Chapter – 70
I, Hu Hansan, Have Returned
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as mind-reading in this world. Even if there were, neither of them possessed it, so neither knew what the other was thinking.
After running for a full day and night, Qin Mo finally could no longer hold on. The vital energy within his body had been completely exhausted, and he was now relying solely on his physical strength to support himself.
But the body has its limits. His quiver was empty, and his saber had already been ruined.
“Put me down,” Qing Wei said.
This was not the first time she had said this, yet every time she did, the mysterious man’s arm only tightened around her.
Qing Wei found this feeling somewhat detestable, yet she was also deeply infatuated with it. She was Qing Wei—Qing Wei who walked with the Green Sword, Qing Wei who sought only the Dao for her entire life. That was why she hated the man’s domineering behavior. She was a unique Qingwei flower, meant to bloom silently in the cold winter night, unseen by anyone.
Yet she was irresistibly drawn to this feeling. And because she was Qing Wei—still a young maiden at heart—when her once resolute desire to grow stronger encountered a broad and powerful arm, it softened. It was as if she wished to remain within that embrace for the rest of her life.
She detested it, and so she hoped the mysterious man would put her down.
She liked it, and so she hoped even more that the mysterious man would put her down.
These two conflicting emotions intertwined, forming the feeling behind Qing Wei’s words at that moment.
“It’s time to put you down,” Qin Mo said, his voice filled with fatigue.
To Qing Wei’s surprise, he truly stopped—and really did put her down.
At that instant, Qing Wei felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment, yet there was also a trace of resolve and liberation in her eyes.
She sat on the ground, gripping the Green Sword tightly, and said, “You should leave. I’ll hold him off for a while.”
But as soon as she finished speaking, she felt a bit awkward. The mysterious man could perfectly conceal himself and leave at any time—there was no need for her to hold anyone back. It was only because of her, this burden, that he could not leave freely.
Since when had the proud Qing Wei become someone else’s burden?
Her heart was severely shaken. Holding the Green Sword, Qing Wei stood up and faced the shadow rapidly approaching through the darkness—it was Qian Xing.
Qin Mo, however, did not leave.
Looking at that lonely figure, he felt an urge to pull her into his arms and protect her fiercely.
But he knew such thoughts were unacceptable, so he spoke instead:
“Do you have spirit stones? Give me all of them.”
Qing Wei turned her head and looked at him strangely. She thought he intended to use the spirit stones to recover and fight again. Yet she herself desperately needed spirit stones now, to recover and resist Qian Xing.
The proud Qing Wei would never allow herself to admit defeat before the battle. Even in death, she would strike that final sword.
Seeing her hesitation, Qin Mo said bluntly,
“Just consider it compensation for me saving you all this way. Is that okay?”
Qing Wei’s hand gripping the Green Sword tightened instantly, her face turning extremely ugly. All the goodwill she had felt toward this mysterious man vanished without a trace.
Stubbornly, she untied the small pouch at her waist and threw it to Qin Mo without hesitation.
“These are all my spirit stones. From now on, you and I owe each other nothing.”
Qin Mo paid no attention to her expression. He merely picked up the pouch with a smile, then stared inside with shock.
Inside were three mid-grade spirit stones and ten low-grade spirit stones—this was the greatest fortune he had ever seen in his life.
But he did not know that this expression of his only deepened Qing Wei’s disgust.
“You still haven’t left?” Qing Wei said coldly, without turning her head.
“Right away,” Qin Mo replied firmly.
Then he picked up the pouch and vanished from the spot.
Qing Wei did not turn back—she did not dare to.
But she still turned around.
When she saw no one behind her, an extreme sense of disgust and hatred surged in her heart. Soon after, her heart calmed again—into a cold, emotionless calm.
At that moment, she was Qing Wei once more—the Qing Wei devoted solely to the pursuit of the Dao.
Facing the rapidly approaching shadow, she gripped her sword tightly. Suddenly, she recalled the slash the mysterious man had once unleashed.
She gathered all the vital energy left in her body and poured it into the Green Sword.
Her robes fluttered as green light bloomed from the sword, dyeing everything around her green.
This sword strike would be her strongest—and her final one.
Qin Mo truly had left, but he had not gone far.
Concealing his presence, he arrived at the entrance of a cave—unwittingly reaching the lair of the Ape Demon Beast.
This was his destination.
Holding the final spirit stone in his hand, he restored the long-depleted vital energy within his body.
Everything went according to plan. After absorbing all the spirit stones and the beast cores, he not only returned to peak condition but also opened his seventy-fourth acupoint.
Then he stood at the cave entrance, channeled energy into his throat, and shouted into the cave:
“Old Ape, I, Hu Hansan, have returned!”
Layer upon layer of sound waves echoed throughout the cave—and across the entire territory of the Five-Star Ancient Beasts.
This shout came from the depths of Qin Mo’s heart, filled with intense longing.
Yes—at this moment, he truly missed the Ape Demon Beast.
This cry interrupted the Ape Demon Beast’s slumber within the cave, and also interrupted the sword strike about to be unleashed far away.
