The surging leftover force finally dispersed, leaving Bai Ying standing with her dress dancing in the wind. The branch-as-sword in her hand had completely ruptured but she, along with Xiao Chen, wasn"t harmed in the slightest.
The disciples on the ground were dumbstruck that she was able to withstand such a shocking blow. Perfected Immortal Yunyin was gasping so hard that his footing was already unstable, a consequence of using his life"s True Energy. His cultivation had fallen from Lv 6 to Lv 3 Core Forming Realm.
Xiao Chen, finally breathing a sigh of relief, walked over and whispered, "Master..."
Bai Ying shot him a fleeting glare. "Idiot, what are you doing rushing up here? Do you have no confidence in me?"
Xiao Chen shook his head with a smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Perfected Immortal Yunyin making a sneak attack and cried out, "Be careful!"
Scoffing, Bai Ying used one hand to protect him and the other to hit her opponent with her palm. With a resounding bang, Perfected Immortal Yunyin was sent flying. He couldn"t even keep the Golden Clouds Sword in his hand and it ended up getting stuck in the soil on the edge of the floating platform.
Perfected Immortal Yunyin spat out a mouthful of blood and covered his chest with his hand. He murmured, "Impossible... You"re merely in Lv 8 Foundation Building Realm... How is it possible..."
Bai Ying went up to him while wearing a faint smile. "Yes, I"m only in Lv 8 Foundation Building Realm but a palm attack of the Core Forming Realm is enough to clap ten cultivators of the Foundation Building Realm to death. These d.a.m.ned settings that G.o.d knows who created are useless when it comes to me! Even if ten of people like you—someone who owes his cultivation to elixirs—comes, I can slap all of you to death!"
The disciples on the ground held their breath after hearing such domineering words. To clap ten of Perfected Immortal Yunyin to death! Xiao Chen shook his head with a wry smile. The rest might a.s.sume that Bai Ying had it easy earlier, but only he knew how many times Jacaranda had gone through such perils. Even one careless move would spell her death.
However, enveloped in such a domineering aura, an ashen-faced Perfected Immortal Yunyin believed in her words. Even his facial muscles began to twitch. Finally, he heaved a long sigh.
Bai Ying brushed her sleeve aside coldly. "A cultivator ought to be indifferent to the outside world and its worldly affairs as well as comply with the will of heaven. However, nowadays, some people knew only to be ruthless in the pursuit of fame and gain. In order to achieve a realm breakthrough, they"re eager for quick success and immediate benefits, so they start indiscriminately consuming elixirs. The final result is countless sc.u.ms like you!"
Her intense words caused countless disciples below to reflect deeply about life. One"s lifespan was limited but many people had mediocre apt.i.tudes. In their lifetime, they had no hope of breaking through to the next realm and thus could only rely on taking elixirs. Even so, was a realm catalysed out of elixirs truly useful...?
When Perfected Immortal Yunyin shuddered, Bai Ying sneered. "Let me gift you the following eight words as well: Don"t seek death and you won"t die!"
Xiao Chen, who stood nearby, coughed. "Master, there are only seven words..."
"It"s the same!" With that, Bai Ying rolled her sleeves and carried him to the edge of the floating platform. When she drew near, she turned her head and smiled. "Since you"re so desperate to quickly improve your accomplishments, why don"t you go to the Dark Yin Sect to learn the devil"s ways? Not only could you consume as many elixirs as you want, but you could also absorb someone else"s cultivation for your own. Hahaha..."
Amidst a burst of laughter, Bai Ying walked to the edge of the floating platform with Xiao Chen in tow. With a clanging sound, she summoned the Golden Clouds Sword stuck in the soil and left a messy Perfected Immortal Yunyin alone in the wind. He was still thinking about her words just now, that it was better for him to learn from the Dark Yin Sect. He could even absorb someone else"s cultivation for his own use...
