Outside, the situation turned for the worse really quickly. All it took was letting their guard down to do so. Chu Xian had Mo Yu by the neck, choking her. His grip was not bad, and the girl could get out if she weren't panicking. Tears coming down constantly.
"Let her go already!" An Xueyun looked at Techlis that did budge from its spot. It was on guard duty, not set to help them. "You filthy monster!"
"I will let her go if you get Ye Xinghe out here! I need him to heal me!" Chu Xian looked crazed as he continued to sweat. His qi was running low, and his sight doubled up. "HURRY UP!"
"If Mo Yu would focus, she could get out of this." Xia Yuning gritted her teeth, upset. Looking to An Xueyun, who didn't seem to have a plan and was only thinking about how to get the girl free. "Thought of something yet?"
"No... if he panics, it won't go well." Xueyun felt something approaching from, but she hoped it was not something bad. The hair on the back of her neck alerting her to a predator. 'Why is it all so bad already!?'
"I.. don't.. want to die!" Mo Yu pleaded with her teacher to no avail. "Please.."
"SHUT UP!" Chu Xian was livid. Feeling sick having to resort to hurting another commoner. But death was so close, which brought heightened instincts. "Damn you!" Throwing his meat shield in front, Chu Xian jumped away.
*Shlick! Schlick!* Two thin translucent objects went into the thrown Mo Yu. Her eyes narrowing as she could only think about her short her life was. As the body dropped unmovingly, the translucent objects evaporated into it.
"You are gonna pay for that!" An Xueyun raged. Losing control of her cultivation and shocking Xia Yuning with her ferocity. The fire burning white-hot as her fist burned a path towards the traitor teacher. "Die for me!"
"Ugh!" Blocking, Chu Xian's cross-block was broken from the overwhelming qi. "Desperate, he circulated his qi attacking back. Causing pain to run through his body. 'Have to make this quick!'
Forgetting about Xia Yuning, Chu Xian received a cut to the arm as Xueyun was knocked away. Rage was not something she was good at, she defintely tired herself out way to quickly for one thing.
"Ha..ha.." Xueyun cursed herself mentally for giving in like that. But seeing Mo Yun dropping to the ground like that, hurt the fragile heart girl. She could only think of her sister having the same fate if not careful. "I have to get stronger.."
Jumping back into the fray, Chu Xian was succumbing to the pressure from both of them. If he was fully healed, this would not have been a problem at all. Well, he would be able to take the two inexperienced teens out easily.
"Hah, go help them take him out." Xinghe muttered. Techlis increases in size and charges in. A trail sparkling behind of ice hitting the sunlight. "Well, you want to live or not, Mo Yu?" The teen realized she wasn't dead and looked up.
"Eh!?" Sitting up, she rubbed her neck, not feeling any pain. "I'm not dead?"
"Not yet." Zhao Ning helped changed her clothes as Xinghe watched the fighting. Analyzing how badly they were doing. Xia Yuning was to wild with her Dragon Cultivation, An Xueyun to inexperienced, and Techlis was limited by the way the two humans moved. "I can tell you it will be better if you follow Master Xinghe."
"Master Xinghe?" Mo Yo looked at his backside and could not help but feel an overwhelming power come from him. "He is a Commoner like myself.. how can he be a master?"
"Well, you are not dead, so make him a master of your life for one." Zhao Ning gave her a smug smile. "Anticipating that you would be thrown like trash, he sent Star energy to attack just in case. It dissolved inside, healing your wounds. What more do you need?"
"NO!" Chu Xian received a cut across the stomach and a punch to the face. Face to face with Techlis; the demon beast terrified him. "..."
"CAW!" A blast of frozen air turned the man into a popsicle. A look of terror as he was frozen solid. "Hehe!" The laugh caused Yuning to think she was going crazy. Techlis was happy since he would get a reward delivering the final blow.
*Schup!* Yinghe covered it in star energy, then threw it into the Flame Vortex Core as soon as they blinked. Breaking it down for the information was the best to find who were the other rebels.
