"Annihilate my entire sect as well?"
Wei Er laughed so hard that his fat jiggled, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. It was truly laughable. If they knew that China had a population of over a billion, with tens of millions of Cultivators, they would probably faint from shock on the spot.
"Why are you still wasting your breath on this guy, Qing Hao?" Another white-haired Grandmaster named Qing Guang reached out his hand. With a sharp CLANG, the longsword on his back flew into his palm of its own accord. His expression remained calm. "It's obvious this guy's sect popped out of some obscure backwater ditch. He thinks becoming a Grandmaster makes him invincible. He has probably never even witnessed the might of a top-tier Grandmaster. We should avenge Qing Wen sooner rather than later."
Up until now, none of these native Grandmasters believed that Wei Er's sudden, violent outburst earlier was genuinely just to avenge a few comrades who hadn't even reached the Divine Thought Stage. They merely assumed he was blinded by greed, his mind clouded by the allure of merit and political favors. He was simply too foolish to even be worthy of the title of Grandmaster!
"Everyone, be careful." Grandmaster Qing Hao's body erupted with rolling wind pressure. "This man's cultivation is quite peculiar. If it weren't for the protection of my Celestial River Cold Armor, I fear I would have met the same fate as Qing Wen the other day."
Waves of cyan light flashed from beneath his Daoist robes. The others looked on with traces of envy in their eyes. Although they called each other fellow members of the same sect, how could a mere Cyan Cloud Pavilion possess so many Grandmasters? They were all late joiners; only Qing Hao was a true clansman of the Pavilion Master, enjoying treatment far beyond what the rest could compare with. However, with the enemy right in front of them, they reined in their wandering thoughts. Their Spiritual Power surged wildly as a terrifying, oppressive aura rolled upwards.
COUGH!
Even with Wei Er protecting her, the Seventeenth Imperial Princess couldn't help but cough up a large mouthful of blood. A profound sense of powerlessness filled her eyes. This was a battle between Grandmasters. Even just the shockwaves were enough to kill her a thousand times over.
"Don't worry," Wei Er sneered, lowering his voice. "We are only a few dozen miles from the Jiuzhou Sect's headquarters. I can definitely hold out until backup arrives."
At that moment, the signal receiver in his pocket was vibrating continuously. It was obvious that Shen Yun had already arrived in the Otherworld. But the Seventeenth Imperial Princess gently shook her head.
"It won't be that simple."
A battle between Grandmasters was no small matter. Especially after Wei Er had displayed extreme combat prowess capable of soloing one of them, the Cyan Cloud Pavilion couldn't possibly be unprepared. As expected, the sword-wielding Qing Guang shouted fiercely, "Form the Array!"
In an instant, the five Grandmasters leaped a hundred meters into the air. Spiritual Power surged frantically through the space, interweaving and merging until a visible dome of cyan light completely sealed Wei Er and the Seventeenth Imperial Princess inside.
Wei Er's expression changed slightly. He hadn't felt much when dealing with the spiritual pressure of the five men just a moment ago, but now, it felt as though a towering giant was standing right in front of him, bringing an oppressive, suffocating weight. The Seventeenth Imperial Princess's face grew even paler.
"Wait a minute!" Wei Er shouted loudly. "I have a question to ask."
"Thinking about surrendering now?" Qing Hao's voice echoed from within the Array, accompanied by arrogant laughter. "It's too late! Since stepping into the realm of a Grandmaster, I have never killed another Grandmaster. You will be my first!"
"I just want to ask," Wei Er said, his ears twitching, "are you guys afraid of thunder?"
The moment his words fell, a rolling rumble of thunder seemed to echo from the distant horizon.
Thunder?
Despite their absolute confidence, the Grandmasters couldn't help but find the question inexplicably comical. Every Grandmaster had experienced the baptism of heaven and earth. The last thing they feared was lightning.
"This man really is a lunatic. Everyone, let's attack," a voice echoed from within the Array.
In a flash, Wind Blades, Sword Qi, Red Flames, and giant fists glowing with golden light attacked from all directions in an endless barrage.
This Array was named the Beast Capturing Array. As the name suggested, it utilized the combined Spiritual Power of a larger group to imprison a minority, leaving them to struggle like trapped beasts.
But right at that moment, several lightning bolts as thick as water barrels crashed down abruptly. In an instant, they tore the Spiritual Power Array to shreds, as if only blinding purple light remained in the entire world. A few screams of agony followed. The Seventeenth Imperial Princess felt the suffocating oppression vanish without a trace.
"Hahaha! You're not afraid of thunder, but are you afraid of the one bringing the thunder?" Wei Er soared into the air, laughing wildly.
"There is actually... another Grandmaster." As the oldest and most profoundly cultivated among them, Qing Guang also took to the sky with his sword. He stared at Shen Yun, who was crackling with terrifying lightning next to Wei Er, his expression turning ugly.
The only way to break the Beast Capturing Array was to attack it from the outside. And this newcomer was a rare Thunder Series Grandmaster!
SWISH! SWISH!
Several other figures flew up as well. Even someone at the Peak of Divine Thought Stage would have been killed instantly by those lightning strikes just now, but these Grandmasters merely looked miserable on the outside.
"To think that an obscure little sect would actually have two Grandmasters." Qing Hao's expression twisted fiercely as he vigilantly scanned their surroundings with his Divine Thought. Fortunately, there was no third Grandmaster lying in ambush. It seemed there were only two of them at most.
"Mr. Shen, can you leave this kid talking right now to me?" Wei Er said to Shen Yun in Chinese, his face brimming with murderous intent.
"...No problem." Shen Yun already knew what had happened. He nodded solemnly. "Leave the rest to me."
He wasn't being arrogant. Little Nine had already explained the differences between this world and Earth. The Heavenly Dao here was much more mature. Accordingly, the Momentum of Heaven and Earth was much easier to mobilize! Little Nine's identity as a top-tier Grandmaster was firmly cemented!
"My friend, the Pavilion Master of our Cyan Cloud Pavilion is a top-tier Grandmaster holding the title of Cyan Emperor!" Qing Guang raised his voice. "Today, we are only seeking vengeance for Qing Wen. If you are willing, our Cyan Cloud Pavilion can even establish an alliance with your sect to compensate for your loss of a Grandmaster."
He had quietly dropped the previous demand to annihilate their entire sect. One Grandmaster might be a lunatic, but the other surely wouldn't be. Aligning with the Cyan Cloud Pavilion, which boasted a top-tier Grandmaster, would bring immense benefits to one's cultivation. Reaching the realm of a Grandmaster guaranteed a lifespan starting at five hundred years; who would casually risk perishing just to offend a top-tier Grandmaster?
However, a terrifying web of electric currents instantly enveloped him. Shen Yun hadn't said a single word; he just attacked directly.
These two lunatics!
"Form the Array!" Qing Guang could only shout loudly, his heart filled with indignation.
How had such madmen managed to live long enough to become Grandmasters?!
Meanwhile, after Little Nine made her move, Shen Yun finally asked her, "What was that guy just saying?"
He had only studied the language for about ten days in total. He could understand simple conversations, but for complex dialogue, he had to rely entirely on Little Nine to translate.
"He was telling you to surrender."
"Fuck that!" Shen Yun raised his middle finger. "Who would surrender when we're already fighting to the death? Are the people in this world idiots?"
"Hehehe." Little Nine giggled happily, speaking in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Master, this Array is quite interesting. I'd like to study it for a bit."