There's loot

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

On the broad back of the Spirit Lizard, more than ten figures almost simultaneously transformed into streaks of light and shot down toward the mountain peak below, which was already shrouded in a blue-green light curtain.

The True Disciple of the Jade Mist Sect who were participating in this training trip finally received the order to take action.

"Hmm? So, they're starting to act already?"

Su Bai's mind raced as he scanned his surroundings.

With Academy Master Ye Taiyi personally overseeing the operation, and the sect's restrictive Magic Array covering the entire mountain as a backup, the Jade Mist Sect Disciple within the array truly had a significant advantage.

The people of the Immortal Palace are now trapped like turtles in a jar, making it the perfect opportunity to test their cultivation and accumulate practical experience.

"What are we waiting for? Wouldn't it be great to kill a few of those damn Immortal Palace bastards?"

A Clear and Cold voice, tinged with a hint of Sha Qi, swept past her.

Bing Li, True Disciple of the Ice Court, exuded a chilling aura, clearly ready for battle.

She glanced at Su Bai, left those words, and then sped off towards a densely packed area of halls deep within the sect.

Without further hesitation, Su Bai pushed off the back of the Spirit Lizard with his toes, and his body shot out like an arrow.

The moment he broke free from the distorted force field surrounding the Spirit Lizard lizard, a strange sense of detachment came over him. His figure emerged from complete concealment, becoming real and clearly visible in the mountains and forests of the Flowing Cloud Sect.

As far as the eye could see, the other True Disciple also chose different directions, scattering quickly throughout the sect like pebbles thrown into water.

Although they appear to be scattered, they are actually kept within a hundred feet of each other, and their Spiritual Sense can be vaguely felt. They can independently search for and eliminate enemies, and can also quickly respond and provide support when encountering a strong enemy. This is a tactic that was tacitly formed before they set off.

According to sect intelligence, the Immortal Palace has recently been using its reputation for "Teach Without Discrimination" and its expertise in discovering special Spell Talent as a pretext to recruit many frustrated Cultivator with mediocre Spirit Root throughout Qingzhou, and its power is expanding rapidly.

The demand for various spiritual practice resources has also surged.

The Flowing Cloud Sect before us was chosen by the Immortal Palace as the target of this raid because it possessed a stable Mid-grade Spirit Stone mine and several century-old Medicine Garden.

Su Bai sensed the residual chaotic Spiritual Power fluctuations in the air and chose a direction where the Spiritual Qi was relatively rich, but mixed with a faint smell of blood and burnt food.

That should be the location of the Flowing Cloud Sect's spirit medicine garden.

His figure swayed, and he swiftly flew low through the air on the Azure Dragon Sword. In a few leaps, he passed through a messy courtyard, and suddenly the view opened up before him. There were a large number of Spirit Plant that had been trampled and were lying in disarray, with the soil swirling up, obviously after a fight.

Just as they stepped into the medicinal herb field, a figure suddenly darted out from behind a half-collapsed shed to their side.

The man, dressed in the pale white Robe of Law commonly worn by inner disciple the Flowing Cloud Sect, his sleeves stained with blood, and his face filled with panic, rushed towards Su Bai, crying out, "Fellow Daoist, save us! The Immortal Palace Demonic Path are attacking us! Help me quickly..."

The cries for help were heart-wrenching, and the situation was vividly portrayed.

However, Su Bai's keen senses had already detected the excessively light, almost gliding steps of the other party as they sprinted, as well as the fleeting calculation deep in their eyes.

More importantly, although this person deliberately suppressed and imitated the Flowing Cloud Sect's Cultivation Method, the core of his Spiritual Power fluctuations revealed a tendency towards unpredictable and rapid changes.

Once the enemy had rushed within thirty feet, Su Bai stopped observing and, with a thought, the Azure Dragon Sword was already in his hand.

He didn't even bother with words. With a flick of his wrist, a condensed Azure Sword Qi tore through the air, emitting a sharp buzzing sound, and went straight for his opponent's chest and abdomen!

"Um?!"

The "Flowing Cloud Sect Disciple" clearly hadn't expected Su Bai to be so decisive, attacking without warning.

Amidst the exclamations, his body suddenly blurred just before the Sword Qi struck him, as if it had instantly melted into the air, and then reappeared out of thin air five zhang away, narrowly avoiding the attack of the Sword Qi.

