A couple of minutes slowly crawled by, with no real change to the battle between Teng De and the five Clansmen hounding him. Still, Wu Guang already saw signs of the latter peak Soul realm cultivators begin to burn out. Even though their Bloodline should be active for half an hour, that was only true if they were not forced to constantly defend against the counter-attacks from Teng De, as well as the simple effect that his far more advanced cultivation exerted on them.
As he thought that they will need to expedite, but before he could contact anyone about it, Wu Guang's senses, far more expanded with him not fighting currently was the first to catch the approach of several dozens, if not a full hundred of cultivators from inside the Sect grounds.
"Seniors! The situation is about to turn far worse, there are a dozen of peak Soul realm, and even a Sage realm about to arrive. Not to mention the several dozens of weaker cultivators" He immediately transmitted to the Clansmen
"What?!" Only such a reaction followed, and well, it could have been expected. After all, the five of them at their maximum capacity were barely enough to fight against a lone Teng De, so what would happen if the latter got dozens of reinforcements that were at their original levels? To which they would revert sooner or later anyway.
"I have a plan, but it requires you to somehow push Teng De from here. I will activate a treasure, one that I loathe to use, but I see no choice. It will prevent anyone from using their senses. But it will only work for a few breaths!"
"Understood! Everyone, don't spare anything, push him towards the East" Lang Mu understood that the situation was dire, and whatever treasure Wu Guang used, it indeed would only help for a few moments, right until the reinforcements were in plain view.
***
In truth, Wu Guang had no treasure. What he intended to do, and the reason for him to try and at least somehow disguise it was to use an interference array. He had not practiced it since his life as Bai Qi, but...
"Activate!" Drawing it with his mental power, and using the qi storing treasures he had on, Wu Guang proceeded to activate the array even before it was finished.
*Bzzz*
*Bzzzzt*
*BZZZZZ*
First, a low crackling noise entered his ears, one that hardly interfered with his senses, but just a few moments later, the array activated at full force. The real function of the 'Buzzing Lightning Flies Array' was to overload one's sense of hearing, and use it as a conduit to interfere with all others. It was ineffective against anything but cultivators below the Earth Realm, and except as a sudden distraction, it was never used in the Medium and High tier planes either.
And the reason behind Wu Guang's reluctance to resort to it was double. First, he did not want to reveal the existence of arrays on a plane where they were unknown, and second, it would affect anyone, including the creator in a mile-wide zone around its base.
***
"Gah!" Mo Tai, who had been trying to send his senses forward, as to scout the situation before the slowing down unit led by Lu Zhong jumped inside, groaned as his senses were assaulted by some kind of numbing buzz.
"What the matter?" Zhao Zhihao, walking right next to the latter asked right away.
"I do not know, something is interfering with my senses. Try yourself"
Not that the Hallmaster wanted to, but it was indeed an important thing to do, and so he slowly and carefully extended his senses forward. They were standing just a single mile from the Sect's gate, and on their pestering, Lu Zhong had agreed to slow down to a snail pace as to at least try and scout the situation.
"Hggr! What the?!" He gritted his teeth before cutting down his senses and exclaiming.
"I do not know, maybe it something created by the Headmaster? After all, it affects even us, peak Soul realm cultivators" Mo Tai proposed, feeling far less thrilled about rushing right away than before.
"Hmm, could be. You know what? Let's call for Lu Zhong. He is the Headmaster's disciple, and so should be able to identify if it's indeed something of the latter. And if not, Sage senses are better anyway"
Lu Zhong had the same reaction as the two of them, with his senses bringing back only the mindnumbing, teeth churning buzzing sound.
"No, it's not Master's technique"
"Hmm, and what do we do?" Zhao Zhihao carefully tested.
"What do you mean Hallmaster?"
"If this is a hostile technique, maybe it will be prudent to try and contact the Headmaster first?"
