Liang extended his hand, and a small, exquisitely crafted jade case appeared in his palm.
"I presume this is what you were looking for?"
This case had been inside Gao Feng's storage ring. Unfortunately, Gao Feng had never had the chance to open it before being discovered by the young woman.
The two cultivators' expressions darkened when they saw it.
Liang calmly opened the case.
A powerful aura immediately surged outward. Inside lay a single drop of blood essence. From the terrifying pressure it emitted, it was clearly left behind by an extraordinarily powerful being.
Liang looked at it with amusement.
"I didn't expect to find True Dragon blood essence here."
The moment those words left his mouth, the two cultivators' expressions changed drastically, their eyes flashing with killing intent.
"Hand over the blood essence," the tall man said sharply.
Liang chuckled.
"I think I'll pass. But if you want it… you'll have to come and take it."
The two cultivators exchanged a glance before nodding.
The woman moved first, charging forward with her sword flashing toward Liang's neck.
Liang did not move.
He simply raised his hand and caught the blade with his bare palm.
The woman's eyes widened in shock.
She immediately thrust out her other hand. Blue flames erupted around her, condensing into a blazing firebird that screamed as it shot toward Liang.
Yet Liang remained completely unfazed.
He merely opened his mouth, and a terrifying suction force surged outward, pulling the firebird into it before devouring it whole.
The woman's expression instantly changed. Shock and fear filled her eyes as she realized the vast gap between them.
The tall man did not hesitate.
He charged forward, his fist aimed directly at Liang's chest. But Liang seemed to anticipate the move. He sidestepped effortlessly, dodging the attack, and countered with a palm strike.
A shockwave burst outward.
The tall man tried to evade, but he was too slow. He was struck head-on and sent flying backward, crashing violently into a nearby wall.
Liang walked toward him calmly.
The tall man struggled to rise, but Liang had already raised his hand. Crimson flames erupted into existence, twisting and coiling into a massive fiery serpent.
The serpent wrapped tightly around the tall man.
Feeling his flesh burning, the man desperately ignited his own blood essence to boost his power, but it was futile.
The serpent tightened.
Moments later, it engulfed him completely, reducing his body to ashes.
Soon, his Nascent Soul appeared, attempting to flee. However, the surrounding space began to warp and compress around it until it was crushed into nothingness.
---
The woman stared at Liang, terror filling her eyes.
She slowly tried to retreat, but Liang was faster.
In the next instant, he appeared in front of her, gripping her throat and lifting her off the ground.
"Who sent you?" he demanded, his eyes narrowing coldly.
"I… won't tell you!" she gasped, struggling to break free.
Liang tightened his grip.
"Hmph. I suppose you'll speak if you value your life."
She could feel her life force rapidly draining under his grasp.
Suddenly—
Liang sensed a dangerous aura from behind him.
Without warning, a massive sword ray appeared at his back, instantly splitting into hundreds of smaller sword rays that rained toward him.
Liang released the woman and tried to dodge, but the sword rays surrounded him completely.
Each ray exploded in succession, leaving him no space to escape.
---
A man stood in the sky atop a flying sword.
His long silver hair streamed in the wind, and his eyes gleamed with sharp sword light.
He stepped off the flying sword and appeared beside the young woman.
Her eyes lit up with excitement and relief.
"Sect Master—you're here!"
The man gave a slight nod, his gaze fixed on the site of the explosions.
"Is he dead?" she asked nervously.
Suddenly, the man's expression shifted.
He sensed something and turned around.
The space behind him distorted.
A figure stepped out.
It was Liang.
He appeared completely unharmed. Even his clothes remained spotless.
He looked at the man with a faint smile.
"Oh? It seems I've lured out a big fish. Who are you? That's quite an impressive sword you have. I don't recall hearing about you."
The man's eyes narrowed.
"I am Ling Tian, Sect Master of the Azure Sword Sect."
"Ah, the famous Azure Sword Sect?" Liang grinned. "Sorry—I've never heard of it. But I have heard of you. I didn't expect to meet the renowned Ling Tian here. What an unexpected pleasure."
Ling Tian did not respond.
He simply raised his hand, and a vast wave of sword energy surged toward Liang.
Liang did not retreat.
Instead, crimson flames burst from his palm, colliding head-on with the incoming sword energy.
The two forces crashed together, producing a massive explosion that shook the surrounding region.
The young woman could only watch in stunned awe.
Ling Tian raised his sword again.
Three enormous azure swords materialized before him and instantly appeared around Liang.
The space distorted—
Liang vanished.
But when he reappeared, another sword had already formed before him.
With no time to teleport again, he faced the attack directly.
A devastating shockwave erupted outward, annihilating everything within a hundred miles.
Ling Tian glanced at the young woman.
"That strike is sufficient to kill a mid-stage Spirit Severing cultivator and severely injure even a late-stage one if struck directly."
Relief washed over her face.
But before she could speak, Ling Tian suddenly raised his hand to stop her.
In front of them, the space warped once more.
Liang stepped out again.
He remained completely unharmed. In fact, his aura had grown even more powerful than before.
He smirked at Ling Tian.
"Not bad, Azure Sword Sect Master. But unfortunately… you still aren't enough to defeat me."
Liang slowly raised his hand.
A terrifying aura began gathering around him.
His eyes glowed crimson.
Mystical runes emerged across his skin, shining with a faint red light as an overwhelming pressure filled the air.