu Han, unaware that he was wanted, assumed they were after the Xuan Shen.

"Yours?"

Among the group,

The man in his thirties sneered.

"You're barely clinging to life, and you still want this Xuan Shen?"

"Yesterday..."

A sudden wave of anger surged in Gu Han's heart.

"I saved your lives!"

"Hmph, you said it yourself—you acted for the beast core, not for us. Now you're trying to take credit?"

"Enough!"

The scarred man waved his hand.

"Don't waste time. Surround him! Don't let this two-thousand-crystal bounty slip away!"

Two thousand spirit crystals?

Gu Han froze for a moment!

"Boy!"

The scarred man slowly approached, his aura rising as his cultivation at the second level of Spirit Mastery became evident!

His fists were surrounded by murderous intent, the result of years of practicing a lower-grade yellow-tier technique—the Seven Killing Arts!

"Meeting me means your dea—"

Swish!

Before he could finish,

A streak of sword light suddenly flashed!

Damn it!

The scarred man's pupils contracted as he sensed an impending death threat.

In a critical moment,

He twisted his body desperately, narrowly avoiding the sword light!

Pfft!

A soft sound rang out.

Behind him, the smug woman's expression froze instantly!

The next moment,

Her head separated from her body!

"That was close!"

The scarred man stared at the long bloody line carved into his body, trembling with fear.

If it weren't for the warning he received yesterday—that Gu Han possessed a deadly weapon—and the fact that his own cultivation was a full realm higher, he'd already be dead!

"What are you standing around for!"

Humiliated and enraged,

He barked orders.

"Capture that girl first!"

The man knew Gu Han's strength well and naturally avoided confronting him directly. His cold gaze shifted, and his attack suddenly targeted A Sha!

"You..."

The pent-up fury in Gu Han's heart exploded!

"Die!!"

Swish!

In his rage,

Spiritual energy surged out of him like water, and with a swing of his sword, another strand of Great Yan Sword Qi shot out, heading straight for the man!

"Ah!!"

A bloodcurdling scream echoed!

The man was only at the third level of Spirit Enlightenment—how could he possibly dodge? In an instant, he was cut in half at the waist!

By now,

The other two were only a foot away from A Sha!

But she seemed frozen in fear, unmoving, while her eyes... once again glowed with a strange light!

"Die!"

At the last possible moment,

Gu Han's figure suddenly blocked her. The sword qi on his blade condensed but didn't release, piercing straight into one person's forehead!

Without hesitation,

He turned the sword and slashed downward, cutting off the other person's head!

"Boy, die!"

Suddenly,

An angry roar came from behind!

It was the scarred man, who had taken advantage of Gu Han's distraction to close in. His palms, surrounded by murderous intent, struck toward Gu Han!

"The one who dies is you!"

At this moment, Gu Han's eyes were bloodshot, his killing intent surging. Spiritual energy poured out of him endlessly as he swung his sword backhandedly!

Pfft!

To the scarred man's shock, his arms flew off instantly!

"You..."

He managed to utter only one word before his head followed suit, flying into the air!

His eyes still held a trace of disbelief,

Unable to comprehend how Gu Han, with only Spirit Enlightenment cultivation, could possess such terrifying combat strength.

In just moments,

Of the five attackers, all but the still-screaming man were slaughtered!

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

"Kill me, please kill me!"

The man's screams continued.

With his cultivation, he wouldn't die immediately, but the immense pain was nearly destroying his mind!

"Please..."

Seeing Gu Han approach,

He weakly reached out his hand.

"Kill me..."

"Just now."

Gu Han's eyes were icy cold.

"What did you mean by 'two thousand spirit crystals'?"

"It's the Gu Family... they..."

Through broken gasps, the man spilled everything he knew.

"Wanted poster?"

Gu Han suddenly laughed, but there was no warmth in his smile.

"Good, so typical of the Gu Family!"

"Hope... you can bear the consequences!"

Ignoring the man's desperate pleas,

Gu Han collected the spoils of battle before turning to A Sha.

"A Sha, let's go."

A Sha didn't move.

"A Sha?"

Gu Han instantly sensed something was wrong.

"What's..."

Instinctively looking into A Sha's eyes, his body stiffened, and his mind went blank!

That gaze...

Too eerie, too terrifying!

It felt as though his body, mind, and even consciousness... were being devoured bit by bit!