Qing Wei froze.
She even forgot about Qian Xing, who stood before her radiating murderous intent, his face twisted with rage. Only one question remained in her mind:
Why hadn’t he left?
Hu Hansan—was that his name?
How could someone have such an evil-sounding name?
Qian Xing’s twisted expression finally eased. He believed Qin Mo had abandoned the human woman and fled alone. After chasing them for a day and night, all his efforts had come to nothing.
But upon hearing that voice, he was filled with joy—genuine excitement surged from the depths of his heart.
He passed Qing Wei and chased toward the source of the sound.
Yet he did not expect that when he saw that human genius again, Qin Mo was already waiting for him.
Qin Mo had no blade in his hand, but he had a blade in his mind—and a blade in his heart.
He used his hand as a blade.
He was waiting precisely for this exhausted Qian Xing, this moment of mistake.
White blade-energy enveloped his hand, illuminating the pitch-black night of the Black Stone Mountains, revealing the figures of both men and everything around them.
Qin Mo said nothing.
He merely raised his hand—and brought it down.
The blade intent in his mind, the blade in his heart, and the blade formed by his right hand all struck together.
This was a long-prepared strike, one that condensed his essence, energy, and spirit—a strike of transforming hand into blade.
Nothing was more suitable than his own hand. Though the cost would be enormous—his entire right hand might be ruined—he could think of no other way to unleash such a peak strike.
Qian Xing’s first instinct was to dodge.
Only then did he realize he had fallen into Qin Mo’s trap. From the very beginning, Qin Mo had never intended to escape—he had shared the same goal all along: kill the opponent.
But he could not dodge.
The blade energy and blade intent had completely locked onto him. He could even feel the residual blade intent within his body resonating with this strike.
Even at his peak, within Yongkui Star, he could not have avoided this blow—and would likely have been severely injured.
“King-tier… This is a King-tier blade technique!”
The realization came too late.
The strike fell, slashing toward his head.
Puchi.
The terrifying blade cut into Qian Xing’s skull as easily as slicing tofu. Because the blade was formed from Qin Mo’s hand, he could clearly see Qian Xing’s unwilling, twisted face.
Yet it all seemed too easy—so easy that a deep sense of danger surged within Qin Mo.
The moment the strike landed, without waiting to see whether his right hand was ruined, Qin Mo withdrew into his straw cloak. The Divine Prison Concealment Technique operated at full force as he darted aside.
But it was still too late.
The blade split Qian Xing in two—from the center of his skull down to his crotch—leaving a white streak of light.
Because the blade was too fast, Qian Xing did not split apart immediately. He remained standing, his twisted expression unchanged.
But the next instant, that expression turned into a sinister smile.
A jet-black hand suddenly extended from Qian Xing’s chest and slammed heavily into Qin Mo’s back.
“Wah—!”
Qin Mo spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling as if a mountain had crashed down upon him. Even though his straw cloak had absorbed nearly all the force, his internal organs felt on the verge of shattering.
That black hand was terrifying beyond words. Qin Mo dared not even look at it—only flee. Ancient,邪异 (sinister) power radiated from it, covered in runes.
“Jie jie… You were waiting for this moment. So was I,”
an eerie voice came from Qian Xing’s mouth.
His body began to recover, unaffected by the blade energy. The white slash closed as if something had devoured the blade intent entirely.
“You’re not Qian Xing!” Qin Mo said, collapsing to the ground, his face pale.
“I am Qian Xing,” the voice replied—but it came from the black hand.
“Just not the corpse-race Qian Xing. I am the Qian Xing who controls the Divine Demon Hand.”
“Divine Demon Hand… what is that?” Qin Mo asked weakly.
“You don’t need to know,” the voice said coldly. “Because you’re about to die.”
Qian Xing’s wounds continued to heal as he walked toward Qin Mo, the black hand glowing with ancient runes.
“Die?” Qin Mo struggled to his feet.
“I’m afraid it won’t be that simple… right, Old Ape?”
The moment his words fell, terrifying roars erupted from the cave.
A massive ape, like a moving mountain, leapt out—it was the Ape Demon Beast.
“Old buddy, run! This is a peak five-star Ape Demon Beast! Forget the Blood Peach Tree!” Qin Mo shouted as he fled toward the outskirts, dragging his severely injured body.
At first, Qian Xing didn’t react.
But when the enraged Ape Demon Beast swung its iron rod straight at his face, he instantly understood.
“You’re despicable!” Qian Xing roared.
At that moment, the black hand extended, growing enormous, and seized the iron rod.
Boom!
Though the hand caught the rod, the tremendous force sent Qian Xing reeling. Worse still, the suppressed blade energy within him rebelled—his wounds split open again, white blade marks reappearing.
“ROAR—!”
The Ape Demon Beast went berserk. A golden giant ape phantom manifested around it, its aura skyrocketing.
It wrenched the rod free and smashed down again.
Bang!
The black hand caught it once more—unscathed.
But Qian Xing’s body shattered completely. Blade energy tore his flesh apart, leaving only that black hand gripping the iron rod in the void.
