The cave in which Qin Yun now stood was pitch black. Now that his torch had been extinguished, he had no way to find the location of the two men assaulting him. Worse yet, they didn't even make any sounds as they moved, almost like they were gliding over the ground. The only thing he could rely on was the slight airflow created by their movements as it struck his bare skin. However, that was enough.

  Qin Yun leaned to the side, feeling something sharp brush against his skin. Although he was certain he had evaded the blow, he felt something unfamiliar in the blade that just missed him—something that shouldn’t exist in this world.

  As the axe struck against the rock wall, sparks were created at the point of impact, and against the all-encompassing darkness, it was just enough to allow Qin Yun to uncover the source of that feeling.

  Strewn across the large bone blade and the handle, Qin Yun noticed countless grey characters springing to life for just a moment before vanishing as the darkness returned.

  This was no language he was fluent in, yet he knew of its origins. This was the language of the outsiders. Unfortunately, his mastery of this language was still at its early stage; what he could recognize was extremely limited.

  Still, he pooled from his expertise of runes and formations, and could infer their uses. They were more likely a type of spells that used corruption as a medium to empower physical objects. It wasn't unlike the Mainland's way of forging artifacts.

  In fact, it even seemed to have an even longer history than he first imagined. The characters were complex, containing many ideas and meanings, and judging by their density, they also included more power than one could imagine.

  While Qin Yun was lost in this discovery, the man swinging his axe swiftly changed its trajectory and aimed it straight at his core. By reflex alone, Qin Yun used his fist to strike the side of the bone blade, hoping to destroy it, yet all he managed was to evade the blow by the slightest of margins.

  He frowned and felt the reverb of that blow in his bones. Despite the strength of his body already having reached past what most cultivators could achieve, without the aid of his qi, he felt his own bones could lose to that bone axe.

  What kind of creatures is that weapon carved from?

  From what he had seen, the bones seemed ancient. There were dark spots on the bones, while the rest of them were a dull grey, eroded by the corruption seeping into them and the long flow of time. They had no doubt lost most of their sturdiness already, yet Qin Yun wasn't sure he could compete.

  How strong could a creature possessing such a bone be at its peak? I can see it hadn’t reached the Divine Realm, but it was probably close... I wonder how it even died, or who could craft weaponry from its remains...

  Qin Yun had many thoughts concerning the Outsiders. Unlike the rest of the Mainland, he didn't think of them as barbarians. Their history was just as long as that of cultivators, if not even longer. The only reason they hadn't forced the Mainland into an all-out war was their lack of resources. The land was much too harsh to sustain the population they needed.

  This weapon only proved these people's ingenuity. However, there was something he couldn't reconcile. It was unlike any weaponry he had seen from these people. This axe could be considered an Earth-ranked artifact even in its degraded state, yet all he had seen from those people were Common-Ranked ones at best. Even the young man he travelled with only possessed a Low-Grade Profound-Ranked bone blade, at best.

  Do the exiles truly possess such wealth?

  Something didn't seem right, yet Qin Yun had no time to think. He felt another blow aimed at the back of his head and twisted his body just enough to barely avoid it. Thankfully, the two men were entirely focused on trying to kill him. It made reading their killing intent much easier. Still, the lack of sight was a huge disadvantage.

  How long has it been since I had to fight while blind?

  Qin Yun couldn’t remember, yet his body never forgot. Every dodge and parry was made with pure instinct, allowing his body to move in the most natural ways. However, his lack of practice still shone through. Sometimes, his conscious mind would take the reigns, slowing his reaction time just enough to allow the blows from the sharpened axes to nick his skin.

  He could feel hot blood flow from the wounds, yet there was no pain. His body automatically filtered out all superfluous stimuli until all that remained was a sharpened survival instinct, allowing him to survive just a second longer.

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  He knew from the start these weapons could injure his body. Despite it now being an artifact, he was merely at the beginning of that journey. Against such potent weapons, he had no hopes of contending against them. All he could do was to keep dodging.

  However, despite slowly acclimating to this sightless battle, so did the two men attacking him. They were slowly getting used to the way he fought. Qin Yun's only advantage was his stamina, yet it wasn't much of one as he still couldn't hear any breaths coming from his two armed opponents.

  If only I could take out my sword, I could beat them easily. However, I really don't want this whole mountain to come crashing down over me. I need to get out of here...

  Feeling the airflow originating from the hole Qin Yun had punched into this chamber, he rushed against it, only to be stopped by a blow aimed straight at the back of his head. He dodged to the side, yet this slight loss in momentum allowed the second man to position himself between Qin Yun and the exit. He then kicked Qin Yun square in the chest, lifting him off his feet as he was propelled back into the opposite stone wall, leaving a shallow indent onto its surface.

