Chapter 53

In the midst of life and death, Yifeng finally appeared after being called out a thousand times. His figure moved like lightning, and in an instant, he rescued Yixia, who had already run out of strength, from the flying sword and the poisonous gas!

This was absolutely not a speed that Yifeng could possess!

The rumbling sounds continued, and the attacks from both sides of the cultivators collided, with several lower-grade flying swords breaking in the process.

"Chase!" However, they had no time to pay attention to these details. If the people from Taiheng Sect escaped, they might very well become a piece of fat meat for other sects!

Tian Li, Liu Changxing, and two other core disciples of the Physical Academy were responsible for the rear guard. Yang Xi, due to his severe injuries, could not bear the responsibility of the rear guard. As for Yifeng, he was holding the exhausted Yixia in his arms.

However, even so, the second round of the competition for Taiheng Sect was no different from a failure.

"Heavenly Evil Pearl..." Yixia woke up from the power brought by the Heavenly Evil Pearl, but she knew it was something that Taiheng Sect could not do without.

Yifeng was taken aback by her words.

"Wasn't the Heavenly Evil Pearl always in your possession? I clearly saw it fall into your hands after it lost its effectiveness."

Yixia, weak and powerless, just shook her head lightly.

"Zibi, did you see..."

Zibi was a cultivator at the Root Birth stage, naturally possessing light bones. Additionally, the special cultivation method she practiced could speed up Yifeng, so she was with Yifeng during the rescue.

"Ah? I didn't see..." Zibi was checking Gu Xuyao's injuries when asked, and at that moment, she had no time to care about the pearl.

Seeing her like this, Yixia shook her head again and turned to look at Yifeng.

"If the pearl is lost, how can we explain to the sect leader when we get out?"

In other words, the elimination of Taiheng Sect was already a certainty, and the loss of the pearl meant that Taiheng Sect would not just lose the competition, but face more serious consequences.

Thinking about this, Yifeng was also deeply worried, but he could not think of a specific solution.

As the saying goes, when one's luck is bad, one really feels like being born at the wrong time. Taiheng Sect first encountered an attack from the Green Robe Sect, and then on the way to escape, they were ambushed by the Poison Sand Sect. Now, after barely escaping from these two sects, another group of cultivators appeared ahead!

The group of cultivators blocked the path of Taiheng Sect. They did not approach when they saw the people from Taiheng Sect, but Yifeng knew that not approaching did not mean they would let the people from Taiheng Sect go.

"Finished, it's the Mountain Collapse Sect!"

Yifeng cursed. The Mountain Collapse Sect, as a seed sect, had very distinct characteristics: black attire, red sashes, and each cultivator had a cold and fierce expression.

However, the Mountain Collapse Sect still did not make any moves. Upon closer inspection, they were forming a circle, seemingly doing something.

"Regardless, the fact that the Poison Sand Sect is chasing us does not mean the Mountain Collapse Sect will do the same. We can only rely on the Mountain Collapse Sect's reputation to scare away the other two sects." Yang Xi had participated in several competitions before, but he had never encountered a situation where he was chased everywhere. In the end, no one is fearless. Yang Xi was terrified and had no ideas left.

Yifeng frowned upon hearing this but could not think of a better solution. They had to take a chance; even if they continued to run, they would eventually run out of energy and be killed by the enemy.

"Friends of the Mountain Collapse Sect, we are disciples of Taiheng Sect. Unfortunately, we encountered two vicious sects chasing us. We are ashamed, as Taiheng Sect is a small sect in the south with limited strength. We could not resist, and we hope the friends of the Mountain Collapse Sect can provide protection."

Flying closer, Yifeng spoke on behalf of Taiheng Sect as the eldest disciple.

The cultivators of the Mountain Collapse Sect did not make any movements upon hearing this. They silently made way, and one cultivator stepped out from the crowd.

As for the people of Taiheng Sect, through the crowd, they saw the scene inside. Two cultivators were fighting, and one of them was a familiar "old friend" to the people of Taiheng Sect.

"Jia Peng!" Yifeng blurted out, his eyes wide open.

The Jia Peng now was not the same as the spirited cultivator from the first round of the competition. His hair was disheveled, his clothes were torn, and his body was covered with terrifying wounds. It was clear that these wounds came from different spells and weapons, indicating that Jia Peng was being surrounded and attacked.

"Oh, an old acquaintance? Very well, let you watch this performance, and then we will discuss your issues." The cultivator who stepped out had narrow eyes, a hooked nose, and a prominent forehead. From his tone, it was clear he was the leader of the Mountain Collapse Sect.

Seemingly sensing that there were still pursuers behind Taiheng Sect, he nodded to the cultivators on both sides. They understood and each led two people to fly towards the direction from which Taiheng Sect had come.

After doing everything, he flew to the side to let the cultivators of Taiheng Sect see the battle inside.

The cultivator fighting Jia Peng was a junior disciple, who had just reached the Root Birth stage. He wore an iron mask, and Gu Xuyao, upon seeing him, felt that the cultivator was very strange for some reason.

