“It seems the Ji family’s Martial Saint elder, Elder Bei, is going to have to flee from a junior today!”
Lin Xiao smiled calmly. He was in no hurry to attack. The petrification power receded, and the Heaven-Swallowing Spirit-Gathering Finger began to circulate within his body.
Given the opponent’s speed, if the elder truly decided to flee or simply kept his distance while slashing apart Lin Xiao’s attacks, no matter how strong the petrification power was, it would never land.
In that case, Lin Xiao would have no way to bring Elder Bei down.
His goal of testing the opponent’s strength had already been achieved. Now it was time to go for the kill.
Otherwise, if Elder Bei really escaped, it would be far too great a loss.
“You have truly exceeded my expectations. I must admit your power surpasses mine. However, with this kind of attribute-based ability, you cannot touch me. As for the combined Yuan-Spirit strike, let us see how many more times you can unleash it. Making this old man flee? You are still far from capable of that!”
Elder Bei snorted coldly, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
He naturally assumed that since Lin Xiao could not land a hit, he was preparing to use a combined Yuan and Spirit attack, then follow up with a sudden petrification assault.
But how could Elder Bei allow Lin Xiao to succeed?
“You will not run… so I will!”
With those words, Lin Xiao turned and fled, suddenly shooting backwards at explosive speed.
“Uh…” Even Elder Bei was momentarily stunned.
Clearly the advantage lay with Lin Xiao. Why was he suddenly running?
Could it be that the special petrification power could only be used once, and his Yuan-Spirit energy was nearly depleted?
Even the Ji family members and the crowds of onlookers four or five hundred li away were all dumbfounded.
The situation had reversed far too abruptly.
At this moment, everyone assumed Lin Xiao’s energy was exhausted and he had chosen to flee.
After all, no matter how strong he was, he was only at the fifth level of Martial Emperor and an initial seventh-grade Spirit Controller.
With cultivation at the fifth-level Martial Emperor and initial seventh-grade Spirit Control, unleashing such powerful attacks could not be done many times.
It was far from comparable to the vast reserves of a Martial Saint.
Moreover, the petrification power could not strike Elder Bei. If the fight dragged on and Lin Xiao continued to expend energy, he would certainly fall into danger.
That was why Lin Xiao had chosen to run.
“Think you can escape? Not so easy!”
After a long moment of stunned hesitation, Elder Bei snapped back to his senses. His figure flashed forward as he charged ahead.
Yet right at that instant, a tiny speck of light shot towards him from the front at beam-like speed.
That speck of light carried an aura that made Elder Bei feel as though world-destroying energy was about to detonate. A horrifying presence instantly filled the entire heaven and earth, causing the very world to tremble.
Elder Bei’s expression changed dramatically. His heart shuddered violently, and an intense sense of mortal crisis surged through him.
The speck was simply too fast, far exceeding the speed of a Martial Saint by more than a little. In the blink of an eye, it crossed the four or five hundred li from the direction Lin Xiao had retreated and arrived directly in front of Elder Bei.
Elder Bei hurriedly swung his sword. Flowing sword light instantly formed a barrier dozens of li ahead, blocking the path of the speck.
Boom!
A mass of light brighter than ten suns burst forth, instantly illuminating a radius of a thousand li. A heaven-shaking, earth-shattering explosion erupted. Overwhelming waves of energy surged in all directions, destroying everything in their path as though the very void was being annihilated.
The ground shook violently, as if a massive earthquake had struck.
Terrifying ripples of energy spread out across a radius of five hundred li.
Within five hundred li, brilliant light and oceans of energy filled every corner.
In that instant, anyone too close who failed to escape in time was hurled away by the shockwave.
Those on the outer edges panicked and fled even further outward.
Everyone’s hearts pounded. Fortunately, they had been beyond five hundred li. Any closer and they would have been in grave danger.
The destructive power of the explosion was simply too terrifying. No one knew what method Lin Xiao had used to create such devastation.
“The Ji family’s Martial Saint is finished.”
That was the silent consensus among the onlookers.
The Ji family members were filled with shock, completely unprepared for the strike.
Under such power, they did not believe Elder Bei could survive, even as a Martial Saint.
No matter how they racked their brains, they could not understand how Lin Xiao still had the means to unleash such an attack.
“It must be Spirit Pool Island. It must be the eighth-grade pill they gave him!”
An elder cried out in grief.
That was the only explanation they could accept: an eighth-grade explosive pill. Nothing else could produce such terrifying might.
“Impossible! Elder Bei is a Martial Saint. Nothing can have happened to him. He must still be alive!”
A youth protested in disbelief.
Having fled another one or two hundred li, they finally stopped. They gazed ahead and silently prayed.
“If something has happened to Elder Bei…” One of the Ji family’s semi-Martial Saint elders stared forward, then suddenly came to his senses. “This is bad! Run! Everyone run!”
The hearts of the other Ji family members trembled.
Run?
Would that not mean admitting Elder Bei was lost?
Yet if something truly had happened and they did not flee, disaster would befall them all.
“Even if Elder Bei still lives, he will no longer be able to fight Lin Xiao. Quick, everyone escape!”
The semi-Martial Saint elder shouted urgently, sweeping a group of disciples with him as they shot towards the horizon.
As a high-ranking member of the Ji family’s Shengzhou branch, his mind was sharp. In an instant, he connected all the possibilities.
Lin Xiao was a mortal enemy of the Ji family and had already wiped out their Yangzhou branch. If Elder Bei was down, Lin Xiao would surely turn on them next.
If they did not escape immediately and waited for the outcome, they would be courting death.
Even if Elder Bei still lived, he would certainly be gravely injured and unable to protect them any longer.
Hearing the elder’s words, the Ji family members scattered in panic, fleeing in all directions.
Though none wished to accept that Elder Bei might be lost.
But they had seen the power of that explosion with their own eyes.
The chances of Elder Bei surviving were extremely slim.
If they did not run, they might all perish here today.
No matter how many of them there were, none could possibly be Lin Xiao’s match.
“Roar!”
At that moment, a sharp, piercing roar rang out. Sound waves like a hundred crashing tides surged from the side, instantly sweeping across two or three hundred li.
Among the Ji family and the countless onlookers, the weaker ones had their heads explode.
Those slightly stronger bled from all seven orifices and plummeted from the sky, nearly reduced to idiots by the sonic attack.
Even the strongest among them suffered heavy injuries.
Only the semi-Martial Saint elder remained unharmed, while high-tier Martial Emperors sustained light wounds.
Of course, those on the very outer edges of the sound wave were unaffected and continued fleeing outward.
