Spiritual Energy Cocoon

"Nalan Tian..." Chen Jingjing gritted her teeth.

"Nalan Tian, two years and you're still this scum." Zhang Rumeng pulled Chen Jingjing's shoulder, glaring coldly at Nalan Tian.

Nalan Tian, however, didn't care at all. He laughed, "I thought prey too easy to get would be boring, but it looks like you've got some fire. Zhang Rumeng, you're so eager to step up—could it be you want to share a husband with Jingjing? This Young Master wouldn't mind."

Nalan Tian stood before the formation, grinning wide, unconcerned with what the disciples behind him thought.

"Shameless and vile." Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng's faces turned pale with anger, but they could do nothing to him, and their scolding only made Nalan Tian laugh more arrogantly.

"Chen Jingjing, Zhang Rumeng, my brother is now the Vice Peak Master of Heavy Sword Peak. Serving him together is already an honor for you—don't be ungrateful for your good fortune." Nalan Yun, in a light yellow robe, crossed her arms, her gaze haughty and her face full of sneers, with not a trace of grace to match her appearance.

"Hmph, Nalan Yun, don't go too far." Chen Jingjing said coldly.

Nalan Yun shook her head with a smile, "Is this going too far? When your brother risked his life to come to Demon King Valley for a casual word from me, wasn't that even more excessive?"

Provocation—this was blatant provocation and mockery, with a hint of gloating, as if telling Chen Jingjing, How impressive is your brother? Didn't he once throw his life away for me?

"You..." Chen Jingjing found herself unable to outtalk this woman.

"Nalan Yun, you know that was then. Don't tell me you've forgotten how Chen Fan ignored you after he returned? Do you know? In Chen Fan's eyes now, you're like a clown, desperately trying to catch his attention, but he just won't look at you." Zhang Rumeng deliberately let a hint of a smile show in her eyes as she spoke to Nalan Yun.

"I'm a clown? Trying to catch his attention? Ha, Zhang Rumeng, do you think he's worthy?" Nalan Yun snapped, flustered, as Zhang Rumeng struck a nerve.

Nalan Tian, still calm and unhurried, patted Nalan Yun's shoulder with a light laugh. "Yun'er, you're right. What worth does some Qi Refining brat have? Once this formation breaks, these two Daoist friends from the Immortal Sect will make him vanish from this world completely."

The two sword cultivators from the Immortal Sect had remained utterly indifferent throughout, paying no attention to the quarreling. They stood expressionless before the formation, observing. But Nalan Tian was right about one thing: once the formation broke, they would kill Chen Fan and make him disappear for good.

"Jingjing, let's go. Don't bother with these worthless scum." Zhang Rumeng tugged at Chen Jingjing's clothes, heading toward Chen Fan's position.

Chen Jingjing was pulled two steps before she stopped. Her small hands clenched into fists, and she suddenly spun around, a chill flashing in her eyes as she stared at Nalan Tian and Nalan Yun, speaking word by word: "My brother was indeed reckless before, but that doesn't give you the right to gossip. Who do you think you are? So what if you're at Foundation Establishment?"

The last two questions were almost a cold shout. Chen Jingjing had reverted to her old self—she never backed down.

Inside the cocoon of light, Chen Fan's eyes were shut tight, but the corner of his mouth curled into a faint smile. The spiritual energy cocoon outside him spun faster and faster.

Zhang Rumeng's mouth fell open slightly. She hadn't expected Chen Jingjing to react like this.

Nalan Yun was momentarily stunned, then shook her head with a disdainful laugh.

"Chen Jingjing, are you learning from your brother to talk big now? Foundation Establishment Realm? Let me tell you—it's a height everyone here can hardly reach."

At Nalan Yun's words, many disciples showed displeasure. They had trained in the Inner Court for a long time, and here was Nalan Yun, barely at Qi Refining Layer 4, daring to spout nonsense even if her brother had reached Foundation Establishment.

Even the two sword cultivator disciples from the Immortal Sect frowned slightly, but they remained silent, coldly staring at the cocoon of light within the formation.

"Whether it's big talk or not, you'll know once my brother comes out." Chen Jingjing said coldly.

"Chen Jingjing, you're still the same as ever. I like women with thorns. Foundation Establishment may not let me do much, but it's enough to do whatever I want with you. The sword formation is about to shatter—you, and you, won't escape my Five Finger Mountain." Nalan Tian sneered, pointing a finger at Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng, a hint of greed in his eyes.

Crack!

At that moment, a sound came from all five giant swords. Cracks appeared on their blades. Chen Fan's cultivation wasn't enough to create longer-lasting Sword Talismans.

Everyone turned to look. The sword formation was about to break. They all knew this was a pointless fight. Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng weren't even worth their attention—only the person inside that cocoon of light was their target.

"Haha, the sword formation is about to shatter. Let's see how long you can keep up your sharp tongues." Nalan Yun said with a full smile, looking at Chen Jingjing and the others.

Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng's faces went pale. They could stand unafraid of these people, but Chen Fan was still in his cultivation state. If he were interrupted, the consequences would be dire. Moreover, the two sword cultivators from the Immortal Sect exuded a faint, dangerous aura—both at Foundation Establishment Early Stage, yet stronger than Nalan Tian.

Crack!

More brittle sounds followed. The cracks on the giant swords grew more numerous.

Nalan Tian and Nalan Yun's smiles widened, while Chen Jingjing and the others' faces darkened.

Boom!

Soon, a loud crash rang out. The five giant swords exploded, shattering into fragments that scattered in the wind.

"Kill!" The two sword cultivators from the Immortal Sect snorted coldly, raising their swords and charging toward Chen Fan's cocoon of light.

Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng's expressions changed. They moved to block, but Nalan Tian acted too. Several water orbs slammed down in front of them, forcing them to stop.

"Where do you think you're going?" A sinister light flashed in Nalan Tian's eyes as he slammed his True Essence Power into the ground.

Earth Sinking Technique!

The ground beneath Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng suddenly shifted, turning soft as a quagmire. Countless mud hands reached up from the earth, firmly gripping their feet.

Unlike Lin Shang, Nalan Tian's Earth Sinking Technique had reached minor mastery—he didn't need to channel True Essence Power to maintain it.

Seeing Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng trapped, he walked over with a smug smile.

Thud!

A dull sound rang out. Nalan Tian and the others turned their heads. The two sword cultivators' sword strikes hit the cocoon of light, but were deflected by the rapidly flowing spiritual energy.

"That spiritual energy feels familiar." One of the sword cultivators frowned.

"Playing tricks at death's door. We have other matters to attend to—we need to kill him quickly." The other's eyes turned cold.

Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng, however, relaxed slightly at the sight. This spiritual energy cocoon was actually protecting Chen Fan.

"You two better worry about yourselves first. Chen Fan is doomed today." Seeing them breathe easier, Nalan Tian couldn't help but snort coldly.

"What do you think you're doing? Heavy Sword Peak has its own rules—you have no right to use force against us." Zhang Rumeng watched Nalan Tian draw closer, then turned her anxious gaze to the many disciples behind him and shouted loudly, "Fellow disciples of Heavy Sword Peak, are you just going to stand by and do nothing? Can't you see this lecher's intentions?"

As Zhang Rumeng's words left her mouth, the disciples stirred restlessly. Though Nalan Tian was now Vice Peak Master, they harbored no genuine respect for him in their hearts—after all, his past conduct and reputation had never been particularly good.

"Peak Master Yang only told us to capture them—he never said anything about this kind of humiliation," one disciple muttered quietly.

"That's right. Besides, Jingjing and Rumeng are still maidens. It was Chen Fan who colluded with the Demon Sect—they have nothing to do with it. If they suffer this kind of disgrace today, their purity will be ruined," another chimed in.

"Maybe we should go get Senior Brother," someone suggested.

But before the crowd could agree, a sharp rebuke rang out.

"How dare you! You show disrespect to Peak Master Nalan, and now you want to leave without permission—are you trying to betray the sect?" The voice came from Nalan Yun, a mere Qi Refining Layer 4 ornament of a woman. But Nalan Tian's strength gave her the audacity to let her viperous nature fully erupt.

"Nalan Yun, what gives you the right to speak to your senior brothers and sisters like that?" A female disciple, long dissatisfied, shot back.

"You—" Nalan Yun's face darkened, but just as she was about to retort, Nalan Tian spoke.

"Anyone who leaves without permission will be executed on the spot." Nalan Tian's voice crashed like thunder against the disciples' chests, and the cold gleam in his eyes stabbed like swords at their throats, leaving them furious but silenced. Such was the pressure of a Foundation Establishment Realm expert—suffocating, inescapable.

Nalan Yun laughed with the arrogance of a fox borrowing a tiger's might, shooting a provocative glare at the female disciple.

"Since Peak Master Nalan is our Heavy Sword Peak's Vice Peak Master, his words carry the same weight as Peak Master Yang's. We must obey." Immediately, a fence-sitting disciple spoke up.

"That's right. Peak Master Nalan has his own way of doing things—we just need to follow orders." Several disciples nodded in agreement.

"Anyone who dares leave without permission shows disrespect to Peak Master Nalan and disloyalty to Heavy Sword Peak."

Nalan Tian watched the crowd, and when he saw those who had wanted to leave slowly lower their heads, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng were crushed with disappointment. They hadn't expected Heavy Sword Peak to harbor so many petty people. If the disciples had stood united to stop Nalan Tian's lawlessness, even a Vice Peak Master wouldn't dare slaughter so many. But there were too many self-serving sycophants, leaving even those who disapproved powerless.

A lecherous glint in his eyes, Nalan Tian turned and slowly walked up to Chen Jingjing. He reached out, gently brushing a strand of her dark hair, and said in a low voice:

"Of course I won't use force. I'm just locking you up so you can't escape."

"Nalan Tian..." Chen Jingjing's face turned pale with rage, her lips trembling. She clutched a Talisman in her hand, True Qi surging forth, and with a hiss, slapped the Talisman toward Nalan Tian.

But Nalan Tian conjured a curtain of water out of thin air, effortlessly blocking Chen Jingjing's attack.

"Despicable." Zhang Rumeng's sword thrust forward as well, but with her feet trapped by the Earth Sinking Technique, the strike posed no threat to Nalan Tian, and was likewise blocked by the water barrier around him.

"Two years apart, and you've both reached Qi Refining Seventh Layer—faster than I expected. But what can you do against a Foundation Establishment cultivator?" Nalan Tian's eyes brimmed with unrestrained glee as he threw Chen Jingjing's earlier words back at her.

"Ssh!"

Just then, a shift occurred at Chen Fan's position. The spiritual energy on the cocoon suddenly began to dissipate, and the speed of its rotation sharply slowed. The two sword cultivators frowned, True Essence Power surging onto their longswords as they slashed at the weakened cocoon.

But a vast force flowed like water within the cocoon, threatening to burst forth.

"Clang!"

Both swords, carrying immense sword light, struck the cocoon simultaneously with a crisp ring. The cocoon split open on impact, covered in a dense web of cracks.

Yet the two sword cultivators' faces suddenly changed, and they shouted in unison: "Fall back!"