459: Chapter 459 To have one less enemy, Xu Ruyu lets Zhao Qian go.

Tian Jianzi's face was livid, and he said nothing.

Of course, he had never seen it before.

He had lived for over a thousand years; what kind of Formation had he not seen? What kind of flames had he not witnessed? But this Formation of Xu Ruyu's was something he had truly never seen before.

The structure of those Array Pattern and the nature of those flames were completely different from everything within his understanding.

He was simply unable to break it.

"You..."

Tian Jianzi took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart, his voice tinged with a hint of unwillingness.

"What kind of demonic art is this? Demonic heretics truly possess nothing but underhanded methods!"

Xu Ruyu smiled, his expression full of disdain: "It's not a demonic art; it's science."

"Senior, you wouldn't understand."

"You so-called members of the Righteous Path spend your days only knowing how to Cultivate and fight, yet you don't know that there are many things in this world that you do not understand."

Tian Jianzi's face became even uglier.

He knew that he was destined to suffer this loss today.

He had not expected that a brat in the Qi Refinement Stage could use such unheard-of methods to render him, a Half-step True Immortal Sword Cultivator, helpless.

If this got out, where would he, Tian Jianzi, put his old face?

"Good, truly ruthless!"

He snorted coldly and turned to leave.

"Hold on, Senior!"

Xu Ruyu suddenly spoke up from behind Tian Jianzi: "Old man, have you forgotten something again?"

Tian Jianzi stopped and turned back to look at him, his eyes glaring at Xu Ruyu with fury.

Xu Ruyu, however, indifferently pointed at Zhao Qian in the Formation and smiled: "Your Junior Martial Nephew is still in my Formation."

"Aren't you going to save him? If you just leave like this, the reputation of your Tianshu Sword Sect will truly be gone."

"If word spreads that the Grand Elder of the Tianshu Sword Sect watched his own Junior Martial Nephew burn to death while being unable to do anything, only to slink away in defeat—that reputation wouldn't sound very good."

"By then, the entire Cultivation World will laugh at your Tianshu Sword Sect."

Tian Jianzi's expression grew even uglier.

He naturally knew that Zhao Qian was still in Xu Ruyu's hands.

But since he couldn't even break the other party's Formation, how could he save Zhao Qian?

Did he have to lower his old face and beg him? How could that be possible?

But Tian Jianzi was also conflicted; if he let Zhao Qian really die here, how would he answer to the Sect when he returned?

The Sect Head of the Tianshu Sword Sect was his Junior Martial Nephew, and Zhao Qian was his grand-nephew; if he stood by and watched him die, how would he be able to hold his head high in the Sect in the future?

"Release him."

Thinking of this, Tian Jianzi spoke coldly, his voice tinged with a hint of helpless pleading.

"I cannot guarantee anything else, but as long as you release Zhao Qian, the people of my Tianshu Sword Sect will retreat immediately."

"From this day forward, we will never again cause trouble for you and the Hehuan Sect."

Xu Ruyu looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and quickly calculated in his heart.

If the people from the Tianshu Sword Sect retreated, he would have one less enemy.

Although this old bastard Tian Jianzi kept spouting about the Righteous Path and was full of benevolence and morality, his words might not be trustworthy.

However, the current situation was disadvantageous to him; if releasing Zhao Qian could eliminate one enemy, it was always a good thing for him.

Moreover, after all this commotion, Xiao Nianyin should have already gone far away with the Disciples.

With Xiao Nianyin's Cultivation and methods, even if Zhao Qian wanted to pursue them, he wouldn't be able to catch up.

Releasing Zhao Qian would have no impact on the overall situation.

As for Tian Jianzi's guarantee—he had never believed the guarantees of these Righteous Path members.

But at least for now, he didn't want to push the Tianshu Sword Sect too hard.

Situ E was already enough for him to handle; if he added Tian Jianzi to the mix, he might not be able to hold on.

It is better to have one less enemy than one more; he understood this principle.

"Fine. I will let him go."

"But I hope you, Tian Jianzi, keep your word; otherwise, I will let the whole world know what you, Tian Jianzi, did today!"

Xu Ruyu nodded, waved his hands, and the flames of the Acetylene Great Array slowly receded, and the Array Pattern gradually dimmed.

However, those flames only retreated to the edge of the Formation and did not fully extinguish.

The Formation still existed, only releasing Zhao Qian alone.

Zhao Qian stumbled out of the Formation, covered in wounds and in a miserable state.

His robes were burnt to tatters, his face was covered in soot, and more than half of his hair was scorched, emitting a burnt smell.

He ran to Tian Jianzi's side, knelt on the ground, his voice hoarse and tearful: "Junior Martial Uncle, this Disciple is incompetent and has brought shame upon you."

"This Disciple deserves death!"

Tian Jianzi looked at him, his eyes filled with the anger of someone disappointed by his failure to live up to expectations.

He raised his hand, wanting to slap Zhao Qian, but ultimately put it down.

He snorted coldly and turned to leave.

Zhao Qian hurriedly followed, not daring to even look back.

The four middle-aged Sword Cultivators also sheathed their swords and followed them away.

As they were leaving, one of them turned back to look at Xu Ruyu, his eyes filled with complex emotions—fear, dread, and a hint of unwillingness.

They had never seen such a Formation, and never seen such an opponent.

A brat in the Qi Refinement Stage was actually able to render their Grand Elder helpless; this was simply a fantasy.

The people from the Tianshu Sword Sect left in such a dejected manner.

Xu Ruyu watched their retreating backs, and the smile on the corners of his mouth gradually faded.