Phoenix stared at the man in black, her face a mask of surprise. "It's you? How did you get in here?"
The man in black glanced at Phoenix, his voice cold and sinister. "Little girl, that includes you. Don't even think about running. If it weren't for you, how would Ark have died? A beautiful face is a calamity!"
With that, the man in black shot a vicious glare at the others. "This has nothing to do with you. Get lost!"
Xu Luo had already guessed that this trip to the Small World wouldn't be peaceful and that enemies would inevitably come looking for him. But he never expected the first one to show up would be the man in black from the Jade Balance Sect!
'The younger brother of the Tianquan Sect Master, Fang Jing⦠His age must be over twenty-five. Why would he dare to enter?'
And from the looks of it, his expression was one of brazen confidence.
Xu Luo frowned slightly, feeling that something about this was strange.
Phoenix looked coldly at the man in black and said, "Ark's death was entirely his own fault. If not for your indulgence and arrogance, how could he have met such an end?"
"Enough talk. I'm here to take your lives. Don't waste my time. After I kill you, I still have to search for treasure in this place!" the man in black said.
At this moment, most of the other Merak Disciples looked tense. The aura emanating from their opponent was simply too astonishing. Although they didn't know the man in black's true strength, anyone who dared to openly seek revenge like this was naturally confident in their own power.
But these young people were not lacking in passion. They didn't choose to leave; instead, they stood firmly by Xu Luo's side, ready to stick together through thick and thin.
Sun Wu and the other Merak Disciples from the Grand Elder's faction showed hesitation. Their opponent was clearly after Xu Luo and Phoenix, who were rivals of their own backer. Logically, they had no reason to stay here.
The problem was, they had been the ones to follow voluntarily just moments before. To retreat now at the first sign of danger seemed incredibly dishonorable.
The man in black sneered and spoke lightly to the group of Merak Disciples, "Don't say I didn't warn you. Even if all of you came at me together, I could wipe you out with one hand! This has nothing to do with you, so you'd best get lost. I don't want to slaughter the innocent."
"You're so sure you can kill me?" Xu Luo couldn't help but laugh as he looked at the man in black. "Have you forgotten what a splitting headache feels like?"
A savage look appeared on the man in black's face. He stared at Xu Luo and said coldly, "I don't need you to remind me. I've naturally taken precautions. Brat, besides that one trick, what other abilities do you have?"
As he spoke, the man in black, Fang Ping, unleashed his aura. The power of the Transformation Realm was on full display.
The group of Merak Disciples opposite him felt as if a great mountain was bearing down on them. The invisible pressure was almost tangible, crushing them to the point where they could barely breathe, on the verge of suffocation!
"GET LOST!" Fang Ping roared at the Merak Disciples. The sound was like a tidal wave, booming like thunder, so powerful it felt as if their eardrums would shatter.
A few disciples from the Grand Elder's faction finally buckled under the terrifying pressure and turned to flee, their faces filled with horror.
With someone taking the lead, the other Merak Disciples from the Grand Elder's faction quickly followed suit.
Sun Wu struggled with his decision, but in the end, he took one deep look at Xu Luo standing at the forefront, turned, and left with the group.
In his mind, Xu Luo was as good as dead. Staying here wouldn't lead to any good outcome; it was better to leave!
A person's life is a series of choices. Choose the right path, and life is a smooth road; choose the wrong one and step onto a divergent path, and life will be fraught with hardship.
Sun Wu believed he had done nothing wrong. Although they were all from the same sect, in a matter of life and death, it was better to look out for oneself first. Besides, he and Xu Luo were never on the same path to begin with.
Though he had instantly come up with countless justifications for his actions, another thought lingered deep in Sun Wu's heart: 'But what if Xu Luo survives?'
Unfortunately, that thought didn't win out. The idea that leaving meant living filled his mind.
As for the Merak Disciples from the Sect Leader's faction, though their faces were pale and their eyes held unconcealable fear, something unexpected happened from Xu Luo's perspective. Despite being forced back several steps by the man in black's pressure, not a single one of them chose to leave!
"You're not leaving?" Xu Luo turned his head and glanced at the assembled Merak Disciples.
A girl of about eighteen or nineteen shot him a look and said, "What kind of question is that? We are all fellow sect brothers and sisters. Since you are a member of Merak, your business is Merak's business. Of course we'll stick together!"
As she spoke, she cast a contemptuous glance at the departing group led by Sun Wu. "Such cowards, afraid of death! They're unworthy of being Merak Disciples!"
"That's right! Our strength may be limited, but we're not afraid to die!" a male disciple of about twenty shouted. "Tianquan has gone too far! Junior Brother Xu Luo, don't worry, we'll stand with you!"
"Yeah, they've gone way too far! Ark was asking to be killed!"
