*Clash*

Ye Zexi, who looked half her hundred and something years, was forced to take several steps back.

*Clash*

Bu Zan's mace, again, clashed against the pair of butterfly swords his opponent used to block. And as before, the elder slid back, and Bu Zan advanced as he prepared another strike.

Ye Zexi had never been one of the blessed with increased prowess or strength, and so, restricted to the same 3rd level of the Warrior Lord realm, she found herself on thin ice.

As for Bu Zan, he wasn't the most powerful for his level still could fight against an opponent of the next one without problems. And so, he felt himself at ease, at least currently. {I will duel her, don't interfere!} He even sent a transmission to his power companions.

Still, the [Void Palace] elder wasn't in a position so bad as it may appear from the first clashes. In truth, she had deliberately slid back to move closer to her disciples.

The latter's situation was the one that worried her, as with a curtain of aura blocking their retreat into the tower and no manner to [Void Warp] inside, they would have to either concentrate on fighting two dozens of opponents or attempt to force their retreat. And forcing meant leaving themselves unguarded, as it entailed releasing the aura that, for now, surrounded them as armor.

Ye Zexi decided, and her twin butterfly swords glowed in a green hue as she infused her qi to activate a skill.

"Oh, you don't!" But while a quarter of her age, Bu Zan had fought not fewer battles than the elder. And so, he guessed her plan right away.

His enormous mace was not the quickest or most versatile weapon. Still, he had never thought of changing it as it had a unique quality. "Gate Crasher!" He bellowed as he used the skill that he always held on the ready. Indeed, the [Grey Crystal] used as the material for the mace allowed him to store a skill and activate it just with a thought, or in this case, a shout!

Bu Zan's mace was already flying at the Ye Zexi, and even she had not expected a martial skill suddenly be released.

*Swoosh*

And while her experience made her jump back right away, she still failed to avoid the entirety of the suddenly enlargened mace.

*Clang*

Covering her swords with aura and using the previously infused qi to strengthen them, she blocked the rounded, crystal-like head of the mace that now covered most of her zone of vision.

But their strength was similar, and in such a case, shrugging off an offensive skill, and not of the lowest level either, was close to impossible.

*Plop*

Ye Zexi fell to one knee, with her swords raised in a cross guard above her head, stopping the still pushing down mace.

And by doing so, missed the moment when Bu Zan let go of the mace, allowing it to continue pressing the elder, and suddenly rushed forwards to kick at her.

*Thump*

And while the elder managed to block the kick with her elbow, she had no way to do so with the punch that followed.

*Swoosh* *Grip*

But the punch never reached the half-knelt elder as, without any notice, a figure had emerged nearby and caught Bu Zan's wrist.

{Your disciples are in trouble. Like their master, they are under your care. So, I will deal with him.} A qi transmission entered Ye Zexi's mind, and then she felt how the mace stopped weighting at her.

***

Bai Qi had not planned to interfere right away, but he could not allow any deaths, at least ones he could prevent. Thus, even though he was sure that the elder had a few trump cards under her sleeves, he still willingly intruded into the fight.

The reason was the situation that the four disciples had fallen into. They had failed to retreat in time and then chose to remain outside in place of forcing their way back right away. And now, the first of the over 20 people of Bu Zan's group was about to clash with them.

And while the disciples weren't weak, close, or directly on the limit, Bai Qi was ready to bet that they lacked experience in combat.

***

At the first moment, thoughts of this being a trap crossed Ye Zexi's mind. Then, anger at someone interrupting just as she was about to act replaced the doubt. But as her senses centered on her disciples, she decided that the young man was right to interrupt. Feeling that it may be so, Ye Zexi did not ask anything and activated the prepared [Wavering Plane] activation to disappear from the spot.

And an instant later, she reappeared over the heads of the green-robed members of the [Sky Grass Society] that were already lunging against the braced Shao Cai and Liu Chun, two of her disciples.

And spinning as a deadly tornado, butterfly swords to the sides, she fell on them while slashing left and right.

***

Initially, Bu Zan was astounded that someone dared to interfere. Then, as he felt how the cloaked man sent a qi transmission and allowed the elder to retreat, he felt only fury.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" He roared as his aura flared, freeing his right arm and retrieving his mace with his left.

"Saw no need to allow you to fall to the elder. I mean, why not me?" Bai Qi took a step to the side, allowing the opponent to free arm and mace, and shrugged.

"Me falling?! And so you want to duel me? Now?!" Bu Zan's eyes turned bloodshot as he could not even assure what words were the most infuriating. But he would not allow this to distract him from his task, so he commanded, "Kill him!" to which the seven grey-robed members of the [Grey Gate] launched at Bai Qi.

The other few cultivators around did not react to the command, assuming that this was bickering or a grudge between powers, so they would be better by not interfering. In place, they looked at each other and started towards the tower. Whoever this brown-cloaked man was, his death would not pay out anything while the [Void Palace] ones did.

