No matter how Xi Ping'an tried to goad him, Celestial Lord Shuo Yang remained utterly unruffled.
Instead, he kept trying to send Ming Guangzi charging ahead while he stayed behind to support him and hold the line.
In the past, this would have been easy. Sword cultivators had always been hotheaded. Forget goading them—anyone who dared block their path to a powerful enemy would be cut down.
Unfortunately, this time Ming Guangzi had no intention of stepping forward.
After a brief exchange of barbs, Xi Ping'an and Celestial Lord Shuo Yang fell silent, each privately finding the whole thing tiresome.
"You can't beat him, even as he is now."
Ming Guangzi sighed. "And even if you kill him, you won't gain a chance to ascend to the upper realm. For that, you need a being from the upper realm—preferably one of the highest standing."
"If possible, it would be best to capture that blood-path expert's avatar alive."
He looked at Xi Ping'an.
Capture the blood-path expert's avatar alive.
It was a wild fantasy!
When the avatar was strong, they would die the moment they showed themselves. When it was weak, it would hide, and no one could possibly find it.
A being that had lived for tens of thousands of years was cold and cunning. It had no pride to wound; cursing eighteen generations of his ancestors would not stir the slightest ripple in his heart.
The only time the blood-path expert's avatar would appear again was after he had recovered his strength—and grown even stronger.
The nature of Void Refining gave him that ability: he could transform the chaotic void into spiritual energy to restore himself, especially when restoring an avatar below the Void Refining level.
But Xi Ping'an might be different.
He had a good father, one who