Foundation Establishment at last

Chi Yu, feeling everyone's murderous stares on him: "..."

No, you...

Are we that close?

Author's note:

1: There's plenty of prey. You can have one.

Fish: Sharing the aggro.jpg

The bit where Chiyu gives it to Xie Zhaihua—anyone who often plays with puppies knows this is tossing a Frisbee for an energetic puppy. Our Little Puppy Fish is an energetic puppy too. Seeing that 1 wouldn't catch the flower, he started playing by himself lololol

Chapter 13: Foundation Establishment at last

Chi Yu reached out and took the constantly spinning Talisman Ball.

He didn't think Xie Xiyi was being particularly nice to him. The man's nasty sense of humor had simply kicked in, and he was using him to humiliate the other side.

Though crude, the tactic worked very well, stoking the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect disciples' anger once again. "This is outrageous, absolutely outrageous! He's only got a little skill, yet he dares humiliate us like this!"

The only one who remained composed was Yan Tongchen. Looking at the man with the Ghost Mask below, he frowned slightly and singled out two disciples. "You two, go together."

Those two disciples had long been itching to act. Now that they had orders, they rushed out of the group impatiently and attacked Xie Xiyi.

This time was even more brutal. Xie Xiyi raised his sword to meet them and killed both Nascent Soul cultivators in no time.

Silence. Deathly silence. Only after a long while did someone stammer, "He's only at the Golden Core Realm."

"Is he hiding his cultivation?"

Yan Tongchen's expression darkened, all traces of gentleness vanishing. Finally, he said through gritted teeth, "All of us, together!"

There were six Nascent Soul cultivators and one Golden Core cultivator left. He paid no heed at all to the disciples Ling Tian had brought.

At that moment, Ling Tian spoke urgently. "Senior Brother Yan! You can't keep attacking!"

After watching this long, he understood. The man with the Ghost Mask excelled at bizarre methods that were impossible to guard against. It was that unknown that inspired dread. He finally understood why Yu Liuxin had fallen to him as well. In her place... he would have absolutely no chance of winning either.

He was the most reluctant to leave, but the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect had lost three Nascent Soul cultivators over this matter. This was serious. Relations between the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect and the Tianyan Sect might deteriorate completely-though they hadn't been very good to begin with.

Seeing that the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect disciples were getting far too carried away, Ling Tian couldn't help speaking up.

But no one appreciated it. One disciple snapped, "Are we supposed to just watch him run wild instead of fighting? You people from the Tianyan Sect are all cowards. We aren't! The Xuanxiao Immortal Sect's dignity must never be violated!"

Yan Tongchen stopped that disciple and said gently to Ling Tian, "This is no longer a grudge between your Tianyan Sect and this fiend. He killed three of my junior brothers. Naturally, we must kill him to give those disciples solace."

Aside from Jin Yuan, whose Nascent Soul had been captured, the other two disciples' Nascent Souls had been crushed outright by the ghost-masked cultivator. There was no room left for compromise. This was also a show of force and a provocation. How could Yan Tongchen possibly swallow that insult?

He drew the sword at his waist and gave the order solemnly. "Together."

The six Nascent Soul cultivators and one Golden Core cultivator instantly turned into streaks of light, flying toward the ghost-masked cultivator.

A Tianyan Sect disciple asked Ling Tian, "Senior brother, should we join them?"

Ling Tian said, "Not yet. They're fellow disciples and work well together. It would be unwise for us to follow recklessly."

"With six Nascent Soul cultivators attacking together this time, surely they can't lose."

"Right, we can kill that little lackey beside the fiend first."

"That would be inappropriate," Ling Tian said. "He's only a Qi Refining Stage cultivator. Perhaps he's just an ordinary person the fiend captured. Don't attack him for now."

"But they seem pretty close to me?"

As they talked, the battle changed in the blink of an eye.

Xie Xiyi flitted back and forth before Yan Tongchen and the others like a phantom. One disciple's head fell, and a white Nascent Soul emerged. Enveloped by a black Talisman Ball, it flew toward Chi Yu.

Chi Yu: "..."

Stay away from me.JPG

One disciple noticed Chi Yu and sent an arc of sword energy at him. Its oppressive force instantly pinned Chi Yu in place, leaving him unable to move. He could only watch helplessly as it closed in.

Yet when the sword pressure reached him, a light shone from Chi Yu's body, devouring both the pressure and the arc of sword energy. The disciple who had attacked him inexplicably coughed up blood. His body rapidly melted before finally exploding into a cloud of bloody mist. Even his Nascent Soul burst into specks of light that scattered toward the ground.

Yan Tongchen witnessed all of this. His pupils contracted sharply, and he shouted to Ling Tian and the others, "Junior Brother Ling! That Qi Refining Stage disciple is yours! Make sure you kill him!"

Ling Tian immediately agreed. He told the other Tianyan Sect disciples, "Stay here. I'll go alone." He paused, then continued, "If things look bad, run. A gentleman can wait ten years for revenge."

Ling Tian was beginning to feel that bringing all the disciples down the mountain had been a mistake. After assessing the situation and realizing there was no way they could kill the ghost-masked cultivator, he saw no need to keep fighting head-on. Otherwise, Lingyun Peak's lineage would die out.

Without waiting to see the disciples' reactions, he flew on his sword straight toward Chi Yu.

