Li Qingxu followed the sound with his gaze and saw a Golden-Winged Great Peng, tens of thousands of feet long and golden all over as if cast from Divine Gold, diving down through the clouds with its sharp claws outstretched, ready to grab him.
The attack was swift and fierce, carrying the might of Thunderous Might. It was powerful enough to pierce straight through a mountain and tear it to pieces.
"What a lunatic!"
Li Qingxu furrowed his brows.
His dispute with Ma Yuan and the others had been nothing more than a war of words. Moreover, Ma Yuan and the other Jie Sect Disciples had deliberately picked a fight, so they were the ones in the wrong.
Yet Winged Immortal had attacked him without even learning the facts, trying to use his superior cultivation to bully him.
Before, Li Qingxu would indeed have had no choice but to retreat. But his strength had now undergone a tremendous transformation.
Even though Winged Immortal was a powerful Mid Stage Golden Immortal, Li Qingxu had two formidable trump cards. He might not be without a chance of fighting back.
Flame Dao Patterns appeared in Li Qingxu's palm, and a terrifying aura spread from his body.
As he struck out with his palm, a crimson dragon formed from True Sun Fire soared into the sky, roaring as it charged at Winged Immortal.
Wherever the dragon passed, even space warped from the scorching heat. The clouds stretching ten thousand miles vanished in an instant, and the entire sky seemed to turn into an endless sea of flames.
The diving Golden-Winged Great Peng neither dodged nor evaded. Its Heavenly Blade-like claws tore the Fire Dragon apart, but quite a few of its feathers were set alight by the True Sun Fire.
Seeing that his attack had failed to stop Winged Immortal, Li Qingxu immediately prepared to summon the Chixiao Sword and fight him.
"Stop!"
A shout rang out.
Zhao Gongming and the Sanxiao transformed into streaks of light and stepped in front of Li Qingxu.
The Golden-Winged Great Peng's dive came to an abrupt halt. Winged Immortal changed into human form, his face full of indignation.
"Senior Brother, Senior Sisters, Li Qingxu is bullying my fellow Jie Sect Disciples. Why are you stopping me?"
"Winged Immortal, don't you dare play the victim here."
"It was clearly Ma Yuan and the others who had bad intentions and wanted to seize someone else's Dao Field."
"And you didn't even bother to learn the facts before trying to bully him with your strength!"
Bixiao glared at Winged Immortal and scolded him.
At the same time, Zhao Gongming's stern gaze fell on Ma Yuan and the others below.
"Ma Yuan, do you know what you did wrong?"
Feeling Zhao Gongming's gaze, heavy as a tangible force, Ma Yuan and the other Jie Sect Disciples guiltily lowered their heads.
"This junior admits his mistake..."
"Get out of here!"
"If you deliberately cause trouble again and damage the bonds between Xuanmen disciples, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
Zhao Gongming reprimanded them in a deep voice.
At his words, Ma Yuan and the others hurriedly fled in disgrace, not daring to say another word.
Seeing that Ma Yuan and the others had admitted their wrongdoing, Winged Immortal knew there was no way to argue his case. He had no choice but to turn and leave.
Before going, however, he shot Li Qingxu a cold glance, clearly unwilling to let the matter rest.
Li Qingxu wasn't afraid in the slightest.
He now had the Foundation of a top-tier Innate Being, and with the system's powerful support, surpassing Winged Immortal was only a matter of time.
"Thank you, fellow Daoists, for coming to my aid."
Li Qingxu saluted Zhao Gongming and the Sanxiao, his face bright with a warm smile.
"Ma Yuan, Winged Immortal, and the others were at fault first. Your words make me feel truly ashamed, fellow Daoist."
Zhao Gongming said with a helpless look.
Many of the Jie Sect's disciples had already been arrogant and overbearing before joining the sect. Now that they had become disciples of a Saint, it had only encouraged their worst instincts.
Though he was the senior disciple among the outer sect, neither Tongtian Cult Master nor Duobao Daoist had stepped in to stop them. He couldn't interfere too much, lest he be accused of overstepping his authority.
