Chapter 185: A Clash of Trump Cards

When Ximen Sheng saw the numerous fierce ghosts all swarming towards Li Jing’s tent, and that they were clearly being controlled by some evil art, he instantly reacted. In his mind, he wondered, Has another sect seen through Li Jing’s identity as an Unsurpassed Purple Seed, or has someone leaked the secret, leading to this attack? His own tent was right next to Li Jing’s. He rushed in without hesitation, and a vast and righteous aura filled the space. Even so, the fierce ghosts continued their relentless charge.

In his eyes, these ghosts were weak, but he did not dare to move far from Li Jing, nor did he dare to waste his spiritual energy fighting them. After all, there was at least one mysterious, unknown expert out there. The expert’s intention was obvious. If he were to go out and kill the ghosts, wouldn’t he be falling for their trick to lure the tiger from the mountain?

He gave a deep-voiced order, “Disciples of the four great halls, guard the perimeter of this tent! The rest of you, kill the ghosts immediately! Li Jing and Zhang Yang are to stay in this tent and not leave my sight for a single step.”

“Which friend has come to disturb the trial of my Taichu Sect?” Ximen Sheng’s entire body glowed like a sun. His two eyes scanned the forest as he shouted, “If you do not show yourself and withdraw this formation, you will be making an enemy of my Taichu Sect!” In this land of the Soaring Dragon Nation, the Taichu Sect was the “heaven.”

At this moment, Ximen Sheng was protecting Li Jing and Zhang Yang with all his might, his heart filled with anxiety.

Faced with these fierce ghosts, the new disciples had no time to think. They all prepared their most powerful spiritual arts and engaged the creatures in a chaotic battle.

Seeing this mess, a thought struck Qin Haoxuan. Elder Ximen said tonight we’d just be dealing with one fierce ghost. How did so many appear? And they’re all rushing Li Jing’s position, forcing the elder to go and block them. Who could know that Li Jing is the one he must protect with all his might?

Master Chi Lian!

Qin Haoxuan sucked in a cold breath. He never expected him to make such a grand move. A strong and urgent sense of peril made it impossible for him to stay any longer. In this chaotic scene, with Ximen Sheng and the other Guiding Senior Brothers all protecting Li Jing and Zhang Yang, who would care about the life or death of a weak seed like him? If Master Chi Lian were to take advantage of the chaos to capture him, no one would ever know.

He quickly found Xing and said with great seriousness, “We have to run! It might be Master Chi Lian! We’ll use the chaos to get out of here.”

Xing had been waiting for these words for a long time. “Let’s go!” he said, grabbing Qin Haoxuan’s hand without hesitation, and they began to move towards the edge of the camp.

The entire camp was in an uproar, and no one paid them any attention. They quickly left the encampment and plunged into the darkness. They ran for several li, and just as they were about to dive into a dense forest, a dark figure blocked their path.

Seeing the shadow, both of them were terrified—it was Master Chi Lian.

He was still wearing the black-veiled hat that covered his entire face. A sinister yin energy swirled around him, and two small black flags, which reeked of a violent, foul stench, were stuck on his back. He held a Talisman Sword in his hand, his eyes glaring as he blocked their path.

“Qin Haoxuan! You little bastard! We finally meet,” Master Chi Lian sneered. “Hand over the Spirit Liquid and the artifact you used to break my Soul-Transfer Technique, and I will leave you a complete corpse!” He was full of confidence. In his eyes, a Fourth-Leaf cultivator was just an ant.

The moment he truly faced a Spirit Tree Realm expert, Qin Haoxuan finally understood just how vast the gap between them was. The other party had only released a sliver of his aura, yet his own body felt as if it were being crushed by a mountain.

Run! That was the only thought in his mind. Fight him with the Formless Sword? The thought was unthinkable; there was simply no chance of success.

