10: Chapter 10 Besieged

Watching the hypocritical display of this group, Xiang Tian couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and sneer, "Stop pretending to be good people. If you want to attack, hurry up. Stop dawdling; I'm busy and need to be on my way."

He calculated in his mind that if he delayed any longer, Duanmu Hongdie would likely disappear from his sight completely.

"Since you're courting death yourself, don't blame us for being impolite!" The lead Cultivator's expression darkened. He waved his hand, and the group immediately brandished their weapons, closing in step by step.

"You lot of trash, do you even deserve to fight me?" Xiang Tian scoffed, a flash of golden light appearing at his fingertip. "Nine-Petal Golden Lotus, go!"

Nine golden petals shot out, moving so fast that their trajectory was impossible to track.

"Ah!"

"Pfft!"

Screams rang out one after another. In the blink of an eye, all the Cultivators who had surrounded him collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Xiang Tian stepped forward and confiscated all their Storage Pouches. Opening them, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl upward. "Not bad. 20 second-grade Spirit Beasts, 400 first-grade Spirit Beasts. Adding these to what I had before, I now have 30 second-grade and 550 first-grade ones."

As he was tallying his gains, his gaze suddenly landed on a voice-transmission jade talisman in one of the Cultivator's hands. The talisman was still glowing.

"Trouble." Xiang Tian put away the jade talisman. As he turned around, he met a pair of complex, beautiful eyes.

Duanmu Hongdie was standing not far away, watching him quietly.

"What a coincidence, Senior Sister Duanmu. We've met again." Xiang Tian gave a dry laugh.

"Yes, what a coincidence." Duanmu Hongdie walked slowly up to him. "I clearly wanted to snatch your Legacy before, and even pursued you relentlessly. Why did you save me? Were you following me just now to protect me?"

"You're overthinking it." Xiang Tian shook his head. "I was just passing by and did it while I was at it. Besides, we're going the same way, so we might as well travel together."

That was what he said, but he knew clearly in his heart that helping her within his power wasn't a bad thing.

Duanmu Hongdie stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his. The gloom on her face vanished. "Since we're going the same way, why don't we travel together?"

Her body leaned slightly against Xiang Tian.

Xiang Tian could clearly feel the soft sensation on his arm and raised an eyebrow. "Senior Sister Duanmu, you wouldn't have fallen in love with me, would you?"

"Don't flatter yourself!" Duanmu Hongdie's cheeks flushed red, and she quickly let go. "It was just one Dual Cultivation session. It's no big deal; I didn't take it to heart."

Though she said that, her eyes darted away, not daring to look directly at Xiang Tian.

The two walked side by side, chatting idly. But they hadn't gone far before a group of people blocked their path.

Leading them were Qin Qiong, Chen Xian, and Zhou Ling, followed by over a dozen Disciples, all looking aggressive and menacing.

"Junior Brother Xiang Tian, we've finally found you." Qin Qiong stared at Xiang Tian with cold eyes.

"Xiang Tian!"

From within the crowd, Xiahou Yu ran over quickly, holding Bai Yu.

A Disciple noticed the situation and teased sarcastically, "Why does this scene look like a sister-in-law eloping with her brother-in-law?"

Xiahou Yu's cheeks flushed, but she didn't refute it. She just stared intently at Xiang Tian, her eyes slightly red. "I thought you… you had met with an accident."

"Silly girl, how could I meet with an accident?" Xiang Tian reached out and touched her cheek. "I'm still waiting to have a bunch of children with you."

"Enough!" Qin Qiong abruptly interrupted their reunion. "Xiang Tian, you injured my younger brother Qin Yan. It's time to settle this account! Sever one of your own arms and hand over the Legacy, and we'll call it even. Otherwise…"

His words seemed magnanimous, but if Xiang Tian refused, he would be considered ungrateful; if he agreed, he would become a cripple.

"What kind of thing do you think you are? You dare to judge me?" Xiang Tian was almost amused to the point of laughter.

In the past, his cultivation was low, so he truly didn't dare to go head-to-head with Qin Qiong. But now, he was at the Peak of the Qi Condensation Realm and possessed the Nine-Petal Golden Lotus, a hidden weapon; he had no reason to fear the other party.

"You dare to curse at me?" Qin Qiong laughed out of extreme anger. "I advise you not to refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"

"Scram! Don't block my way." Xiang Tian stepped forward, shielding Xiahou Yu and Duanmu Hongdie behind him.

"You dog! It seems I've been too polite to you!" Qin Qiong was completely enraged. "Stop him! I'm going to cripple him with my own hands!"

Chen Xian and Zhou Ling immediately flanked him, forming a triangular formation with Qin Qiong to surround Xiang Tian. The other Disciples also spread out to prevent Xiang Tian from escaping.

A cold sneer curled onto Xiang Tian's lips: He was just worrying about not finding an opportunity to establish his authority, and these people had come knocking on his door!

"Kill!" Qin Qiong drew his sword and thrust it toward Xiang Tian, the sword light sharp and fierce.

A flash of golden light appeared at Xiang Tian's fingertip, and the Nine-Petal Golden Lotus was instantly unleashed. "Taste this!"

