Chapter 42: The Price of Protecting Qingyu

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: The Price of Protecting Qingyu

Amid the rumbling thunder in the sky, a streak of silver lightning struck the ground, hitting Ye Xuan directly.

The man from the White Peacock Sect was shocked.

He could sense that the silver lightning possessed tremendous power, making it impossible for a mortal body like Ye Xuan’s to withstand.

Qingyu immediately leaped from Ye Xuan’s neck and moved away, preventing herself from being injured by the lightning strike.

Within the bolt, Ye Xuan began his transformation.

He converted the lightning power into qi, then manifested that qi into silver armor that covered his body. A mask appeared, covering most of Ye Xuan’s face.

This was the second time he had manifested the Silver Lightning Armor Transformation.

However, compared to the first time, the initial transformation had been painful because the turbulence within his lightning qi had not yet subsided.

But things were different now.

The turbulence in his lightning qi had settled, and his body and dantian had developed a proper resonance with the lightning power.

As a result, this transformation caused him no pain. Instead, Ye Xuan could feel his qi surging dramatically, boosting his cultivation base to Late Foundation Establishment.

The transformation was complete.

He raised his head and saw the white peacock continuing to charge toward him. The man behind the peacock attack was stunned.

"Impossible... How did you increase your cultivation base?!"

"You’ll never understand if all you do is rely on your sect’s techniques," Ye Xuan declared firmly.

Ye Xuan clenched his fist and threw a lightning punch forward, meeting the man’s white peacock attack head-on.

Silver lightning flashed around Ye Xuan’s fist, spreading violently through the white peacock as a powerful burst of qi erupted.

Sand and dust filled the air, while the desert trees swayed in the fierce winds.

The turbulence of qi throughout the area left the onlookers astonished.

"HYAAAA!"

Ye Xuan intensified his lightning power and successfully destroyed the man’s white peacock attack.

An explosion erupted in the sky, sending the man flying backward as blood burst from his mouth.

"Y-You... Who exactly are you?!" the man shouted, his face flushed with anger.

Ye Xuan chose not to answer. With a powerful leap, he shot into the sky on his flying sword and closed in on the man for a direct attack.

He gripped his lightning sword and swung it forward, clashing its blade against the man’s sword.

The qi aura radiating from the man’s body was now comparable to Ye Xuan’s.

Although their qi strength was equal, the Silver Lightning Armor Transformation had increased Ye Xuan’s physical abilities several times beyond what a Foundation Establishment cultivator could normally achieve.

The immense pressure from Ye Xuan’s lightning sword shattered the man’s sword, splitting it into two and leaving his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Impossible!"

Ye Xuan took advantage of the man’s shock and delivered a powerful kick to his body.

Accompanied by a burst of lightning, the kick broke and crushed several of the man’s ribs, leaving him severely injured.

A powerful burst of qi erupted as his body was sent crashing to the ground. He spat out blood, his hand remaining pressed against his aching chest.

He struggled to his feet and looked up at the sky, his face red with anger and his mouth stained with blood.

"You... Your sect robes... Are you a disciple of the Sky Cloud Sect?!"

"The Sky Cloud Sect has an alliance with the Dao Sword Sect, just like our White Peacock Sect!"

"Aren’t you afraid they’ll expel you?!" the man shouted.

Expel me? They recognized my sect from my robes, but that doesn’t mean they know my name.

He’s just bluffing!

While Ye Xuan was watching him, he sensed another attack coming from behind.

The man turned around and blocked the incoming wind sword attack with his clenched fist, shattering it in a small explosion.

A cloud of smoke from the technique’s explosion obscured Ye Xuan’s vision.

He swung his hand to the side, dispersing the smoke that blocked his view, only to see all three men flying away from the Sword Graveyard Desert.

"Trying to escape? I won’t let you!" Ye Xuan declared.

He shot forward on his flying sword to pursue them.

The three cultivators realized that Ye Xuan was flying faster than they were. Sooner or later, he would catch up with them again.

"I’ll report this to the sect elders! You two hold him off!" the leading man ordered sternly.

"B-But we’re severely injured... If we hold him off—"

"Just do it, damn it!" he shouted, cutting them off.

The two men had no other choice. With sorrowful expressions, they stopped flying and reluctantly obeyed their senior’s command to prevent Ye Xuan from pursuing him.

They knew that if Ye Xuan caught up with them, all three of them would certainly die.

However, sacrificing themselves to allow their senior to escape and inform the sect elders was the decision they made.

"We won’t let you pursue Senior Zhou!"

The two men turned around and flew toward Ye Xuan to fight him.

With their bodies severely injured and their spiritual qi depleted, they could only rely on martial arts.

"Get out of my way!" Ye Xuan shouted.

He formed a hand seal and thrust his palm forward. "Qi Palm!"

A rune appeared in front of Ye Xuan, accompanied by a qi palm crackling with powerful lightning.

The two men saw the incoming qi palm attack and tried to fight back, shouting at the top of their lungs.

"HYAAAA!" they roared.

BLAST!

An explosion erupted as the qi palm struck their bodies, sending them flying backward and leaving them gravely injured—in short, on the verge of death.

However, their interference had caused Ye Xuan to lose track of the other man. He had already flown far away from the Sword Graveyard Desert, heading back to his sect.

"Just a little more... Now he’s escaped with the information," Ye Xuan muttered, clenching his fist in frustration.

Slowly but surely, his transformation began to fade. The rumbling black clouds and lightning gradually subsided before disappearing altogether.

Ye Xuan flew back to the Sword Graveyard Desert and arrived near the sword altar.

He spotted Qingyu and descended from his flying sword. He extended his hand, allowing her to climb onto it before she coiled her tail around his neck.

[How did it go?]

"I managed to defeat two of them. However, I lost the other one," Ye Xuan replied.

[He already threatened to report you to his sect. Given the alliance between the Sky Cloud Sect and the Dao Sword Sect, I’m afraid your sect may no longer be a safe place for you.]

"He only knows what I look like, not my name."

[They possess the ability to read a soul’s memories. By examining that man’s soul memories of what happened today, your sect master could discover who you are.]

[I hate to say this, but the sects and the cultivation world may soon begin learning about you, Ye Xuan.]

[You have only two choices: fight and live, or surrender and die!]

Ye Xuan fell silent for a moment and let out a brief sigh before gazing at the sky above the Sword Graveyard Desert.

"Karma... That’s what comes to mind!"