With a "snap," Jia Peng's heavily injured body could no longer dodge quickly. The iron-masked cultivator wore steel claws and moved extremely fast. In an instant, he appeared behind Jia Peng, and his claws descended, completely severing Jia Peng's left shoulder.

A loud cry, but not a scream of pain!

Pain was no longer what Jia Peng cared about. He knew he would die today, but he wanted to die with honor!

Jia Peng came from Changxu Temple, where the cultivation methods did not emphasize flying swords but the application of energy. Losing an arm did not affect Jia Peng's use of spells!

Jia Peng's feet moved rapidly, and the energy inside his body surged wildly!

Unfortunately, the iron-masked cultivator did not give Jia Peng the chance to complete his spell. He leaped lightly, and his claws pierced Jia Peng's neck. When he flipped to the front of Jia Peng, Jia Peng's head had already been torn off.

Blood spurted, and Jia Peng's energy dissipated. He fell helplessly, but the cultivator quickly caught Jia Peng's corpse, threw away his bloodied head, and plunged his hand into Jia Peng's heart.

"No." After doing everything, he shook his head at the leader of the Mountain Collapse Sect.

The leader of the Mountain Collapse Sect did not say anything but turned to look at the people of Taiheng Sect.

"Alright, the other matters have been resolved. Now it's your turn."

Seeing this, Yifeng frowned. He knew Jia Peng's strength very well, but Jia Peng died so tragically. It seemed he was there to allow the other cultivators from Changxu Temple to escape.

"Friends of the Mountain Collapse Sect, we do not understand the grudges between you and Changxu Temple, but our Taiheng Sect has never had any conflicts with you."

The leader of the Mountain Collapse Sect had a frivolous look, indifferent. Gu Xuyao saw this and felt hatred in his heart. This was the difference in strength!

"Senior Brother Yifeng, I roughly understand why all the cultivators are chasing us. I noticed something during the fight with the Poison Sand Sect, and now, seeing what they did to Senior Jia Peng, I finally understand." Gu Xuyao staggered forward. "The poem given to us at the start of the competition indeed told us where the Green Flag is."

When Gu Xuyao said this, the people of Taiheng Sect were confused, but Yifeng seemed to start understanding.

"We are in the center of the Thousand Death Ridge, and the Green Flag is also there. In other words, we are the Green Flag, and the Green Flag is in our hearts! But it didn't specify whose heart, so the only way to obtain the Green Flag is to kill all the cultivators of our sect!" Gu Xuyao became more and more agitated, his eyes red. "Coincidentally, there are four sects in a tie, which means these four tied sects are the prey for the other sects. Moreover, if I am not mistaken, even if half the cultivators are killed and the Green Flag does not appear, it will still appear when the sect is transported out of the Thousand Death Ridge, right?"

Gu Xuyao became more and more angry, and by the end, his whole body was trembling!

"Clap, clap, clap." A lonely applause came from the iron-masked cultivator.

The leader of the Mountain Collapse Sect turned back to the iron-masked cultivator with a mocking look and smiled slightly.

"This young brother is quite smart. Our new star, Bai Xing, is happy for you." He turned to look at Gu Xuyao. "You are right, completely correct, but it is meaningless because you are already fish in a pot."

Gu Xuyao gritted his teeth and glared, but despite his anger, he clearly understood the current situation and was quickly analyzing whether there was a way to survive.

"Ah... They are really slow..." The leader said, suddenly sighing to himself.

In an instant, the people of Taiheng Sect understood his meaning: the rear guard!

"Ah!" Gu Xuyao roared, unable to bear it any longer. He didn't know where he got the strength, but he roared, and lightning enveloped his body. His injured arm seemed to improve a bit, and his arms rapidly swelled as energy surged inside him.

"Second Roar, Unceasing!"

The second roar of the Five Roars of Thunder was rapidly building up as Gu Xuyao approached the leader of the Mountain Collapse Sect.

"Huh, the boy has some guts." The leader of the Mountain Collapse Sect smiled contemptuously and did not dodge at all.

This action only made Gu Xuyao angrier. With a roar, his arms swelled to their limit, and the power was about to be unleashed on the face of the leader of the Mountain Collapse Sect!

However, Gu Xuyao was too weak, or rather, he could not possibly defeat the cultivators of the Mountain Collapse Sect, even the weakest.

The iron-masked cultivator, Bai Xing, moved swiftly and blocked between Gu Xuyao and the leader of the Mountain Collapse Sect in an instant!

This was the true strength of the Root Birth stage!

Whether it was Zibi or the previous Hu Changlu, they were not familiar with their own strength and did not know how to apply it in combat. But Bai Xing was different; his purpose was to kill!

"Goodbye." The face under Bai Xing's iron mask could not be seen, but his voice was cold and merciless, just like his silver steel claws that pierced through Gu Xuyao's chest without hesitation, cold and merciless.