288: Anxiety

Upon hearing this, several Elders immediately counted the people, and it was indeed as had been said.

The Mountain Protecting Elder narrowed his eyes slightly, and after a moment of contemplation, he sighed softly, "Forget it, everyone has their own ambitions; let him go."

Since he was unwilling to get involved in the muddy waters of the Tianque Sect, there were naturally others who were unwilling to miss this chance to strive for a future; perhaps after the Old Ancestor returned, they could use this to soar to the heavens. This was simply human nature.

This was just like the many Secret Realms and Opportunities in the world; some believed that 'what Heaven gives and one does not take, one will suffer for it,' while others knew well that 'meat pies do not fall from the sky.' The choice between them was all a matter of the Dao Heart... On the other side.

Watching the retreating backs of several Chusheng Sect Inner Sect Elders, Ye Hao finally breathed a small sigh of relief. Although many Golden Core and Nascent Soul Cultivators later arrived as reinforcements, it wasn't as if there was no way to deal with them.

Yun Xuanxuan's eyes brightened a bit, and she bit her tender lip while glancing at Ye Hao, a hint of admiration growing in her heart.

The other several Half-Demons were the same, their gazes toward Ye Hao full of submission.

Having previously felt the pressure of those Soul Emergence Stage Elders, they had already lost hope in this plan. Who would have thought that Young Master Ye could actually hold down the fort by himself, masquerading under the name of the Tianque Sect? Coupled with those already prepared life-saving Talismans, it showed that he was not only meticulous but also possessed extraordinary courage and strategy.

And most importantly, this Young Master Ye was a good person.

Only that Daoist Nun's face was as ashen as iron, the hope that had just been ignited being completely extinguished. She stared fixedly at Ye Hao's back, fury churning in her eyes: she never expected that this person was actually sent by the Tianque Sect!

Just as she was dazed, a feather pierced through the air, instantly aiming straight for the vital point of her neck.

But just an inch away from her neck, the Lustrous White Jade Hairpin in her hair bun suddenly emitted a strange wave of spiritual light. The feather was instantly pulled by an invisible force and appeared on the ground behind the Daoist Nun.

The Daoist Nun suppressed the alarm in her heart and said in a heavy voice to the Golden Core and Nascent Soul Cultivators who had come to reinforce them, "Exterminate all these people! Afterward, I will personally report to the Old Ancestor to reward you for your merits!"

While making promises, she had already made up her mind: after getting through this, she would definitely have the Old Ancestor severely punish those Elders who had shrunk back at the last moment as a warning to others!

It would be best to make them take a few demon transformation pills so they could experience it for themselves.

Yun Xuanxuan narrowed her eyes slightly, secretly calculating the interval between the two uses of that spatial Magic Treasure.

Right at this moment, a frigid killing intent suddenly erupted from a corner of the grotto!

A Chusheng Sect Elder who had been hidden for a long time actually seized the moment when Ye Hao's mind slightly relaxed to strike boldly. Holding a long sword, he closed the distance in an instant, the sword tip pointing straight at the vital point of Ye Hao's back. The Move was ruthless and decisive, clearly intended for a one-hit kill.

At the critical moment, a loud roar echoed through the grotto!

Li Pingan's figure swept across the air like a ghost, his fists carrying a fierce wind that could crumble mountains and shatter rocks. Arriving after the strike but landing first, he forcefully collided with the Elder's sharp sword tip.

"Boom!"

A deafening roar exploded, and a wave of air swept in all directions. Where the fist and sword met, the air was distorted and shattered by the shock. Both men were knocked back several steps. When Li Pingan landed, he took several steps to stabilize himself, but his expression remained calm.

Seeing his strike fail, a flash of ferocity appeared in the Chusheng Sect Elder's eyes, but he did not linger in the fight. His body flickered as he suddenly changed direction, rushing toward the black iron seal floating in mid-air.

That was a heaven-rank magic treasure!

It was enough for any Cultivator to risk their life for!

Even if he offended the Tianque Sect, so what? On the path of cultivation, if one was timid and hesitant, how could one even talk about reaching the peak of the Great Dao?

He was extremely fast, reaching the black iron seal in the blink of an eye. He reached out to grab the dark Magic Treasure. But as soon as his palm touched the body of the seal, it was violently repelled by an invisible force. No matter how he activated his spiritual energy, the black iron seal remained completely motionless, without even a single ripple.

"Bastard!"

The Elder's face flushed red, and he couldn't help but spit, "As the rumors say, a heaven-rank magic treasure has already gained spirituality. Without killing its master, it cannot be easily taken away."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

"Thank you, Senior Brother," Ye Hao thanked him casually, feeling slightly surprised—he hadn't expected that one Elder would actually stay behind.

Li Pingan only gave a heavy "Mhm," and his Aura suddenly surged.

His foot slammed onto the ground, and he shot forward like an arrow from a bow toward that Elder. For Li Pingan, the Dao Seeking Sect was already another home. Since this person dared to sneak attack his Junior Brother Ye Hao, he naturally had no reason to let him off!

"Boom!"

Another loud roar, and the two instantly began to fight.

Seeing Li Pingan charging at him, the third-level Soul Emergence Talisman Elder's eyes flashed with a hint of disdain. He reached into his robe, and with his fingers flying, seven or eight crimson Talismans were already sacrificed. Guided by the spiritual energy at his fingertips, he gave a low shout:

"Burn!"

In an instant, the Talismans shattered into sparks, suddenly exploding in the air and turning into a sky full of raging fire!

The flames did not spread randomly but were condensed by his spiritual energy into several fire snakes that swiftly coiled and snapped toward Li Pingan.

Even more ruthlessly, he flipped his wrist and added three "Fire Gathering Talismans." The fire snakes instantly intertwined, turning into a fire pillar about ten feet thick. Carrying the momentum of burning mountains and boiling seas, it crushed down toward Li Pingan, clearly intending to burn him directly into ashes!

However, Li Pingan's figure was fast to the extreme.

Facing this overwhelming fire offensive, he advanced instead of retreating. Li Pingan's footwork changed, his figure weaving through the gaps between the fire snakes like a butterfly through flowers. While avoiding vital points, he suddenly sank his waist into a horse stance, clenched his fists, and boldly punched straight at the oncoming fire pillar!

"Hah!"

With a low shout, the fist wind whistled out. It was not a scattered airflow but condensed into a streak of Qi as solid as substance, like an invisible heavy hammer, smashing fiercely into the center of the fire pillar.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three consecutive loud bangs. The first punch hit the fire pillar, the flames churning violently and being forcefully smashed into a depression; the second punch followed closely, the fist wind penetrating the flames and directly tearing apart the core of the fire pillar; when the third punch landed, the ten-foot-thick fire pillar could no longer bear the weight and exploded with a bang!

The sky full of raging fire was dispersed by this fierce fist wind, turning into countless sparks flying in all directions, yet not even touching the corner of Li Pingan's clothes.

Even more exquisite was that his fist wind not only broke the fire but also carried a lingering force of hard strength, making the Talisman Elder's chest feel tight.

"What a skilled brat!"

The Elder suddenly bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of essence blood, all of which was sprinkled onto the remaining several Blazing Fire Talismans. As the essence blood merged, the Talismans instantly erupted with a blinding red light, the power of the flames increasing several times over, turning into a sea of fire that enveloped Li Pingan entirely.

Li Pingan's expression remained unchanged as he boldly threw a punch.

The two went back and forth, fighting to a draw with equal strength.

The other battlefields were the same, gradually falling into a stalemate.