When Jiang Chen saw the bald cultivator charging toward him, he felt no fear. He activated the Sky Kun Lightstream Escape, transforming into a streak of light and darting away.
The bald cultivator, however, hadn't forgotten his duty — which was to pin down the true spirit. When he saw Jiang Chen flee, he was briefly startled, but chose not to give chase.
Instead, he fixed the Vermilion Bird Divine Bird with a menacing stare.
In his mind, since the Vermilion Bird was Jiang Chen's contracted beast, the moment Jiang Chen fled, the creature would rush over to protect its master.
To his surprise, the Vermilion Bird merely glared back at him coldly, utterly motionless. It showed not the slightest concern for Jiang Chen's departure, nor the faintest intention of going to protect him.
This threw the bald cultivator into confusion.
While he was still puzzling over the situation, the sound of a dragon's roar erupted from the distance as Jiang Chen drew his Sacred Dragon Bow. "Hey, baldy — watch the arrow!"
Jiang Chen was no longer the pushover he had once been. His combat strength was now fully on par with an early-stage Divine Dao cultivator.
He might still fall slightly short in refinement when compared to a true Divine Dao cultivator, but in terms of on-the-spot performance, battlefield awareness, and judgment of the tactical situation, he was in no way inferior to an ordinary Divine Dao cultivator.
The bald cultivator's combat strength, among Divine Dao cultivators, was nothing extraordinary. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been taking orders from the sallow-faced cultivator.
The assassin's sharp ears detected the incoming arrow's fierce trajectory, and he didn't dare treat it lightly. His figure blurred as he sidestepped the arrow's ambush.
The Vermilion Bird, sensing the opening, stirred its wings. Suddenly, every tail feather shot upright as it entered combat mode, its entire body radiating a brilliance like the blazing sun. A terrifying wave of searing heat surged outward.
That surging wall of heat made the bald cultivator's entire body feel scorching hot before he'd even exchanged a single blow.
The bald cultivator was a man who excelled at reading a situation. Having sensed the true spirit's strength — far beyond his own — he refused to confront the Vermilion Bird head-on. He flipped backward, his body landing at a distance, while his hands gripped his heavy weapon tightly as he stared down the creature. The wariness in his eyes was unmistakable.
The bald cultivator looked powerful and imposing, but it was clear that his will to fight was remarkably low — one might even call him cowardly and afraid of death.
Jiang Chen had a razor-sharp eye for such things. Judging by the bald cultivator's reactions, he knew this man's fighting spirit wasn't particularly strong. At the very least, this was not someone resolved to fight to the bitter end.
As for the reason, Jiang Chen couldn't have cared less.
He formed a series of hand seals, and the Taiji Twin Fish Swords appeared above his head — one yin, one yang — as if constructing a world unto themselves. The two swords wove around each other, their yin and yang blades resembling two fish of starkly different colors tumbling and darting through the void.
In an instant, the twin swords crossed, forming two interwoven streams of sword qi that tore through the void and slashed savagely toward the bald cultivator.
The Taiji Twin Fish Swords were undeniably divine-tier weapons. And this technique of wielding yin and yang in concert was among the most supreme sword arts in existence — the pinnacle of the art of fusion.
Wherever the twin swords reached, nothing could withstand them. The bald cultivator sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of such terrifying momentum. He swung his heavy weapon outward to deflect and simultaneously let his body glide through the air, dropping downward.
Clearly, the bald cultivator understood that he absolutely could not allow himself to be caught in a pincer between Jiang Chen and the true spirit. If that happened, he would surely suffer dearly.