"Let's keep things separate."
"Their wrongdoing has nothing to do with you, fellow Daoist."
True Person Huang Long could see that Zhao Gongming and the Sanxiao were different from those unreasonable Jie Sect Disciples, so he spoke up to ease the tension.
"Fellow Daoist Qingxu."
"I never expected that in just a few hundred years, your cultivation would nearly catch up to ours."
Bixiao sensed the aura Li Qingxu gave off, and her eyes immediately lit up with surprise.
Zhao Gongming, Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, and the others were equally astonished.
Since joining the Saints' sects, they had only advanced by one minor cultivation stage. Li Qingxu, however, had made such tremendous progress that he was now just one step away from the Golden Immortal Realm.
"Thanks to the Saint's teachings and a fortunate encounter, my strength has indeed improved a little. But I'm still far behind all of you, fellow Daoists."
Li Qingxu smiled faintly, not letting the progress go to his head.
"Stop being so modest."
"I've only reached the Mid Stage Golden Immortal level. At the rate you're improving, you'll probably catch up to me before long."
Bixiao smiled, genuinely happy to see Li Qingxu's progress.
"You've got some nerve saying that. If you weren't so carefree and playful, your cultivation would have advanced long ago."
Yunxiao shot her a reproachful look.
"Hehe."
Bixiao giggled and flew over to Yunxiao, hugging her arm and swinging it back and forth.
"It's not like I want to be this way. Cultivation is just so dull and boring."
"Besides, with my brother and sister looking out for me, it doesn't matter if I'm a little weaker."
Seeing Bixiao act so coquettishly, Yunxiao couldn't bring herself to scold her. She could only pinch her nose.
"You always have an excuse."
Zhao Gongming felt somewhat helpless about Bixiao's lazy attitude toward cultivation, but he didn't push her too hard.
After all, they had joined the Interception Sect and become disciples of a Saint. They no longer needed to worry about calamities befalling them.
It didn't matter if Bixiao's cultivation was a little lower. Golden Immortals already possessed endless lifespans, anyway.
Just then, a voice like the tolling of a great bell rang across the heavens, and the entire world resonated with it.
"All disciples of the Chan and Jie Sects, come to the Three Pure Ones Hall at once to hear the Dao."
"That's Uncle-Master Taiqing's voice."
Qiongxiao said.
"The Three Pure Ones Hall is the Saints' Dao Field."
"Since Uncle-Master Taiqing has summoned us, I expect the three of them intend to lecture us together."
Li Qingxu guessed, unable to keep his excitement from rising.
A Saint's lecture was already an enormous opportunity. But for all Three Pure Ones to lecture together was an unprecedented, world-shaking opportunity.
Now that his foundation had transformed into that of a top-tier Innate Being, his comprehension had also improved tremendously. This was the perfect chance to greatly increase his strength.
The group eagerly summoned their clouds and flew together toward the Three Pure Ones Hall.
At the Saints' personal summons, even the Chan and Jie Sect Disciples who were in seclusion ended their cultivation and hurried to the Three Pure Ones Hall to hear the Dao.
The Three Pure Ones Hall stood a million feet tall, surrounded by immortal mist and steeped in Daoist charm. Images of Pangu creating the world and Hongjun lecturing on the Dao, among others, were engraved on its walls, lending it an even greater air of solemnity and majesty.
When Li Qingxu arrived at the Three Pure Ones Hall with True Person Huang Long, Zhao Gongming, and the Sanxiao, Taiqing Laozi, Primordial Heavenly Venerate, and Tongtian Cult Master were already seated on Cloud Beds.
All three Saints had arrived. Their auras were vast and supreme, making the entire world seem insignificant in comparison.
This was no illusion. In a fit of anger, Heavenly Dao Saints truly had the power to destroy the entire Primordial World.
Here, Li Qingxu also saw for the first time the leading personal disciples of the Human Sect and the Interception Sect: Grand Master Xuandu and Duobao Daoist.
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