All that remained was a deep trench carved out by the Sword Qi and billowing dust.

"Wind Escape Technique? Or some kind of short-range teleportation Divine Ability?"

Su Bai's eyes narrowed.

The methods of the Immortal Palace Member are indeed unpredictable and strange, something that ordinary Flowing Cloud Sect Disciple could not possibly master.

"I asked you to save me, and you still attacked me?"

The Cultivator steadied himself, his panic vanishing and replaced by an angry and cold expression. His gaze swept over the destruction caused by the Sword Qi, his pupils shrinking slightly, clearly showing his apprehension about Su Bai's attack power.

Su Bai scoffed, too lazy to engage in any pretense. "What are you pretending for, you bastard?"

Before the words were even finished, the Sword Art was complete. The Azure Dragon Sword transformed into a streak of Azure Streak, carrying an incomparably sharp Sword Intent, and pierced straight for the opponent's throat!

Seeing that his disguise was completely ineffective, the Immortal Palace Cultivator also dropped the pretense, rapidly forming hand seals while chanting incantations.

Facing the flying sword that was thrusting towards him, he neither dodged nor avoided it, but suddenly opened his mouth and spat it out!

"Waaaaah--!"

It was not an ordinary air arrow or Wind Blade, but a visible, highly compressed, grayish-white column of air that gushed out from its mouth!

The column of air Initial only reached the thickness of a bowl, but after leaving the mouth, it rapidly expanded, instantly transforming into the eye of a violent tornado with a diameter exceeding ten feet, crashing head-on into the Azure Dragon Sword!

Boom!

The tip of the Azure Dragon Sword pierced the eye of the storm, producing a deafening clang like metal striking metal. The sword trembled violently, its spiritual light flashing wildly, and its forward momentum was abruptly halted!

Within that eye of the storm, there was not simply airflow, but countless fine, sand-like, rapidly spinning gray-white Wind Blade, each one incomparably sharp, frantically cutting and eroding the Spiritual Power and Sword Intent on the flying sword.

What's even more terrifying is that this column of wind has a huge range, and its aftershocks swept towards Su Bai in an instant!

Sizzle sizzle sizzle--!

The spiritual light of Su Bai's True Disciple Token was quickly destroyed. Although Su Bai had activated his Protective Spiritual Light, it was as fragile as paper and shattered instantly under the cutting of this strange Wind Blade.

The Wind Blade struck his body, and he felt excruciating pain all over his body, as if he were being scraped by countless high-speed spinning files at the same time!

His robes instantly turned to shreds, and countless tiny wounds burst open on his skin, splattering blood. In the blink of an eye, he became a blood-soaked figure!

"What a powerful wind-based Divine Ability!"

Su Bai was alarmed. This was no ordinary Tier One Spell; its power was close to that of Quasi-Second Tier, and its activation was stealthy and swift, almost causing him a great loss.

Daring not to hold back any longer, he endured the excruciating pain and frantically circulated the "Profound Sword True Essence Art" within his body, gathering all his Spiritual Power.

A sudden burst of icy cold air erupted from its center! Moisture in the surrounding air rapidly condensed into frost, covering the ground with white frost.

Having consumed nearly half of his Spiritual Power, a [Ice Snow Jade Puppet], towering two zhang tall and carved entirely from white jade, rose from the ground, completely enveloping Su Bai.

The puppet's surface shimmered with iridescent light and exuded a chilling aura.

Bang bang bang...

A dense, pounding sound, like raindrops hitting banana leaves, echoed across the puppet's surface.

The violent Wind Blade sliced through the solid ice, scattering countless ice shards. They did indeed remove a layer of ice and snow, but the puppet's core Spiritual Power flowed continuously, and the damaged snow layer healed and regenerated at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The Immortal Palace Cultivator were clearly expending a great deal of energy to maintain such a powerful Divine Ability; their faces quickly turned pale, and sweat beaded on their foreheads.

Seeing that his Spiritual Power was waning and the power of the wind pillar was beginning to weaken, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and stop casting the spell.

The moment the wind column collapsed--

"Now!" A cold light flashed in Su Bai, and the Azure Dragon Sword, which had been locked in a stalemate with the wind pillar, suddenly hummed loudly and broke free from its restraints!

With a flash of Sword Light, dozens of slender, silk-like Sword Qi split off, weaving together a vast and impenetrable [Great Luo Sword Net] that enveloped the opponent!

