Danchenzi, Isn't That a Bit Underhanded of You?

A party of nine! Every single one a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator! Such a force was already formidable on the battlefield. However, their luck was dreadful. Early in the clash, they had caught a concentrated volley from the Luoyun Sect's puppet army, leaving every last one of them wounded. After paying a steep price, they chose to withdraw along the flank. Eight of them followed the heavily injured late Foundation Establishment cultivator as their leader. For no other reason than that he was a true disciple of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect! Even an injured true disciple of the Sword Sect was still a true disciple of the Sword Sect! As they rushed forward, several frequently glanced back over their shoulders. "True Disciple Lan, the Luoyun Sect cultivators are still hot on our heels. What should we do?" an anxious mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator asked. At those words, tense expressions appeared on the others' faces. None of them had expected the Luoyun Sect cultivators, whose performance had been utterly ordinary until now, to erupt today with such unimaginable combat strength. They no longer engaged in single combat. Instead, they either assembled into armies of hundreds or operated in coordinated squads of three to five. With the aid of puppet after puppet, even powerful late Foundation Establishment cultivators found it hard to overcome the barrier those automatons posed. Even if someone managed to force their way in, the Luoyun Sect cultivators could use their puppets to stall, fighting while retreating, and even remotely pilot puppets to envelop and trap them. After several clashes like that, everyone was terrified. True Disciple Lan looked pale as he cast a venomous glance back. "We can't just keep running!" "In a moment, everyone get ready. We'll turn around and catch them off guard, wiping them out entirely!" Someone said worriedly, "But the one pursuing us is Han Zheng! He's the biological grandson of Perfected Han Zhan. If we harm him, won't we offend a Nascent Soul Perfected Person?" Offend a Nascent Soul Perfected Person! Even merely speaking of such a thing sent shivers down their spines. True Disciple Lan's expression turned frigid. "So what if we offend him? Since he stepped onto the battlefield, there's no reason he's allowed to kill others while we aren't allowed to kill him. Besides, if we can take his head, it will be an enormous merit for our Sword Sect's side!" "Gentlemen, you fear Perfected Han Zhan, but do you not fear our Sword Sect's Perfected Jade Cauldron?" The moment those words were spoken, everyone calmed down. Indeed! If they had a Nascent Soul Perfected Person, did their side not have one as well? Once on the battlefield, everyone was equal. There was never any sense in stretching out one's neck to await the butcher's blade. Instantly, the nine Foundation Establishment True Cultivators felt reassured. Some were even eager to try, imagining what rewards they might obtain from the Sword Sect if they personally slew Han Zheng. In contrast to their daydreams, farther behind them, five mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators flew at extreme speed. Though few in number, their aura was striking. Along the way, Foundation Establishment cultivators from subordinate forces occasionally spotted them and hurriedly gave way. For no other reason than that all five were true disciples of the Luoyun Sect. Though they appeared to be merely five, if they unleashed their full might, no one knew how many puppets they could summon. Nor did anyone know if battle puppets rivaling late Foundation Establishment, or even Great Perfection cultivators, would emerge from their ranks. Among the five, some possessed deep cultivations reaching the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment. Yet clearly, the other four implicitly deferred to the fourth-layer cultivator at their center. "Junior Brother Han Zheng, they are merely a few beaten dogs. Is there any need to chase them so relentlessly?" Faced with his senior brother's confusion, Han Zheng smiled faintly. "The other eight are unremarkable, but among them is a late-stage true disciple of the Sword Sect. He is our real target!" Hearing this, the others immediately understood. As the hegemon of this domain, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had stood tall for centuries since establishing order. Yet over all these years, the number of sword cultivators under their banner barely surpassed that of Azure Pill Valley alone. Compared to the other seven sects, they stood unrivaled individually, yet lacked the numbers to suppress the realm through sheer force. Thus, over all these years, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect remained merely the hegemon of the Jade Cauldron Domain, not its sole master. Numbers were their greatest flaw! Ever since the war erupted, they either moved in packs or garrisoned single posts; solitary sword cultivators were rarely