"You all shouldn't have come; I can handle this," Li Sheng looked up at the two and then closed the panel.
【Special Task: Hell Level】
【Soul Devouring: 2672/3000】
【Sect Annihilation: 0/50】
【Kill a Hundred: 115/100】
"Senior brother, there's no need to persuade me. The enemy is invading, and as the Grand Elder, I cannot hide within the sect," Bai Ye said with a serious expression, her bright eyes filled with determination.
Liu Hongfeng nodded in agreement.
"Very well, the enemies within the formation have been cleared; you two will defend here."
With the task still unfinished, Li Sheng didn't dare to slack off. After giving the two a few brief instructions, he hurriedly stepped out of the formation and charged towards the enemies stationed outside.
"Uh... Junior sister, are you sure the sect master is kind-hearted and doesn't like to fight?" Liu Hongfeng asked, watching Li Sheng's decisive and ruthless figure along with the enemies' cries of despair.
"Yes! Senior brother, he is really very kind and has said many times that he dislikes fighting and just wants to develop the sect peacefully... This time... he must be really angry, right?" Bai Ye defended Li Sheng.
"Fine, if you say so." Liu Hongfeng replied helplessly.
Outside the formation, Li Sheng was like a fierce tiger breaking into a flock of sheep; wherever his sword light flashed, lives were lost.
"Surround him! He is the sect master of Qingling Sect. He must have sneaked out while the sect masters were plundering resources. Capturing him will be a great achievement; come on!"
After the initial chaos, someone recognized Li Sheng's identity and shouted to those nearby.
Li Sheng turned to look and instantly recognized the speaker.
Li Qing!
A subordinate of Feng Lu, a former inner disciple of Qingling Sect.
"Shame of the Li family!"
Li Sheng's gaze turned cold, and he blurred into motion, charging forward, leaving chaos in his wake—no one could stand against him.
In no time, Li Sheng arrived in front of Li Qing, seeing the panic in his opponent's eyes. He swung his sword down, his tone icy:
"Traitor, did you ever think this day would come?"
"Brat, dare you act so arrogantly?!"
At this moment, a dozen sixth-tier warriors joined in, shouting loudly.
Li Sheng smiled faintly: "Thank you all for delivering yourselves to me; it saves me the trouble of searching one by one."
Seeing Li Sheng's overwhelming arrogance, everyone unleashed their full power, one of them reaching the Extreme Power Second Stage, nearly on par with the Wolf King.
But it was all in vain; with one swing of his sword, Li Sheng unleashed fifteen thousand pounds of force, turning several opponents into a bloody mist that spread widely.
Avoiding the blood mist, Li Sheng moved like a specter through the crowd, taking a life with each strike of his sword.
In a matter of breaths, only one sixth-tier warrior remained alive, his left leg severed by Li Sheng, jumping back in terror.
The remaining enemies, witnessing Li Sheng's ferocity, were utterly terrified and scattered, wishing they had several more legs to run faster.
Just as Li Sheng intended to finish off the last sixth-tier enemy, he halted.
Turning to the right, a burly man and a scholar in blue approached.
Seeing Li Sheng held up, the surviving sixth-tier warrior hopped away, escaping the scene.
"You are the Qingling Sect master, Li Sheng?" The burly man scrutinized Li Sheng.
"That’s me. You must be the Wolf King's older brother?" Li Sheng compared their appearances and found them strikingly similar.
"My name is Chen Hu. Did my useless brother die at your hands?" Chen Hu spoke with a calm tone, seeming indifferent.
Li Sheng nodded; since a grudge was formed, there was no need for further words.
The blue-clad scholar waved his feather fan and smiled:
"I see your blood vitality is low, clearly indicating you haven't broken through to the Blood Moving Stage, yet you possess power comparable to a fifth-tier warrior. Is it due to a special physique or exceptional skill? Which is it?"
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"And you are?" Li Sheng responded with a question.
