Chapter 283 Against Elder Wu!
If Bai Zihan knew, Elder Wu thought that Bai Zihan should also be taken care of. He couldn't risk the Sect's secret being known by others.
Elder Wu foolishly thought that by capturing Bai Zihan, he could make a deal with the Li-Zhao Clans and perhaps even use this chance to deal with the Bai Clan altogether.
With Bai Zihan in hand, threatening the Bai Clan or Bai Tianheng would also become possible.
And then there was Jin Yuelin-by capturing her, he could guarantee that Jin Yuanzhan kept his mouth shut.
Thinking foolishly and hastily, Elder Wu convinced himself it made more sense the more he thought about it.
His killing intent surged higher, his Qi storming through the corridor, as his mind painted victory before the battle had even begun.
But across from him, Bai Zihan's eyes gleamed-sharp, mocking, as though he could already see the laughable delusion written across Elder Wu's face.
"Well, not like it is a bad idea!"
Bai Zihan might have done the same if he were in Elder Wu's position.
"Jin Yuelin, go there and stay beside Kong Zhanghong for a while. Things are going to get a bit rowdy!"
Jin Yuelin nodded and quickly darted away.
Although cultivation-wise, Jin Yuelin was stronger, she still wasn't trained or knowledgeable in any technique, which was why Kong Zhanghong's protection was still necessary.
Elder Wu was not a weak person.
As an elder of a Major Sect, he stood firmly in the Void Refinement Stage- though only at the early realm of that stage.
Still, with such cultivation, Elder Wu thought himself significantly stronger than Bai Zihan, who he believed should only be in the Soul Formation Realm.
He was already planning his move-one fell swoop, quick and decisive, before others could arrive and disrupt them.
His Qi coiled around him like a storm ready to break, sharp and suffocating, as his killing intent locked entirely onto Bai Zihan.
"Arrogant brat," he muttered coldly, "you've brought this upon yourself!"
His palm slowly rose, gathering force, preparing to crush Bai Zihan before the youth could even react.
But the moment his intent sharpened, Bai Zihan's eyes narrowed, lips curving into a faint, mocking smile-calm and calculating.
(Looks like he is going to hold back.)
After all, Elder Wu wanted to capture him rather than kill. Killing him would only bring more trouble than Elder Wu could handle.
So, naturally, against someone he viewed as weaker, Elder Wu was going to hold back.
And that was precisely the chance Bai Zihan needed to take advantage of- when he was still being underestimated and looked down upon.
Whoosh!
Elder Wu worked quickly and immediately appeared before Bai Zihan, preparing to immobilize him by breaking his legs.
But what he got was a knee strike right up his chin, almost breaking his teeth.
"Argh!"
He was stunned and pained by the strike. He didn't know what happened or how Bai Zihan was able to even injure him.
One should know-with the difference in their cultivation and how refined his body was even weapons couldn't put a scratch on him.
But here he was, his mouth bleeding profusely.
He didn't have the luxury to think as Bai Zihan was just getting started.
Using the Eternal Spirit Sword, he immediately began to target Elder Wu's limbs.
Just like Elder Wu, Bai Zihan also had no intention of letting him go-not after attacking him first.
Clang!
The Eternal Spirit Sword flashed with blinding brilliance, its edge biting toward Elder Wu's arms.
He twisted desperately, his sleeve ripping apart as sparks flew from the clash of swords against Qi.
"Impossible!"
Elder Wu spat, his face darkening as he countered with a palm strike infused with the weight of a mountain.
Bai Zihan did not dodge. He met the blow head-on.
Boom!
The corridor quaked from the impact, dust and stone spraying everywhere.
Yet when the smoke cleared, Elder Wu staggered back a step while Bai Zihan stood perfectly still-his robe fluttering, his body utterly unscathed.
(W-what...?)
Elder Wu's pupils shrank. His technique should have shattered bones, crippled meridians, left this boy broken on the floor.
Instead, Bai Zihan tilted his head slightly, brushing the dust off his shoulder, a
mocking smirk tugging at his lips.
"Is that all, Wu Zhankong?"
He said lightly.
"Y-You... You are in the Spirit Severing Realm!"
Elder Wu's eyes widened at the realization.
He, like many others, had previously assumed that Bai Zihan's fame was exaggerated, and to support that assumption, Bai Zihan didn't participate in the
most prestigious tournament for young people like him.
Which clearly meant he was afraid-or so he thought.
