Boom!!!
With a deafening roar, the already shaking ground suddenly became even more violent!
Countless fissures appeared and rapidly spread, turning the entire earth into a mess. Within twenty zhang, large trees were either toppled or broken by the fluctuations caused by the fierce battle!
"Cough! Cough cough cough!!!"
As the unusual phenomena slowly subsided, a middle-aged man knelt on the ground, his body soaked in blood, his hair disheveled and looking extremely battered.
He slowly rose, a simple movement requiring most of his strength. His once robust aura had become faint, and his formerly lofty demeanor was completely gone.
Looking at the group of wild cultivators before him, the middle-aged man could never have imagined that these beings he usually treated like ants would deliver such a near-fatal blow at a critical moment!
If he hadn't risked his Dao foundation collapsing, extinguishing any hope of further advancement in this life, he would have died in regret!
"You... how dare you!"
The middle-aged man's lips twitched, as if he intended to sneer, but he couldn't help but cough up blood repeatedly.
Streams of spiritual energy poured out from within him, dissipating into the world and transforming back into spiritual energy.
"Why wouldn't we dare?"
Li Buwei slowly stepped forward, his face expressionless, and said, "Just because of your good background and the backing of a well-established sect, you can stand high above and treat us like mud beneath your feet?"
Seeing the other's grimace as he attempted to speak, Li Buwei shook his head and sighed. The crimson round furnace held in his palm slowly rose, infused with spiritual energy.
The middle-aged man let out a bitter laugh upon seeing this, understanding his fate, yet a sliver of hope flickered within him.
As the surging, scorching flames descended, he instinctively turned his head to look, only to see a few junior disciples who were usually respectful of him slowly retreating with pale faces.
On these familiar faces, there was no trace of their usual deference or flattery; only deep fear... and a hint of satisfaction in their eyes.
The middle-aged man's face showed confusion, unable to comprehend the emotions in his junior disciples' eyes, as if they had been waiting for this day for a long time.
However, he had no opportunity to ponder this question. As the endless flames descended, his body finally turned into a pile of ashes, which, carried by a gentle breeze, settled upon the ravaged earth.
In less than fifty breaths of time, only five disciples from the Jingxin Hall remained out of the twelve cultivators from the two sects.
All six disciples from the Qingyang Sword Sect had perished, and even the late-stage Dian Ling realm cultivator from the Jingxin Hall had fallen to the combined assault of the wild cultivators.
Compared to the disciples of the other two sects, the middle-aged man from Jingxin Hall died the most ignominiously.
With his cultivation, the techniques he practiced, and his immortal arts, a group of wild cultivators would absolutely not have been his match in a head-on confrontation.
Even if he sustained minor injuries and expended some effort and time, it would not have been impossible for him to kill all nearly twenty wild cultivators beneath his feet.
It was just that his entire attention was drawn to the giant python before him, leaving him unaware of the movements behind him and missing the opportunity to evade the sharp edges.
"Hmph, so-called sect members are nothing more than that, possessing high cultivation but lacking sufficient combat experience!"
Among the wild cultivators, Liu Qi couldn't help but mock, his eyes filled with a sense of triumph.
As his words fell, he suddenly turned his gaze towards the five disciples of Jingxin Hall, standing several zhang away, their faces now ashen.
These individuals were now unable to act, unable to escape, and having witnessed their senior brother's demise, they had lost their backbone.
At this moment, seeing the wild cultivators looking their way, their hearts sank. They had the urge to turn and flee, but the giant python had already blocked their escape route.
"This is getting a bit troublesome."
Ji Yuan walked forward, one hand holding the Xuantian Soul Devouring Pagoda and the other holding a long sword.
After a glance at the five cultivators who had lost their fighting spirit, he suddenly felt a headache coming on.
If they had resisted desperately, he could have eliminated them all without any psychological burden.
But facing a group that had already given up resistance, he couldn't muster any killing intent. It wasn't due to softness of heart, but rather because he found it meaningless.
Ji Yuan considered himself not a dithering person. Regardless of deep-seated hatred, once someone became an enemy, they must be eliminated completely, leaving no hidden dangers.
"You go rest up ahead for a bit, leave the cleanup here to me."
Just as he was about to act, Li Buwei, who was beside him, suddenly spoke.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan was first stunned, then immediately understood the other's intention. After a brief pause, he nodded.
He sheathed the long sword in his hand and sent a thought to the giant python before walking away.
A moment later, several powerful fluctuations spread out and then subsided even more quickly. As the giant python slithered away with its massive body, the five disciples of Jingxin Hall lay on the ground.
Although their cultivation was not weak, they had lost all their fighting spirit. Without any defense, how could they possibly contend with a powerful demonic beast?
In just a few breaths, they had all fallen, severely injured.
As the young man and the giant python disappeared from view, the group of people present looked at each other, their gazes becoming somewhat complex.
"Fellow Daoist Li, you hid this from us for so long!"
The Mountain Daoist stood with his staff, a wry smile on his face.
Before this, none of them could have imagined that the target they were searching for had been following them closely all along.
And the person leading them was actually allied with the very target they were pursuing!
While the suddenness of the events earlier could be excused, now that they thought about it carefully, a sense of displeasure, even a hint of anger, arose within them.
This was no longer simply being fooled like idiots; they had nearly lost their lives because of it!
Upon this realization, the cultivators' gazes gradually turned hostile. If not for their apprehension towards the young man and the giant python in the distance, they would have likely attacked in a fit of rage.
"Fellow Daoists, let the past remain in the past."
Li Buwei's expression was calm, even carrying a hint of a smile, showing no concern for the anger before him.
After chuckling heartily a couple of times, he turned his gaze to the disciples of Jingxin Hall in the distance, who were too severely injured to move. He then asked the crowd around him in a low voice, "Do any of you fellow Daoists wish to continue living this kind of life?"
The group of wild cultivators was stunned, some not understanding the meaning of his words, while a few with sharper minds began to form vague guesses.
Glancing at their expressions, Li Buwei's smile grew more pronounced, and a bright gleam appeared in his eyes.