Sun Wu, who was already quite a distance away, heard their words. His steps faltered, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
One of Grand Elder Leng Yu Lian's disciples in front of him turned back and said to Sun Wu, "What are you hesitating for? If they want to get themselves killed, they shouldn't drag us down with them!"
"They talk a good game, but under his aura, even breathing is a luxury. And they talk about sticking together? A bunch of idiots!"
"Just ignore them. Let's go our own way. This place might be full of danger, but as long as we're careful, we'll be fine."
"Right! We can find disciples from other sects and team up with them!"
The group chattered away, all talking at once as they made excuses for themselves.
Sun Wu remained silent. For some reason, he had a faint, sinking feeling in his heart: 'This step I've taken... it might very well have been the wrong one.'
Watching his passionate senior brothers and sisters, a flicker of emotion passed through Xu Luo's eyes. For the first time, he felt a sense of belonging to the small sect of Merak.
'Alright. You didn't abandon me today, so in the future, I will never abandon you!' Xu Luo said to himself. Then he turned around, his face calm as he looked at the man in black, Fang Ping.
"No last words you need to get out?" Fang Ping looked at Xu Luo with a mocking expression, like a powerful cat toying with a helpless mouse.
"Frankly, I don't want to kill you," Xu Luo said, looking at Fang Ping with a serious expression. "You're not like your brother and his people. You come from a major sect, and you have your own principles and bottom lines. You may not be a good person, but you're not exactly a bad one, either. At least... I don't hold much ill will toward you."
Fang Ping was somewhat surprised. He chuckled, "You're far too confident in yourself. Did you really think that after sneak-attacking me once with that mental assault, I'm now just another one of your defeated foes?"
Xu Luo shook his head. "Ark tried to kill me time and time again. I naturally wasn't going to let him just slaughter me, so I eliminated him. But you're different. I don't want to kill you. You should leave."
"HAHAHA! Oh, Xu Luo, Xu Luo, I really don't know what to say to you. Are you trying to amuse me? I told you, your mental attack has no effect on me anymore! Without your trump card, what makes you think you can even compare to me?"
Fang Ping couldn't help but roar with laughter, his eyes filled with coldness. "You killed my own nephew. I'll kill you to avenge him. There's nothing more to say. Come, let me see what other abilities you have besides that sneaky mental attack!"
Xu Luo shook his head and sighed internally. 'It seems this time, I'm really going to have to let Xushan down.'
Out of respect for Xushan, Xu Luo hadn't wanted to kill Fang Ping. After all, Fang Ping was a member of the Jade Balance Sect, and a key figure of the younger generation being groomed for the future.
But unfortunately, his opponent completely looked down on him and wouldn't listen to a word he said. So... he could only apologize to Xushan.
Xu Luo sighed softly. "Make your move."
"Fine. Xu Luo, you've got guts. I'll leave you with an intact corpse!" Fang Ping said lightly, looking at Xu Luo.
"I am very powerful. It's a shame you don't believe me." Xu Luo's expression was impassive, which in Fang Ping's eyes was simply him courting death.
"Then let me see just how powerful you are!" Fang Ping shouted, leaping into the air and kicking straight at Xu Luo's face.
BOOM!
An incomparably powerful True Essence Aura instantly crushed everything in the vicinity, sending sand and stones flying as it blasted toward Xu Luo like a hurricane.
In that instant, Xu Luo moved too!
His feet moving with the Shaking Light Step, his powerful body lunged toward Fang Ping like a leopard.
His incredibly abundant qi and blood erupted forth.
'Only the strength of a Sword Venerable?' Contempt filled Fang Ping's eyes.
"Shaking Light Burst!" Xu Luo's calm voice pierced through Fang Ping's True Essence Aura and reached his ears.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted, like a sudden clap of thunder on a clear day.
A dazzlingly brilliant ball of light burst forth between the two, instantly swallowing everything!
From within the light came Fang Ping's incredulous cry, "This is impossible!"
Fang Ping's body was sent flying backward, retreating a full hundred meters. A trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth. It felt as if his internal organs had been displaced, his Dantian was in turmoil, and his vital energy and blood surged chaotically. He had suffered severe internal injuries.
Xu Luo was also pushed back several dozen meters. His eyes flashed with a wild battle lust as he said to Fang Ping, "Mental attacks are not my strong suit."
With that, Xu Luo used the Shaking Light Step to charge at Fang Ping once more. This time, he held the Seven Star Sword in his hand.
The Sword Qi was immense, sweeping across the land. The black sword had no edge, yet it hissed with sharp Sword Qi.
"Rage Sea Tide!"
A torrential, vast power swept over everything as Xu Luo unleashed the full might of the Transformation Realm.
Across from him, Fang Ping's eyes filled with shock and disbelief. Faced with Xu Luo's terrifying combat prowess, he was momentarily stunned.