Everyone on the other side’s expression changed as they watched Li Yunxian charge straight at the Foundation Establishment mid-stage archer, hastily making their move.
The Qingdao group quickly threw out magic tools, trying to block the attack.
Li Yunxian just smiled. Seeing the earth pillar rise before her, she twisted her body, stomping hard on the side of the pillar and spinning away at lightning speed.
In an instant, Li Yunxian arrived at the area where the Hunters’ Qi Refining stage members were stationed as support.
With a casual swing of her arm, her gleaming sword edge flashed across a line of throats.
Three heads flew through the air.
Qi Refining?
“It’s a battle for Foundation Establishment. What are you Qi Refining cultivators doing here?” Li Yunxian’s voice held not a shred of mercy.
The remaining two Qi Refining cultivators clutched the blood lines on their necks and collapsed to the ground.
They weren’t spared by Li Yunxian’s mercy, but rather saved by the quick reaction of that snake-bodied Grand Completion cultivator.
Li Yunxian smiled as she retreated back into the midst of Qingdao’s Foundation Establishment cultivators. “Alright, now we can renegotiate.”
“Let’s discuss who should die next.”
The Qingdao Foundation Establishment cultivators stared blankly at Li Yunxian standing in front of them.
More precisely, they stared at the hand Li Yunxian held behind her back, signaling them with command gestures.
Those were the universal command gestures for cultivators, something every Special Class taught as a must.
Was she telling them to gather all the enemies together?
The Hunters’ Grand Completion cultivator’s eyes flickered, then he laughed, “If you could still point and kill at will, why did you only take a few just now?”
“All of you, attack!” he shouted sharply, “After her first sword, she hasn’t used that powerful attack again.”
“There’s no way she can use such a move easily.”
“She can’t do it anymore!”
As those words fell, Li Yunxian’s expression shifted. Everyone saw her quickly crush a Spirit Stone.
To the other side, this scene only confirmed their suspicions.
Li Yunxian had no ability to use that sword technique again.
The Yao immediately shouted, “Kill her! Don’t let her recover her spiritual power!”
The four Qingdao Foundation Establishment cultivators reacted instantly, stepping forward to shield Li Yunxian behind them.
Li Yunxian gripped her sword and retreated several steps, shouting loudly, “Three minutes! Hold on!”
In that instant, the attacks on the four Foundation Establishment cultivators became even more ferocious.
The four Qingdao Foundation Establishment cultivators cursed inwardly.
Was that kind of thing something you should shout out loud?!
Of course they’d hold out as long as they could—they didn’t need her to tell them!
But as soon as their internal cursing ended, the four Qingdao Foundation Establishment cultivators suddenly realized that the struggling enemies, in their pursuit of a stronger offensive, were grouping closer and closer together.
The four Foundation Establishment cultivators:
It seemed they understood the true purpose of Li Yunxian’s words.
Li Yunxian closed her eyes again.
This time, besides the sword, she also felt blood splattering onto her body.
It was from the Qingdao Foundation Establishment cultivators desperately blocking attacks ahead of her.
Li Yunxian crushed another Spirit Stone.
But in truth, aside from tricking the enemy and drawing fire, it served no other purpose.
That Grand Completion Hunter was right—she couldn’t use that powerful sword move again.
That technique was one Li Yunxian had been silently preparing ever since she learned there’d be Hunters ambushing on the road from Jincheng.
Even now, with enough spiritual power, she couldn’t repeat it.
Moreover, the power of that move wasn’t enough to break through so many Grand Completion Foundation Establishment cultivators in front of her.
Li Yunxian had never intended to use the same move on them.
Within her, the Soul Fragment drifted slowly, a small piece quietly floating toward her fingertip.
The “three minutes” was, of course, a lie.
She didn’t need three minutes.
What she needed was for all the enemies to be within her attack range!
Sensing the enemies inching closer in their efforts to break through the four Foundation Establishment cultivators’ defenses, drawing nearer and nearer together—
Now!
Li Yunxian opened her eyes and instantly activated the Tortoise Shell at her waist.
