No one knew how this person appeared, yet precisely because no one knew how he materialized, every face instantly twisted, their hearts filled with terror...
There were easily over a hundred people present, and at least four of them were masters above the Martial Saint realm. I say at least because Bai Yunlan hadn't made a move in so many years, and no one knew what level of attainment he had reached...
Besides those four transcendent beings who had reached the state of perfection, there were no fewer than twenty Grandmasters. The rest were all mere Masters; there wasn't even a single person below the level of Innate Martial Master. With such terrifying power, even if a fly managed to slip in, it would be impossible for it to escape their senses. Yet now, a living person had barged in, and not a single person among the assembled company had perceived him...
How could this not shock them?
All eyes fixed upon that silhouette...
He wore a faded, grey-white robe that looked as though it hadn't been washed in ages, still speckled with dust. His hair was dry and brittle, like straw. His face was gaunt, as if stripped of all flesh, making his entire presence appear utterly monochrome, as if a mere gust of wind could blow him over...
But no one dared to underestimate this man. To appear suddenly in the hall amidst the sensory awareness of so many people meant he had at least reached the Martial Saint realm, and certainly not the elementary stage of it...
However, though they dared not look down on him, no one in the hall felt fear. Behind them stood four Martial Saints, one of whom might have already broken through to an even higher plane. Such formidable backing allowed these descendants of the Bai family to completely disregard any lesser power...
"He killed my son; it is only right and just that I kill him for revenge. What do I have to fear..." Bai Ziyun was certainly among this fearless crowd. However, perhaps sensing the visitor's immense power, his tone wasn't overly arrogant, resorting instead to invoke higher principles...
"He killed your son?" The withered man merely let out a soft hum...
"Of course. Otherwise, why would our Bai family bother striking down such a junior..." Bai Ziyun, hearing the man’s voice, mistakenly assumed he was a reasonable person...
"He killed him well, struck him down beautifully..." Unexpectedly, the man burst into boisterous laughter, completely disregarding the powerful aura emanating from Bai Yunlan and the other three...
"Then what if I kill him..." Hearing the man's wild laughter, Bai Yunlan could no longer remain seated. He rose from his chair...
Even though he clearly perceived the visitor's strength, he felt no fear. As the master of Bai Di City, a man who had stepped into the Martial Saint realm thirty years prior, in this world, why would he need to dread anyone...
"Do you dare?" A cruel sneer curved the withered man's lips...
"What is there not to dare..." Bai Yunlan snorted in anger, then swiftly snatched the unconscious Ye Jingyu into his grasp with one hand...
The man acted as if he saw nothing, continuing his haughty declaration: "With me here, you cannot kill him. On the contrary, your Bai family members will not escape death today..."
"Boasting shamelessly..." Bai Tianyu scoffed, his figure instantly shooting forward. He thrust out a palm, and torrents of massive True Essence power surged forth. The void itself seemed to be torn by fissures as terrifying energy erupted fully, threatening to annihilate everything around it. However, he perfectly contained it within a set boundary, slamming the attack viciously towards the withered man...
"Heaven and Earth Collapse? Haha, with such might, you'd be lucky to crush a small ant..." the man chuckled faintly, not even glancing at the terrifying energy sweeping toward him, his body remaining utterly still...
At that moment, the crowd suddenly felt that the person before them was no longer a man, but a blade—an unparalleled, peerless treasure blade that had weathered eons and remained undying...
A faint blade qi suddenly burst forth from his body, gently slicing against the rampaging energy. It instantly shattered Bai Tianyu's "Heaven and Earth Collapse"—an attack that had once left Liang Xiaoke utterly defenseless—and the seemingly tenuous blade qi continued its relentless advance...
Bai Tianyu was shocked, fearful, and thrown into confusion. What blade was this? What power was this? For a moment, he didn't know what he should do?
"Shattering the Firmament..."
"Hand of the Heavens..." Almost simultaneously, the other two Martial Saints besides Bai Yunlan, Bai Tianhu and Bai Tiankun, made their moves. One used a fist, the other a palm. Their immense power wasn't aimed at the withered man, but squarely at that seemingly delicate blade qi...
Bai Tianyu snapped out of his shock and also struck out with a single finger, executing the Soul Shattering Finger...
A phantom fist, a palm imprint, a streak of finger wind...
Three streams of power converged, enough to shatter a small mountain. Such terrifying force was used merely to intercept a seemingly faint blade qi...
"Rumble..." With a deafening crash, the phantom fist completely disintegrated. The palm imprint collapsed immediately. The finger wind persisted for only a moment before it, too, exploded into fragments...
The massive recoil force slammed Bai Tianhu, Bai Tiankun, and Bai Tianyu backward, causing all three to vomit blood violently. The powerful blade intent pierced through the void, directly inflicting grave injuries upon the three. That faint blade qi had not yet dissipated and proceeded to bore a bloody hole through Bai Tianyu's chest. Crimson blood spurted forth from the wound...
"Tianyu..." Bai Yunlan cried out in alarm. He truly had not expected that his three sons attacking simultaneously—not to kill, but merely to rescue—was already showing immense respect for this man. Yet, that seemingly light blade qi had cut through layers of defense to strike his son's heart, and his other two sons were wounded by the blade intent. How could this not astonish him...
"Relax, his life belongs to my apprentice..." To everyone's surprise, the man stated calmly...
The entire hall fell silent. Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the scene: the three great Martial Saints attacking in unison, yet the opponent hadn't moved an inch. Relying solely on a thin thread of blade qi, he had wounded three Martial Saints and gravely injured one. How could this not cause amazement? How could this not inspire awe?
Originally, they felt secure relying on their few Martial Saints to fear no one. Now, seeing that their three Martial Saints couldn't even force the opponent to move, everyone's hearts sank to the absolute bottom...
Fear filled their eyes, and one by one, they instinctively retreated backward. Even Bai Ziyun secretly swallowed a gulp, pressing closer to his father, as if that area offered slightly more safety...
Bai Jingfei also stared, dumbfounded, at the withered man standing at the doorway. Or rather, in his eyes, there was no person at the doorway—only a blade.