Cao Jin cast a cold sidelong glance at Elder Hu, his lips curling with contempt. He flicked his sleeve in a careless arc. "Scram!"
The sweep of that sleeve conjured a terrifying vortex of true essence, like a nebula hurtling through the void of space.
When Elder Hu saw that overwhelming pressure, he finally understood just how fearsome this blue-browed young man truly was. Gritting his teeth, he struck with both fists in rapid succession, crushing two defensive talismans in his hands. Twin shield-shaped barriers of light bloomed around his body.
Boom!
The tremendous force slammed into the shield barrier like a sky-rending azure dragon, tearing straight through the talismanic defense as though it were paper.
"Not good!"
A flash of terror crossed Elder Hu's eyes. He tried to leap backward to create distance.
But the force of that sleeve sweep clung to him like a shadow — like maggots burrowing into bone, it followed relentlessly and smashed squarely into Elder Hu's chest.
Pfft!
Elder Hu's mouth flew open and a jet of blood sprayed outward. His body tumbled downward like a kite with its string cut.
One move!
Elder Hermit Hu, whose strength was no less than Elder Liancheng's, had still been sent flying with a single strike from this blue-browed youth.
At that, everyone present — including Palace Master Danqian — drew a sharp breath of cold air.
The old veterans behind Danqian were each struck with nameless dread. Every one of these elders was a monster who had lived past a thousand years. And yet before this young man, they felt a palpable sense of helplessness.
This kind of overwhelming power had no business existing in the Myriad Phenomena Region. Now, even the dullest minds among them understood that this young man must have come from the Upper Eight Domains.
"Danqian, is it?" Cao Jin's gaze locked onto the palace master like a vice. "The next time you send out nothing but cannon fodder, I won't mind going on a slaughter."
Cao Jin may have seemed arrogant, but he was supremely cunning.
Whether he had sent Elder Liancheng flying or blasted away Elder Hu, he had inflicted severe injuries without going for the kill. Had he committed his full power to those attacks, neither Elder Liancheng nor the Hermit Hu just now would have survived.
The reason he had not killed anyone yet was because he had his own agenda.
His targets were the Heaven-grade and Earth-grade spiritual medicines, along with the formula for the Everlasting Life Pill.
If he started killing right away, it would inevitably unite Danqian Palace against him with a common fury, igniting the martial instinct of its people and potentially driving them to fight him to the bitter end with nothing left to lose.
If it came to that — a fight of mutual destruction — then even if Cao Jin could withdraw unscathed, seizing those items would become virtually impossible.
That was why he had held back from killing. Not because he couldn't, but because he had something he wanted, and that desire demanded restraint.
If he pushed things all the way to the point where the entire sect fought with nothing to lose, he would end up scooping water with a bamboo basket — all for nothing.
Danqian, too, understood that if he did not step forward now, Danqian Palace's annihilation would come in the blink of an eye. And his own authority would plummet to nothing.
He gave a slow, deliberate nod. "Your strength is formidable, sir. You must be from a first-rate sect in the Upper Domains. The geniuses of the Upper Domains tend to look down on the rest of us, but I wonder — what business brings you to target my Danqian Palace today?"
Cao Jin smiled faintly. "You want to know?"
"I would be glad to hear it." Though Palace Master Danqian stood at the threshold of life and death, his composure remained unshaken.
"Fine. You want to know — then survive three moves from me. If you can withstand my three strikes, I'll leave without another word."
Cao Jin's smile was light, almost amused. "But if you can't take my three moves… then we do things my way."
Palace Master Danqian considered for a moment. He knew the gap between his strength and Cao Jin's was enormous, but for a three-move wager, he judged he had perhaps a thirty percent chance.
In a situation like this, even if it were only ten percent, he would have to fight with everything he had.
If he refused to fight, then even if this youth did not destroy Danqian Palace, the sect's morale would be shattered beyond repair. Its vitality would be crippled, and it would never recover.
And he, as the palace master, would lose every last shred of his authority.
All his ambitions, all his aspirations, would dissolve into nothing.
So this battle — no matter what — he could not avoid it.
"Very well. Since you insist on pressing the issue, I, Danqian, will accept your three moves." Palace Master Danqian's resolve was set.
"Palace Master, reconsider!"
"Palace Master, this fellow's strength is uncanny. Why don't we all attack together and use the Mountain Suppression Formation? We could at least hold our own. Then we can send word to the other sects — combine the strength of all six great sects, and together we can slay this beast."
"Exactly, Palace Master. When a foreign enemy invades the Myriad Phenomena Region, every sect bears equal responsibility. There's no reason Danqian Palace should have to face this alone."
The old elders behind Danqian were all cautious, measured men. None of them liked Danqian's chances of surviving three moves from the blue-browed youth.
Danqian raised a hand to silence their protests.
He was the palace master of Danqian Palace. Having recently participated in the Grand Herbal Banquet competition at Illusory Wave Mountain, he understood the relationships among the six great sects of the Myriad Phenomena Region far better than these elders who never left the sect grounds.
Put simply, the six great sects were each driven by their own self-interest. Call for their help? The only one that might respond would be the Northern Darkness Sect. The others were completely unreliable.
The Sacred Sword Palace, in particular — it would be enough if they didn't rub their hands with glee at Danqian's misfortune.
When Cao Jin saw Danqian step forward, he was genuinely surprised. A small smile touched the corner of his mouth.
"Danqian, I underestimated your courage. Three moves…"