Chapter 581 - 385: My Knees Are Stiff, I Refuse to Be a Dog

Chapter 581: Chapter 385: My Knees Are Stiff, I Refuse to Be a Dog

"Master Qingxuan, I was unable to find any trace of Wu Liangchen below," Tang Yuchu reported through gritted teeth after a thorough search.

Master Qingxuan smiled upon hearing her words. "It matters not," he said nonchalantly. "He cannot escape. He’s merely a turtle in a jar."

With that, he looked down at the crowd and spoke.

"You ants from the Lower Realm do have some backbone, I’ll give you that. I happen to be in a good mood today, so I shall grant you a chance to live. Tell me Wu Liangchen’s whereabouts, and not only will I spare your lives, but I can even make you the Celestial Profound Sect’s representatives in this realm, allowing you to bask in supreme glory."

His words were filled with patronizing charity and temptation. However, the only response he received was dead silence.

Sword One leaned on his sword, half-kneeling on the ground. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, but his lips remained pressed into a firm line. Alina supported him, her face pale, but her gaze remained defiant.

Master Jie Nian’s eyelids were lowered as he silently recited scriptures, the dim Buddhist light around him seeming to grow a fraction more solid. Tian Yushi’s chaotic eyes were locked on the sky, as if trying to sear Master Qingxuan’s image into her very soul.

Even the ordinary members of the Starfire Organization and the Alliance soldiers, though trembling under the pressure of a Core Formation Cultivator, did not utter a single word. Not one of them showed even the slightest hint of being tempted.

Across the entire battlefield, aside from the howling of the cold wind, only an oppressive silence remained.

"Oh?" At this sight, Master Qingxuan raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly.

He had presided over the Celestial Profound Sect’s Punishment Hall for many years and had seen countless people grovel and beg for mercy in the face of death. Therefore, the defiance shown by Sword One and the others was somewhat unexpected.

Still, he paid it no mind, turning his gaze to Sword One instead.

"You... are quite impressive," Master Qingxuan began slowly, his voice carrying an almost imperceptible trace of admiration. "To be able to unleash a strike containing a sliver of true Sword Dao intent with only a Qi Refining Realm Cultivation, and actually injure my Magic Power Condensation... A talent like yours would be considered well above average, even in my Celestial Profound Sect."

He paused, his tone laced with temptation. "If you are willing to submit, I can personally guide you in the Sword Dao, help you heal your eyes, and even pass down the Celestial Profound Sect’s supreme sword arts to you. With my guidance, achieving a Golden Core in the future would be well within your reach. What do you say?"

As soon as he spoke, a flash of envy appeared not only in the eyes of the people below, but even in those of some Celestial Profound Sect disciples standing behind Master Qingxuan. Personal guidance from a sect elder, supreme sword arts, the promise of a Golden Core—for any Cultivator, this was an almost irresistible temptation.

In that moment, all eyes focused on Sword One. Alina’s grip on his arm tightened slightly, her heart filled with worry.

Sword One was silent for a moment, as if gathering his strength. Then he slowly raised his head, his hollow eye sockets aimed at the sky, his lips pulling back in a grim yet resolute smile.

He said nothing. He simply mustered every last ounce of his strength to raise his longsword once more, bit by bit. The tip of the blade trembled, yet it pointed obstinately toward the sky, toward the lofty Master Qingxuan.

His silent action spoke louder than any words.

SHING—

Seeing this, a look of both relief and resolve flashed through Alina’s eyes. A deep purple Magic energy surged around her once again. It was faint, but its flow was firm and unwavering.

A low Buddhist chant from Master Jie Nian followed. He slowly straightened his back, and the dim holy light behind him coalesced into the blurry phantom of a wrathful Vajra.

Chaotic Magic energy raged around Tian Yushi, threatening to spiral out of control at any moment. But her eyes, which flickered between madness and clarity, remained locked on Master Qingxuan.

Then, the heavily wounded core members of the Starfire Organization and the surviving Alliance soldiers began to struggle to their feet, one after another.

Their weapons may have been shattered, their strength all but gone, but in that moment, every single one of them stared up at the invader in the sky with eyes as cold and hard as tempered steel.

There were no heroic speeches, no impassioned war cries. There was only the dead silence of a standoff, and the unyielding resolve of those who would rather die in glory than live in shame.

This scene was far beyond what Master Qingxuan had anticipated.

The nonchalant smile on his face finally vanished, replaced by an icy coldness. He had assumed that with a bit of coercion and temptation, these ants from the Lower Realm would fracture and scramble to betray one another. He never expected to be met with such silent defiance instead.

"Good. Very good."

Master Qingxuan laughed, his fury palpable. His voice was filled with a chilling killing intent. "A pack of witless ants, daring to act so insolently before me! Since you are all so eager to die, then I shall oblige you!"

The words had barely left his lips when he flicked his long sleeve. An immense wave of Spiritual Power, a hundred times more terrifying than before, erupted from within him. The clouds in the sky were instantly shredded, and a ferocious spiritual pressure crashed down on the crowd below like an invisible mountain.

The world went black for Sword One and the others. Their bones groaned under the unbearable pressure, as if they would be crushed to dust by the terrifying force in the very next moment.

At that critical moment.

SHIIIIK—!

A blinding white light, like a bolt of lightning tearing through the night sky, shot in from the distant horizon at a speed that defied the eye.

The white light was incredibly focused, radiating a terrifying sharpness that felt as if it could pierce through anything. Its target: Master Qingxuan!

Master Qingxuan’s pupils contracted violently as alarm bells shrieked in his mind. He had no time to think. He hastily thrust out a palm, and vast, azure Spiritual Power coalesced into a thick shield of light to intercept the sudden attack.