Xiao Zhan's figure moved like lightning, carrying the pressure of a half-step Void Refinement Realm expert, and he rushed straight towards Zhao Feng! His silver armor gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and his fist wind tore through the air, determined to kill this young sect master of the Xuan Tian Sect who had repeatedly schemed against Xiao Chen!
"No!" Zhao Feng was so frightened that his soul almost left his body. His face turned ashen, and he scrambled backward, his spiritual energy so chaotic that he couldn't even form a protective shield. The scene of Xiao Zhan instantly killing a Nascent Soul cultivator had already left a mark of fear on his heart.
Just as the fist was about three feet away from Zhao Feng, an old figure suddenly appeared in front of him.
The newcomer was an old man with gray hair, wearing a faded gray robe. He seemed unremarkable, but with a wave of his hand, a gentle yet powerful spiritual energy formed a barrier, steadily catching Xiao Zhan's fist.
"Bang!"
The fist collided with the barrier, sending shockwaves spreading and sending the surrounding Xuan Tian Sect disciples flying several meters away. Fine cracks appeared on the deck of the flying boat. Xiao Zhan raised an eyebrow, looking at the old man before him—a mid-stage Void Refinement cultivator!
The old man blocked the attack but did not retaliate. He simply looked at Xiao Zhan with a deep gaze and said, "Sir, one should show mercy when possible."
"He has repeatedly plotted against my senior brother, he deserves to die!" Xiao Zhan sneered, his spiritual power in his fist surged again, and the aura of a half-step Void Refinement cultivator was released without reservation, making the surrounding air seem to freeze.
The old man frowned slightly, raised his hand to block again, but this time he took half a step back, his sleeve torn by the force of the punch. He looked at Xiao Zhan, a trace of solemnity flashing in his eyes—although this soul body was only half a step into the Void Refinement stage, its battle aura carried a sharpness that could cut through all laws, making it more troublesome than an ordinary mid-stage Void Refinement cultivator.
"Enough." The old man stopped resisting and stepped aside to protect Zhao Feng. "The Xuantian Sect has no mortal enmity with you. Let's leave it at that." After saying that, he looked at Zhao Feng and said, "We should go back."
Zhao Feng felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and dared not utter a single word of nonsense, nodding repeatedly: "Yes! Elder!" He now only wanted to get as far away from this evil star as possible.
The old man stopped looking at Xiao Zhan, and led Zhao Feng and the remaining Xuan Tian Sect disciples, transforming into a streak of light and fleeing into the depths of the Northern Region at an astonishing speed, clearly fearing that Xiao Zhan would pursue them.
Xiao Zhan looked in the direction they disappeared, his fighting spirit still burning in his eyes, but he ultimately did not give chase—his duty was to protect Jiang Li and Xiao Chen, and it was not advisable to venture rashly into the heart of the Northern Region.
"Mid-stage Void Refinement..." Xiao Chen stared at the direction where the streak of light disappeared, gripping his rusty iron spear tightly. The old man's aura was even stronger than Xiao Zhan's, yet he was forced to take a half-step back under Xiao Zhan's attack, demonstrating Xiao Zhan's formidable strength. Even so, the old man still managed to escape unscathed.
"It seems I'm still far from being able to kill my enemies with my own hands," Xiao Chen muttered to himself. The wound on his left arm was still throbbing, but it was nothing compared to the clarity in his mind. Today's battle had made him see clearly the gap between himself and the top forces—the gap between the Nascent Soul stage and the Void Refinement stage was an insurmountable chasm, a bloody path that had to be traversed step by step.
Jiang Li walked to his side and said softly, "Senior brother, don't worry. With Master here and us here, we will be able to get justice one day."
Xiao Chen nodded, looked in the direction of the Qingyun Sect, and silently murmured in his heart, "Master..."
Meanwhile, at the Qingyun Sect, in Lin Zhou's courtyard.
Lin Zhou was lying in a rocking chair, playing with a freshly picked wild fruit in his hand, squinting in the sun. Outside the courtyard, four blurry figures of light and shadow were floating in the sky, projections of the four high-dimensional beings he had previously spied on in the Chaos Sea.
The four figures exuded an obscure aura, their bodies shrouded in Daoist power far exceeding that of the Void Refinement stage. Their gazes were fixed on Lin Zhou, filled with inquiry and vigilance.
"Greetings, fellow Daoist." The figure on the left spoke first, its voice carrying the hum of Dao principles. "We sense the aura of a higher-dimensional universe emanating from you. May we ask which higher-dimensional universe you haile from?"
They observed Lin Zhou for many days but could not figure out his background. They were only certain that he was not a being from this low-dimensional world, but most likely came from a higher universe that could break through dimensional limitations. This was also the reason why they dared to show themselves. They wanted to find out about the other party's background. If they were really from the same origin, they might be able to join forces to explore the core of the world.
Lin Zhou lazily raised his eyelids, glanced at them, chewed the wild fruit in his mouth with a crunching sound, spat out the pit, and casually said, "None of your business."
"..."
The four beams of light and shadow froze instantly.
They had lived for countless years, seen hundreds, if not thousands, of powerful figures, but they had never encountered anything so... unreasonable. Faced with their provocation, even enemies would have uttered polite words out of respect for their status; who would resort to insults so readily?
The figure in the center, patiently, said again, "Fellow Daoist, why be angry? We have no ill intentions; we simply wish to ask for your guidance..."
"Ask my ass." Lin Zhou turned over, his back to them. "If you want to fight, then fight. If not, get lost and stop blocking my sun."
He was currently preoccupied with figuring out what kind of nourishing pills to concoct for Xiao Chen and Jiang Li that evening, so he had no time to waste chatting with these few shadowy figures hiding in the shadows. Whether they were from higher or lower dimensions, disturbing his sunbathing was simply wrong.
The four beams of light fell completely silent.
They could sense the impatience in Lin Zhou's tone, but there was no murderous intent whatsoever, as if they were no different from sparrows in his yard. This feeling of being completely ignored was more frustrating than being treated with hostility.
"This person's temperament... is quite peculiar," the figure on the right murmured. "He has none of the airs of a strong person, yet he is more arrogant than any strong person."
"His aura is too peaceful, so peaceful it's... eerie." The figure on the left said in a deep voice, "I have a feeling that what he said just now wasn't arrogance, but that he genuinely didn't care about our origins."
Above, four figures had just retreated to the edge of the clouds and hadn't even had a chance to catch their breath when they heard a casual shout from below:
"The battle begins."
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