A Small Skirmish
The flying sword vibrated the surrounding air currents, and a powerful aura followed—this was the power of mid Tribulation stage cultivator. Wu Sihai shouted, "Wu Zhenggang, stop!" But it was too late.
Yue Qianchou had no time to think. The speed and power of his opponent's attack were terrifying, leaving him no room for thought. In the blink of an eye, the flying sword, carrying a terrifying aura, came hurtling towards him. "Ah!" Yue Qianchou roared in anger, and instantly, endless flames, blue-green flames, erupted from his body in an explosive manner. Given his temper, he couldn't help but be furious. He had listened to Wu Sihai and put away the blue flames, but Wu Zhenggang had taken the opportunity to attack. How could he swallow this insult?
A torrent of azure flames surged forth, startling everyone around. Their eyes darted rapidly across their surroundings, a sense of utter helplessness washing over them. They had all witnessed the power of the azure flames before; an elder at the early Tribulation stage Realm had been reduced to ashes in an instant. How could they dare allow it to touch them? Left with no other choice, they all swung their swords at the wall behind them, tearing open a hole to escape.
Wu Zhenggang held no sword, but his cultivation was profound. With a backhand palm strike, he shattered a thick stone wall, sending it flying, and dodged away with the force of his palm. Yue Qianchou, who had unleashed his raging flames, was even more startled. He had thought the power of his azure fire would melt the flying sword, but the sword, though showing signs of melting, was powerful enough to kill him before it could melt completely. The time lost due to his misjudgment meant he had no time to dodge.
From within the Storage Bag, First Company cold glints shot out like lightning, striking the flying sword in quick succession with near-perfect accuracy. The almost simultaneous sound was the result of nearly twenty flying swords attacking in unison, finally halting the opponent's onslaught. Without hesitation Yue Qianchou waved his hand, conjuring a tornado-like azure flame. Surrounded by the inferno, he enveloped the flying sword in flames, unleashing its highest heat to incinerate it. As long as the flying sword remained intact, the opponent could still launch a remote attack. If mid Tribulation stage cultivator's flying sword were to attack him at close range, his cultivation level would be insufficient to withstand it.
A series of holes suddenly appeared in the walls of the Wu family Hall, and a person emerged from each hole, followed by a streak of azure fire dragons. From the air, the Wu family resembled a multi-legged crab. The elders who had escaped from inside stood at a distance, their expressions uncertain. They had never imagined that more than forty elders at the Tribulation Transcendence stage would be forced to flee by a young man at the Core Formation stage.
Actually, they were considered lucky. Several of the disciples guarding the ancestral hall were unaware of the situation and had no time to escape. They were instantly engulfed by the flames, without even having a chance to scream.
Although it was described as slow, it was actually fast; from the moment Wu Zhenggang made his move until now, only a few blinks of an eye had passed. After regaining his footing, Wu Zhenggang was so angry that he bared his teeth and was about to summon his flying sword to continue the attack, but his expression changed when he realized that the flying sword had just lost contact with him.
The flying sword is destroyed? That's impossible. Wu Zhenggang stared incredulously at the burning azure flames that had engulfed the ancestral hall. As the Grand Elder of the Wu Clan's Elder Council, his flying sword was a mid-grade magic weapon. How could it be destroyed so instantly? Even someone at the late stage of the Tribulation Transcending realm would need to put in some effort to destroy it! Is this azure flame really that terrifying? Having experienced it before, he still couldn't believe it. Wu Zhenggang's pupils contracted as he looked at the burning flames. He didn't believe that Yue Qianchou's cultivation level could destroy his flying sword. The only possibility was this strange azure flame.
"Wu Zhenggang, you've gotten yourself into big trouble!" Wu Sihai roared at him from dozens of meters away. Wu Sihai had always believed that Yue Qianchou had a mysterious and powerful force behind him, and now that he had offended Yue Qianchou, he didn't know what kind of retaliation he would suffer.
"What's there to be afraid of in a rogue Rogue Cultivator with no one to rely on?" Wu Zhenggang shouted back. He was heartbroken over his flying sword and didn't think offending Yue Qianchou would cause any harm. He immediately waved his hand and shouted, "Everyone, surround this scoundrel who destroyed my Wu family hall! I don't believe he'll stay hidden in the fire forever!" Some elders who were willing to obey his orders immediately flew to all sides of the ancestral hall.
