Chapter Ten: Conflict

As they spoke, Lia absentmindedly twirled her long hair. Fortunately, all the surrounding bandit corpses had been devoured by Xu Cheng's Underworld Vortex Technique, otherwise, the two of them would have had to block their sense of smell just to hold a normal conversation.

“Senior Sister Lia, I've already obtained my chance. Why don't we return?” Xu Cheng paused for a moment in this desolate place and proposed they return to the Xuantian Dao Sect.

“That tattered Underworld scroll? Even if you've gotten your opportunity, there's no way we're going back. I've barely had a few days of fresh air, and you're already talking about returning!” Lia was clearly irritated, to the point that flames began to flicker atop her hair.

“Um… Senior Sister, your hair is on fire…” Xu Cheng said meekly.

Lia froze, then hurriedly patted out the flames on her head. “I still can’t fully control the True Fire of the Southern Departure. I need to practice more!”

No sooner had she finished speaking than a blade of sword energy shot straight at the two of them.

“Hell!” Lia sprang aside, but not before the sword energy sliced off the edge of her robe.

“Divine Elephant Prison Suppression!”

A bald, burly man charged at Lia with overwhelming force, his steps shaking the ground like an enormous elephant.

“Heavenly Sword!” A woman wielding a pale yellow sword of light, more than ten meters long, rushed straight at Xu Cheng, giving them no time to catch their breath.

“True Fire of the Southern Departure—Release!” Lia retreated several dozen steps to evade the giant’s deadly blow, then spat a torrent of orange fire from her mouth. The current True Fire of the Southern Departure was far more powerful than the Pure Yang Fire she’d wielded before.

Meanwhile, Xu Cheng’s Divine Eye Radiance collided with the woman’s giant sword of light, the impact sending violent ripples through the air.

“Martial Law of the Western Border—White Tiger!” Suddenly, another figure appeared, transforming instantly into a massive white tiger streaked with stripes.

The situation on the field was dire for Xu Cheng and Lia.

“True Fire of the Southern Departure—Phoenix Seeks Its Mate!” Their three opponents pressed the attack relentlessly. Xu Cheng and Lia stood back to back, defending themselves as best they could. This time, Lia held nothing back—a ring of fire encircled the two, and then two phoenixes of flame soared into existence.

“Heaven’s Wrath—Divine Radiance!” Xu Cheng shouted, the vertical eye in his brow gathering silver light. In a moment, he unleashed it, the destructive force threatening to obliterate everything.

At the first sign of trouble, the bald giant and the man who had become a white tiger exchanged a glance. “Tiger and Elephant—United Strike!” they cried in unison.

The scene before them resembled a white tiger perched atop an elephant’s back. With a mighty leap, the tiger pounced at Lia and Xu Cheng.

The woman with the sword of light was still locked in combat with the two phoenixes overhead.

“Junior Brother, use your strongest technique!” Lia shouted urgently, the situation critical. Ignoring the risk that Xu Cheng’s Underworld Vortex might absorb her own spells, Xu Cheng raised his left hand. In his palm, a black hole began to form.

Once it appeared, the black hole devoured everything in its path. The tiger-elephant combination was instantly undone, revealing the pair’s true forms. Even the woman’s sword of light in the sky flickered and began to dissipate.

Exposed, the three struggled desperately to resist the pull of Xu Cheng’s Underworld Vortex, but their outlines grew blurred.

“That’s what you get for ambushing me! I’m not so easily bullied!” Lia spat. Meanwhile, Xu Cheng, focusing all his energy on maintaining the vortex, couldn’t spare a word.

“You’re not from this mountain stronghold?” the bald giant managed to gasp.

“Of course not! How could someone of my stature be a bandit? Listen up! I am Lia, disciple of the Xuantian Dao Sect!” Seeing their attackers immobilized, Lia couldn't help but boast.

“So after all this, you’re Xuantian Dao Sect disciples! Tell your companion to stop—we’re from the Sword Martial Sect!” the man who had transformed into the white tiger shouted in panic, feeling himself nearly spent. He dreaded to think what the black hole might do to them if they were sucked in.

“Sword Martial Sect?” Lia muttered, recalling what she knew. The Sword Martial Sect was a neighboring sect, specializing in swordplay and martial law—a kindred order. With a flash of thought, Lia quickly called to Xu Cheng, “Junior Brother, withdraw your technique!”

Xu Cheng complied, closing the black hole in his palm. In truth, it was all he could do to maintain it; the Underworld Vortex consumed enormous reserves of energy, leaving him pale and drained.

The three Sword Martial Sect disciples fell heavily to the ground in a cloud of dust, especially the woman who’d been airborne.

“You three didn’t even look before attacking—nearly drove me mad!” Lia grumbled, kicking the bald giant in the backside.

“It’s a misunderstanding—a misunderstanding! I, Cheng Jin of the Sword Martial Sect, apologize! We’d heard there was a new bandit stronghold here, and that the chief wielded a powerful technique!” The bald giant introduced himself and explained their purpose.

“Cheng Yue, Sword Martial Sect.”

“Cheng Kun, Sword Martial Sect.”

The three scrambled to their feet, still unsteady, and hastily bowed in apology, their nerves frayed by Xu Cheng’s Underworld Vortex. A mere black hole, yet from its other side emanated an endless aura of death—if sucked in, surely death awaited.

“Lia of the Xuantian Dao Sect,” Lia declared.

“Liao Wu,” Xu Cheng added, still weakened. The three Sword Martial Sect disciples relaxed a little—so the powerful spell had all but exhausted this Xuantian disciple. Had his cultivation been any deeper, today might have been their death anniversary next year.

“So it was Daoist Lia and Daoist Liao Wu who wiped out the bandits! As expected, your powers are formidable!” Cheng Yue looked around and nodded in admiration.

“That’s right. The bandit chief tried to freeze me solid with an endless frost technique, but he didn’t count on me having the True Fire of the Southern Departure, which countered him perfectly! When we were deadlocked, I had my junior brother use his Divine Eye to pierce the chief right through! We rested a few days, and just as we recovered, you lot showed up!” Lia went on boasting, until Xu Cheng gave her a discreet kick, making her abruptly change the story she’d been about to tell—one where she alone slew the bandit chief.

“Daoist Lia, you are truly mighty! Now that the bandit chief is gone, we should report to the sect. Cheng Jin, Cheng Kun, let’s go!” Cheng Yue, half convinced by Lia’s vivid account, prepared to leave.

“Don’t rush off, Sword Martial friends!” Lia quickly stopped them.

“Is there something else, Daoist?” Cheng Yue asked, puzzled—they’d already destroyed the bandit lair, what else was there to discuss?

“Don’t be in a hurry, Senior Sister Cheng. Before sending the kidnapped villagers down the mountain, they told me there’s a snake demon wreaking havoc in their village. I wonder if the three of you from the Sword Martial Sect would join us in subduing this serpent demon?” Lia rubbed her hands expectantly, hoping to find some treasure after slaying the serpent.

“A serpent demon? You mean the one near Yutou Village? I heard it’s eaten quite a few people and is very formidable!” Cheng Yue had heard such rumors when she left the sect.

“So what if it’s formidable? The five of us together—even if it’s at the Unity Realm, we’ll stand a fighting chance!” Lia’s eyes flickered eagerly from Cheng Jin to Cheng Yue to Cheng Kun.

“We’ll need to discuss this,” Cheng Kun replied, pulling his companions aside. The three huddled together, communicating in a special way.

While the three quietly deliberated, Xu Cheng could only focus on regaining his strength.