***

Bai Qi did not move or react at all. In fact, he looked as if he didn't notice the seven attackers. Even when the seven auras of theirs concentrated on him, in an attempt to slow down or suppress him, or when four of them reached him and, covering their weapons or arms in qi, attacked to kill.

Bai Qi's eyes remained open and carefully monitored Bu Zan. He had retrieved his mace and then, after ordering the attack, retreated a hundred feet or so. And now he stood still while observing the elder and disciple of the [Void Palace] struggle at the tower's entrance.

Actually, Bai Qi's senses, in their entirety, were concentrated solely on Bu Zan. After all, a man that could calmly walk away after being infuriated, challenged, and ordering a kill was, by far, more interesting than a bunch of shouting and cursing idiots.

Not that Bai Qi planned to become the proverbial pig in a slaughterhouse, as occupied with whatever he was, he wasn't planning to allow the seven's attacks or weapons to reach him.

*Swoosh*

Two swords, a double-handed saber, two earth-elemental fists, a set of paired clubs, and a staff. All of the latter neared Bai Qi from different directions, and he still did not react.

Such reaction or lack of thereof made Bu Zan half-turn to look at the man that had challenged him. Only to meet an intent stare and,

There were two manners to earn a name for oneself. The first one was to become a merciful savior and the other to become a merciless killer. The heavens sent benefactor, and the hell sent evildoer. But in truth, to become any of them meant to become the opposite of someone else.

Indeed, would not become the worst terror for the [Seven Souls Sect] and allies mean becoming a savior-like being for the [Void Palace]?

"Heh, let us play." Bai Qi smirked and lightly murmured as his almost recalled aura grew thinner. From a light cover above the robes that had blocked the hostile suppression, it thinned so much that no one could see or sense it. But for some reason, Bu Zan felt that the man suddenly turned dangerous, and not that he was now defenseless.

But Bu Zan did not stop the seven people from his power, and what happened next proved him wrong.

*Rip* *Rip*

The [Gray Gate] members' attacks were about to reach Bai Qi as the sound of clothes tearing resounded.

"How the fuck?!" In different variations, but such was the question that resounded just a few moments later.

Five tendrils of aura, each holding a longer than usual, purple-colored throwing dagger, had appeared from below the man's robes. And as scorpion-like tails clashed with the five weapons slashing and crashing through the air towards him.

*Clash* *Clash* *Clash* *Clash* *Clash*

And as if not content with just that, the man remained still until [Gate Shattering Fist] attacks were in reach for his hands.

*Grip* *Grip*

And with green-colored, armor-like claws caught the flying, aura-covered fists just as they touched the hem of his cloak!

To say that Bu Zan was astounded would be nothing. After all, even he, while restricted to the 3rd level of the Warrior Lord realm, was unsure to be able the do the same. Not in the same manner, but in any at all.

As for Bai Qi, he glanced at the surprised faces, and his smirk grew only wider as he thought, But a moment later, he decided that it was enough playing around and that it was time to start the fight itself.

*Rip* *Swoosh*

Bai Qi's disguise cloak was shredded to bits as another seven scorpion-tail tendrils of aura extended out. Purple-colored, foot-long daggers as the sting of it. But this time, Bai Qi would not use them for defense.

*Swoosh* *Splatter*

Moving as if one, each of the seven sting-like daggers flew towards one of the seven [Grey Gate] members. Only two, the staff user 2nd level Warrior Lord and the two-handed saber user, managed to avoid the lightning speed dagger lunge. The other five received a gaping wound each. But the tail-like appendages did not retreat after lodging their sting in their targets.

"BREAK OFF, YOU IDIOTS!" Perfectly knowing what happens after a scorpion's tail stings, Bu Zan bellowed and launched forwards.

But lightning was the quickest element of all, and so it was no wonder that by the moment that Bu Zan's shout entered the ears of the five stung cultivators, Bai Qi's follow-up was already underway.

Since the [Lightning Baptim], Bai Qi had spent not a single hour thinking about how to use the lightning element that now cruised his pathways. It wasn't as he could not recall at least a couple of skills from his past life, and as he never learned them, they would even count for the [Master of Everything, Ruler of Nothing] insights.

Still, learning a top-tier martial skill on the go without training was impossible to even for Bai Qi, especially as it would be an authentic top-tier Martial Skill.

Thus, in its place, Bai Qi had decided to create something that he could use right away, at least until he could stop and train a new arsenal of techniques and skills.

On the [Seven Islands Plane], one of Bai Qi's most effective weapons had been the lightning-trap spell-infused knives. And while he was refining weapons, he even created a dozen long daggers using [Thunderbolt Cleansed Cold Ore].

And then, the idea crossed his mind. If the daggers were of, mainly, the lightning element, and he now had qi of it;

The only problem that Bai Qi had faced was how to transfer his inner qi into the daggers after they left his hands, and then, he had thought,

*Bzzzt*