But with the Spirit Severing Realm cultivation Bai Zihan revealed, it was clear
their assumptions were wrong.
With his cultivation, sweeping the tournament would have been child's play.
(Just what is he?)
People at his age barely managed to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm, while thousand-year-old geniuses might manage to reach the Soul Formation
Realm.
But Spirit Severing Realm? At 18 years of age?
That was unheard of.
But still, Elder Wu's eyes burned with determination.
As a Void Refinement Realm cultivator, even if Bai Zihan was in the Spirit Severing Realm, he felt confident he could take care of him easily.
Elder Wu's face twisted with fury.
"Spirit Severing Realm or not, you're still beneath me!"
His Qi surged like a tidal wave as he struck, palm winds carrying enough force
to tear the corridor apart.
Yet Bai Zihan's form blurred, splitting into nine identical shadows, each one
flowing like water, weaving between Elder Wu's attacks.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The Nine Shadows Flowing Light Sword-swift arcs of afterimages and mirages,
so refined and seamless that even a Void Refinement cultivator's eyes struggled
to follow. "Damn it!"
Elder Wu cursed, his strikes cutting through phantoms, his attacks scattering
against empty air.
Not a single blow landed.
Every time he thought he cornered the real Bai Zihan, his palm pierced a
shadow that dissolved into mist.
(How...? He's faster than me?)
Elder Wu's heart thudded in disbelief.
(With my cultivation, speed should never be an issue. That movement art-yes,
I've seen it before, that Bai Xueqing used it. But hers was nothing like this...!)
This wasn't just the Nine Shadows Flowing Light Sword. It was something beyond-polished to a state of perfection, wielded with terrifying precision. The shadows swirled around him, each carrying killing intent, each reminding him that his every weakness was laid bare. Sweat prickled his back.
"Enough of this trickery!"
Elder Wu roared.
His Qi flared violently, fire surging from his body like a blazing inferno.
With a sweeping gesture, crimson flames erupted outward in a storm, searing through the corridor and scorching everything in sight.
Boom!
The fire engulfed the shadows, erasing them one after another until only one
figure remained-the true Bai Zihan, standing calmly in the middle of the raging
flames. Elder Wu's lips curled into a savage grin.
"Got you! Let's see how you dodge this!"
He thrust his palm forward, a blazing sphere of destructive fire roaring out like
a sun, swallowing Bai Zihan whole. The corridor shook under the heat, walls blackening, stone cracking.
The explosion thundered, flames surging violently until nothing could be seen.
Elder Wu straightened, his breath heavy, his smirk brimming with cold
satisfaction.
"Hmph. So in the end, you only had speed."
But then... the flames parted.
From within the inferno, a figure stepped out-robe unburnt, skin untouched,
his aura calm and steady.
Bai Zihan!
Perfectly unharmed.
Elder Wu's eyes went wide, his blood running cold.
(That was my sect's Flame-Severing Palm... even a Void Refinement cultivator
should've been reduced to ashes! How-how is he standing there as if nothing
happened?!)
Bai Zihan brushed a stray ember from his sleeve, his mocking smile returning as
his gaze locked onto Elder Wu.
(Alas! I have endured much hotter flames while refining my body, to the point
that I feel as though I am immune to fire.)
Though he knew that he wasn't immune to fire but to make him feel the burn,
one needs to use a very powerful Flame technique.
Elder Wu's technique wasn't at that level.
Bai Zihan's smile deepened, eyes gleaming like cold stars.
"My turn!" The Eternal Spirit Sword quivered in his grasp, its resonance echoing like the
toll of a heavenly bell.
Around him, sword intent surged-vast, boundless, suffocating. The air itself trembled, as though recognizing a sovereign of blades.
Elder Wu's breath hitched.
(Sword... intent?)
His pupils shrank to pinpoints.
He heard that Bai Zihan has Sowrd intent but didn't believe it until now.
Moreover, it looks much more powerful than Bai Xueqings.
A tide of sharpness swept outward, carving invisible lines into the stone walls,
the ceiling, even the air itself.
Every strand of Qi within several li bent beneath that domineering will,
kneeling as though to a ruler.
The sword in Bai Zihan's hand gleamed brighter, carrying a chilling resonance
that made the corridor feel like the heart of winter.
His voice was calm, indifferent, yet it rolled like thunder in Elder Wu's chest.
"Fate Severing Slash!"