Chapter 7

With his heart filled with resentment and hatred, Haiyun glared at the young man before him, his anger almost reaching its boiling point. Even the previously stabilized sword spirit power began to fluctuate wildly.

Feeling the turmoil of Haiyun's sword spirit power, Hai Wuya, who was standing nearby, instantly rushed to his side. He poured his own powerful sword spirit power into Haiyun's body to help him stabilize the chaotic energy.

After a while, Haiyun opened his eyes. He realized that he had almost lost control and felt a lingering fear. He nodded at Hai Wuya, but his gaze remained fixed on the young man not far away, filled with jealousy and hatred.

Compared to Haiyun's near loss of control, Haitian was not much better off. He had already used all his sword spirit power to control the sword spirit's attack, but it seemed to be ineffective against the old man in white, who easily caught it.

Haitian was shocked, realizing the vast gap in strength between himself and the old man. However, he was not one to be bullied, even by a Sword King-level expert!

With a deep grunt, Haitian suddenly channeled all his remaining sword spirit power into the sword spirit. The sword spirit, which had been gradually dimming, suddenly emitted a blinding white light, forcing everyone present to shield their eyes.

The old man in white, who was the target of the attack, merely squinted his eyes and let out a light "hmm," his expression becoming more serious. Haitian's sudden and fierce attack caught him off guard.

"Stop!" The old man in white's hands moved rapidly, releasing wave after wave of powerful sword spirit power that completely blocked Haitian's attack, immobilizing it.

"Damn! Is the gap in strength really that big?" Haitian was furious. If he still had the power of a Sword God, this old man would have been dead many times over.

The experts present, except for a few younger members, could clearly see the vast difference in strength between Haitian and the old man.

Hai Wuya was particularly worried. Sword spirit attacks were usually only used as a last resort. If the sword spirit was damaged, it could affect future cultivation.

"Senior, can you please release Tian? It was an unintentional mistake." Hai Wuya swallowed hard, cold sweat trickling down his forehead, feeling the immense pressure from the Sword King-level expert.

"Is he your son?" The old man in white did not immediately release Haitian but asked a seemingly irrelevant question.

Hai Wuya nodded, his eyes filled with hope. Haitian's sudden appearance had surprised him, but his unexpected display of strength was even more astonishing.

The Li family members were also deep in thought. They were not fools; Haitian's early formation of a sword spirit posed a significant threat to their family in the future.

However, if they killed Haitian now, it would drive the Hai family to madness, leading to a conflict between the two families, which would only benefit the Saru family.

After a moment's consideration, the head of the Li family whispered something into the old man's ear.

The old man in white nodded slightly, his sword spirit power swirling as he let out a low shout and suddenly sent Haitian's sword spirit flying.

"Spit!" The sword spirit's shock caused Haitian to lose control, and he spat out a mouthful of thick blood.

"Brother Tian!" Xiaoyu, who had been scared, immediately rushed over when she saw Haitian spitting blood.

The other members of the Hai family also gathered around, and Hai Wuya, with a pale face, placed his hands on Haitian's back, channeling his powerful sword spirit power into his body.

After a while, Hai Wuya withdrew his hands, a look of relief on his face. "Fortunately, Tian only suffered a slight shock to his sword spirit. He should be fine after resting for three to five days."

The Hai family members breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Suddenly, a middle-aged man shouted at Xiaoyu, "It must have been your idea, right? How could you and Xiaotian come here? Don't you know how dangerous it is?"

"Father..." Xiaoyu hung her head, not daring to argue. The middle-aged man was her father.

"Uncle Three, I came of my own accord. It has nothing to do with Xiaoyu. Please don't blame him." Haitian, who had not lost consciousness, quickly heard the middle-aged man's scolding and immediately defended Xiaoyu.

Seeing that Haitian was fine, Hai Wuya's expression turned serious. "You two were really being reckless! We're not here for fun, and you followed us. Moreover, Tian, you actually attacked a senior. Do you know how dangerous that was?"

Seeing Haitian's apologetic expression, Hai Wuya's tone softened. After all, Haitian had given him a great surprise. "Forget it, I won't scold you. Go and apologize to the senior, quickly!"

Haitian reluctantly stood up, inwardly cursing the old man. If not for the old man pulling them out, they would have been safely hiding in the nearby bushes, unnoticed.

