"Chapter 5" Battle between the Spirit Realm Cultivators
At first, the woman thought Xuan was just lucky, but when he moved like the wind and dodged her next attack, she stopped and looked at him with newfound interest.
Xuan also stared back. He would have counterattacked, but his chances of winning against her were low. Another reason he held back was that she didn't appear to be with the bandits.
"You should listen before attacking someone," Xuan said. "I'm not with the bandits." Xuan wasn't sure if the woman would attack him again without listening to him, but just then, two more women appeared.
"Yan'er, are all the bandits dead here?" one of the women asked, then turned to look at Xuan. "Oh, seems one is still alive, but judging from his clothes and face, he doesn't appear to be a bandit."
"Wait! I've already told her I'm not with the bandits," Xuan protested.
He could see that one of them was a Meridian Unlocking stage cultivator, while another was even more powerful, with a cultivation level that was beyond his ability to perceive. This realization made him feel even more outmatched and powerless against them.
"Oh, you're not a bandit?" the woman replied, brandishing her sword. "Then why were you fighting our Yan'er?"
She eyed Xuan warily, sensing that he might have some hidden tricks up his sleeve, despite his lower cultivation level.
However, before things escalated further, the third woman intervened, her voice calm and measured. "Ning Xi, let's not jump to conclusions. Let's hear the man out first."
The third woman placed a calming hand on Lei Yan's shoulder. "Yan'er, did this man attack you first, or was he with the bandits?" she asked.
Lei Yan hesitated before responding, "He didn't attack me, but he was the only person here among all the dead bandits, so I thought..."
She trailed off, realizing that her emotions had gotten the better of her, leading her to mistakenly assume Xuan was a bandit. Yet, she still couldn't shake off the uncertainty - was this all just a misunderstanding, or was the man actually in league with the bandits?
The reason for her pent-up emotions was her tragic past. Her family had been brutally slaughtered and their home looted, leaving her the sole survivor. This traumatic experience had driven her to mercilessly kill any bandits she encountered.
The third woman was slightly older than the other two, and the way they showed respect around her led Xuan to conclude that they were likely master and apprentices.
However, His thoughts were soon confirmed by the woman herself.
"I am Sect Elder Ning Binglan of the Sky Heaven Sect. These two are my disciples and daughters, Ning Xi and Lei Yan. "
Her tone turned slightly serious. "We have come to clear out the bandits that have been terrorizing the towns in this area. Now, I suggest you prove your identity and show that you are not affiliated with them."
Ning Binglan, the sect elder of Sky Heaven, introduced herself and her two disciples, who were also her daughters: Ning Xi, her biological daughter, and Lei Yan, her adopted daughter.
She gave Xuan the opportunity to prove his identity, and in return, she would let him go. Xuan took his time, collecting his thoughts, before responding, "I'm Xuan a rogue cultivator. I came to this town to sell the meat of the beast I had just killed, but then the bandits attacked."
"Your disciple," he glanced at Lei Yan, "mistook me for one of them."
Ning Xi smirked, "But this doesn't prove that you aren't with the bandits."
Just then, the shop owner emerged from the wreckage of his store. Having overheard the entire conversation, he decided to intervene.
"Wait! I can vouch for him."
"Don't move, this might be dangerous," Lei Yan warned, eyeing the man as he approached Xuan. However, the man didn't heed her warning and stood beside Xuan. "There must be some misunderstanding," he said. "This young man isn't with the bandits."
He then gestured towards the bodies on the ground. "All of these bandits were killed by him. This young man is telling the truth."
Ning Binglan nodded, deciding to trust the shop owner's words. "Then it seems this was indeed a misunderstanding."
Although some doubts still lingered in her mind, she chose to let them go, as it was clear that Xuan was not affiliated with the bandits.
On the other hand, Lei Yan looked embarrassed, bowing her head as she apologized. Xuan nodded, accepting her apology, and prepared to leave the scene.
However, just as he was about to depart, a loud, booming voice echoed through the air. "No one is leaving! You will all be buried in this place!"
A heavy, oppressive pressure enveloped the entire town, and a figure hovering in the sky glared down at the scene with intense anger. "Did you kill them?" he yelled, his voice thundering as he gazed at the dead bandits scattered on the ground.
Xuan gazed up at the figure hovering in the sky. Although the man didn't appear to be a bandit, his words suggested a connection to them.
Xuan thought, "Only she can go up against that man." Shifting his glare back to the man. "If not then our chances of survival are zero."
He couldn't help but think, "Huh, my luck. At some point, I felt like my life was going to change, but at a time like this, I'm not even sure if I'll have a life at the end of the day."
"If you aren't going to answer, then there's no need to keep you alive. Go die!" He raised his hand to the sky, and a tiny ball of fire emerged.
He then channelled his Qi into it, and the small fireball rapidly expanded into a massive, roaring inferno, ready to engulf and incinerate the entire town.
He didn't even give them another chance, and with a swift flick of his wrist, he hurled the massive fireball towards the town.
However, just as it was about to hit, it suddenly split into two and dissipated harmlessly. Ning Binglan stood tall, with a flash of her sword swing she effortlessly deflected the attack.
"You are..." The man's eyes widened in surprise as Ning Binglan soared towards him, sword in hand.
"I was thinking that there must be someone backing them, and I was about to search for you, but you've delivered yourself right to me," Ning Binglan said, her words dripping with icy menace as she hovered, poised and ready to strike.
The man, once surprised, laughed at Binglan's words. "Woman, you'll regret crossing our path.
His tone turned menacing as he began raining down fireballs filled with Qi towards Binglan, while simultaneously hurling some of them towards the town.
"Ning'er, Yan'er, keep the people in the town safe," Binglan ordered, as she swiftly swung her sword to deflect the incoming attack.
She leapt into the air, soaring higher and distancing herself from the town.
Xuan looked at the meat shop owner, "Thanks for the help but it's not safe here."
The man nodded and hastily ran to hide, while Xuan turned his gaze upwards to watch the intense battle between the Spirit Realm cultivators unfolding in the sky.
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