Chapter Forty-Three: Slaying Wang Bao

Wang Bao and the Red Wolf positioned themselves at opposite corners, trapping Ge Qian in the middle. Both wore expressions of disdain, as if cats toying with a mouse. Ge Qian smiled faintly and said, "Fellow Daoists, let’s play a little. Farewell!" With those words, a formation plate appeared in his hand. After tapping it several times, the mist churned and the landscape shifted.

Wang Bao and the Red Wolf were immediately caught in the formation, separated from each other. Wang Bao snorted, tossed out a violet wooden ruler, and cast a spell. A streak of violet light danced through the air, slicing open a passage in the mist, but Ge Qian was nowhere to be seen.

If things continued like this, he would exhaust his spiritual power before even glimpsing Ge Qian. With that thought, he kept the violet wooden ruler close for protection and cursed, "Cowardly rat, don’t think you can trap me with a formation. Let’s see how many spirit stones you have to sustain it—eventually, you won’t escape death either! If you remove the formation, we could each mind our own business. How about it?"

Ge Qian appeared not far from Wang Bao and said, "Trying to fool an idiot? This is just child's play to me. Watch this!" Suddenly, a flying sword emerged from the mist and slashed fiercely toward Wang Bao.

Wang Bao’s face lit up with joy. "Since you’ve come out, you can die now!" His spell changed, the violet wooden ruler transformed into a violet blade, and with a single stroke, he sliced the flying sword in two. Swiftly, he flashed forward and aimed to cut his opponent in half.

Ge Qian’s scalp tingled. Such a high-grade magical tool in the hands of a peak Qi Condensation cultivator was truly formidable—he dared not be careless. He cast a spell, light flickering, and swapped places with the Red Wolf in a blink.

The Red Wolf had been commanding his flying sword to strike wildly, thinking, "The hunter is now the hunted. With Wang Bao's high-grade magical ruler guarding him, he’ll surely come for me first!" This left him anxious; just as he directed his sword, a flash of spiritual light enveloped him and he vanished from his spot.

In his confusion, a violet blade swept across his waist. He pointed at Wang Bao in disbelief before collapsing to the ground, dead.

Wang Bao’s eyes widened, his mouth agape. He could hardly believe it—he’d intended to kill his opponent, yet somehow ended up slaying the Red Wolf instead! Besides being shocked, he was also afraid; he pressed the violet wooden ruler tightly in front of himself.

Cold sweat poured down his face. At this moment, Ge Qian had already collected the Red Wolf’s storage pouch and used the Ghost Demon Gourd to absorb his corpse. He approached Wang Bao and remarked, "Impressive, fellow Daoist—killing your own comrade first and then facing me one-on-one. Truly a gentleman!"

"Bah! Bastard, I don’t know what evil sorcery you’re using, but such tricks must come at a cost to you!" Wang Bao did not attack with the ruler, instead probing with words.

Ge Qian replied, "So your name is Bastard, is it? Watch me roast you!" He flicked out three fireball talismans.

Wang Bao said coldly, "Courting death?" The violet wooden ruler transformed into a blade, slashing repeatedly and dispelling the fireballs in midair.

Yet, one of the fireballs suddenly exploded, releasing a cloud of thick green smoke that instantly enveloped Wang Bao.

From within came Wang Bao’s furious roar: "Shameless mongrel, using poison! You’re even more despicable than I am—cough, cough, cough, aah!"

Ge Qian did not attack rashly, but instead tossed out the Ghost Demon Gourd. A cloud of black mist sprayed forth, merging with the poison smoke to intensify its lethality.

The poisonous mist burst open with a bang; Wang Bao emerged, barely clothed and covered in wounds, the violet wooden ruler’s light shining brightly to protect him.

Ge Qian thought to himself that this high-grade magical tool was indeed extraordinary, but Wang Bao’s spiritual power wouldn’t last much longer. He cast another spell, causing countless vines to sprout and layer themselves, winding toward Wang Bao.

Wang Bao was bitterly struggling. He was at his limit, barely holding on, and the poison had seeped into his bones, draining his spiritual power. Faced with the encroaching vines, he was utterly helpless.

Ge Qian waved his hand and a flying sword slashed down, cleaving Wang Bao—who was filled with regret—in two.

He took the storage pouch, retrieved the violet wooden ruler, and used the Ghost Demon Gourd to absorb the corpse.

After tidying everything up, he sat cross-legged to await Liu Jie’s arrival, for the formation was still active and Ge Qian could not dismantle it on his own.

A while later, the formation rippled and Liu Jie stumbled inside, looking disheveled.

He glanced at Ge Qian and said, "Fellow Daoist Ge, your strength is indeed impressive. Judging by your appearance, you’ve already dealt with Wang Bao and the Red Wolf!"

Ge Qian smiled faintly. "It was mere luck. Did everything go smoothly for you, fellow Daoist?"

"It’s all thanks to your poison pills, otherwise I might not have made it here! Many thanks—sometimes, wisdom truly allows the few to overcome the many," Liu Jie said respectfully.

Ge Qian replied, "No need for formalities. Let’s hurry on, I have other matters to attend to."

Liu Jie immediately dismantled the formation and said, "I’ll have my sister repair this formation. Please don’t forget about the pills, fellow Daoist!"

"Rest assured. In seven days, outside the gate of the Celestial Star Sect, we can exchange," said Ge Qian.

Liu Jie had no objections. The two parted ways, each returning to their own territory.

Ge Qian returned to the Celestial Star Sect and went to the waterfall to refine pills. Seven days later, the two exchanged the formation and pills.

Liu Jie was overjoyed upon receiving the pills, thanking him profusely before departing swiftly on his sword.

With the formation modified by Liu Jie’s sister, its power had greatly increased and could now be deployed or withdrawn at will, much to Ge Qian’s satisfaction.

Back in the medicine garden, he smiled and tossed a demon pill to the little white fox, preparing to enter seclusion and break through to the fifth level of Qi Condensation.

The little white fox stopped Ge Qian and wrote on the ground: "Be extra careful when you're with Yingxue. Don’t let your guard down and lose your life for nothing. For your safety, I’ll teach you a movement technique—Demon Cloud Steps. Here’s the spell formula; memorize it well."

Ge Qian had always favored techniques for escape and survival. He believed that if the gap in strength was too great, retreat was the wisest course. As the saying goes, as long as the green hills remain, there will be wood to burn. If he could win, he would fight; if not, he would flee.

He immediately said, "Thank you, Congcong. I’ll practice diligently. I’m young and handsome—I don’t want to die just yet!"

The Mortal Path Immortal Journey, Chapter 43: Slaying Wang Bao. End of update.