deployed. Here at the Seventh Peak, the number of stationed sword cultivators was especially scarce. Now that they had finally run into a late Foundation Establishment true disciple sword cultivator, there was naturally no reason to let him escape! Just as they were in hot pursuit, Han Zheng's face suddenly shifted with suspicion and uncertainty. "Eh?" "Junior Brother, what is it?" "Pick up the pace!" Han Zheng blurted out, his expression changing slightly. Immediately, all five flared with spiritual light, speeding forward in pursuit. Not only that, but each of them summoned puppets, preparing for battle at any moment. Yet sometimes, by the time one realized something was amiss, it had already happened. Han Zheng came to an abrupt halt. His eyes went wide as he stared in shock at the night sky. A blazing sun blossomed in the dark! Boom! A colossal roar erupted. Then, boundlessly spreading firelight unfolded. A vast shockwave rolled forward, sweeping across ten li around them. Within that scorching explosion, nine figures were terrified out of their wits, each deploying defensive arts. Pitting the strength of nine against a Tier 2 spell, they managed to withstand it in the end despite the sudden ambush. Yet immediately after, a figure plunged into their ranks like a tiger into a pack of wolves. Wielding a golden-and-black staff that shifted between large and small, short and long, he relentlessly harvested enemy lives. "Ah!" "Pfft..." "Damn it, it's Tiankuizi!" One, two, three... After suffering the abrupt onslaught of that violent Blazing Sun Art, the formation of the nine Foundation Establishment cultivators had been smashed to pieces. As a result, Chu Kui reaped through them as if entering an empty field, encountering no decent resistance whatsoever. In merely a few breaths, six people had fallen to his attacks. Among them was even a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator. True Disciple Lan watched this scene with eyes nearly tearing at the corners. Blocked from the front and pursued from behind, there was no way out, neither to heaven nor earth. Suppressing the blood surging in his throat, he barked, "Scatter and run!" The other two mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators didn't hesitate for a moment, fleeing in another direction. True Disciple Lan transformed his body into sword light, bursting into extreme speed to break away. A sword cultivator's escape speed was astonishingly fast! Even without having reached the Golden Core stage, among Foundation Establishment cultivators, anyone without a Five Elements escape art or specialized flight secret art would be outmatched. Yet just as he moved, a figure whose speed rivaled his own appeared before him after a few flickers. A dazzling red robe with fluttering sleeves. "Fellow Daoist, lend me that head of yours!" "Despicable scoundrel, keep dreaming!" Without hesitation, True Disciple Lan condensed the sword light enveloping his body, turning it into a sharp blade that lunged toward the red-robed figure before him. This sword strike shone with razor-sharp brilliance! Without question, this blow was the strongest Luo Chen had faced since entering the battlefield. It went beyond what an ordinary seventh-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator could unleash. Luo Chen took a deep breath, and the sword held behind his back thrust forward abruptly. "Go!" With a low shout, the Xuanhuo Sword shot forward like a shooting star. Not only that, his eyes snapped wide open, a faint, somber light gleaming like an entity of the Nine Netherworlds gazing into the Azure Vault. Beneath that gaze, True Disciple Lan froze, suffering a moment of stupor. By the time he snapped out of it, the sword pill he had launched was already trapped in an azure ocean, advancing with sluggish difficulty. And before his eyes, dazzling firelight accompanied by sword chimes pierced his body. "How could this be..." His mouth hung open as he muttered, and then his entire body was pinned violently against the cliff face by the Xuanhuo Sword. Hum! Within the glazed light screen, a sword pill spun round and round. With its master dead, it seemed to wail mournfully before gradually grinding to a halt. "Hmph!" Luo Chen snorted coldly, reaching out with a large hand to pluck the sword pill straight from the air. Then he turned to look across from him. What met his eyes was Chu Kui sweeping his staff, blowing the two mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators apart in midair. "Danchenzi, aren't you being a bit underhanded here?!" A voice laced with fury rang out. Luo Chen calmly looked toward the speaker. Han Zheng stood atop a black wooden kite, glaring down at him with a dark scowl. Behind him, the four mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators were poised to strike, their auras laid bare without the slightest restraint. At some point, Chu Kui had finished gathering his spoils of war and silently stepped up beside Luo Chen. The two stood shoulder to shoulder, meeting the five predatory gazes before them.