*Swoosh*

Ten six to seven feet long and only a few inches wide slashes flew towards Bu Zan.

And while one could assume that dodging such a straight line attack would not be hard in truth, it was the opposite. Indeed, the slashes flew in a determined direction, but they were far quicker than even the maximum speed shown in the previous battle, and also, at least four of them were homing on Bu Zan's aura already.

So, even if he avoided the skills first, there was a chance, and judging from his opponent, not a small one, they would actually change directions. Thus, while Bu Zan did not think of it as the best, his best, if not only, option was to defend against them.

Bu Zan had already used [Shatter], so the defensive technique of the [Gate Building] method was unavailable. Still, the amount and force of qi released by the shattering were not less than his original cultivation had, so he decided to utilize this qi for defense.

*Swoon*

Bu Zan first infused over half of his current qi into his soul. And then, straining it to the limit, he sent forth enough soul power to gather an almost palpable wall made of aura.

And while aura was nothing but forcefully gathered qi from the surroundings, it was an amount close to the qi pool of even someone like Bai Qi, and so should serve as an excellent defense.

*Swoon*

But Bu Zan did not believe in lucky breaks, so he released the other half of qi, forming a barrier outside his body.

Personal qi and surrounding qi could be said to be the same, but at the same time, they were not.

After all, any cultivator had its own, close to unique, elemental balance and cultivation method. There were also the elements of one's techniques, skills, treasures, or affectations, like Bai Qi's [Ghostflame]. Thus, one's personal qi slightly, or sometimes significantly, differed from the neutral mix of elements outside.

In Bu Zan's case, his qi was mainly a strange mix of Earth, at the strongest, and a smaller amount of yin that practically reeked of death.

Doing so without preparation and no time to counter would lead to a backslash, with the respective consequences for any cultivator. Bu Zan was evident about this, so in the less than a breath it took for the blades to cross the few dozens of feet, he even activated a lesser defensive skill.

He thought as he felt both soul and consciousness strained to the limit. And how could they not be? He had forced both to the extreme, making something that would require at least a few breaths to happen in less than one!

***

Bai Qi felt every of Bu Zan's actions, and while the latter was his opponent, he approved them all. Bai Qi thought, and before the ten [Imperial Blade] clash-slashes even reached the first of the targets, rushed towards the tower.

As he moved, he felt how Bu Zan's presence wavered, but it got back to normal, so he had not been injured. At least, seriously.

Then, when Bai Qi appeared just a few feet behind the twenty or so cultivators attacking Elder Ye Zexi and her disciples, he felt how seven presences wavered, then another four, and at the end, only two of the eleven returned to normal. Six of them disappeared entirely, and three continuously swayed, indicating their owners were dead in the former or wounded in the latter. Bai Qi allowed himself to think, and then, covered in black flames, crashed against the just starting to suspect something enemies.

Truthfully, the enemies he attacked from behind should have turned around and met him, but they didn't. Had they thought that his presence was one of an ally? Or ignored anything happening behind, sure of their safety? No one could answer such questions as, after all, only a second later, two cultivators fell to the ground with gaping holes where their dantians should be. And as the other reacted, Bai Qi used [Imperial Blade] again, although this time just a single one with each of his arms.

{Now, go inside!}

***

Ye Zexi had started to feel true despair. Her wounds kept accumulating, even with the youngster's, from before, fight attracting part of the attention. Thankfully, only Xia Jiao was wounded until now, having blocked a sword for her companion Zi Hanying.

But clearly, it was just a matter of time for Ye Zexi to run out of reserves. Or worse, to receive something else than a shallow wound.

The [Knowing the Path] way that most of the [Void Palace] members followed restricted the usage of pills. And not a single type but both restorative and curative. Such, indeed, was logical, as any method that allowed such an advantage over others had its drawbacks. But, right now, not only Ye Zexi but most of the members that have been fighting, or fought right now, resented it heavily at this moment.

Indeed, just how good would it be to not be required to resort to a void-gazing meditation to restore their qi and heal but simply consume a pill and continue fighting?

But suddenly, the situation changed. Not only did the young and unexpected ally they had obtained appear to help them, but he actually did it far better than even the Elder could expect!

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*Splatter*

As if not noticed, or most likely overseen, by the attackers, a figure in black flames, and a demonic visage, appeared and instantly killed two of the back row. Then, as if intending to solve everything himself, he sent two magnificent aura slashes, or maybe skills, from his claws.

*Swoosh*

But both horizontal slashes had only started tearing through the air as a transmission reached Ye Zexi's mind.

{Now, go inside!}

{And you?} Ye Zexi understood that caring about anyone except her disciples in the current situation would be not the way of the Palace, but how could she not ask?

{Ignore me, escape, and don't believe what happens next. I will appear later!}

Elder Ye would have liked to know what the almost demonic youth meant with his cryptic answer, but she had no opportunity. Not only did she have to make haste, but the youngster, called Bai Qi, closed the connection as his presence expanded, attracting the attention of everyone around.

***

As Bai Qi flared his aura to attract the attention of all the nearby hostiles, he flinched. Thankfully, the incarnation prevented anyone from seeing his face or noting the paleness and sweat taking hold of Bai Qi's skin.

