Xu Ming reacted faster than anyone else. He pulled Ling Yu out of Luo Zixue's sword path and placed himself in front of her—an action he wouldn't understand until much later. At the same time, he circulated his spirit energy, ready to annihilate Luo Zixue.
However, even though she had been pulled behind Xu Ming, Ling Yu's non-existent Immortal Core once again gave her an edge. Just like Xuan Tian had explained to her five years ago, she could produce spirit energy faster than even Xu Ming. She imbued Yue Ya with it and prepared to deflect Luo Zixue's sword strike with her slash.
She had never truly appreciated her 'flaw' until now.
Today was truly not Luo Zixue's day. The moment she launched her attack, she saw a figure in white and light-blue robes move in front of Ling Yu. When she realized who it was, she nearly lost control on the spot.
Xu Ming Shengzun! It can't be!
She tried to pull back her attack, but it was too late. Having lost her patience completely, she had put all her power into the strike and wasn't strong enough to retract it.
Ling Yu's slash only managed to deflect Luo Zixue's attack slightly, but the impact still pushed her back with brutal force. If Luo Zixue hadn't attempted to pull back, Ling Yu would have suffered a severe internal injury.
While both women were unsuccessful in their attempts, nothing stood in Xu Ming's way. He extended his palm and struck Luo Zixue squarely in the chest. Her sword energy hit him as well, but against his body, it was like striking a cotton wall.
The moment his palm connected with her chest, the world seemed to fall silent, as though time itself had stopped. Then, in the very next second, a wave of overwhelming spirit energy exploded outward.
The chaos was instant. Wooden furniture splintered. People screamed and ran as structures collapsed, dust flying everywhere and making it hard to see.
When the dust settled, the aftermath became clear. It was as if the youtiao stall and the teahouse had been hit by a bomb. The destruction was shaped like a circle—the farther from its center, the less severe the damage; the closer it was, the more debris there was. At the very center, only one person stood tall, perfectly composed, as if nothing had happened.
Xu Ming looked satisfied. All of the noisy cultivators had gone silent. As he looked around, he noticed Ling Yu was nowhere to be seen. A twinge of disappointment stirred in his heart. Then he heard a cough—a fallen roof slab was pushed aside, and Ling Yu emerged from the debris.
She was coughing and covered in dust. Waving her hand in front of her, she tried to clear the air, completely forgetting she could use spirit energy. Suddenly, the air cleared and the dust vanished.
Ling Yu saw Xu Ming standing not far away, an orb of dust hovering above his palm.
I feel like I've seen this scene before. Her eyes widened as memories of Tie Yanfang flashed back—the dust orb in his right hand, his left hand gripping her throat, lifting her off the ground, choking her.
She subconsciously clutched her neck.
"What's wrong with your neck?"
Ling Yu snapped her eyes toward the speaker, only to widen them further when she saw it was Xu Ming. This was the first time she had heard him speak. He sounded like a scholar. His voice was pleasant to hear—not deep and masculine like Xuan Tian's, but not effeminate either. It was perfectly balanced.
His tone was low, his speech unhurried, soothing. Once again it gave the impression that he was not a powerful cultivator.
How wrong is that thought. Look at this!
Ling Yu didn't answer Xu Ming. Instead, she scanned the area, trying to find any casualties. But there were none. They were only injured—some more severely than others, but none life-threatening.
"Luo Shijie!"
A disciple shouted, catching Ling Yu's attention.
She saw Luo Zixue lying on the floor in a fetal position, her head was underneath wooden debris. Disciples crowded around her. Han Zhiyuan shook her, but she wasn't moving.
Then he pushed Luo Zixue onto her back.
Everyone, including Ling Yu, froze.
Then a female disciple—maybe Yu Meixian—screamed at the top of her lungs.
Luo Zixue's eyes were closed. Her face was pale, blood trickling from her nose, ears, eyes, and mouth. A hand-shaped dent marked her chest. And she was, beyond any doubt, dead.
Oh dear heavens! Ling Yu covered her mouth with both hands.
Xu Ming was aware that he was being ignored by Ling Yu. But he was also aware that he wasn't the slightest bit upset. His pride had taken a big hit, but most of all, he was curious. Deep, gnawing curiosity. How can someone with cultivation as low as she ignores him, Xu Ming?
He couldn't make head or tail of her.
Driven by his growing curiosity, Xu Ming approached Ling Yu without any hesitation. He tapped her shoulder and waited for her to turn to him before opening his mouth to ask a question. But Ling Yu, for the nth time that day, beat him again.
"You can't go around and kill people!" She spoke to him in a low voice. "Look at what you've done!" she added.
Xu Ming looked around, obviously not understanding her meaning at all. What did I do? I was defending myself and you.
He wanted to explain that to Ling Yu. It was important for him that Ling Yu understood. And he couldn't understand why it was important.
Ling Yu once again proved herself quick in decision-making. She grabbed Xu Ming by the wrist and pulled him away from the scene.
Xu Ming, who couldn't understand nor follow Ling Yu's train of thought, just let himself be dragged away by her.
While running… on foot… like non-cultivators—another thing that baffled him—he raised his curiosity with her.
"Why are we running? I am stronger than any of them combined, I could just..."
"That's exactly why we're running!"
"It is? But why?"
Ling Yu led him to a narrow alley and hid behind the wooden crates there.
"What are we…?"
"Shush!!" Ling Yu pushed his head down so they both crouched behind the crates.
Both of them ducked at the right time, because the next second, they could hear shouting from the street: "We need to find them!"
Lingxu disciples were moving quickly. After they realized that Luo Zixue was really dead, Zhou Wenkai knew this wasn't something they could handle by themselves. He immediately tasked Han Zhiyuan to report to the Alliance HQ, while he took the rest of the disciples to chase after them.
In less than one incense time, the Alliance agents crowded the streets and the air above the city, looking for them. News of two criminals running and resisting arrest from the Alliance had spread wide to the entire Yuling City. Almost every individual in the city had heard about it.
The story grew more terrifying with every retelling. By the time the rumors spread from market stalls to teahouses, people whispered that the criminals had destroyed half the street, slaughtered dozens of Alliance members, and crippled entire squads. Some swore they used forbidden demonic arts. Others claimed the Palace guards had been wiped out trying to stop them.
The Alliance plastered their faces on the news boards around the city. The Palace ordered the city gates closed immediately. No one could enter or exit until the criminals were caught.
By nightfall, the "two criminals" had turned into more than ten High Immortals in the rumors, and their victims were said to number in the hundreds.
In less than half a day, Yuling City had been plunged into chaos and fear.