My daily mountain driving, I met a fox at the beginning and got married

Li Jingyun secretly formed a hand seal behind his back, ready to retaliate with all his might if his opponent made the first move. He was no longer someone to be trifled with.

Tong Xin noticed his tense vigilance and continued with a smile, "Don't be so nervous. I'm only here today to ask you for something. I don't think we need to resort to violence."

Even after he said that, Li Jingyun did not let his guard down.

These new-style exorcists rely on hunting each other to improve their strength. As fellow competitors, they are destined to be anything but honest with each other. The more friendly someone is, the more wary they should be—this is an open secret in their circle.

“What exactly do you want? I don’t think I have anything to give you,” Li Jingyun said coldly.

Tong Xin raised her hand and pointed to his heart: "No, your soul is still quite valuable. I like it very much, and I hope you can give it to me."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a violent hurricane swept in from nowhere!

Li Jingyun's expression changed, and he hurriedly retreated. A surge of immense Yin energy erupted like a raging sea, instantly condensing into a thick barrier that blocked the oncoming hurricane.

The hurricane was still raging, crashing against the barrier again and again, as if it would tear it apart at any moment.

For the first time, Li Jingyun truly felt just how troublesome a strong person of the same level could be.

If this continues, he'll definitely be at a disadvantage. No, we have to find a way to fight back!
Three black needles appeared in his hand without his noticing, their surfaces coated with a strange black liquid. Taking advantage of Tong Xin's inattention, he suddenly flicked his wrist, and the three needles shot out like lightning, too fast for the naked eye to catch!
Three thin black needles shot out, catching Tong Xin off guard and nearly hitting him. At the last second, his exceptional intuition allowed him to narrowly avoid them. A strand of hair at his temple was cleanly severed by the silver needles; the hair, formed from condensed soul energy, turned into a wisp of green smoke and dissipated into the air. Li Jingyun, unaware of this, inadvertently inhaled the dissipating energy. The two fought fiercely, exchanging various sinister and bizarre spells, turning the entire forest into a scene of chaos.

Zhang Hao, observing calmly, analyzed their fighting style and characteristics, noting them down in advance to inform his companions later. If they ever encountered these two in the future, at least they would know something about them and wouldn't be on the defensive.

Li Jingyun was sent flying by a palm strike, but he didn't suffer in vain. He retaliated with a side kick that struck Tong Xin squarely on the shoulder, sending him flying. Both of them fell to the ground, looking disheveled.

Tong Xin wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth: "It seems you are indeed stronger than I thought."

Li Jingyun sneered and retorted, "Originally, I didn't want to attack a Celestial Master of the same level, but since you made the first move, don't blame me for taking your life!"

Tong Xin laughed, a genuine mockery in his smile: "You talk as if you're so innocent. Do you think people in the industry don't know about your underhanded dealings? You have to die here today. It's better to fall into my hands than into the hands of those guys who teamed up. That would be worse than death."

The two leaped to their feet, and another fierce battle erupted.

Zhang Hao observed from the sidelines, recording the characteristics and information of their battle, and then transmitted them remotely to Little Koi and the others.

Upon receiving the intelligence from Zhang Hao, Xiao Jinli and the others were astonished, not expecting Mr. Zhang to have gathered useful information so quickly. Aside from patrolling the area and maintaining a semblance of peace, they couldn't make any other substantial contribution.

After receiving Tong Xin's signal to make a move, Zhang Hao immediately circled around to Li Jingyun's back.

Just as the opponent was about to unleash a fatal attack to take Tong Xin's life, Zhang Hao conjured a cyan peach wood sword in his hand, charged forward, and thrust it straight at the opponent's heart.

A sharp pain shot through his chest, causing his attack to veer off course and fail to kill Tong Xin. Li Jingyun looked down in disbelief, seeing the peach wood sword piercing his chest. Impossible? Was there someone else here? But he hadn't sensed anyone other than Tong Xin. How did this guy get behind him? Why hadn't he noticed?

That's impossible! Absolutely impossible!

The exorcising righteous energy emanating from the peach wood sword instantly dispelled the yin energy on his body. Li Jingyun struggled to escape, but due to his severe injuries, he was intercepted by Tong Xin after only a few steps. Tong Xin blocked his path and said with a grin, "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? I've been waiting for you. Your soul is wonderful, and the energy it contains moves me deeply. So please, leave everything to me, and I'll guarantee you a painless death."

Enraged, Li Jingyun mustered his last breath and launched a fatal counterattack.

The crimson yin energy transformed into countless invisible threads, attempting to shred the opponent into pieces. However, Tong Xin unleashed a single sword strike, severing all the threads formed by the yin energy.

The moment the thread snapped, his hand had already gripped the other person's head.

Li Jingyun felt as if his head was being torn apart by a tremendous force, his soul being ripped out.

A muffled thud!
His head exploded like a shattered watermelon.

His soul was forcibly pulled out, and Li Jingyun tried to escape, but was suppressed time and time again.

He roared in despair, but the roar gradually weakened as his soul energy dissipated, and finally his whole body turned into a wisp of green smoke and was completely absorbed by the other party.

Feeling the power gradually filling his body, Tong Xin was in a great mood.

He let out a burp, walked over, and gave Zhang Hao a thumbs up: "Thanks to you, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to take him down."

Zhang Hao looked at him up close and could clearly sense that the other person's aura was getting stronger.

So, can one really increase their strength by hunting?
This new school of Taoist priests, which resembles a breeding ground for venomous insects, ultimately only leads to infighting. Even if they eventually master divine power, what good is it without a popular base?
Zhang Hao was annoyed and his tone was not pleasant: "I hope you still remember our agreement."

Tong Xin waved his hand, indicating that he definitely remembered. He then said that because he had absorbed a huge amount of energy, he needed to refine it slowly and wanted to go back to rest.

He yawned and said slowly, "Come hunting with me again tomorrow night at the same time and place. Go back and rest first."

Zhang Hao turned and floated away, seemingly unwilling to stay a moment longer.

Watching his impatient departure, Tong Xin smiled, a smile that seemed to hold some secret.

Back at the hotel, Zhang Hao's soul returned to his body, and the discomfort returned once more.

He used his internal energy to suppress the intense discomfort, then got up and left the room.

His companions also returned, and upon seeing Mr. Zhang, they all surrounded him, bombarding him with questions.

Little Koi was the most nervous: "Is the conflict between the old and new factions of Celestial Masters really that serious? The new faction of Celestial Masters actually follows such an inhumane method of becoming stronger? Doesn't that mean that anyone who has cultivated, whether human or demon, will become nourishment for them to become stronger?"

I'm a carp who has cultivated into a spirit, and I'm born with a lucky charm that turns bad luck into good. If those new celestial masters knew this, I'd definitely become their hunting target! (End of Chapter)