"I have been trying to do it from before. Granted he may have not paid enough attention to your attempts, but he would not ignore mine. And now it's simple impossible"
Mo Tai felt anger rising at Lu Zhao's insinuation that they were simply not cared at all, but he quickly swallowed it to say
"And that's what worries me, Young Master Lu. If the Headmaster is under attack by someone that managed to distract him from even the minimum effort as to answer you..."
"What?! Do you think that someone stronger than my Master appeared? But Great Master Xiong is with him! Probably this is some after-effect from a Warrior Realm cultivator attack, and so, I think we should rush ahead"
"As you command" With the responsibility passed unto the naive disciple, both of the council members quickly agreed and returned to the group. Just that in place of taking their place at the head of the formation, they placed themselves on one of the sides, and as soon as Lu Zhong gave the command to move out at full speed, did not do it until the last moment, effectively letting every one of the hundred cultivators pass them.
***
"I do not know what made them stop, but I should be grateful for them to allow me to prepare and Teng De being moved from the area" Wu Guang would probably even go an thank them in person, if not for the fact that they would be arriving in just a few breaths.
His preparations were simple, as after a few attempts of sensing, all repelled by the array, he quickly destroyed it, recovering the almost unspent treasures. Now, the only matter would be to receive the group and lead it to the area filled up with explosives. The area that Teng De and his helpers were so kind to prepare for him. Granted, Kass Shaa'r had frozen all of them on Wu Guang's instructions, but the effect was about to expire, and they would be hostile against anyone but the six people that were supposed to accompany Teng De at that moment.
Now, the question was to attract the most possible amount of attackers there and avoid being caught in the explosions himself.
________________________________________________________________________
At the same moment that Wu Guang prepared to receive the unexpected reinforcements from the Sect, Kass Shaa'r continued to fight Xiong Yating. Albeit he continued to hold an advantage in close combat, even after the latter got his weapon out, it was far from being big enough for him to finish the fight.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Indeed, he pushed the old man more and more, but until now, he had not managed to leave even a single wound on him. Not that he had received any, but such a stalemate meant that he could not help Wu Guang, and somehow his instincts told him that he had to.
"Graah!" With a loud half growl, Kass Shaa'r slashed with both of his arms.
*Clink*
And again, the ten qi blades from his claws were blocked by the old human cultivator.
***
"Who, no what are you? What did Wu Guang promise you for helping him? If it's resources, blood, or whatever, I can offer you far more!" Xiong Yating was only doubtful about the strange fierceness present in his opponent's aura at the start, but as the battle raged, his suspicion was practically confirmed.
No human cultivator could fight in such a manner, and no true cultivator would completely disregard techniques and skills. By now, he was sure that he was dealing with a beast, far stronger than a common Spirit one, but still a beast. In such a case, the only way for it to lend his help to Wu Guang was some kind of contract. Leaving the impossible act of taming or subjugating something so strong, then there were only benefits left. He had thrown in the two most possible options, it being cultivation resources and sacrifices, only to be ignored. Did that mean that Wu Guang had something in his possession that the beast wanted? Or it was something from the Black Empire?
*Clink*
Even though it looked easy, blocking a full-strength ten claws, if that were claws, was a heavy task. And one that made Xiong Yating grit his teeth every time. If he did not manage to change the pace of the battle, it was only a matter of time for him to miss the moment where the ten intersected, and then one or more of that qi blades would definitively reach him.
"Just say what you were promised, and I will make sure that you get that and anything else you could ever possibly want!" He again tried to tempt his non-human opponent, hoping to at least distract it for a moment, but to no avail.
*Clink*
*Clink*
*Clink*
*Clink*
*Rip*
Kass Shaa'r was well aware that his manner of fighting, namely throwing full-strength attacks with his claws was not hard to block, but he had been doing it for a reason. Wu Guang had said that any cultivator would try to get a feel on the rhythm of their opponent and that any successful surprise attack was based on making one's opponent sure of your rhythm. Just to suddenly change it, as Kass Shaa'r had just done now, sending four paired claws in the same manner as before, and holding back two of the qi blades for half a breath.
