A Mere Earth Chicken and Broken Tile

Zhou Chen blinked, thinking she misheard. Across from her, Liao Xiaojin let out a roar. The flying sword, appearing like purple amethyst, shot from his mouth. Nine golden stripes on the sword flashed, splitting into nine streams of purple-gold light, each about a foot wide and ten feet long. They slashed down at the one woman and three men. The immense roar shook the ground within a ten-meter radius, a display of unparalleled might.

Liao Xiaojin knew Zhou Qing's personality well: "If no one offends me, I'll still offend them from time to time. If someone offends me, I'll wipe out their entire clan." It was a true reflection of Zhou Qing's character. So, the moment Zhou Qing spoke, Liao Xiaojin knew a full-blown fight was about to erupt.

Even Zhou Qing, an expert in weapon refinement, couldn't figure out the variables of Liao Xiaojin's flying sword. Since it became a sword, Liao Xiaojin had only used it for cultivation or against the Eight Extremes Wolf King once. However, at that time, Liao Xiaojin had only been practicing the Soaring Sword Qi Art for three days and hadn't even grasped the basics, let alone unleashed the full power of this peculiar flying sword. This was its first real battle. Even Zhou Qing, watching the sword's might, was secretly astonished.

Zhou Chen snapped back to reality with a delicate cry! The flying sword Zhou Qing had given her transformed into a two-zhang long stream of clear light, slashing towards the girl holding the Bagua mirror. Angered by the girl's sudden attack on her sister, Zhou Chen unleashed her full power. However, the might was clearly less terrifying than Liao Xiaojin's, with only one stream of sword light, unlike Liao Xiaojin's nine streams that enveloped all four opponents.

Zhou Can knew her cultivation was insufficient. Despite diligent practice these days, she had only just reached the Early Phase of the Qi Induction Stage. She couldn't help at all in the ongoing battle and could only tightly grip the Heavenly Seal Zhou Qing had given her, ready to strike whoever showed an opening with a piece of iron.

Seeing the might of Liao Xiaojin's sword strike, Zhou Can thought to herself: This big brother, who usually acts so flippant, I never saw him as so capable. He's actually this powerful.

Zhou Qing was also inwardly surprised: Liao Xiaojin clearly hasn't reached the stage of splitting sword light yet. How can he split out nine streams of sword light just by relying on that peculiar flying sword in his hand? Zhou Qing found it incredibly unbelievable.

The three men and one woman on the other side also hadn't expected that the two people who had been so respectful just moments ago would suddenly attack. Their faces changed faster than flipping a book. They were flustered, but after all, they were disciples of renowned sects, and their training paid off. In an instant, they calmed down. The three men roared in unison, and streams of purple, cyan, and red light flew into the air. Hundreds of these tri-colored lights formed a massive shield, protecting the four of them.

Liao Xiaojin's nine streams of purple-gold sword qi slashed! Slash! Slash! onto the shield, emitting a loud metallic clang. The tri-colored shield visibly sagged downwards, clearly unable to withstand the immense force of Liao Xiaojin's sword qi.

Pfft! Within the tri-colored shield, a flash of blood-red light appeared. It was evident that someone had sprayed their own vital essence to boost the power of their magic artifact. The tri-colored shield suddenly expanded, and Liao Xiaojin's nine streams of sword qi vanished as if they had fallen into a bottomless abyss. Zhou Chen's sword qi had no effect whatsoever.

The cultivation levels of these individuals were originally similar, all around the Mid Phase of the Qi Induction Stage. They were relying entirely on their magic artifacts to compete. Liao Xiaojin, relying on the abilities of his peculiar flying sword and his sudden attack, still failed to eliminate anyone! This showed that the other three's magic artifacts were also extraordinary.

Zhou Qing circulated his Primordial Spirit and had already seen clearly. The objects emitting the tri-colored light that formed the shield were three strange bracelets floating in the air, made of neither gold, nor iron, nor jade. They were clearly a set of magic artifacts.

