"What’s going on? Little brother, we can't escape; all roads are blocked." Bai Qiuran turned his head, watching the direction “Yue Qianren” fled, shaking his head and said, "At this point, you’ve taken Yue Qianren's body, and the one who wants you dead the most isn’t me."
“Yue Qianren” snorted coldly, loosening his hand, as the long knife slowly floated in front of him, spinning rapidly. Driven by fierce true essence, the long knife transformed into a bright knife wheel, creating howling winds.
Huangfu Feng turned around, gazing at “Yue Qianren” standing on the riverbank. To the east stood two women at the stage of Integration, one wielding a knife with deadly sword energy, while the other, enchanting as a fairy, played a zither. Their disciples formed a formation radiating endless temptation and killing intent, an extremely dangerous setup.
After some probing, “Yue Qianren” concluded that the peak true essence of someone at the Integration stage, under the precise control of the Earth Immortal’s soul, had been fully unleashed upon those behind him. Yet amidst the spinning blade energy and collapsing earth, those behind could easily pinch the blade he had struck with full force.
Bai Qiuran frowned, “I thought the Earth Immortal was supposed to be a formidable character. But after walking with you, I found out that you too can be cowed in the face of an equal enemy."
The swiftly approaching knife wheel cut through the earth like a hot knife through butter, but Bai Qiuran simply raised his hand and lightly swatted at it, as if brushing away a mosquito. The rapidly spinning knife wheel sliced through the ground and passed by him, soaring more than ten miles away in the blink of an eye.
"Hey... such tricks can't fool me."
Not only was there a heavy encirclement from the east and south, the west and north were likewise surrounded by countless disciples, bolstered by two peak Integration stage experts. Huangfu Feng slowly drew out the sword on his back, his eyes filled with deadly intent.
He attempted to activate the escape technique but realized that the formation had blocked all exits. Even secret laws of spatial movement would not work. Just as he was troubled, someone suddenly patted his shoulder from behind.
Bai Qiuran, gripping the blade, looked at the panting “Yue Qianren” due to tension and smiled, "I thought the Earth Immortal was supposed to be a remarkable figure. But after walking in circles with you, I’ve come to see that you get scared when meeting an enemy of equal strength."
“Yue Qianren” gripped the long knife he called back, desperately sprinting off, afraid even to glance back at Bai Qiuran.
"Last time I went to Forge Heaven Dock to drink with you, Little Yuezi told me you left to gather materials for him, pulling him along as company. I never thought that this time, after narrowly surviving my tribulation, I wouldn’t even get to see you. Who was it that came to mock me with wine on the eve of my tribulation, saying that if I survived, he would drink with me for a month?"
A stream of sword energy burst forth from the sand and dust, piercing through “Yue Qianren's” shoulder and showering him in blood.
After another probing session, “Yue Qianren” had once again come to a conclusion. As he dashed forward, he felt the constraints of the formation loosening, a glimmer of hope igniting within him.
“Humph.”
Just then, “Yue Qianren” lifted his hand, casting a spell with intent, shouting out loudly. The peak true essence of the Integration stage was poured unreserved into the person behind him, yet amidst the chaos of blade energy and collapsing earth, that person gently grasped the blade he had struck forth with all his strength.
Time seemed to stretch as Bai Qiuran’s expression was one of disbelief before breaking into a chuckle, “True to form, Earth Immortals really do have a flair for theatrics, like juggling."
The winds swept past, the waves of the river were cleaved apart by an invisible blade intent, as endless killing intent surged toward “Yue Qianren” on the shore.
"Is this how it is? Little brother."
The old man to the south, accompanied by a group of silent black-clad disciples, manipulated a mass of cloud that brimmed with death, seemingly simple in nature. Yet “Yue Qianren” saw endless flashing sword beams within the dark clouds.
He quickly withdrew, rushing back after a quick retreat. As he did so, he began to quietly manipulate another spell, grasping his knife with determination, endlessly pumping essence into his movements.
“Yue Qianren” thought to himself, pushing forward on sheer will. Only once he reached the riverbank did he pause, reluctant to continue toward the figure standing midstream, who held a black knife, a stark presence against the backdrop of the flowing river.
Distracted, Bai Qiuran waved a hand, sending a palm strike toward “Yue Qianren,” who instinctively reached out to counter. Yet, he felt a surge of power cascading into his body, leaving him to suffer as his left arm shattered, blood and bone spraying forth as it twisted horrifically.
Despite this pain, he dashed away, feeling his strength return as the formation pressure waned.
“Sorry, but as friends, I’ll forgive you whether you abandon me or get tricked by some scum.”
“Today, Great Yuezi, I’m here to send you off!” He tightened his grip on the knife.