Qiao Yihong’s attitude toward Zhang Yang was the absolute antithesis of how the Fourth-Layer expert from the Yitian Sect treated Zhao Zhicheng. Although Zhao Zhicheng had recruited the expert as an elder in his sect, he had always treated him with utmost respect, even overlooking or defending him in matters of minor concern.
This was precisely why, after stepping forward, the Yitian Sect’s Fourth-Layer elder seemed largely unconcerned with Zhao Zhicheng, acting more like a passing cultivator. Zhao Zhicheng, in turn, showed no anger at this perceived slight.
He clearly possessed the ability to stop Qiao Yihong, yet he could only watch as Qiao Yihong stuffed the scrap of cloth into the mouth of the elder who had been pontificating about his seniority. Aside from gasping at the young man’s power, he did nothing else.
As for the sect masters who had returned with Zhao Zhicheng and his group earlier, they were now utterly dumbfounded. A Fourth-Layer expert—that was a level of power that their minor sects dared not provoke.
To have a Fourth-Layer expert on the opposing side, and for that expert to now stand behind the young man as if he were a subordinate disciple, was enough to leave the masters of these small sects speechless simply by trying to guess the identity of the youth who commanded such strength.
Zhao Zhicheng had no inclination whatsoever to contemplate what his newly recruited elder might be thinking. Instead, he stared at Qiao Yihong, then at Zhang Yang standing before him, gritting his teeth, his body trembling slightly, fighting to suppress his rage. He finally managed to ask, his voice shaking.
“Who, exactly, are you people?”
Just as he posed the question, three powerful auras rushed toward the camp from afar. Zhang Yang instantly sensed the three imposing presences outside the perimeter.
A smile suddenly touched Zhang Yang’s face. These three auras undoubtedly belonged to Wuying, Shandian, and Zhuifeng—the three spirit beasts that had left at dawn to scout the Long Family Plains ahead of time for their Elder. It seemed they were returning with news of the old man.
However, a flicker of surprise soon crossed Zhang Yang’s eyes, as behind the three spirit beasts trailed two more powerful auras. These were certainly not the aura of his Elder, Zhang Pinglu. It seemed two Great Perfection cultivators had detected the spirit beasts’ tracks and followed them.
Yet, Zhang Yang found these two auras somewhat familiar. They were likely old acquaintances; given how few Great Perfection cultivators remained in the Huaxia cultivation world after the great battle at the Long Family, their identities could easily be guessed.
“Who, exactly, are you people?”
Seeing Zhang Yang turn away to look elsewhere instead of answering him, Zhao Zhicheng, feeling utterly ignored, let out another roar. Unfortunately, roaring loudly was the extent of his courage; he dared not make a move.
“We should go.”
The tiny Yitian Sect was beneath Zhang Yang’s notice. He turned and spoke to Mi Xue, Qu Meilan, and the others, then led the way out of the makeshift location. By the time they left the camp, the three spirit beasts and the two Great Perfection cultivators following them should have arrived.
“Fourth Master, you witnessed the situation today. If they simply leave like this, our Yitian Sect will lose even more face within the cultivation world from now on,” Zhao Zhicheng said through clenched teeth, finally losing the nerve to stop Zhang Yang and his group. He turned to the Yitian Sect elder who had remained an impassive observer. “You are, after all, the honorary elder of our Yitian Sect. If our sect suffers such a massive loss of face, your own reputation will suffer as well.”
Zhao Zhicheng had gone to extraordinary lengths to bring the Fourth-Layer expert named Long Shousi into the Yitian Sect, hoping to have a strong backer someday. A sect possessing a Fourth-Layer expert could effectively be ranked among the first-tier sects, and now was the time to rely on him to help the Yitian Sect reclaim its lost dignity.
“Heh heh, you mean you want me to make a move?” Long Shousi, still maintaining an air of aloofness, glanced lightly at Zhao Zhicheng, his brow arching slightly as he asked.
“Exactly. Even if you can’t do anything to those people, we absolutely cannot let them leave here unchallenged!” Zhao Zhicheng’s eyes flashed with a fierce glint as he nodded vigorously. In truth, he desperately hoped this elder, possessing the strength of the Fourth Layer of Inner Strength, would teach Zhang Yang and his group a severe lesson and vent the Yitian Sect’s accumulated anger.
“Very well. Given how comfortable I have been staying with your Yitian Sect these past few days, I will step in and help you once. After all, I am a member of the Yitian Sect now; it would be inappropriate not to act.” The Fourth-Layer expert called Fourth Master chuckled, then turned his gaze toward Zhang Yang’s group.
Among the opponents, only Qiao Yihong possessed the strength of the Fourth Layer of Inner Strength. But judging by his recent movements, he had only just broken through, his Fourth-Layer cultivation unstable and clearly inferior to his own—an established Fourth-Layer expert who had hovered at the initial stage for many years. Therefore, Qiao Yihong alone was not a serious threat!