Several fights and dozens of skills had made Bai Qi use up over nine-tenths of his qi pool. And while bigger than others, he still spent enough to feel fatigued. After the ten [Imperial Blade] slashes, Bai Qi had almost wavered on his feet.

Bai Qi did dissolve a few pills hiddenly as he moved and attacked the tower-near attackers, but the effect was not enough. And his last two [Imperial Blade] skills ate through even that recuperated qi. Granted, three dead and two wounded hostiles were a fair exchange for just a sixth part of his reserves, but it made Bai Qi return to the exhausted state from before as well.

After considering a few options, he decided upon one that, while slightly dangerous, would gain him at least a few hours to recuperate.

{Ignore me, escape, and don't believe what happens next. I will appear later!} Taken as cryptic words, but in truth, they were not.

*Shatter*

The [Void Palace] elder, Ye Zexi, and her disciples managed to shatter the aura barrier that prevented them from returning to the tower. Now that Bai Qi had taken all the attention and killed or wounded a good third of the attackers, it was far easier for them to do so.

"Damn, don't let them escape!" A green-robed woman shrieked, attracting everyone's attention to the escape attempt.

Regretfully, for her, it also attracted Bai Qi's attention.

*Swoosh* *Swoosh* *Swoosh*

And not later than an instant after her shout, three simple, mortal-quality daggers from Bai Qi's storage materialized and flew towards her.

*Clang*

One blocked by a closer enemy.

*Clang*

Then, the thin needle-like sword in the hands of the woman blocked another one.

*Tear*

And while the third one did reach the mark, it only lightly tore the woman's robe around the shoulder. Bai Qi thought as he acknowledged his state wasn't the best to continue fighting now.

In any case, his sudden attack did make everyone turn toward him. As well as granted an entire breath to Elder Ye Zexi and the four in her care.

***

Bu Zan's choice to defend with full force had been the right one. Four of the blades were indeed tracking his aura, and if he had dodged, there was a high chance that they would follow and hit him while undefended. Still, the right choice or not, the skill turned out to be far over the level he expected or sensed even.

*Splatter*

Sent at the same time, the slashes arrived with only a small window of difference. But that small difference allowed the first one to tear a hole in his aura defense. The second and third disappeared as they destroyed his qi-cover. And the fourth reached his body.

Bu Zan admitted as he examined the bone-deep wound on his arms, which he had crossed in a block.

It was just a few breaths before the [Shatter] after-effects would manifest, so he used them to scan the surroundings. Bu Zan cursed under his breath as he felt how several presences, not only nearby but even near the tower, had disappeared or weakened.

Feeling how his qi and aura were starting to waver and recede, Bu Zan thought with a tinge of emotion. And maybe because of the latter, he concentrated his senses on the, almost nearby, presence.

***

A cultivator dantian constantly refilled with the surrounding qi. It entered the body through the pores, skin, and even breath, only to be absorbed into the pathways, and after, a full circle of cultivation turned into a part of the cultivator's qi.

As a cultivator was actively moving or living, the amount was enough to maintain the level of the dantian. And when one rested and meditated the amount increased, allowing the filling of the dantian entirely.

On the same note, if one fought and used skills, techniques, soul, or even mind power, each requiring qi, directly or indirectly, the amount was not enough. So it led to fatigue and eating through one's reserves.

Pills, potions, and treasures could be used on the battlefield to refill one's dantian, but the effect would diminish both with successive uses and accumulated battle fatigue.

There was another method to refill one's dantian quickly. It wasn't ideal, as any quick solution, but it was indeed possible. It was the so-called aura recall. After all, the aura was nothing more than surrounding qi gathered and controlled by one's soul power, so it could be said to be part of the cultivator already.

Still, such a recall would provoke an enormous strain on one's pathways, as the amount would be above their normal capacity. And it would also leave a cultivator unable to use aura for a few minutes until the spent soul power was, at least, partially recovered.

Bai Qi was entirely aware of the risks, but he had to escape the situation until the enemies noticed his state, so he acted.

*Hssss*

The air hissed as Bai Qi's aura suddenly collapsed, bringing all the qi it contained into his body.

*Drip* *Drip* *Sssss* *Sssss*

And while hidden and evaporated by his barely active [Incarntaion], Bai Qi felt how sweat and blood seeped through his pores.

But he did not allow himself to show anything to the nearby enemies, who, with their prey escape, now were preparing to attack him.

In turn, Bai Qi pushed himself to activate two skills as soon as he felt that enough qi had flown into his dantian. And while such a sudden activation would, again, leave sequels, it was indeed the best plan he had come up with.

[Shadow Clone], a skill that had already been proved to be useful as it could mislead even same-level cultivators. Costly and not practical enough for duels, it was very useful to hide one's presence in such a situation.

[Earth Crab Hidden Shell] was a skill Bai Qi obtained from the [Three Hills Sect] and had learned only to advance his Soul-realm cultivation. He had never used it before in battle. But it concealed one's presence and allowed one to bury deep underground. Thus, it was probably the best combo for the misleading [Shadow Clone] one. At least if one wanted to, actually, disappear.

And as both skills activated, Bai Qi used the remaining qi to disperse his [Incarnation] skill, covering a few inches around himself with black flames...