"I am Zhuge Fu from Wind Valley," the blue-clad scholar replied with a smile.
"Zhuge the Poisonous?" Li Sheng's expression instantly grew serious as relevant intel surfaced in his mind.
Zhuge Fu was known for aiding Wind Valley’s sect master Zhao Yulong during his youth to establish their power on the Changqing Mountain Range.
In just twenty years, he turned Wind Valley from an insignificant force into a major contender among the two-star sects, close to rivaling a one-star sect.
Zhuge Fu played a crucial role in this growth, utilizing various poison strategies that earned him the nickname Zhuge the Poisonous.
Hearing Zhuge Fu's assessment of his level, Chen Hu's apprehension faded, and he coldly laughed:
"Kid, I heard your Qingling Sect has plenty of high-grade pills. Hand over four-tenths of them, and I'll let this matter go, erasing the grudge for my brother's death. How about it?"
"I'd love to pay to avoid disaster, but unfortunately, my Qingling Sect cannot provide the high-grade pills you're looking for. I'm truly sorry," Li Sheng replied, then turned to Zhuge Fu.
"Senior Zhuge, are you here for the pills as well?"
Zhuge Fu shook his head: "I’m here to find you and Bai Ye."
"When did my junior sister get to know this guy...?" Li Sheng felt a wave of suspicion rise in his heart.
"I don't know..." Just as Li Sheng was about to inquire further, Zhuge Fu turned to leave, a light remark trailing behind: "You should deal with what’s in front of you first. If you can't get past this hurdle, knowing or not knowing won’t matter to you..."
Watching Zhuge Fu depart, Li Sheng secretly sighed in relief.
Zhuge Fu had long been renowned, his strength formidable; even facing him alone would be beyond Li Sheng. If both of them acted together, he'd have to rely on his agility to escape.
As long as Zhuge Fu didn't make a move and it was just Chen Hu, a fifth-tier warrior, Li Sheng was confident he could suppress him.
"If you don't listen to good advice and force me to act, then I'll fulfill your wish!" Chen Hu drew the large axe strapped to his back, an aura of malevolence spreading around him as if forming a domain.
"Boom!"
"Boom! Boom!"
"......"
Under the influence of this domain, Chen Hu's figure seemed to grow more imposing, each step he took echoing in Li Sheng's ears like a thunderous sound, quite uncomfortable.
"Is this... a Martial Domain?" Li Sheng's expression turned grave, cautiously on guard, filled with doubt in his heart.
"A Martial Domain is a hallmark of the four-tier Spirit Nurturing Stage. When did the Blood Moving Stage gain such an ability?"
Noticing Li Sheng’s serious expression, Chen Hu's aura surged, further eroding Li Sheng's confidence as he sneered:
"In martial arts, there are nine ranks: body tempering, inner breath, bone forging, organ refining, and blood moving, which are the foundational five realms. Only upon reaching the Spirit Nurturing Stage does one truly enter the threshold and awaken martial arts supernatural abilities."
"But some individuals have a chance to awaken the embryonic form of the Martial Domain in the Blood Moving Stage, and I am one of them. Otherwise, do you think I would dare confront Zhuge the Poisonous?"
Li Sheng’s heart sank; he knew very little about Martial Domains, and forcing a confrontation would not be wise.
Having made a decision, Li Sheng vanished from his spot, retreating three zhang to escape the coverage of the Martial Domain.
The weakness within him gradually dissipated, and the annoying echoing sounds in his ears disappeared as well.
Under the influence of that embryonic Martial Domain, his strength had been reduced by over ten percent, and it could also wear down one's will.
Comparing the before and after, Li Sheng muttered to himself: "This is just the embryonic form; if it were the complete Martial Domain, it would probably suppress me just by standing still, leaving me unable to fight back."
Li Sheng gained a clearer understanding of the formidable nature of experts in the Spirit Nurturing Stage.