As for that young man… he was the sole vulnerability in this entire group!
Long Shousi was overly confident. He trusted his judgment implicitly; the leading young man was clearly a mere mortal without any Inner Strength. Since he was the one leading them, retrieving the lost face of the Yitian Sect required only a strategy to neutralize Qiao Yihong, then seizing the young leader. Once the youth was in hand, Qiao Yihong and the others would surely hesitate to act rashly, trapped by concern for their charge!
Long Shousi calculated his move perfectly. He initiated the attack without a sound or warning, launching himself like lightning, bypassing Qiao Yihong, seizing a gap, and reaching out with a sneer toward Zhang Yang!
His speed was incredible. Among everyone present, only Zhang Yang and Qiao Yihong glimpsed his swiftness. By the time Qiao Yihong reacted, Long Shousi was already beside Zhang Yang. The timing and angle he chose were undeniably cunning; this was the precision of a veteran Fourth-Layer expert who had spent years at that level. Qiao Yihong could not intervene in time.
However, upon realizing Long Shousi’s target was Zhang Yang, Qiao Yihong completely abandoned any thought of stopping him. Instead, a cold smile spread across his face. This man chose to attack whom, of all people? Attacking Zhang Yang was asking for death!
“Come here!”
Seeing his hand reaching for Zhang Yang’s collar, his fingertips just brushing the soft fabric, Long Shousi, believing victory was assured, roared out in his triumph, feeling Qiao Yihong could no longer react in time.
A layer of Inner Strength radiated from Long Shousi, shielding him. Even if Qiao Yihong forcefully intervened now, he could not penetrate this outward burst of defensive Inner Strength.
Projecting Inner Strength outward—this was the most distinct hallmark of a Fourth-Layer expert!
“The elder of the Yitian Sect is also a Fourth-Layer expert!” “Heavens, the Yitian Sect actually has another Fourth-Layer expert!”
Witnessing this, the minor sect masters, who had yet to recover from their shock over Qiao Yihong, were utterly stunned again by Long Shousi’s strike. In a single day, within a camp populated by third-rate sects, two Fourth-Layer experts had appeared consecutively. How could this not leave the masters of the small sects gaping in astonishment?
As the masters gasped, Long Shousi’s triumphant sneer froze on his face. He suddenly realized his body had stiffened right next to the young man. His fingertips had stopped less than ten centimeters from Zhang Yang’s neck, unable to advance an inch!
An ethereal, pale white mist had materialized around Zhang Yang’s body, and it was this mist that arrested Long Shousi’s hand.
Long Shousi broke out in a cold sweat. He had never imagined that targeting what he perceived as the weakest link would result in this outcome.
Zhang Yang slightly turned his head, glancing at Long Shousi with a strange expression. He casually raised a hand, moving it as easily as if shooing away circling raptors.
Whoosh!
The condensed white mist instantly transformed into a beam of white light, imbued with pure, primal energy from heaven and earth, shooting toward Long Shousi.
The moment Long Shousi saw the white mist condense into light, his mouth flew open, trying to cry out, but it was too late!
Smack! Pfft!
Spitting a mouthful of blood, the veteran Fourth-Layer expert Long Shousi became a brilliant meteor, streaking across half the sky. He flew out of the camp, disappearing into a white speck in the air moments later!
“G-G-G-Great… Perfection…”
Only after Long Shousi vanished from sight did his tragic, drawn-out scream drift back to the camp in fragmented bursts.
Before the crowd could process what had happened between Long Shousi and Zhang Yang, Long Shousi’s scream struck them again like a bolt from the blue, shocking everyone in the camp!
What was Great Perfection? The cultivators present were mostly disciples of minor sects; a Fourth-Layer expert was already someone they had to look up to. They certainly knew what Great Perfection meant. But seeing the Yitian Sect elder, an established Fourth-Layer expert, blasted away in the blink of an eye clearly demonstrated that Zhang Yang’s strength utterly surpassed their belief.
The Yitian Sect had distant ties to the once-famous Emei Sect, and as its master, Zhao Zhicheng had heard the legends of Great Perfection in the cultivation world. He knew that truly supreme major sects and powerful families generally maintained their own Great Perfection cultivators as guardians.
His legs gave way, and he nearly collapsed. Who in the current cultivation world could reach Great Perfection at such a young age? And who dared walk the cultivation world under the moniker of the Medical Saint?
Zhao Zhicheng dared not ponder the answers to these questions, nor dare he believe them.
“Chirp chirp!” “Squeak squeak!”
At this moment, delayed by Long Shousi for a crucial second, Zhang Yang and his group had not yet exited the camp. Two dark figures and one snow-white silhouette arrived instantly: Wuying, Shandian, and the heavenly horse Zhuifeng had returned to the camp and stopped before Zhang Yang.