  Fortunately, Qin Yun had blocked the blow with his arm, yet still felt a dull ache reverberate in his bones. He now dearly missed the loss of his arm and regretted not regenerating it while he was breaking through to the Qi Refining Realm, even if it might have hindered the process. Still, it was too late for regrets as he could feel the two Outsiders quickly closing in on him.

  “Can we stop and talk about this? I didn’t come to bring you harm!” Qin Yun said as he composed himself, yet the two men’s killing intent didn’t show any signs of ever fading.

  Qin Yun steeled himself; he was done with his passivity. Even if it might sour his future relationship with the exiles, he couldn't allow this to go on. He still had a place to go and someone waiting for him. He couldn't allow himself to be injured further, only for future prospects.

  With a swift motion, Qin Yun reached into the hovering black box, only to extract a sword made of black crystal. Even against the blackness devoid of all light, the sword resembled an even more bottomless abyss—one that could freeze one's soul with a mere look.

  “I’m done playing nice,” Qin Yun muttered, eyes narrowed. “Come at me.”

  For the first time in this conflict, Qin Yun chose to advance instead of retreating, but as expected, the two men showed no change of behaviour. Their blood lust was just as apparent. That was until Qin Yun’s blade finally struck.

  He didn’t put much force into the blow, yet its sharpness was unequalled. The black blade ripped through the air as if trying to sever the dimensions apart. To the men charging at him, it must have felt like a mountain crashing down on them or an ocean wishing to drown them, yet their faces remained stoic, showing no signs of fear nor the expected overwhelming dread. In fact, they seemed almost lifeless, like corpses.

  The blade swung down as one of the men swung his own axe sideways, trying to parry the blow, yet Qin Yun's blade was unequalled. The axe of bone shattered into countless pieces at its mere contact, showering its wielder in a rain of pain as the shard flew right through him, leaving large holes of mangled flesh. But despite it all, the man refused to fall; his charge had only slowed.

  Qin Yun frowned, feeling something was wrong, as he noticed the blood lust growing bolder. He spun on his heels, evading the second man as the remaining bone axe cut only air. Qin Yun swung his blade in a graceful arc, aiming straight at the first man's head.

  The head was removed at the torso, leaving but a pristine cut even through the bone as if he had cut through butter, but once again, the man had yet to fall. Qin Yun could feel the headless body flailing its arms in a desperate attempt to restrain him. If anything, the headless body seemed almost emboldened by his lack of head, as if he had nothing else to lose.

  All this happened in but a moment, so swiftly that Qin Yun barely registered the man's demise. Many thoughts swirled in his mind, from the walking dead to some sort of sorcery, yet he couldn't see the most probable option due to the darkness.

  The numerous holes in the now-dead man's flesh were rapidly closing as grey tendrils stitched up the wounds, replacing the bronze flesh with a dull grey matter. Even his missing head seemed to be healing. As for what it would become, nobody knew, probably not even the man himself.

  Despite watching the horror his companion had become, the second man never stopped in his assault, even though he might encounter the very same fate. Pressed with the one remaining man and a healing beast, Qin Yun could finally take his distance, gaining enough time to raise his blade and put his weight behind it.

  The black blade ripped downward, shattering everything in its path, even the sturdy bone that stood in its way. This time, the bone didn't shatter but was sliced straight in two parts, followed by the man who once held it.

  The blade ran right through him, severing him into two equal parts, yet to his surprise, Qin Yun only heard the broken bone axe hit the floor and not the dull thud he expected. If anything, he only felt the blood lust grow even stronger.

  What kind of creatures are these? Can the corruption truly change a man this much?

  Qin Yun dodged a few more times, assessing the situation, but soon, he had no room left to dodge. He felt the rock wall at his back and the surging blood lust swiftly closing in.

  With narrowed eyes, pointlessly trying to peer through the darkness, Qin Yun planted his feet into the hard ground and let his sword intent surge forward as he swung his blade sideways.

  Qin Yun felt hot blood flow from his eyes as tears and a lump stuck in his throat. However, the blood lust vanished, leaving Qin Yun time to recover from the damage he had caused himself. He waited, yet there seemed to be no traces of the two men's regeneration. He couldn't tell if they had been vanquished or fled. Without feeling any movement, he could only wait, blade firmly in hand.

  But soon, he heard something coming straight through the tunnel his sword intent had created, reaching deep into the chamber where he now stood. It was the sound of the wind rustling through the desert sand. He had pierced a hole through the mountain to the exterior. However, there was also a voice he recognized.

  "What was that?" the young outsider said, his head peeking through the hole large enough to allow him passage. "If that's you in there, you should come out! I found some clues. The exiles are already gone! But there's more. It seems they were chased after!"

  Qin Yun frowned, feeling things were much more complicated than he first expected.