Hann's voice was low as he spoke. "At first, I only wanted to use the spiritual materials you carried to help me forge a Demon Binding Rope. Then I could personally retrieve the Foundation Establishment Pill. But to further gauge your strength and reclaim the pill ahead of time, I decided to take you to Ox Head Mountain."

  "A Foundation Establishment Pill? How could a mere Qi Refining cultivator like you possess one?" Leo's face showed shock and disbelief.

  "Impossible? What you know of my grievances with Mist is only the tip of the iceberg. Back then, in this underground palace, we didn't find just one Foundation Establishment Pill—we found two!" Hann chuckled grimly. He reached into the bundle on his back and produced that oversized inkstone. With a squeeze, the cyan stone shattered, revealing a small cloth bundle inside. He opened it to reveal a pill bottle emanating a powerful medicinal fragrance. That ordinary pill bottle couldn't seal away the pill's aura.

  Leo's eyes flickered with surprise. That worn-looking piece of linen was extraordinary—it had blocked the pill's spiritual energy completely, making the inkstone seem like an ordinary object. Clever design.

  "After Mist ambushed me and I was gravely wounded, I knew that if I carried this pill, he would surely take it. So I wrapped it specially and hid it elsewhere before fleeing back to the Palace. If Mist caught me on the way and couldn't find the pill, he wouldn't kill me. I'd survive."

  Hann's bald head bobbed smugly as he recounted his scheme. Then his voice turned bitter. "Who knew that old bastard Mist would have such immortal fortune—at his advanced age, he managed to form his foundation and trapped me in the Black Water Stockade Mine, never to see daylight again. If not for meeting you, I might never have escaped. In that sense, I should thank you."

  "And this is how you thank me?" Leo leaned against the stone wall, wincing in pain.

  "On the path of immortality, the strong prey on the weak. You're decisive and tenacious, more so than anyone I've met. But you're young and proud. You thought your strength far exceeded mine, that I couldn't slip through your fingers? Dream on!"

  Hann snorted coldly, then eyed Leo greedily. "Of course, you must have some extraordinary secret. How else could you advance so quickly, master spells to such a degree, be a formidable insect cultivator, and refine pills? Honestly, if I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe an ordinary cultivator could achieve so much. But from now on, everything you have will be mine. Before you die, care to share? For old times' sake, I'll grant you a quick death."

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  "To a venomous old snake like you, I have only one thing to say." Leo's voice was harsh.

  "What's that?" Hann's face darkened. His grip on the Demon Binding Rope tightened. It seemed Leo wouldn't cooperate.

  "Die." A slight smile curved Leo's lips. His left hand flicked, and a dark shadow shot forth.

  "You're not wounded?" Hann startled, then smiled coldly. He swung the Demon Binding Rope to block Leo's desperate counterattack. Leo's tricks were endless—Hann had been wary even while talking.

  Now, with the artifact in hand, even if Leo had tricks, what could an ordinary cultivator who entered the Palace just six years ago do?

  Crack! The Demon Binding Rope lashed out. Even a top-grade spirit artifact couldn't withstand it. The rope, almost sentient, coiled to ensnare the shadow. But the shadow was sharp. It shuddered violently, dispelling the darkness to reveal a small black sword. It expanded to over two feet, actually cleaving through the rope.

  "A flying sword artifact! Impossible! How do you have an artifact?" Hann shrieked, his face contorted with terror.

  "If you can have a Foundation Establishment Pill, why can't I have an artifact?" Leo retorted, directing the flying sword at Hann's neck.

  Hann jerked back, raising the rope to block. But the black sword feinted, then plunged downward. Flesh split.

  Hann screamed, stumbling back. A deep gash, bone visible, sliced his waist. The storage pouch he had taken from the black-armored man was also cut loose. Leo snatched it from the air. Hann had placed the Foundation Establishment Pill inside. Leo's heart raced—the pill he had dreamed of was finally in his hands. The months of travel had been worth it.

  "You... give it back! I'll kill you!" Hann, mad with rage, ignored his wound and lashed out with the rope.

  "You're only at the seventh layer. Not enough." Leo chuckled. He had refined the black flying sword for months, erasing all trace of the black-robed old man. It obeyed his every command.

  Hann had coaxed him of many mid-grade spirit stones, enough to sustain him. But his cultivation was far lower, several layers below. The Demon Binding Rope, though powerful, was newly forged, bearing no cultivator's aura. Refining it would be relatively easy, but it would take time. Given an incense stick's worth, Hann would be far more troublesome.

  But Leo had disposed of the eight men before Hann could refine it. Hann thought the unrefined artifact enough to crush him. Who would have guessed that an ordinary cultivator with no background would possess an artifact? Hann racked his brains—if Leo had an artifact, why had he fled so desperately from that Palace disciple with the Black Flood Dragon Shears in the mine?

  Rope and sword clashed. Hann's wounds multiplied. Leo's control of his artifact was superior, and his cultivation higher.

  The black sword flickered. Hann screamed. His right arm, still gripping the rope, fell severed. Ignoring the agony, he reached with his left to grab the rope—his last hope.

  But Leo was faster. Two small fireballs forced Hann back. In that instant, Leo shot forward and seized the rope.

  "Why don't you kill me?" Hann's face was ashen. His last hope gone, he offered no resistance. What use? Leo, with two artifacts, could end him effortlessly.