Chapter 131: Repaying a Teacher's Kindness

These three were none other than Liu Yingfeng of the Flowing Cloud Sect, along with the Second and Third Elders of the Wind and Snow Pavilion.

“Those three? Big Brother, I can deal with them for you. We can’t let them spoil our drinking.” After glancing at the trio whose faces had gone ashen, Chen Zhong stepped forward.

“Big Brother, I don’t want to leave my master’s revenge to someone else. Let me settle it myself!”

Lin Xiaobao’s eyes were filled with resolve. If this had happened in the past, he would naturally have chosen safety above all else and avoided taking unnecessary risks. But Elder Wu had already fallen silent after helping him. In that moment, Lin Xiaobao had realized that he could not rely on others for everything. If he wished to become a true powerhouse, he had to face certain matters on his own.

Seeing the determination in Lin Xiaobao’s eyes, Chen Zhong walked over and lowered his voice. “Brother, although you’ve advanced from the third level of the Spirit Dao to the sixth level in just half a year, all three of those men are peak ninth-level Spirit Dao experts. Big Brother is worried that you…”

“I appreciate your concern, Big Brother, but I can only avenge my master with my own hands!” Lin Xiaobao paused, a weariness far beyond his years showing in his eyes. “Besides, if one wishes to become a true powerhouse, some roads must be walked alone.”

Looking at the old sorrow in Lin Xiaobao’s eyes, Chen Zhong seemed to glimpse his own younger self. Stirred by the sight, he declared boldly, “Good! That’s the way my brother should be. Today, I’ll wait until you’ve avenged your master, and then we’ll drink until we’re both senseless!”

“Avenged him? You mean him…” Upon hearing that Lin Xiaobao intended to avenge Lin Tian, Si Mengling felt a sudden stabbing pain in her heart. Moisture unconsciously gathered in her eyes.

“Don’t worry. Before you recognized each other, nothing would have happened to Master. But Liu Yingfeng injured him first, and the Second and Third Elders plotted against him afterward. Since I’ve encountered them today, I must fulfill my duty as his disciple.” Lin Xiaobao stared at the three men with murderous intent.

“Bah! Aren’t you only acting so boldly because Senior Chen is here to back you up?” The Second Elder had also thrown caution to the wind. He had already realized that today was likely to be the end for him. Even if he could defeat Lin Xiaobao, could he possibly defeat Chen Zhong as well?

“I said I would avenge my master. I will never leave that task to anyone else. Today, either I kill all three of you, or the three of you kill me!” Lin Xiaobao’s eyes had taken on a faint crimson hue as he looked at the Second Elder. “I guarantee that if any of you kills me, no one will stop you from leaving this place today.”

After speaking, Lin Xiaobao turned his gaze toward Chen Zhong.

Chen Zhong understood that his brother was asking him to declare his position. Although he was somewhat unwilling, the determination in Lin Xiaobao’s eyes left him no choice but to say, “Very well. I will do as my brother says.”

With Chen Zhong’s assurance, the three men seemed to glimpse a sliver of hope. Everyone in the Mystic Sect knew that Chen Zhong had always kept his word and honored his promises. Since he had said such a thing, it naturally meant that if they killed Lin Xiaobao, they still had a chance of surviving.

“You were the one who injured my master first. You’ll be the first to face me!” Lin Xiaobao pointed at Liu Yingfeng, his eyes filled with seething hatred.

“Since you’re so eager to die, this old man will grant your wish!” Having been singled out by Lin Xiaobao, Liu Yingfeng also decided to fight with his life on the line. Judging from the killing intent in Lin Xiaobao’s eyes, showing the slightest hesitation would mean certain death. Perhaps only by killing Lin Xiaobao could he find a path to survival. After all, Chen Zhong had made his declaration before everyone present; surely he would not go back on his word.

As for Lin Xiaobao, the three men had never truly considered him a threat. He possessed only sixth-level Spirit Dao cultivation. Moreover, judging from his extraordinary alchemy skills, it was obvious that he had devoted most of his time to the path of the alchemist. His attainments in martial cultivation could not be particularly formidable.

Besides, Liu Yingfeng had defeated Lin Tian. Naturally, he was confident that he could kill Lin Tian’s disciple as well.

Sensing the unshakable resolve in Lin Xiaobao, Chen Zhong knew that anything he said now would be useless. He formed a spell seal with one hand, then flicked a finger. A heavy, earthy-yellow radiance shot forth and struck the Great Evolution Profound Sword.

The formations engraved upon the sword were activated. An earthy-yellow light spread outward, and everyone present felt a powerful force pushing against them. Their bodies were driven backward involuntarily.

In a matter of moments, only Lin Xiaobao and Liu Yingfeng remained within the earthen-yellow barrier. Everyone else had been forced outside it.

As they watched the two men inside the barrier, the onlookers entertained different thoughts. Some admired Lin Xiaobao’s courage. Others thought him foolish; if they had been in his place and faced an opponent of such strength, they would simply have asked Chen Zhong to intervene rather than risk their own lives. Many were also deeply worried for him.

Yet none of those emotions could affect Lin Xiaobao now. At this moment, his eyes held only Liu Yingfeng.

The instant the barrier took shape, Lin Xiaobao clearly sensed that Liu Yingfeng’s spiritual sense had locked onto him.

Lin Xiaobao began circulating the Divine Thought Waves, continuously increasing the frequency of his spiritual fluctuations. In the blink of an eye, the fluctuations around his body had become identical to the frequency of Liu Yingfeng’s spiritual sense.

A trace of confusion flashed through Liu Yingfeng’s eyes. His spiritual sense could not detect Lin Xiaobao’s presence at all, yet Lin Xiaobao was plainly standing right before him. What was happening?

A cultivator’s spiritual sense, put another way, was somewhat similar to modern radar. Both sent out waves at different frequencies and fed the captured images back into the mind. Now that Lin Xiaobao had adjusted the frequency of the spiritual fluctuations surrounding his body to match Liu Yingfeng’s, he naturally appeared invisible within the feedback received by Liu Yingfeng’s spiritual sense.

Just as Liu Yingfeng’s expression began to change, Lin Xiaobao seized upon the flaw in his opponent’s state of mind. With a single thought, the Azure Flame Sacred Sword appeared in his palm. The moment he activated the True Primordial Fire Art, the sword erupted with searing heat, its blade turning scarlet red. Compared with Liu Yangqiu’s Flame Dragon Sword from before, it was many levels more powerful.

“A mid-grade treasure artifact?”

The instant the sword light burst forth, someone in the crowd cried out in alarm. No one had expected Lin Xiaobao, who possessed only sixth-level Spirit Dao cultivation, to be concealing a mid-grade treasure artifact. But after considering his relationship with Chen Zhong, they quickly understood. Chen Zhong had even been willing to give him the Starpeak Ring; if Lin Xiaobao now produced a top-grade Dao artifact, no one would find it surprising.

Sure enough, upon seeing Lin Xiaobao wielding a mid-grade treasure artifact, Liu Yingfeng hurriedly summoned his own weapon—the Purple Firmament Tyrant Sword.

The moment the Purple Firmament Tyrant Sword appeared, a violet radiance shot into the sky, continuously forcing back the blazing red sword aura that pressed toward it. Yet compared with the Azure Flame Sacred Sword, the light of the Purple Firmament Tyrant Sword was clearly much dimmer. Fortunately, Liu Yingfeng’s cultivation was profound, allowing him to barely withstand the power pouring from the Azure Flame Sacred Sword.