"Why don"t you go to the Dark Yin Sect to learn the devil"s ways? Why don"t you go to the Dark Yin Sect to learn the devil"s ways?" These words emerged in Perfected Immortal Yunyin"s mind again and again...
"Moreover!" Suddenly, Bai Ying turned her head again. "I might only be in Lv 8 Foundation Building Realm, but don"t forget that I"m the only one in the entire Human World who has become an Immortal."
With that, Bai Ying took Xiao Chen down to the square. Countless disciple on the ground looked infatuated. Since when did Third Elder become so cool? Her words earlier left Perfected Immortal Yunyin not even the slightest room to retort. That was simply too cool of her!
However, she couldn"t maintain her coolness long enough for the time it took to drink a cup of tea. The next moment, she went up to Second Elder with the Golden Clouds of Heaven and Earth Sword. "It"s made of pure gold, Senior Brother. Help me estimate the price. How much can I sell this for to the Cold-billow Sword Sect?"
Second elder was so shocked that his heart almost jumped out of his chest. He scolded her, saying, "Hurry and return the sword to Perfected Immortal Yunyin!"
Bai Ying earnestly replied, "This is the spoils of war that I won. There"s no rule against taking away an opponent"s magic treasure in the compet.i.tion between Cultivators" sects..."
Xiao Chen lowered his head. Sure enough, this was more like Bai Ying. It was impossible for her and master to be the same person. If he had to think their similarities, then the only one was that both of them disagreed with the method of improving one"s cultivation via elixirs.
Second Elder was so angry that his beard quivered. He grabbed the Golden Clouds Sword from her hand and flew to the floating platform. He respectfully handed the sword to Perfected Immortal Yunyin. "Please excuse my Junior Sister"s rudeness just now. I hope you wouldn"t blame her."
Perfected Immortal Yun Yin sneered repeatedly. "Hehe! Still water sure run deeps in the Three Pure Sect! I"ll come and retrieve this sword in three months!"
With a flick of his wide sleeve, he turned into a white light and flew far into the distance. Naturally, the two disciples that he brought with him was too ashamed to linger around. They silently mounted their flying swords and chased after their master.
Looking in the direction of the gradually vanishing sword radiance, it seemed as if a sly cloud had gathered in that spot. Second Elder frowned deeply. Their relationship with Perfected Immortal Yunyin had truly worsened to a point of no return. Their Sect Leader wasn"t around and the other party said he would return in three months to retrieve his sword. What should they do if the old freaks of the Skygale Sect came out of their seclusion...
The Skygale Sect had always claimed to be the best among the Cultivators" sects in the Human World but their disciple had suffered embarra.s.sment here and the disciple"s master suffered even greater humiliation. This news would likely be spread far and wide in the cultivation circle of the Human World. This wasn"t good news for the Three Pure Sect.
Second Elder landed on the ground. First Elder said with a frown, "Forget it. Go out and hand him the sword."
Second Elder understood that the task of returning the sword was, in fact, the task of escorting him safely out of the territory of the Serene Province. They couldn"t allow anything else to happen to Perfected Immortal Yunyin in the Serene Province.
With the support of his two disciples, Perfected Immortal Yunyin traveled slowly through the Serene Province with his flying sword. The male disciple said, "Master, are we letting Xiao Chen go just like that? He"s the one that the Lord of the Violet Man specifically named."
"Hehe! There"s no hurry!" A stern look crossed Perfected Immortal Yunyin"s eyes. "When your grandmasters come out of seclusion in three months, we"ll wash the Three Pure Sect clean with blood! When that time comes, we"ll refine all their disciples into mediums for the b.l.o.o.d.y Souls Grand Formation and send them all to the Violet Manor. Hehe..."
Right then, a voice suddenly came from behind them. "Please halt, Perfected Immortal."
When Perfected Immortal Yunyin turned around and saw Second Elder of the Three Pure Sect, he wondered if the latter overheard him and was currently chasing after him. However, he didn"t believe Second Elder had the courage to do so. He said with a frown, "I wonder what other matter Second Elders has."
