“Right, right!” many Bai youths echoed in terror.
As Bailian spoke, the green-robed man’s gaze landed on her.
“This lass isn’t half bad, tsk tsk.”
“You can leave, but the women stay, you lot are quite the catch!” he grinned wickedly.
Bailian paled, her composure crumbling.
His cronies leered too, their greedy eyes sweeping to Bailu.
The Bai group’s faces twisted in shock.
Bai Yongzhi snapped, “You’ve gone too far! Yielding the Golden Immortal Fruits was generous enough, yet you dare make such shameless demands, think the Bai clan’s a pushover?”
“Exactly, we do think you’re soft little lambs, hand them over or we’ll take them!”
The green-robed man unleashed his second-rank Mahayana aura, ready to strike.
Bai Tong, trembling, blurted, “Bai sisters, maybe… maybe you should sacrifice yourselves? It’s our only way out!”
The women—Bailian, Bailu, and the rest—grew livid.
“Brother Bai Tong, you… how could you! You’re supposed to be the righteous one!”
Bailian stared, dumbfounded, her idolized Bai Tong shattered in an instant.
“I, Bai Yongzhi, won’t let you filth touch our girls, hand them over? Never!” He drew his weapon.
The green-robed man sneered, “Overconfident fool, Old Guang, Old An, with me, he’s wounded, weak—perfect time to kill him, we’ll split his loot!”
“Attack!”
He charged at Bai Yongzhi with two first-rank Mahayana fighters.
“You animals!”
Bai Yongzhi’s face darkened with fury.
Facing the trio, he met them head-on, despite his injuries.
“Us too!”
The rest of the foes rushed the Bai group.
“Quick! Stop them!” the Bai youths yelled at their guards.
They pinned their hopes on their protectors.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Battle erupted.
A second-rank Empty Nether foe reached Lin Yun and Bailu.
“This one’s a beauty, mine!” he ogled Bailu greedily.
“Big brother Lin Yun!”
Bailu clung to his arm, terrified, she’d never faced this.
Lin Yun was her only anchor.
“You’d best sod off,” Lin Yun’s eyes narrowed.
“Me leave? Die!”
The man’s warblade slashed at Lin Yun, warping the air.
“You’re the one dying!”
Lin Yun’s sword flared, striking out.
*Boom!*
Blade met sword, power clashing, the foe’s strike crumbled under Lin Yun’s might!
*Splurt!*
Blood sprayed, the man flew back, smashing through trees.
One move, crushed!
At three-tenths strength, a second-rank Empty Nether was no match.
But the broader fight looked grim, Bai Yongzhi, a third-rank Mahayana, was hampered by prior wounds, down to half strength, his weak body refinement slowed healing.
Under triple assault, another gash opened, he’d lose soon.
The Bai youths leaned on guards, but they too were battered from the beast fight.
Two more guards fell, the tide turned hard, several youths captured—including Bailian, her guard dead, now in enemy hands.
“Only Uncle Yongzhi can save us!”
Bailian clung to hope, but seeing him falter, despair sank in.
Bai Yongzhi was buckling!
“Lin Yun, help!” he shouted.
With no options, he begged Lin Yun, having glimpsed his skill.
“Sorry, my job’s keeping Bailu safe, the rest isn’t my problem,” Lin Yun replied.
He remembered their scorn before this mess.
Without that, he might’ve helped.
But their past actions cost them.
Just then, Bai Yongzhi parried two blows, but a third sliced his back, a gaping wound, the front pair struck again, hammering him.
*Splurt!*
Blood gushed, he flew back.
“Big brother Lin Yun, please save Uncle Yongzhi!” Bailu sobbed, pleading.
In the fray.
Bai Yongzhi hit the ground, blood pooling, at his limit, his three foes pounced to finish him.
“You won’t kill me that easy!” He gritted his teeth, readying forbidden arts for a last stand.
*Boom!*
A surge of divine sense swept over the trio.
Their eyes glazed, trapped in illusion.
Lin Yun unleashed the Azure Cloud Illusion.
His meridians were damaged, but divine sense, a separate system, was unscathed.
Post-illusion, he waved, summoning 128 swords around him.
“Flying Snow Sword Array, go!”
*Whoosh!*
The swords blazed, raining down.
The two first-rank Mahayana, far weaker in divine sense, couldn’t break free in time.
*Slash! Slash!*
The array cut them down.
The green-robed second-rank Mahayana snapped awake a split-second before the swords hit.
“Damn it!”
He flailed his weapon to block.
A prepared assault met panicked defense—the outcome was clear.
*Boom!*
He flew back, spitting blood, crashing into the woods, shaking the trees.
Three Mahayana—two dead, one wounded!
