Chapter 88

Yexiwen was about to head to Yeruxue's courtyard when suddenly an old, angry roar came from the sky: "Yexiwen, come out here!"

Immediately, a terrifying pressure descended, pressing down on the entire courtyard.

This was a formidable pressure, and Yexiwen, caught off guard, nearly fell to the ground.

"Who is it!" Yexiwen shouted, his innate true qi surging out to directly confront the pressure. The two currents of qi collided, creating a series of storms.

However, it was clear that Yexiwen's innate true qi was no match for the other, and it was quickly overwhelmed.

Innate true essence!

A flash of insight appeared in Yexiwen's eyes. The person who came was definitely not a disciple of the branch sect, because innate true essence was a capability only possessed by experts at the sixth level of innate realm and above.

When innate experts break through to the peak of the fifth level of the innate realm, they can convert all their acquired true qi into innate true qi. At that point, their combat power will reach a peak. However, to break through to the sixth level of the innate realm, it is not just a matter of this. Instead, a further transformation must occur, from innate true qi to innate true essence, which is the second transformation of life.

Once the transformation is successful, one's lifespan, originally two hundred years, will extend to five hundred years, more than doubling.

Experts at the sixth level of the innate realm are much stronger than those at the fifth level, almost capable of taking on a group of opponents. They have undergone another qualitative change.

The One Yuan Sect also uses this as a standard for division: those below the sixth level of the innate realm are inner disciples, while those above the sixth level are core disciples.

Although there is only one level of difference, the actual treatment is vastly different.

The elders of each branch sect are all core disciples at the sixth level of the innate realm and above. Many of these elders are quite old, approaching the five-hundred-year limit, but they are core disciples who have no hope of breaking through to the True Dao realm, so they choose to serve as elders in the branch sects.

However, even so, these elders are extremely terrifying beings, far beyond what ordinary disciples can compare to.

"Who are you!" Yexiwen stepped out of the courtyard and saw a man in dark robes standing at the entrance, staring at Yexiwen with a furious gaze.

Immediately, Zhang Yang, Yefeng, and Yeruxue, who had just broken through to the innate realm, also rushed over.

"Who among you is Yexiwen?" the man in dark robes asked coldly.

"I am!" Yexiwen replied.

"It was you, this little brat, who injured the disciples of our Shaoyang branch sect!" the man in dark robes said coldly.

"Who are you calling a little brat?" Yexiwen asked.

"The little brat is calling you..." the man in dark robes blurted out, then realized the trap in his words, his face turning red with anger.

"Ha ha ha!" The disciples of the Qingfeng Mountain branch sect laughed without restraint. They were all sharp-witted individuals, unremarkable in the main sect but influential figures in the branch sects. How could they not be smart? They immediately understood that this man in dark robes was likely an elder of the Shaoyang branch sect.

This was a mortal enemy. Even if the other party was an elder, the fact that they were enemies would not change. The enmity between the two sides had extended for many years.

The other party had come to demand an explanation for the disciples like Huo Cheng, who had been crippled by Yexiwen and could not participate in this assessment.

"You little brat, you are courting death!" the man in dark robes said angrily, flicking his sleeve. The air was instantly distorted, and a large hand made of qi descended. This was a technique of controlling qi with true essence. Although it was not a major technique, its power varied, but for martial artists below the sixth level of the innate realm, it was still very effective.

"Clang!" The long sword behind Yexiwen instantly unsheathed, emitting a brilliant blade light that obscured half the sky, making Yexiwen look like a war god, his expression solemn, his black hair fluttering in the wind.

The blade light transformed into a large sword entirely formed of true qi, slicing down toward the large hand.

"Zzzzz!"

The blade light struck the large hand, making a sizzling sound. Then, the sharp blade light evolved into a scene of a moon setting, which was an artistic conception.

Relying on the artistic conception of the setting moon, the blade light, which had already shown signs of defeat, quickly regained its momentum and continued to slice down.

"Artistic conception, how is this possible, you actually cultivated an artistic conception!" the man in dark robes widened his eyes, disbelieving that Yexiwen had cultivated an artistic conception. Even among the current disciples, those who could cultivate an artistic conception as an outer sect disciple were extremely rare. How could such a person appear before him?

But it made sense. If Yexiwen did not have such extraordinary talent, how could he have defeated the geniuses of his own sect?

Thinking of this, a glint of killing intent flashed in the man in dark robes' eyes. Such a genius appearing in an opposing branch sect must be eliminated. Otherwise, if he grew up, it would not be good for the Shaoyang branch sect.

This time, even at the risk of being punished by the sect, he must eliminate this threat in its infancy.

In the sky, the scene of the setting moon and the large hand collided intensely, creating terrifying shockwaves that rippled out layer by layer.

The pressure on Yexiwen grew increasingly intense. His blade intent and the large hand collided fiercely, a solid force overwhelming all else. The other party did not even need to use artistic conception, but relied on superior strength to overpower Yexiwen.

Yexiwen quickly fell to a disadvantage, his bones cracking with the intense friction. His physical body, as strong as metal and stone, began to make cracking sounds under this terrifying pressure.

"Old man, what do you want!" Yexiwen shouted through gritted teeth, his heart filled with rage. This old man was completely unreasonable, and from the looks of it, he might even try to kill him here.

The man in dark robes paid no attention to Yexiwen, only pressing down with his large hand, about to crush Yexiwen's scene of the setting moon.

"Old man, I will definitely repay you for this today!" Yexiwen said through gritted teeth, sweat pouring down his face.

In ten years, if he had another ten years, he could easily crush this old man. But now, now it was not possible!

Strength, he needed more strength!

For the first time, Yexiwen truly felt, deep in his heart, that he needed strength. Only with enough strength could he prevent today's events from happening again.

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