"Not even a body left..." Xia Yuning turned to look at the stalwart Xinghe, suprised.
"Doesn't deserve to have remains." An Xueyun wiped her tears looking up. "Mo Yu is.." Seeing the girl talking to cheerfully, she ran over-excited. "You're alive!"
Mo Yu wouldn't be alive much longer if the death hug she was placed in didn't loosen. Making his mind up, Ye Xinghe went into the forest for a bit. He was flipping hungry, and a check on the Demon Beasts in his Internal Space proved they were to. As they ate all the food stuff inside.
.
Feeling weak-
.
Xia Yuning kept staring at Ye Xinghe, who was looking out, not saying a word. She didn't know he was using the Heart Method to find people in the area. Marking them to hunt down. With the refining of Chu Xian completed, it was best to take each of them out that Liang Yu didn't take care of.
The group watched as Xia Yuning walked over to Ye Xinghe, with her fists balled up.
"Hmm?" Mo Yu thought it was odd but kept eating her bbq rabbit.
"Well, this won't be pretty." Zhao Ning could she couldn't match him.
"Yeah, I think Xia Yuning might surprise us." An Xueyun was hopeful for her friend. "She is quite tenacious."
"What is it?" Xinghe didn't even turn to her. "I am a little busy, so make it quick."
"Right," Her expression was solemn. "Ye Xinghe, I've been meaning to ask something. You are a Star Martial Artist, correct?"
"Yeah, so what?"
"Those .. translucent pieces were thrown by you, but not a bit of blood came out of Mo Yu. Even I felt the killing intent behind them, let alone the desperate Chu Xian." Yuning was agitated. He didn't even turn to look at her. She was the daughter of the North Lord Mansion; how could he treat her like this? "The rabbits don't have a single mark beside a nick to the neck. A clean one at that."
"That's nice." Finding his target, he was about to move out to deal with Lin Hong ahead of time. 'No reason to wait until later.'
"Skill like that belongs to diligent killers."
"Yuning, do you doubt Xinghe?" An Xueyun was puzzled about what she was insinuating.
"She might; she isn't used to seeing strong people." Zhao Ning saif haughtily. She didn't like the Yuning implications at all. "Only an idea would suggest he was a killer on the side of those in the Smelting ground."
"What makes you think he is not?" Turning to the young noble, she was met with an unwavering gaze. The look of a die-hard believer in someone was something she was used to. "Someone like you.."
"Someone like me is sitting here safe while you might get killed by being stupid." Zhao Ning pointed at her neck doing a cutting motion. A graze along of Yuning caused her to freeze up instantly. Feeling the chill of death on her. "If he wanted to kill you, you would be dead."
"Xinghe... don't scare her like that." Xueyun popped a piece of meat in her mouth. Taking to hear that Liang Yu said Ye Xinghe had a cruel streak in him that should not be ignored. 'Well, he won't kill her, hopefully. Yuning is one of my few friends.'
"Behave yourself, brat." Walking off, he gave her a swat to the ass. Sending her towards the others. "Techlis, keep them safe." The other Demon Beasts popped out, circling the make-shift camp. The sparkling lights in the air causing Mo Yu to smile.
"So pretty." The Demon Beasts went to their full height. Quite large and able to be ridden on. "And so soft!" Petting the sides, she couldn't get enough of it. "I could sleep on you for days."
"Ye Xinghe," Xia Yuning felt an unbridled rage overtake her. To be humiliated and disregarded so easily could not stand. "you won't get away with this!"
*Bam!* A backhand was delivered to her face. Causing Yuning to somersault into the air and hitting the ground hard. Pushing herself up, her dragon parts started showing. Getting up, the outer robe was discarded. Reaviling a type of bodysuit that was defintely inappropriate.
"You are a Dragon Martial artist, yet you wear flexible material like that. It is made of a type of leather, right?"
"Yes, made of Black Flood Dragon Leather, soft and flexible to allow better use." Xia Yuning boasted. "A sword can't pierce this mesh, and it is naturally able to dissipate force."