The Immortal Palace Cultivator resorted to their old tricks, their figures blurring as they tried to escape once more.

However, as the sword net took shape, the unique Sword Intent it contained had already disturbed the flow of Spiritual Qi within Fang Yuan feet, forming an invisible stagnant force field.

The Cultivator's body twisted slightly, failing to escape successfully; he only managed to shift less than three feet laterally!

"What?!" A look of horror finally appeared on his face.

This sword net actually has the effect of interfering with space and countering teleportation?

The next moment, the sword net tightened, cutting into flesh like the sharpest fishing net.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a sickeningly muffled thud and the cracking sound of bones breaking.

Boom!

After the sword net completely dissipated, only a blurry pool of unrecognizable flesh and blood and a few pieces of torn cloth remained on the spot.

A powerful and cunning Late Qi Refining Cultivator from the Immortal Palace perished.

Su Bai let out a long sigh, dispelling the Ice Snow Jade Puppet, his face slightly pale.

He quickly took out a Healing Pill and swallowed it, then used Cleansing Technique to remove the bloodstains from his body and changed into a spare Azure Robe.

Only then did he step forward, pick out a slightly exquisite Storage Bag from the pile of flesh and blood, and stuff it into his pocket without even looking at it.

Now is not the time to take stock of the spoils.

Almost at the same time he finished the battle, another deafening explosion came from the Cloud Sea high above his head.

A massive purple sword phantom, stretching a hundred feet and seemingly capable of tearing the sky apart, flashed through a crack in the clouds. Even from such a distance, its majestic power still made the souls of the cultivators below tremble.

But then, an even more powerful and imposing golden beam shot into the sky, like the rising sun, instantly shattering the purple sword shadow into pieces and vanishing it without a trace.

Faintly, a muffled groan seemed to come from above the clouds.

"As expected, Hall Master Ye has the upper hand."

Su Bai looked up at the sky, his longing for the great power of Golden Core Cultivator growing even stronger.

Ye Taiyi, the Academy Master the Law Enforcement Court, was once a peerless genius who surpassed his contemporaries. His Combat Power was second only to the Sect Master among the Golden Core Old Ancestor of the Jade Mist Sect Golden Core.

Although the Sword of the Immortal Palace is powerful, it would probably be difficult to gain an advantage against such a veteran Golden Core cultivator.

This confirms the judgment of the sect's higher-ups: the Immortal Palace may be able to act fiercely for a time, but its foundation is far from comparable to that of the Jade Mist Sect, a major sect that has been rooted in Qingzhou for hundreds of years.

Just then, a slight warmth suddenly came from my arms.

Su Bai reached in and pulled out the "Myriad Crane" that Jiang Han had given him.

The paper crane spontaneously combusted without wind, turning into a wisp of smoke. At the same time, a subtle voice entered his mind. "There's something at the bottom of the deep pool behind the mountain."

The message is brief, yet its meaning is clear.

After realizing they were surrounded by the Jade Mist Sect, the Immortal Palace Member knew that breaking out would be difficult, so they immediately hid the important supplies they had looted, intending to retrieve them at a later time.

They seemed to have some kind of instant communication method, and it was through this method that Jiang Han obtained information about this hiding place and revealed it to me without hesitation.

This is in response to Su Bai's earlier warning.

Prior to this operation, Su Bai had Myriad Crane issue a warning to Jiang Han.

If it weren't for Su Bai's warning, Jiang Han, who participated in this event, would definitely not have had a chance of survival.

"That's a pleasant surprise."

Without further hesitation, Su Bai determined the direction, his figure transformed into a streak of green, and sped towards the back mountain of the Flowing Cloud Sect.

Along the way, the traces of battle became increasingly dense, and occasionally, one could glimpse other True Disciple fighting against the stubborn Immortal Palace Cultivator, their spells flashing and shouts echoing.

The True Disciple of the Jade Mist Sect clearly held an absolute advantage. The newly recruited members of the Immortal Palace, despite possessing some strange and unorthodox Law Technique, were destined for defeat only a matter of time, given their inferior cultivation foundation, combat skills, and equipment resources.

Soon, Su Bai followed the terrain and found the deep pool located in a secluded spot in the back mountain.

The pool water was a deep, dark green, its bottom unseen. Ancient trees towered around it, and vines hung down, creating an exceptionally cool and tranquil atmosphere.

