Retreat

Mu Yifeng was even more shocked than the people on the boat. He remembered clearly that when they had parted ways last time, Qin Sang was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage. It would have been startling enough that Qin Sang's cultivation could now match his own, but he had displayed such terrifying strength. Slaying an expert of the same cultivation realm in a single strike! After a brief moment of daze, Mu Yifeng suddenly realized that now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. He hurriedly sent a voice transmission to Qin Sang, swiftly briefing him on the enemy presence aboard the boat. Then, without the slightest hesitation, he turned back around, his escape light unbroken, and fled forward with everything he had. He no longer had the strength to fight. Staying here would only drag Qin Sang down and tie his hands. Qin Sang remained lurking beneath the water, not showing himself. Seeing Mu Yifeng's reaction, he praised him inwardly, then gazed across the distant water. From Mu Yifeng, he learned that there were seven people aboard the boat in total. Two of them were late Foundation Establishment experts who demanded Qin Sang's caution. One was the master of the black-awning boat, the man standing at the bow. The other was injured; Qin Sang had earlier spotted someone sitting cross-legged at the stern and surmised that this person was likely among them. Before Qin Sang had encountered them, Mu Yifeng had already fought a fierce battle against the Heaven-Traversing Alliance cultivators. Naturally, Mu Yifeng had not been alone on the Lesser Cold Domain's side during that battle; otherwise, he could never have held out for so long. But now, only he remained. Among those who had fought alongside Mu Yifeng was a senior brother from Shaohua Mountain named Kuang Yi, whom Qin Sang had heard of before. Kuang Yi's cultivation had been slightly superior to Mu Yifeng's. Unfortunately, he had been pinned down in the melee. Seeing no hope of escape, he fought desperately, slaying several enemies and heavily wounding one of their late Foundation Establishment experts, which was what allowed Mu Yifeng to find an opening to break away. Apart from the two late Foundation Establishment experts, the remaining five possessed varying levels of cultivation, but they coordinated with exceptional synergy, advancing and retreating in unison. If one were ensnared by them, breaking free would be no easy feat. Fortunately, the Heaven-Traversing Alliance cultivators had also paid a heavy price. Only these few survived, and nearly all of them were wounded, their strength sharply diminished. Keeping his gaze fixed on the distant black-awning boat, Qin Sang secretly channeled his escape art and slowly retreated, not forgetting before he left to sweep up the mustard seed bag from the corpse with spiritual power to claim his spoils. The black-awning boat came to a halt. Water and sky merged into one. A lone skiff hovered quietly upon the jewel-clear lake, a scene tranquil and exquisite. The people on the boat, including the two who had been sitting cross-legged to regulate their breathing, had all risen to their feet. Their expressions were extraordinarily grave as they stared ahead, deep horror lurking at the depths of their eyes. The vast expanse of water stretched endlessly. In the distance, one could faintly see a patch of the lake dyed scarlet where the two halves of the corpse had plunged. The blood fanned outward and was soon diluted until it was barely visible to the naked eye. A deathly silence hung between heaven and earth. "Senior Brother Luo, that sword strike... lightning-fast, accompanied by divine thunder... couldn't it be...?" Recalling that appalling scene, a young man in a long robe swallowed, his throat bobbing. His voice was dry, and he subconsciously looked toward the green-robed man standing at the bow. This man was his fellow sect senior, surnamed Luo. After bringing the black-awning boat to a halt, the man surnamed Luo had kept his gaze locked straight ahead. The vessel was his magic tool, controlled entirely by him. Ever since it stopped, he had maintained that exact posture, standing there motionless without setting the boat back in motion. Those behind him could not see his expression and had no idea what he was thinking. Hearing the long-robed youth's words, the others shifted slightly, their eyes converging on him. A sharp-witted cultivator among them immediately realized something and gasped in shock, "Sword Qi Thunderclap! Fellow Daoist Sun, do you mean Sword Qi Thunderclap?!" Upon hearing those