"You don't know any techniques to supplement something like that, do you?" Her frown was answer enough. "Yiu are not a high-speed fighter with good reactions for it to matter and don't use a piercing weapon to take advantage of it. I guess if it is for keeping you protected from.. actually, it just draws attention. Like a little.. slut."
"RAAH!" Xia Yuning charged with the white of her eyes vanishing. The dragon horn poking out of her forehead. Scales all the way up to her neck.
She moved explosively fast, but not fast enough to get from an experienced fighter. A straight dash was to easy to follow. Yinghe stepped to the side and smacked her across the face. Then he gave her a backhand to the opposite side.
"You need more practice with the adrenaline push from the Dragon Transformation. To protected, to inexperienced, you are a liability to yourself and those you fight with." Teeth bared, Yuning reared back with a haymaker. "No form either."
"Shut up!" Her fist met his palm. Stopping all the force as she met nothing but softness. "What!?" Feeling the freezing qi enter her, Yuning channeled her qi to rile it up and fight back. "Why does a Star Martial Artist no such a technique!?"
"That is something you should not worry about in a fight." The blow of a 5th Layer Dragon Martial Artist was quite powerful, and would have done serious damage normally, but to make a point, he showed no sign of weakness. "Your enemy can no all sorts of weird techniques. Let me show you."
Pushing the skill of the Frost Air technique, Yinghe disappeared from sight. Small footfalls all around the area, the only hint to him being nearby. But that was not the problem as he sped around Xia Yuning cutting.
Cut across the thigh that froze instantly. Another three cracks towards her back that revealed the skin. The cold air causing a shiver up her spine. The more cuts made, the more frozen pieces appeared all across her body.
"Grrr!" Xia Yuning felt her body going numb. Even her Dantian felt chills as she tried to qi from it. Unable to put up with it anymore, she released everything she had left. "RAAAHHH!" Using Dragon Aura Explosion!
The qi went out like a shockwave. Good attacking all over but not hitting anything but the terrain. Dropping to a knee, she looked around for her opponent, expecting him to be down on the ground. A look to Zhao Ning, her heart sank.
Xia Yuning looked up, seeing Ye Xinghe floating on what looked to be clouds. Literally walking down towards her. With a raise of the hand, tuffs of cloud turned into arrows.
"You never thought to look up, did you?" With a wave of his other hand, translucent knives were visible with a turn. Traces of black material on some of it. "Misdirection is the best in a fight. Especially when dealing with an opponent, you are unsure about. Do you give up?"
"You bastard.." Xia Yuning gnashed her teeth enough that the gums almost started bleeding. "..only a coward would stay in the air."
"Oh?" Xinghe landed in front of her with an evil smile. "It is called using your brain, something you lack apparently." Seeing the raised hand for a strike, he hit against both of her temples and kicked her in the chest. "Bye."
*Smack!* Dazed, blood came out as her vision went dark.
*Crack!* The blow to the sternum cracked it open like a walnut. Sailing through the air, the arrows made of clouds wrapped around the transformed Dragon fighter. Acting as a gauze and helping with recovery.
"Well, at least she isn't dead." Zhao Ning was impressed she took the blow and didn't die instantly. 'Memo to sell, think the unexpected for fighting. Need to practice a body technique to keep from ending up like that to.'
"She is the target." Ye Xinghe said before heading off. "This location is safe for you all. Stay and cultivate. You will be collected later." They nodded, with An Xueyun tending to Xia Yuning. 'I wonder if I can provoke the North Lord people and kill them on the side?'
A flash of battle lust overtaking him from a brief second. The Dragon Martial Art Dantian wanted to fight more dragons. Vastly different than the previous Dragon Dantian.
The changes from the different Cultivation Manuals needed to get a deeper check with his psyche.
She would be fine in a few hours. Well, her pride will take longer to heal.
Mo Yu was diligently cultivating next to three of the Frost Birds. As the weakest, she needed the most protection. Techlis was by Zhao Ning with the others around An Xueun and Xiao Ning.