Bang! Bang! Bang!
A crimson shadow and a cyan shadow tangled together in midair, trading punches and kicks. In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged dozens of moves.
Suddenly, the two figures collided with tremendous force, splitting apart into twin streaks of light and hurtling back in opposite directions.
The crimson shadow touched down—it was Luo Huang. A pair of blazing sun-green eyes burned with fury, fixed squarely on the figure across from him. His warrior's robe now bore numerous slash-like tears, as if carved by blades.
On the other side, the cyan shadow also landed. It was Zhou Yi, a disciple of the Treasure Tree Sect. He looked no better than Luo Huang—his clothes were in disarray, charred and tattered as though scorched by flames.
"So you're Zhou Yi, the Wind and Cloud Sword!" Luo Huang recognized him at once.
"Ha ha! Not bad—those Sun-Green Eyes really do see clearly. That's right. I am none other than Zhou Yi, an inner disciple of the Treasure Tree Sect." As Zhou Yi spoke, a group of people surged out behind him—fellow disciples he had brought from the Treasure Tree Sect, along with members of the Qianlan Northern Palace, including Liu Chengfeng and Xiao Yu, all clearly present.
With that, the Treasure Tree Sect's side now held a decisive numerical advantage over the Purple Sun Sect.
"Zhou Yi, if I remember correctly, this is no longer within the borders of the Tiangui Kingdom. You swagger in here openly—don't you think you've overstepped?" Luo Huang's tone turned cold.
Zhou Yi smiled mildly. "Luo Huang, let's not beat around the bush. Your Purple Sun Sect disciples have been attacking my Tiangui Kingdom people, and now you accuse me of overstepping? No matter how you argue it, that doesn't hold water."
Luo Huang sneered. "Your people? Spare me the crocodile tears. Everyone knows those two are enemies of yours. Since when did enemies become your own people?"
"Even if they're enemies, that's our internal affair. Since when is it the Purple Sun Sect's place to interfere?"
Seeing that Luo Huang's side was outnumbered, Zhou Yi's confidence surged.
Luo Huang's gaze turned sharp. "Interfere? That woman is a mortal enemy of my fellow disciple, Senior Sister Long Juxue. They cannot share the same sky."
"Fine, since you put it that way. I'll give you face—take the woman with you." Zhou Yi was magnanimous about it.
Luo Huang let out a cold chuckle. "Give me face? Zhou Yi, get this straight—you're standing on territory protected by my Purple Sun Sect. If anyone's giving face here, it's me giving it to you! That Tian Shao is your man—I'll return him to you. Everything else is off the table!"
Both sides were clever enough. What they really wanted was that flock of Golden-Winged Sword Birds.
Would Zhou Yi have chased them thousands of miles just for some nobody like Tian Shao?
"I'd say, Fellow Daoist Luo, you might be confused about something. You should know the rules of the martial world better than I do—whoever has the bigger fist holds the right to speak." Zhou Yi's voice was flat, but his dark gaze carried the unmistakable weight of a man who intended to win by sheer numbers. It was naked intimidation.
Luo Huang narrowed his eyes slightly, then suddenly broke into a laugh. "Bigger fist? You mean these people of yours? Zhou Yi, it seems you really are a frog at the bottom of a well. I'll admit your speed is impressive, but I can guarantee you—once I go all out, I can wipe out your so-called numerical advantage in an instant!"
"You? By yourself?" Zhou Yi sneered.
Luo Huang laughed heartily, his confidence overflowing. "That's right—just me! Want to try it?"
At that moment, Yu Jie chimed in with a laugh. "Zhou Yi, my Senior Brother Luo is one of the top geniuses of the entire Purple Sun Sect. The fact that he has mastered the Sun-Green Eyes means he has also completed the 'Burning Heaven Great Sun Scripture'—one of our sect's paramount technique manuals. Once he activates the Burning Heaven power and ignites his meridians to their limit, his combat strength can multiply several times over, rivaling a peak Earth Spirit Realm cultivator. You think numbers matter? Since when has the martial world been won by quantity?"
"The Burning Heaven Great Sun Scripture?" Zhou Yi's expression shifted slightly. Just hearing the name was enough to darken his mood.
He had certainly heard of it. As rivals, the Treasure Tree Sect was no stranger to the Purple Sun Sect, and the same held true in reverse.
In terms of the sheer number of techniques and the dominance of their scripture manuals, the Purple Sun Sect was the strongest among the four great sects.
The Treasure Tree Sect had its own share of paramount techniques, but that was never its strength. The Treasure Tree Sect's advantage lay in pills and spiritual medicine—it was the foremost among the four great sects in those fields.
Each of the four great sects had its own specialties.
Perhaps in a clash of peak geniuses, the Treasure Tree Sect was not necessarily inferior to the Purple Sun Sect. But in one-on-one duels and comparisons of martial techniques, the Treasure Tree Sect was at a slight disadvantage.
The Burning Heaven Great Sun Scripture, in particular, was like thunder to the ears. Zhou Yi was thoroughly familiar with the name. Hearing Yu Jie speak of it, he believed it seven parts out of ten.
"The Burning Heaven Great Sun Scripture? Luo Huang, are you trying to scare me?" Zhou Yi scoffed, even as his mind raced through the calculations. "I admit it's a fine technique. But burning your meridians to the absolute limit—doesn't that come with side effects? If something goes wrong, your meridians could self-destruct, and you'd end up dead. That's quite the gamble, isn't it?"
The Burning Heaven Great Sun Scripture was powerful, but it wasn't something you could push to the limit without consequence. It was a double-edged sword. Pushing it to the extreme could unlock hidden potential and send combat power skyrocketing.
But the aftermath was equally terrifying.
At best, it meant severe injury—months of recovery that might not even be enough.
At worst, the meridians would be completely destroyed, leaving the cultivator crippled.
And the most horrifying possibility was instant death—body and dao both extinguished on the spot.
Luo Huang remained composed, smiling faintly. "Once we cultivators step onto this path, we must be prepared for death at any moment. If I die but can take this many with me as company, that's not a bad trade. Besides, I don't think you, Zhou Yi, are worth my pushing the limit to the absolute extreme. I only need to burn a fraction of that power to sweep you all aside. The worst consequence would be a few months of rest."
Zhou Yi burst into laughter. "In that case, Fellow Daoist Luo, you're saying you're willing to take that risk?"