Accelerate!
In the blink of an eye, Li Yunxian shot past the four Foundation Establishment cultivators’ protective barrier.
The first thing she saw was the enemy instantly raising a protective barrier.
The Grand Completion Hunter on the other side laughed wildly, “You’re not the only ones with Shields, and you’re not the only ones who know those command gestures!”
He, too, as a Grand Completion Hunter, had once attended Special Class training among humans!
Li Yunxian’s expression didn’t change at all.
She didn’t care if the enemy knew how to defend.
The Soul Fragment shattered.
A heart-stopping, overwhelming presence descended abruptly, as if an unstoppable force had arrived.
Li Yunxian swung a sword that seemed utterly ordinary.
There was no sound, no ripple.
The protective barrier before her, standing tall, was like a fragile film—split cleanly in two without the slightest resistance.
And along with it, everyone behind the barrier.
Countless sprays of blood burst forth; all the enemies and Yao were sliced into countless pieces.
That was the sword intent sweeping through their bodies, scouring them from within.
For a long moment, with Li Yunxian at the center, a tremendous humming rang out. A fierce wind swept in all directions, flattening countless grasses and trees.
Everyone stared dazedly upward at the sky.
A vast expanse of white cloud overhead was ripped apart by the spreading sword qi, torn open with a massive gash—as if the whole sky had been split, revealing a shockingly vivid blue.
Was this… something a human could do?
The survivors stared blankly at Li Yunxian, unsure how to react.
Then, in their confusion, they saw a fine pillar of blood suddenly gush from Li Yunxian’s body.
Then a second, a third…
The longsword clutched in Li Yunxian’s hand abruptly shrank, and, losing its support, she collapsed into a pool of blood.
Only then did everyone snap out of it.
***
The four Foundation Establishment cultivators hurried forward to check on Li Yunxian, quickly realizing that her flesh and blood were all rupturing.
—A Qi Refining Stage body simply couldn’t withstand the strength of a Fenshen Stage.
The four Foundation Establishment cultivators whipped around and shouted to the people in the bus, “Medical Pod!”
Chaos erupted inside the bus, with several people rushing toward the driver’s seat, all trying to open the door.
Fortunately, order was quickly restored.
Everyone got out of the bus.
Someone opened the trunk, someone reached out to lift the Medical Pod, someone got a stretcher, and someone fiddled with the portable power supply to hook up the Medical Pod.
Amidst the frantic activity, everyone suddenly froze.
They felt a chill that seeped into their very bones.
Everyone looked up, staring at the kindly, white-haired and bearded elder who had suddenly appeared not far away.
The elder’s lower body was wreathed in drifting cold.
This was a Yao.
The Qingdao Foundation Establishment cultivators resisted the encroaching chill, gritting their teeth as they glared at him. “Condensing Cold Elder!”
He knew the situation with this Yao.
All non-human beings above the Jindan Stage were registered with the Xueshi and the Special Administration Bureau.
Condensing Cold Ancestor, Jindan mid-stage.
Condensing Cold Elder sighed, “Ah, it’s me.” His face showed a look of misery. “I don’t want to do this either, but my poor little grandson…”
“If I wipe all of you out, the aftermath will be troublesome. How about this—hand over the Mutated Ice Spirit Root and the one lying on the ground, and I’ll let the rest of you go?”
The Qingdao Foundation Establishment cultivators stared fixedly at Condensing Cold Elder, a trace of sorrow in their eyes.
A Jindan mid-stage, stronger than all the enemies just now combined. And those of them still able to fight were either lying unconscious on the ground, or had lost limbs and exhausted their spiritual power.
There was no chance of victory.
Lin Xiufeng pressed his lips together, fully aware of the situation, and took a step forward. “I…”
He had barely uttered a sound before Yu Qiyao at his side pushed him back.
Yu Qiyao strode forward, blocking Lin Xiufeng behind her. She looked up at Condensing Cold Elder, her voice firm. “I refuse!”
Jiang Qiqing quickly stepped up beside Yu Qiyao, also calling out loudly, “I refuse too!”