"Uhhh" Xiong Yating let out a small moan of pain as two qi blades got through his block and landed on his chest. More than half of their strength was absorbed by his aura, and a slight amount was negated by the protective runes of his robes, even so, the remaining power was enough to wound him.
But even though he was wounded by that attack, the beast had made a mistake by not continuing, and Xiong Yating did not intend to let it pass.
"Flailing Kirin!" His saber wildly flailed around, releasing both qi slashes and small fireballs...
________________________________________________________________________
The array had worked even better than Wu Guang could have dared to hope. Not only did the entire group arrive with their senses retracted, but there were no braves among them to continue testing either. This meant that while he perfectly sensed each of them, they only noticed him because he was standing in plain view.
A sickly looking, pale and spindly man walked at the front, dressed in white robes adorned with the golden stripes of the Headmaster Personal Disciple. Wu Guang had not seen him before, but he was informed about both of them before he left the sect. He also heard that one died, so this should be called Lu Zhong.
"Who are you? Where is the Headmaster? Where is everyone?" Lu Zhong immediately asked the only person present in the entire hilltop that served as the entrance to the sect. A young cultivator, half-covered with a cloak and that showed no signs of combat, even with the ground around turned over and covered with piles of rocks, deep slashes, and even scorched marks.
"What, they did not tell you?!" A surprised question was the answer he received.
Wu Guang was aware of Elder Mo's and the Hallmaster's presence, but as they were far at the back, and no one was trying to send qi transmissions, why not play a bit? Especially with his objective being to make himself followed, and what was the best way? Obviously to infuriate the leader.
"What did they not tell me?" Lu Zhong batted his eyes and asked back.
"That Wu Guang is alive! So after fighting off some kind of surprise attack, everyone left to somewhere. I stayed back to wait for a few of my acquaintances, that were supposed to arrive for this ceremony and never did" Inwardly laughing, Wu Guang spun the craziest story possible. And the funniest part? Nothing was a lie!
"WHAT?!" Not only Lu Zhong but also a pair of Core Elders exclaimed. Everyone present was well aware of the plan that the Headmaster and the Great Headmaster planned to enact, but if Wu Guang was alive, could they have changed it to something else?
"Yes, it's the absolute truth. Speaking of which, if you don't believe me, you can probably ask the Head Core Elder or the Hallmaster"
"And what could they confirm?" Lu Zhong slightly hesitated before asking.
"Oh, nothing else than my identity. Speaking of which, it's an honor to meet the youngest Sage realm member of the Sect" Wu Guang suddenly said in warm tones.
"Huh? You know me?"
"How could the official successor not know the stars of the Sect he is supposed to lead in the future?"
"..." No one managed to voice anything in response, probably feeling disconcerted at such a change of events.
Wasn't Wu Guang supposed to be dead? And if he is alive, what are the Headmasters doing? And how they should treat Wu Guang now that he appeared?
The only people to know that Wu Guang's death was also ordered were the members of the council, and for some reason, the only two around were trying to avoid attention.
This allowed Wu Guang to continue speaking without being stopped.
"Ah yes, excuse my manners. I am Wu Guang. And now with that out, will I, at last, get the welcome I deserve?" He grinned, and sensing that he had reached the right point, suddenly waved his sleeve, sending dozens of knives, each imbued with a weak 'Lightning Attraction Rune', the best he could generate at the moment, flying towards the group.
"What. Are. You. Doing?!" Lu Zhao was just a recently ascended Sage realm cultivator, and so he did not manage to feel the spells right away, taking the knives for common projectiles.
"Well, considering that the old idiots that served as your headmasters decided to kill me, I am declaring the Sect mine. And as you will protest, well, attacking you first is a good idea" Wu Guang accompanied this nonsense with a crazed laugh, and as he saw the knifes being swept away like annoying flies by the seven people in the front, he murmured
"Lightning"