This set of magic artifacts is no ordinary item! It's perfect for the three of them to use. I'll take that Bagua mirror. Zhou Qing had already mentally allocated the treasures. Since they were like fish in a net, Zhou Qing wasn't in a hurry. It would be good for Liao Xiaojin and Zhou Chen to gain some practical combat experience.

"Wicked cultists, you're really risking your lives!" a furious roar came from within the shield. "Do you really dare to rebel! Mystic Eight Trigrams! Go!"

A flash of golden light, and the tri-colored shield split open. The four figures, their faces contorted in rage, revealed themselves. A man covered in bloodstains shouted, "Good! You monsters dare to attack members of our Dragon Group! You must be tired of living! I'll capture you and skin you alive!" It seemed this unfortunate man was the one who had sprayed his vital essence to activate the magic artifact.

"Why waste words with these wicked cultists? Let's, my fellow disciples, attack together and kill them! Junior Sister! Activate the Mystic Eight Trigrams Formation with all your might!" another man said sternly.

The girl continuously formed hand seals. The palm-sized Bagua mirror emitted thousands of golden rays, slowly rising into the air.

At the same time, the three men spat out their flying swords with a clang! and thrust them towards Liao Xiaojin and Zhou Chen. Liao Xiaojin remained fearless, using his immensely powerful flying sword to stubbornly entangle the three sword lights. With Zhou Chen also flanking and harassing with her flying sword, the two of them against three, they were surprisingly holding their ground. The five of them engaged in a back-and-forth battle, neither side able to gain the upper hand for a time.

Zhou Qing nodded inwardly: It seems training them was the right decision. Look, they're wielding their flying swords more and more smoothly, aren't they? While Zhou Can watched the five duel with their flying swords, Zhou Qing focused his attention on the girl's Bagua mirror. In an instant, the Bagua mirror grew to the size of a washbasin, and a massive golden Bagua phantom, fully three zhang square, appeared from within the mirror. Chiii!!! Chii!! Eight gilded rays of light fell around the surrounding forest, then melted into the air.

"Sigh! I, this sect leader, am the ancestor of formations. Your Mystic Eight Trigrams Formation is exquisite, but in my eyes, it's nothing but a pile of trash! I can't let you complete this formation and disturb their sword fight!" Zhou Qing muttered softly.

With a casual toss, eight jade talismans were distributed around the forest. With a spin, the eight golden rays, which had already merged into the void, were forcibly pulled out and absorbed into the jade talismans. The emerald jade talismans instantly emitted a gilded light, looking remarkably beautiful.

Ever since the Blood-Devouring Divine Saber had regained its miraculous function, Zhou Qing had spent his days cultivating and immersing himself in the profound methods of deploying the Twelve Divine Demon Annihilation Formation. His understanding and application of formations had advanced by leaps and bounds. The girl's activation of the Mystic Eight Trigrams Formation using the Mystic Eight Trigrams mirror was indeed powerful. However, Zhou Qing saw through the formation's core at a glance. Using a formation to break a formation, using skill against skill, he shattered the formation's core the moment it was about to be completed, causing the great formation to collapse.

Zhou Qing rubbed his hands together, and the jade talismans turned fiery red, radiating intense heat. Purple flames, about a foot long, emerged from the talismans. Under the scorching of the purple flames, the golden light actually emitted a sizzling sound. In a short while, the flames had refined it into nothingness.

As the eight golden rays dispersed, the Mystic Eight Trigrams mirror seemed to have lost its spiritual energy, returning to its original form. It tumbled down from the air. The girl was greatly shocked, staring at Zhou Qing as if she had seen a ghost, trembling and unable to speak.

Zhou Qing didn't say much. He flicked his finger, and an invisible force struck the girl. Pfft, the girl spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted. The difference in cultivation was too vast; there was no room for resistance. One was in the Mid Phase of the Qi Induction Stage, the other in the Transformation Stage – a difference as vast as heaven and earth.