That figure approached swiftly, swinging his sword once again. In an instant, the remaining spiritual power palms were shattered, resolving the crisis before them.
His brows were as sharp as a sword, his eyes clear as stars, draped in a white robe, wielding a three-foot longsword. Anyone who saw him would have to exclaim, “What a sword immortal!”
Huang Dingyuan’s face immediately turned ashen with shock. “How did someone from the Lingyun Sect arrive so quickly?!”
Lin Huanhuan’s heart sank. ‘Bai Lingfeng? Why is the male lead here? According to the original story, shouldn’t he be off hunting demon beasts somewhere else at this time?’
Ye Jinxiu, who had hardly made her presence known until now, suddenly brightened with joy. “Bai Lingfeng, you finally made it! By the way, where are the people from the Discipline Hall? Why haven’t I seen them?”
Bai Lingfeng cut her ropes apart. “They’re not here. I came on my own. I went looking for them before coming, but they said they had to report in first before leaving. I figured by the time they finished their formalities, the day would be lost, so I came first.”
As the ropes loosened and Ye Jinxiu began to free herself, her expression froze. “You mean… there’s no other support?!”
“You could put it that way.”
Huang Dingyuan, who was about to flee, stopped in his tracks. His confidence returned, and his eyes brimmed with arrogance. “Oh? Kid, you dare challenge a Foundation Establishment cultivator alone without backup? Where did you get that kind of courage?!”
Bai Lingfeng didn’t even spare him a glance, continuing his conversation with Ye Jinxiu.
“How could you be so reckless? What use is you coming here alone? You’re just throwing your life away for nothing!” Ye Jinxiu stomped her feet in anxiety.
“You two… don’t get so cocky!” Huang Dingyuan ground his teeth in anger.
Bai Lingfeng didn’t reply, but turned his back to her. “Don’t worry. I alone am more than enough!”
“You?” Ye Jinxiu truly didn’t know what to say anymore.
Huang Dingyuan was nearly driven mad with anger, bursting into laughter. “Hahaha! Qi Refining peak dares challenge Foundation Establishment? You must be dreaming!”
“I’ve been in the martial world for so many years, but it’s the first time I’ve seen someone so brainless. If you kneel and bow to me now, maybe I’ll be merciful and spare your life!”
Bai Lingfeng spoke with a hint of hesitation. “Though it might sound arrogant, I’m simply telling the truth.”
Huang Dingyuan sneered, “I’ll press your face into the ground and grind it, then cripple your meridians, torture you for three days and nights, and only then kill you!”
“If you are capable of it.”
Bai Lingfeng asked, “Before we begin, though there was a battle here just now, I need to confirm something. Was it you who tied up my friend Ye Jinxiu and brought her here with ill intentions?”
Convinced he had nothing left to fear, Huang Dingyuan couldn’t be bothered to hide it. “Yes, it was us who captured Ye Jinxiu, planning to take her Nether Spring Spiritual Vein. So what?”
“This is the outskirts; no one’s likely to come. You’re going to die anyway, so what’s the harm in telling you?”
With Lin Huanhuan and the others as hostages, and with Bai Lingfeng’s outrageous arrogance—plus that infuriating handsomeness as an outer sect disciple—Huang Dingyuan decided to vent all his frustration.
“I see,” Bai Lingfeng let out a long breath, “then I don’t have to worry about killing the wrong person.”
“Arrogant! You’re the one who’ll die!”
On the other side, Dong Yuner watched this scene and whispered to Lin Huanhuan, who was focusing on recuperating. “Miss, shouldn’t we help out? That Bai Lingfeng is here to save us—if it weren’t for him, we’d have been captured already. Ye Jinxiu’s been tied up for so long, she hasn’t recovered. If he’s alone, he could be in danger…”
Lin Huanhuan opened her eyes. “Don’t waste your breath worrying! What’s there to be afraid of? Bai Lingfeng’s tough as nails—let alone early Foundation Establishment, even mid or late stage Foundation Establishment cultivators might not be able to do anything to him.”
“You focus on recovering, quickly. We might still have to fight Bai Lingfeng later. If we catch him when he’s not in top shape, we might have a chance to escape.”
‘Though I don’t really get it… is Miss being too pessimistic?’ Dong Yuner was confused, but obediently followed instructions.
Before long, Lin Huanhuan stood up. By now, the battle on the other side was entering its final phase.
Four giant spiritual power palms closed in like towering city walls, wildly pressing toward Bai Lingfeng, threatening to crush him into paste.
Bai Lingfeng’s expression did not change. With a single slash, his sword struck the weakest point of the nearest spiritual power palm. That palm instantly shattered. Like a spring, Bai Lingfeng shot forward, slicing straight at Huang Dingyuan.
With his spell broken, Huang Dingyuan’s energy turned chaotic. He wanted to regroup, but seeing Bai Lingfeng charging, he had no choice but to meet him head-on, relying on his wealth of battle experience to try to kill Bai Lingfeng.
But Bai Lingfeng beheaded him in a single stroke. Even as he died, Huang Dingyuan was still thinking, ‘How can an outer sect disciple from the Lingyun Sect be so powerful?’
Bai Lingfeng deftly sheathed his sword, the blade drawing an elegant arc through the air before returning to its scabbard. He straightened his slightly disheveled robe. “I told you, I alone am enough. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Ye Jinxiu’s eyes were still wide with shock, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed.
What had she just seen?
Bai Lingfeng, at Qi Refining peak, had easily slain a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had already shaped his Dao foundation and earned three centuries of life?
‘Am I dreaming?’
Ye Jinxiu almost suspected it, but the lingering heat of the battlefield and the scent of blood seemed to tell her this was all real.
Ye Jinxiu forced herself to calm down. “So you’re really that strong?”
Bai Lingfeng slowly shook his head. “Barely. After all, everyone’s constitution is different. For me to overcome the odds, it’s still within reason.”
Ye Jinxiu swallowed, feeling something was off. “Is that so?”
“It is.”
Bai Lingfeng knew Ye Jinxiu found it hard to believe. Anyone who’d seen him fight reacted this way; he was used to it by now. So he shifted his gaze elsewhere, giving her a chance to compose herself.
When he looked over, Lin Huanhuan immediately tensed as if facing a great enemy. She pulled out her folding fan and gripped it with both hands, cold sweat seeping down her back.
‘Damn it, so this is the protagonist’s suppressive force against villains? It’s terrifying!’
“You—what are you doing? I’m not afraid of you!” Lin Huanhuan tried to sound fierce, but her nervous stutter gave away her guilty conscience.
Dong Yuner didn’t really understand, but still raised her weapon.
Bai Lingfeng ignored her words, gazing at her face and freezing for a moment.
The atmosphere grew heavy for several seconds before Bai Lingfeng finally spoke, breaking the silence. “You’re Lin Huanhuan?”
“So what if I am?” Lin Huanhuan wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
“I’ve heard you colluded with the White Tiger Hall to capture my friend and bring her here with ill intentions. Is that true?” Bai Lingfeng asked seriously.
‘We’re doomed!’
Lin Huanhuan’s heart was filled with despair, but she still tried to struggle. “Actually, I have my reasons. Can you let me explain?”