He silently activated the [Water Escape Technique], and a light blue, water-like halo appeared around his body before he leaped into the pool.

The water in the pool was icy cold, and the light grew dimmer as you went deeper, while the pressure gradually increased.

Su Bai activated his Spirit Eye Technique, which allowed him to see clearly within a radius of about ten feet around him. The bottom of the pool was filled with jagged rocks and overgrown with aquatic plants.

He searched patiently, diving down about twenty feet, and finally found his target in a crevice in the rock.

Four bulging Storage Bag of different styles were carelessly tossed there, with a stone placed on top to prevent them from being washed away by the water.

"As expected, it's here."

Su Bai was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward, grabbing all four Storage Bag and stuffing them into his robes.

The tentacles were heavy, clearly filled to the brim.

He didn't linger any longer, activated his Water Escape Technique, and his body rose rapidly upwards like a swimming fish.

Whoosh!

With a soft splash, Su Bai emerged from the water, the pale blue aura around him dissipating, his robes dry and spotless.

He had just landed on a blue stone by the pool when Clear and Cold, slightly weary female voice came from behind him:

Is there anything down there?

Su Bai felt a slight chill, but his expression remained unchanged as he slowly turned around.

Bing Li was leaning against an ancient tree. Her Robe of Law had several obvious tears and scorch marks, her hair was disheveled, and there was even a faint bloodstain on her cheek, indicating that she had just gone through a fierce battle.

However, her breathing was relatively steady and her eyes were bright, so she should be fine and was the victor.

"I've searched the area, but I haven't found Immortal Palace Member hiding."

Su Bai spoke calmly, as if he had simply gone down to check.

Bing Li's gaze lingered briefly on his dry robes, then glanced at the seemingly calm surface of the pool, without delving deeper.

She simply nodded slightly. "You are quite meticulous."

She paused, then continued, "Let's go. The situation is largely settled. The senior members of the Law Enforcement Court are currently mopping up the remaining enemies and searching for any who escaped."

"The ' Sword One ' who infiltrated our sect has been killed. It's just a pity that the woman named Su Duanqiu did not participate in the operation this time."

Her tone carried a hint of regret, but she quickly added coldly, "However, after this battle, the Immortal Palace will undoubtedly Origin Qi in Qingzhou, and will not dare to act so openly again for some time."

"Did you take the opportunity to practice your skills?" Her gaze fell on Su Bai, as if trying to discern any signs of combat.

Su Bai calmly took out the Storage Bag he had obtained from killing the Immortal Palace Cultivator earlier, and weighed it in his hand. "I was lucky to kill one. He seems to be skilled in wind-attribute Spell Divine Ability, which is a bit troublesome."

Bing Li nodded and said, "Hall Master Ye just transmitted his voice, saying that the spoils of war obtained by us from killing Immortal Palace Cultivator during this operation can be kept by each of us as a benefit of this training."

"The sect only wants the looted items from the Flowing Cloud Sect and the heads of several key leaders."

"That's not bad." Su Bai readily agreed and stuffed the Storage Bag back into his robes.

But in his heart, he was thinking that the other four bags in his arms were the real big deal.

Bing Li suddenly took two steps forward, getting closer to Su Bai. She looked at Su Bai, a complex emotion flashing in her Clear and Cold eyes.

After a moment's hesitation, he finally spoke, "Su Bai, Junior Brother Zhao... Zhao Hanshuang, ever since he was defeated by you in the Grand Competition, his Dao Heart seems to have been cracked. He is often troubled by Heart Demon during his cultivation, which has slowed his progress."

So that's what it was about.

Su Bai suddenly realized why this Eldest Senior Sister from the Ice Court had taken the initiative to talk to him several times.

Bing Li continued, "I hope you can find an opportunity to fight him again."

"It doesn't have to be a life-or-death struggle, but it needs to be taken seriously enough. Help him break through his mental barriers and rebuild his Dao Heart..."

Su Bai listened quietly, his fingers Consciousness brushing against the cool hilt of the Azure Dragon Sword at his waist.

He had no personal grudges against Zhao Hanshuang; on the contrary, he greatly admired her pure arrogance and persistence.

If a mere sparring match could help his fellow disciples out of their predicament, he wouldn't be unwilling. But...

He looked up, meeting Bing Li's gaze, a faint smile playing on his lips, "What's in it for me?"