"Hmm? What is that?" Qin Qiong frowned. He only felt a flash of golden light before his eyes, and suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his arm.

"Pfft!" A bloody gash appeared on his arm.

"Hiss! How is this speed so fast?" Before Qin Qiong could react, several more streaks of golden light flashed by.

"Pfft! Pfft!" Wounds appeared one after another on his thigh and shoulder, blood flowing freely.

"What the hell is this thing?" Qin Qiong couldn't even see the opponent's attacks clearly, and he felt both shocked and furious.

The surrounding Disciples were also dumbfounded. "How can Senior Brother Qin not beat Xiang Tian?" "When did Xiang Tian become so powerful?"

Zhou Ling's expression was grave. Realizing the situation was wrong, he quickly shouted to Chen Xian, "Chen Xian, help Qin Qiong quickly!"

The two immediately stepped forward to provide support, sword light and palm winds attacking Xiang Tian simultaneously.

"Oh? You want to fight three against one?" Xiang Tian's eyes turned cold, and he gripped the qingling sword in his hand tightly. "Then let me show you my strength!"

He swung his sword to block Qin Qiong's attack, while simultaneously controlling the Nine-Petal Golden Lotus to shoot toward Zhou Ling and Chen Xian.

"Clang!" The qingling sword collided with Qin Qiong's sword, sending sparks flying.

Xiang Tian used the force to retreat a step, and the golden lotus took the opportunity to slash Zhou Ling's arm.

"This won't do. It's too difficult for Xiang Tian to deal with all three of them alone!" Watching the battle, Duanmu Hongdie clenched her fists, feeling extremely anxious.

"Senior Sister Duanmu, you seem very worried about Xiang Tian?" Xiahou Yu suddenly spoke up.

"I… I just can't stand them bullying someone with numbers!" Duanmu Hongdie explained in a flustered manner.

"Is that so?" Xiahou Yu glanced at Duanmu Hongdie's still slightly unsteady footsteps, lost in thought.

She was also someone who had been through it; how could she not see the strangeness in Duanmu Hongdie?

She took a handful of hehuan grass from her Storage Pouch and handed it to Duanmu Hongdie. "Senior Sister Duanmu, your injuries haven't healed. Eat this to recover first, otherwise, you won't be able to help if you go up there."

Duanmu Hongdie looked at the hehuan grass and hesitated. Although this herb could quickly recover injuries, it had side effects that would make one's whole body feel hot and restless.

But the situation was urgent, so she couldn't care about that anymore. She stuffed the hehuan grass into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed it.

"Mm! This herb is truly effective!" Soon, Duanmu Hongdie felt her whole body filled with strength, though her cheeks also flushed with a hot, crimson hue.

She lifted her red-tasseled spear, took a step forward, and thrust it toward Zhou Ling. "I'm here to help you!"

"Bang!" The red-tasseled spear collided with Zhou Ling's sword. Zhou Ling felt his arm go numb, and he almost couldn't hold onto his sword. "How does a woman like you have so much strength?"

"Kill!" Duanmu Hongdie seemed to have gone mad. The shadows of her spear were like a web, tightly entangling Zhou Ling.

Xiang Tian's pressure was instantly reduced significantly. He sneered and attacked toward Qin Qiong. "Watch the sword!"

"Clang!" Qin Qiong blocked the qingling sword, but didn't notice a streak of golden light quietly approaching.

"Pfft!" The golden light flashed, and Qin Qiong's hands were severed at the shoulders!

"Ah—my hands!" Qin Qiong screamed and fell to the ground, instantly losing his ability to fight.

Seeing this, Chen Xian was so scared that his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. Just as he was about to flee, a streak of golden light slashed past, and his arm fell off.

"You…" Chen Xian didn't dare to stay. Clutching his wound, he turned and ran.

Zhou Ling panicked as well. He feinted a move and took the opportunity to flee the battlefield.

Watching the two flee, Xiang Tian didn't pursue them. Instead, he scanned the remaining Disciples and said coldly, "Where is Qin Yan? Why don't I see him?"

Those Disciples were trembling with fear and quickly begged for mercy. "Junior Brother Xiang Tian, we were all forced by Qin Qiong!"

"Yes! It was all Qin Qiong threatening us to come!"

"Is that so?" Xiang Tian's eyes were cold; he clearly didn't believe their nonsense.

Just as he was preparing to strike, a soft sensation suddenly came from behind him.

Duanmu Hongdie hugged him from behind, her body rubbing gently against him.

"Don't kill them. We have more important things to do." Duanmu Hongdie's voice carried a hint of hoarseness.

Xiang Tian took a deep breath, suppressing the killing intent in his heart. "Scram! Don't let me see you again!"

As if granted amnesty, those Disciples quickly helped up the wailing Qin Qiong and fled in a sorry state.

After the crowd dispersed, Xiang Tian scooped Duanmu Hongdie up into his arms and said to Xiahou Yu, "Xiaoyu, hurry and follow. I'll explain everything to you slowly."

Holding Duanmu Hongdie, he ran toward a nearby hill.

Xiahou Yu held Bai Yu, watching Xiang Tian's back with complex eyes, yet she still quickly followed after him.