But Yang Feilong's speed and strength were far superior to his, making escape difficult, though not entirely hopeless.
He realized that Yang Feilong was not alone; his girlfriend was also present. If he could capture Yang Feilong's girlfriend, he might have a chance to survive by using her as a threat.
He seized the moment, deliberately taking a sword strike from Yang Feilong, using the momentum to charge towards Yang Qingqing.
"Ah!" Yang Qingqing screamed in terror as the white-robed拦路魔 (lan lu mo - obstacle demon) lunged towards her.
"Damn it!" Yang Feilong's expression changed. He had initially intended to defeat his opponent using only his true qi, partly to hone it and hopefully break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining.
But now, he couldn't afford to be so cautious.
If Yang Qingqing were captured and used as leverage, he would be at the mercy of his enemy.
Boom!
Water and fire abilities merged with his true qi.
Whoosh!
Yang Feilong vanished from his spot and reappeared in front of Yang Qingqing.
"Damn it, how is he so fast?" The white-robed 拦路魔's face contorted in shock. He had been mere inches from Yang Qingqing, and his calculations of Yang Feilong's speed suggested he wouldn't be in time. Yet, he had miscalculated again.
His estimation had been based on Yang Feilong using only his true qi. Now, driven by concern for Yang Qingqing's safety, Yang Feilong had unleashed his full power, achieving an incredible, almost unbelievable speed in an instant.
Boom!
Yang Feilong intercepted the white-robed 拦路魔, who, in turn, swung his sword.
This was a desperate strike from the white-robed 拦路魔.
He could see Yang Feilong rushing to intercept, knowing he wouldn't have time to strike properly. He intended to use this opportunity to heavily wound Yang Feilong, thereby turning the tide and killing him.
However, he was mistaken. Yang Feilong no longer wished to play games.
Even this hurried strike possessed an overwhelming power.
Whoosh!
The white-robed 拦路魔 witnessed the might of Yang Feilong's sword. His own retaliatory sword energy shattered against Yang Feilong's hasty attack, with the remaining force continuing its relentless assault towards him.
His blood-red longsword blocked some of the sword energy, but the majority of the residual force struck his body.
Puff!
Blood spattered.
The white-robed 拦路魔 flew backward, or rather, half of his body flew backward.
Yang Feilong's hasty strike had cleaved the white-robed 拦路魔 in half at the waist.
The one who sought to obstruct others ended up being obstructed himself, cut in half!
Tragic.
That was the only word for it.
"How can he be so strong?" The white-robed 拦路魔's eyes were filled with bewilderment. Being cut in half did not mean immediate death.
Even ordinary people might survive for a short while after being cut in half. Having reached the peak of the Earth Martial realm, he could live for quite some time.
"I can kill those in the Heaven Martial realm; how dare a mere peak Earth Martial realm cultivator act so presumptuously before me!" Yang Feilong sneered at the white-robed 拦路魔.
"He can kill those in the Heaven Martial realm? His strength has reached the Heaven Martial realm?" At that moment, the white-robed 拦路魔 felt a sense of understanding mixed with profound unwillingness. He believed he had skillfully hidden his strength, leading others to misjudge him. Little did he know that his target today had also hidden his strength, and a significant portion of it at that.
"Young people are supposed to be eager to show off. How can you be so cunning and calculating like an old fox, hiding your strength?" The white-robed 拦路魔's consciousness faded, filled with sorrow and indignation.
He was filled with resentment and felt deeply wronged.
But the outcome of his death was unavoidable.
In the next moment, the white-robed 拦路魔's eyes fixed, and he was evidently dead.
"Is he dead?" Yang Qingqing peeked out from behind Yang Feilong, her eyes still wide with lingering fear. She had thought she would at least be captured and held hostage when the white-robed 拦路魔 lunged at her, but the situation had changed in the blink of an eye.
"Not quite dead yet!" Yang Feilong's lips curved into a playful smile.
"Not quite dead?" Yang Qingqing was taken aback.
"This fellow's soul is exceptionally strong. He thought he could escape this way, but he underestimated me!" Yang Feilong scoffed, then formed a hand seal and struck it towards the white-robed 拦路魔.
"Ah!" The next moment, a piercing scream echoed.
"Spare me!" This was the voice of the white-robed 拦路魔.
His voice was filled with terror and disbelief.
Yes, he was not dead, or rather, his soul was not dead.
For ordinary cultivators, even those in the Heaven Martial realm, once their bodies were destroyed and deprived of qi and blood, their souls would quickly dissipate.
However, those who had specifically refined their souls could survive for a period. Just like Yang Feilong, if his physical body were destroyed but his soul remained intact, it could survive for a time because he had specifically refined his soul.
His previous brief unconsciousness was due to his body's self-preservation mechanisms and excessive depletion of soul energy.
Under normal circumstances, as long as his soul energy wasn't severely depleted, being killed physically wouldn't mean the complete annihilation of his soul.
As long as his soul could reside in a soul-nourishing object within a certain timeframe, it could survive for a long time, and even attempt possession.
Of course, even if possession were successful, integrating the soul with the new body would still be a difficult task.
Yang Feilong had realized that the white-robed 拦路魔 was not completely dead because he had died too quickly.
After all, he had only cut him in half. How could someone with such formidable cultivation die so completely so swiftly?
It was unnatural.
And now, when Yang Feilong was about to extinguish his soul, the man had jumped out to beg for mercy.
Had Yang Feilong not intended to destroy his soul, he could have hidden. Being night, he could have survived for the entire night, using that time to either attempt possession or find a suitable dwelling, thereby prolonging his existence.
But now, it was all over.
Seeing someone who should have been dead emitting such a terrible scream, Yang Qingqing was thoroughly frightened and clutched Yang Feilong's waist.
"Die!" Yang Feilong's expression was calm as he waved his hand, completely killing the white-robed 拦路魔.
Hearing the piercing scream abruptly vanish, Yang Qingqing, still pale with fear, asked, "Is he completely dead this time?"
Yang Feilong used his spiritual sense to probe, but he couldn't detect any trace of the soul. This time, the man was truly dead.
"Yes, completely dead!" Yang Feilong smiled.
"That's good. You scared me to death just now!" Yang Qingqing patted her chest, her eyes still reflecting the lingering fear.
The ordeal tonight had truly terrified her.
"It's alright now," Yang Feilong gently stroked her cheek, offering comfort.