If it had been a head-on clash, neutralizing his strike, spiritual energy would have gone flying everywhere. Every living thing within hundreds of meters would have been caught in the crossfire, and it was doubtful a single soul would have survived.
But this kind of effortless absorption — without so much as a ripple — made this power far too terrifying. It was like throwing a massive boulder into the void and watching it vanish without a trace.
Even if you threw it into water, it would at least create a splash, send out a few ripples.
Yet this strike hadn't so much as disturbed a single drop of water.
What did that tell you? It told you that whoever had intervened was more than ten times stronger than Chu Xinghan.
Chu Xinghan had begun cultivating at the age of eight. He had faced countless opponents, slain innumerable powerhouses, and fought his way to the present day. He had encountered many formidable enemies along the way.
But even in the presence of his master, Grandmaster Shuiyue, Chu Xinghan had never experienced such overwhelming, crushing power. He even began to wonder whether this force truly came from one of the sects in the Sixteen Kingdoms Alliance.
Jiang Chen was no less shaken than Chu Xinghan.
Moments ago, he had been prepared to fight to the death. He never imagined that this sudden turn of events would once again shift the tide of battle.
"A disciple of the Purple Sun Sect, is it? All of you, leave. This Jiang Chen — I'll protect him."
From the void came a dignified voice, somewhat aged, carrying an irresistible sense of authority that demanded absolute obedience.
"Senior… who might you be?" Chu Xinghan was no reckless fool. He cupped his fists in a junior's salute and asked respectfully.
"You need not ask my name."
The dignified voice sounded displeased. "Go back and tell Zixu the True of the Purple Sun Sect, tell Shuiyue. The grudge between Jiang Chen and Long Juxue — let them settle it themselves. If anyone from the Purple Sun Sect makes a move against Jiang Chen, I won't mind paying a visit to your Purple Sun Sect one of these days."
Chu Xinghan was a man who understood when to advance and when to retreat. He knew that this overwhelming power was far beyond anything he could oppose, so he nodded immediately. "Thank you, Senior, for not holding it against us juniors. I will relay your words exactly as you spoke them."
Before absolute strength, honest submission was the only way forward. Chu Xinghan was no fool — he knew the powerful expert was letting them go out of sheer disdain. If he had been imprudent, if his words had been disrespectful, perhaps a single flick of a finger would have been enough to destroy him.
Moreover, in all honesty, this outcome left Chu Xinghan with no real regrets and no sense of shame. Submitting before an overwhelming powerhouse — that was simply the mark of a man who understood the times.
And truthfully, he hadn't wanted to kill Jiang Chen in the first place.
After all, the grudge between Jiang Chen and Long Juxue had nothing to do with him. Had he not been acting on his master's orders, he wouldn't have wanted to get involved at all.
Chu Xinghan's thinking was very different from Yu Jie's.
Yu Jie had been trying to curry favor with Long Juxue, planting seeds for future flattery of that genius prodigy.
Chu Xinghan was himself a genius, with all the pride and dignity that came with it. He had no interest in fawning over Long Juxue. Even if Long Juxue's future achievements truly surpassed his own, Chu Xinghan's character would never permit him to stoop so low.
"Sister Long, I did my best today." Chu Xinghan returned to the ground and addressed Long Juxue.
Long Juxue felt regret, but she also knew that in today's situation, Chu Xinghan had truly given it his all. Who could have predicted that an invincible powerhouse would suddenly intervene from out of nowhere?
She was clever enough to understand that being allowed to leave alive was only because the mysterious expert valued his own reputation and refused to bully the young.
Otherwise, killing the three of them would have been effortless.
Yu Jie was somewhat unwilling to accept it, but he didn't dare say a word. He understood even better than Long Juxue just how terrifying someone who could effortlessly neutralize Senior Brother Chu Xinghan's full-power strike truly was.
"Let's go!" Chu Xinghan commanded in a low voice, unwilling to linger. Leading Long Juxue, he pushed off with his feet, and a cloud of frost-wreathed, water-colored lotus rose into the air and vanished into the void.
Jiang Chen watched Chu Xinghan and the others leave. Though unwilling to let it go, he said nothing.
Today's events were riddled with strangeness. This battle had not been won by his own strength, so he had no right to demand that Chu Xinghan leave Long Juxue behind.
Besides, Jiang Chen was a man of backbone. Forcing Long Juxue to stay under these circumstances would have been nothing but humiliation. He wanted to kill Long Juxue, but he refused to borrow someone else's power to do it.
With a soft sigh, he cupped his fists and called out, "Whoever you may be — your aid today is a debt Jiang Chen will never forget for as long as he lives. I humbly ask that Senior leave a name, so that one day, if fate allows, I may find some way to repay even a fraction of this kindness."
Jiang Chen knew that in the eyes of such a powerful expert, he — a mere mortal martial artist — and his so-called offer of repayment probably held no appeal whatsoever.
But these words came straight from his heart. And he genuinely believed he had the potential and the foundation to one day make good on them.
"Repay?" The voice in the void chuckled. "Very well, Jiang Chen. I'll remember what you said today. I hope that one day, you'll be able to repay even a little."
With that, the voice rolled away like pealing thunder, growing more distant until it disappeared entirely.
"Senior, please wait!" Jiang Chen wanted to say something more.
But the void fell silent, offering no further response.
From beginning to end, Jiang Chen had never even caught a glimpse of his savior's face. He let out a bitter laugh and looked out over the ruined battlefield, strewn with corpses, and sighed quietly.
Below at Erdu Pass, the army of a million lay prostrate on the ground. Even now, not a single person dared to move. Though many had fallen in the crossfire during the battle, no one dared let out a scream or a cry of pain.
Jiang Chen felt a profound sense of listlessness. The chief villain, Long Juxue, had slipped away — it gnawed at him with deep regret. As for the army below, they were nothing more than accomplices who had followed the wrong cause.