Bai Qiuran's heart had always held a deep pain. "If you obediently surrender... Even though Senior Brother Pei Qing said so, you little girl have caused us so many troubles. It would be unacceptable not to collect some interest from you."
Thus, after the old Daoist shouted that "you are just at the Qi Refining stage" and "where's your True Qi," Bai Qiuran felt that his emotions were becoming unsettled. A sword swept through the air, its blade carrying surging True Qi, resembling a stone wall pressing down upon the disciples of the Baiyue Temple. The disciples were so frightened that they didn’t know what to do. Only the old Daoist at the Golden Core stage quickly performed several hand seals, surrounding himself with a burst of golden light, and pushed both palms toward the stone sword.
"Not running away? Are you out of True Qi?"
"I’ll show you now, I Bai Qiuran also have a sword!" The old Daoist at the Golden Core stage hurriedly raised his hands, "Please remain calm!" Bai Qiuran lowered his head, his face dark as ink, but suddenly lifted it again, revealing a cold smile to the disciples of the Baiyue Temple. As a cultivator at the Qi Refining stage, with sixty-six thousand six hundred sixty-five layers... he had spent three thousand years trying every possible way to make up for his shortcomings, but there were always a few aspects that he could never overcome.
The expressions of the Baiyue disciples changed dramatically, and even the Golden Core old Daoist turned extremely pale. Flying with a sword was a permanent pain in Bai Qiuran's heart. Back in the early days when his master was still around, his senior brother loved nothing more than to take his junior sister out for joyrides. During those moments, Bai Qiuran could only stand on the mountain, filled with envy and jealousy.
"You have all guessed wrong. I brought you here, not because I was exhausted, nor because I begged for mercy, but because—" Just as the Daoist shouted again, Bai Qiuran felt his emotions were somewhat off-kilter due to the words "you are only at the Qi Refining stage" and "where's your True Qi."
One of the main reasons for this was the True Qi. Bai Qiuran's Qi Sea was nearly limitless. Even though he could not estimate how much True Qi he currently had, filling the Qi Sea was still an unattainable goal, and compressing True Qi using the limits of the Qi Sea had become a luxury.
Bai Qiuran's face fell, looking as if he had just swallowed something bitter. There was a booming sound as a deep sword mark appeared near the stone statue of the Tang dynasty, and the Baiyue disciples, like their master, began spitting out blood and were sent flying.
Without True Qi, he could not perform some of the most basic postures necessary for cultivators, such as flying with a sword or casting spells.
"This young lady, endure some physical pain now for a brighter future… With one of us in the mid stage of Foundation Establishment and the other in the late stage facing just you in the early stage, plus a property counteraction, even if you were a disciple of the Divine Martial Army, you couldn't possibly defeat us."
As a warrior-whose combat philosophy is to train for the battlefield, the Divine Martial Army excels not only in various weapons and close combat but also in combat formation where they grow stronger with battle.
As a warrior, facing opponents several times stronger than oneself was the norm, but a qualified warrior, even in death, must drag the enemy down to hell with them.
Bai Qiuran felt a surge of True Qi pour into the stone sword, casting forth a blinding light. With a roar, he yanked the sword, sending it flying toward the disciples of Baiyue Temple.
"Humph! Who said I don't have a flying sword? You’d better not regret this!"
The disciples of Baiyue chuckled, pulling out their own flying swords, colorful and glittering, some even intentionally waving their swords in front of Bai Qiuran's nose, teasing his nerves.
"Ha! Young friend, your bluffing antics are something I’ve seen far too often in my lifetime," said the old Daoist, raising his palms in a bid to calm the situation.
The tense atmosphere was palpable, with the Baiyue disciples laughing uproariously.
Bai Qiuran felt his heart ache as he took a deep breath, drawing forth more energy as he prepared for what was to come.
"Please! Don’t make me regret this!" Bai Qiuran warned, his darkened face marked by an icy glare, ready to fight back against the mocking group before him.
Thus, the chapter ends with a momentous buildup of tension, with the struggles and conflicts arising in the midst of martial cultivation, setting the stage for an epic confrontation.