"You—you shameless scoundrel."
"How dare you!"
Realizing what was happening, a flicker of fear flashed in Lin Xian'er's eyes.
Wang Jianqiang sneered when he saw this.
"Just teasing you."
"I, Wang Jianqiang, have never forced anyone in such matters."
"And since you hate me so much, do you really think I'd keep an enemy by my side?"
As he spoke, a trace of killing intent appeared on his face.
A flash of spiritual light bloomed in front of him, and the perfect Cloudwater Coldlight Sword appeared.
Just then, an ill-timed voice rang out.
"Hm? There's another Hehuan Sect disciple here!"
Wang Jianqiang frowned.
He didn't rush to kill Lin Xian'er.
Turning his head, two tall figures entered his view.
One man and one woman, both with well-built physiques.
Seeing their iconic bulging muscles, Wang Jianqiang instantly knew they were from Zhengyang Sect.
"We thought we'd be scolded for letting one slip away, but to think we ran into another—our luck is pretty good."
The woman glanced at Wang Jianqiang with a smile, but her eyes were cold.
"I don't recall offending the two of you, have I?"
Wang Jianqiang looked at them calmly.
The man was at Second Revolution, the woman at First.
"Heh, you probably got into this secret realm through connections, right?" the man said with disdain. "No wonder you're so clueless."
"But I think it's better if you die ignorant."
Wang Jianqiang narrowed his eyes.
Big body, foul mouth. Typical.
At that moment, the female brute beside him grew impatient, her voice cold: "Why waste words on this trash? Just take his head and be done with it."
The man grinned and nodded, stepping forward.
"Old man, will you kill yourself, or do I have to do it?"
"Let me be clear, if I act, you won't die a painless death."
"Is that so?" Wang Jianqiang chuckled, stepping forward as well. "Funny thing is, I like it rough. Why don't you try me?"
The man's face darkened.
Just as he was about to strike after his habitual threats, his eyes caught the figure behind Wang Jianqiang.
Lin Xian'er had been hidden by Wang Jianqiang's body, but when he stepped forward, she was exposed.
"You—"
"This—"
"I—"
The man's eyes widened, his words stuck in his throat, tongue practically tied.
Oh hell—
Isn't that Lin Xian'er, the top prodigy of Xuanqing Palace?!
Why is she here?
And in such a battered state?
Who could have injured her like this?
Swallowing hard, he trembled inside.
Could it be this old man?
"What are you dawdling for?!"
The woman grew impatient seeing him frozen.
The man turned back with a face uglier than crying.
He pointed behind Wang Jianqiang.
The woman blinked, instinctively looked—and instantly froze, her face filled with terror.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm waiting. Why aren't you making a move?"
Wang Jianqiang smiled at them. "What, lost your nerve? That won't do. A person's word should count."
"If you two don't dare strike, then I'll have to."
At that, the two shuddered.
Without hesitation, they turned tail and ran.
Wang Jianqiang shook his head in disdain.
If they hadn't fled, he could have killed them easily.
But now, with no will to fight, even though their cultivation was at the peak of Qi Refining—higher than his—chasing them down would take some effort.
Thinking this, he glanced at his shoulder.
"Little Chick, it's up to you."
The chick lazily spread its wings.
Its tiny wings bent like fingers, then flicked lightly.
Two unremarkable streaks of cyan flame shot through the air.
In an instant, they overtook the fleeing pair.
The searing fire pierced their sturdy flesh, burning their internal organs to ash.
Wang Jianqiang flashed forward, appearing before the man's corpse.
Before his remnant soul could disperse, Wang Jianqiang pressed a palm to his crown.
His spiritual sense surged in.
Moments later, Wang Jianqiang withdrew with the information he wanted.
From the Zhengyang Sect disciple's memories, he learned:
A little witch had appeared among the Hehuan Sect disciples.
She had killed many Wanjian Sect disciples during the contest at Azure Stone Square.
After entering the Medicine Garden, she encountered Zhengyang Sect's top outer disciple, Su Su, and seriously injured her.
Now, Wanjian Sect and Zhengyang Sect had formed an alliance to hunt down Hehuan Sect disciples.
This man and woman had originally been chasing Su Yutong and Ye Lingyun alongside Zhengyang's second prodigy, Yang Yun.
Yang Yun had been drawn off by Ye Lingyun.
The pair had continued pursuing Su Yutong here, but she escaped—only for them to stumble into Wang Jianqiang.
"Ye Lingyun?"
From the woman's memories, Wang Jianqiang confirmed that Yang Yun had already broken through to Foundation Establishment.
If Ye Lingyun could stall him, that likely meant he too had broken through.
Wang Jianqiang thought about tailing them to ambush Ye Lingyun, but gave up for now.
Better to secure Lin Xian'er first.
"How dare you kill my Zhengyang Sect disciples? Old fool, you've got guts!"
Suddenly, a chilling voice echoed from the distant sky.
An overwhelming Foundation Establishment aura crashed down.
Caught off guard, Wang Jianqiang staggered.
He turned to see—
A towering figure had silently appeared in the air.
Zhengyang Sect's Yang Yun?
Wang Jianqiang squinted.
Wasn't he chasing Ye Lingyun?
Why was he back?
Did that mean… he failed to catch him?
The thought left Wang Jianqiang slightly regretful.
"Old trash, daring to ignore me—courting death!"
Seeing Wang Jianqiang simply sizing him up indifferently, Yang Yun roared in fury.
He dove with astonishing speed.
Without using any techniques, he simply slammed forward.
"Head-on?"
"You think you're tougher than me?"
Wang Jianqiang sneered as his body swelled.
Then he leapt up.
Boom!
The two collided. Yang Yun, wearing a look of shock, was sent flying back.
But as a body-refining cultivator, his physique was tough, leaving him uninjured.
"You're clearly only at Qi Refining. How can you be this strong?"
After steadying himself, he stared at Wang Jianqiang in disbelief.
Then his eyes fell on Lin Xian'er.
Lin Xian'er?!
Why was she here?
And so badly injured?
Could it be… this man had wounded her?
He looked back at Wang Jianqiang in shock.
A Qi Refining cultivator… had seriously injured a Foundation Establishment one?!
Impossible!