words, everyone's complexion drained of color. Sword Qi Thunderclap—the realm of the sword that every sword cultivator pursued for a lifetime! Both Sun and Luo came from a sect renowned for its sword dao, yet over the past century, only a single Core Formation stage cultivator among them had successfully comprehended Sword Qi Thunderclap, earning considerable renown throughout the Heaven-Traversing Alliance. "How could it possibly be Sword Qi Thunderclap? Has a Golden Core cultivator from the Lesser Cold Domain arrived?" Someone cried out, their face etched with terror. An uproar swept across the black-awning boat. If a Golden Core Master had truly arrived, they were as good as dead. Even if they tried to flee now, it would be utterly futile! "Could someone have used a lightning art alongside swordsmanship to mimic the appearance of Sword Qi Thunderclap?" "Fellow Daoist Sun, did you really see it clearly?" ... Just then, a white-robed man who had been protected in their midst stepped forward. Looking at the back of the man surnamed Luo, he asked in a low, tight voice, "Fellow Daoist Luo, I was regulating my breath just now and didn't see clearly... What did you see? Could it truly be Sword Qi Thunderclap?" The man surnamed Luo let out a long breath before turning around. The expression on his face was somewhat peculiar, carrying a hint of relief mixed with envy. "It was indeed Sword Qi Thunderclap! I once witnessed my martial uncle demonstrate it with my own eyes. However..." The man surnamed Luo shook his head slightly. "However, it wasn't a Core Formation cultivator. While this person's swordsmanship is formidable enough to slay Fellow Daoist Wu in a single strike, he isn't a Golden Core Master! That same strike was nowhere near as terrifying as my martial uncle's. Otherwise, he wouldn't need to launch a sneak attack or hide his face... This person is definitely a Foundation Establishment cultivator!" Not a Golden Core Master! Everyone relaxed visibly, but immediately afterward, an even deeper astonishment crept onto their faces. "Grasping Sword Qi Thunderclap while still at Foundation Establishment? That... even in legends, how many could possibly achieve such a feat...?" The man surnamed Luo nodded and said, not without envy, "In my sect, down through the ages, only a single peerless senior ever managed to reach that step. Unfortunately, that senior possessed impure spiritual roots and ultimately stalled at the False Core stage!" "Even if he isn't a Golden Core Master, do not let your guard down!" The man surnamed Luo warned in a heavy voice, "You all saw the power of that strike. Fellow Daoist Wu had no power to resist whatsoever! There is no need for me to elaborate on the terrors of Sword Qi Thunderclap, or countless sword cultivators wouldn't obsess over it so. Summon your magic tools, watch each other's backs, and under no circumstances wander off alone to give him another opening to strike!" Knowing full well how perilous the situation was, the group huddled together. Obeying his command, they summoned their magic tools to form a perimeter, raising their vigilance to the absolute peak as they eyed the seemingly tranquil waters around them. The white-robed man did not dare act careless either, summoning a flying sword to hover before him. Yet, he secretly transmitted his voice to the man surnamed Luo. "Fellow Daoist Luo, that person's strength is fathomless, and he is well-versed in treacherous schemes. With the enemy in the dark and us out in the open, I fear he will be exceedingly difficult to deal with." The man surnamed Luo's eyes flickered. "What do you mean, Fellow Daoist?" "The seniors only commanded us to pursue them from behind to stop them from fetching reinforcements; they never said we had to annihilate them entirely. Now our squad has suffered severe casualties, and even Fellow Daoist Wu has met an untimely end—something unprecedented for us. We can't throw away everyone's lives here, can we? What do you think, Fellow Daoist Luo?" From the white-robed man's tone, the man surnamed Luo could tell he had already developed the urge to retreat. With an opponent skilled in Sword Qi Thunderclap and capable of slaying a late Foundation Establishment expert watching them hungrily from the shadows, it was truly impossible to rest easy. "You are right, Fellow Daoist. We have already killed several of them and stalled them for so long. Heading back now will be enough to account to the seniors..." The cultivator surnamed Luo nodded slightly. Tapping his foot, he turned the black-awning boat around, parting the waves as it sped away.