Lin Xiaoyue nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Damn that old man Su Bai—he really wanted to mess with her?
After all these years, she had never been played like this.
Just as she was about to explode in fury, a streak of green light shot out from Su Bai’s hand and landed precisely in her palm.
It was a golden bracelet, emanating a mysterious aura that clearly marked it as extraordinary.
“A top-grade magical artifact!”
Lin Xiaoyue gasped sharply.
Even her mid-grade Jade Bracelet was her most treasured item, something she kept hidden. As for top-grade artifacts—she hadn’t even seen many, let alone owned one.
And yet this old man was this wealthy?
Wasn’t he just an old menial laborer?
In her heart, Su Bai grew increasingly mysterious. His whole image became hazy and unpredictable, impossible to pin down.
But regardless, this top-grade artifact arrived just in time to save her.
In an instant, the Vajra Bracelet burst into golden light, enveloping her body. The golden lotus descending from the sky was immediately deflected.
The Vajra Bracelet was a top-grade magical artifact capable of withstanding attacks at the Foundation Establishment Realm. Even though that lotus was Murong Mingzhu’s ultimate technique, it couldn’t break through its defense.
“How is this possible?!”
Murong Mingzhu cried out in disbelief, her face filled with shock.
She never imagined that the mysterious old man could even pull out a top-grade defensive artifact!
“Now, the situation has completely reversed!”
Lin Xiaoyue flew forward instantly, closing in on Murong Mingzhu. The twin-headed golden python charged in to protect its master, but was knocked aside by a single sword strike.
As a sword cultivator known for terrifying offensive power, Lin Xiaoyue had no reason to fear close combat. In such a situation, Murong Mingzhu stood no chance.
One strike!
The sharp blade instantly shattered the golden light surrounding Murong Mingzhu’s magical robe.
“Escape!”
Murong Mingzhu crushed a jade talisman, and in the blink of an eye, she reappeared ten meters away. It was an Earth Escape Talisman—her ultimate life-saving treasure.
In such a desperate situation, this charm had saved her life.
“I admit defeat.”
Murong Mingzhu was someone who valued honor. She knew that if the fight continued, she had no chance of winning and would only end up embarrassed. Admitting defeat now was at least a graceful exit.
Lin Xiaoyue nodded and didn’t press further.
This battle had taken a toll on her. You are reading on novelping.com, the official source.
If not for Su Bai’s timely gift, she likely would’ve lost.
Even her victory now felt like a stroke of luck.
If she had pushed too hard, Murong Mingzhu might’ve pulled out some hidden trump card, and a life-or-death fight would’ve only ended with both of them seriously wounded.
Regardless, Lin Xiaoyue had won.
The disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect erupted in cheers, and the three elders of Spirit Sword Peak let out a sigh of relief.
At least this match hadn’t brought shame to the sect.
“How could this happen?!”
Wang Qing, the elder of the Beast Taming Sect, looked grim.
He had deliberately provoked the fight between Murong Mingzhu and the Azure Cloud Sect to create chaos and find an opportunity to assassinate Murong Mingzhu.
But he hadn’t expected Lin Xiaoyue to actually defeat her—and without killing her.
If either of these two geniuses had died, war between the two sects would’ve been inevitable. And in the chaos, Murong Mingzhu would’ve been easy to finish off.
But now? A peaceful end?
That was the last thing Wang Qing wanted.
“Despicable!”
“Shameless Azure Cloud Sect! A duel between two disciples, and you dare support her with a top-grade magical artifact?!”
“You, old man—give me your life!”
Wang Qing glared furiously at Su Bai. He knew Lin Xiaoyue was a genius and too closely protected to attack, but killing a lowly horse-handling elder? That was much easier.
Su Bai might be just an outer sect disciple, but he was still from Azure Cloud Sect. Killing him would still provoke a sect war.
Just as Wang Qing lunged toward Su Bai, the horse standing beside Su Bai suddenly reared up, landing heavily on its front legs in a bizarre and intimidating stance.
“A sneak attack?!”
“No honor at all! Attacking a seventy-year-old elder in broad daylight?!”
Su Bai had let his guard down and nearly got slashed by Wang Qing’s sword.
Fortunately, the Horse King standing next to him served as his bodyguard.
This dragon-blooded beast had the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment Realm, and with a single kick, it sent Wang Qing flying.
The Azure Cloud Sect disciples were stunned.
Even the Beast Taming Sect disciples were dumbfounded.
That old man’s horse… was actually a Foundation Establishment-level beast?!
Who’s the real Beast Taming Sect here?
Using a beast like that just to pull a cart? What a waste of divine resources!
“Damned bastard…”
Wang Qing spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression ferocious.
With a sudden wave of his hand, a massive green flag soared into the sky.
The moment it appeared, all the demonic beasts brought by the Beast Taming Sect grew agitated. Their eyes turned blood-red as if they had gone mad.
“Old scoundrel! You dare insult me—I’ll kill you today!”
In a frenzy for revenge, Wang Qing lost control. He intended to unleash a beast tide.
They had brought over a hundred demonic beasts. If they charged now, Azure Cloud Sect would suffer massive casualties.
Su Bai looked helpless.
What a mess. He hadn’t done anything. The old man had tried to sneak attack him, got kicked by his horse, and now wanted to take it out on him?
“What did I do to deserve this? Why am I always the one to get screwed?”
Su Bai sighed and muttered self-indulgently, “Maybe it’s because I’m just too handsome—people get jealous.”
The three elders of Spirit Sword Peak were nearly going mad.
They never imagined that Wang Qing would be this insane.
Summoning a beast tide in such a setting—this was a declaration of war!
“Brothers, help me hold them off!”
“No matter what, we must protect our disciples!”
Although Elder Yu Jian was known for embezzlement and selfishness, in moments like this, he knew what mattered.
If most of their outer sect disciples died here, the Grand Elder would likely chop their heads off. For the sake of their own lives, they had to fight to the end.
“This is bad! There’s only three of us, and they have hundreds of beasts. We can’t stop them!”
“Even if we send a distress message, reinforcements won’t make it in time!”
At such a critical moment, Azure Cloud Sect’s disciples scattered in panic.
Only Su Bai stood there calmly amidst the chaos.
“Sigh… it looks like when the sect is in danger, it still falls on this old man to save the day.”