Moreover, this wasn't his fault. Why should he apologize to the old man?

Hai Wuya, of course, understood this, but the old man was a Sword King-level expert, and none of them were a match for him. They also didn't bring the Seven Spirit Dust Bell, the only thing that could restrain a Sword King. If the old man found out, he might take the opportunity to eliminate them all.

"Hehe, children don't make big mistakes. I just saw two figures hiding suspiciously in the bushes and brought them out." Perhaps seeing Haitian's reluctance, the old man in white decided to let it go. He wasn't sure if Hai Wuya had brought the Seven Spirit Dust Bell and didn't dare to act rashly.

The Seven Spirit Dust Bell was a treasure of the Hai family, a powerful sound attack weapon. Even a Sword King would have to retreat when faced with it.

"Thank you for your leniency, Senior." Hai Wuya secretly breathed a sigh of relief, the conflict finally resolved.

"Lord Hai, there's no need to be so formal. We are now partners. If we have problems, the Saru family will benefit. Don't you agree?" The head of the Li family chuckled, as if he and Hai Wuya were old friends.

Hai Wuya, of course, understood the head of the Li family's thoughts, inwardly cursing him as a cunning old fox, but his face showed a smile. "That's true. We are partners now. With the help of this senior, your gains will be the greatest."

"Haha, that's not certain." The head of the Li family spoke humbly, but his expression was quite smug.

The balance among the three major families in Blackstone City was maintained because each family had its own secret weapon. The Saru family had a初级玄阶剑器. The Li family had an expert, and only now did Hai Wuya learn that this expert was a one-star Sword King.

The Hai family, on the other hand, had the Seven Spirit Dust Bell. Unfortunately, it was not very useful for treasure hunting, so he had not brought it.

"Tian, rest for a while and then take Xiaoyu back. This place is not suitable for you." Seeing that Haitian, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, was gradually regaining his color, Hai Wuya gave the order to leave.

"Father, I won't go!" Haitian had finally made it here and was not about to leave. Xiaoyu also stood behind Haitian, showing her support.

"Tian, you were just injured and are not suitable for treasure hunting. Xiaoyu hasn't even started cultivation, and it's too dangerous. We might not be able to protect you. Besides, the Li family is not a group of good people. Go back quickly." Hai Wuya was a bit frustrated. If Haitian had not been injured, he would not have objected and would have let him come along.

But with Haitian injured and Xiaoyu, who had no strength, it would greatly reduce their overall strength.

"Wuya, let it be. Let them stay." The elder, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

Hearing this, Haitian and Xiaoyu's eyes lit up, knowing they would not be leaving. In the Hai family, if anyone could persuade Hai Wuya, it was the elder.

"Even if you make them leave now, they won't. They might sneak back at any time. It's better to let them stay with us." The elder's cloudy eyes flashed with a hint of shrewdness.

Hai Wuya nodded in agreement. If Haitian and Xiaoyu could follow them from so far away, they would likely sneak back even if forced to leave.

"Fine, let them stay, but Tian and Xiaoyu, you must stay by my side at all times. Understand?" Hai Wuya sternly warned, "If you don't listen, I'll personally send you back."

Hearing this, both of them shivered and promised to be obedient.

Since the Saru family had not yet arrived, the Hai and Li families continued to wait.

Taking this opportunity, Hai Wuya called Haitian aside and asked seriously, "Tian, tell your father honestly, how did you form your sword spirit?"

"I don't know. I just cultivated, and the sword spirit formed." Haitian answered honestly.

"Is it that simple?" Hai Wuya's frown deepened. He could sense that Haitian did not have the strength of a one-star Sword Warrior, yet he had already formed a sword spirit, which was very strange.

"Never mind, I'll give you a detailed examination when we return." Hai Wuya shook his head in frustration, unable to understand why Haitian had formed a sword spirit so early. If he knew that Haitian was cultivating the "Nine Heavens Divine Sword Technique," he would have been shocked.

Hai Wuya did not ask, and Haitian did not volunteer the information. Even he could not understand why he had formed a sword spirit, let alone Hai Wuya. His mind was focused on the senior's cave.

Inside, there was something he needed.

After waiting for about ten minutes, a group from the Saru family finally arrived, but they were all injured and looked quite miserable.