Xie Xiyi noticed this but made no move to save Chi Yu. He didn't even take it to heart. Under the combined assault of Yan Tongchen and the others' sword formation, he remained leisurely and at ease, as though strolling through his own back garden, taking down a Nascent Soul cultivator every so often.

Bloody mist erupted from time to time, casting a gloomy shadow over the bright sky through this one-sided slaughter.

Before long, Ling Tian flew up to Chi Yu. His sword, gleaming with cold light, was just about to swing down when a familiar voice rang out. "Holy shit, senior brother! Senior brother!!! Spare him!"

Ling Tian froze, his sword stopping as well.

Chi Yu took several steps back, moving out of Ling Tian's attack range, and asked Ling Hezhou, "He's your senior brother?"

Ling Hezhou said excitedly, "Yes, he's my senior brother! Senior brother! It's me, Ling Hezhou! Don't kill him. He saved me! If it weren't for him, I'd have died long ago!"

Ling Tian sheathed his sword and held out his hand to Chi Yu. "Give him to me."

Chi Yu hurriedly removed the earring and placed it in Ling Tian's hand. Ling Tian examined the Soul-Guarding Pearl closely and indeed saw Ling Hezhou. His solemn expression softened. "As long as you're alive."

Ling Hezhou said anxiously, "Senior brother, don't fight him! He even captured Senior Brother Qingming. He's definitely not at the Golden Core Realm! Run!"

Ling Tian froze, shocked. "Xu Qingming? He was captured by this fiend?"

Ling Hezhou said, "Yes!! Not just him, either. He captured lots of Nascent Soul cultivators! He seems to use those Nascent Souls to cultivate!"

Ling Tian instinctively denied it. "Impossible. He really is at the Golden Core Realm. That was the Myriad Phenomena Disc's prediction."

Ling Tian was so stunned that he failed to notice Yan Tongchen was the only one left of the six Nascent Soul cultivators. It was Chi Yu who noticed the battle above was nearly over and hurriedly interrupted Ling Tian and Ling Hezhou's conversation. "Stop talking! Run!"

Ling Tian came to his senses and caught Chi Yu around the waist. "We'll run together!"

Over by Xie Xiyi, the Golden Core cultivator who had come along was pinned to one side by several talisman rings, while Yan Tongchen had lost both hands to Xie Xiyi's sword. His face was full of disbelief. "Who are you!? Who exactly are you?"

From beginning to end, the aura Xie Xiyi displayed had been that of a Golden Core Realm cultivator, with no indication of concealment. Yet this Golden Core Realm cultivator had killed nine Nascent Soul cultivators! Even Xu Qingming, the foremost swordsman, couldn't accomplish that! Who on earth was this man!?

Xie Xiyi smiled delightedly. "You actually don't know who I am? Weren't all those seals and restrictions meant to imprison me?"

Yan Tongchen's face, usually so gentle and unruffled, immediately showed astonishment. "You're... you're Xie Xiyi? You got out?? Impossible! The seals haven't been disturbed at all!"

Xie Xiyi said thoughtfully, "Xie Xiyi? That's my name? Quite a nice name."

Yan Tongchen cried, "Answer me! You couldn't possibly have escaped the seals! There were dozens of them, and no one could survive five hundred years in the Nine Nether Dark River!"

"Don't lump me in with the likes of you," Xie Xiyi said cheerfully. "And are you giving me orders? A beaten dog should act like one."

With one slash, he blinded Yan Tongchen's left eye. Phantom Lightning hummed, thirsting for more. Xie Xiyi murmured, "We can't kill this one. You're too greedy."

Yan Tongchen gave a muffled groan. Xie Xiyi smiled at him. "Run. Tell your sect I've escaped. Send more Nascent Soul cultivators. Phantom Lightning is ravenous. It wants more flesh and blood."

Yan Tongchen gave him a sinister look, then fled in a streak of light without so much as glancing at the captured Golden Core disciple.

The Tianyan Sect disciples were stunned by this scene and hesitated over whether to flee as well. Then one disciple made a swift decision. "Run!"

"Senior Brother Ling-"

"Forget Senior Brother Ling! He told us to run. Hurry! As long as we're alive, there's still hope!"

Having killed nine Nascent Soul cultivators and captured one Golden Core cultivator, Xie Xiyi ignored those minor characters, not even bothering to pursue them. He landed, saw the empty patch of grass, and began humming a gentle tune.

Only after humming an entire song did he set off unhurriedly after Chi Yu.

Ling Tian covered vast distances in an instant on his flying sword, stopping only once he entered a Cultivator City guarded by a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Chi Yu told Ling Tian, "You two could've just run. You didn't have to bring me."

Ling Tian said solemnly, "Absolutely not. You saved Hezhou's life. How could I leave you beside that fiend, enduring humiliation to accommodate him?"

Though Chi Yu also thought Xie Xiyi was inhuman, he hadn't really felt he was enduring humiliation to accommodate him. Running away like this, on the other hand, might excite Xie Xiyi and make him come after him.

Ling Hezhou suddenly said, "Wait, Chi Yu, when did you reach the peak of Qi Refining??"

Chi Yu blinked. "Huh?"

Ling Tian frowned as well. "Strange. You were only at the Qi Refining Third Layer just now. When did you reach the ninth?"

Chi Yu circulated his Spiritual Power and discovered, to his astonishment, that he really had reached the peak of Qi Refining. "Holy shit, I really did. What's going on?"