Chen Chen hesitated for a moment, then also moved in front of Lin Xiufeng. And then, more and more Qingdao students followed suit.
Even the Foundation Establishment cultivators, nearly spent, slowly stood up.
“Come fight!” The Foundation Establishment cultivators squeezed out their last words through clenched teeth.
Seeing this, Condensing Cold Elder’s eyes flashed with malice, cold air surging around him. “Very well! Then all of you can accompany them in death!”
Countless shards of ice condensed in the air, raining down on everyone like deadly blades.
Everyone gripped their weapons tightly, staring at the icy rain of arrow-like shards.
Ding-ling—!
From the void came the clear sound of a bell. The barrage of icy arrows shattered in midair.
A woman in a blue-green shirt landed lightly atop the bus.
It was none other than Golden Bell Duan Qiu.
Duan Qiu glanced down at the blood-soaked Li Yunxian and sighed deeply. “Sorry, I’m a step late.”
Duan—
The patrol period had ended, and Duan Qiu was on her way back to Tiantong when she suddenly sensed her Jade Token shatter.
But by then, she was already at the limit of the token’s transmission range—farther than anything in Yuehai Province.
She hadn’t managed to arrive within ten minutes.
Condensing Cold Elder’s face darkened. “Golden Bell Duan Qiu?”
“Old wretch, since you’re so eager to die, I’ll be the one to send you off!” Duan Qiu said coldly.
Condensing Cold Elder chuckled, his figure suddenly fading.
Even for a beloved grandchild, he wouldn’t risk his life.
“Trying to escape?” Duan Qiu shook her golden bell, sound waves erupting, instantly destroying the hidden passage Condensing Cold Elder was escaping through.
Watching the two Jindan Stage powerhouses battle above, the Qingdao group on the ground looked at each other.
It seemed… they suddenly had nothing to do.
“…Come help move her to the Medical Pod,” a Foundation Establishment cultivator said dryly.
“Oh…” the students echoed, just as dryly.
When Li Yunxian regained consciousness, she felt immense confusion.
What she saw was clearly the familiar roof of the bus, but it swayed back and forth as if she were on a boat.
She could hear the breathing of many people nearby, but no one was speaking. The only sound was a crisp, familiar female voice cursing.
“Why is this broken bus so hard to drive?!”
“Can’t Qingdao get a better vehicle?!”
“Lousy bus! Lousy bus! Lousy bus!!”
Li Yunxian’s body still ached all over. She struggled to sit up in the Medical Pod to check the situation.
The Qingdao classmates on the bus soon noticed the movement from the Medical Pod and became excited. “Yunxian! You’re awake!”
“How are you feeling? Maybe you should stay in the Medical Pod a while longer!”
Everyone was chattering away.
Li Yunxian barely managed to sense that everyone was present, and she relaxed a little inside.
Then she realized something was wrong.
All four Foundation Establishment teachers from Qingdao were in their seats—so who was driving?
Li Yunxian looked toward the driver’s seat and saw a completely puffed-up… Duan Qiu?
—All four Foundation Establishment adults were either missing hands or feet, completely unfit to drive.
—The students were either just of age or underage, so after consideration, only Duan Qiu was left to drive.
What a strange scene.
Was it the shattered Jade Token that summoned Duan Qiu here?
Li Yunxian wondered if she was dreaming.
Especially as the bus bumped along, nothing like normal driving at all.
“Instructor Duan?” Li Yunxian called out uncertainly.
“It’s me.” Duan Qiu replied grumpily, then stuck out a thumb at Li Yunxian. “Nice work!”
Li Yunxian smiled. “Thank you.”
As her soft voice fell, Li Yunxian seemed to lose all strength, falling backward.
Vaguely, she heard Duan Qiu’s voice drifting through the clouds, “Since I came all the way here just for you, remember to apply to Tiantong!”
In her final sliver of consciousness, she heard the other students cautiously replying.
“Master Duan, Yunxian seems to have fallen asleep again.”
Tsk.
All of them… sounded so at ease.
Li Yunxian finally drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.
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