"Whoosh!!!"
Just then, the blades that had only been able to pierce Xu Taiping's feet abruptly lengthened, impaling his entire body.
One long saber even skewered him whole, its tip emerging from the crown of his head.
This time, Xu Taiping, who had not screamed once from beginning to end, let out his first agonized cry of "Ah!"
That cry made the hearts of all three hundred Azure Dragon Armor warriors clench.
Especially Dugu Qingxiao, Zhao Linglong, and the others.
This was their first time going out to train with Xu Taiping, so when they saw him actually enduring the torment of a thousand cuts as he advanced step by step, both of them froze in place.
Only this scream jolted them awake.
"Senior Brother, Senior Sister, help Junior Brother. Please, help Junior Brother!"
Her voice thick with tears, Zhao Linglong pleaded with Dugu Qingxiao within the formation.
After a moment of silence, Dugu Qingxiao bit his lip hard and sent his voice to Zhao Linglong:
"Junior Sister, don't panic. Don't panic."
As he transmitted his voice to Zhao Linglong, Dugu Qingxiao was filled with self-reproach, for he discovered how powerless he was in the face of his junior brother's plight.
"Ah!..."
Just then.
Xu Taiping, impaled on the blade, suddenly gripped one end of it and forcefully pushed his body off it, little by little.
Because his true essence had been sealed, he could only push his body off the blade very slowly, multiplying the pain he suffered several times over.
Yet no matter how fierce that pain became, his hands never stopped.
"Thud!..."
At last, Xu Taiping managed to push his body, riddled with holes, off the blade's tip and fell to the ground.
"Whoosh!"
The instant he landed, several more sharp blades burst out of the earth,