“This seat is a Spirit Tree Realm expert. You are merely at the Fourth-Leaf of the Spirit Sprout Realm. Do you really think you can escape from my palm? You look down on the Spirit Tree Realm too much!” Master Chi Lian said with a hint of anger. He raised his Talisman Sword and, without a second thought, slashed at Qin Haoxuan’s arm. “I will sever your arm to teach you your place. In front of the absolute power of the Spirit Tree Realm, you are nothing but a weak little ant.”

The sword light was like a rainbow, magnificent and domineering, like a flash of lightning in the darkness that could split the heavens and the earth. The sharpness of the sword qi and the powerful pressure radiating from Master Chi Lian sent a chill through Qin Haoxuan’s heart. The sword light not only blocked their path but also came straight for his arm. It was too fast to dodge. If it hit, his arm would be gone.

Seeing this, Xing became extremely anxious. No matter how tough Qin Haoxuan’s body was, it couldn’t withstand a blow from a Spirit Tree Realm expert. If he was hit, he would be crippled, if not killed.

“Damn it! You owe me an arm, Qin Haoxuan!” Xing shouted. As he did, his body suddenly transformed. In an instant, he became a… shield! A not-so-large shield that firmly attached itself to Qin Haoxuan’s arm, just barely covering his body.

CLANG! A muffled sound rang out. The sword light struck the shield that Xing had become, and blood sprayed from it. Xing was not killed by the blow, but he was seriously injured and let out a series of pained cries.

Although the shield had blocked the sword, the powerful impact sent Qin Haoxuan flying a great distance. His back crashed through countless large trees, and a wave of churning qi rose in his chest. He opened his mouth and coughed up a mouthful of blood, his mind still reeling from the invincible sword qi that had seemed capable of cleaving the world in two. Although it was just a Talisman Sword, the qi from that single strike was terrifying…

Master Chi Lian was dumbfounded. With the power of that attack, there was no way Qin Haoxuan could have dodged it. He had intended to cut off his arm to establish his dominance, but he never expected the person next to him to turn into a shield and block it. He thought to himself, Although the Talisman Sword in my hand is not a true flying sword, in my hands its power is extraordinary. What kind of demon is this creature, to be able to block that strike? Just how many secrets does this Qin Haoxuan have?

Xing was badly hurt. “Quick, pour your spiritual energy into me! I’m dying!” he gasped. The shield, which had originally been a lustrous black-bronze color, was now visibly dimmed.

Without hesitation, Qin Haoxuan poured his own spiritual energy into Xing’s body. Only then did the “shield” regain some of its luster. After getting a breath, Xing was somehow able to speak, even in shield form. “His grandma! That old bastard is ruthless! If I get my hands on him, I’ll eat him, skin, bones, and all!”

Qin Haoxuan patted the shield wrapped around his arm. “Thank you for saving my life. I owe you a thousand stones. I’m grateful to you…”

“But of course! If not for a righteous demon like me, who would care if you lived or died?” Xing’s tone was filled with pride.

As he was boasting, Qin Haoxuan saw Master Chi Lian in the distance, raising his Talisman Sword and preparing a second attack.

“Hmph. No matter what trick you used to dodge my first strike, you won’t be so lucky this time. With my Spirit Tree Realm strength, I can crush you with a single finger!” Master Chi Lian threatened. “If you hand over your things, I will still leave you a complete corpse. Otherwise, I will give you the death of a thousand cuts, letting you bleed out and suffer to the very end!”

Seeing him prepare another attack, Qin Haoxuan was horrified. So, it was all his design. The attack on Li Jing was just a diversion to capture me. The full force of Master Chi Lian’s Spirit Tree Realm pressure was released. The air seemed to solidify, and Qin Haoxuan could barely breathe. He was not exaggerating; with his strength, he could kill him with a single finger.

He secretly calculated the distance between them. The only weapon he had that could possibly harm him was the Formless Sword, but at this distance, it would be useless against a Spirit Tree Realm expert. The gap between them was simply too vast. If not for the fact that he hadn’t yet gotten what he wanted and was holding back from a true killing blow, he would have been dead already.

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