The azure flames soared into the sky, becoming the most conspicuous spot in the entire Wu family. Wu family members flew over one after another, gathering in a crowd, bewildered. Those who could speak with the elders were all asking what had happened. After Wu Licheng learned from his grandfather that the one who had caused the disturbance at the ancestral hall was Yue Qianchou, he was dumbfounded and muttered to himself, "How could this be? How is this possible? How could Brother Yue destroy my Wu family hall?"
Wu Sihai glared at Wu Zhenggang and said irritably, "Wasn't it because someone forced you to do it!"
On the bustling Hat Island, taverns, teahouses, and shops lined the streets, bustling with people. Suddenly, someone shouted, "Look! What's happening at the Wu family's place?" Everyone looked in that direction and saw a blue light shooting into the sky from the direction of the Wu family. No one knew what was going on. Without anyone notifying them, everyone on the street who was capable of flying jumped onto the rooftops on both sides of the street to watch.
"My God! Is that blue fire?"
"It should be. Didn't you see how much it resembled raging flames? Strange, why is there a bluish fire? What is the Wu family doing?"
"What's so strange about that? Last time I saw the Star Flame Fire Art of Yue Qianchou Hundred Flower Valley, the flames it released were actually crimson red."
"Hey! Look, there seems to be someone standing on that burning roof... uh... am I seeing things? How could someone be standing in the fire?"
Several flying swords pierced a hole in the roof with a loud "boom," Yue Qianchou leaped out, standing imposingly on the rooftop amidst blazing blue flames. He surveyed his surroundings before fixing his gaze on Wu Zhenggang. Looking down at everyone, Yue Qianchou's gaze was dark and silent, his aura like that of a fire god, exerting pressure on the crowd.
"Whoosh..." The sound of high-speed flight came, and everyone turned to look, including Yue Qianchou. Three black dots flew rapidly from the direction of the waterfall far behind the Wu family. They covered such a long distance in just a few moments. Three old men stood in mid-air not far from Yue Qianchou. Perhaps sensing the powerful temperature of the Azure Flame, they exchanged surprised glances. Yue Qianchou was also observing the three men, his heart skipping a beat. He realized something was wrong; judging from their speed, they were likely cultivators at the late Tribulation Transcendence stage, and their clothing confirmed they were undoubtedly from the Wu family.
Sure enough, the Wu family who had gathered below bowed in unison and said, "Greetings Clan Elder!" Wu Zhenggang had originally wanted to call on everyone to make a move, but since the most senior Clan Elder in the Lineage had arrived, it was no longer his turn to speak.
The three old men standing in mid-air ignored those below. The old man in the middle frowned and said, "Young man, who are you, and why are you burning down my Wu family hall?" In this era, a Lineage's ancestral hall is the most sacred place of that Lineage. Destroying someone's ancestral hall is equivalent to making an enemy of every member of that Lineage.
Yue Qianchou knew he wouldn't gain any advantage this time. Three late Tribulation Transcendence stage had appeared. Even compared to those at the mid Tribulation stage, cultivators at that level were worlds apart. Although the Azure Flame was incredibly powerful, it was unlikely that he could control it to wreak havoc with his current cultivation level. Perhaps he could try when he reached the Nascent Soul Realm, but to the Nascent Soul Realm now would be tantamount to suicide.
Yue Qianchou didn't answer the old man's question. His gaze slowly shifted back to Wu Zhenggang, and he coldly snorted, "Wu Zhenggang, you've gone too far!" Then, he looked around and coldly said, "Your Wu family is ungrateful! You've gone too far! You actually tried to swallow the Spirit Stone I auctioned, and even tried to kill me to silence me, hehe! Very well, very well! Remember what happened today. How much you swallowed from me today, I'll make you spit it out tenfold, a hundredfold, with interest, in the future. And you, Wu Zhenggang, your head is temporarily on your neck, waiting for me to come and collect it. Hehe! I, Yue Qianchou, am putting my words on the table today, everyone just wait and see!"
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