Chapter 436: Retreat

Mu Yifeng was even more shocked than the people on the boat. He distinctly remembered that when they last parted, Qin Sang was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. It was surprising enough that his cultivation could now rival his own, but he also possessed such terrifying power.

With one sword, he killed a master of the same realm!

After a brief moment of daze, Mu Yifeng suddenly realized this was not the time to ponder. He quickly sent a voice transmission to Qin Sang, rapidly explaining the enemy's presence on the boat. Then, without hesitation, he turned back, his escape light unceasing, and fled forward with all his might. He was no longer able to fight. Staying here would only burden Qin Sang and make him hesitate.

Qin Sang remained submerged, unseen. Seeing Mu Yifeng's actions, he inwardly praised him and gazed at the distant water surface.

From Mu Yifeng, he learned there were seven people on the boat. Two were Foundation Establishment late-stage masters, requiring Qin Sang's attention. One was the owner of the Wupeng boat, the person standing at the bow. The other was injured. Qin Sang had previously seen someone sitting cross-legged at the stern, so he presumed this was the person.

Before Qin Sang encountered them, Mu Yifeng had already fought a major battle with the Skyfaring Alliance cultivators. Of course, during that battle, Mu Yifeng was not alone on the Little Cold Domain's side; otherwise, he couldn't have held on for so long. But now, he was the only one left. Among those with Mu Yifeng was a senior brother from Shaohua Mountain named Kuang Yi, whom Qin Sang had heard of. Kuang Yi's cultivation was slightly superior to Mu Yifeng's. Unfortunately, he was tightly entangled during the battle. Seeing no hope of escape, he fought to the death, killing several people and severely wounding one of the Foundation Establishment late-stage masters, which allowed Mu Yifeng to find an opportunity to escape.

Aside from the two Foundation Establishment late-stage masters, the cultivation levels of the other five varied. However, they cooperated very well, advancing and retreating in an orderly fashion. If one were to get entangled with them, it would be difficult to break free. Fortunately, the Skyfaring Alliance cultivators had also paid a heavy price. Only these few remained, almost all of them wounded, their strength greatly diminished.

Qin Sang kept his gaze fixed on the distant Wupeng boat. He secretly activated an escape technique, slowly retreating, and before leaving, he didn't forget to use his spiritual power to scoop up the spatial pouches from the corpses, taking the spoils of war.

The Wupeng boat stopped. Water and sky merged into one. A lone boat floated serenely on the gem-clear lake water. The scene was tranquil and beautiful.

Everyone on the boat, including the two who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation, now stood up. Their expressions were unusually grave as they stared ahead, deep horror in their eyes. On the vast, endless expanse of water, faintly visible, where the two halves of the corpse had fallen, a patch of lake water was stained crimson. The blood diffused, quickly becoming too diluted to be seen by the naked eye.

A deathly silence pervaded the world.

"Senior Brother Luo, that sword strike... it was as swift as lightning, accompanied by divine thunder. Could it be..." A young man in a long robe recalled the astonishing scene he had just witnessed. His throat bobbed, and his voice was hoarse as he instinctively looked at the green-robed man standing at the bow. This man was his sect brother, surnamed Luo.

After the man surnamed Luo stopped the Wupeng boat, his gaze remained fixed ahead. The Wupeng boat was his magic artifact, under his control. Since the boat had stopped, he had maintained that posture, standing motionless, not moving the boat. Those behind him couldn't see his expression or know what he was thinking.

Hearing the long-robed youth's words, the others' expressions shifted slightly, and their gazes converged on him. A quick-witted individual immediately thought of something and couldn't help but exclaim, "Sword Qi Thunder Sound! Daoist Sun, are you talking about Sword Qi Thunder Sound?!"

Everyone's expression changed upon hearing this. Sword Qi Thunder Sound, a sword dao realm pursued by sword cultivators throughout their lives! The sects of Daoist Sun and Daoist Luo specialized in the sword dao. In the past century, only one Core Formation cultivator within their sect had successfully comprehended Sword Qi Thunder Sound, earning them considerable prestige within the Skyfaring Alliance.

"How could it be Sword Qi Thunder Sound? Has a Core Formation expert from the Little Cold Domain arrived?" Someone cried out in alarm, his face filled with terror. A clamor erupted on the Wupeng boat. If a Core Formation expert arrived, they would surely die. Even if they tried to escape now, it would be futile!

"Could it be a lightning technique combined with sword arts, disguised as Sword Qi Thunder Sound?"

"Daoist Sun, did you truly see clearly?"

At that moment, a white-robed man, who had been protected in the center of the group, stepped forward. Looking at the back of the man surnamed Luo, he asked in a serious tone, "Daoist Luo, I was meditating just now and didn't see clearly... What did you see? Was it truly Sword Qi Thunder Sound?"

The man surnamed Luo exhaled a long breath before turning around. His expression was somewhat strange, a mix of relief and envy. "It was indeed Sword Qi Thunder Sound! I once personally witnessed my martial uncle demonstrate it, but..."

The man surnamed Luo shook his head slightly. "But it wasn't a Core Formation cultivator. While this person's sword art is indeed powerful, killing Daoist Wu with a single strike, it's not a Core Formation expert! The same sword strike was far less terrifying than my martial uncle's. Otherwise, he wouldn't need to ambush or hide... This person must be a Foundation Establishment cultivator!"

Not Core Formation! Everyone's expressions relaxed, but then they showed even greater surprise. "To comprehend Sword Qi Thunder Sound at the Foundation Establishment stage... Even in legends, few have achieved that..."

The man surnamed Luo nodded, saying with a hint of envy, "In my sect, only one exceptionally talented senior has ever reached this stage, but unfortunately, that senior had mixed spiritual roots and ultimately stopped at the False Core Realm!"

"Even if it's not a Core Formation expert, don't let your guard down, everyone!" The man surnamed Luo warned in a deep voice, "You all saw the power of that sword strike; Daoist Wu had no power to resist! I don't need to elaborate on how terrifying Sword Qi Thunder Sound is; otherwise, countless sword cultivators wouldn't be so obsessed with it. All of you, summon your magic artifacts and help each other. Under no circumstances should you be alone and give this person a chance to strike!"

Everyone understood the gravity of the situation. They formed a tight circle, obeyed the command, and summoned their magic artifacts to guard their surroundings, raising their vigilance to the extreme. Their eyes were watchful, fixed on the seemingly calm waters nearby.

The white-robed man also didn't dare to be complacent. He summoned a flying sword, which hovered in front of him, but secretly transmitted a message to the man surnamed Luo: "Daoist Luo, that person's strength is unfathomable, and they are skilled in insidious tricks. The enemy is hidden while we are exposed; I'm afraid they will be difficult to deal with."

The man surnamed Luo's eyes flashed. "Are you suggesting?"

"The seniors only told us to pursue and block them from seeking reinforcements, but they didn't say we had to annihilate them completely. Our squad has suffered such severe casualties, and it's the first time Daoist Wu has unfortunately perished. We can't possibly lose everyone's lives here, can we? What do you think, Daoist Luo?"

Hearing the white-robed man's tone, the man surnamed Luo knew he had developed thoughts of retreat. Indeed, having an opponent skilled in Sword Qi Thunder Sound, capable of killing Foundation Establishment late-stage masters, lurking in the shadows and eyeing them like a tiger, made it impossible to feel at ease.

"You are right, Daoist. We have already killed several people and delayed them for quite some time. We can now report back to the seniors..."

The cultivator surnamed Luo nodded slightly. With a tap of his foot, the Wupeng boat turned around and cut through the waves, departing.