A clear, resonant chime of a sword from beneath the tree cut off their conversation.
Shen Chaoyue drew her sword, pointing its tip directly at Jiang Yuran, her voice as cold as a harsh winter wind. “Since you don't want to speak reasonably, let's let our swords do the talking.”
Jiang Yuran shrank behind Xiao Jinghe, her voice trembling. “Senior Brother, Senior Sister is acting out of anger and embarrassment.”
Xiao Jinghe had a fiery temper and could not bear to see Jiang Yuran suffer even the slightest grievance.
A vein throbbed on his temple. Before anyone could react, he lunged forward and struck Shen Chaoyue squarely in the chest with his palm.
Shen Chaoyue was only at the first level of Qi Condensation and could not withstand the blow at all. She was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground fifty feet away, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.
Yun Yanchen's pupils contracted. He abruptly drew his Wandering Dragon Sword, its blade flashing like a dragon emerging from the abyss as he thrust it straight at Xiao Jinghe.
Less than fifteen minutes after they had finished meditating, the two sides were locked in combat once more.
Outside the mystic realm, the faces of the people from the Heavenly Origin Sect and the Flowing Cloud Sect were as dark as they could possibly be.
During this trip to the Qingyu Mystic Realm, the disciples of both sects had been completely run ragged by two unknown cultivators.
In less than half a day, the entire Yunque Heavenly Capital would likely hear about this.
Atop the tree, the two people and one bird watched with great relish. Xue Mingzhao was thoroughly enjoying the show; reading a novel was nowhere near as thrilling as watching a live broadcast.
Watching them fight, Su Ye suddenly spoke up. “Junior Sister, are we just going to sit here and watch? Why don't we take advantage of their fight to hunt a few more demon beasts? We might even take first place.”
Xue Mingzhao turned to look at him. “Senior Brother, do you really want to take first place?”
Su Ye paused, then confessed honestly, “Last night, Master said that your cultivation speed is too fast and you'll be reaching Foundation Establishment soon. He plans to buy a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill for you. I thought that if we could take first place, we'd get one directly, which would save us a lot of spirit stones.”
Xue Mingzhao froze. Master wanted to buy a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill for her?
Her mind flashed back to the painful look on Su Mingyuan's face when he pulled out spirit stones at the inn's counter. Spending even five mid-grade spirit stones felt like slicing off his own flesh.
A high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill would cost at least five thousand high-grade spirit stones.
That was enough to support the entire Grand Primordium Sect for a very long time.
Moreover, high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills were always in high demand and could not be bought just because one wanted to.
He himself had been unwilling to spend money on a Soul Transformation Pill, which was why he had gone to Sunset Valley alone to look for spiritual herbs. As a result, he was ambushed by two groups of cultivators and almost lost his life there.
Yet now, he was turning around to buy her a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
Xue Mingzhao lowered her head, remaining silent.
After a moment, her usual cheerful smile returned to her face.
“In that case, let's take first place.”
She stood up, her gaze sweeping over the two groups fighting tooth and nail beneath the tree. A slight smile played on her lips. “Senior Brother, nothing ventured, nothing gained. How about we snatch another batch? We'll leave as soon as we grab them, hunt some more demon beasts, and that should be enough.”
Su Ye followed her gaze to the pile of demon beast cores forgotten in the corner of the battlefield and nodded.
These two groups were truly something else. Leaving the demon beast cores piled up without dividing them, only to start brawling over a disagreement, made things incredibly convenient for them.
Holding the Kongming Formation plate, the two of them crouched low and crept along the edges of the chaotic melee.
They ducked to avoid the stray shockwaves of spells flying their way while snatching the demon beast cores from the ground and stuffing them into their storage rings, looking exactly like two mice stealing rice in a rainstorm.
Just as they were quietly slipping away from the battlefield and preparing to retreat—
A sharp wave of sword Qi slashed toward them without warning—someone in the chaotic battle must have misaimed.
Su Ye's body reacted faster than his mind, instantly throwing himself in front of Xue Mingzhao.
The sword Qi slashed diagonally from his left shoulder, slicing through his chest all the way down to his lower abdomen. Blood gushed out instantly.
He let out a muffled groan. His body swayed, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay standing.
Xue Mingzhao's pupils shrank. Holding the Kongming Formation plate steady with one hand, she slung Su Ye's arm over her shoulder with the other and bolted toward the distance.
She had no idea how far she ran. Only when the sounds of fighting behind them had completely vanished, replaced by the gentle babbling of a stream, did she finally stop by a quiet riverbank.
She leaned Su Ye against a boulder and looked down. Blood was still oozing continuously from the wound, staining his robes a deep crimson from his shoulder to his abdomen.
Su Ye's face was as pale as paper. He struggled to sit up, but she firmly pressed him back down.
Xue Mingzhao glanced sideways at the direction of the Floating Light Array Disk's projection and blocked it with her back.
She quietly drew a dagger, sliced her palm, and bright red blood immediately welled up.
She rolled a Blood Coagulation Pill in the blood on her palm until its surface was completely coated, then quickly shoved it into Su Ye's mouth.
Outside the mystic realm, Su Mingyuan's heart clenched painfully, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists. He could not hear a single word of what the people around him were saying; his eyes were fixed solely on the figures of his two disciples.
Seeing this, Li Chengzong and Huang Siqi finally wore expressions of smug satisfaction.
Li Chengzong sneered coldly, “As expected, karma comes fast. Stealing so many cores, only to face immediate retribution. The Heavenly Dao always comes around.”
Wu Lianfeng chimed in nonchalantly from the side, “Oh? It looks to me like the losses of your two sects are much more severe.”
Li Chengzong's face darkened, and he glared at him like daggers. “And who might you be?”
Xie Huairen stepped in front of Wu Lianfeng, cupped his hands in a polite greeting, and spoke in a warm tone. “I am Xie Huairen, Sect Master of the Taiyan Sect. My martial brother spoke without thinking just now and caused offense. I ask for everyone's forbearance; please do not take his words to heart.”
Li Chengzong snorted, not even giving him a proper look. “The Taiyan Sect? Just another third-rate minor sect.”
A vein throbbed on Wu Lianfeng's temple, and he opened his mouth to snap back.
Xie Huairen was quick to react. He covered Wu Lianfeng's mouth and dragged him out of the crowd.
Wu Lianfeng struggled and mumbled incoherently, but Xie Huairen completely ignored him.
From beginning to end, Su Mingyuan did not spare them a single glance, his eyes glued unblinkingly to the Floating Light Array Disk.
Before long, the wound on Su Ye's chest healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. His paper-pale face gradually regained its color, and he was completely restored to normal.
He looked down at his perfectly intact chest, then looked up at Xue Mingzhao, his eyes filled with confusion. Since when did a Blood Coagulation Pill have such a powerful effect?
Without batting an eye, Xue Mingzhao beat him to the punch. “This is a high-grade pill that Elder Wen was keeping for himself. Since my cultivation is low, he was worried about my safety and secretly slipped it to me before we set out. It seems the effect is quite good.”
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