Black Lotus was unlike ordinary Immortal Thief organizations. They had organization and discipline.
They even had a leader who left no loose ends, a half-step Immortal Sect Master named Yunzhongzi.
Black Lotus always planned carefully before acting.
Over the past five hundred years, they had committed thousands of crimes, large and small. Only a dozen or so had left evidence behind, but they had never been caught, and the bounties on their heads remained far below what their strength warranted.
In the East Floating Immortal District, where Bamboo Spring Sect was located, Black Lotus had a fearsome reputation.
All the immortals and Immortal Commoners here knew that Black Lotus might not be the most powerful Immortal Thief organization, but—
Black Lotus never got caught!
In truth, Black Lotus had been eyeing this prime territory of Bamboo Spring Sect for decades.
Once they took the place and found evidence that Liu Xuanye was a witch, they could clear their names completely with the help of White Lotus Sect, return to the sect, and take over Bamboo Spring Sect as its branch sect master.
They had been laying the groundwork for this for a long time.
At last, tonight, they had waited for this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.
But now...
They sensed something out of the ordinary.
An unforeseen variable.
A mortal.
A baffling mortal.
At first, the eleven members of Black Lotus found it absurd.
But then they thought about it. A mortal on an immortal battlefield, eating cake and drinking tea as if no one else were there, even impatiently urging the immortals to hurry up and fight—
Was this person an idiot?
The eleven members of Black Lotus didn't think so.
Especially since this person was immune to Liu Xuanye's witch constitution. How could he possibly be an idiot?
Could Liu Xuanye have laid some sort of trap?
Was she waiting for them to make a move?
"Something's off."
The old woman immediately warned the others, without waiting for the half-step Immortal Sect Master hidden in the clouds to say anything.
"Everyone, be careful. Use your spiritual senses to observe, keep your distance, and don't act rashly."
On Sword Terrace.
Nightfall and starlight intertwined.
Suddenly, Liu Xuanye opened her exquisite eyes.
A long, narrow, azure sword seal suddenly appeared at the center of her brow, which was as lovely as snow-capped mountain peaks.
It was as if eyes had suddenly opened in an ink-wash painting, revealing a trace of indomitable divinity.
Above her head.
Eleven Green Light Sword Shadows appeared one after another, hanging upside down and circling around her. They rang out with a metallic chime, giving off a light like Xingtian's from beyond the cosmos, illuminating the night sky.
"Senior Sister, protect my formation."
"Understood."
Looking at the azure sword formation lighting up the night sky, Lu Ya suddenly felt that this woman was kind of cool. He couldn't help wanting to sit back and watch her show, with no desire to interfere at all.
He also wanted to see where this woman's limits lay. It was like the countless times he'd fought back from a sliver of health in the game: only when people were pushed to their limits could they shine with their brightest light...
He wouldn't go around solving everyone's problems and taking everything onto his own shoulders just because he was invincible. He would only step in if Liu Xuanye really couldn't win.
Watching women fight was just so much fun!
Besides, with him here, Liu Xuanye couldn't possibly be in any danger. This was the Immortal Realm, where strength ruled. Being overly protective of a woman would only make him seem second-rate.
At that moment, Ning Zhongzi formed a hand seal with one hand, channeling power to protect Liu Xuanye's formation. Without turning around, she said to Lu Ya:
"Take Muyu Feifei and the others to sit at the back."
Munching on his cake, Lu Ya obediently followed her orders and scooped up both girls with one hand.
He stopped only when they reached a spot near the bamboo grove. He found a clean stone, brushed off the dust, and sat down.
Thinking it would be boring to watch alone, he also woke the two girls Ning Zhongzi had knocked unconscious.
The girls rubbed their foreheads, still groggy and fuming about what had happened.
"You wicked old nurse! You got to enjoy the show, but you wouldn't let us watch. You're shameless!"
"I'm almost six hundred years old. What's wrong with watching a man?"
Lu Ya had no words for them, so he put on a frightening expression and said:
"We're all about to die. Aren't you two scared?"
Only then did the girls realize that the sect master had already summoned her sword formation. They were scared to death, but still said:
"If even a mortal like you isn't afraid, why should we be?"
"Then why are your little chubby legs shaking?"
"Because we're hungry. Give us some cake."
The Fairy Cake was so awful that Lu Ya gave them a small piece of his.
As the girls ate, tears began rolling down their cheeks, even though they still had cake in their mouths.
"Waaah, I don't want to die..."
Lu Ya hadn't expected her to strike first.