Second Elder saluted him with a smile and acted deferentially as he replied, "Earlier, Junior Sister said that you"ve taken something extra with you when you left."
Perfected Immortal Yunyin was immediately on alert. Though he was seriously injured, Xingzhen Zi"s cultivation was only in Lv 3 Core Forming Realm. He had nothing to fear and thus, said solemnly, "Oh? What is it?"
"It"s your life, Perfected Immortal..."
Perfected Immortal Yunyin"s expression changed greatly. Before he could even react, he felt a sharp pain in his elixir field. His abdomen was torn open and blood gushed out of his wound. He muttered, "You... You..."
His two disciples, long gotten frightened out of their minds, quickly helped him up. Xingzhen Zi looked gloomy as he held a golden ball dripping with blood in his hand. It was Perfected Immortal Yunyin"s Jindan.
"Go!" At this moment, Perfected Immortal Yunyin didn"t hesitate to use all of his life"s blood essence and used an escaping trick to flee with his two disciples. He knew that he couldn"t escape death now that his Jindan had been stolen but he must return to the Skygale Sect alive and tell his Sect Leader everything!
In the midair, a strange smile appeared on the face of "Xingzhen Zi". Then, the man transformed into a black mist and drifted toward a wicked cloud in the sky.
Second Elder, who had come on First Elder"s command to escort Yunyin, arrived half an hour later. This was the real Xingzhen Zi. When he smelled blood in the air, he immediately maneuvered his flying sword to land on the ground. His expression suddenly changed when he spotted the bloodstain on the gra.s.s. "Oh no..."
In the next seven days, wicked clouds shrouded the vicinity of Lingtai Mountain. The Elders of the Three Pure Sect reinforced the Devil-sealing Grand Formation near the mountain gate. The formation was left by the ancestors of the Three Pure Sect. While regular devil pract.i.tioners would lose their soul as soon as they came near, it was useless against those from the Cultivators" sects.
Then, under the joint efforts of the Elders, the Ten-mode Heaven and Earth Formation of the Three Pure Sect was lay down to guard the entire mountain gate. These few days, both Inner and Outer Disciples could see golden lights flitting across the sky. It was the spiritual power that the formation gave off.
Nowadays, the entire Lingtai Mountain was placed under the protection of formations. No corner was left unguarded and all the chains leading to the outside were also cut off.
Three days pa.s.sed since then. The Elders were perpetually frowning in worry, but the disciples were ignorant of the fact that danger was quietly approaching. They remained boisterous as they happily chattered about the realm-transcending battle ten days ago. Meanwhile, for the match between Xiao Chen and Mo Yu three months later, those who looked down on the former also began noticing him. It wasn"t impossible to win a realm-transcending challenge!
One early morning, Bai Ying called Xiao Chen to the stone cave behind her house. He could smell a medicinal fragrance from a distance. When he walked in, he couldn"t help feeling stunned. He saw a lot of carefully-refined medicinal herbs floating inside a large wooden barrel. Considering how expensive these medicinal herbs were, wasn"t it too extravagant to take a bath with them? No wonder she was always about being poor. Her money was all spent on this.
"Kid, go in and soak for four hours first."
Xiao Chen was so moved that his tears were almost flowing (though, it was likely because of the medicinal fragrance). When Bai Ying saw his eyes reddened, she looked hesitant. "This medicated bath won"t enhance your cultivation but it"s absolutely indispensable. How can a mortal withstand his cultivation being undone again and again? Therefore, it"s necessary to take a medicated bath and temper the body."
Xiao Chen smiled wryly. "Then can I get Elder Bai to turn around first?"
"I"m your master and cultivators aren"t concerned about trifles." Bai Ying propped her chin on her hands, with her elbows on the rim of the barrel. She looked at him seriously and asked, "Or do you think it"s a waste to soak in these medicinal herbs alone?"