Chapter 41: A Clash with the White Peacock Sect

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: A Clash with the White Peacock Sect

Ye Xuan stood frozen for a moment, his hand still gripping the red sword he had taken from the altar.

If what Qingyu had said was true, then those people should be cultivators from the Dao Sword Sect.

Even so, there was something Ye Xuan couldn’t understand.

Why had they arrived at such a convenient moment, just as Qingyu was reunited with Ling Yuxia? And why had their qi auras been detected immediately after Ye Xuan pulled the red sword from the altar?

Only two possibilities came to mind. The first was that they weren’t from the Dao Sword Sect but were merely disciples of a sect allied with it.

This possibility was plausible because Ye Xuan remembered that a sect was located near the Sword Graveyard Desert, even closer to the desert than the Dao Sword Sect itself.

The second possibility was that they really were from the Dao Sword Sect, but were merely outer disciples assigned to guard the territory.

Perhaps they had come because Ye Xuan had triggered something in this place, sending a qi signal directly to them.

Are they from the Dao Sword Sect?

[I can’t be certain, but their auras feel quite familiar.]

From another direction, three cultivators stood atop their flying swords, dressed in white-and-blue sect robes.

Ye Xuan looked up at them, his eyes narrowing sharply as he stored the red sword from the altar in his bag of holding.

When they noticed his movements and then glanced toward the altar, their expressions immediately turned stern as they fixed their gazes on Ye Xuan.

It seemed the three of them had already figured out what had happened here.

"Fellow Daoist, were you the one who took the red sword from that altar?" one of them asked.

"If so, could you hand it over to us? We’ll compensate you with a Profound-Stage technique," the man offered.

"I’m sorry, Fellow Daoist. I took the red sword because I’ve already promised to give it to a friend of mine," Ye Xuan replied.

"It seems I can’t accept your offer, Fellow Daoist."

Ye Xuan continued watching them. They wanted the sword, and there were three of them, each radiating the aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Given the situation, Ye Xuan had to accept that a fight between them might be inevitable.

However, what concerned him was whether this battle would affect how their sect treated him in the future.

But fleeing was no longer a useful option, and he couldn’t ask Qingyu to help him simply to ensure his own safety.

Since their arrival, they hadn’t yet realized Qingyu’s identity. Ye Xuan intended to keep it that way, shielding her from becoming a potential target.

"You have quite the nerve to refuse us. Do you even know which sect we belong to?"

"We’re outer disciples of the White Peacock Sect, one of the sects affiliated with the great sect that leads the Daoist path, the Dao Sword Sect."

"The Dao Sword Sect clearly needs that sword. If you refuse to hand it over, then we have no choice but to consider you our enemy!" they declared firmly.

[Do you want me to help you, Ye Xuan?]

No. Don’t transform. I don’t want them to recognize your clan’s aura.

Qingyu fell silent for a moment before responding with a brief throat-clearing sound.

Ye Xuan was glad she had listened to him. This was indeed the best course of action, as it would prevent further trouble down the line.

A fight became inevitable. Two of the three men lunged forward, attacking with wind-element sword strikes.

Ye Xuan quickly patted his bag of holding and summoned his lightning sword.

He placed his finger against the blade and ran it from the bottom to the top, causing the sword to blaze with flames accompanied by bursts of crimson lightning.

"Blazing Flame Sword!"

Ye Xuan gripped his sword and swung it diagonally upward. A blazing sword slash shot toward the two men flying at him.

The attack struck their wind swords and shattered them, yet Ye Xuan’s fiery sword slash remained intact.

"Impossible!" they exclaimed in disbelief.

Both immediately formed qi defensive walls and tried to withstand the power of Ye Xuan’s flaming sword. They managed to hold it back, even destroying the attack’s remaining power.

Ye Xuan was forced backward and spat out blood, clutching his chest as a suffocating pain spread through it.

"Finish him quickly and take the sword! Earn great merit for us!" the man in the middle ordered sternly.

His two companions obeyed and shot forward once more, their qi swords leading the way as they closed in on Ye Xuan.

Watching them approach, Ye Xuan had already begun planning how to turn them into targets for his training.

They reached the ground and swung their swords at him.

At the same time, Ye Xuan opened his eyes and released an explosive burst of qi accompanied by a powerful gust of wind.

The two cultivators were pushed backward by the wind. They steadied themselves and watched closely, trying to figure out what Ye Xuan intended to do.

"Ten Fire Sword Dance!"

Ye Xuan moved according to the sword movements illustrated in the technique scroll.

The moment he completed the first movement, a sword slash shot forward as the movement ended.

They saw the crescent-shaped arc of fire and managed to dodge it. However, that was not the end.

It was merely the beginning of an exhausting battle.

The young man performed the second movement, releasing a diagonal slash forward.

The same thing happened with each successive movement, a sword slash unleashed at the end of every swing.

The two cultivators began to struggle. They dodged the attacks, occasionally blocking them when they had no other choice.

However, by the time they tried to withstand the tenth movement, they were already exhausted, and their spiritual qi had been nearly depleted.

A projection of a flaming sword shot toward them.

The two immediately formed a defensive technique known as the Peacock Feather Barrier, causing Ye Xuan’s fiery sword projection to collide with their wall of peacock feathers.

Ye Xuan realized their defense was stronger than he had expected.

He raised one hand and poured more spiritual qi into his attack, increasing the power of the sword projection.

"I-Impossible!" they cried out.

Cracks appeared across their peacock feather barrier. In an instant, it shattered like broken glass, its fragments scattering and falling away.

"Shatter!" Ye Xuan shouted.

BLAST!

The two cultivators were sent flying, their bodies severely injured.

Their robes burned in the flames, while several parts of their bodies were bruised and covered in blistering burns.

"You’re courting death!" the remaining man roared from the sky.

A massive blue rune appeared behind his back.

A peacock formed from manifested qi shot toward Ye Xuan at tremendous speed, carrying a truly terrifying amount of power.

Sensing the formidable qi aura, Ye Xuan immediately turned and looked up at the sky.

The peacock’s attack spread an overwhelming pressure across the entire area.

Ye Xuan could feel that its power was comparable to that of a Late or even Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.

I’ll be severely injured if I don’t do something.

He drove his sword into the ground, causing the sky to rumble as silver lightning flashed overhead.

The man froze, his eyes widening as he instinctively looked toward the sky.

"What is happening?" he exclaimed.

Ye Xuan stared at the peacock, as did the man flying behind it.

"Ninefold Lightning Scripture!"

"Silver Lightning Armor Transformation!"