Xie Zhaolin didn't even glance back, casually flicking her hand.
A sharp burst of spiritual power shot forward with lightning speed, not only effortlessly shattering Wei Qingwu's attack, but the aftershock surged straight toward her face!
Wei Qingwu's face went pale with fright, completely unable to react.
At the last moment, a figure suddenly darted in front of her, taking the full force of the strike.
"Pff—"
Liu Feng spat blood, staggering back several steps, his face turning ghostly white.
Wei Qingwu froze, staring at Liu Feng in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened. She never expected Liu Feng would actually step in to save her!
In fact, the moment Xie Zhaolin heard Wei Qingwu's voice, she had already issued a command to Liu Feng through their contract: "If I move, go save her and earn her trust."
Liu Feng clenched his injuries, whispering to Wei Qingwu, "Sister Wei, you're too impulsive."
Only then did she carefully examine his face. It wasn't Xie Zhaolin at all, and in fact, it was a male cultivator. It was just that the back looked so similar, she'd mistaken him for Xie Zhaolin. Still, regaining her composure, she snapped, "I-I mistook him for someone else! So what? Why did he hit me so hard?"
She relied on the presence of Hehuan Sect and Qingxi Sect disciples behind her, assuming the other wouldn't dare really harm her. After all, they outnumbered him, and he looked like a lone cultivator.
But she was dead wrong.
Xie Zhaolin slowly turned, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. "Mistook me for someone else? Just saying that, and you think it's over?"
Before her words could even fade, she appeared like a phantom before Wei Qingwu, raising her hand for a strike!
Liu Feng, bound by the command, could only step in again to protect Wei Qingwu. With a crisp "smack," Liu Feng was sent flying, crashing heavily against a tree, unconscious. The other Qingxi Sect disciples retreated in terror, not daring to step forward.
Wei Qingwu finally felt real fear, trembling as she called out to Yu Xiaotang, "Sister Yu, help me!"
Yu Xiaotang frowned slightly. She hadn't wanted to get involved in this petty affair, but with so many eyes watching, she couldn't let someone beg for help and die in front of her. That would ruin her reputation.
Besides, there was a Xuanyang Sword Sect disciple in the group. If he reported anything back to Yuan Yingqi, all the effort she'd spent gaining favor would be wasted. Thinking of this, she stepped forward, sending a ribbon of silk from her sleeve to try to block Xie Zhaolin's next strike.
To her shock, Xie Zhaolin's spiritual power was so strong it made her arm tingle!
"Late stage Foundation?" Yu Xiaotang was surprised, but she maintained her gentle smile. "Daoyou, please calm down. Sister Wei was at fault, but her actions are understandable."
She paused, continuing, "One of her fellow sisters treated her poorly, constantly bullying her, which led to her losing control and mistaking someone for another."
Wei Qingwu hurriedly nodded. "Yes, yes! It's all Xie Zhaolin's fault! She always targets me, steals my resources, spreads rumors about me in the sect! That's why I…"
Xie Zhaolin coldly interrupted them, "So you think you can just attack me however you want?"
Yu Xiaotang's smile didn't falter. "Of course not. I just hope Daoyou can understand Sister Wei's situation and spare her this once."
She subtly gave Wei Qingwu a glance.
Wei Qingwu got the hint and quickly took out a pouch of spirit stones. "Th-this is a gift of apology for Daoyou…"
Xie Zhaolin didn't even look at the spirit stones, her gaze fixed on Yu Xiaotang. "Hehuan Sect intends to interfere in this matter?"
Yu Xiaotang stiffened internally, annoyed at Wei Qingwu for dragging the sect into this mess. Yet she remained calm outwardly. "Daoyou, you misunderstand. I just can't bear to see members of the same sect harm each other."
Xie Zhaolin sneered, eyes full of mockery. "Harm each other? Yu Daoyou, that's rich. In cultivation, who doesn't fight tooth and nail for resources? Who hasn't shed a few lives for it? Don't pretend to be virtuous."
Her gaze swept across the Hehuan Sect disciples present. "When you go out for experience, haven't you fought for a spiritual herb or a treasure? Haven't you used tricks for secret realm quotas?"
Several Hehuan Sect disciples instinctively averted their eyes.
Indeed, who hadn't fought for resources? Even the Xuanyang Sword Sect, known for its reputation, often killed for treasures in secret.
Yu Xiaotang's expression shifted slightly but she remained composed. "Daoyou, that's not the same as hurting someone without cause…"
"Without cause?" Xie Zhaolin scoffed, cutting her off. "When she first attacked me, why didn't you call that 'without cause'? So it's only hurting your people that counts, and everyone else should just take it?"
She stepped forward, radiating pressure. "If my cultivation hadn't been strong enough just now, I'd be the one lying on the ground. Then would you again say it's just the law of the secret realm?"
Yu Xiaotang was momentarily speechless. Indeed, if Wei Qingwu had succeeded earlier, she wouldn't have interfered at all. Internally, she cursed, but her gentle smile didn't falter. She knew she was in a bind—if she rushed in, she could take Xie Zhaolin down but would lose face among her own sect. If she backed off, Hehuan Sect would seem weak.
Xie Zhaolin was weighing her options too. Nearly forty cultivators faced her, over twenty from Hehuan Sect alone, all late stage Foundation. If she fought seriously, she wouldn't fear them, but she'd have to reveal more of her abilities and risk injury.
Yet letting this repeated provocateur off would be far too cheap.
Yu Xiaotang spoke again, "Daoyou, Sister Wei was at fault, but you also struck her senior brother. Why don't both sides take a step back and let this matter rest?"
Xie Zhaolin's eyes flickered, feigning contemplation. Then she said slowly, "Since Yu Daoyou put it that way… then, for the sake of Hehuan Sect's face, we'll let it go this time."
Her gaze shifted coldly to the slumped Wei Qingwu. "But if there's a next time…"
The unspoken threat sent shivers down Wei Qingwu's spine.
Yu Xiaotang breathed a quiet sigh of relief, keeping her courteous smile.
Wei Qingwu struggled to her feet, whispering, "Th-thank you, Daoyou, for your mercy…"
Xie Zhaolin snorted coldly, saying nothing more, and turned to leave.
Just when everyone thought it was over, she suddenly blurred forward, moving faster than anyone could react toward Wei Qingwu!
Crack—