Liu Xuanye stood with her hands behind her back. With a wave of her hand, the eleven Green Light Sword Shadows above her head flew out one after another.
They swelled against the wind, turning in the blink of an eye into eleven towering swords that lit up the entire bamboo grove.
They all stabbed toward the Immortal Boat hanging in the air!
"Something's fishy."
Facing Liu Xuanye's wounded yet aggressive attack, the eleven were especially cautious.
"Sword formation!"
The eleven immediately scattered into a ring formation and summoned eleven immortal swords.
"Black Lotus, Snow-Slaying Sword!"
"Black Lotus, Moon-Grabbing Sword!"
"Black Lotus, Thunder-Chasing Sword!"
"Black Lotus..."
Eleven tangible swords and eleven Green Light Sword Shadows clashed fiercely in the air.
The night sky ahead of Sword Terrace was suddenly a dizzying whirl of light and shadow. Swords flew and struck, while people shouted, one sound following another without pause.
Liu Xuanye fought one against eleven, yet for a time they were evenly matched, neither side gaining the upper hand.
Lu Ya was a little surprised. He took a closer look.
Liu Xuanye's Sword Qi was indeed exquisite. Even judged by his max-level standards, it deserved a passing mark. Her swordsmanship was far beyond that of an Immortal Master.
Her sword heart was pure.
Her sword skills were exquisite.
She wasn't using the power of the restriction inside her at all, and she was still enduring the agonizing pain it caused. On top of that, she was injured—like someone dancing with both hands and feet in shackles.
Yet her breathing remained steady, and her mind as still as an ancient well.
Her talent was simply incredible!
Only then did Lu Ya understand why Liu Xuanye had launched an attack while injured: she wanted the enemy to grow more cautious and afraid to act rashly, leaving them to defend from a distance where they couldn't make use of their numerical advantage.
If they dared to attack her at close range, then no matter how skilled Liu Xuanye's swordsmanship was, her cultivation was still what it was. Fighting one against eleven, she couldn't hold out for long.
Meanwhile—
Ning Zhongzi was constantly channeling healing power into her from behind, working with remarkable proficiency.
At first, she used things like the Heart-Clearing Incantation, Blood-Replenishing Grass Formula, and Immortal Spirit Fruit Formula. Soon, she started using all sorts of experimental black medicines that even Lu Ya had never seen.
These medicines had considerable side effects, but their concoction methods were bizarre, and their effects were truly potent.
Gazing at her curvaceous figure, Lu Ya couldn't help thinking: What outrageous healing power!
Before long.
With Liu Xuanye and Ning Zhongzi working together perfectly, their sword skills and healing power gave them the upper hand.
They beat the eleven members of Black Lotus into a steady retreat, forcing them to keep falling back toward the Immortal Boat and draw in their defensive line.
Seeing this, the two girls soon stopped crying, and even the cake in their mouths started tasting good.
"Wow, is the sect master really this powerful?"
"We're going to win! We're going to win!"
In the night sky.
The eleven members of Black Lotus were a little dazed from being beaten by the two women.
The witch's power they'd been expecting hadn't appeared.
Instead, Liu Xuanye's swordsmanship and Ning Zhongzi's healing had teamed up to beat them into a wretched state.
"Is this woman really only a nine-star Immortal Master?"
"Ning Zhongzi's medicine techniques are an endless abyss..."
"If this keeps up, we might be the first to run out of strength."
"This is humiliating!"
"What's humiliating about it? She's a witch!"
The old woman hurriedly shouted:
"Change tactics. Find the witch's weakness so Senior Brother Yunzhongzi can finish her off without risk."
At that moment, an old man in the formation said:
"An abnormality in the sky like this might have been spotted by more than just us. People from nearby immortal sects will arrive soon. This woman's attack is just a bluff to buy time."
"With so many of us, we can't bring our strength to bear at long range."
"Are we preparing to fight at close quarters?"
"We have no choice. As long as we shut our eyes and ears and guide our swords with our spiritual senses, the witch won't affect us."
"Could there be a mountain-protecting formation?"
"Bamboo Spring Sect's mountain-protecting formation was destroyed a thousand years ago. Liu Xuanye didn't have enough cultivation to sustain it when she became sect master."
After discussing it, the old woman shouted:
"Break the sword formation. Maximize your defenses, and attack from the east, west, south, north, and the fifth position... Qifeng, Chen Gu, go capture that mortal and the two Tiger Immortals."
"Understood!"
The old woman put her mask back on.
