With the two Foundation cultivators joining, the battlefield abruptly stilled.
Su Su stopped entangling with the bird.
Yang Yun breathed raggedly, narrowly spared.
The two retreated behind their reinforcements.
At Wang Jianqiang's signal, the little bird fluttered back to his shoulder.
"Old man, your bird truly is formidable," Su Su said coldly.
"But you yourself are too weak. Now there are four of us—let's see how long your arrogance lasts!"
Her clothes were burned ragged, revealing bronze skin marred by charred marks.
Even her hair was singed short and uneven, leaving her looking utterly disheveled.
Rage churned within her chest. In her sect, she was always the one beating others—when had she ever been humiliated so miserably?
Wang Jianqiang ignored her. Instead, he turned to Mu Lingxi.
"Little girl, we'll have to fight with everything. If you see a chance, flee. Don't worry about me."
Warmth flickered in Mu Lingxi's heart.
This old man looked disagreeable, but he wasn't heartless.
She was just moved when his next words followed:
"Of course, I won't worry about you either."
Her face darkened, and she promptly withdrew her gratitude.
"Hmph, why should we run?" she retorted.
"Because you can kill a Foundation cultivator, right?" Wang Jianqiang rolled his eyes.
"Why not?" she shot back.
He blinked at her, seeing the absolute confidence in her expression. "You really can?"
Mu Lingxi nodded calmly. "One on one, I can kill with certainty."
His eyes lit up.
So maybe they didn't have to run.
"Bastard!"
Su Su's fury spiked at being ignored.
"Move! Yang Yun, you're with me against the beast. You two, kill the old dog and the little witch!"
At her command, she leapt.
Yang Yun, Gao Ming, and Bai Jie surged after her.
"Little Chick, stall the muscle woman and Yang Yun," Wang Jianqiang whispered.
Chirp!
The bird, his fiercest general, obeyed without hesitation, diving toward its foes.
"Yang Yun!" Su Su barked, and the two charged the bird.
Battle erupted again.
Meanwhile, Gao Ming and Bai Jie hurtled toward Wang Jianqiang and Mu Lingxi.
"I'll hold one—you kill the other!" Wang Jianqiang barked and rushed at Gao Ming.
"Old man, rushing to die?" Gao Ming sneered, his body swelling to match Wang Jianqiang's size.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two clashed like giants, each blow booming.
On the other side, Bai Jie charged Mu Lingxi.
She hadn't moved from her spot. Her eyes sharpened, and her delicate hands flashed through a strange seal.
"Three-Life Manifestation…"
"Emerge!"
Her first three words rang with the innocent voice of a girl.
But the last word came layered with two richer, more mature voices.
Two figures stepped out of her body, one on each side.
To her left—a tall maiden with hair cascading like waterfalls, beauty peerless, aura pure and untainted. Even Dong Rou and Yan Qingxuan would pale beside her. Only her chest seemed a little too modest.
To her right—a stunning matron of about thirty, tall, long-haired, her features equally exquisite—yet radiating mature allure.
Looking closer, the three shared the same face—different age stages of Mu Lingxi herself!
Bai Jie faltered mid-charge.
Then three identical pairs of icy eyes fixed upon him.
A chill stabbed his heart.
"Thunderbreak of Purity!"
The girl version pointed skyward.
Crackle!
Lightning surged, clouds writhing as a colossal spear of thunder condensed and descended.
Bai Jie instinctively tried to dodge.
"Nether Ice Prison!"
The young woman version struck a seal.
Frost swept outward, and Bai Jie froze midair, limbs stiff, even his liquefied spiritual power sluggish.
He shattered the ice with a surge of power, barely freeing himself.
But the lightning spear was already falling.
"Wind Barrier!"
The matron version swept her hand, conjuring a wall of air that rebounded him straight back into place.
Boom!
The spear struck.
Thunder raged, drowning the battlefield in an ocean of lightning.
When it cleared, a blackened body plummeted.
The young woman pressed her palm.
Ice swallowed the corpse, freezing it solid.
The matron slashed a blade-hand.
The frozen body cracked apart—headless.
In the span of breaths, Bai Jie, Foundation Early Stage… dead!
The sudden silence spread.
Su Su, Yang Yun, even Gao Ming who'd just exchanged blows with Wang Jianqiang—all drew back, staring grimly at the fallen corpse.
"Retreat!"
Su Su cast one last unwilling glare at Wang Jianqiang and Mu Lingxi, then a wary glance at the bird. With a sharp cry, she and the others fled skyward.
As they vanished, Wang Jianqiang blurred to Mu Lingxi's side.
But his eyes strayed to the maiden and the matron beside her.
Two new sets of information surfaced in his mind:
Name: Mu LingxiSex: FemaleCultivation: Qi Refining, CompletionAge: 21Root: Water-attribute Heavenly Spiritual RootMerit-Evil Value: 20
Name: Mu LingxiSex: FemaleCultivation: Qi Refining, CompletionAge: 38Root: Wind-attribute Heavenly Spiritual RootMerit-Evil Value: 20
Wang Jianqiang blinked.
Wait—these aren't clones?
Otherwise why three different ages?
He turned to her, stunned.
"These two… not your avatars?"
She looked at him in mild surprise—his insight was sharper than she expected.
Shaking her head, she replied, "Not avatars. I once cultivated a special technique. You can think of them as myself… at different ages."
Wang Jianqiang's jaw slackened, then he muttered, half dazed, half delighted:
"So that's how it is…"
"Then whoever marries you… wouldn't that be the deal of a lifetime?"