The eleven immediately scattered. They kept using their swords to hold back the Green Light Sword Shadows while attacking from the east, west, south, north, and the fifth position, just as the old woman had ordered.
Two of them even charged straight at Lu Ya!
Liu Xuanye's gaze sharpened, but she gave no sign.
Ning Zhongzi drew her sword, ready for close combat.
"Is it time?"
The moment the eleven attacked Sword Terrace from all directions and closed in on Liu Xuanye and the others—
Countless sword lights poured out of Liu Xuanye's body!
Like a red sun bursting through the dawn clouds, like a silver bottle shattering and its contents gushing forth, in an instant, millions of white sword lights pierced the eleven and riddled their bodies like sieves.
A torrential rain of blood fell through the night sky.
Of the eleven members of Black Lotus, four died on the spot, while the other seven were badly injured and fell onto Sword Terrace.
If those seven hadn't had higher cultivation and powerful defensive treasures equipped, they would all have been wiped out by now!
At the same time, the sword lights had burst out through Liu Xuanye's body, leaving her gravely wounded and drained of strength. She dropped to one knee on Sword Terrace.
Those white sword lights... were they the mountain-protecting formation?
Even Lu Ya was impressed by Liu Xuanye's move!
Only then did the seven wounded men realize that the mountain-protecting formation of Bamboo Spring Sect, which had vanished a thousand years ago, had actually been hidden inside Liu Xuanye's body to suppress the witch's power.
"She really is a witch!"
The seven had lost their ability to fight. They barely managed to sit up, channeling power where they sat and frantically gulping down pills to protect themselves. They all looked up at the dark clouds overhead and spread their divine sense.
"Your turn, Senior Brother."
Ning Zhongzi's expression was as cold as ice.
Liu Xuanye forced herself to her feet and looked up into the clouds.
An awe-inspiring immortal voice, carrying the might of heaven, descended from the clouds—
"Clearly, I shouldn't have underestimated you!"
Before the words had even faded, a terrifying spiritual pressure instantly enveloped the mountaintop. A gale roared, ravaging every blade of grass and every tree in Bamboo Spring Sect, and pinning everyone in place.
The two girls passed out on the spot.
Lu Ya, however, kept munching on his cake.
In Ancient Immortal Court, a nine-star Immortal Master was level 29, while a half-step Immortal Sect Master was level 30. It looked like a difference of only one level, but they were half a major realm apart, and their power differed by a full fivefold!
With such overwhelming strength, and yet he'd stayed hidden in the clouds until now...
Were you some kind of cowardly hero?
The awe-inspiring immortal voice in the clouds spoke again:
"Although you've reached your limit too, capturing you is still too dangerous. I've changed my mind."
A streak of white light flashed.
Lotus patterns flowed.
A sword flew out from the clouds!
The extremely thin, slender silver sword burst through the air, light flaring all around it as it shrieked toward them. Dark white lotus patterns shimmered across the surrounding night sky.
Was he trying to silence them all?
Ning Zhongzi clutched her chest. Having depleted too much of her strength and been pinned down by spiritual pressure on the level of an Immortal Sect Master, she could no longer move. Even speaking was difficult.
"Lo... Lotus Pattern Sword!"
The Lotus Pattern Sword wasn't especially fast, yet it carried an oppressive force that could neither be resisted nor evaded. Wrapped in howling astral winds, it shot straight toward Liu Xuanye.
Liu Xuanye had already exhausted her strength, but she had no power left to open a teleportation array. Instead...
She gently closed her eyes.
The sword mark between her brows faded. The stars suddenly dimmed, and within the Immortal Platform, an Abyss Restriction that seemed to have come from the Primordial Era began to seethe.
Ning Zhongzi knew what Liu Xuanye intended, but she could no longer stop her.
The Lotus Pattern Sword sped faster and faster, silver light blazing along its length as it pierced the air with a shrill whistle, bearing down with the irresistible spiritual pressure of an Immortal Sect Master!
At this critical moment—
Ning Zhongzi suddenly darted forward and leaped in front of Liu Xuanye.
"Senior Sister!"
Liu Xuanye's face went deathly pale.
The Lotus Pattern Sword came to an abrupt halt.
Its razor-sharp blade hung in midair, a mere inch from Ning Zhongzi's chest, unable to advance another fraction.
The wind stopped.
The sword halted.
Everyone froze in shock.
A curious voice came from behind them—
"Your sword is really pretty."
A note from the author after the story's completion: If you don't like the somewhat clichéd face-slapping in the earlier chapters, you can skip ahead to Chapter 0048. The story's pacing is completely different from then on!
Before you continue